How can I help prevent cavities and what causes tooth decay?
How often should I visit my dentist for regular checkups?
How can I improve the appearance of my smile?
Will drilling to fill a cavity hurt?
Is nitrous oxide (laughing gas) safe?
Can I be asleep if I need an extraction?
Are dental x-rays necessary?
If I chip or lose a tooth, what should I do immediately?
Why do I get pain when I have hot or cold drinks?
Why do my gums bleed and what can I do to prevent gingivitis?
What can I do to prevent grinding my teeth at night?
Will my health insurance cover my dental care?

How can I help prevent cavities and what causes
tooth decay? 

To help prevent cavities, it's helpful to know what causes them. Cavities are caused by acids wearing away the proctive tooth enamal. Acids are produced from the build up of colonies of bacteria attached to the teeth, called plaque. When the plaque builds up to a point where the bacteria closest to the surface of the tooth cannot get any oxygen, the bacteria began a process called anerobic respiration to survive.Acid is the byproduct of anerobic respiration and since it is being produced at the surface of the tooth, erosion of the tooth enamel, leading to a cavity, can be the result.  Acids also occur in foods like soda and sour candy, to name a few. The longer the acid stays on the surface of a tooth, the greater the chances that it will penetrate the hard tooth enamel and cause a cavity.  Other foods that can cause increased chances of cavities are foods high in sugar. Bacteria thrive on sugar, which can result in more and thicker plaquing.

So what can be done to help prevent acids from causing cavities? Well, brushing with a good toothpaste recommended by your dentist is a good start. Removal of food products left in the teeth is esential, because the bacteria we all have in our mouths feed on the left over food particles and grow into colonies of plaque. Food particles can be removed by regular brushing after eatng and the acids can be neutralized by the ingredients in tooth paste, like baking soda. Flossing is also plays a major roll in preventing cavities and gum disease because flossing gets into those hard to reach places that a tooth brush often misses. Flossing is also recommended to protect the gums against inflamation, called gingivites, caused by minor infections from  irritants under the surface of the gums and plaquing.  

Proper diet is also helpful. A diet low in sugar slows the formation of plaque build up and keeping acids away from teeth, like cutting down on soda. If you do drink soda, simple adjustments like drinking through a straw may help. Drinking through a straw decreases the contact of the acids with the teeth. 

A way your dentist can help you prevent cavities is by removing harmful plaque during regular checkups. Your dentist can examine your teeth and recommend a schedule of regular teeth cleanings that can be performed by his or her dental hygenist. Your dentist can also recommend sealants to strengthen your teeth against cavities as well as floride treatments to help naturally strengthen your tooth enamal, the hard part of a tooth that naturally protects it from cavities.  You can talk to your dentist about good oral hygeine at home like the right type of brush to use for your teeth and gums, how to brush, how often and how long to brush, proper flossing, dental rinses, and even foods to be careful of to help prevent cavities.

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How often should I visit my dentist for
regular checkups?  

Regular dental checkups are usually scheduled every six months.The same six month intervals are usually recommended for teeth cleaning; however, some dentists may recommend a higher or lower number of visits for cleaning, depending upon your particular needs and state of dental health and checkups may be needed more frequently for patients undergoing  procedures, such as dental implants. 

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How can I improve the appearance of my smile?

The field of dentristy to improve the appearance of your smile is called cosmetic dentistry. Many dentists practice or specialize in this filed and can offer you a variety of ways to improve the appearance of your smile.

Teeth whitening is the most popular procedure used in cosmetic dentistry and can help improve your appearance by eliminating deep stains in the teeth resulting in a brighter more confident smile. Teeth straightening can also help you improve your smile. Depending on the degree of straightening required, your dentist may recommend braces or in cases where there is less involvement, your dentist may recommend using veneers to build up the tooth in such a way it appears straighter. Veneers can alos be used to produce a whiter smile and remove the appearance of chips or worns teeth. Porcelan crowns, often called 'caps' can be applied as an alternative to veneers. Dental implants, bridges, and partial or full dentures are other ways a smile can be renewed when teeth are missing. 

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Will drilling to fill a cavity hurt?

Modern dentistry has made great strides in anesthia and equipment designs over the years. Many patients report feeling nothing at all during most dental procedures and for a patient who has anxiety over medical procedures, your dentist may recommend the use of nitrous oxide, laughing gas, to remove the feeling your sense of uneasieness. 

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Is nitrous oxide (laughing gas) safe?

All types of drugs and anesthesias have certain side effects. The good news about nitrous oxide, also called laughing gas, is this : Nitrous oxide has been used for dental and medical procedures for over 150 years and has a history of a minimal side effects. Because of this, nitros oxide is recognized as a sedatative that can be used for all age groups.  Talk to your dentist if you want to learn more if this form of dental sedation is right for you.

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Can I be asleep if I need an extraction?

Extractions certainly can be done while awake and unless the swelling is considerable, many of the loacl (injected) forms of anesthia used today make the removal of a tooth completely painless. Your dentist may recommend a form of sedation if there is a great deal of swelling and inflamation present. This is because increased swelling decreases the effectiveness of the local anesthetic, which means the procedure may not be comfortable enough to go through while awake.  Sedation may also be recommended for more complicated extractions like impacted wisdom teeth. 

IV sedation has a very high success rate for relieving both pain and anxiety yet allows the patient to be responsive to voice throughout the procedure. Your dentist may recommend this form of sedation over general anesthiesia, where you are fully asleep, because it is easier to recover from.

If general anesthesia is used, you will be asked not to eat anythiing for 6-12 hours before the procedure and you will need to have a ride home after the procedure is completed. General anesthesa may be applied through injection or an IV and is usually followed by gas delievered by breathing mask but you will be asleep before that part of the procedure is started. Normally the time under general anesthesa is short, usually under thirty minutes for most procedures.

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Are dental x-rays necessary?

A dental x-ray may be needed to provide your dentist with valuable information about the structure of your teeth. For preventive care, dental x-rays may also be recommended to help your dentist locate problems before they are detectible during a normal routine checkup. An x-ray is also imoprtant to determine how the dentist should proced if drilling is required. For example, an x-ray can revealfractures, the extent of decay, pulp damage, etc. This aids the dentist in making a diagnosis and in forming a treatment plan. 

Dental x-rays use very low dose radiation compared with most all other medical x-rays. Modern dental x-ray equipment, especially advances film technology, have reduced the amount of radiation in a dental x-ray to only 2 to 3 millirem. The National Council on Radiation Protection (NCRP) states the average U.S. resident receives about 360 millirem every year from natural background radiation sources. This comes from outer space, radioactive materials in the earth, and small amounts of radioactive material in most foods we consume. 

X-ray radiation exposure is considered cumulative (builds up) over the years so you should talk with your dentist about your past medical history involving other forms of higher dose x-ray radiation.

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If I chip or lose a tooth, what should I do immediately?

If a permanent tooth is knocked out or chipped off there are a few things that can be done to save the tooth, if you hurry!

First, have someone call your dentist, immediately and ask for an emergency appointment and instructions on what to do to preserve the tooth until you can get to the dentist's office.  A non-aspirin pain reliever may be used if pain is present. Aspirin is not recommended because aspirin acts as a blood thinner, which will promote more bleeding.

Lost Tooth:

What is commonly recommended to save a permanent tooth that comes out is to replace it, if possible, and hold it in place until you can get an emergency appointment with your dentist. It may need to be rinsed in a cup of cold water, if it fell on the ground. Do not risk losing it down the drain of a sink! A cold compress held on the face will help control the swelling and gauze may be used to hold on to the tooth and around the gums to decrease bleading. There is a 30-minute window in which teeth can be effectively re-attached. After 24 hours, the chances decrease significantly.

Chipped Tooth:

The fragments of a chipped tooth can be placed in a cup of cold milk or cold water and taken to the dentist office. A chip fragment can often be bonded back in place, if done in a timely manner. 

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Why do I get pain when I have hot or cold drinks?

Tooth sensitivity is caused by tiny microscopic holes called (dentine pores) in the tooth. Wear and tear from grinding your teeth at night or clenching your teeth or from chewing on hard  foods like hard candy or eating acidic foods like oranges, lemons, etc. Brushing too aggressively with a hard bristled tooth brush  can also increase these areas of tooth sensitity. Hot and cold drinks are easily transmitted through these pores and aggrevate the nerve. 

Plaque build-up on the root surfaces can cause sensitivity but interestingly enough, some mouthwashes that contain acids can also increase rather than improve this condition. If you have exposed dentin (the middle layer of the tooth) the acids further damage this layer. If you have dentin sensitivity, ask your dentist about the use of a neutral fluoride solution.

Acidic foods. Regular consumption of foods with a high acid content, such as citrus fruits, tomatoes, pickles and tea, can cause enamel erosion that leads to increased tooth sensitivity and increases the chances of tooth decay.

Recent routine dental procedures. Sensitivity can occur following teeth cleaning, root planing, crown placement, and tooth restoration. Sensitivity caused by dental procedures is temporary, usually disappearing in 4 to 6 weeks. Gold dental crowns may also cause an increased sensitivity to hot and cold drinks.

Some steps to decrease tooth sensitivity are: 

• Brush with a soft bristled brush, recommended by your dentist. 
  
  
• Use a recomended tooth paste that eases tooth sensitivity. 
  
  
• Protect the enamal by not eating acid foods or chewing aggresively, especially on hard foods and if recommended by your dentist.
  
  
• Wear a mouth guard at night to prevent grinding the teeth at night, a condition called bruxism.  

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Why do my gums bleed and what can be done to
prevent gingivitis?

Gum disease (gingivitis) results in inflamed gum tissue, which may cause bleeding of the gums when brushing and sensitivity in the teeth due to the loss of supporting ligaments, which exposes the root surface that leads directly to the nerve of the tooth. 

Regular teeth clanings with your dental hygenist can help prevent gingivits. Regular brushing with a soft bristled tooth brush and flossing to remove plaque and food particles between and near the gumline also helps. Avoiding acid foods, such as citrus, tomatoes, tea, etc. will also help the gums heal.  A non-acid containing mouthwash may also be recommended by your dentist to help fight and prevent gingivitis.

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What can I do to prevent grinding my teeth at night?

Teeth grinding is referred to as bruxism, the act of consciously or unconsciously clenching your teeth. It can occur at night, when you are not even aware it is happening. The long term results are wron down teeth. Doctors also believe the stress in the jaw caused by excessive use could lead to headaches or problems with the jaw, called TMJ disorders.

The exact cause of bruxism is not clearly understood. There have been theories as stress, not enough calcium in the diet, and dentist have taken the apporach that poor alignment of the teeth can be the cause.

Teeth grinding happen in kids too. Some parents might find it disturbing to hear their child grinding their teeth in their sleep. While it is really not a big problem for kids as it is in adults, it is still proper to bring your child to a dentist so his teeth are checked.

Kids usually outgrow teeth grinding because their teeth are not yet permanent. Eventually, their baby teeth will be replaced with a permanent set that's stronger, better, and more aligned.
However, the same can't be said with adults. Adult teeth are permanent and would never change any longer. 

Dentists are bruxism's first line of experts. They are the people who can confirm whether you are into teeth grinding or not. To know for sure, dentists perform a series of checks and exams with their patients. Teeth grinding diagnosis are usually performed inside the dental clinic.

Once the dentist had determined you suffer from bruxism, he would prescribe a cure for you. Teeth grinding cures are dependent upon the main cause of the habit. If your dentist believes that your teeth grinding habit is the direct result of stress, then he might refer you to psychiatrist for a series of behavioral therapies to help eliminate the habit.

If the problem is due to the alignment of the teeth itself, it is possible that the same dentist will create you a customized mouth night guard for tooth and enamel protection.

And if it so happens that you are suffering from severe complications of teeth grinding like jaw problems, he could refer you to a doctor to address the symptoms. Once the complications are all taken cared of, the dentist could perform the treatment procedure required to eliminate teeth grinding.

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Will my health insurance cover my dental care?

Charges for dental procedures vary for city to city. Costs are generally are less expensive in rural less populated areas as opposed to larger cities. 

The office manager should be able to provide you with approximate costs for your visits after your dentist has determined what procedures are needed to treat your condition. 

The office manager or insurance manager may need to call your insuance company to verify the amount of your dental coverage and determine if you have met your deductible or have any special conditions that need to be met to begin payment for your claim.

Good insurance plans may cover up to 80% of reasonable and customary charges for dental care. Other insurance plans may may have lower percentage payments or pay a flat rate for certain services. Your dentist may also be a member of your HMO or PPO organization, which can help with payments.

It is always a good idea to inquire about co-payments that may be necessary and to ask about any payment plans the office has available either while at the office or by phone.

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