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Tips to Prevent Cavities
Cavities are little holes in teeth that can eventually cause big problems. They form when tooth-eroding acid attacks a tooth's protective outer covering (enamel). This acid mainly comes from two sources: your diet, and certain oral bacteria that thrive in the absence of effective oral hygiene. If cavities are not treated promptly, decay-causing bacteria can get further into the tooth, leading eventually to root-canal problems and even tooth loss. The good news is that cavities are preventable — meaning it is truly possible to keep all of your natural teeth for life! Here are our top three tips to keep...
Aging and Dental Health
Today, Americans are not only living longer — we're also retaining our natural teeth longer than ever before. But this rosy picture isn't free of thorns: Older adults tend to require increasingly complex dental treatments; are often more prone to contracting certain diseases; and sometimes find it challenging to keep up with daily oral health practices.
Yet maintaining good oral hygiene is critically important as we age. When problems occur in the mouth, they can cause difficulty chewing, swallowing, speaking and smiling — basic functions which can affect both physical and social well-being. It's possible that medications prescribed for other...
Cosmetic Dentistry
It's impossible to overstate the emotional, social and professional benefits that smiling with confidence can give you. If you find you cover your mouth when you smile, or even hold back your smile because you don't want to show your teeth, you should consider what cosmetic dentistry — the art of smile enhancement — can do for you.
The first step in any smile makeover is a thorough dental examination, to make sure that your cosmetic problems really are just that, and not a sign of underlying dental disease. Once your health has been established, your smile can be cosmetically...
Cosmetic Gum Surgery
There are many elements that make up an ideal smile; bright, healthy-looking teeth immediately come to mind. But the gum tissue that surrounds and supports those teeth also plays a big role in how appealing your smile will look.
There are various cosmetic issues involving gum (gingival) tissue. For example, your smile may look “gummy” — meaning you seem to display too much gum tissue when you smile, or your teeth appear too short. Sometimes it's the opposite problem — your teeth appear too long because your gum tissue has receded (pulled back), exposing tooth-root surfaces that were covered at...
Cracked Teeth
Firmly anchored in your jaw and protected by an outer coating of tough enamel, your teeth are remarkably strong — yet it's still possible for them to chip, crack, or even break. In fact, there is some evidence that today, our teeth are developing cracks at a record rate. This may be due to the fact that people are living longer (giving teeth more time to accumulate damage), or that our stress levels are increasing (which may cause teeth clenching and grinding).
Biting on hard objects, receiving a blow to the mouth, or having large cavities (or old amalgam fillings)...
Same-Day Crowns (CAD/CAM)
A tooth that has been structurally damaged by decay or trauma sometimes needs to be crowned or “capped” so that it can look good and function properly again. A crown is a durable covering that is custom-made to fit over the entire tooth from the gum line up. Crown fabrication traditionally takes place in a dental laboratory. But these days, there's a much more convenient alternative: same-day crowns made in the dental office.
Advanced dental technology known as Computer-Aided Design/Computer-Aided Manufacturing, or CAD/CAM, makes it possible to fabricate laboratory-grade crowns and other dental restorations in minutes. It's an amazing innovation...
Common Dental Problems
Just as you go through different stages in life, you may have different concerns about your dental health at various times. Some problems — tooth decay and dental injuries, for example — may be an issue at any time; others tend to occur more often at certain ages. Let's look at some of the most common dental concerns, from childhood through the golden years.
Children
Tooth decay, caused by oral bacteria, remains the most prevalent chronic disease of childhood (and adulthood). Yet it is highly preventable with good oral hygiene, a diet low in sugar, and regular checkups at the...
Foods to Avoid With Braces
With braces, you're on your way to a beautiful smile. While you are on this exciting journey, please be aware that eating certain types of food can damage the wires or brackets — and make your daily oral hygiene routine more challenging. Not to worry, your orthodontic treatment will all be worth it in the end! But in the meantime you'll want to pay special attention to what you eat. Let's start with the foods you should avoid.
What You Should NOT Eat With Braces:
Popcorn
Popcorn hulls can get stuck under braces, where they are very difficult to remove....
Elastics (Rubber Bands) in Orthodontic Treatment
Orthodontic elastics, also referred to as rubber bands, are small stretchy loops of latex that help move teeth into proper alignment during orthodontic treatment. Their purpose is to create additional force for tooth movement in any of the three dimensions — up or down, back and forth, side to side — that is more difficult using braces alone.
Elastics attach to tiny hooks on traditional braces or buttons created for this purpose on clear aligners (Invisalign®). The bands may stretch from upper jaw to lower jaw, or be connected to teeth in the same jaw. These connection points are carefully...
Professional Teeth Cleanings
Even if you brush and floss your teeth faithfully, it is important that you have your teeth professionally cleaned on a regular basis. (Of course, if you aren't quite so meticulous about your oral hygiene, it's even more important!) After a thorough cleaning, your teeth will feel smooth and squeaky-clean, and they will probably look a lot brighter too. But professional teeth cleanings aren't done for looks alone.
Why do your teeth need this kind of attention? Essentially, it's because over time they tend to build up a layer of plaque (a sticky, bacteria-rich film) and hard deposits (called tartar,...
Dental Sealants
The most likely location for a cavity to develop in your child's mouth is on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth. Run your tongue over this area in your mouth, and you will feel the reason why: These surfaces are not smooth, as other areas of your teeth are. Instead, they are filled with tiny grooves referred to as “pits and fissures,” which trap bacteria and food particles. The bristles on a toothbrush can't always reach all the way into these dark, moist little crevices. This creates the perfect conditions for tooth decay.
What's more, a child's newly erupted...
Dental X-Rays
X-rays are such a routine part of regular dental care today that it’s hard to imagine what a truly revolutionary impact they have made in dentistry. Discovered by German scientist Wilhelm Röntgen in 1895, x-rays were first utilized by doctors for viewing internal bodily structures in the early 20th Century. By mid-century, dentists were routinely using the technology to diagnose tooth decay and periodontal (gum) disease, as well as other diseases that are not visible through a clinical examination. The ability to see what’s inside the tooth and catch decay or gum disease at early stages has vastly improved the...
Diabetes And Oral Health
Diabetes is a group of chronic inflammatory diseases that affect the body's ability to process sugar. If you have diabetes, it is particularly important to maintain excellent oral health. That's because diabetics are more prone to oral infections such as periodontal (gum) disease, which can result in tooth loss if left untreated. Conversely, the presence of gum disease can make it harder for people with diabetes to control their blood sugar levels.
Periodontal disease is a chronic ailment that is also associated with an elevated level of systemic (whole-body) inflammation. Like diabetes, it may have wide-ranging consequences outside the mouth...
Laser Dentistry
They are inside your laptop computer and your DVD player, present on the factory floor and the supermarket checkout line. And now, lasers are finding increasing use in dentistry. Someday soon, you may have a routine dental procedure performed with the aid of a powerful, yet highly controllable beam of laser light, instead of a drill or a probe.
What are dentists currently using lasers for? These devices have been proven to help in the detection and treatment of oral diseases. They can be used for treating gum disease, detecting cancer, and pinpointing tooth decay in its early stages. They...
Whitening Traumatized Teeth
Teeth whitening is one of the most popular cosmetic dental treatments — and it's easy to see why. Having whiter teeth can make you look years younger, and the procedure itself is among the most conservative (and cost-effective) cosmetic treatments dentistry offers. Sometimes, however, achieving a pleasing, even shade of lightness can be challenging; this is particularly true when a tooth that needs to be lightened has been subjected to an injury (dental trauma) in the past.
Dental trauma encompasses any damage to the tooth that's caused by an external agent, whether accidental or intended. It may be due to...
