Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Why Dental Bonding Is More Convenient for Younger Patients

Dental BondingIn our office, we provide dental bonding as a solution or a variety of problems that can occur with the teeth.  As a local family dentist office, we are committed to helping your family to remain in the best possible oral health.  In order to achieve this goal, we would prefer to clean and examine your teeth at least twice a year.  This way we can remove plaque and tartar, treat oral health problems, and help your teeth to remain healthy.  This is critical because healthy teeth are strong teeth, and if your teeth are infected, it will be that much easier for them to become chipped, cracked, or otherwise damaged.

If, however, you do damage a tooth, we have several ways to restore it including bonding.  It is incredibly common for both children and adults to damage their teeth.  Many adults do so while playing sports or even in a car wreck.  Children can also damage their teeth while playing sports or, most commonly, when playing with their friends on the playground.  Their simple and innocent behavior often leads to damage due to how aggressively they tend to move around.

When a child's tooth becomes damaged, we must determine whether or not it should be saved.  If it is a baby tooth and likely to fall out in short order, we may not want to do a major restorative procedure.  However, if we anticipate them keeping their tooth for a while or if it is a permanent tooth (as is the case with adult damage), then it is important to save it.  We have several methods of doing so including dental veneers and dental crowns.  In young patients, however, dental bonding is often the easiest and least invasive method of doing so.

Whether your child damages a tooth or you do, it is important to know your options for restoring it.  The reason that dental bonding is so popular is that it doesn't require any preparation and the process can be completed a single sitting.  If, for example, your tooth becomes chipped, a tooth colored material can be shaped around your tooth to restore the chipped area.  It is pliable enough to be moved and shaped until your tooth looks perfect.  Once done, it is hardened with a special light in order to form a hard chewing surface. Your once damaged tooth will then be restored and look natural since the material will be matched in shade to your existing tooth.

The process of dental bonding is more convenient than dental veneers simply because the enamel on your tooth can remain intact.  Therefore, no preparation is required.  Simultaneously, a veneer is created in the dental lab after an impression is taken of your teeth. This makes it a two-step process for restoring a tooth. While the results are beautiful and natural looking, getting a veneer requires more commitment on behalf of the patient than it does to undergo a bonding procedure.  For this reason, we find that bonding is a viable solution for busy adults and younger patients.

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Monday, February 1, 2016

A Restorative Dentist Can Save Your Damaged Tooth

Restorative DentistAs  a restorative dentist, we specialize in saving teeth that may otherwise need to be pulled.  It is incredibly common to damage a tooth, sometimes doing the most basic of activities.  Driving a car and getting into a wreck, playing basketball and colliding with an elbow, running into something at work, etc.; all of these things can lead to tooth damage.  From small chips to large cracks, a damaged tooth can be incredibly uncomfortable.  Not only can it lead to toothaches but a damaged tooth can make it difficult to eat or speak clearly.  It can also cause you to hold your jaw in an unnatural position, creating tension headaches or discomfort in your face and neck.

If you find yourself in the situation where your tooth is damaged, we encourage you to call our dental office right away.  We can restore and save your tooth, preventing you from experiencing unnecessary discomfort.  Correcting the problem quickly is also important for ensuring that your tooth does not become infected from bacteria entering through the cracked portion of the tooth.  If it does, you could end up needing to have more than one procedure in order to first remove the infection and secondly restore the tooth.

As a restorative dentist, we are equally committed to restoring the function and form of your tooth. For example, it is not just the way that your tooth looks that matters.  How it functions is equally important, if not more so.  You need your teeth to be healthy and fully functioning so that you can eat and speak clearly.  Otherwise, it can be difficult to enunciate and enjoy your favorite foods.  Simultaneously, if you actually lose your tooth or have it pulled, the function of your jawbone can become compromised.  Your natural teeth, after all, are essential for preserving your bone density.  Once a tooth falls out, you can lose up to 25 percent of your bone's density within one year.  If enough of your teeth fall out, it can even change your facial appearance.  With that in mind, if your tooth becomes damaged, consider the consequences and visit us for a restoration quickly.

When you visit our dental office, we can ensure that you remain entirely comfortable and relaxed while your dental work is being completed.  This leaves no reason to skip the dentist since a restored tooth will be far more comfortable than a damaged one. Simultaneously, we have various ways to correct the tooth.  We can use procedures like bonding, dental veneers, and dental crowns to restore a tooth that has been chipped or cracked.  These can be completed in one or two appointments, depending on what is being done.  If you are getting something like a veneer that does take two appointments, we can give you a temporary one to wear immediately so that you aren't uncomfortable.  Since our recommendation will be based on the extent of the damage, we will provide our exact recommendation based on your dental exam.  As a restorative dentist, we will ensure that your tooth functions and looks perfect.

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