You may be familiar with dental fillings to help restore teeth that have suffered from cavities – but they can also help with cracks, fractures, or any other surface damage. In some cases, patients who have uneven surfaces may benefit from a dental filling to help smooth out the surface for more efficient biting and chewing. Often, patients worry about the aesthetic appeal of fillings as they were commonly made from silver (amalgam) in previous decades – which looks much darker than your natural tooth. However, now many dentists use a composite resin material that can be shaded to match the color of your surrounding teeth giving you a seamless smile. Depending on the individual and situation, your dentist will help you to determine which material would work best. (more…)
Do You Suffer From Bad Breath?
Do you find yourself embarrassed to talk because you’re afraid your breath smells bad? You’re not alone – many people suffer from chronic bad breath. Often times, it’s caused from an excess amount of bacteria in your mouth – whether it’s on your tongue, gum tissue, or teeth. With severe bad breath, it may be a sign of an infection like gum disease or cavities. However, it can also have more subtle causes like smoking or chewing tobacco, poor diet choices, or even your dentures if they aren’t cleaned regularly. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place – you shouldn’t need to suffer from bad breath. (more…)
How Your Diet Affects Your Oral Health
While everyone knows that the foods you consume regularly are what fuel your body, what many people don’t realize that these foods can drastically affect your oral health as well. Without the proper nutrients, you can become more susceptible to infection as it gets harder for your body to ward off the bacteria. Most foods – even the unhealthy ones – are okay in moderation, as long as you know where to draw the line. For example, foods that are high in sugars should be kept to an absolute minimum. Unfortunately though, many people are unaware of how much sugar is actually in their daily diet. So how does your diet affect your oral health? (more…)
When Do You Need Root Canal Therapy?
It can be difficult to know the severity of your dental condition based off of the symptoms or pain that you’re experiencing. If you have a toothache or sensitivity, it could be a sign of a cavity or tooth decay. However, a cavity can usually be treated with a dental filling – so when do you need root canal therapy? Also referred to as endodontic treatment, it becomes necessary when the pulp (or nerve) of your tooth is inflamed or infected. Ultimately, your dentist will be able to decide whether it is able to save your tooth. (more…)
Top Advantages Of Dental Implants
No matter how you’ve lost your tooth, whether it be to gum disease, tooth decay, injury, etc. – it can be a traumatic experience. Dental implants, one of the leading restorative options, are becoming increasingly popular among patients – and for good reason, too, as they have quite an extensive list of advantages! Unlike other restorative options, these “new teeth” are able to connect with your jaw bone. Not only does this make for an extremely stable and nearly permanent tooth, but it also prevents your jaw bone from deteriorating over time by giving it the proper stimulation it needs. That’s just the beginning of their benefits, too! (more…)
A Healthy Smile Could Mean a Healthier Heart!
Since February is American Heart Month, we’d like to take a moment to discuss an aspect of your cardiovascular health that you may not be aware of—its relationship to the state of your oral health. Although you may not naturally think that they are connected, the mechanisms that result in gum disease are similar to those of heart disease, and numerous studies suggest that the two chronic illnesses may be connected. To highlight this relationship and what it may mean for your oral and physical wellbeing, we explain what you should know about the connection between gum disease and heart disease. (more…)
5 Reasons Your Tooth May Be Extracted
Often times, when patients think of tooth extraction the first thing that comes to mind is wisdom teeth – or third molars. Unfortunately, your wisdom teeth aren’t the only teeth that may need to be removed. However, extraction is typically only recommended when your dentist believes they cannot save your tooth (especially in cases of periodontitis and decay). If you’ve been suffering from unusual tooth pain or bleeding gums, visiting your dentist as soon as you can will help to keep your mouth healthy and decrease your chance for extraction. If left untreated, it could turn into one of the five reasons your tooth may be extracted.
3 FAQ's About Sleep Apnea
Is your partner complaining about your loud snoring every night? Do you find yourself constantly waking up and persistently tired throughout the day? If so, these may be symptoms pointing to a sleep disorder known as sleep apnea. While it can be difficult to diagnose because majority of the symptoms occur while you’re asleep, your dentist may recommend a sleep study to get a proper diagnosis. A sleep study will monitor the oxygen levels in your body throughout your sleep cycle to determine whether or not sleep apnea is causing your lack of rest. (more…)
Guide To Cavity Prevention For Kids
As parents, you can’t always control how your child chooses to maintain their oral health. Ultimately, it’s up to them. However, there are several ways you can help them to prevent cavities from damaging their little pearly whites! One of the best ways to enforce excellent dental hygiene is by practicing it yourself. Modeling proper oral hygiene can help them to want to brush their teeth when they’re younger, leading to better habits when they become older. That’s not all – get ready for a short version of a guide to cavity prevention for kids! (more…)
3 Advantages Of Dental Crowns
Dental crowns are used in many different situations; cosmetic and restorative. In the past, these tooth-like “caps” were made out of metals like gold and silver. With the advancement of dentistry over the past few decades, now dentists have begun to use materials like composite resin and porcelain – which are much more aesthetically appealing. If you’ve ever had a broken, cracked, or weak tooth, you’re probably familiar with dental crowns. Did you know they have several advantages? We’ll cover just the top 3 – but the list could go on much longer! (more…)
