Due to the increased interest in cosmetic dentistry, many family dentists are becoming trained to offer more extensive procedures and treatments geared to improve the appearance of your smile. Many of these treatments are quick and painless, and can offer almost instant results. Some of the cosmetic dentistry options offered by your family dentist may include:
- Professional teeth whitening to improve the color and brightness of dark, dingy, or discolored teeth
- Placement of dental veneers to improve the look of gapped, stained, or crooked teeth
- Replacement of old or unattractive metal fillings with more natural, tooth-colored materials
- Placement of crowns and bridges to repair and replace missing or severely damaged teeth
- Correction of small spaces or gaps between teeth by bonding with tooth-colored composite resin
- Insertion of dental implants to replace missing teeth
- Straightening of teeth and correction of bite problems with braces or Invisalign
Because your family dentist is already aware of your family’s dental history, it will be simple to recommend treatment plans. With this knowledge, your dentist can also quickly and expertly assess if you or other members of your family are suitable candidates for the procedures you are seeking. Your family dentist can perform all the same services as both a pediatric dentist and a general dentist, and will be able to address the cosmetic dental concerns of every member of your family. Family dentists can provide advice as to which procedures are age appropriate and give guidelines for when treatment is recommended.
If anyone in your family is not pleased with the appearance of their teeth, consult first with your family dentist to find out what cosmetic dental procedures and treatments are offered to improve the quality of their smile.
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Your family dentist knows that your child’s pacifier serves an important purpose. It soothes and comforts your child during difficult or stressful events. During the time of infancy, pacifiers are common and valued. Extended use of the pacifier during the development of the teeth, however, can lead to unwanted changes to your toddler’s mouth.
Sucking too hard on a pacifier, just like sucking too long on fingers or a thumb, can have serious consequences to a child’s teeth and even to the shape of the child’s face. Your family dentist will tell you that you should take away your child’s pacifier by the age of two years, preferably by the end of the first year. Failure to stop the use of a pacifier can lead to extended orthodontic care in the future.
Your family dentist can show you research that indicates that pacifier use beyond the second year is linked with crossbites, open bites, misaligned bites, a narrowed jaw, tongue thrust and malformed palate. It is also associated with an increased risk of a middle ear infection.
If your infant is using a pacifier, follow these guidelines:
- Clean the pacifiers regularly and properly to prevent bacterial growth.
- Discard and replace pacifiers that exhibit any signs of discoloration or cracking.
- Clean any new pacifiers prior to giving them to your baby.
- Make pacifiers available only during specific times, such as at naptime or bedtime.
- Purchase pacifiers specifically recommended by orthodontists for minimal damage to the mouth.
- Never allow your baby to “wear” the pacifier by tying it around his or her neck. This is dangerous. Pacifier clips can allow you to clip the pacifier to your baby’s clothing with a short, safe length of material.
Your family dentist will have important tips for you when you begin to wean your child away from pacifiers. Don’t let this habit extend beyond being useful to becoming harmful.
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Facing dental issues are a fact of life, no matter your age. The likelihood is almost certain that at least one member of your family will require dental treatment at some point, not to mention the need for regular checkups and cleanings. The promise of dental care being required by every family member means that it can be beneficial to have a family dentist who can take care of each one’s oral health.
Although you might choose to seek oral care from a general dentist, there are some unique advantages that family dentists offer. First and foremost, a family dentist treats every member of your family no matter their age. This type of dental practice is comfortable handling any age group, while a general practice might not be as prepared for the young and old and everyone in between.
Another benefit is that you can find a single family dental practice and not have to keep looking for a dentist for each family member. You can convey your family information one time to one office, and the staff will get to know all of you. The dentist and staff will learn about the oral health of every family member, and you can feel confident that each person is receiving the same quality care.
Once you choose a family dentist, everyone will know what office to go to and may even be able to make joint appointments. It will be easy to communicate with a single location, and you’ll grow comfortable in dealing with the same group of people for every family member. Many people appreciate having a long-term professional healthcare relationship, and feeling confident in the care and experience each member of your family will have there.
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The word cancer strikes fear and dismay in most people, and it’s no different when the diagnosis is oral cancer. Nearly 37,000 Americans are diagnosed with this disease each year and about 8,000 succumb to it. You should know the risk factors and symptoms so that you can either avoid it completely, or catch it early enough that you’ll have the best chance of recovery.
Who is at risk?
Oral cancer is not contagious, but there are some activities that put you at higher risk for the disease. Both smoked and smokeless tobacco are linked to oral cancer, and the more you use tobacco the greater your risk becomes. Excessive alcohol consumption also increases your risk, and paired with tobacco use your risk is even higher. Sun exposure heightens your chances of developing cancer of the lip.
What are the symptoms?
Oral cancer patients may experience any of these signs of the disease:
- A sore in the mouth or throat that bleeds often and doesn’t heal within two weeks
- A thick area or lump in the cheek
- Patches in your mouth or on your lips that are red, white, or a mixture of the two
- Pain or difficulty swallowing
- Difficulty wearing your dentures
- A sore throat
- Tongue or mouth numbness
- Difficulty chewing, or moving your jaw or tongue
- Earache
What should I do if I have symptoms?
If you notice any of these signs, visit your dentist right away to get screened for oral cancer. When diagnosed early, there is an 80 percent survival rate. Unfortunately many patients wait too long to see their dentist, and late-stage diagnosis is the reason for most oral cancer deaths.
We look forward to seeing you in our Sicklerville dental office
Life sometimes seems as though it is zipping by, and that time is running through our fingers at an alarming pace. If you have children, this seems to be more true every year. Multiple children can mean multiple schools, appointments, lessons, meetings and plans. If you are feeling like the family taxi service, you can take steps to simplify your life by finding a family dentist to serve the oral health needs of you and your entire family.
Family dental practices have arisen out of necessity for convenience of appointments and out of the outstanding dental treatments that can be achieved with a long-term relationship between a dentist and a patient. A dentist who has known a patient since childhood carries the knowledge of that patient’s teeth during formative years, and as a result, can offer the most complete treatment possible for that patient.
Several dentists for your family leaves you driving across town, from one place to another, stuck in traffic, putting wear and tear on your vehicle. Your time is too valuable to spend this way. A family dentist can make all of the appointments for your family in one block, sometimes congruently, making things so much more convenient for you.
Sometimes the most difficult parts of parenting occur in a waiting room. Children get bored and squirmy; they need to be up and moving, engaged in age-appropriate activities. No one understands this more than a family dentist. A family dentist will have a waiting area full of toys, games and books to occupy children. Because you also need some pampering, they will often have complimentary beverages like coffee, tea or water. Some have massage chairs, headphones or video screens with movies you can watch while you wait.
You deserve the comfort and convenience a family dentist will bring to you and your family as well as the excellent oral care you expect from any quality dentist.
We look forward to seeing you in our Sicklerville dental office
Most people have friends or family who have had to deal with the disease cancer in some area of the body. Cancer can be described as uncontrollable cell growth that invades and damages surrounding tissue. Oral cancer often shows up as a persistent sore or growth in the mouth, but also includes cancers of the tongue, lips, cheeks, palate, throat, and sinuses. Like most cancers, it can be life threatening without early detection and treatment.
Symptoms
Common symptoms of oral cancer include:
- Swelling, lumps, or rough spots on your lips, gums, or other mouth areas
- White or red patches in your mouth
- Numbness or tenderness in your mouth, neck, or face
- Unexplained bleeding in your mouth
- Sore throat or feeling that something is stuck in your throat
- Persistent sores in the mouth, neck or face that bleed easily and do not heal in two weeks
- Hoarseness or chronic sore throat
- Difficulty swallowing, chewing, talking, or moving your jaw or tongue
- Earache
- Substantial weight loss
Risk factors
Men are at twice as high risk for oral cancer than women, and men over 50 are at greatest risk. The biggest risk factors include any kind of smoking or using smokeless tobacco, excessive alcohol consumption, excessive sun exposure, or family history of cancer. However, it’s important to know that more than 25 percent of oral cancers occur in people who do not smoke or only drink alcohol occasionally.
Diagnosis
Routine dental checkups include an examination for signs of oral cancer. A biopsy may be performed on any suspicious areas. Regular checkups are important so that tests can identify oral cancer early, before it can spread or progress.
Treatment
Oral cancer is often treated similarly to other types of cancers. It may include surgery to remove the growth, followed by radiation or chemotherapy to destroy remaining cancer cells.
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