Your teeth can’t repair themselves when they’re damaged. But today’s dental crowns can make teeth like new again, protecting them so they can continue to perform their duties. In many cases, crowns are crafted to closely mimic your healthy, natural teeth, serving the dual purposes of restoring and cosmetically improving your smile at the same time. If you’ve lost a tooth, a crown might also serve as an excellent, highly lifelike replacement for it when supported by a dental crown. (more…)
3 Questions About Bonding & Contouring
It isn’t enough just to make your smile prettier; successful cosmetic dentistry also means protecting your natural teeth and gums to ensure your beautiful smile lasts for life. With tooth bonding and contouring, you can enjoy the best of both worlds—a significantly improved smile and the preservation of your healthy, natural smile’s tooth structure. Bonding and contouring are minimally invasive cosmetic touchups that can have dramatic effects on your smile’s appearance. They can also be part of a larger smile makeover plan to help you avoid more extensive treatments. (more…)
When Should Children Start Getting Checkups and Cleanings?
As a parent, you do all you can to give your children the tools they’ll need be healthy, happy adults. One of the first things we teach them is how to brush and floss their teeth every day, and it seems like every day, there’s a battle about what they expose their teeth to. Yet you might not instinctively know when your children should start attending checkups and cleanings, which are vital to maintaining a beautiful and healthy smile for the rest of their lives. We advise bringing children in for their visit to the dentist after the first tooth appears. (more…)
Do I Qualify for Dental Implants?
Dental implants are the most advanced form of tooth replacement, and are the only option for reestablishing the roots that supported your lost teeth. With implants, you can not only enjoy sturdier, more comfortable replacement teeth, but also benefit from a stronger, healthier jawbone in the long run. However, before you can receive them, you have to qualify for dental implants, mainly by having a strong enough jawbone and healthy enough gums to support them. (more…)
3 Common Questions About Root Canal Treatment
If you’ve never had root canal treatment (RCT), or if it’s been awhile since you have, then it’s natural to have questions about the procedure before signing up for it. For some people, the prospect of root canal treatment is a scary one, thanks to rumors that have plagued the procedure for decades. The good news is that most of those rumors are unfounded, are were formed by people who had exceptionally bad experiences in the past. The truth is that root canal treatment is often the path to relieving your severe toothache and saving your smile in cases of extreme internal tooth infection. (more…)
A Good Look at Porcelain Veneers
In the realm of cosmetic smile improvement, porcelain veneers are somewhat of a superstar. Teeth whitening may be more common, but veneers are becoming more popular due to their ability to correct a multitude of issues at once. Today, we take a good look at porcelain veneers and why they’re often the go-to option for patients who want a dramatic smile makeover but want to preserve as much of their natural tooth structure as possible. (more…)
What’s the Point of Checkups and Cleanings?
If you follow your dentist’s advice, then you probably attend a checkup and cleaning appointment at least once every six months. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have questions about why they’re necessary. Essentially, the point of checkups and cleanings is to keep your smile healthy by controlling oral bacteria and keeping a close eye on your teeth, gums, and oral tissues. Otherwise, things like cavities, gum disease, oral cancer, problems with your bite’s function, and more will continue to grow worse until extensive treatment is needed to correct them. (more…)
Do You Have a Wisdom Tooth Emergency?
Wisdom teeth are often thought of as a rite of passage, but the truth is, not everyone grows them. For those that do, however, the presence of their wisdom teeth (or third molars) can lead to a host of dental problems, including wisdom tooth impaction, tooth misalignment, severe discomfort, and tooth damage, to name just a few. If you are faced with a wisdom tooth emergency, then visit your dentist as soon as possible to relieve the pain and prevent more extensive issues.
3 Major Benefits of Tooth-Colored Fillings
Composite fillings, or tooth-colored fillings, are becoming increasingly more popular for patients with cavities who want a better option than metal. Even patients who already have metal fillings often choose to replace them with tooth-colored ones to improve their smiles. Yet, the benefits of tooth-colored fillings extend beyond their appearance. The resin used to create them is also a more effective solution to treating cavities and preventing them from recurring.
How Professional Teeth Whitening Works
Teeth whitening is perhaps the most popular form of cosmetic dentistry, but how it works isn’t as widely understood. This misunderstanding is the reason why people still question if professional treatment is needed, considering the vast amount of products available over the counter. The truth, though, is that there are important differences between professional and OTC teeth whitening – mainly the results, which are typically unsatisfactory with store-bought products.