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Cosmetic Dental
Attractive Porcelain
Veneers Veneers (ve-neers) are
custom-made shells specially prepared to make your
teeth look natural. They are affixed directly to the
tooth, usually without the need for an anesthetic. The
materials used to make veneers include acrylic,
composite resins (ra-sins), and porcelain. The
ultimate goal in selecting these materials is
durability, stain resistance, and a natural look.
Since new materials are being developed continuously,
your dentist will help you choose a material that’s
best for you. Even the most subtle change in your
smile can make a dramatic difference in the way you
look, and feel. And when you feel and look good, you
project a confident self-image. So, make the most of
your smile. Ask your dentist what veneers can do for
you.
Stained Teeth Although teeth yellow
slightly as we age, several other factors can
contribute to discoloration of the teeth. Smoking for
example can produce brown stains on the surface of the
teeth and certain fruits and drinks such as coffee,
can also cause stains. If the pulp or heart of the
tooth dies, the tooth may turn gray. Certain drugs
such as tetracycline (tetra-sy-clean) antibiotics, if
administered at critical stages of pregnancy or
childhood, can cause teeth to discolor. Severe attacks
of certain childhood infections including whooping
cough and measles can also produce discolored patches
on the teeth. However, this does not occur in areas
where a controlled amount of fluoride (floor-ide) is
added to the drinking water. Bleaching at the
dentist’s office can brighten and whiten your teeth as
well.
Nutrition and Dental
Health In order to prevent
tooth decay, one important step you have to take is to
limit your intake of sticky foods, especially between
meals. If you eat such foods, they leave a medium on
the teeth that bacteria feed on. Within twenty
minutes, the bacteria has manufactured enough acid as
a by-product of their feeding to begin wearing away
tooth enamel. Although fresh fruits and vegetables are
generally good snack choices, dried fruits stick to
teeth and should be avoided as between meal snacks.
There are some fruits that actually provide protection
against tooth decay. For example, cheddar cheese helps
neutralize acids in the mouth if you eat it at the end
of a meal. Milk, too, is a good snack and mealtime
drink because it washes sugar from the mouth. On the
other hand, never let a baby take a bottle of milk to
bed because that practice can lead to serious tooth
decay. Some other foods which do not promote tooth
decay include unsweetened juices, meats, unsalted
nuts, and coffee and tea without sugar.
What are crowns and why are they
used? A crown is a
restoration that covers, or caps, a tooth to restore
it to its normal shape and size. Its purpose is to
strengthen or improve the appearance of a tooth. A
crown is placed for a number of reasons: To support a
large filling when there isn’t enough tooth remaining,
to attach a bridge, to protect weak teeth from
fracturing, to restore fractured teeth, and to cover
badly shaped or discolored teeth.
Beautifully Finished
Crowns One of your dentist’s
main goals is to create crowns that look like natural
teeth. To achieve this, a number of factors are
considered such as the color, occlusion (o’clue-sion)
or "bite," shape, and length of both your natural
teeth and of the artificial crown. Any one of these
factors alone can significantly affect your
appearance. If you have a certain look in mind for
your own crown, discuss it with your dentist at your
initial visit. When the procedure is complete, your
teeth may not only be stronger, but they may be one of
the most attractive features on your face - your
crowning glory.
Root Canal
Inside the tooth, the pulsating tissue that contains
the blood vessels and nerves which nourish the tooth,
make it sensitive to cold, heat, pressure, and pain.
However, like any living tissue this pulp can die. It
can occur after dental decay has penetrated the tooth
after an injury or sometimes for no apparent reason at
all. When the pulp is damaged or diseased, this may be
accompanied by pain and swelling. But when the pulp
dies, there is no pain and you may not be aware of it
until you visit the dentist. Once the dead pulp has
been detected, it must be treated or you may lose the
tooth. Left untreated, there is also the possibility
that an abscess (ab-sess) will form which can spread
infection throughout the body. Unless the tooth is
severely decayed and needs to be extracted, your
dentist will perform a root canal. This is a procedure
in which the dentist cleans the dead pulp out of the
tooth, disinfects the area to destroy any bacteria,
and fills the pulp area and root canal with an inner
material. A crown is then placed over the tooth to
restore its appearance.
Abscess
Abscess (ab-sess) is a painful condition that could
leave you with more than a toothache if professional
attention isn’t sought. Abscesses can lead to blood
poisoning and/or jaw bone deterioration. Symptoms,
like a swollen spot on the gum that’s near as
throbbing toothache are signs of abscess. You can be
even more certain that this condition is present if it
hurts the affected area to bite or chew. The infection
around an abscess tooth can spread throughout your
body. If that swollen spot on your gum bursts, rinse
your mouth thoroughly with warm salt water to sooth
the discomfort and wash away the puss. Then phone or
visit the dentist. They’ll try to save the tooth if
possible by doing a root canal. If it can’t be saved,
the tooth may have to be extracted. If you still have
an infection after the dentist has done what they can,
you may be referred to an oral surgeon who will remove
through surgery, any infected tissue that’s left.
Later, your dentist will apply a permanent filling.
Laser Dentistry I
have heard a lot about dentistry and the 3M patient
comfort system. What are the advantages of these two
procedures? The most significant break-through we have
seen in patient comfort, and greatly decreased post
operative pain and swelling. The laser usually
requires little or no anesthesia for most procedures.
Because laser helps conserve healthy tissue, there is
less surgical trauma, and less bleeding and swelling.
The laser significantly reduces bacteria at the
surgical site which also means better healing. We have
found that with the use of 3M patient comfort system,
there is a 50 percent decrease in post operative
swelling and 90 percent decrease in the need for
narcotics, and also one third less time off work.
Implants
It used to be that if a person lost their own teeth,
their only option was getting dentures or removable
bridges, but that’s changed now that dental implants
are widely available. Implants have a real advantage
-- the patient ends up with false teeth that look and
feel nearly natural. However, they do cost more and
the process of implanting them takes time. Here’s how
it’s done. First, the patient undergoes oral surgery
to have a set of platinum metal cylinders that the
implants will be embedded into, put into the jaw bone.
Then the gum is sutured up and the healing process
begins. Over time the implants and the jaw bone
actually mesh together so that four to six months
later, permanent, or sometimes removable bridges can
be fitted in the patients mouth. Usually an oral
surgeon will perform that original procedure and then
the patient will return to their own dentist for the
rest of the care. If the thought of oral surgery makes
you nervous, you may be interested to know that most
patients report it’s no worse than having a tooth
pulled, and most are satisfied with the end results.
Dentures
Constructed of hard plastic or a combination of metal
and plastic, dentures can be designed to replace some
or all of your natural teeth. Full dentures stay in
place by resting on the gum ridges. The upper dentures
stay in place by suction. Partial dentures often have
clasps that fit around the remaining natural teeth to
help keep them in place. Getting a set of dentures
usually takes several visits to the dentist, although
dentures look natural and fit well, they will not be
as comfortable as your natural teeth. They use the
gums to absorb the stress of biting and chewing and
the resulting pressure can cause inflammation, ulcers,
or even deterioration of the jaw bone. To keep
dentures from warping, always remove them at night and
soak them in water. You can use a cleansing agent all
night on full dentures, but partials that have visible
metal on them should only be soaked for 15 minutes.
Follow a regular daily regimen of cleaning both your
dentures and natural teeth as well as cleaning and
massaging your gums and see your dentist regularly.
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