Oral piercings (usually in the tongue or around the lips) have quickly become a popular trend in today’s society. With this popular trend, it is important to realize that sometimes even precautions taken during the installation of the piercing jewelry are not enough to stave off harmful, long-term
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Oral Piercing
Category: Oral Health Topics
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Orthodontics Overview
Category: Orthodontics
Orthodontics is a branch of dentistry that deals with properly aligning teeth and jaws to improve facial structure (and your child's smile), as well as overall oral health. Orthodontic treatment will help your child by: guiding permanent teeth into the proper positions improving lip closure reserving
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Overview
Category: Pain Management
Pain can occur in any number of places in your mouth: teeth, gums, roots, the palate, tongue and jaw. Cavities are a common culprit causing pain. Untreated cavities can impact nerves because of infections of the tooth and gums. Impacted and abscessed teeth and sore jaws from teeth grinding are other
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Overview and General Tips
Category: Care Of Child's Teeth
Proper dental care begins at birth. There are many things you can do to help ensure that your child's teeth and gums start and remain healthy. From proper oral hygiene habits (it's never too early) to eating healthy foods, you can play an important part in laying the groundwork for your child's oral
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Pacifiers and Thumb and Finger Sucking
Category: Common Conditions
In general, I would discourage thumb sucking or pacifiers after the age of 4 because they may lead to overcrowded and crooked teeth, as well as bite problems. In some cases, the upper front teeth may tip toward the lip or not come in properly if thumb, finger, or pacifier sucking continues after the
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Permanent Teeth
Category: Teething To Wisdom Teeth
The first permanent molars (which are not preceded by primary teeth) begin erupting around the age of 6. Extra care should be given to this first set of molars; they have a significant impact on the structure and position of future erupting teeth and, consequently, the shape of your child's lower face
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Plaque
Category: Dental Problems
Plaque is a film of bacteria that forms on your teeth and gums after eating foods that produce acids. These foods may include carbohydrates (starches and sugars), such as candy and cookies, and starchy foods such as bread, crackers, and cereal. Tooth decay, commonly known as cavities, occurs when
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Preventing Cavities
Category: Care Of Child's Teeth
Saliva is your body's best mechanism for fighting the destructive forces of acids formed by plaque. Saliva acts as a buffer and re-mineralizing agent. Sugarless gum is one way to stimulate the flow of saliva in your mouth in between brushings. The best way to prevent cavities, however, is to brush and
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Prevention Tips for Children
Category: Tooth Care
Infants Infants should be seen by our office after the first six months of age, and at least by the child's first birthday. By this time, the baby's first teeth, or primary teeth, are beginning to erupt and it is a critical time to spot any problems before they become big concerns. Conditions like
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Primary Teeth
Category: Teething To Wisdom Teeth
Teeth are a wonderfully complex part of the human body. It is easy for most of us to overlook all of the ways that our teeth have an impact upon our daily lives from birth to old age - from affecting the overall look of our face and enjoying foods, to the important role they play in helping to prevent
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Problems with Braces and Retainers
Category: Emergencies
If a wire is causing irritation, cover the end with a small cotton ball, beeswax or a piece of gauze until you can get to the dentist. If a wire gets stuck in the cheek, tongue or gum tissue, do not attempt to remove it. Contact our office. If an appliance becomes loose or a piece of it breaks off, collect
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Ridge Augmentation
Category: Treatment, Cosmetic Dentistry
If you lose one or more permanent teeth, an indentation may result in the gums and jawbone where the tooth used to be. When no longer holding a tooth in place, the jawbone recedes and the resulting indentation looks unnatural. Ridge augmentation is a procedure that can recapture the natural contour of
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Root Canal
Category: Treatments
Root canals are rarely needed in children. However, there are instances when a root canal becomes necessary in an older child. Before root canal therapy came into practice, if your child had a tooth with a diseased nerve, she'd probably lose that tooth. Underneath each tooth's outer enamel is an area
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Root Canal Therapy
Category: Treatment
Root canals are tiny passageways that branch off from beneath the top of the tooth, coursing their way vertically downward, until they reach the tip of the root. All teeth have between one and four root canals. Many tooth problems involve infections that spread to the pulp, which is the inner chamber
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Scaling and Root Planing
Category: Treatment
Some cases of acute periodontal (gum) disease that do not respond to more conventional treatment and self-care such as flossing may require a special kind of cleaning called scaling and root planing. The procedure begins with administration of a local anesthetic to reduce any discomfort. Then, a small
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Sealants
Category: Care Of Child's Teeth
Technology today has produced sealants, which work by filling in the crevasses on the chewing surfaces of the teeth. This shuts out food particles that could get caught in the teeth, causing cavities. The application is fast and comfortable and can effectively protect teeth for many years. Sealants are
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Sealants
Category: Treatment
The pits and grooves of your teeth are prime areas for opportunistic decay. Even regular brushing sometimes misses some of these intricate structures on the chewing surfaces of your teeth. Enter sealants, which are thin coatings applied to the chewing surfaces designed to prevent the intrusion of
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Sealants
Category: Tooth Care
Sealants are liquid coatings that harden on the chewing surfaces of teeth and are showing a great deal of effectiveness in preventing cavities—even on teeth where decay has begun. The pits and grooves of your teeth are prime areas for opportunistic decay. Even regular brushing sometimes misses these
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Semi Annual Check-ups
Category: Care Of Child's Teeth
We recommend that you bring your baby to see me by his or her first birthday; this is generally when the first tooth comes in. Early examination and preventive care will protect your child's smile now and in the future. It is especially important that children have semi-annual checkups. The reasons
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Seniors and Oral Health
Category: Tooth Care
More and more people are avoiding the need for dentures as they grow older, going against the notion that false teeth are a normal part of growing older. In fact, there's usually no reason for you NOT to keep your teeth your entire life, providing you maintain a healthy balanced diet and practice
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Sensitive Teeth
Category: Dental Problems
If you wince with pain after sipping a hot cup of coffee or chewing a piece of ice, chances are that you suffer from "dentin hypersensitivity," or more commonly, sensitive teeth. Hot and cold temperature changes cause your teeth to expand and contract. Over time, your teeth can develop microscopic
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Sore Gums/Teething
Category: Common Conditions
When babies are teething, usually between the ages of four months and 2.5 years, they often have sore and tender gums. The pain usually can be soothed by gently rubbing the baby's gums with a clean finger, a small, cool spoon or a wet gauze. A clean teething ring for the baby to chew on also may be helpful.
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Sports Injuries
Category: Emergencies
What do the following have in common? A bat A ball A knee or elbow A hard surface, such as the ground or the bottom of a swimming pool They all are things that could easily come into contact with your child's mouth when participating in sports. And they all have the potential for damaging or knocking
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Techniques
Category: Care Of Child's Teeth
Since everyone's teeth are different, see us first before choosing a brushing technique. Here are some popular techniques that work: Use a circular motion to brush only two or three teeth at a time, gradually covering the entire mouth. Place the toothbrush next to the teeth at a 45-degree angle and
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Teeth Grinding (Bruxism)
Category: Dental Problems
Teeth grinding, also called bruxism, is often viewed as a harmless, though annoying, habit. Some people develop bruxism from an inability to deal with stress or anxiety. However, teeth grinding can literally transform your bite relationship and worse, severely damage your teeth and jaws over long
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Teeth Grinding (bruxism)
Category: Common Conditions
Teeth grinding (also called bruxism) is often viewed as a harmless, though annoying habit. Some people develop bruxism from an inability to deal with stress or anxiety.However, teeth grinding can literally transform your bite relationship and worse, severely damage your teeth and jaws over long periods
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Teeth Whitening
Category: Treatment, Cosmetic Dentistry
Whitening procedures have effectively restored the smile of people with stained, dull, or discolored teeth. The darker tissue of your teeth, the dentin, can become exposed as the outer layer of enamel is worn away by the effects of aging or things like caffeine and tobacco. Food particles are naturally
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Teeth Whitening
Category: Treatments
There are two types of tooth stains - intrinsic (internal stain) and extrinsic (external stain). Intrinsic stains occur from within the tooth, and cannot be removed by brushing and flossing; bleaching may also not be effective. Some causes of intrinsic staining occur from tooth injury, certain medications
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The Preventive Program
Category: Oral Health Topics
Both natural teeth and teeth with restorations survive best in an oral environment that is clean and where the intake of harmful foods is controlled. Our program is designed to help prevent new cavities, preserve teeth that have been restored and manage periodontal disease. At the initial visit oral
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Tobacco
Category: Oral Health Topics
Dentistry health care that works: tobacco The American Dental Association has long been a leader in the battle against tobacco-related disease, working to educate the public about the dangers inherent in tobacco use and encouraging dentists to help their patients break the cycle of addiction. The Association
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Toothaches
Category: Dental Problems
Simple toothaches can often be relieved by rinsing the mouth to clear it of debris and other matter. Sometimes, a toothache can be caused or aggravated by a piece of debris lodged between the tooth and another tooth. Avoid placing an aspirin between your tooth and gum to relieve pain, because the dissolving
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Toothaches
Category: Emergencies
It is important to get an evaluation from one of our dentists as soon as possible if your child has intraoral pain. Please call our office ahead of time so we may reserve the most effient appointment time for you. If ignored, dental pain may lead to larger problems in some cases. If your child has a
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Toothbrush Selection
Category: Care Of Child's Teeth
Toothbrushes today come in about as many sizes and shapes as one can imagine. There are angled heads, raised bristles, oscillating tufts and handles that change colors with use. While makers of toothbrushes make a lot of claims, there isn't any evidence that any one type of toothbrush design is better
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Trapped Debris/Objects Between Teeth
Category: Emergencies
Try gently removing the debris with dental floss. Be careful not to cut your child's gums. Never use a sharp instrument, such as a needle or pin, to remove any object that is stuck between teeth. If you can't dislodge the object using dental floss, contact our office.
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Types of Floss
Category: Product Reviews
Dental floss comes in a variety of colors, materials and even flavors. Waxed varieties slide through the teeth, allowing people with extremely tight spaces to floss more easily. Popular flavors of floss include wintergreen and cinnamon. Waxed floss does tend to fray more than unwaxed floss. A type
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