A Few Reasons Not to Ignore Crooked Teeth

Posted February 18, 2013 by Dr. Coon

smilingg Do you wish your teeth were straighter? Even if you don’t mind crooked teeth, your mouth does, and straightening teeth that are misaligned can be vital to maintaining your oral health. There are many ways to correct teeth that have grown errant, including the traditional metal braces often seen adorning the smiles of children. As you grow older, however, you may become less inclined to undergo orthodontic treatment for fear of inhibiting your social and professional life. To help ensure that you reap the benefits of a straight and properly functioning smile, Sheridan dentist, Dr. Donald Coon, explains the damage that can result from untreated malocclusion.

What is Malocclusion?

Malocclusion refers to crooked teeth, or to an improper relation between related teeth on opposite dental arches. Although most people consider their teeth’s orientation a cosmetic issue, the truth is that your mouth’s function relies on its alignment. The human bite can exert an incredible amount of pressure (up to 200 lbs on your back molars). For your teeth and gums to withstand such force, the pressure must be distributed evenly, which may not be possible when one or more of your teeth are not in their proper position. The resulting disruption can cause your teeth to crowd or drift apart, and the uneven pressure displacement can excessively wear your teeth down. (more…)

Sheridan Family Dentist Explains the Stages of Gum Disease

Posted February 11, 2013 by Dr. Coon

If you believe that most people maintain an adequate level of dental hygiene, you should know that approximately 80% of adults in America have gum disease to some extent. In all fairness, this isn’t an accurate gauge of day-to-day dental hygiene. Once gum disease progresses past its initial phase, it becomes incurable, although it is treatable and manageable with a strict dental hygiene routine. Dr. Donald Coon, your Sheridan family dentist, explains the development and progression of gum disease, as well as what treatment typically entails during the disease’s various stages.

What is Gum Disease?

Unlike tooth decay, gum disease bypasses your teeth’s main structures and instead attacks the gum tissue and jawbone that support them. Although the disease typically stems from a minor bacterial infection, it can progress into a beast of an illness that destroys your mouth’s ability to function properly. As destructive as it is, gum disease can typically trace its origin to meager beginnings. (more…)

Sheridan, WY, Dentist Tests Your Oral-Systemic Knowledge

Posted February 4, 2013 by Dr. Coon

When it comes to your health, knowledge is power. Understanding the mechanisms that threaten your continued wellbeing can help you protect yourself against them. As various studies and research continue to increase our knowledge of oral health’s reach, we learn that some health issues may be related to the afflictions of your dental health. Sheridan, WY, dentist, Dr. Coon, understands that a healthy body requires a healthy mouth. To test your knowledge of oral health and its potential effect on your heart health, take our quiz below.

Gum Disease and Heart Health Quiz

What does the term “oral-systemic health” define?

Also known as the “mouth-body connection,” oral-systemic health defines the connection between oral health issues like gum disease and the development of serious systemic illnesses. Myriad studies have been conducted to understand this connection, and while experts agree that one exists, more research is needed to define the exact mechanisms that control it. (more…)

Sheridan Dentist Asks: Trouble with Your Jaw Joints?

Posted January 28, 2013 by Dr. Coon

You may be fairly familiar with a number of dental issues that can threaten your oral health. For instance, most people can readily identify the term cavities, tooth decay, gingivitis, and gum disease, which afflict the structures of your teeth and their foundation of gum tissue and jawbone. However, in order for your mouth to work properly, it has to move properly, and fewer people could identify the condition that can threaten this movement by damaging the mechanisms that make it possible. Sheridan dentist, Dr. Coon, examines the issue that can prevent your mouth from operating properly, and can lead to a host of other dental issues.

What is TMJ Disorder?

Technically, your lower jaw (mandible) is the only part of your jaw that moves. The joints that allow this movement, called your temporomandibular joints (TMJs), connect your mandible to the temporal bones in your skull. If you place your hands in front of each ear, you can feel the joints and the muscles that surround them tense and relax as your jaw moves. In some cases, excessive stress or undue pressure can damage these joints or cause them to fall out of alignment, forcing your jaw to work extra hard to accomplish its tasks. The discomfort that often results from this damage can range from annoying to debilitating, depending on your condition’s severity, and can manifest itself as pain in your face, neck, jaws, head, shoulders, and ears. In fact, the symptoms of TMJ disorder (TMD) are shared by a number of other health issues, and TMD is often misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all. (more…)

Do You Know What Your Mouth is Trying to Tell You?

Posted January 21, 2013 by Dr. Coon

There a variety of symptoms that can affect the health and comfort of your mouth, most of which can indicate a number of oral health issues. Easing or curing these symptoms depends on finding and treating their root cause. To help you maintain your oral health and find comfort from your dental troubles, Sheridan dentist Dr. Coon discusses some of the most common dental symptoms and what they may mean.

Common Dental Symptoms

Tooth Sensitivity

Toothaches are no laughing matter. The pain can often be debilitating, and over 25% of adults in America admit that they’ve had to take time off of work to deal with a sensitive tooth. Toothaches are also among the most common tooth problems, and can result from myriad causes, including tooth decay, gum disease, sinus infection, rapid changes in altitude, and many more. If your tooth hurts, see Dr. Coon as soon as possible to determine the cause and the appropriate course of treatment. (more…)

Why Does Food Stain Teeth?

Posted January 14, 2013 by Dr. Coon

Chances are, you’ve experienced tooth stains at least once before. If so, than you are probably aware that even the slightest blemish on a single tooth can mar the brilliance of your entire smile. Unfortunately, even if you diligently practice your daily dental hygiene routine, tooth stains can occur simply from the foods you eat. Sheridan dentist Dr. Coon explains how your meals can discolor your teeth in an effort to help you prevent bothersome stains.

Acid, and the Sharing of Color

The color and tint of your food is controlled by chromogens; small molecules that cling tenaciously to your tooth enamel. When you eat, bacteria in your mouth convert the sugars and carbs in your meal into lactic acid, which saps minerals from your teeth and weakens your tooth enamel (a process called enamel erosion). When enamel is weakened, chromogens are able to cling to it easier, and your teeth can stain more quickly. This acid attack also paves the way for bacteria to reach your main tooth structure, called dentin, and begin the process of tooth decay. Incorporating milk, cheese, and/or meat into your meals will provide a good source calcium and other nutrients that will strengthen your enamel against attack. (more…)

Sheridan Dentist Extols Vitamin D for Cavity Prevention

Posted January 7, 2013 by Dr. Coon

Cavities are typically thought of more as a stubborn nuisance than a serious chronic disease. Unfortunately, the consequences of untreated tooth decay belie this illusion. If left to its own devices, tooth decay will continue to carve a destructive path through the structure of your tooth, eventually spreading through the roots and possibly to surrounding teeth. While advancements in dentistry have provided us with numerous methods of treating tooth decay, prevention is always the best medicine. Dr. Coon, a family dentist in Sheridan, explains how nature helps provide tools to protect your oral health, specifically, in the form of vitamin D.

Tooth Decay’s Microbial Beginnings

There are myriad minerals and nutrients that are vital to the health of your teeth, gums, and jawbone. To understand what sets vitamin D’s benefits apart from the rest, you must first understand how tooth decay forms. Inside your mouth are over 600 different identifiable kinds of oral bacteria. Most are harmless. In fact, many are vital to maintaining your mouth’s delicate ecological balance. Some, however, are quite dangerous, and their mere presence can endanger your oral health. (more…)

The Dental Hygiene Quiz, from Your Sheridan Family Dentist

Posted December 26, 2012 by Dr. Coon

Hopefully, you know that you should brush your teeth at least twice a day, and floss at least once, to keep your teeth clean, healthy, and strong. However, your dental health involves more than merely brushing and flossing. For instance, do you know how this routine keeps your mouth healthy, or why visiting your dentist regularly is important, even if your teeth don’t hurt? To help you sharpen your dental hygiene knowledge and improve your oral health care, Sheridan family dentist Dr. Coon tests your knowledge of proper dental hygiene care.

How Sharp is Your Dental Hygiene Knowledge?

For best results, you should brush your teeth at least twice a day. According to the American Dental Health Association (ADA), how long should each session last?

One minute
Two minutes
Three minutes
Until your gums bleed (more…)

Sheridan Dentist Explains Why Teeth Hate Acid

Posted December 17, 2012 by Dr. Coon

Your oral health is subject to numerous dangers these days. Cavities, gum disease, and dental trauma are but a few of the many issues that can affect your mouth’s integrity. The most common issue, and one of the most dangerous, is tooth decay, which has affected over 90% of adults in America in at least one of their permanent teeth. So what does this have to do with acid? Everything, as truth would have it. Sheridan family dentist, Dr. Coon, explains how acid is introduced into your mouth, and what it does once it’s there.

Bacteria’s By-Product

Sugar has a shady reputation when it comes to your teeth. It is largely (though not solely) the reason behind the formation of tooth decay. The problem begins when plaque, which consists mainly of oral bacteria, accumulates on your teeth and along your gum line. Among those bacteria are some that consume sugar and convert it into acid that depletes calcium and other minerals from your tooth (demineralization). Because your tooth enamel mostly mineralized, this process weakens your enamel and allows bacteria to reach the underlying layer of dentin and continue the process of tooth decay. (more…)

Is Your Nighttime Habit Destroying Your Oral Health?

Posted December 10, 2012 by Dr. Coon

A lot of factors can threaten your oral health, from poor oral hygiene to eating too much of certain foods. In some cases, genetics may even play a role in your risk of developing oral health issues. Sometimes, however, you can be your oral health’s worst enemy through habits that prove detrimental to your teeth and gums. One common habit can even affect your oral health for years to come, and if left unchecked, can lead to the need for extensive dental work to repair the damage. Sheridan dentist Dr. Coon explains how nighttime bruxism devastates your oral health.

What is Bruxism?

Most people grind or clench their teeth on occasion, usually when frustrated or angry. Some people do it without even realizing it, and some people do habitually. This habit is called bruxism, and often occurs at night, when the patient is asleep. Being nocturnal, the habit typically is not discovered until damage to your teeth begins to manifest itself. (more…)

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