The Smooch: Cavity Protection

Taking care of your teeth and gums makes you less likely to develop cavities and lose teeth. Don’t wait for a toothache to happen before you visit the dentist.

What Are Dental Sealants and Why Should My Child Get Them?

You may have taken your young child to the dentist office where the dentist suggests your son or daughter get sealants. Sealants are great ways to protect your child's teeth, in addition to daily, proper oral hygiene.

Dental sealants are usually recommended for young children who are in the early stages of learning to properly brush their teeth. They can, however, be placed on an adult's teeth. Seniors who have arthritis and other issues that keep them from properly brushing and flossing their teeth can also benefit from sealants.

Brushing their teeth can be challenging for small children. Comfortably gripping the toothbrush, learning the right toothbrush motions and resisting the urge to swallow the toothpaste can make teeth brushing very difficult. As a result, children can get frustrated and not brush as well as they should.

Sealants won't make teeth brushing fun, though it is important for your child to enjoy brushing his or her teeth, they can provide a safety buffer to make up for their inadequate, less-than-ideal teeth cleaning.

When children are first learning to brush their teeth, there are many areas where they may miss, such as brushing the back molars or the backside of their front teeth. When those hard to reach places aren't cleaned, the trapped food particles can breakdown and form cavity-causing plaque.

Sealants help protect a child's teeth by covering the teeth with a thin, plastic covering. Sealants can't be felt and their transparent nature makes them unnoticeable. Usually, sealants are placed over the molars as those teeth get a lot of chewing action and they are hard to reach when brushing and flossing.

Sealants are most effective when they are placed over the molars shortly after they erupt, or come up from the gum line, which is typically at ages 6 and 12. The process of placing sealants is quick, easy and pain-free.

Sealants are often made from clear plastic that fits snuggly around individual teeth, making them virtually unnoticeable to the child and others.

Why Sealants?

As mentioned previously, dental sealants block out cavity-causing debris, germs, and bacteria. While your child should learn daily, proper oral hygiene, sealants help protect their teeth from decay by complimenting their established teeth cleaning routine.

Cavities are one of the most widespread and preventable childhood diseases. The over-indulgence of unhealthy, sugary snacks, as well as inadequate oral hygiene, are the two major causes.

Sealants prevent food particles, especially sugar, from getting embedded onto the surface and crevices of teeth. With the teeth (mainly molars) being protected from cavity-causing plaque and food debris build-up, your child will have a significantly lower chance of tooth decay.

Tooth decay in children is often overlooked. It isn't uncommon for the health of a child's primary (or baby) teeth to be neglected. Many parents think those baby teeth are unimportant because they will all eventually fall out. However, cavities in the baby teeth can filter down into the up-and-coming permanent adult teeth. Children who start off with cavities risk other oral health issues such as crooked or misshapen teeth and misaligned bites. The psychological block a child may develop from early cavities may make him or her apathetic towards proper, daily oral hygiene and he or she may even dislike and resist properly caring for their teeth and gums later in life.

Sealants not only help protect children teeth from cavities, but it also gives them added self-confidence and have a greater joy of properly caring for their oral health.

If your child may need sealants, schedule an appointment with your child's pediatric dentist.

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The Couch Orthodontia

Taking care of your teeth and gums makes you less likely to develop cavities and lose teeth. Don’t wait for a toothache to happen before you visit the dentist.

Why Should a Toothache Be Taken Seriously?

Chances are you've experienced a toothache. These dental conditions are common and have a variety of causes. Sometimes they are no more than tooth sensitivity. Other times they may cause debilitating pain.

If you have an aching tooth, you can either shake it off as tooth sensitivity if it isn't too severe or you think something is terribly wrong when the pain is excruciating. Sometimes you may be tempted to stick it out as long as you can, bearing with the pain and thinking it will go away on its own. However, this isn't always the case.

Sometimes toothaches may be the result of a chronic condition that hasn't been properly dealt with. Instead of clearing up on its own, it spreads, causing further damage to your teeth and gums.

As much as you may dislike the dentist, there are some circumstances whereby immediate attention from a dental professional is important. If your tooth, for instance, is causing constant, unbearable pain, will likely cause you to break down and seek immediate professional dental care.

A broken, cracked or chipped tooth can create a toothache that suddenly starts. When a tooth experiences trauma, such as being broken or chipped, the enamel of the tooth becomes weakened and compromised. The tooth enamel is the hard, translucent outer layer. It protects the inside of the tooth from infection and decay and it gives the tooth the stability and hardness to function properly. When the tooth enamel becomes compromised, the nerves inside the tooth and the roots of the tooth become exposed, leading to pain and sensitivity. In many cases, a broken, cracked or chipped tooth can be repaired.

Another source of toothache pain can come from a tooth that is abscessed. Tooth abscesses are the result of an untreated oral health condition that creates an infection. A tooth abscess is usually the result of an untreated cavity whereby the germs and bacteria from the tooth decay spread down (or up) into the root of the tooth. Abscessed teeth can be saved with a root canal. In instances where the tooth abscess is too great, the tooth will need to be extracted. You'll know whether you have an abscessed tooth or not. These often cause excruciating pain and can be accompanied by a host of other unpleasant symptoms including: fever, swollen, red gums, sore, swollen glands in the neck, unusual tastes in the mouth, bad breath, a stiff and swollen jaw and open sores on the gums that may drain. Abscessed teeth can lead to lost teeth and destruction of the gum tissue and jaw bone. The germs and bacteria that is in the pus that is excreted from the open sores of the gum can get into the bloodstream causing life-threatening health conditions such as a blood infection.

One's tooth sensitivity is often the result of an underlying oral health issue. It may stay at a temporary tooth sensitivity such as when a tooth is broken or chipped. In other instances, the pain can become worse, to the point where the pain is nearly unbearable. Regardless of how severe or not your tooth sensitivity is, it is worth it to have it looked at a dental professional. Your dentist will be able to diagnose the cause of your tooth sensitivity and apply the appropriate treatment.


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Top Ways Dentists Can Help You Get a Better Smile

We all know that dentists can help us get a healthier, stronger smile by providing regular teeth cleanings and diagnosing and treating problems early, such as by filling cavities. However, the right dental professional can also help you get the smile you've always dreamed of by offering cosmetic dental procedures that can transform your whole mouth.

Here are a few of the top ways that the right dentist can help you get healthier teeth and a more beautiful smile:

Implants

You may not think that you have any reason to worry about missing a tooth if you are young and healthy. However, accidents can happen at any time, knocking out one or more of your teeth. You could also crack a tooth, requiring it to be pulled. Decay or gum disease can also cause you to lose a tooth, leaving an unsightly hole. A gap is a huge distraction from an otherwise beautiful smile.

A cosmetic dentist can help you fill the gap without having to pull other teeth by installing a dental implant. This tooth is designed to look like all your others, including matching the shade, and it is inserted directly into your jawbone. It will look like a natural part of your teeth.

Veneers

Veneers can fix all kinds of dental problems. Say you have crooked teeth, but you never got braces as a child and now you're too self-conscious to get them as an adult, or you just don't want to wear them for the years required to get results. Instead, you can get veneers. Say you have misshapen or discolored teeth and you want a fast solution. You can get veneers.

Veneers fit over your natural teeth, and they can make your smile straighter, whiter and more uniform. Many cosmetic dentists offer the procedure, and it produces fast results.

Teeth Whitening

Perhaps one of the most common complaints that people have about their teeth is that they aren't white enough. They may try whitening toothpaste or gels at home but become frustrated by the lack of results. If you are experiencing the same situation, you can see a dentist and get professional teeth whitening.

Several options are available for whitening, including light treatment or high-strength professional gels in custom trays. Results vary, but you can lighten your teeth as much as seven shades with professional teeth whitening. Of course, you'll have to continue to take great care of your teeth or else they will become stained again soon after whitening.

Dentists can provide you with much more than a routine cleaning. If you visit the right cosmetic dentist, you can gain access to a wide range of dental services that will help you transform your smile and feel more confident every time you step outside your door. These are just a few of the top dental procedures that you might consider for improving your smile. Many more options are available based on your needs.

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How to Choose the Right Cosmetic Dental Procedure for You

Cosmetic dentistry is one of the fastest growing dental trends because more and more people are getting concerned about the physical appearance of their teeth. In fact, the majority of patients seeking cosmetic dentistry do it to improve the physical attractiveness of their teeth to gain more self-esteem and confidence.

If you've considered getting some cosmetic dental work done, you might be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of options available to you. Depending on the results you want, you may have to take some time deciding between different procedures, especially if this is your first time getting cosmetic dental work done.

Identify Your Needs First

After you've decided that you want to improve the look of your teeth, you'll need to decide exactly what that means to you. Do you want your teeth to be whiter? Maybe you want them to be straighter. You might want to finally fix that one tooth that's always looked "off." Consider what your needs are first because your cosmetic dentist will want to know what you want to achieve from the procedure.

If possible, try and find examples of what you want online. Many cosmetic dentists post before and after pictures on their websites, which you can easily find with a quick Google search. The cosmetic dentist you hire will also likely have a book of before and after pictures for you.

Get a Consultation

After you've got a good idea of the end results, set up a consultation appointment with the cosmetic dentist of your choice. These consultations are incredibly helpful as they allow you to first determine whether the dentist you chose is right for you or not. If they are, you can continue to discuss treatment plans that will work best for your situation.

If there are any facts about cosmetic dentistry you don't know, a consultation appointment is a perfect time to ask questions. In fact, most cosmetic dentists recommend you ask as many questions as you want. If you're comfortable with the procedure, their job is much easier in the long run.

Treatment and Recovery

During the initial consultation, after a specific procedure has been identified, ask about the treatment process and recovery time. Some cosmetic treatments don't require any recovery time at all, while others require several months of recovery. The amount of time you need to spend recovering may be an essential factor in your decision process.

Your dentist should explain every step of the process you choose during the consultation and subsequent appointments. This way, you know as much as you can before actually going in for the treatment itself.

Making the Decision

After attending your consultation appointment, you may want some time to go home and think about things before making your final decision. It's important you take this time to weigh all your options, if multiple are available, so you can make a decision that's best for you. If you have any additional questions during this time, don't be afraid to reach out to your cosmetic dentist.

Cosmetic dentistry can vastly improve the physical appearance of your smile, but it's also a very personal decision. Take your time making a decision. The more comfortable you feel about it, the easier the entire process will be, both for you and your dentist.

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Do I Need a Crown?

A lot of people, especially patients of mine, ask about crowns and whether it's worth it. A crown is like a safety helmet. It protects the tooth for further damage.