Thursday, September 15, 2016

When You Don’t Have Time for Braces, Try Dental Veneers from our Chicago Dental Office


Dental VeneersOur Chicago dental office can provide you with dental veneers to completely transform the appearance of your smile. Having a stunning and beautiful smile is at the top of most people's wish list. People who wish for a beautiful smile more than anything else is understandable, considering that surveys of both men and women place a beautiful smile at the top of what makes a person attractive. There have even been studies showing that those with a beautiful smile are more likely to get ahead at work with promotions and even raises over those without a nice smile. Investing in yours can, therefore, be a lucrative endeavor.

If you have gaps between your teeth or you have teeth that are slightly crooked, you may be tempted to get braces. Orthodontics has an excellent reputation for straightening teeth because they work incredibly well. Whether you are 10 or 50 years of age, braces can help give you a beautiful smile. There is only one problem: they take a long time to work. It is common to wear braces for 18 months to two years. As an adult, this may not be the time you want to devote to your smile. Additionally, once the braces come off, you may still have stained teeth that will need to be whitened.

A different, and sometimes better option is to have a dentist place dental veneers. Veneers are thin porcelain shells created in a shade of white to match your surrounding teeth, or brighter in order to whiten your smile. They are bonded to the surface of your teeth after those teeth have been prepared. In this way, they essentially replace your enamel, so the only thing you see are the beautifully shaped veneers. Natural-looking yet perfectly beautiful, veneers can give you the smile you have always wanted in only two appointments. This is far faster and more convenient than braces.

Dental veneers can close gaps in between your teeth by making the veneers slightly wider than your natural teeth. With the smallest of adjustments, dental veneers can solve spacing problems beautifully.

Dental veneers can also straighten teeth by shaving off a portion of the enamel and then securing the veneer in such a way as to give your tooth the appearance of being straight. A dental veneer can straighten a tooth, without having to move it or the root.

Dental veneers can change the shape or size of your teeth if they are too large, too small, or unsymmetrical. We can also give your teeth a bright white appearance by covering your stained and yellow teeth with dental veneers. When you smile, you will see brilliance instead of years of coffee-induced stains.

Dental veneers are incredibly versatile and affordable when compared with an orthodontics treatment. We can discuss all the things you do not like about your smile during a consultation and then let you know how dental veneers can work to correct those challenges. The nice thing about veneers is that you can start the process by having them placed on the most obvious front teeth and then continue to make any other adjustments over time. You can also combine this treatment with teeth whitening or even dental bonding. Our goal is to give you a smile you are proud of, so our Chicago dental office will present you with whatever options are necessary to achieve that objective.



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Thursday, September 1, 2016

How Snoring and Sleep Apnea Are Related


Sleep ApneaOften, snoring and sleep apnea go hand in hand. In fact, snoring is one of the most common and well-documented symptoms of sleep apnea. When a person has chronic and ongoing snoring problems, there is always a chance that they are also suffering from sleep apnea.

Now, it is not to say that snoring and sleep apnea are synonymous; many people suffer from bad snoring habits and never develop sleep apnea. However, in the diagnosis of sleep apnea, chronic snoring is one of the symptoms we always look for. When a person with sleep apnea has chronic snoring, we find that snoring is often intermittent with pauses, which will sometimes end in choking or gasping. These are additional signs that point to sleep apnea.

The challenge is that the patient is often asleep when these events occur. Nobody can truly be sure that they snore at night or whenever they fall asleep, simply because they are usually in too deep of a restive state to be disturbed by their own sound. Similarly, when a person suffering from sleep apnea chokes or gasps at the end of a pause during their snoring, they may have no idea that this is happening to them.

In cases like this, we have to rely on a family member or a partner to identify that these symptoms are occurring and to note how frequently. Since snoring can be completely independent of sleep apnea, it can be challenging to positively identify it, which is why we look for other symptoms as well.
Other common symptoms that go along with snoring and sleep apnea includes fatigue during the day. Many of the patients who suffer from sleep apnea find that they are unable to get enough sleep and that they feel sleepy throughout the day, periodically nodding off. People with sleep apnea may rapidly fall asleep during the daytime, as well. When combined with chronic snoring, this can be a clear symptom of sleep apnea.

Despite snoring and sleep apnea having such a distinctive relationship, we still always look for other signs and recommend that any patient who is having trouble breathing during sleep consult with their doctor about possible sleep apnea treatments.

If you have other symptoms like falling asleep during the day, headaches, problems with remembering or learning things, irritability and depression, trouble focusing or concentrating, or dry mouth and a sore throat, you definitely need to consult with your doctor about sleep apnea. In children, this condition can possibly manifest itself as irritability, inability to do well in school, and hyperactivity during the day. Additionally, children who suffer from sleep apnea may have a habit of breathing through their mouth, even during the day time.

While a few of the symptoms of sleep apnea are often dismissed as coincidental, such as snoring, it is important to seek treatment if the other symptoms occur.



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