Are your teeth misaligned? Do you have overlapping or crooked teeth? Did you have braces as a child but didn’t keep up with your retainer, and your teeth shifted back? If your smile is less than its best because of crooked teeth, you have several options to correct your issues.
Orthodontia such as braces or Invisalign can be utilized to straighten your teeth completely. Braces can be worn on the outside or the inside of the arch of your teeth. Braces on the inside are hidden from view when you smile or eat. Invisalign clear trays are options for people who want to be able to remove their appliance to eat and to brush their teeth.
Veneers can be made from porcelain, zirconium or resin composite material to reshape your smile. Veneers are thin shells that are permanently placed on top of your existing teeth. They can smooth the appearance of crooked teeth, bridge gaps, and cover chips and cracks. Veneers can also brighten the color of your teeth or can lengthen worn down teeth, leaving you looking more youthful.
A skilled cosmetic dentist may use a combination of these methods to achieve your dream smile. You may begin your straightening journey with braces to align your teeth followed by tooth-colored resin composite to reshape a malformed tooth. Perhaps you thought you wanted a full set of dental veneers, but once you see your teeth after Invisalign, you might choose only whitening instead. Only you and your cosmetic dentist can make the plan to achieve your ideal results.
If you want to pursue your best smile, talk to your cosmetic dentist today to learn what therapies are right for you and your smile goals. You won’t have to wait very long to begin enjoying the benefits of a healthy, straight smile.
Magazine articles often say that a smile reveals a person’s personality. If so, you don’t want to have dull, yellow, stained, dingy teeth! Instead you want a faultless set of pearly whites that communicates the best things about you, such as good hygiene and a confident air.
To transform your smile from dull to brilliant, teeth whitening is a great option. The field of dentistry has developed a whole array of products and procedures for brightening smiles. For example, patients may choose to completely hide their discolored teeth behind dental veneers. Or, tough stains can be covered up with dental bonding. If you’re looking for methods that simply bring your yellowed teeth back to a more appealing shade of white, there are several teeth whitening techniques to choose from:
Over-the-counter products are available from your local drugstore including whitening strips, gels, pens, toothpaste, mouth rinses and more. These require consistent use following the directions, and take longer than most other methods. Most products do provide some level of improvement, but not as dramatic as professional methods.
Home whitening methods are available from your dentist, such as customized trays that you fill with a special bleaching solution to wear at home for a period of time. At-home whitening typically takes several weeks to achieve desired results.
Professional whitening is performed at the dentist’s office using specialized tools. It is the most effective method and results are visible in only about an hour, due to the highly concentrated bleaching solution and enhancement with ultraviolet light or lasers.
Teeth whitening not only brightens your smile but also can shape your entire personality. A common benefit is increased self-confidence because you no longer feel you need to hide your teeth, but instead you tend to smile and laugh and speak more easily. Feelings of embarrassment about your teeth can affect you in many ways, but a smile that you’re proud of can improve the way you interact with others. Ask your dentist about whitening methods that can help you improve both your smile and your personality.
If you need a dentist in Sicklerville contact us today
When you have a tooth or multiple teeth with extensive damage, your dentist may recommend a crown or bridge to restore your smile. Most of the time these restorations provide complete and successful results, but occasionally problems arise.
Tooth decay: Good hygiene is imperative after a crown or bridge because plaque can build up in the area where the tooth and crown meet. Your crown can’t decay, but your tooth still can. Follow your dentist’s instructions for proper brushing, flossing, and fluoride use.
Gum disease: Plaque buildup around a crown can cause gum disease called gingivitis, and if untreated advance to periodontitis.
Chipping or breaking: Crowns and bridges are susceptible to damage like fracturing or chipping. Many crowns are made of porcelain, which can chip or completely fail. Heavy wear or stress such as teeth grinding can cause this type of damage, as well as an accident like hitting your restoration. Small chips may be repaired with composite filling, but larger damage can mean total replacement.
Incorrect color: When having your crown or bridge made, you can choose from a selection of colors. However, the whitest shade is not advised because it likely won’t match the rest of your smile or it can look fake. Make sure you consider the color carefully or else you’ll be faced with redoing the restoration if you dislike it.
Falling out: Several problems can cause your crown to fall out. The core may fail so that the interior portion of your crown is unable to provide a strong base for the restoration. Less likely, the cement can fail so that the crown simply needs stronger adhesion. Or, the post crown can dislodge so that you’ll see a large post sticking out of your crown. If your crown falls out, be sure to save it for your dentist in case it can be reinserted.
In most circumstances, these problems with your crown or bridge do not occur and you can enjoy a long lifespan with your restoration. If you do notice any of these issues, schedule an appointment with your dentist to ensure optimum oral health.
If you need a dentist in Sicklerville contact us today
Chewing and swallowing can be tricky after wisdom tooth extraction. Gauze pads and a sore mouth can make eating sound unappealing, but it is vital to your healing to maintain a healthy diet. When you have a tooth extracted, a clot forms to help with healing. It’s important not to disrupt the clot, which means it is crucial to maintain a soft-food diet. In addition, spicy, acidic or hard-to-chew foods can cause additional discomfort and prevent healing.
For the first one or two weeks after your wisdom tooth extraction, plan to stick to a diet of soft, easy-to-chew foods. This guideline does not mean you are stuck eating Jello for your entire recovery period. Some suggestions for healthy foods that would be appropriate after wisdom tooth extraction include:
Mashed potatoes
Milkshakes
Ice cream
Yogurt
Pancakes
Eggs
Canned fruit
Beans
Pasta
Smoothies
Oatmeal
Soup
Fish
Applesauce
Cottage cheese
Macaroni and cheese
Be careful never to use a straw during recovery, as the suction can remove the clots in your gums and create problems with healing. Some of these foods may still be too chewy, so you will need to gauge if they need to be cooked longer or further softened to make them easier to ingest. Pasta or macaroni can be overcooked to make it easier to chew, and soups can be blended to eliminate chunks of vegetables or meat. Be sure to follow the aftercare and eating recommendations of your oral surgeon, and don’t push yourself to return to normal foods until your mouth feels ready.
If you live in the Sicklerville area contact us today
Gum disease is a serious problem. You should treat it as soon as possible following the recommendations of your dentist. Also known as periodontal disease, it has several treatments, depending on the severity of the issue.
Your first course of action is to completely revamp your oral hygiene habits. Daily flossing and brushing following meals are essential habits to develop. You must have a clean mouth before you go to bed. If you smoke, you should stop. Your mouth’s health depends on it.
If you haven’t been keeping up with your professional checkups and cleanings, you need to start again. Long-term gum health is greatly impacted by the plaque, tartar, food debris and bacteria left on teeth. Hardened calculus, or calcified plaque, can be removed using a process called scaling. This process may require local anesthesia.
Your progress will be evaluated by your dentist to see if your gum tissue is recovering. With enough progress and response to treatment, your gum disease treatment may not progress beyond these initial steps; however, for more severe cases of gum disease, you may require oral surgery.
Surgical procedures are available that can regenerate and repair the soft gum tissue in the mouth, as well as hard tissues such as bone or teeth. Your oral surgeon will want to reduce or completely eliminate gum pockets, or open areas beneath the gum line, improving and renewing gum to tooth attachment. Normal oral functions and aesthetic appearances are aimed to be restored.
There are many sedation dentistry options available to patients treating their gum disease with oral surgery. These include local anesthesia and IV or conscious oral sedation. Talk to your oral surgeon to see what’s appropriate for your specific needs.
Don’t wait to treat your gum disease. Do what you need to do to ensure a lifetime of better oral hygiene and gum health.
If you or a loved one is scheduled to have or has recently had oral surgery, you probably have a lot of questions. Here are some of the most common questions:
One of my stitches came out after my surgery, should I be worried? Losing a stitch isn’t a problem. In the majority of cases, stitches are put in place during surgery to assist in clot formation and bleeding control. If you have undergone a bone-graft procedure, however, contact your surgeon because you may need to be seen immediately.
What can I eat after surgery? Immediately following surgery, eat only soft foods of tepid temperature. Avoid very hot or very cold foods. Eat nothing that is crunchy or chewy so you won’t damage the surgical site.
I am having a lot of pain following my procedure, what should I do? If you have been prescribed pain medication, take it as recommended. If no prescription was given, use over-the-counter medicines containing natural anti-inflammatory properties such as ibuprofen. Stay hydrated by drinking room temperature water and get plenty of rest.
I had a tooth extracted, how can I tell if I have a dry socket? Dry socket is the result of the loss of the blood clot present in the extraction site. Smoking, using a straw, poor oral hygiene or failure to rest properly following the extraction procedure can lead to this condition. Typically dry socket will present within one week of extraction and is treated with sterile wash and pain-relieving, medicated gauze.
I had a procedure this morning and am still bleeding. Is that normal? Bleeding following extractions or other surgical procedures is common. If you are bleeding more than normal, bite down on some sterile gauze or a damp teabag for twenty or thirty minutes. Don’t keep removing the gauze to look for blood; that can make the bleeding worse. Call your surgeon if you feel your bleeding is excessive.
Your oral surgeon can answer these questions and more. Don’t hesitate to call the surgeon’s office to get the peace of mind you require to heal comfortably following your procedure.
We treat patients from Sicklerville and the surrounding area
