Given the prevalence of tooth decay, there’s a good chance that you’re familiar with a dental filling. In fact, if you’re among the 90% of adults who’ve been affected by decay in one or more permanent teeth, you’ve probably had a dental filling placed at some point.
Typically, a tooth-colored dental filling can treat your cavity and preserve the health of your tooth, all while blending in with your tooth’s appearance for a more discrete restoration. (more…)
In today’s image-conscious world, appearance plays a large role in the majority of dental work performed. No surprise, considering a healthy, confident smile can make you look younger and more attractive compared to an embarrassed or hidden smile (common behaviors of those with poor oral health).
Regardless of the many maladies that can diminish your smile’s appeal, your dentist can help you make your smile one to be proud of, often through the use of cosmetic porcelain veneers. (more…)
Many people have nearly-perfect teeth, but feel that one or more small blemishes prevent them from total happiness with their smiles. That discontent can prevent them from smiling as often and as brightly as they otherwise would, preventing them from enjoying the many benefits of a smiling demeanor. Luckily, you don’t have to go to drastic lengths to noticeably improve your smile. With cosmetic dental bonding, your dentist can help you fix minor tooth imperfections without a major dental procedure. (more…)
If you visit your dentist regularly, then you are probably aware that there a more dental issues that can afflict your mouth than most people are aware of. While caring for your teeth and gums should be an integrated part of your daily routine, there are other considerations for the health of your mouth, such as the alignment of your jaws, or habits that may prove detrimental to your smile’s foundation. For instance, bruxism and TMJ disorder can cause significant dental damage, and have a dramatic impact on your bite’s proper function. (more…)
Perhaps it isn’t the fact that crooked teeth can mean trouble for your dental health, but rather the way they make your smile look that prompts you to want to straighten them. If so, then you may wish for a more discreet way to straighten them than with conspicuous metal braces.
Fortunately, Invisalign® clear braces offer a nearly invisible way to straighten crooked teeth by utilizing clear acrylic aligners instead of brackets and wires. (more…)
Teeth-whitening has become one of the most frequently-requested cosmetic dental procedures today, which should be no surprise considering teeth stains are the most common cosmetic dental blemish. In fact, your teeth can stain simply from eating and drinking, and while there are measures you can take to help protect your smile’s pride, chances are your teeth will eventually show signs of your past meals. Luckily, you can brighten your smile with your choice of teeth-whitening treatments, which can be applied either in our office or from home. (more…)
If you haven’t already had to treat a cavity, then there’s a good chance you might at some point in your life (cavities affect over 90% of adults at least once). The good news is that, these days, we can treat most cavities with tooth-colored fillings, made from natural-looking composite resin rather than metal, like many older fillings. The differences between metal and tooth-colored composite resin fillings may seem obvious, but they extend to more than just the filling’s appearance. In many ways, a tooth-colored filling can also out-perform metal amalgam to create a more effective, longer-lasting restoration.
To understand the important differences between metal and tooth-colored fillings, you first should understand the full purpose of a dental filling. When your tooth develops a cavity, the hole in its structure will continue to grow until you treat the infection that causes it (known as tooth decay). After your dentist cleans the cavity, he can place a filling inside of it to restore your tooth’s strength and prevent oral bacteria from re-infecting it.
Metal amalgam has been used for so long because it can endure even the most intense of your bite’s pressure. Still, the metals in dental amalgam cannot bond to your tooth’s structure, and it can therefore fail to protect the tooth from oral bacteria.
Composite resin is made from a mixture of finely-ground acrylic particles, and unlike metal, it can be bonded to your tooth.
Perhaps the most obvious difference between metal and resin is their appearance. Amalgam is made of a number of trace metals, like tin and mercury, and therefore maintains a silver metallic look, which clashes with your tooth’s soft white appearance. By contrast, composite resin can be specially tinted to match your tooth’s exact color and hue, so your filling remains unnoticeable when you speak and smile.
Sugar, starches, and other fermentable carbohydrates feed certain bacteria that dwell in your mouth; namely, Streptococcus mutans. As they feed, S. mutans convert sugar into acids that attack tooth enamel while depleting your teeth of enamel-building minerals. Weak enamel is easier for bacteria to bypass, and therefore increases your risks of cavity development. Cosmetic dentistry can improve your tooth enamel’s appearance if it stains, but if acid erosion outpaces your teeth’s ability to recover, then enamel will become irreversibly damaged and cavity-causing bacteria can slip right past it. (more…)
For people who have lost some or all of their teeth to decay, gum disease, or injury, false teeth mean all the difference in the world. False teeth, or dental prosthetics as they’re known clinically, serve the same purpose as other types of prosthetics, like an artificial limb: they replace the function and appearance of a missing body part. Making the right decision for replacing your missing teeth depends on knowing more about your options, which include bridges, dentures, and dental implants. (more…)
So many people end up chipping one of their permanent teeth, that experts actually have difficulty estimating how many Americans chip a tooth annually. Most teeth end up chipping as the results of sudden trauma, i.e. something hard like a baseball, fork, or tongue piercing comes into sharp, sudden contact with a tooth. Whatever the cause of your chipped tooth, you should follow these basic guidelines to ensure that your smile returns to normal as soon as possible. (more…)
