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In addition to good dental hygiene and regular checkups, knowing how to spot a dental problem early can be extremely helpful when in preventing toothaches or the need for a root canal. Trouble is, catching the signs of a cavity can be a little tricky, especially since they usually don’t cause any symptoms that you can feel and there are a variety of types and appearances. There are three major kinds of cavities:
These cavities appear on the chewing surfaces of teeth and are more common on back teeth (i.e. molars). Bits of food and the resulting plaque can easily get stuck in the peaks and valleys on your teeth. If you don’t have good oral hygiene habits this debris stays there and acts as fuel for bacteria, which eventually eat through your tooth’s enamel. These cavities can be any color but often look like holes accompanied by a chalky with material or a black spot.
These cavities appear on the smooth outside surfaces of teeth, usually on the sides of the mouth (rather than the back or the front). Cavities on the smooth surfaces of your teeth are rarer than pit and fissure cavities because, unlike the chewing surfaces of teeth, the sides are easier to clean and harder for the bacteria that causes tooth decay to hide in. These cavities often appear as small holes or tiny brown spots.
The root of a tooth is the part that is below your gum line. In people with receding gums, this part of the tooth becomes exposed, which is problematic because the root doesn’t have the outer hard enamel surface that offers more resistance to tooth decay. These cavities usually appear as dark brown or yellow areas just above the gum line.
Of course, if you ever notice something new or unusual happening to any of your teeth, whether it’s a visual sign or a physical symptom, please call us! It doesn’t have to match the descriptions above to be a big problem. While we know how to relieve a toothache quickly and will make ourselves available in a hurry, we’d much rather hear from you sooner than later! Most dental problems do not get better if you just “wait and see”!
Part of offering family dentistry is ensuring that our youngest patients feel especially comfortable. We do everything we can to make the dentist a friendly, safe and informative environment for your child. Here are a few tips for what you can do as a parent to make your child’s first visit easy on you and your little one.
If you have an older child, bring the little one along to their appointment. Chances are your child will want to emulate their older sibling’s good behavior. If there are no older children in your family, set a good example yourself by having your child along with you at your next appointment. All little kids want to be like their moms and dads!
If you’re fearful or anxious at the dentist, try not to let it show. Don’t say anything that may worry your child, even if you’re a little worried yourself. Don’t try to set any expectations of sensations or how long the appointment will be. If you don’t think your dental anxiety is something you can easily control, you may consider having your spouse be in charge of dental visits at first.
Don’t try to explain the concept of why we go to the dentist to your little one. Sometimes the idea of germs or scary “sugar bugs” cause more trouble than they help. Telling your child that the dentist will be looking in her mouth to count her teeth is usually familiar enough of a concept for a child to accept.
Bring along a favorite toy or promise a new one following the appointment as a reward. Some children are overwhelmed by the bright light shining in their eyes in the dental chair, so another fun reward or preparation can be choosing a cool and colorful pair of sunglasses to wear during the checkup, and of course keep afterwards!
Ask the dental staff if you can bring your child in for a tour before the appointment. Make it a fun experience full of discovery and new things, as if you were visiting a children’s science museum. Familiarity can help children adjust when it’s their turn in the dental chair.
As dentists, we’ll warn you away from sweet treats most of the time, but chewing gum is a surprising exception. That is, as long as it’s sugar-free. Yes, it’s true that sugar-free chewing gum is actually good for your teeth and can help prevent tooth decay. Not only that, some varieties may even strengthen your teeth.
Sugar-free gum has been shown to increase the production of saliva in the mouth. In addition to the action of chewing, this increase in saliva helps was away food particles that bacteria could feed on to cause tooth decay. Saliva naturally contains minerals that help strengthen teeth, so when there’s more of it, it follows that there are more enamel-hardening minerals too.
These days, it seems like most of the popular chewing gum brands have switched to being sugar-free. We assume that gum manufacturers are smart enough not to raise the ire of dentists. Most sugar-free gums contain one of three non-sugar sweeteners: aspartame, sorbitol, or xylitol. The first two don’t have any evidence of causing harm to teeth, but they don’t have any benefits either. On the other hand, recent studies suggest that xylitol may reduce the amount of bacteria in your mouth and strengthen teeth.
Most sugar-free gums will proudly proclaim they’re sugar free right on the packaging. Several brands also carry the American Dental Association (ADA) seal of approval. Any gum packaging that doesn’t proclaim it’s sugar-free probably isn’t. Be sure to take a look at the nutrition label when choosing gum. Bubble gum and retro 20th century gum brands that have been revived by candy makers are particularly notorious for being sugar-sweetened.
A note of caution: if you have TMD, a chronic painful condition in the jaw joint (called the temporomandibular joint or TMJ), chewing gum can aggravate symptoms. There is a rumor that chewing gum causes TMD, but there is no evidence showing a direct cause and effect as of yet.
There are other reasons to avoid chewing gum other than the possibility of tooth decay with sugar-sweetened brands. If you have braces or oral appliances such as removable bridges, partial dentures, or full dentures, gums can get stuck to them, causing a huge mess & possibly pulling them out of place. If you’re wondering whether chewing gum is a good idea given your particular dental condition, please feel free to ask the dentist.
If you haven’t noticed already, dentists tend to be technology nuts. We’re always looking for the next and best way to provide patients with better versions of dental solutions such as crowns, dentures and dental implants. The advancements in dental tech over the last few decades have been truly incredible, and we are starting to see signs of the next wave of advancements: the integration of 3-D printing into dental care.
Many dentists are already using a form of computerized manufacturing in the form of computer-controlled milling machines. These machines can carve custom crowns or bridges out of a block of ceramic or porcelain, based on the information provided by a digital 3-D model that comes from a scan of your mouth.
3-D printing for dentistry will also work off a digital 3-D model, but instead of telling the machine to carve away material, the printer will be told to add material. Most 3-D printers work by extruding very thin layers of material, one on top of the other, to form a three-dimensional shape. As of now, these printers primarily use plastic materials to print. Many companies are working on developing and improving dental-grade plastics and resins that will work in a 3-D printer and look natural.
Dentists and dental laboratories are already using 3-D printers to create models of patients’ teeth for treatment planning purposes, surgical guides for the accurate placement of dental implants, clear orthodontic aligners (like Invisalign®) and dentures. Using 3-D printers to do this is much more cost-efficient and less wasteful than traditional methods.
The possibility of 3-D printing of affordable dentures is particularly exciting. For those who have lost their natural teeth and cannot afford or are not eligible for dental implants, dentures are a common solution. However, creating dentures is labor intensive, which ads to the cost. With 3-D printing reducing the time, labor and materials cost of manufacturing dentures, we may be nearing a future in which the cost of a high-quality set of dentures falls significantly.
Just like dentistry, 3-D printing is a rapidly advancing industry, and we’re sure there are new discoveries and techniques being tested everyday. As part of our pledge to bring you the best possible dental care, we’ll stay on top of all the latest technology in dentistry and invest to bring you the best right here in our practice, as soon as it lives up to our high standards of care.
As dental professionals, it should be no surprise that we find teeth fascinating. Human teeth come in so many different shapes, sizes and colors that it makes our job of keeping them healthy and beautiful an art as much as a science. But human teeth aren’t the only ones that are interesting. The animal kingdom is full of fascinating teeth and here are a few amazing examples.
Other than big ears, prominent front teeth may be the most iconic feature of rabbits. These big teeth aren’t just adorable and endearing, they’re important tools. Rabbits are herbivores, meaning their diet consists only of plants. Many plants are very fibrous and require sharp, strong teeth for cutting and chewing. If you ate like a rabbit, your teeth would get worn down in no time, and the same is true of rabbit teeth. The difference is, unlike human teeth, rabbit teeth grow continuously to compensate for their tough diet.
These constantly regenerating teeth can be a problem for domesticated rabbits, though. Pet rabbits who eat too many processed pellets and not enough fibrous food like hay and vegetables can end up with overgrown teeth. When the teeth get to big and long, they don’t fit together right and can cause lots of problems for the rabbits health.
In most mammals, tusks are elongated canine teeth. An elephant’s tusks are actually its incisors, or two front teeth. Tusks and molars are the only two types of teeth that adult elephants have (humans have five types). Instead of one set of baby teeth and one set of adult teeth, an elephants molars are replaced throughout their lifetime, up to six times total.
Just like people are left or right-handed, elephants show a preference for one of their tusks and use it more often. You can tell whether an elephant is left or right-tusked by the shape: the dominant tusk tends to be shorter and more rounded.
Elephants use their tusks for defense, in mating displays (when males battle), and as tools for digging, marking trees, and moving things in their environment. Just like rabbit teeth, an elephants tusks never stop growing and gain about 17 cm in length every year.
Narwhals are a unique species of toothed whale that lives in the arctic and are often called “unicorns of the sea” because of their long spiral-textured tusk that resembles a mythical unicorn horn. Like tusks in other animals, the narwhal tusk is actually an elongated front tooth and it protrudes through the top lip as opposed to under it.
Several things make the narwhal tusk unique. Unlike human teeth that have hard enamel on the outside and soft dentin on the inside, narwhal tusks are softer outside and harder at the core. In contrast to other tusked animals like walruses and elephants, narwhals usually only have one tusk. Two-tusked narwhals do exist but are very rare. They also are the only straight tusk in the animal kingdom. And lastly, we don’t know what narwhal tusks are for. Scientists think it might have to do with attracting a mate or detecting water temperature and pressure, but more studies need to be done to find out.
A clean, white, and healthy smile can be considered a status symbol: a sign of someone who has excellent habits, an excellent dentist, or both. But what about the tool that gets you there? Would you invest in a luxury toothbrush?
In case you’re tempted, we’ve scoured the web for the most exceptional non-electric toothbrushes that you can buy for $12 or a lot more!
If you replace your toothbrush as often as your dentist recommends, you should be going through at least four toothbrushes a year. Some people saw the environmental impact of this and decided to make a change. The Boie toothbrush uses a BPA-free reusable handle with replaceable rubber bristle heads. They claim the brush lasts twice as long as a standard toothbrush and it’s recyclable, which cuts down on waste and environmental impact.
Chrome isn’t just for your car anymore! If you’re looking for a more glamorous oral hygiene experience, the German home accessories company Decor Walther makes a chrome-plated toothbrush. This brush is actually a regular plastic brush with a metallic finish and doesn’t seem to have any health-related claims to fame. But if a blingy brush with make you brush more often, we’re all for it!
The earliest toothbrushes were made from bone and animal bristles as far back as the 1700s, and some manufacturers are trying to bring naturally-sourced materials back to dental hygiene. French company Buly makes toothbrushes with silk or badger bristles embedding in tortoiseshell-look acetate handles. Italian company Koh-i-Noor also makes badger bristle toothbrushes, but we’re not sure we can approve of their “very hard” boar bristle toothbrushes. Always opt for soft bristles to protect your enamel, whether natural or nylon!
If you’re looking to make a fashion statement while banishing tooth decay it won’t come cheap. Lifestyle designer Charles Darius offers toothbrushes in silver, black rhodium, gold plate, and 18kt solid gold. These brushes start at $390, but thankfully that’s just for the handle. To trim down waste (and cost!), the toothbrushes use disposable heads crafted from sustainable bamboo.
Note: We’re not endorsing any of the toothbrushes mentioned in this post, as not all of them have been tested by the ADA. We just wanted to share some interesting and surprising products with our patients.
No matter how much you spend on your toothbrush, the best toothbrush according to any dentist, is the one you use properly and frequently. A $4 toothbrush can be just as good as a $4,000 one, as long as you brush for a full 2 minutes twice a day. Brushing with good technique and attention to detail is the key to preventing tooth decay and gum disease and keeping your teeth white. Used correctly, any toothbrush is worth its weight in gold!
One of the challenges that we face as dentists and dental hygienists is the fact that many dental conditions are asymptomatic in the early stages. The word “asymptomatic” means that they don’t cause any symptoms that are noticeable, particularly to the patient. One of the most pernicious dental diseases that fits this description is gum disease, which can turn into periodontitis and eventually lead to crooked, loose, or failed teeth.
Dental professionals have expert training in identifying signs of trouble before something goes wrong, which is why it’s so important to see us for your regular checkups and cleanings. In the meantime, you can make a huge difference in your own dental health by being on the look-out for gum disease warning signs before they become symptoms.
A lot of people see a little blood when they floss or brush. This is very common, but that doesn’t mean it’s normal! Any blood when you brush or floss can be a sign of trouble, even if you don’t have any other symptoms such as swelling or discomfort.
If you notice that your teeth seem to look longer than they used to, you may have gum recession. Receding gums is one of the early signs of gum disease, which is caused by an infection of the tissues around your teeth, your gums and bone. As the infection progresses it forms a pocket that pulls your gums away from your teeth. Eventually the roots of your teeth, which aren’t protected by enamel, can become exposed, causing sensitivity and leaving them vulnerable further damage from cavities.
Gums can get puffy and inflamed during the early stages of gum disease without necessarily causing discomfort. The good news is this sign can appear when you still just have gingivitis that hasn’t turned into periodontitis yet.
If you notice any of these signs, please let us know as soon as possible. Gum disease is reversible in its early stages, but once it progresses into periodontitis it becomes a chronic disease that can only be managed, not cured.
It should come as no surprise that some of the worst dental situations we see are in patients who do not see the dentist regularly. And the longer someone has been away from the dentist, the harder it is to get back in the habit, whether it’s a matter of cost, time, or quite simply, guilt at not having been in a while. We always love to see patients, no matter how long it’s been, and we’re all about preventing pain and discomfort. So here are a four vital reasons that you should never miss a teeth cleaning appointment!
Preventive dental care is key to keeping you comfortable and saving you unwanted expense in the future! When you come in for a teeth cleaning we also examine your entire mouth to check for potential trouble spots before they turn into something bigger, like a cavity or a root canal. We have the expertise to identify issues that may not even be causing symptoms yet. Just like anything in life, dental health problems are more easily and affordable to fix early on when they’re small!
Despite the fact that you go to one kind of doctor for a physical and a different kind of doctor to look after your oral health, the two are deeply connected! Did you know that the plaque on your teeth is the same kind of plaque that is found in the arteries of people with heart disease? And preventable dental diseases like periodontitis (gum disease) have been linked to stroke and heart attack too. Getting a professional cleaning on a regular basis helps clear away plaque, tartar, and bacteria that you simply cannot remove with brushing and flossing alone. Taking care of your dental health is a vital part of your overall healthcare!
We know that choices about dental care often come down to cost. Most dental insurance covers preventive care, including teeth cleanings and exams, at very little cost or no out-of-pocket cost at all. Even when these services aren’t completely covered, the cost is very small compared to the cost of fixing a problem later! If you don’t have insurance, many dental practices offer discounts to help make dentistry more affordable. Ask about our current offers next time you see us or talk to us. No matter what, we have your smile covered!
The idea that dentistry only takes place during regular business hours is starting to change. We always make an effort to make sure working patients and students don’t have to take time off to see us for cleanings. But we can only accommodate your schedule if you tell us about it! Be honest with the dentist, hygienist or front desk when scheduling your next appointment about what times are most convenient for you. You may be surprised about when we can fit you in.
If you’ve recently gotten a dental bridge placed, you’re probably relieved to finally have your smile back and be able to eat the foods you like again. You should know that there are some small techniques you need to add to your oral hygiene routine in order to keep your replacement teeth and the rest of your mouth healthy.
We’ve noticed a misconception among patients that artificial teeth don’t need the same of dental hygiene attention because they aren’t real teeth. This isn’t true! Germs can accumulate on crowns and bridges just like on natural teeth. Caring for your gums around your new teeth is especially important. If bacteria is allowed to linger on your gum line, it can lead to gingivitis and decay in the teeth your crown or bridge cover. So here’s a quick guide to how to care for your bridges in your dental routine.
Most dental bridges look like three or four teeth fused together in a row. The teeth on the end are called “retainers”, and like regular dental crowns, they fit over existing teeth like a cap and serve as anchor points, or “abutments”, for the brige. Between the retainers are one or two false teeth that bridge the gap where the missing teeth used to be. These bridge teeth are called “pontics”. Retainers and pontics require slightly different care.
To clean your retainer crowns, floss around the sides of them just like you would floss around your natural teeth. Gently push the floss between the crown and the neighboring tooth and back out again, forming a c-shaped curve with the floss as you go.
To clean a pontic, you may need a special tool in order to get the floss into the gap between the false tooth and your gums. Most drug stores and pharmacies will carry floss threaders or proxy brushes. Floss threaders have a stiff end that makes it easy to thread floss under your pontic. Proxy brushes look like tiny tapered pipe cleaners with a handle. Which tool you use may depend on how tight the space is between your bridge and your gums. Ease the tool into this gap and move it back and forth to dislodge any food particles and sweep away bacteria.
And, of course, brush your dental bridge and the rest of your teeth and use a fluoride toothpaste and mouthwash as usual! Feel free to ask the dentist or the dental hygienist for a demonstration of any of these oral hygiene techniques at your next visit.
If you’re missing teeth, modern dentistry offers more options than ever before for replacing them. With so many options for new teeth, it can be confusing to know the important differences between you options. Tooth loss is still treated by dentures, but there are now special kinds of dentures called overdentures that integrate the latest dental implant technology. Here’s the difference between traditional dentures and overdentures so you can make an informed choice in your care.
Traditional dentures are artificial teeth mounted in an acrylic base that looks like gums. Dentures are held in place by adhesives, natural suction, or a combination of both. Overdentures look like conventional dentures from the outside, but they are actually secured in your mouth by clipping or screwing onto titanium dental implants that have been placed in your jawbone. Because they clip onto a solid foundation in the form of dental implants, overdentures are more stable.
One of the biggest benefit of overdentures is a better eating experience and better nutrition. Conventional dentures can affect your ability to taste by covering your palate (roof of your mouth), where some of your taste buds are actually located. Overdentures don’t cover the palate. Foods you would have had to avoid (or cut up before eating) with unstable conventional dentures or missing teeth, like meats or crunchy vegetables, can be chewed by overdentures.
Speaking is also easier with secure overdentures. Your speech in general will be clearer, especially the letters “s” and “f” which can sometimes be muffled or lisped with conventional dentures that cover your palate.
In terms of your oral health, overdentures have the benefit of preventing bone loss. Overdentures transfer the force of your bite from you false teeth, through the dental implants, and into the bone of your jaw. Receiving this sensation from the implants tells your jaw to keep creating new bone, preventing the bone structure under your overdentures from shrinking away.
This shrinking of bone, called “resorption”, tends to happen in conventional dentures because there is no solid structure between the denture and the bone that tells the bone it’s still being used to bite. Jaw bone resorption is what causes traditional dentures to eventually stop fitting well and require adjustment, and can lead your cheeks looking more sunken and aged as your bone structure shrinks.
One potential advantage of conventional dentures is that they are more affordable initially than overdentures, because they do not involve the surgical placement of implants. However, over the long run, the adjustments or replacements associated with conventional dentures may add up. Overdentures are much less likely to have these problems, so the initial investment could eventually save you money in the future.
