Certain Habits Can Wreak Havoc On Your Dental Health

We all envision a bright, white smile and it is achievable for all of us. It seems like everyone these days have a nice white smile, some may think this is unachievable for them. But guess what you can have one too! Some habits play differently into achieving that smile quicker than others. Many things we mindlessly do day in and out play a large role in this. We may smoke or consume sugary foods and drinks throughout the day. These habits have different consequences throughout the whole body, but we will focus on how they affect the dentition here.

Smoking not only affects the tissues of the mouth negatively, it also discolours the teeth. The outer layer of the tooth structure picks up stains in the tubules or pores of the teeth when the tobacco smokes enter them. This stain builds up over time and significantly darkens the tooth structure giving it a yellowed or grey appearance. This darkening can easily be lightened with whitening procedures and products and it may even help you look younger too! There are options both short and long term that can help to lighten the colouring of the teeth after this happens.

The first option to help with lightening your tooth shade is to come in more often for your dental cleaning. Most follow the once every six months cleaning recommendation, however there is no harm in coming in more often. The dentist or hygienist will polish the teeth with a special paste to remove the surface stains. This ensures that your surrounding tissues are checked more frequently and any calculus or build up is removed ensuring increased gum health. The overall cleaning process helps to wash away any stain build up from foods or drinks, like red wine leaving a sparkling smile.

Another procedure that is available is whitening the teeth. Teeth whitening can change the shade of your teeth very dramatically in a short time period. Many use this as their go to, for an uplifting and quick refresh of their appearance! A quick appointment to have some impressions taken and a custom fitted trays fabricated just for you will start the process. You then return to the clinic to go over instructions and receive your trays and whitening material to use at home. Most whitening products will get you 6-8 shades lighter in about 1-2 weeks. It’s nice to be able to use them in the comfort of your own home without having to visit the clinic for each and every procedure.

Another habit that may affect your teeth is consuming sugary drinks and snacks. When sugar sits on the tooth structure it acts like an acid, eating through the outer layer of the tooth. Over time this breakdown will cause decay and the need for some sort of restoration. This breakdown can cause sensitivity or even pain, so there is great benefit from trying to avoid it by making healthy choices for your consumption. Restorations needed can include fillings, which is a tooth coloured restoration that replaces the weakened tooth area with a sound material. Another procedure that will help if the decay is too large is a build up and crown. The build up is a large filling that serves as a good base for the crown. The crown goes 360 around the tooth and is a solid structure for biting and chewing. This ensures long term health of the tooth and surrounding structure for use for years or even decades to come!

The main thing to remember is prevention is always the best course of action. Consider cutting back or quitting smoking to help improve not only your smile, but your overall health. Instead of having a soda for a drink consider healthier options, free of sugar, like water. In our current society there are so many options to consider as healthy alternatives over ones that may be causing damage. Your dental professionals have a wealth of knowledge to help consul you in ways to improve not only your smile, but your overall health as well!

April 7, 2021

Starting To Feel Tooth Aches and Pains?

We all know the feeling, we are at dinner happily enjoying, when we hear a crunch that’s slightly out of place. What was that we ponder? Something in the food, nope that was our tooth! We politely excuse ourselves to investigate further. Dental emergencies are one of the more common emergencies that can happen and you guessed it; they always seem to pop up at the worst time! But no need to worry, dental professionals expect and anticipate these calls with proven options for just these types of situations.

Common causes of dental pain

The differing dental emergencies can be quite numerous, however there are a few main ones we will review and most likely how they can be treated. The first is a cracked or broken tooth. Probably the most common one that happens to people who generally take very good care of their teeth. A cracked tooth can result in just a little sharpness in the mouth to more severe sensitivity and pain. If you just chip a small piece off this generally does not cause much pain and can be fixed quickly and easily with a filling. However, if a larger piece breaks this can result in pain and discomfort. But here’s the good news it can still be fixed! With just a larger treatment like a crown. A crown covers the whole portion of the tooth and provides full coverage protection so you can chew and enjoy just like before!

Another dental emergency that seems to warrant quick action is the infected tooth. This usually starts a few days with a nagging ache or sensitivity. The next thing you know your face is swollen and the pain is almost unbearable! Generally, people notice these early signs, but shrug it off because it’s not that bad. But really this is the best time to see your dental professional, when it’s just starting! We can asses the type of infection and start treatment straight away. Depending on the amount of the infection, a root canal can be completed to remove the infection. You are given some antibiotics and mild pain meds and sent on your way. This is easiest and the most pain free when completed at the earliest sign of symptoms.

As people wait and see if the infection will get worse, this is when problems arise and the discomfort really starts to creep in. Also, many don’t realise when you wait and the infection gets bad, we have to resolve the infection first with medicine, then we can start the treatment. This can take a extra few days to a week! You may have to start a regime of antibiotics and possibly steroids to get the infection under control before we can even touch the tooth. The body has amazing control systems in place to help protect itself, but that also limits what we as dental professionals can do. Sometimes when an infection is so bad the numbing anaesthesia will not work, so the infection has to be treated first and this takes time. You can use a warm compress and over the counter pain meds to help until you can get into your dental professional. But the golden rule is to call when you just start to notice something.

Do not hesitate to call us

We at The Dental Surgery know that dental emergencies happen, so please do not avoid to call. When calling just make sure to articulate the situation and level of pain accurately so they can get you in straight away if needed. We work day in and out with helping people to establish healthy smiles and look forward to helping you very soon!

November 13, 2020

Regaining Function With Dental Crowns

You’re happily living life then all of the sudden you hear a “crunch”, most likely while chewing. You think to yourself, “What was that?” Then realize you’ve just broken a tooth. Great, what will this entail? Hopefully, not more than a few visits to the dentist, so no need to stress.

Over time our teeth have tiny micro fractures present themselves – and over increased time, while chewing, these deepen. As this happens it causes larger fractures, which inevitably end up breaking a larger part of the tooth structure off. When this happens a restoration, like a filling, may not be able to be completed. An effective and aesthetically pleasing option is a crown.

A dental crown is, simply put, a 360 degree covering of the tooth. You arrive at the surgery and have an evaluation of the extent of the break in the tooth. This allows the dentist to assess which type of crown will be right for you. Most crowns are porcelain coloured so they match the existing teeth perfectly, no one will ever know it’s not your natural tooth! Some crowns need to have extra strength, especially ones on the back teeth. These teeth endure high levels of forces while eating, so they need to be able to hold up under larger chewing forces. Many times the dentist will choose to have a metal base, which provides the needed strength, with a porcelain overlay so aesthetically the crown looks natural. Once placed the crown will provide a sound structure to use while chewing. By placing the crown completely over the existing prepped tooth structure, it adds strength that allows for chewing forces in the mouth.

Simple step procedure

The whole procedure mostly takes just two visits into the surgery. The first visit, the dentist will choose the correct material and prepare your tooth for the crown. This procedure may include something called a build up, which does just what it sounds like. It builds the broken down part of the tooth up, to allow for a stable structure to place the crown upon. After this is completed, the dentist will shape and contour the structure and take an impression of the tooth. This impression will then be sent to a laboratory so the crown can be fabricated. Once at the lab, the technician follows the detailed instructions presented by the dentist on the colour, shape and size of the crown needed. The lab fabricates the crown and sends it back to the dentist so that they may place it in the mouth. The second appointment generally is pretty quick. The dentist tries the crown in to make sure all the margins are correct. The patient approves the look and feel of the crown and if all is well, it is permanently cemented in.

Crowns provide a reliable and long-term option for natural tooth restoration. They generally are not even recognised by others as not being the patients “real” tooth. Crowns preserve form and function so patients can effortlessly enjoy chewing and speaking.

March 24, 2020