Information You Should Share With Your Cosmetic Dentist

When you schedule a cosmetic dentist appointment, it is important to discuss with your dentist all of the goals and objectives you have for your smile. Every detail should be discussed so that we can create a customized treatment plan that addresses every issue. We can completely transform smiles and complete smile makeovers, but there is no need to correct issues that you don’t have a problem with.  This is why a consultation is so important. 

When you come in for your appointment be prepared to discuss the following so that we can create recommendations based on your goals and needs:

Are you experiencing any pain?  If your teeth, gums, or jaw are hurting we will want to know this first.  Any health issues that you have should be addressed before proceeding with any cosmetic work.  This way we are not covering up any problems but helping your entire mouth to stay in optimal health. 

What is your availability? We need to know if you have any time constraints that may make it difficult to schedule cosmetic dentist appointments or take time off for recovery.  If, for example, you have a demanding job, we will want to schedule treatments that you can recover from over the weekend.  This is possible with most dental work, but we still need to know what your availability looks like along with any deadlines that you are trying to meet.

What don’t you like about your teeth?  Be as specific as possible.  For example, instead of saying you don’t like your smile, come with a list of the things you don’t like.  This may include the color of your teeth, one that’s crooked, etc.  By sharing your list, we can be sure to address everything on it. 

Do you like the size of your teeth?  Many people suffer from teeth that are too small and look almost childish.  If this is you, let us know because we can correct them.  Alternatively, if you have one or two teeth that are larger than the others, we can help with this as well.

How white do you want your teeth to get?  Regardless of what cosmetic dentistry procedure you are getting, there is typically an element that requires us to know how white you like your teeth. We can show you examples so that you can identify what shade of white you are comfortable with and plan accordingly. 

Do you want to replace anything?  If you have had any fillings, crowns, veneers or bonding procedures done in the past, you may want to replace something due to wear or its appearance.  If so, let us know so that we can plan accordingly. 

How do you feel about your gums?  If you think your smile looks gummy or that your gums have receded in recent history, let us know about it.  There are several solutions for addressing the appearance and health of your gums. 

As a cosmetic dentist, we can create the smile you have always wanted but it starts by understanding what you want.  Schedule your consultation so that we can plan together. 

The Truth About Acid Reflux and Your Teeth From our Dental Office

In our dental office, we help patients that suffer from acid reflux disease and are dealing with tooth erosion as a result.  Reflux-induced erosion is a common problem that can impact both children and adults.  As acid travels up through the esophagus, it enters the mouth and can start to attack the teeth.  The acid will start to wear away the teeth one layer at a time until they become thin and brittle. 

According to a report by the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project between twenty and thirty percent of U.S. adults, experience the symptoms of acid reflux or GERD on a weekly basis.  A full sixty percent of the population has these symptoms at least yearly.  This manifests as a burning sensation in the chest and throat as acid works its way backwards and up the esophagus. This proves problematic for many people, making it difficult to eat and sleep along with interfering with their concentration at work. Acid reflux also creates health problems in the stomach, esophagus and throat in addition to impacting the teeth. 

In our dental office, we want to know if our patients have acid reflux so that we can help to prevent erosion in addition to treating it.  By keeping teeth healthy and clean, they will remain stronger.  For example, people that have cavities or gum disease will naturally be more susceptible to getting cavities and suffering other dental health issues. While cleaning teeth, we can remove bacteria from the teeth and gum lines so that they can remain healthy and cavity free.  We can also provide a fluoride treatment for teeth that need strengthening and are at risk for erosion. These preventative steps aid in keeping the mouth healthy.

If the erosion does occur, it will first attack the enamel and cause it to wear away.  As it does, the dentin underneath will become exposed which leads to sensitive teeth.  When food touches the dentin it is simultaneously touching the nerve endings inside of it.  This can lead to the pain signal being transferred to the brain, leading to an increase in sensitivity that many patients complain of.  In this early stage, we can help by completing a bonding procedure to seal the dentin.  This works well in the beginning stages but as erosion becomes more advanced; the teeth will become weak, thin and brittle.  At this point, the best way to protect the teeth is to place a crown around them.  A crown is a cap that surrounds the tooth and prevents anything from touching it.  This procedure allows us to save a tooth that may have otherwise been pulled due to erosion. 

In our dental office, we also recommend that patients take medication to control their acid reflux.  By seeing your doctor, you can get a prescription that will help you to feel better and to protect your teeth.  If an attack does occur, you should avoid brushing your teeth for an hour, but be sure to rinse your mouth in order to neutralize some of the acid. 

Learn How to Brush Your Teeth the Right Way From a General Dentist

In our general dentist office, we help our patients to stay in good oral health by providing preventative care and educating patients on what they can do to stay healthy at home.  What you eat and drink can directly impact how healthy your teeth and gums are.  Your brushing and flossing habits also influence how healthy your mouth is, making it important to brush correctly.

Many people make the mistake of thinking that as long as they brush their teeth for at least two minutes, they will get a good clean.  This is partially true since brushing your teeth is better than not brushing at all.  However, how you brush your teeth is also important.  Here is what you need to know.

Start with the right tools.
If you are brushing with a hard toothbrush, you may be damaging your teeth.  A toothbrush with hard bristles can actually strip away enamel from your teeth.  This can make them feel sensitive both now and in the future.  A hard toothbrush, or brushing too aggressively, can also make your gums sensitive or cause them to bleed.  Throw it away and buy a soft toothbrush instead.  If you brush properly, you can get just as good of a clean without causing irritation.

As a general dentist, we also suggest that you try an electronic or battery operated toothbrush.  The bristles will move automatically, and you will get a more thorough clean as a result.  Regardless of which type of toothbrush you use, make sure to replace it every three months.  This way the bristles won’t fray, and you will consistently get a good clean.  If your brush is electric, simply replace the brush head.

Your toothpaste is also important.  Use toothpaste that is recommended by the American Dental Association.  Just look for the ADA seal on the bottle.  If you use toothpaste that contains fluoride, you can strengthen and protect your teeth.  They also make toothpaste for sensitive teeth that you can try.

Motion matters.
When you brush your teeth make sure that you move the brush in a circular pattern instead of moving it from the front to back.  This will help your teeth to stay cleaner while also preventing gum irritation.  It’s important to remember that you want to keep bacteria and plaque off of your gums.  When you brush, move everything away from your gums.  You can do this by starting at the gum line so if you are brushing your top teeth, brush downwards.  If you are brushing your bottom teeth, brush upwards.  Make sure that you apply even and gentle pressure, instead of brushing too aggressively.

In addition to brushing your teeth, make sure to floss on a daily basis so that food particles and bacteria can be removed from in between your teeth.  You can also use an antiseptic mouthwash to kill any remaining germs.  Make sure to visit our general dentist office at least twice a year so that we can clean your teeth and remove anything that you were unable to get by brushing and flossing at home. 

A Family Dentist Review of How Oral Health Impacts a Students' Academic Performance

As a family dentist, we treat children and teens that suffer from poor oral health along with those that are trying to stay healthy.  The Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC conducted research where they studied the impact of dental diseases and how it affected the academic performance of 1,495 disadvantaged elementary and high school students from Los Angeles County public schools. The study took into account the academic achievement and attendance data provided by the school district and linked these to each child's oral health issues.  They then examined the impact it had on the child’s or parent’s school or work absences. The study found that students with toothaches were almost four times more likely to have a low-grade point average.

About 11% of students who did not have access to dental care missed school in comparison to 4% of those who did have access. For every 100 elementary children, fifty-eight hours of school are missed annually and for every 100 high school students, 80 hours of school are missed annually due to oral health problems. Even the parents of the children who were surveyed averaged 2.5 absent days from work each year because of their children's dental problems. Oral health does affect students' academic performance and is now considered an epidemic. There are however preventative measures parents can take to prevent their kids from suffering from painful dental infections and missing school.

As a family dentist, we teach children and parents how to practice good oral health care at home so that cavities and gum disease can be prevented.  As long as parents implement a daily routine at home, kids can keep their teeth and gums healthy.  We also recommend visiting our office for regular checkups, which will reduce the amount of health problems kids have overall and prevent them from unnecessarily missing school. Preventative dental care is the key in keeping children and teenagers healthy and in school, and simple steps such as brushing and flossing daily can help to accomplish this.

It should be noted that everyone should brush and floss correctly and thoroughly, brushing at least twice a day if not after every meal and flossing at least once a day. Doing this removes plaque, which can turn the sugars found in most foods and drinks into acids that lead to decay, cavities, gingivitis and other dental diseases. Another simple step that could help is using a toothpaste or mouthwash with fluoride in them since fluoride is what protects teeth from decay. If a stronger concentration of fluoride is needed, we can prescribe fluoride in the form of a gel, toothpaste or rinse.

Eating a balanced diet is also key in keeping with good oral hygiene and parents limiting the amount of snacks their children eat, particularly those high in simple sugars, is extremely beneficial to combating tooth decay. Healthy foods like dairy products and green leafy vegetables can actually help to strengthen teeth.

Even if your child visits our family dentist office regularly, children still need to have good habits at home. Parents should examine their child’s mouth weekly to look for changes that might be of concern, for example, swollen gums, discolored teeth, sores or lesions on or around the gums and chipped teeth. If anything looks out of place, schedule an appointment with our office right away.

If You’re Getting Sick A Lot – Visit Your Family Dentist to Determine if You Have an Infection

Oral infections can go undiagnosed, making a trip to the family dentist extremely important.  If you feel as though you are sick all of the time, the best place to start is with a trip to the doctor.  If they can’t figure out what is wrong or you keep feeling sick, come see the dentist.

An oral infection can make you sick just like any other type of infection.  You can run a fever, start to feel achy, get the chills and more.  This typically leads to a trip to the doctor’s office as very few people associate these symptoms with an oral health issue.  If the doctor gives you antibiotics for your sickness and the symptoms keep returning, it could be because you have an oral infection that isn’t going away.  Antibiotics alone can’t solve the problem so this won’t be enough.

As a family dentist, we will look for signs of an infection during every dental exam.  After your teeth have been cleaned, and the bacteria and plaque removed, it is easy to see if the tooth is infected or if you are showing signs of gum disease.  Both can become painful and lead to other feelings of being sick.  Our goal is to identify and treat infections right away so that you don’t have to experience pain or discomfort.

If we identify any signs of gum disease, we will start by removing the bacteria that has built up underneath your gums.  This is the most likely cause of gum disease and once removed; your gums will start to heal themselves naturally.  If the disease has grown and spread, you may have pockets in your gum tissue.  This is particularly dangerous because it exposes your tooth structure and root system, making them more likely to become infected.  Once this point has been reached, a gum graft is necessary for closing the pockets and protecting your tooth.

When your tooth becomes infected, it can also lead to pain and create problems with your overall health.  A simple cavity creates minor discomfort but when the center of your tooth becomes infected, it can be painful and infect your roots.  If this happens, we will likely perform a root canal in order to remove the infected portion of your tooth and roots.  Afterwards, we will clean the area to remove any remaining infection, complete a filling, and place a temporary crown around the tooth.  Your permanent crown will protect the tooth and make it possible to bite down without pain.  Once the infection is removed, you will start to feel better.

The goal is to catch and treat any oral infections before they turn into a dental abscess.  This level of infection is painful, and surgery may be required in order to remove it.  As a family dentist, we want you to stay in excellent health so if your tooth hurts, or you are constantly sick, call us for a dental exam. 

As a General Dentist We Treat Athletes That Have Injured Their Teeth

If you are an athlete, a trip to the general dentist is in order before you start the game.  According to the American Dental Association, the majority of adult tooth injuries are due to playing sports.  Since most adults only play casually with friends, this means that even a pickup game of basketball or tossing a ball with your kids can lead to tooth damage.  In order to protect your teeth, you need to keep them in good health.

We recommend that you have your teeth cleaned twice a year so that we can remove the bacteria and plaque from your teeth that can lead to a tooth infection.  It is important to keep your teeth cavity free and to prevent gum disease because if a random ball hits your face and there is an infection, your tooth will be more likely to break or be knocked out.  Think of it like a pond that becomes frozen in the winter.  A solid sheet of ice can support kids playing on it for hours, but one small crack can cause the entire thing to shatter when someone steps on it.  Teeth that are infected are like a pond with a small crack.  They cannot withstand the impact of something hitting them. 

It is also important to strengthen your teeth by brushing with a soft toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste.  Fluoride is a mineral that when placed onto your teeth will help them to be stronger.  You can further strengthen your teeth by eating a healthy diet that contains lean protein, nuts, cheese, yogurt, and green leafy vegetables.  This, combined with trips to our general dentist office can keep your teeth and gums in excellent health. 

We also recommend that you wear a mouth guard while playing sports.  This prevents hundreds of thousands of injuries on an annual basis.  When considering high school and football players alone, the American Dental Association claims that over 200,000 injuries are prevented every year due to wearing a mouth guard.  When you consider how many different sports and age groups there are, it is clear that this simple device is a fantastic way to protect yourself from injury.  

If you take these precautionary steps and still injure your teeth, we can restore them in our general dentist office.  If a tooth is cracked or chipped, we can use a dental veneer to correct it by placing the veneer onto the surface of the tooth.  It will look completely natural and make it possible to eat and speak like normal.  If the tooth is severely cracked or a lot of enamel is missing, we can use a dental crown to restore the tooth instead.  This provides a greater level of stability because it can surround the tooth entirely.  This is a durable procedure that can help your teeth to function as good as new after a serious injury.  If a tooth has been knocked out, we can replace it as well by using either dental implants or a dental bridge.  

If your tooth has been injured, schedule a dental appointment right away. 

Solutions From Our Dental Office for Avoiding Sugar This Halloween and Throughout the Year

In our local dental office, we speak with patients all of the time about the importance of avoiding sugar. Eating sugary foods or drinks is not good for you in any quantity.  The more sugar that you intake, the higher your risk becomes of getting cavities.  When sugar sits on your teeth, it can create an acid that starts to attack them.  This can weaken your teeth and lead to cavities.  The problem only worsens this time of the year with the arrival of Halloween and the official holiday season.  With so many treats to choose from it can be difficult to avoid sugar.

The key is to remember that everything you eat and drink plays a direct role in your overall health and how you feel.  If you eat a lot of sugar, you may start to crash and feel sluggish in addition to putting your teeth at risk.  If, however, you eat a healthy and balanced diet, you will have sustained energy, and your teeth will be healthier.

In our dental office, we have come up with several tips you can try for avoiding sugar and to start being healthier overall.  Here is what you can try at home:

• Drink lots of water.  If you stay hydrated, you will feel fuller and be less tempted to overeat or reach for a candy bar.  This is a good weight loss tip but also good for your teeth.  Your body needs to produce saliva in order for your teeth and gums to stay healthy.  If you drink plenty of water, it will.  Otherwise, you can get dry mouth and your risk of cavities and bad breath will increase. 
• Eat a balanced meal.  When you eat a meal that contains complex carbs, lean protein and veggies, you will have sustained energy throughout the day.  By feeling energized, you can accomplish more and won’t feel like you are having an afternoon crash.  This will prevent the urge to reach for quick energy in the form of a candy bar.  Eating meals with healthy ingredients is also good for remineralizing and strengthening your teeth so eat them every day. 
• Reward yourself.  If you are tempted to pig out on Halloween candy or eat an entire pie on Thanksgiving, be honest with yourself.  It is okay if sweets are your temptation, but make sure that you can avoid overindulging by offering yourself a reward.  For example, if you skip trick-or-treating and avoid sweets for a month, buy yourself a new purse or game you have been wanting.  Incentivize yourself to make healthy choices. 
• Avoid the situation.  Just because you were invited to a holiday party, doesn’t mean that you have to go.  Spend time one on one with the host instead.  This way you can see your friend but don’t have to be surrounded by sugary treats in order to do so.

As a general dentist, we recommend that you take these simple steps to avoid sugar on Halloween and throughout the year.  Keeping sugar off of your teeth is one more way to fight cavities and gum disease. 

Suggestions from Your Local Dentist for Dealing Sensitive Teeth

If you have sensitive teeth, visit our dentist office.  We will examine you to determine if there are any cavities or gum disease that could be creating the issue.  If you have a cavity, your teeth will be sensitive overall, and the only way to deal with it is to remove the infection.  Simultaneously, if you have gum disease, your gums need to be thoroughly cleaned.  This involves removing bacteria from underneath the gums as well.  If the gum disease is really bad, you may need a gum graft procedure in order to cover up the exposed area of the tooth and roots.  By removing any infection, your teeth should start to feel better. 

If, however, there is no infection – your tooth sensitivity is likely caused by the loss of enamel.  Your teeth are made of dentin that is covered with a layer of enamel and a layer of cementum underneath the gums.  These materials protect the dentin and your tooth’s roots.  They are extremely important because the dentin is full of holes that contain nerve endings and transmit sensations to your brain. Once the dentin is exposed, your teeth will naturally start to hurt. 

The process of losing your enamel is called demineralization and very common as you age.  More seniors complain of sensitive teeth than twenty-year-olds.  You can help prevent this process by using toothpaste that contains fluoride on a daily basis.  You can also strengthen your teeth by changing your diet.  Eating nuts, dairy, green leafy vegetables, and crunchy fruits and veggies will all help your teeth become stronger and can even remineralize teeth that have started to lose their enamel.  As a local dentist, we can also help by cleaning your teeth twice a year to remove bacteria and plaque that can attack the tooth. 

Treatment Options
There are ways you can help your teeth to feel better at home.  Start by using desensitizing toothpaste. This blocks the transmission of pain signals from reaching the root of your tooth.  After a few uses, your teeth will start to feel better.  You can also rinse with an antibacterial mouthwash in order to kill bacteria and any lingering germs which could be irritating your teeth and gums. 

By visiting our dentist office, you can request a fluoride treatment which will help to remineralize your teeth by placing a mineral directly onto them, important for covering up the exposed dentin.  We can also provide a bonding treatment so that a tooth colored material is bonded to the surface of your tooth in order to prevent the dentin from being exposed. If a tooth is particularly sensitive, we can apply a dental crown instead.  A crown completely surrounds the tooth so that nothing can touch it.  When you bite down, eat, or speak nothing will touch the tooth but instead the crown is exposed.  This helps to eliminate pain that is caused from a tooth that is particularly sensitive. 

If you have sensitive teeth, schedule an appointment with our dentist office so that we can examine your teeth and make specific treatment recommendations.