Once your dentist removes decay from your tooth, they need to do something to replace the material you are losing. Unfortunately, while our enamel can regrow after minor damage, that healing does not extend to damage on the scale of a cavity. This is why restorative dental treatment involves providing support from a dental filling, or a dental crown. Thanks to the use of modern, more appearance-friendly materials, receiving a restoration does not mean compromising your smile. Dental crowns and fillings can be made to blend in with your surrounding teeth, so your appearance is left in good condition. In fact, having a porcelain dental crown placed on an unsightly tooth can actually be a cosmetic improvement. (more…)
Sticky Foods Can Lead To Dental Troubles
While a sweet, sticky treat can taste great, it can lead to trouble for your oral health. One particular problem linked to sticky foods is that when something is stuck to your teeth, it can lead to a real increase in your cavity risk. When food debris stays in place, oral bacteria can feed on what was left behind in your smile. That feeding will lead to the release of acids by those oral bacteria, which can eventually do harm significant enough to require restorative dental care. Limiting sticky items can protect your teeth. You can also protect yourself by brushing and flossing thoroughly, and drinking more water, which can help loosen and remove food debris. Professional dental cleanings are a valuable line of defense against problems because your hygienist can catch debris, and make sure it is dislodged. (more…)
Pay Attention To A Persistent Toothache
How likely are you to take action when you develop a toothache that seems to linger? While some people will take persistent tooth pain seriously, others may delay treatment. You may decide that you can simply wait out discomfort, or live with it. What you need to realize is that if your tooth pain is caused by something like tooth decay, the damage could become irreparable if you fail to act in time. Your dentist may be able to help by providing you with a root canal treatment, which will remove any infection you experience within your tooth. (more…)
Quiz: How A Dental Bonding Treatment Can Improve Your Smile
With one appointment, you can see a big cosmetic improvement to your smile. Your dentist can use composite resin, the material used to craft dental fillings, in order to cover up appearance flaws. This is what is known as a dental bonding procedure. The material is applied in order to hide problems like damage, discoloration, or problems with tooth shape. The resin material is lifelike enough to ensure your smile still looks totally natural. This can be particularly useful for correcting problems that stem from damage after a minor injury, but naturally occurring issues can often be addressed as well. (more…)
How Your Dentist Can Help You Manage Your Snoring Problem
The loud, rumbling sound a person makes when they snore is due to partial blockages of breathing passages. As each breath pushes past the soft tissue partially disrupting your airway, you reproduce this distracting sound. Snoring is often made to be a sort of punchline in a “happy” relationship – one person’s labored breathing is the source of their partner’s inability to sleep. However, this can be an embarrassing problem for a person dealing with it. Your dentist can provide you with a special snore guard that prevents these blockages from occurring. (more…)
How A Dental Bridge Helps You Recover From Tooth Loss
A dental bridge can provide more than just a way to hide that you have suffered tooth loss. Because the bridge is permanently set in place, it can actually help you enjoy better jaw function, as you will be able to bite and chew without working around an absence. A dental bridge stays in place thanks to two dental crowns. The crowns, located at each end of the pontic (replacement tooth), anchor your restoration. The stability this arrangement provides gives you functional and cosmetc support, with no oral surgery required. A bridge can be used to cover a single missing tooth, and multiple teeth (provided the lost teeth are next to each other). (more…)
Take Part In The Bird Walk At Connemara Conservancy
The morning of Sunday, June 4, you can take part in an invigorating and enlightening guided tour of the Connemara Conservancy. The Bird Walk leads residents on an informative path through the conservancy, with instructions on how to maximize your ability to spot birds in the area. This all-ages experience can give you the opportunity to see more than thirty different species! The tour is led by members of the Prairie And Timbers Audubon Society. This is part of an ongoing monthly series of tours – there will be additional walks on Saturday, July 1, and Sunday, July 2. (more…)
Drinking More Water Can Improve Your Oral Health
If you have poor brushing and flossing habits, it would make sense to recommend improving how you take care of your teeth. What you should understand is that when it comes to daily care, your problem might lie elsewhere. One way you can help your smile is by drinking more water. There are cosmetic and oral health advantages to this. Choosing water over flavored beverages like soda cuts the total amount of sugar you have at a particular meal. You can also prevent dry mouth by staying better hydrated. It should also be noted that if your water source contains fluoride, you can enjoy better cavity defense, as this mineral increases the strength of your enamel. Good daily care, along with routine dental exams, can seriously improve your ability to avoid cavities. (more…)
Your Teeth Grinding Habit Can Do Serious Dental Damage
The tremendous force our jaws can generate certainly makes biting and chewing easier, but it spells trouble for people dealing with bruxism. A person with bruxism has a habit of grinding their teeth unconsciously, and often while they are asleep. When this is not addressed, you can suffer dental damage. Minor cases of damage can require cosmetic dental work to hide the harm to your appearance. However, people with bruxism can do enough harm to require restorative dental care. The pressure placed on your teeth and jaws can also lead to TMJ disorder (TMD). (more…)
Addressing Tooth Loss With Dental Implants
Dental implants enable your dentist to provide you with a stable, long-term answer to tooth loss. The implant serves as a sort of artificial root, which secures the dental prosthetic that you receive. If you qualify for placement, the implant will be surgically placed in your jawbone – the titanium post actually takes the spot that once held your tooth root. After a necessary healing period, you will receive your restoration, which can serve as a life-like substitute for missing teeth. Implants can help patients who need to replace several teeth, as well as those looking for a permanent solution to the loss of a single tooth. (more…)
