When should my child start seeing a dentist?
By the time your child is 6 months of age; your doctor should assess the likelihood of your child having future dental problems. If he or she thinks your child will have dental problems, be sure your child sees a dentist before his or her first birthday or 6 months after the first primary teeth appea , whichever comes first. After your first visit, schedule regular visits every 6 months or as your dentist recommends.
How Often Should I See the Dentist for a Check Up and Cleaning?
Most children and adults should see their dentist for a regular cleaning and check up every six months. People at a greater risk for oral diseases should have dental check ups more than twice a year.
Tobacco and alcohol use, diabetes, pregnancy, periodontal and gum disease, poor oral hygiene and certain medical conditions are some of the many factors that your dentist takes into consideration when deciding how often you need your dental cleaning and check up.
Should I visit dentist regularly, even if I don’t have pain?
Going to your regular check ups will help to keep your gums and teeth healthy as well as detect any early problems such as gum disease, oral cancer and cavities. The best way to maintain good oral health is to visit your dentist on a regular basis.
What Causes Decay?
Decay occurs when plague, the sticky substance that forms on teeth, combines with the sugars and / or starches of the foods that we eat. This combination produces acids that attack tooth enamel.
What is Plaque and how does it affect teeth and gums?
Plaque is a soft, sticky, and colorless deposit that is continually forming on our teeth and gums. Often undetected, plaque attacks the teeth and gums with the acid it produces from bacteria in your mouth. The bacteria uses the sugars from foods and beverages along with saliva, to thrive and multiply. This acid attack breaks down the tooth’s enamel, causing tooth sensitivity and ending with varying degrees of tooth decay. Plaque accumulates in hard to reach areas of the mouth.
If it is not removed daily, it begins to harden into a calcified substance called calculus, also known as tartar. Plaque is also responsible for gum disease and contributes to bad breath.
How can we control Plaque?
Plaque is controlled by brushing and flossing daily at home and during regular cleaning from your dentist or dental hygienist. Reduce plaque by limiting sugar and carbohydrates in your diet.
How can we prevent Tooth decay?
The best way to prevent tooth decay is by brushing twice a day and flossing daily. Eating healthy foods and avoiding snacks and drinks that are high in sugar are also ways to prevent decay.
What is an Abscessed Tooth?
An abscess of the tooth is an infection. An abscess can include pus and swelling of the soft gum tissues surrounding the tooth. An abscess can develop from tooth decay or tooth trauma, such as a broken tooth. If there is an opening in the enamel of a tooth, such as a cavity, bacteria can get in and infect the pulp (center) of the tooth and cause an abscess.
Once an abscess happens, the infection could spread throughout the mouth and body.
What to do when abscess occurs?
Abscess can be very painful, so one should visit the dentist at the earliest. A root canal treatment or Extraction of occult tooth is usually the only option to save a tooth once it has become abscessed.
What causes tooth loss?
Tooth decay and periodontal disease are the most common causes of tooth loss.
Tooth decay takes place when most of the tooth’s mineral makeup has been dissolved away and a hole (cavity) has formed. While tooth decay primarily affects children, periodontal disease, or gum disease, affects mostly adults.
Periodontal disease is an infection of the gums caused by the buildup of plaque, and its earliest stage is known as gingivitis. Gradually teeth become loose, if untreated.
I’m interested in changing the shape of my teeth. What options are available?
Several different options are available to change the shape of teeth, make teeth look longer, close spaces between teeth or repair chipped or cracked teeth. Among the options are Recontouring, Build up, Veneers, and Crowns.
- Recontouringor reshaping of the teeth (also called odontoplasty, enameloplasty, stripping, or slenderizing) is a procedure in which small amounts of tooth enamel are removed to change a tooth’s length, shape or surface.
- Tooth Build upis a procedure in which a tooth-colored resin material (a durable composite material) is applied to the tooth surface and hardened with a special light, which ultimately “bonds” the material to the tooth.
- Veneers(also sometimes called porcelain veneers or dental porcelain laminates) are wafer-thin, custom-made shells of tooth-colored materials that are designed to cover the front surface of teeth. These shells are bonded to the front of the teeth.
- Dental crowns are tooth-shaped “caps” that are placed over teeth. The crowns, when cemented into place, fully encase the entire visible portion of a tooth that lies at and above the gum line.
How do whitening toothpastes work and how effective are they?
All toothpastes help remove surface stains through the action of mild abrasives. Some whitening toothpastes contain gentle polishing or chemical agents that provide additional stain removal. Whitening toothpastes can help remove surface stains only and do not contain bleach; over-the-counter and professional whitening products contain hydrogen peroxide (a bleaching substance) that helps remove stains on the tooth surface as well as stains deep in the tooth.
None of the home use whitening toothpastes can come even close to producing the bleaching effect you get from your dentist’s office through chair-side bleaching or power bleaching. Whitening toothpastes can lighten your tooth’s color by about one shade. In contrast, light-activated whitening conducted in your dentist’s office can make your teeth three to eight shades lighter.
Do Teeth Whitening Toothpastes Really Work?
Teeth whitening toothpastes seem to be popping up everywhere and you’ve got to wonder if they really work.
Whitening toothpastes, like all other toothpastes, contain mild abrasives to remove surface stains. While whitening toothpastes can make your teeth appear a little lighter, by getting rid of stains, they do not actually bleach your teeth.
Whom should use Teeth Whitening Toothpastes?
Teeth whitening toothpastes are ideal for people who smoke, drink coffee and tea and eat certain foods that can stain your teeth. Teeth whitening toothpastes are also good to use after you have undergone a teeth whitening procedure to keep surface stains from building up on your teeth.
Which Tooth whitening Tooth paste is better?
If you decide to use a teeth whitening toothpaste, be sure that it contains fluoride for extra protection against tooth decay.
Are Tooth Whitening tooth pastes harmful?
Of Course Yes; These pastes contain mild abrasive and continued use will reduce the thickness of enamel, and in long term teeth become more yellow. Some patients might develop Sensitivity with regular use of these tooth pastes.
What causes oral cancer?
Tobacco (cigarettes, pipes, cigars, chewing tobacco, and snuff) is the most common cause of oral cancer. Combining tobacco use with heavy drinking can also foster the development of oral cancer. Bad hygiene, prolonged irritation of the oral cavity, and extended exposure to strong sunlight on the lips are among other causes of the disease. Many dentists believe vitamins A and E can help prevent the acquisition of oral cancer.
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