What is a crown?

What is a crown?
Dental crowns restore the beauty, functionality, integrity and shape of missing tooth structure occurring as a result of dental decay or trauma.  Crowns are often required after root canal therapy is completed to prevent a tooth from fracturing.  Crowns can also be used to cover discolored or misshapen teeth to obtain a more esthetically pleasing smile.  A crown is a a restoration that covers (or "caps") a tooth that has been broken, to restore it's normal shape and size.  Crowns are necessary when a tooth has been damaged significantly and cannot be adequately restored with a filling.  A crown can prevent a weak tooth from breaking; it can also prevent a cracked tooth from further fracture. 

Will a crown look natural? 
Crowns can be made from porcelain, gold or a combination of porcelain and metal.  Porcelain crowns can be made to have a very life-like appearance and be detectable only to the most trained eye.  A crown can look just like a natural tooth.  Many factors are considered when determining which crown material is best for your particular tooth, including the color, bite, shape, and location of the tooth in your mouth.

If you have questions about dental crowns, or which option might be right for you schedule an appointment today.

Athletic Mouthguards

According to the American Dental Association more than 2 million teeth are knocked out each year due to sports-related injuries; however approximately 200,000 high school and college athletes use mouthguards to avoid such injuries.  To protect your mouth while you are on the field, talk to your dentist about having a custom athletic mouthguard made for you. 

What is a mouthguard?
An athletic mouthguard is a flexible appliance that is worn during athletic and recreational activities to protect teeth from trauma.  Custom fabricated mouthguards are essential for preventing athletic oral/facial injuries such as broken teeth, jaw fracture, cerebral hemorrhage, and neck injuries.  Mouthguards are effective at moving the lips and cheeks away from the teeth, thus preventing cutting and bruising of these soft tissues - especially for those who wear orthodontic appliances.  Wearing a mouthguard can also reduce the severity and incidence of concussion.  

When should I wear a mouthguard?
 It is advisable to wear a mouthguard anytime there is a strong chance for contact with other participants or with hard surfaces.  The National Youth Sports Foundation for the Prevention of Athletic Injuries Inc. reports that dental injuries are the most common type of orofacial injury sustained during sports related activities.  Mouthguards should be worn when participating in activities such as basketball, softball/baseball, football, wrestling, soccer, lacrosse, rugby, hockey, skateboarding and bicycling.   

What are the different types of mouthguards?
There are several types of mouthguards, including the following:

• Stock mouthguard: This is a ready to use product that you can buy off the shelf, and is not custom fit to your mouth.  This type of mouthguard must be held in the mouth by biting down on it; as a result, it may interfere with speech and breathing.  This type of mouthguard offer the least amount of protection and is not considered an acceptable device for facial protection.
• Mouth-formed mouthguard: There are two types of mouth-formed mouthguards.  The first is a shell-liner mouthguard that is made from an acrylic that is poured into an outer shell and allowed to set and forms an inner lining.  The second type is a thermoplastic (also known as a boil-and-bite) mouthguard.  This type of mouthguard is softened in hot water, placed in the mouth, and shaped around the teeth.  Both types of mouth-formed mouthguards offer some degree of protection but will usually be bulky and have a loose fit.  
• Custom-made mouthguard: The best choice is a mouthguard that is custom made by your dentist.  It offers the best protection, fit and comfort level because it is made from a model of your teeth.  

How should I care for my mouthguard?

• Clean with soap and cool (not hot) water
• Keep your mouthguard in a well-ventilated plastic storage container when you are not using it. 
• Soak in denture cleaner for 30 minutes before storing.
• Protect from high temperatures caused by hot water and hot surfaces as heat will distort the the mouthguard and prevent it from fitting properly.

For more information on mouthguards make an appointment to see us here a Dental Associates.  
 

Minimally Invasive Dentistry

The goal of minimally invasive dentistry, is to conserve healthy tooth structure.  It focuses on prevention, remineralization, and minimal dentist intervention.  Minimally invasive dentistry allows dentists to perform the least amount of dentistry possible, never removing more tooth structure than required to restore the tooth.  Minimally invasive dentistry is vastly different from dentistry as it was, even just a couple of decades ago. 

Which techniques are used?
Minimally invasive techniques include:
Remineralization: this is the process of restoring lost minerals to the tooth.  Remineralization can repair the initial damage caused by tooth decay (demineralization).  Fluoride plays an important role in this process. Your dentist may recommend that you use special mouth rinses, toothpastes or gels that contain higher amounts of fluoride than over the counter toothpaste.   
Sealants: made from tooth colored resin, sealants fit into the grooves and depressions of the tooth and act as a barrier protecting against acid and plaque.  Sealants do not require any cutting of the tooth and can be placed on teeth that might be susceptible to decay at any time.
Resin Fillings: tooth colored fillings that require minimal removal of tooth structure to place.  Provided that the extent of decay is also minimal, there is no reason to make a filling larger than the area of decay that has been removed.  This was not true in the recent past when amalgam fillings were routinely placed and required extensive removal of sound tooth structure in order to place a filling.
Inlays & Onlays: Traditionally a dentist would restore a badly broken tooth with a crown, however inlays and onlays can also be used and do not require the removal of as much tooth structure.  Inlays are similar to fillings except that they are custom made to fit the cavity in your tooth and are typically the same color as your tooth.  Onlays are used for more substantial reconstruction, are tooth colored  and also do not require the dentist to remove as much natural tooth structure as would a crown.
Night Guards: Many people grind their teeth at night.  Grinding, or bruxism, may cause serious, irreversible damage to the teeth.  If the wearing of the teeth is severe, teeth may need to be treated with crowns.  Grinding, which usually begins in your teenage years or early 20's can be detected and corrected before much damage has been done.

At Dental Associates we are committed to providing superior, conservative dentistry at fair prices.  Come in for a consult today. 

Periodontal Disease & Your Systemic Health

               Periodontal Disease & Your Systemic Health

    Over the last decade various media sources have presented stories concerning the connection between periodontal (gum) disease, an oral infection, and other diseases in the body.  The New York Times ran a story calling into question the relationship between gum disease and coronary artery disease.  Others have highlighted the positive relationship between gum disease, diabetes, stroke, low birth-weight babies and coronary artery disease. 

    What are the facts?  We do know that gum disease occurs as a direct result of bacteria, being ineffectively cleansed from the teeth. The connections between gum disease and the previously mentioned disease processes are real, but remain loosely defined and incompletely understood.  We do know that the byproducts of periodontal infection set off a cascading series of events within the immune system. These byproducts have the capability to negatively effect other parts of the body.  It is the cascade of biochemical mediators brought about by gum disease that are related with other diseases.  Diseases now cited within the scientific literature with a strong association to periodontal disease include:

•  Kidney Disease
• Osteoporosis
• Respiratory Disease
• Coronary Artery Disease
• Stroke or CVA
• Diabetes
• Premature Labor/Low Birth Weight
• Arthritis
• Alzheimer’s Disease

    Our promise to you is that we will do all in our power to ensure that periodontal disease is detected, and properly treated. We also commit to you that you will receive the most current medical-dental information to enable you to make informed decisions regarding your oral and general health care.