Dealing with tooth infection (also known as tooth decay) is usually straight-forward. Your dentist removes the bacteria infecting your tooth and any tooth structure that is already decayed, then restores the tooth by replacing its lost structure. In minor cases, this can be accomplished with a tooth filling procedure. Yet, in more extensive cases, it often requires root canal treatment. For patients in El Paso, TX, root canal treatment can be the best way to remove the threat of an even more severe infection and the need for more extensive treatment. (more…)
A Few Reasons to Choose Tooth Bonding & Contouring
Just because you want to improve your smile’s appearance doesn’t mean you want to undergo extensive treatment to do it. Fortunately, most cosmetic dental treatments are designed to achieve optimal results in the most minimally invasive manner as possible. For example, tooth bonding and contouring, two popular cosmetic touchup treatments, are known to create dramatic improvements to smiles that exhibit a number of different concerns. Yet, the procedures involve little or no permanent changes to your tooth structure, so patients in El Paso, TX, can enjoy more attractive smiles faster and more comfortably. (more…)
Keep Your Teeth Clean Between Checkups & Cleanings
It’s no secret that good dental hygiene and regular checkups and cleanings are cornerstones of keeping your smile healthy for life. Yet, many people don’t realize that even one small hiccup in their routines can make way for harmful oral bacteria to cause trouble. Dental conditions such as tooth decay, gum disease, and more are caused by these bacteria accumulating, which is what regular dental cleanings at our El Paso, TX, office is meant to prevent. Today, we examine how best to keep your teeth clean between dental checkup and cleaning appointments. (more…)
Things that Might Surprise You About Tooth Loss
There’s a lot of information out there about tooth loss, but much of it is false, such as the fact that it occurs naturally as you age. The truth is that tooth loss is more common than it should be, and with the right care and maintenance, patients can often prevent the most common causes behind it. Today, we take a look at a few things that might surprise you about tooth loss, including how it can lead to more serious oral health issues if not addressed properly. (more…)
Why Tooth Fillings Are So Effective
Tooth decay (the cause behind cavity development) still affects a majority of people at some point in their lives. However, cavities aren’t as destructive overall as they used to be thanks to advanced, highly biocompatible treatments such as tooth-colored fillings. A tooth filling is designed to stop a cavity from growing worse and strengthen your healthy tooth structure. When placed as early as possible, fillings are highly effective at stopping tooth decay while it’s still a minor issue. (more…)
How to Know if It’s Time for Teeth-Whitening
Prevention is the best way to keep your smile as healthy and beautiful as it can be. Sometimes, though, regular dental checkups and cleanings aren’t enough to prevent everything. For instance, even if you can stop tooth decay and gum disease from developing, your teeth might still stain from things as simple as eating and drinking every day. Fortunately, you may be able to brighten your smile quickly and conveniently with a custom-designed whitening kit that makes erasing teeth stains almost as easy as cleaning your teeth. (more…)
Is Sleep Apnea Lowering Your Quality of Life?
The thing about obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is that it can have a multitude of impacts on your health and quality of life before you even realize that you have it. As one of the more common sleep breathing disorders, sleep apnea is known for interrupting your sleep cycle by forcing you to stop breathing repeatedly. While you might not be consciously aware of these episodes, they can still occur hundreds of times a night. This deprives you of deep sleep, inhibits your oxygen intake, and can lower your quality of life due to its resulting health risks. (more…)
How Does Tooth Extraction Restore Your Smile?
Even after you’ve accepted the fact that your tooth needs to be extracted, you might still question just how that restores your smile. After all, most restorative treatments are designed to repair and preserve your healthy, natural tooth structure. However, when your tooth needs extraction, it’s because it can’t be repaired, and in many cases, there isn’t enough healthy structure left to save. By extracting the tooth, your dentist can stop it from threatening the rest of your oral health, and if appropriate make it possible to replace the tooth to fully restore your smile. (more…)
Could Your Denture Be Better?
Thanks to modern, highly lifelike dentures, patients who’ve lost all their teeth on the upper or lower dental ridge can still enjoy a lifetime of full, healthy, and beautiful smiles, complete with full bite function and restored confidence. However, patients who’ve worn dentures for a while are familiar with the few drawbacks, such as the appliance no longer fitting the way it should and shifting painfully along the dental ridge. Fortunately, you can make your denture better by securing it to a series of prosthetic root-like dental implants. (more…)
How to Know if Veneers Can Improve Your Smile
With the wide variety of dental treatment options available today, choosing the right one will always require a thorough examination and diagnosis by your dentist. In some cases, your treatment may be much simpler than you originally thought, especially if you have complex concerns and qualify for porcelain veneers. In fact, many patients can completely makeover their smiles just by having one or more veneers bonded in place. Today, we offer a few questions that can help you determine if your smile might be best improved with porcelain veneers. (more…)