If A Tooth Gets Knocked Out Follow These Tips From Our Dental Office

As a dental office we understand how important teeth are. Our digestive process begins with the act of chewing and so protecting our teeth is essential. In the modern world, our children are faced with new dangers and potential for losing or damaging their teeth. Chief among these are sports and recreational activities like climbing or skateboarding. Contact sports like football also can result in damage to a tooth or even the loss of a tooth due to a collision. In order to protect the teeth from inadvertently being knocked out, all athletes wear mouth guards that can help mitigate damage and reduce the impact. However, accidents still happen.

For a child to lose a tooth is a big deal, especially if the tooth that is lost is the permanent tooth. All people have two sets of teeth. The first, milk teeth which are also known as deciduous teeth, come in first as a baby and eventually fall out naturally to make room for the larger, more permanent teeth. Functionally the baby teeth are essential since a child learns how to chew and talk with these teeth. Also, they serve as a placeholder for the permanent teeth. In this role, they prevent other teeth from crowding the space required by the adult tooth so that it can grow smoothly and proportionately. As a result, when a milk tooth is knocked loose, we will take precautions to ensure that the gap, left by the tooth, is not filled or crowded by the surrounding teeth.  This is necessary to prevent an irregular growth of the adult tooth.

If your child has a baby or milk tooth knocked out during a sport it is a good idea to visit our dental office as soon as possible to make a plan. This way we can start monitoring the other teeth until the new tooth has grown in. You can also bring the knocked out tooth with you, transporting it in milk.

On the other hand, if the tooth that has been displaced is a permanent tooth, the problem is more serious.

We advise taking the following steps –

Find the tooth and make sure it is clean. If it is clean put it back into the socket from which it fell and hold it in place. The tooth may be held in place using the opposing teeth, the tongue, or by wrapping it in a foil using the neighboring teeth as a support. If the tooth is obviously dirty, wash it before placing it in the mouth to avoid contamination.

Call our dental office to schedule an emergency exam. We can look at various options for restoring the tooth or if it is too far gone, replacing the tooth with another dental solution. Getting the tooth to the dentist quickly is essential, and it can, like the deciduous tooth, be transported in milk or even a saline solution. When handling the tooth make sure not to touch the root but instead pick it up and handle it using the crown to avoid damaging the root.

During the appointment, we will give you advice on the best way to proceed.

The Truth About Acid Reflux and Your Teeth From our Dental Office

In our dental office, we help patients that suffer from acid reflux disease and are dealing with tooth erosion as a result.  Reflux-induced erosion is a common problem that can impact both children and adults.  As acid travels up through the esophagus, it enters the mouth and can start to attack the teeth.  The acid will start to wear away the teeth one layer at a time until they become thin and brittle.

According to a report by the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project between twenty and thirty percent of U.S. adults, experience the symptoms of acid reflux or GERD on a weekly basis.  A full sixty percent of the population has these symptoms at least yearly.  This manifests as a burning sensation in the chest and throat as acid works its way backwards and up the esophagus. This proves problematic for many people, making it difficult to eat and sleep along with interfering with their concentration at work. Acid reflux also creates health problems in the stomach, esophagus and throat in addition to impacting the teeth.

In our dental office, we want to know if our patients have acid reflux so that we can help to prevent erosion in addition to treating it.  By keeping teeth healthy and clean, they will remain stronger.  For example, people that have cavities or gum disease will naturally be more susceptible to getting cavities and suffering other dental health issues. While cleaning teeth, we can remove bacteria from the teeth and gum lines so that they can remain healthy and cavity free.  We can also provide a fluoride treatment for teeth that need strengthening and are at risk for erosion. These preventative steps aid in keeping the mouth healthy.

If the erosion does occur, it will first attack the enamel and cause it to wear away.  As it does, the dentin underneath will become exposed which leads to sensitive teeth.  When food touches the dentin it is simultaneously touching the nerve endings inside of it.  This can lead to the pain signal being transferred to the brain, leading to an increase in sensitivity that many patients complain of.  In this early stage, we can help by completing a bonding procedure to seal the dentin.  This works well in the beginning stages but as erosion becomes more advanced; the teeth will become weak, thin and brittle.  At this point, the best way to protect the teeth is to place a crown around them.  A crown is a cap that surrounds the tooth and prevents anything from touching it.  This procedure allows us to save a tooth that may have otherwise been pulled due to erosion.

In our dental office, we also recommend that patients take medication to control their acid reflux.  By seeing your doctor, you can get a prescription that will help you to feel better and to protect your teeth.  If an attack does occur, you should avoid brushing your teeth for an hour, but be sure to rinse your mouth in order to neutralize some of the acid.

If You Want to Overcome Dental Anxiety, Visit Our Dental Office

The dental office may not be the place most people chose to spend a relaxing afternoon, but it is the place where you can learn about oral health, get your teeth taken care of, and even overcome an anxiety or two. The sad truth is that too many people are deadly afraid of visiting the dental office. This anxiety, which stems from a number of causes, will make people prefer unhealthy mouths or even damaged teeth to coming in and getting their problems taken care of. One of our goals is to help you overcome these fears.

Dental anxiety is a common occurrence.  In fact, around the United States, 26% of the population states that they know they are in need of dental care. They agree that with dental care their teeth would be in better condition, but refuse to seek out a dentist, other than in an emergency, because of their anxiety about visiting one. We have found that even among people that do make a habit of visiting the dentist, there is a sense of anxiety that is pervasive. Between 9% and 20% of all our patients admit to having anxiety, which ranges from mild to the border of panic attacks, when they have to have a procedure done. For patients who experience this kind of anxiety, but are willing to go to the dentist anyway, much of the anxiety springs from the unknown. Not knowing what condition your teeth are in, what the dentist might find, or what remedies might be needed to bring your teeth back to perfect health is a significant cause of concern. At the dental office, we have found there are three very important things you can do which, if you commit to them, will actually help you to start overcoming your anxiety of dentistry.

How our dental office can help you to overcome some of your anxiety -
The first thing we will help you to understand is what we do, how we do it, and the tools that we use to complete our dental procedures. Knowledge and anxiety are natural enemies, so the more you learn about what we do and the measures we go through to ensure your safety and comfort, the less likely you are to be afraid of receiving dental care. We hope you will ask a lot of questions in your quest to become more familiar with dentistry. Second, we will help you to isolate what your fears actually are. No anxiety is all encompassing. With dental anxiety, we have found that it tends to start from smaller sources, like a fear of experiencing discomfort. While this kind of anxiety is no less intense, it is something that we can isolate and work to prevent. Finally, we encourage building familiarity by scheduling bi-annual cleanings and examinations. When you make it a habit to come in at least 2 times a year, you start to get familiar with the tools and people in our office. As you go through non-invasive and relaxing procedures, you will start to realize that there is nothing to fear from our dental office. If you need additional assistance, we can discuss your options for medication and sedation.

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