February brings National Children’s Dental Health Month! This is brought to you by the American Dental Association to create child awareness of the benefits of good oral health. This year’s month-long campaign is, “Brush and clean in between to build a healthy smile.”
Have you been waiting for the right time to get teeth whitening treatment? There’s no better time than the New Year! In 2019, you are setting all kinds of new goals, and one goal you can shoot for is a whiter and brighter smile. Teeth whitening lightens teeth, helping remove discoloration and stains that have taken place over time.
Your daily brushing and flossing routine is crucial to thwarting dreaded cavities and gum disease from invading your smile, but by itself, it’s still not enough to maintain top-notch oral health. There is a reason we recommend regular dental cleanings and exams!
Do you know the important differences between full and partial dentures? Our team is happy to review both versions for optimal tooth replacement to help you better understand how they can restore your smile. Below we will review the main types of dentures, which are full and partial dentures, and the benefits they have to offer.
If you have ever lost a tooth, you might have more than just a gap between your teeth. If a lost tooth is not replaced, the bone in the jaw that supported the lost tooth starts to deteriorate. That’s because when you chew your food, there’s no more stimulation to the bone from the missing tooth’s chewing action. Over time, the gaps in your mouth change as the surrounding teeth shift into the empty space, causing your bite alignment to shift with it. When this happens, missing teeth can not only affect how you look but can cause problems when you chew and even when you speak.
When it comes to protecting your teeth, your first line of defense against tooth decay and cavities is tooth enamel, as it is the outermost covering that protects the more vulnerable dentin and tooth pulp below. Your enamel comes equipped for the job as the hardest substance in your body. However, because it doesn’t have living cells it can’t grow back once it is lost.
When you come in for dental exams and we have cleaned your teeth and gum line and removed any hardened plaque, our dentist can look at them for any signs of trouble, such as cavities, loose or broken teeth, damaged fillings, and evaluate your risk rate of certain diseases which might also take into account your family history. We will look for swelling in the gums or redness and bleeding and even measure the depth of gingival pockets signaling gum disease. We will evaluate your bite, determine if you have bruxism (a sign of teeth grinding), check the contact between teeth and examine the lower jaw joints for problems. We will also examine the soft tissues in your head, mouth and neck, including the lymph nodes, for any indications of cancer or infection. If problems are detected, you may require further diagnostics followed up with recommended treatment options.
Brushing your teeth needs to happen at least twice a day, but to help your oral health the most, it’s important to brush correctly. Most people forget how long brushing should take or forget part of their mouth when brushing. If done correctly, brushing can help fight cavities and keep your mouth healthy between visits with us.
Dental trauma from an accident or collision can account for about three million lost or broken teeth every year. While we strive to preserve a knocked-out tooth with dental care when possible, many times tooth loss results in the need to place a dental restoration in order to repair the damage.
The permanent molars and premolars in your child’s mouth play will play an important role in helping them to break down the foods they eat. Preventing tooth decay on these important teeth when they are young will help them preserve their essential oral function throughout their adult life.