Month: October 2021

Gaps in the front teeth will ruin your smile’s aesthetics. When people want to streamline their smile design, orthodontic treatment is often their first choice. Furthermore, braces can be quite tedious and expensive for some people. If you are searching for options for filling in gaps in your front teeth, then this post is for you.

As an alternative to braces, orthodontists also recommend cosmetic appliances to close gaps between teeth. Brace treatment is not the ideal solution to close all gaps in the teeth. When orthodontists identify how the gaps formed, they recommend a suitable solution.

Here are some of the options available in today’s dentistry as a substitute for braces.

Dental Bonding
Using composite bonding to fill small gaps or to repair gapped teeth will be your best option if you have small gaps or want a quick fix.

A tooth-colored composite resin is applied over the tooth with a localized space as part of this simple cosmetic dental procedure. The bonding is then hardened by a special light. The dentist will then trim and polish the resin to match the other surfaces of the teeth once it has hardened. In most cases, dental bonding can be done within one or two dental visits.

Dental Veneers
Veneers are thin, tooth-colored shells made out of porcelain or other composite materials that cover the outside of the tooth. Porcelain can only be attached to the tooth after a small amount of enamel has been removed. In addition to fixing cosmetic issues such as stains, chips or cracks, and shrunken teeth, the procedure is widely recommended for repairing various other cosmetic issues. Veneers made of porcelain are resistant to stains, can withstand your chewing force to a great extent, and are significantly stronger than composite resins.

Dental Impression Kit
Moving the teeth with a dental impression kit is the simplest and fastest method. Kits typically consist of a digital impression system, impression trays, and automatic or manual alginate mixers. Taking dental impressions with the tray involves making 6 impressions: 3 lower and 3 upper impressions. When you properly place the upper and lower impressions, the teeth will move in a specific direction, and the spaces between them will close.

Teeth gap bands
An elastic band is fitted around teeth where gaps exist to close them. Using it to close gaps is one of the most affordable ways to do so. To receive the benefits of the band, you need to wear it for at least 12 hours a day. With regular wearing, you will achieve the look you desire within a short period. Additionally, the treatment duration is determined by the size of the gap.

A gapped tooth is more commonly the result of an arch length that requires orthodontic treatment (e.g., with braces). But there is plenty of treatment you can use to close such gaps. You can find out more about such non-braces solutions by contacting your dentist or orthodontist.

Taking care of dental health may seem easy, but it is a challenging task that requires consistent dedication. At times, there may be loopholes in our daily oral hygiene regimen, providing scope for bacteria and fungi to take control. A very typical manifestation of negligence in daily oral care is cavities. The bacteria that causes cavities may also occur loss of tooth bone underneath the gum line, consequently eating away the jaw bone and the ligament that holds the tooth in place. 

If untreated, then the proliferation of the bacteria can lead to further bone loss in the teeth. In simple terms, dental bone loss occurs when the bone supporting the teeth recedes, causing the teeth to become loose in their sockets. Tooth bone loss is most commonly associated with gum problems like periodontitis, osteoporosis, type II diabetes mellitus, and so forth. 

The various early symptoms of bone loss include:

• Loose or shifty tooth
• Bleeding gums
• Intense toothache
• Increased sensitivity in the teeth
• Foul breath

Now that we have laid down the fundamentals of bone loss, let us look at the various ways to reverse, treat, and slow down bone loss. 

Professional Treatments for Tooth Bone Loss

1. Bone Grafting: In cases of extreme tooth bone loss, bone grafting remains the sole solution. The most significant benefit of bone grafting is that it replaces the bone and induces the re-growth of the jawbone. The process assists in the creation of enough bone surfaces for a dental implant replacement. 
2. Composite Bonding: It is a dental procedure that helps the teeth to reshape by hiding the black triangles or holes between the teeth that are consequent on the bone loss in teeth. Composite bonding can change the look of the teeth and help in building confidence. 
3. Ridge Augmentation: It is a surgical process fashioned to add grafted or synthetic bone tissue to reinstate the ridge to its optimal height and shape. 

Prevention of Tooth Bone Loss 
Prevention is better than cure, and this statement holds unrivaled significance in the case of dental health. Rather than spending thousands of dollars to reverse tooth bone loss, it would be best if you opted for healthy oral hygiene habits that will slow down bone loss altogether. 

• Thoroughly brushing the teeth twice a day is essential to stop the proliferation of bacteria inside the mouth. After brushing, you should floss properly and top everything off with a good mouthwash.
• Elevating the consumption of calcium and Vitamin D can also help the teeth’ enamel become more robust, thereby preventing bone loss.
• You should avoid habits like smoking and excessive drinking.
• It would help if you did not consume excessive amounts of sugary foods and drinks.
• Using fluoride-rich toothpaste is essential to prevent the formation of bacteria inside the mouth and keep tooth bone loss at bay.
• It is imperative to regularly visit the dentist and get the teeth professionally cleaned time and again.

Taking care of dental health by following an appropriate oral care regime and following healthy eating and drinking habits is the most reasonable way to keep the teeth and gums strong and prevent bone loss. 

Schedule your appointment with a dentist today and get the treatment on time!

In a layman’s language, restorative dentistry is a procedure that aims to treat your teeth and the supporting structures. Restorative dentistry encapsulates endodontic, periodontics, and prosthodontics. The foundation of restorative dentistry is based on the interaction of these three techniques. In simpler words, restorative dentistry entails the integrated management of oral health problems and the restoration of the mouth to a more functional and aesthetic state. Restorative dentistry is a branch of dentistry that concentrates on replacing a damaged or missing tooth. The specialty of restorative dentistry is that the dentists primarily remove and repair cavities and provide treatment for diverse oral conditions. Restorative dentistry also focuses on oral issues via trauma or injuries. The main aims of restorative dentistry are –

• Repairing of damaged teeth with fillings and dental bonding
• Restoration of missing tooth parts and structures can be done with direct or indirect restorations such as inlays, Onlays, crowns, or fillings.
• Replacement of missing teeth can be performed with artificial restorations like implants, bridges, or dentures.

Now, let us focus on the various restorative dental materials:

• Metals
• Amalgam Alloys
• Polymers
• Ceramics
• Composites
• Glass Ionomers
• Denture Base Resins
• Noble and Base Metals

Types Of Restorative Dentistry

There are several types of restorative dentistry treatments, and the most popular ones are –

1. Dental crowns: They are tooth-colored resin or metal restorations that replace missing structures caused by dental decay, root canals, fractures, etc. Dental crowns can also be used as coverage caps.
2. Dentures: Dentures are either removable or fixed sets of a prosthetic set of teeth that replace missing teeth. Dentures are used when you lose your entire tooth or a few of them via dental decay, gum disease, and so forth. Depending on the condition, there are five types of dentures – fixed, partial, removable partial, implant-retained, and immediate dentures.
3. Dental Implants: It is a restorative process used after an extraction or tooth loss. Dental implants are used in cases of permanent damage to the teeth. Oral surgeons and periodontists perform dental implants.
4. Dental Bridges: They are full-coverage that engulf three or more teeth. It is essential to highlight that dental bridges are more affordable and less intrusive than implants.
5. Dental Bonding: In a layperson’s language, cosmetic dental bonding is a technique to improve the appearance of our teeth. It can be used to elevate and enhance the appearance of the teeth and correct imperfections such as teeth gaps, chipped teeth, broken or cracked teeth, and so forth. During cosmetic dental bonding, a tooth-colored resin material is applied to the surface of the teeth. 
6. Inlays and Onlays: They are partial tooth-colored or gold restorations that restore smaller imperfections of a damaged tooth. They are less invasive than crowns. 

Therefore, we can say that restorative dentistry is an all-encompassing term in dentistry that includes diverse processes to take care of teeth imperfections. The procedures range from highly invasive ones to others that require very little intervention.

Schedule your appointment with a dentist today and get the treatment on time!

The function of dental implants is the same as that of natural teeth, and they are also prone to infection. If neglected or not treated regularly by a dental professional, infected implants can cause disease or implant failure. In the long term, the aim will be to maintain the implant and stop the infection’s progression.

You might need a combination of different options to revive your implant, depending on the level of infection. A variety of treatments are available, including antibiotics, surgery, laser therapy with surface decontamination, mechanical debridement, and antimicrobial therapies. Healthy teeth are your dentist’s goal. Whenever you suspect that an implant is infected, you should contact your dentist immediately so that treatment can commence as soon as possible. Follow your new hygiene routine once your implant has been repaired.

Infections of dental implants: How to treat them?

The first step is to perform an X-ray to determine if there was any bone loss. The next step is periodontal probing. Using this method, it is possible to determine the infection stage accurately. Afterward, a dentist will recommend a course of action.

Popular remedies include the following. The process usually involves a combination.

Mechanical Cleaning

Cleansing shallow mucosal pockets can be done using a carbon fiber curette or an ultrasonic device. This process is known as submucosal debridement. High-frequency waves are used to clean the area around the implant that is contaminated.

Your dentist might recommend mechanical flossing or delicate scaling instruments if the mucosal pockets are 5mm or deeper. If this is the case, the instruments will need to be inserted deeper and care should be taken not to roughen the surface of the rod. Localized antiseptics typically follow debridement with mechanical tools. This only happens if the depth of the pocket is greater than 4mm.

Surgical procedure

A surgical treatment method is typically used when the implant is placed in an unattractive location. A flap of gum is cut open and retracted to better access the contaminated area. Mechanical cleaning is often combined with antiseptics. The procedure is sometimes called open-flap debridement.

Implant removal

An implant may have to be removed if peri-implant mucositis develops into peri-implantitis and a significant amount of bone has been lost. A surgical instrument called a trephine can be used for this purpose.

If bone loss continues, the dentist can decide to remove the implant with forceps once it is hard enough to do so. It is only done when the supporting bone is less than 3 or 4 mm in thickness. Patients who have undergone bone grafts and have healed for several months may qualify for reimplantation.

Infections of Dental Implants: What Can Cause Them?

There are many different causes of peri-implantitis. It is possible for dental implant infection to develop from smoking due to the constrictions in the blood vessels of gums, which make it more difficult for essential nutrients to be delivered to the gums and for waste products to be removed. You can be at greater risk to develop this condition if you have a compromised immune system or osteoporosis and have previously had gum disease.

Dental implant infection is something no one wants to deal with, so if you notice any of the symptoms, talk with a trusted dentist right away. Taking care of your implant as soon as possible is the best way to prevent infection and save it.

Schedule your appointment with a dentist today and get the treatment on time!

Are sports drinks good for your health? That’s debatable. 

Sports drink consumers feel as if they are rehydrating their bodies after a long run or an intense workout by regularly intaking sports drinks. Despite helping the body replenish water, minerals, and electrolytes, these drinks are not so good for your teeth. Sports drinks can harm your dental health if you drink one every day or a few every week.

According to experts, sports drinks are not suitable for daily consumption unless they are becoming part of a high-performance athlete’s diet when they lose excessive electrolytes through sweat. It is also not recommended from a dental health perspective to consume sports drinks. Sports drinks are mainly composed of three ingredients: water, carbs (aka sugar), and electrolytes. Sugars cause the mouth to become more acidic, which attracts harmful bacteria that destroy tooth enamel. It attacks enamel when the mouth’s acidity levels are just right. This causes cavities and tooth decay. Teeth enamel does not renew itself like the skin on the body. It’s not possible to restore yours once it has eroded.

Sports drinks have some negative effects:

• Highly Acidic: A surprising aspect of sports drinks is their extremely high acidity. Enamel can be significantly corroded by acids, even dentin, which is softer than enamel. A weak tooth is susceptible to decay as a result.  
• High Sugar Content: The other problem with sports drinks is the amount of sugar they contain. Sugar bathes your teeth every time you drink, with the result that your mouth is contaminated with bacteria that cause cavities, requiring fillings or even root canal treatments. 
• Stain Teeth: When your enamel corrodes, you are more likely to have stained teeth. Sports drinks often contain artificial colors that stain teeth.
• Teeth Sensitivity: When your enamel is weakened by acidity, you can have teeth that are more sensitive to cold, heat, and sugar.

Protecting your teeth:

• Preventative Measures: For those who feel they can’t stay sufficiently hydrated without sports drinks, here are some tips: drink plenty of water after you’ve consumed them and brush your teeth as soon as you can. 
• Healthy Sports Drinks: Some sports drinks do less damage to your teeth because of their lower sugar content and lower acidity level. But you should also avoid artificial sweeteners, which are just as dangerous as sugar. 
• Simply Electrolytes: Mix electrolytes with water to get better hydration without excess sugar or acidity. Usually, they do not contain sugar and come in different flavors. 
• Don’t Drink Sports Drinks: Sports drinks are harmful to your dental health, so you should avoid them entirely.

Keep Your Teeth Healthy All Your Life

• Diet: Dental health is directly related to what you eat and drink. You can damage your teeth by eating and drinking sweet things. 
• Self Care: A regular diet that is high in sugar should be brushed at least twice a day and perhaps a little more often. 
• Professional Care: Maintaining your teeth by going to your dentist twice a year for cleaning and oral evaluation is important. Tooth decay is a result of tartar and plaque, so dental cleanings remove them.

While we do not recommend that you stop drinking sports drinks completely, just be sure to limit the intake over time and maintain your pearly whites.

Schedule your appointment with a dentist today and get the treatment on time!