Frequently-Asked Questions About Toothaches

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If you’ve ever had a toothache, your first and foremost question might be, “How do I cure it?” In most cases, though, the answer to that question isn’t so simple. Teeth hurt for a number of reasons, ranging from dental damage to a developing dental disease (tooth decay or gum disease), and the “cure” for your toothache will be unique to your situation. To help clarify the mystery behind your discomfort, your Grand Prairie dentist, Dr. Quinn Smith, answers a few frequently-asked questions about toothaches and how to make them go away.

What causes teeth to hurt?

When the enamel surrounding your teeth grows thin and weak, either from poor hygiene or habits like grinding your teeth, the main structure of your tooth, called dentin, is exposed. Dentin is porous, and when irritated, it sends sensory information to the nerves at the center of your tooth. Usually, toothaches occur due to a cavity, crack, or fracture that has exposed the tooth’s more sensitive structures underneath its enamel.

Will my toothache resolve itself if I ignore it?

Even if you could stand the discomfort of your toothache, you shouldn’t challenge yourself by seeing how long it takes before you give in. If the pain is the result of a growing cavity, caused by tooth decay, time will only allow the infection to spread, and the toothache will grow worse.

How can I prevent toothaches in the future?

Since tooth sensitivity happens for several reasons, prevention depends on preventing the various issues that cause teeth to hurt. Typically, this means practicing good hygiene, like brushing and flossing your teeth at least twice every day, and visiting your dentist as often as recommended for routine dental checkups and cleanings.

ABOUT YOUR GRAND PRAIRIE DENTIST:

Dr. Quinn Smith is a well-respected and highly experienced general, restorative, and family dentist in Grand Prairie, TX. He takes a patient-first approach that starts from the moment patients enter our Pecan Tree Dental office, and he offers a three-year guarantee on all dental work that he performs. Whether you and your family are new or returning patients, you can schedule a consultation or your next appointment with Dr. Smith by contacting us at (972) 262-5111.

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Should You Extract a Painless Wisdom Tooth?

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For many people, wisdom teeth are temporary inconveniences that are eventually extracted, either due to preference or necessity. For others, they’re a barely-noticeable final addition to their smiles that never disturb their oral health. The trouble for people wondering if they should extract a wisdom tooth is that they may not know if it’s necessary until the tooth begins to hurt. Officially known as your third set of permanent molars, wisdom teeth often have little room to grow on dental ridges that already hold 28 teeth. Even if yours don’t hurt yet, your Grand Prairie dentist, Dr. Quinn Smith, may recommend extracting them to prevent possible complications in the future.

The Trouble With Wisdom Teeth

As a wisdom tooth, or third molar, prepares to erupt, it might butt up against the molar that’s already settled at the end of your dental ridge (known as impaction). Since you can’t stop a tooth from growing, the third molar will continue trying to erupt out of your jawbone and through the gum line. The force can push your teeth out of alignment and throw the wisdom tooth into an odd angle of growth. Besides serious discomfort, the disruption can lead to a host of subsequent dental issues, including tooth damage.

Signs that Your Third Molar is in Trouble

If your wisdom teeth hurt, or the teeth and gums around them are store, then they may have become impacted and require an extraction. If they don’t hurt, however, Dr. Smith warns not to assume that no problem exists. While your third molars may grow in uninhibited, the damage that could result if they become impacted could require extensive treatment to relive the discomfort and restore your good dental health.

ABOUT YOUR GRAND PRAIRIE DENTIST:

Dr. Quinn Smith is a well-respected and highly experienced general, restorative, and family dentist in Grand Prairie, TX. He takes a patient-first approach that starts from the moment patients enter our Pecan Tree Dental office, and he offers a three-year guarantee on all dental work that he performs. Whether you and your family are new or returning patients, you can schedule a consultation or your next appointment with Dr. Smith by contacting us at (972) 262-5111.

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Want to Cure Your Chronic Bad Breath? We Can Help!

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If your breath seems persistently bad, even though you brush and floss your teeth religiously and swear by the pack of mints you keep close by, then eliminating it might sometimes seem out-of-reach. As a common symptom of a wide variety of issues, chronic bad breath may be overwhelming, but it isn’t permanent; in most cases, you can cure your bad breath with simple improvements to your daily hygiene. If the issue is serious, then your Grand Prairie dentist, Dr. Smith, can help uncover the cause and prescribe an appropriate treatment plan to restore your fresh breath and healthy smile.

Steps to Fresher Breath

Often, the reason behind persistent bad breath is as simple as poor hygiene. When oral bacteria (the building blocks of dental plaque) accumulate en masse, some of them release foul-smelling sulfur compounds that taint your breath. You can help protect your teeth, gums, and tongue from being overrun by malodorous germs by;
  • Brushing and flossing your teeth at least twice every day
  • Brushing in the morning to clear your mouth of bacteria that have gathered overnight
  • Eating a well-balanced breakfast before brushing your teeth to help stimulate saliva production
  • Rinsing your mouth with water if you can’t brush your teeth after a meal; the natural beverage helps wash away bacteria and neutralize their byproducts, such as volatile sulfur compounds.
  • Drinking plenty of water throughout the day to avoid becoming dehydrated; if your mouth goes dry from lack of saliva, bacteria can grow much faster, as well as your risks of bad breath, cavities, gum disease, and other oral bacteria-related issues.

ABOUT YOUR GRAND PRAIRIE DENTIST:

Dr. Quinn Smith is a well-respected and highly experienced general, restorative, and family dentist in Grand Prairie, TX. He takes a patient-first approach that starts from the moment patients enter our Pecan Tree Dental office, and he offers a three-year guarantee on all dental work that he performs. Whether you and your family are new or returning patients, you can schedule a consultation or your next appointment with Dr. Smith by contacting us at (972) 262-5111.

filed under: Grand Prairie Dentist

Do You Feel Sleep Deprived?

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Do you feel fatigued during the day, even though you believe you’re getting a good night’s rest? Does your sleeping partner complain that he/she can’t sleep because of your excessive snoring? Although obstructive sleep apnea is often marked by periods of severely loud snoring, many patients don’t realize they suffer from the sleep disorder unless someone else tells them, or until mysterious symptoms of sleep deprivation become present. Your Grand Prairie dentist, Dr. Quinn Smith, explores the phenomenon of extreme snoring and why you should worry if it indicates obstructive sleep apnea.

Exploring Snoring

Have you ever wondered what snoring is, exactly? When you sleep at night, your mouth and throat tissues relax and can collapse into your airway. As the space grows smaller, the air squeezing between the tissues causes them to vibrate loudly, like air squeezing through the pinched opening of a slowly-deflating balloon. The inhibited breaths can lead to a decrease in oxygenated blood flow, and in extreme cases, the tissues can completely blockyour airway and force you to stop breathing.

What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

Obstructive sleep apnea describes a condition where your oral tissues impede your breathing process, forcing your body to wake up slightly and regain its breath. As your airway closes, snoring grows louder until it stops along with your breathing. After a moment, your mind panics from the lack of oxygen, waking your body enough to breathe but not enough to consciously rouse you. Though you’re unaware of the episodes, they can occur hundreds of times a night and deprive your mind and body of necessary deep sleep.

ABOUT YOUR GRAND PRAIRIE DENTIST:

Dr. Quinn Smith is a well-respected and highly experienced general, restorative, and family dentist in Grand Prairie, TX. He takes a patient-first approach that starts from the moment patients enter our Pecan Tree Dental office, and he offers a three-year guarantee on all dental work that he performs. Whether you and your family are new or returning patients, you can schedule a consultation or your next appointment with Dr. Smith by contacting us at (972) 262-5111.

filed under: Grand Prairie Dentist

Discussing Your Oral and Lung Health

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The importance of maintaining clean and healthy teeth and gums should be a given, considering your mouth is essential to eating and speaking. Even still, gum disease, one of the most destructive chronic oral health issues, affects over 75% of adults in America today. With a growing cache of research supporting a connection between your mouth’s wellbeing and your body’s health, preventing and treating dental issues takes on a new importance. According to a study published in the Journal of Periodontology, this connection may even extend to include the health of your lungs.

What is Gum Disease?

A connection between your mouth and your lungs may not come as much of a surprise. After all, the majority of the air you inhale comes through your mouth first before reaching your lungs. When gum disease is present, it is typically due to an excessive accumulation of oral bacteria. These microbes irritate your gum tissue, causing it to pull away from your teeth and form pockets for bacteria to collect and flourish. Some of the main bacterial perpetrators of gum disease, especially those that result in the inflammation of periodontal tissue, are also suspected in the development of certain chronic inflammatory diseases, including heart disease.

The Oral-Respiratory Connection

During the oral health and respiratory infection study, 200 patients between the ages of 20 and 60, each with at least 20 natural teeth, were examined. Half of the patients were hospitalized with respiratory infections, such as bronchitis and pneumonia—infections that are typically caused by the inhalation of bacteria. The other half were in excellent health with no history of respiratory illness. The study determined that the respiratory patients had significantly worse periodontal health than their healthy counterparts, suggesting a link between the presence of periodontal disease and the development and exacerbation of respiratory infections.

ABOUT YOUR GRAND PRAIRIE DENTIST:

Dr. Quinn Smith is a well-respected and highly experienced general, restorative, and family dentist in Grand Prairie, TX. He takes a patient-first approach that starts from the moment patients enter our Pecan Tree Dental office, and he offers a three-year guarantee on all dental work that he performs. Whether you and your family are new or returning patients, you can schedule a consultation or your next appointment with Dr. Smith by contacting us at (972) 262-5111.

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Common Questions About Cosmetic Dentistry

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Have you tried numerous over-the-counter products from your pharmacy, but are still unable to return the youthful, pearly-white shine to your smile? Do you have one or more teeth that are chipped, but aren’t sure what’s the best way to fix it? Cosmetic dentistry has a wealth of solutions to most issues concerning your smile’s appearance. If you wish your smile were brighter, straighter, or generally more appealing, then ask your Grand Prairie dentist, Dr. Quinn Smith, how cosmetic dentistry can help you.

How does teeth whitening erase stains?

Though teeth stains are the most common cosmetic complaint, they’re also the easiest to address, at least in most cases. Professional teethwhitening consists of a highly-potent bleaching agent that eradicates stains on the semi-translucent surface of your teeth, while oxidizing and brightening the underlying tooth structure.

Can you fix crooked teeth without braces?

Crooked teeth, or malocclusion, occur in degrees of severity. When one or more of your teeth aren’t as straight as the rest, they might affect only your smile’s appearance, or they might inhibit the balance and function of your bite, depending on how out of alignment they are. In many cases, porcelain veneers can be bonded to the front surfaces of crooked teeth, improving their appearance without the need for orthodontic braces.

Can cosmetic dentistry fix a chipped or cracked tooth?

If you have a chipped tooth, its edges may contrast with the contour of your smile. As long as the damage doesn’t threaten the tooth’s health by exposing its sensitive inner tissues, it may be fixed with a noninvasive dental bonding or porcelain veneer procedure. For more serious chips and cracks, Dr. Smith may recommend placing a dental crown, or cap, over the tooth.

ABOUT YOUR GRAND PRAIRIE DENTIST:

Dr. Quinn Smith is a well-respected and highly experienced general, restorative, and family dentist in Grand Prairie, TX. He takes a patient-first approach that starts from the moment patients enter our Pecan Tree Dental office, and he offers a three-year guarantee on all dental work that he performs. Whether you and your family are new or returning patients, you can schedule a consultation or your next appointment with Dr. Smith by contacting us at (972) 262-5111.

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It’s Never Too Early to Prevent Gum Disease

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Although it tends to affect older people more often than the young, gum disease isn’t an age-related disease; it’s neither determined by age, nor is it a natural part of the aging process. On the contrary, gumdisease can develop from poor dental hygiene regardless of age, race, gender, and color, and if not prevented or dealt with early, the disease can cost you one or more teeth. As a progressive condition, gum disease can’t be completely eradicated once it’s developed; therefore, keeping your mouth safe from it is best accomplished by preventing gum disease development in the first place.

Tips to Prevent Gingivitis & Gum Disease

Make Brushing and Flossing a Priority

Gingivitis, the first stage of gum disease, describes a gum infection that results from excessive bacteria along the gum line. Brushing and flossing your teeth at least twice is the most effective method of controllingoral bacteria on a daily basis. If you skip one or two brushings, then the germs can accumulate enough to irritate and infect your gum tissues. For improved results, use antibacterial mouthwash to further combat bacteria buildup.

Attend Every Scheduled Checkup & Cleaning

The same way your teeth need daily attention with a toothbrush and floss, they also need routine professional care every six months, or more often, if recommended. During your visits, Dr. Smith and our talented hygienists can thoroughly clean your teeth to remove the gumdisease-causing bacteria that you may have missed. Dr. Smith can also spot signs of early gingivitis and recommend treatment to prevent it from becoming full-blown gum disease.

Pay Attention at the Bathroom Sink

When your gums are infected, you may notice that they look red and swollen, and probably bleed when you brush and floss your teeth. If any of these occur, or if your teeth grow loose or feel sensitive around the gum line, then schedule an appointment with Dr. Smith as soon as possible to determine if gingivitis and gum disease are a threat. Treating it early will improve your chances of avoiding irreversible damage and the need for extensive, specialized periodontal treatment.

ABOUT YOUR GRAND PRAIRIE DENTIST:

Dr. Quinn Smith is a well-respected and highly experienced general, restorative, and family dentist in Grand Prairie, TX. He takes a patient-first approach that starts from the moment patients enter our Pecan Tree Dental office, and he offers a three-year guarantee on all dental work that he performs. Whether you and your family are new or returning patients, you can schedule a consultation or your next appointment with Dr. Smith by contacting us at (972) 262-5111.

filed under: Dentist, Grand Prairie Dentist

Think Twice About Energy and Sports Drinks

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It’s summer, and in Texas, that means HOT! So, naturally, your first instinct may be to keep a beverage with you at all times, and given their popularity, that beverage may often be a sports drink or energy drink. They’re full of flavor, electrolytes, and lots of other things that many people automatically assume are good for them. Unfortunately, that misconception hides the fact that many of what today’s sports and energy drinks contain can seriously affect your dental health, such as causing irreversible damage to your teeth.

What’s REALLY in the Bottle

Although the right sports beverage can satisfy your thirst, and an occasional energy drink can give you the boost you need to make it through the day, most of them are chockfull of sugar and highly-acidic substances. When acids come into contact with your teeth, they deplete your teeth of minerals, causing the enamel around them to weaken and dissolve. As sugar interacts with bacteria-laden dental plaque, the germs convert it into more acid, further damaging your teeth until they fall victim to cavity-causing tooth decay. Weak teeth are also more prone to chipping, cracking, and breaking, making sports and energy drinks among the most damaging influences on your dental health.

Flavorful Alternatives

Need ideas to replace your sports and/or energy drink habit? To quench your thirst, try water—an all-time favorite of doctors and dentists. Water can naturally rinse food particles and bacteria from your mouth, as well as neutralize the acids that oral bacteria produce. Many grocery stores carry sugar-free, fruit-flavored water to help please the palate while hydrating your mouth and body. Milk, which contains teeth-strengthening calcium, and unsweetened tea, which contains numerous antioxidant properties, are also good, teeth-friendly alternatives.

ABOUT YOUR GRAND PRAIRIE DENTIST:

Dr. Quinn Smith is a well-respected and highly experienced general, restorative, and family dentist in Grand Prairie, TX. He takes a patient-first approach that starts from the moment patients enter our Pecan Tree Dental office, and he offers a three-year guarantee on all dental work that he performs. Whether you and your family are new or returning patients, you can schedule a consultation or your next appointment with Dr. Smith by contacting us at (972) 262-5111.

filed under: Dentist, Grand Prairie Dentist

How Dental Implants Compare to Traditional Dentures

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Though today’s modern implant dentures are far more advanced than what our ancestors could have imagined, the idea of crafting artificial teeth to replace thenatural ones you’ve lost originated long ago. In fact, the earliest known example of tooth replacement comes from the Etruscans of ancient Italy, who crafted primitive dentures from human and animal teeth around 700 BC. Today, innovative and lifelike materials have replaced used teeth, but the philosophy remains the same; restore your mouth’s full set of teeth to restore your ability to chew and speak properly. Along with innovation, however, has come a greater understanding of our oral health, and we now know that restoring lost teeth’s roots is as important as filling the space left in your smile.

A Look at Modern Dentures

Modern dentures are crafted from high-quality dental porcelain, which is tinted to match your smile’s natural color and layered to mimic your enamel’s light-reflecting properties.http://www.ravonknopfdds.com/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/trans.gifYour replacement teeth sit on a gum-colored base that is secured to your dental ridge using advanced dental adhesives. In the case of upper dentures, the appliance is further secured in place by the suction naturally created by the concave roof of your mouth. Dentures are custom-crafted to fit snugly on your dental ridge for optimal comfort and security, and by replacing your missing teeth, they help restore your ability to chew your food thoroughly and enunciate your words correctly.

Room for Improvement

As advanced and lifelike as modern dentures are, they cannot address the loss of your teeth’s roots. A dental implant, however, is surgically inserted into your jawbone to do exactly that. Made from biocompatible titanium, dental implantsare designed to allow your jawbone to fuse to its surface, holding the small post as securely as though it were a natural root. Once healed, your dental implants will be topped with a connective post upon which Dr. Smith can attach your implant-supported dentures. The improved security prevents your dentures from moving around as you eat or speak, and the implants are stimulated when you bite and chew, helping preserve your jawbone’s health by signaling your body to send it nutrients for adequate support.

ABOUT YOUR GRAND PRAIRIE DENTIST:

Dr. Quinn Smith is a well-respected and highly experienced general, restorative, and family dentist in Grand Prairie, TX. He takes a patient-first approach that starts from the moment patients enter our Pecan Tree Dental office, and he offers a three-year guarantee on all dental work that he performs. Whether you and your family are new or returning patients, you can schedule a consultation or your next appointment with Dr. Smith by contacting us at (972) 262-5111.

filed under: Dentist, Grand Prairie Dentist

Is TMJ Disorder Your Problem?

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Does your jaw pop and click when you open and close it? Do your jaw and/or face feel stiff, sore, and chronically uncomfortable? Your Grand Prairie dentist, Dr. Quinn Smith, has helped many patients find relief from craniofacial discomfort by treating a condition known as TMJ disorder, which affects the joints and muscles that control your jaw’s movement. Today, we explore how TMJ disorder can develop and list a few other seemingly-unrelated aches and pains that may also indicate a jaw dysfunction.

What is TMJ Disorder?

TMJ disorder is named after your temporomandibular joints, or TMJs for short, that connect your lower jaw (mandible) to your skull, just in front of each ear. Like other joints and muscles throughout your body, overexertion can damage your TMJs, leading to inflamed and sometimes misaligned joints that can result in debilitating chronic discomfort. How these small joints can cause such discord throughout your head, neck, and facial areas can be explained by the nerve that innervates your jaw. Called the trigeminal nerve, your jaw’s nerve is only one of three branches of the same nerve. The other two branches spread throughout the much of your craniofacial structure, and the trigeminal nerve accounts for the majority of your cranial nerves’ input to your brain. The jaw pain from TMJ disorder can be transferred along the nerves path, leading to a number of varying issues.http://peterpate.wordpress.com/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/trans.gif

The Different Symptoms of TMJ Disorder

Aside from jaw pain, TMJ disorder can also be the cause ofchronic headaches, earaches, lockjaw, neck pain and stiffness, difficulty moving your jaw, and many others. Because of the diversity of TMJ disorder’s symptoms, the condition is often misdiagnosed, or written off as bad nerves. As a result, many patients can endure for years before discovering the possibility of TMJ disorder and seeking appropriate treatment.

ABOUT YOUR GRAND PRAIRIE DENTIST:

Dr. Quinn Smith is a well-respected and highly experienced general, restorative, and family dentist in Grand Prairie, TX. He takes a patient-first approach that starts from the moment patients enter our Pecan Tree Dental office, and he offers a three-year guarantee on all dental work that he performs. Whether you and your family are new or returning patients, you can schedule a consultation or your next appointment with Dr. Smith by contacting us at (972) 262-5111.

filed under: Dentist, Grand Prairie Dentist