Staying cavity-free is only part of your fight to sustain your oral health. You should also be on alert for problems with your gums. Advanced gum disease is most frequently the cause of tooth loss in adults, and it can do considerable damage to the bone and soft tissue around your tooth roots. It can also have consequences for your overall health. To prevent gum disease, you should keep up with brushing and flossing. These actions can destroy bacteria that could infiltrate your teeth below the gum line, and cause an infection. Routine checkups with your dentist are also important. (more…)
Discreet Ways To Straighten Your Teeth
You may not need braces to straighten your teeth – Invisalign can help fix dental alignment problems discreetly. Instead of relying on a conspicuous bracket and wire device to make adjustments, Invisalign has users wear a series of clear plastic aligners. Each aligner makes gradual changes to where your teeth are positioned. Not everyone will be approved for Invisalign. More involved corrections will still require braces. Your dentist can study your current alignment issues, and determine whether or not you are a good candidate. (more…)
Porcelain Crowns Offer Lifelike Dental Restorations
Not every tooth in need of restorative dental work will require a crown. If you have a cavity addressed while it is still relatively small, your dentist can often use a filling to treat you. However, when too much material has been lost, or if your dentist is concerned that the function will be compromised, you will likely have to have a crown placed on your tooth. You will typically need to see your dentist twice to receive a crown. First, your tooth will be prepared to receive it, and measurements will be taken. Those measurements will be used to create your crown, which can be fitted over your tooth on the second visit. If bruxism causes you to grind your teeth, your dentist will need to address the problem so that you do not cause undue harm to the crown. (more…)
3 Good Oral Health Habits
Good oral care benefits your teeth, your smile, and your overall health. Taking care of your dental needs is about more than just brushing your teeth, and your oral health is about more than fighting tooth decay. Even if you think you are taking adequate care, there may be information that you do not know. Did you know that gum disease can complicate the health of patients with diabetes? Were you aware that tap water can contain fluoride, which can help keep your teeth healthy? Proper preventive dental care helps maintain your general well-being. (more…)
Why Do Dentists Perform Root Canals?
Root canal treatments enable your dentist to stop a serious cavity. If decay has enough time to spread, it will actually push its way into the center of your tooth, which is called the pulp. This is where blood vessels and nerves are housed. A root canal is crucial if you want to spare your tooth from being totally destroyed. It can also stop bacteria from spreading past that tooth, and causing more problems. This is not the only procedure available to restore an infected tooth. If you have the cavity addressed before it infiltrates your pulp, you can avoid needing a root canal, and save more of your healthy tooth. (more…)
Ways Your Dentist Can Whiten Your Teeth
Cosmetic dentistry offers opportunities for people to acquire the kind of smile they have always wanted. In many cases, people would like teeth that are whiter and brighter. You can have relatively limited results from over-the-counter products, but a professional teeth whitening can bring about more pronounced changes. However, some types of tooth discoloration are not likely to show much effect after treatment. If it is determined that you have intrinsic discoloration, which can be beyond the help of whitening agents, other cosmetic procedures may be your answer to whiter teeth. (more…)
Links Between Your Oral Health And Overall Health
The state of your oral health can influence the state of your overall health, and issues with your overall health can affect your oral health. This is one reason why it is important to see your dentist regularly. A health change you might not think of as relevant to your dentist could affect the condition of your teeth and gums. Exercising good oral care can help you avoid problems like cavities and gum disease, but it can also be important if you have conditions like diabetes, or are at risk for heart disease. If you are prescribed certain medications, this could also affect your relative cavity risks. (more…)
