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Posts Tagged ‘cavities’

The History and Usage Of Dental Crowns

It may surprise you that dental crowns were first used over nineteen hundred years ago by the wealthy Etruscans. During that time gold was the material of choice and through time other metals began to be used. Lead became very popular until it was learned that it contained high levels of toxicity. Tin, iron and tungsten also found their way into patients’ mouths over the years as well as the other precious metals, platinum and silver.

crownsToday, gold remains the most effective material for the construction of dental crowns but a combination of its high price and its less than natural appearance led to a search for cheaper and more aesthetically pleasing materials.

There are a variety of reasons for dental crown treatment. One, it is often a viable solution when a tooth becomes endangered by a large cavity to help save the tooth. Second they are often used as a common means to strengthen the overall tooth structure after a root canal procedure and help in restoring the bite. Thirdly dental crowns are sometimes used to support removable partial dentures. Lastly and certainly not least dental crowns can be used for cosmetic purposes to help improve that great smile.

For more information on crowns click here or call your local Gentle Dental office at 1-888-513-7436.

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The Connection Between Teeth and Pregnancy

During pregnancy a woman will make quite a number of trips to the doctor for their baby and themselves. But you shouldn’t neglect dental health during pregnancy. Oral health impacts your overall health, making it important to take care of your teeth during pregnancy. Additionally, pregnancy can lead to dental problems, making regular visits to the dentist even more important.pregnant woman

There are many hormonal changes associated with pregnancy that can impact a woman’s dental health. So, don’t be surprised if you have an unexpected dental issue crop up during your pregnancy. When you are pregnant, you have more acidity in your mouth, which can increases your risk of tooth decay. Plus during pregnancy nausea and vomiting is frequent which exposes your teeth to more acidity which can lead to cavities.

Pregnancy-caused gingivitis is another oral-health-related concern and in extreme cases, can impact the health of you and your baby. Hormones can cause the gums to swell during pregnancy, resulting in mild gingivitis.

Treating oral-health issues when they first appear is essential during your pregnancy to prevent minor problems from becoming major ones. Regular dental checkups are perfectly safe for pregnant women and, in fact, are encouraged to ensure good oral health. To make an appointment with your local Gentle Dental office call 1-888-513-7436.

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Sore Teeth After Fillings

If you ever had a cavity filled there is a high probability you may have felt some soreness after you left the dentist chair. This is because decay irritates the teeth and when it is being worked on it can get irritated even further. This irritation and soreness usually will go away with time as the tooth heels.

Sometimes though the pain after a filling doesn’t go away with time and can be triggered through a number of reasons:

sore toothA tooth has four parts namely dentin, pulp, enamel and cementum. The dentin is permeable and extends on all sides of the pulp. If the tooth decay is closer to the dental pulp, some bacteria could be present in the dentin. Because of the porous nature of the dentin, the bacteria may spread from the dentin to the filling and the tooth. This bacteria causes tooth infection which leads to sensitivity.

An inflamed dental pulp is another reason for sensitivity. Dental pulp is a component of the tooth, made up of living soft tissue and certain cells. Sometimes a cavity may cause inflammation of the pulp and this inflammation may not go away even after the cavity filling procedure. This could lead to deterioration of the teeth and thus cause sensitive teeth after a cavity filling.

Call your Gentle Dental office as soon as possible if you are experiencing long term soreness after you had a cavity filled as you may have experienced some further issues that need attention. To make an appointment call 1-888-513-7436.

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Bottled Water and Tooth Decay in Children

It is not uncommon that parents show up at the dentist with their 6 or 7 year old, and the dentist finds as many as four cavities that need to be filled. This trend seems to be happening more and more and parents are stunned when they hear the news. Their kids don’t go crazy with sweets and they follow a strict oral health regimen every day. The col-pit…bottled water! bottled water

Government health officials and dentists raise the awareness that bottled water is the one that might be causing the tooth decay complications in children.  Bottled water does not contain a sufficient amount of fluoride, which tap water does so it is actually not protecting the oral health of your child.  In fact, it seems it is doing more harm than good.

For children to keep a great smile it is very important for them to brush their teeth at last twice a day using a fluoride toothpaste, visit the dentist every six months for a fluoride treatment and drink water that is fluoridated.

Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that 42% of  U.S. children between the ages of 2 and 11 were found with dental cavities in their baby teeth. To make sure your child isn’t part of this statistic make an appointment with your local Gentle Dental dentist by calling 1-888-513-7436.

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How Do Cavities Form?

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Cavities are one of those common dental problems that we all have to deal with at one time or another. Yet even though they are rather common and we all heard of them, people are sometimes not quite sure what causes cavities.

Cavities are caused by tooth decay. Within your mouth are bacteria that latch onto your teeth, creating a film called plaque. This plaque is generally easy to remove so long as it is cleaned within a day or two. If  kept there to long though the plaque gradually wears down the surface of the teeth, leading to cavities and in some severe cases, tooth decay.cavities

If you want to prevent cavities, it’s important to keep your mouth clean and free from food particles that can harbor or nourish the bacteria in your mouth. This means that you should brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss daily. You should also visit your Gentle Dental dentist twice a year for professional cleaning, fluoride treatments, and x-rays. Your dentist can help identify cavities that are developing and instruct you further on how to reverse the damage.

People of all ages get cavities. Fortunately they are treatable!  One of the ways we can treat cavities is by using a filling. The treatment involves the removal of decayed tooth material in the cavity and then filling the hole with a special  composite material to prevent further decay of the tooth. More advanced tooth decay can be dealt with using advanced restorative techniques such as the placement of dental crowns.

To make an appointment for a cleaning, fluoride treatment or x-ray with your local Gentle Dental dentist call 1-888-513-7436 and lets keep cavities out!

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Dental X-Rays

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Dental x-rays are an important part of routine dental care for both adults and children. Not only do dental x-rays reveal potential problems with incoming teeth, they can also reveal potential problems caused by hidden plaque. They are able to provide your Gentle Dental dentist with a lot of detail so they can find cavities, check the health of the tooth root and bone surrounding the tooth, check the status of developing teeth, and monitor the general health of your teeth and jawbone.  In addition to detecting these common problems with your teeth, dental x-rays can help detect gum disease and even osteoporosis.

There are two different types of dental x-rays – bite wing and periapical. The bite wing x-ray is taken when the teeth bite down together and shows the crown portions of the top and bottom teeth. The periapical is a more selective x-ray taken to show one or two specific teeth from crown to root.

Like mentioned above, bite-wing x-rays show details of the upper and lower teeth in one area of the mouth. Each bite-wing shows a tooth from its crown to about the level of the supporting bone. Bite-wing x-rays are used to detect decay between teeth and changes in bone density caused by gum disease. They are also useful in determining the proper fit of a crown and the integrity of fillings. xray

Periapical x-rays show the whole tooth — from the crown to beyond the end of the root to where the tooth is anchored in the jaw. Each periapical x-ray shows the full tooth dimension and includes a small portion of either the upper or lower jaw. Periapical x-rays are used to detect any abnormalities of the root structure and surrounding bone structure.

Dental x-rays, like all other x-rays do require low-level radiation exposure, but are still considered safe and are only performed at routine intervals or when a problem is suspected. Talk to your Gentle Dental dentist if you have questions or concerns about dental x-rays. Typically, no special appointment is needed for x-rays as they can be done as part of routine cleanings and checkups. To make an appointment a Gentle Dental dentist call 1-888-513-7436.

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