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By Applewood Dental
January 27, 2020
Category: Oral Health
4ThingstoDotoKeepYourChildsDentalDevelopmentonTrack

When you’re expecting a new baby, there’s a lot to prepare: outfitting the nursery, stocking up on diapers or choosing a pediatrician. It’s also not too early to consider how to protect your new child’s dental development.

From birth through adolescence, a child’s mouth goes through a whirlwind of growth. Hopefully, it all follows a normal track, but detours can arise like tooth decay or bite problems.

Here are 4 things you can do to keep your child’s dental development on track.

Start oral hygiene before teeth. Daily oral hygiene is essential toward helping your child avoid tooth decay. And don’t wait for teeth to come in—begin wiping their gums with a clean, damp cloth right after nursing. When teeth do appear, switch to brushing with just a smear of toothpaste and then add flossing as more teeth come in.

Begin regular dental visits. The American Dental Association recommends pediatric dental visits around the first birthday. The possibility of tooth decay becomes a concern around this time as the primary teeth are steadily erupting. Starting earlier rather than later may also help your child adjust to the routine of dental visits that they’ll most likely carry on as they get older.

Control their sugar consumption. Because sugar is a prime food source for disease-causing bacteria, you should keep your child’s sugar consumption as controlled as possible. For example, don’t put a baby to bed with a bottle filled with a sugary liquid (including juice and breast milk)—the constant presence of the liquid during nap time encourages bacterial growth and acid production.

Get an orthodontic evaluation. While we often associate orthodontic treatment with the teen years, it may be possible to head off bite problems earlier. So, see an orthodontist for a bite evaluation when your child is around age 6. If there are signs of a developing problem, certain techniques could help stop or slow them from getting worse, helping you avoid extensive and expensive treatment later.

With a newborn coming, you and your family have a lot on your plate. Be sure, though, not to forget making plans for keeping their teeth and gums healthy.

If you would like more information on dental care for your child, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Age One Dental Visit.”

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By Applewood Dental
January 22, 2020
Category: Oral Health
Tags: mouthguard  
LiketheProstheAthleteinYourFamilyNeedsaMouthguardtoPreventDentalInjuries

Super Bowl LIV is set for February 2 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, where the top two teams in pro football will vie for the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy. Unfortunately, many of their fellow competitors (and some of their teammates) will still be nursing injuries from a long, grueling season. Injuries are a fact of life for one of America's most popular sports, with every part of a player's body vulnerable to trauma—including their teeth, gums and jaws.

But although they do occur, dental and oral injuries aren't at the top of the list of most frequent injuries in the NFL. That's because of the athletic mouthguard, an oral appliance small enough to hold in the palm of your hand. Made of pliable plastic, a mouthguard helps absorb damaging forces to the face and mouth generated by the inevitable hits that players take in the course of a game. According to the American Dental Association, a player is 60% more likely to incur a dental injury when not wearing a mouthguard.

And they're not just for the pros: Mouthguards are regarded as an essential part of protective gear for all participants of organized football and other contact sports. They're the best defense against injuries like fractured (cracked) teeth or tooth roots, knocked out teeth or teeth driven back into the jaw (tooth intrusion).

Mouthguards are readily available in sporting goods stores, but the best type of mouthguards are those that are custom-made by dentists for the individual player, created from impressions taken of that individual's teeth. Because custom mouthguards are more accurate, they tend to be less bulky than “boil and bite” mouthguards, and thus provide a better and more comfortable fit. And because of this superior fit, they offer better protection than their retail counterparts.

Because they're custom-made, they tend to be more expensive than other types of mouthguards. And younger athletes whose jaws are still developing may need a new mouthguard every few years to reflect changes in jaw growth. Even so, the expense of a custom mouthguard pales in comparison with the potential expense of treating an impact injury to the teeth or mouth.

If you or a member of your family are avid participants in football, basketball, hockey or similar high-contact sports, a mouthguard is a must. And just like the pros, a custom mouthguard is the best way to go to for comfort and ultimate protection.

If you would like more information about oral sports protection, please contact us or schedule an appointment. To learn more, read the Dear Doctor magazine articles “Athletic Mouthguards” and “An Introduction to Sports Injuries & Dentistry.”

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By Applewood Dental
January 17, 2020
Category: Dental Procedures
CosmeticGumSurgeryCanHelpRestoreLostTissuesAroundTeeth

Your gums can take a lot — they’re resilient and they endure a variety of abrasive foods over a lifetime. But resilience isn’t the same as invulnerability: your gums can be weakened by periodontal (gum) disease or by over-aggressive brushing that causes them to shrink away (recede) from the teeth they protect.

Unfortunately, it’s not a rare problem — millions suffer from some degree of gum recession, caused mainly by gum disease. This aggressive infection arises from bacteria in dental plaque, a thin film that builds up on tooth surfaces due to inadequate oral hygiene. Fortunately, gum disease can be effectively treated in its early stages by removing plaque above and below the gum line. Diseased gums will quickly rebound to their normal health.

Unfortunately, though, heavily recessed gums from advanced stages of gum disease (as well as those who’ve inherited thinner gum tissues and are more susceptible to recession) may not come back fully without help. This can affect the health and survival of affected teeth, as well as your appearance.

Plastic periodontal surgery can help restore these lost tissues. There are a number of procedures that can be used depending on the exact nature of the recession, and most involve some form of tissue grafting. A specimen of donated gum tissue (either from another portion of the patient’s gums or a thoroughly cleansed and properly processed donation from another person) is surgically attached to the gums at the recession site.

The graft can be completely freed from the harvest area or in some cases a part of it remains attached to receive blood supply while the rest is grafted to the site. These procedures, especially the latter, require meticulous skill and sophisticated microsurgical techniques to make an effective attachment. If the tooth root is involved, it must be thoroughly prepared beforehand through polishing and decontamination to ensure the new graft will take. The graft is sutured in place and sometimes covered with a moldable dressing for protection.

As the area heals, the tissues begin to grow around the graft, restoring better coverage for the tooth. Coupled with comprehensive gum disease treatment, this form of plastic surgery can restore new health to teeth and a transformed smile.

If you would like more information on treating gum recession with plastic surgery, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Periodontal Plastic Surgery.”

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By Applewood Dental
January 12, 2020
Category: Oral Health
Tags: oral hygiene  
ImproveYourBrushingandFlossingTechniquesforaHealthierMouth

Five minutes a day: That’s all it takes to do something that could change your life. It may not seem like a lot of time, but it’s one of the most profound things you can do for your well-being.

So, what is this life-changing activity? Daily oral hygiene—good, old-fashioned brushing and flossing, just like your mom made you do. Along with regular dental visits, daily hygiene is crucial to keeping your teeth healthy. And healthy teeth are key to a healthy life.

Part of the magic is “showing up every day.” The main driver for tooth decay and periodontal (gum) disease is dental plaque, a thin film of bacteria and food particles that accumulates on teeth. Clearing away this daily buildup with brushing and flossing drastically reduces the likelihood of disease.

The real advantage, though, is in brushing and flossing effectively. Plaque can cling stubbornly to teeth, especially around the gum line and other hard to reach surfaces. What’s left behind interacts with saliva to form a hardened, calcified form called calculus (also known as tartar) that could increase your risk for disease. And it can’t be removed by brushing and flossing.

You can minimize calculus formation with proper brushing and flossing techniques. When brushing, for instance, use a circular motion and make sure you brush all tooth surfaces, including around the gum line (a thorough job takes about two minutes). And avoid aggressive brushing—you could damage your gums. Be gentle while you brush and let the toothpaste and brush bristles do the heavy lifting.

Don’t forget to floss to remove plaque from between teeth your brush can’t access. Wrap the ends of about 18 inches of floss thread around the middle finger of each hand. Using a combination of your index fingers and thumbs to maneuver it, work the floss between the teeth and then snug it to the tooth surface. Go up and down the sides of each tooth a few times until you hear a squeak (this only happens with unwaxed floss). Move then to the remaining teeth until you’re finished.

Focusing on these techniques will improve your ability to keep daily plaque accumulation low. And that means your teeth and gums have a better chance of staying disease-free and healthy.

If you would like more information on proper oral hygiene, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Daily Oral Hygiene.”

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By Applewood Dental
January 07, 2020
Category: Dental Procedures
Tags: cosmetic dentistry  
4WaysYouCanImproveYourSmileintheNewYear

Although we begin our New Year's resolutions with high hopes, many of them fall by the wayside by the end of January. It simply takes tremendous willpower to lose weight or exercise more. So to improve your resolution success rate, why not throw in some with a little more zing, like trying every item on the menu at your favorite restaurant or learning a new magic trick every month? Or how about this one: Resolve to do four things this year to change your smile.

Okay, it doesn't have to be exactly four. But we just happen to have four suggestions—one for each quarter of the new year—that can make your smile the best it can be in 2020.

Brighten up your smile. A professional whitening procedure can improve a stained, dingy smile. Our advanced bleaching techniques give your teeth that brighter look that could last for years with proper care and regular touchups. We can also control the level of whiteness to give your teeth a softer natural look or one that's dazzling bright.

Fix a chipped tooth with bonding. You may have a great smile, except for that one tooth that's missing a little piece. We can repair minor chips and other defects with composite resin material bonded directly to the tooth. Composite resin can be color-matched and shaped to fit the tooth being repaired so that it looks completely natural. Best of all, we can transform your tooth's appearance in just one visit.

Gain a new look with veneers. If you have one or more teeth with mild to moderate chipping, staining or misalignment, dental veneers could change their appearance altogether. These thin wafers of dental porcelain are bonded to the front of teeth to permanently mask imperfections. They're so lifelike, others will have a hard time telling the difference between your teeth with veneers and those without.

Straighten your smile. It's never too late to have a crooked smile straightened. And you might not even have to wear braces: Clear aligners are computer-generated plastic trays worn in sequence to straighten teeth. They're removable, so you can take them out to eat or clean your teeth. Best of all, they're hardly noticeable—and they can give you a more attractive smile.

These and other cosmetic treatments are relatively easy ways to make a big impact on your appearance. Be resolved, then, that with a little help from us this can be the year you'll gain a more attractive smile through the art of dentistry.

If you would like more information about smile enhancements, please contact us or schedule an appointment. To learn more, read the Dear Doctor magazine articles “Cosmetic Dentistry: A Time for Change” and “Beautiful Smiles by Design.”

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