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Cosmetic Dentistry: You have multiple
choices
A smile can be the most eye-catching feature of a face.
With dentistry's many advances, you no longer have to
settle
for stained, chipped, or misshapen teeth. You now have
multiple choices that can help you smile with confidence.
Even the most subtle change in your smile can make a dramatic
difference in the way you look and feel about yourself.
Talk to your dentist about the options most suitable for
you, what your expectations are and the dental fees involved.
Cosmetic Procedures Include:
- Bonding
- Bridges
- Crowns
- Veneers
- Tooth-Colored Fillings
- Whitening
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Soft-Tissue Management: Keeping gums healthy
Soft tissue management is an individualized plan to rid your gums
and root surfaces of infection. Periodontal disease, an infectious
and inflammatory disease, destroys gums tissue and bone. Bacteria
collecting on the tooth surfaces both above and below the gumline
causes periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is the #1 cause
of tooth loss in adults. Two common treatments used to control
and eliminate periodontal disease are scaling and root planing.
Scaling is the removal of plaque, calculus and stain from teeth.
Root planning is a
procedure
designed
to remove microbial flora, bacterial toxins, calculus, and diseased
cementum or dentin on the root surfaces and in the pocket.
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Tooth Decay and Gum Disease: Both can be
prevented
Two of your worst enemies could be
lurking around in your mouth as you read this. They are serious,
vicious, sly and oftentimes
successful. So, who makes up this evil pair? Tooth decay and gum
disease. That’s right. These two nasty conditions are created
by naturally occurring oral bacteria, and the acids they produce.
Unchecked tooth decay leads inevitably to gum disease, which even
conservative estimates say is present in at least 80% of the population.
Gum disease, in turn, is responsible for up to 70% of adult tooth
loss.
Your mouth’s constant supply of normal bacteria produces
a sticky “plaque” and they deposit it on your teeth.
Foods containing carbohydrates (sugars and starches) combined with
the plaque form a strong acid, which erodes your enamel and breaks
down gum-tooth connecting fibers, thus allowing further bacteria
and toxins to invade unprotected tissues. This process allows your
tooth, tooth root and jawbone susceptibility to become damaged
or even destroyed by decay.
So, let’s stop these culprits in their tracks. Make it a
daily habit to brush twice with fluoride toothpaste and clean between
your teeth with floss or inter-dental cleaner. Also, cut down on
snacking; eat nutritious, well-balanced meals and remember to visit
us regularly for a professional cleaning and oral examination.
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Kids and Dentistry: The importance
of early treatment
A child's primary teeth, sometimes called "baby teeth” are
as important as the permanent adult teeth. Primary teeth, which
often begin to appear when children are about 6 months old, help
them chew and speak. They also hold space in the jaws for permanent
teeth that are developing under the gums.
The front four teeth usually erupt first, beginning as early as
6 months after birth.
Most children have a full set of 20 primary teeth by the age of
3 years. The primary teeth generally begin to shed, or fall out,
at about 6 years of age. The first of the 32 permanent teeth begin
to appear about the same time.
Begin brushing your child's teeth with a little water as soon
as the first tooth appears. If you are considering using toothpaste
before the child is 2 years of age, ask your dentist or physician
first.
Supervise toothbrushing to make sure children older than 2 years
of age use only a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste and avoid
swallowing it. Children should be taught to spit out remaining
toothpaste and rinse with water after brushing. Most children will
be able to brush on their own by the age of 6 or 7 years. Parents
should be using floss or an interdental cleaner on their children's
teeth as soon as any two teeth touch. Cleaning between the teeth
is important because it removes plaque where a toothbrush cannot
reach. Brush your child's teeth twice a day unless your dentist
recommends otherwise.
The American Dental Association recommends that a child be seen
by a dentist as soon as his or her first tooth erupts, but at least
no later than the first birthday. A dental visit at an early age
is a "well baby checkup" for the teeth. Besides checking
for tooth decay and other problems, the dentist can demonstrate
how to clean the child's teeth properly and how to evaluate any
adverse habits such as thumb-sucking.
As the permanent molars appear, dental sealants may be recommended.
Sealants form a thin barrier that helps protect the chewing surfaces
from the effects of decay-causing bacteria. Help your children
maintain a lifelong healthy smile by providing them with a well-balanced
diet, limiting snacks, ensuring that they brush twice per day and
floss once per day, and scheduling regular dental checkups for
them.
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Bad Breath: You don’t have
to live with it any longer
Bad breath is one of those things even your best friends
won’t mention. So unfortunately, many people walk
around with bad breath without even knowing it. Or if they
do suspect it, they try temporary cover-ups, like breath
mints or alcohol-based mouthwashes that dry out your mouth
and increase your susceptibility to bad breath. However,
bad breath actually results from the natural decay of oral
bacteria, human cells and food debris…a process that
goes on inside your mouth continually and creates strong
odorous molecules called volatile sulfur compounds.
So, what's the solution? Enter the revolutionary Oxyfresh
System—a program that stops bad breath at its source!
Instead of trying to mask odors, the active ingredients
actually eliminate the sulfur compounds for up to five hours.
A multi-step system provides a thorough and complete approach
to eliminating bad breath. If you are concerned about bad
breath we suggest you call the office for an evaluation
and we can introduce you to the Oxyfresh System.
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