Three Reasons You Should Consider Tooth Whitening

White, translucent teeth are the hallmark of a beautiful smile. But with age or the foods we eat our teeth's natural brightness can dim to a dingy yellow.

If this is your case, you may be able to benefit from teeth whitening techniques that brighten up your less than "pearly whites." A teeth whitening treatment from time to time could put the dazzle back in both your smile and your self-confidence.

Here, then, are 3 reasons for considering tooth whitening to improve your smile.

You might be able to do it yourself. There are a number of home whitening options (including whitening strips) that are safe and effective to use at home. But there are a couple caveats: because your dentist can use stronger bleaching solutions they may be able to perform the procedure in less time and with longer lasting results than a home kit. Also, some forms of staining originate inside a tooth-a home kit won't help with that kind of discoloration.

It's safe and relatively inexpensive. Home bleaching solutions aren't strong enough to be harmful (unless you disregard the product directions) and are usually not very costly. Your dentist uses stronger solutions but with the training and curing equipment to minimize any risk to your teeth. And compared to other cosmetic treatments, dental office teeth whitening is still a relatively inexpensive option.

Dental office whitening can be more comprehensive and precise. Another reason to opt for your dentist to whiten your teeth is the wide range of discoloration they can alleviate. They have clinical techniques for alleviating internal tooth staining, and could even combine these with treatments for external staining. Your dentist can also help you achieve the exact degree of whiteness you desire-from a more subtle, natural shade to "Hollywood Bright."

Whitening isn't permanent-but with a thorough application and avoiding foods and habits that contribute to staining, professional whitening effects can last up to two years. If you're interested, see your dentist for a full dental examination for any issues that might interfere with the whitening process. From there, you're not far from a brighter and more attractive smile.

If you would like more information on teeth whitening and other dental cosmetic enhancements, please visit our website at www.myparkdental.com, or contact us here, or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article "Teeth Whitening: Brighter, Lighter, Whiter... ."

Don't Take a Vacation From Oral Hygiene This Summer!

What are you most looking forward to this summer? Maybe you're planning a trip to the beach, or a getaway in the woods... maybe even a journey to a faraway city or a foreign land. Wherever your holiday travel leads you, we hope it's enjoyable and safe. And while you're packing your bags, don't forget to take a trio of important items that can help keep your vacation trouble-free: namely, a soft-bristled toothbrush, a tube of fluoride toothpaste, and a roll of dental floss.

If you have been careful about keeping up your oral hygiene all year, you've probably already noticed the rewards it can bring-like a sparkling smile, fresh breath, and good dental checkups. But even if you're planning to get away from it all this summer, don't take a vacation from oral hygiene. And if your oral hygiene routine could stand some improvement, maybe this is the time to make a fresh start.

Maintaining good oral health while you're on the go doesn't have to be a high-tech pursuit. You don't need broadband service or a good mobile signal; you don't even need electric power. Running water is nice, but not essential. And all the tools you need can fit easily in a travel bag.

The benefits of good oral hygiene are clear. Brushing twice every day and flossing once a day can effectively fight the bacteria that cause tooth decay and periodontal disease. That's important any time of year, but perhaps even more so when you're traveling because it's harder to keep a healthy diet. Grabbing a sugary drink or a snack to go is convenient, but it provides food for the bacteria that can cause dental diseases; also, the acid in some soft drinks (even diet sodas) can wear away tooth enamel, leaving you with less protection against cavities.

Summer vacations can bring welcome surprises and unforgettable experiences. But needing urgent dental care in an unfamiliar place is the kind of surprise you can do without. So even though you may be far away from the routines of home, don't take a vacation from your oral hygiene routine. It takes just a few minutes, but it can keep your smile bright and healthy wherever you go.

If you would like more information about oral hygiene, please visit our website at www.myparkdental.com, or contact us here, or schedule an appointment for a consultation.

What Happens in a Root Canal Treatment and How it Can Save Your Tooth

Along with periodontal (gum) disease, tooth decay poses one of the two greatest threats to your teeth. Cavities are just the start: if decay invades the pulp, the tooth's innermost layer, the infection created can continue to advance through the root canals to the supporting bone. This worst case scenario could cost you your tooth.

But we can stop this advanced decay in its tracks with a procedure called a root canal treatment. A root canal essentially removes all the infected tissue within the tooth and then seals it from further infection. And contrary to its undeserved reputation for being painful, a root canal can actually stop the severe tooth pain that decay can cause.

At the beginning of the procedure, we deaden the affected tooth and surrounding tissues with local anesthesia-you'll be awake and alert, but without pain. We then isolate the tooth with a dental dam of thin rubber or vinyl to create a sterile environment around it to minimize contamination from bacteria found in saliva and the rest of the mouth.

We then drill a small hole through the enamel and dentin to access the interior of the tooth. With special instruments, we remove and clean out all the diseased or dead tissue in the pulp chamber and root canals. After disinfecting the empty spaces with an antibacterial solution, we'll shape the root canals to make it easier to perform the next step of placing the filling.

To fill all the root canals and pulp chamber, we typically use a rubber-like material called gutta-percha. Because it's thermoplastic ("thermo"-heat; "plastic"-to shape), we can compress it into and against the walls of the root canals in a heated state to fully seal them. This is crucial for preventing the empty tooth interior from becoming re-infected. Afterward, we'll seal the access hole with its own filling; later, we'll bond a permanent crown to the tooth for additional protection and cosmetic enhancement.

After the procedure you may have some temporary minor discomfort usually manageable with aspirin or ibuprofen, but your nagging toothache will be gone. More importantly, your tooth will have a second chance-and your dental health and smile will be the better for it.

If you would like more information on treating tooth decay, please visit our website at www.myparkdental.com, or contact us here, or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article "A Step-By-Step Guide to Root Canal Treatment."

Tooth Loss: A Health Risk for Older Adults

Tooth loss is a problem that affects many seniors-and since May is Older Americans Month, this is a good time to talk about it. Did you know that more than a quarter of adults over age 75 have lost all of their natural teeth? This not only affects their quality of life, but poses a significant health risk.

According to a study in The Journal of Prosthodontics, significant tooth loss is associated with increased risk for malnutrition-and also for obesity. If this seems like a contradiction, consider that when you have few or no teeth, it's much easier to eat soft, starchy foods of little nutritional value than it is to eat nutritious fresh fruits and vegetables.

That's just one reason why it's important to replace missing teeth as soon as possible. There are several ways to replace a full set of missing teeth including removable dentures, overdentures, and fixed dentures.

Removable dentures are the classic "false teeth" that you put in during the day and take out at night. Dentures have come a long way in terms of how convincing they look as replacement teeth, but they still have some disadvantages: For one thing, they take some getting used to-particularly while eating. Also, wearing removable dentures can slowly wear away the bone that they rest on. As that bone gradually shrinks over time, the dentures cease to fit well and require periodic adjustment (re-lining).

Overdentures are removable dentures that hook onto a few strategically placed dental implants, which are small titanium posts placed in the bone beneath your gums. Strong and secure, implants prevent the denture from slipping when you wear it. Implants also slow the rate of bone loss mentioned above, which should allow the denture to fit better over a longer period of time. But overdentures, too, are not meant to be worn all of the time.

Fixed dentures are designed to stay in your mouth all the time, and are the closest thing to having your natural teeth back. An entire row of fixed (non-removable) replacement teeth can usually be held in place by 4-6 dental implants. Dental implant surgery is an in-office procedure performed with the type of anesthesia that's right for you. After implants have been placed and have integrated with your jaw bone-generally a period of a few months-you can enjoy all of your favorite foods again without worry or embarrassment.

If you would like more information about tooth-replacement options, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation.

Dental Injury Is Just a Temporary Setback for Basketball Star Kevin Love

The March 27th game started off pretty well for NBA star Kevin Love. His team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, were coming off a 5-game winning streak as they faced the Miami Heat that night. Less than two minutes into the contest, Love charged in for a shot on Heat center Jordan Mickey-but instead of a basket, he got an elbow in the face that sent him to the floor (and out of the game) with an injury to his mouth.

In pictures from the aftermath, Love's front tooth seemed clearly out of position. According to the Cavs' official statement, "Love suffered a front tooth subluxation." But what exactly does that mean, and how serious is his injury?

The dental term "subluxation" refers to one specific type of luxation injury-a situation where a tooth has become loosened or displaced from its proper location. A subluxation is an injury to tooth-supporting structures such as the periodontal ligament: a stretchy network of fibrous tissue that keeps the tooth in its socket. The affected tooth becomes abnormally loose, but as long as the nerves inside the tooth and the underlying bone have not been damaged, it generally has a favorable prognosis.

Treatment of a subluxation injury may involve correcting the tooth's position immediately and/or stabilizing the tooth-often by temporarily splinting (joining) it to adjacent teeth-and maintaining a soft diet for a few weeks. This gives the injured tissues a chance to heal and helps the ligament regain proper attachment to the tooth. The condition of tooth's pulp (soft inner tissue) must also be closely monitored; if it becomes infected, root canal treatment may be needed to preserve the tooth.

So while Kevin Love's dental dilemma might have looked scary in the pictures, with proper care he has a good chance of keeping the tooth. Significantly, Love acknowledged on Twitter that the damage "...could have been so much worse if I wasn't protected with [a] mouthguard."

Love's injury reminds us that whether they're played at a big arena, a high school gym or an outdoor court, sports like basketball (as well as baseball, football and many others) have a high potential for facial injuries. That's why all players should wear a mouthguard whenever they're in the game. Custom-made mouthguards, available for a reasonable cost at the dental office, are the most comfortable to wear, and offer protection that's superior to the kind available at big-box retailers.

If you have questions about dental injuries or custom-made mouthguards, , please visit our website at www.myparkdental.com, or contact us here, or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine articles "The Field-Side Guide to Dental Injuries" and "Athletic Mouthguards."

Sealants Could Protect Your Child's Teeth From Future Problems

Teeth lost to tooth decay can have devastating consequences for a child's dental health. Not only can it disrupt their current nutrition, speech and social interaction, it can also skew their oral development for years to come.

Fortunately, we have a number of preventive tools to curb decay in young children. One of the most important of these, dental sealants, has been around for decades. We apply these resin or glass-like material coatings to the pits and crevices of teeth (especially molars) to help prevent the buildup of bacterial plaque in areas where bacteria tend to thrive.

Applying sealants is a simple and pain-free process. We first brush the coating in liquid form onto the teeth's surface areas we wish to protect. We then use a special curing light to harden the sealant and create a durable seal.

So how effective are sealants in preventing tooth decay? Two studies in recent years reviewing dental care results from thousands of patients concluded sealants could effectively reduce cavities even four years after their application. Children who didn't receive sealants had cavities at least three times the rate of those who did.

Sealant applications, of course, have some expense attached to them. However, it's far less than the cost for cavity filling and other treatments for decay, not to mention future treatment costs resulting from previous decay. What's more important, though, is the beneficial impact sealants can have a child's dental health now and on into adulthood. That's why sealants are recommended by both the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.

And while sealants are effective, they're only one part of a comprehensive strategy to promote your child's optimum dental health. Daily brushing and flossing, a "tooth-friendly" diet and regular dental cleanings and checkups are also necessary in helping to keep your child's teeth healthy and free of tooth decay.

If you would like more information on preventing tooth decay in children, please contact our office or schedule a consultation.

Margot Robbie Knows: A Great Smile Is Worth Protecting

On the big screen, Australian-born actress Margot Robbie may be best known for playing devil-may-care anti-heroes-like Suicide Squad member Harley Quinn and notorious figure skater Tonya Harding. But recently, a discussion of her role in Peter Rabbit proved that in real life, she's making healthier choices. When asked whether it was hard to voice a character with a speech impediment, she revealed that she wears retainers in her mouth at night, which gives her a noticeable lisp.

"I actually have two retainers," she explained, "one for my bottom teeth which is for grinding my teeth, and one for my top teeth which is just so my teeth don't move."

Clearly Robbie is serious about protecting her dazzling smile. And she has good reasons for wearing both of those retainers. So first, let's talk about retainers for teeth grinding.

Also called bruxism, teeth grinding affects around 10 percent of adults at one time or another, and is often associated with stress. If you wake up with headaches, sore teeth or irritated gums, or your sleeping partner complains of grinding noises at night, you may be suffering from nighttime teeth grinding without even being aware of it.

A type of retainer called an occlusal guard is frequently recommended to alleviate the symptoms of bruxism. Typically made of plastic, this appliance fits comfortably over your teeth and prevents them from being damaged when they rub against each other. In combination with stress reduction techniques and other conservative treatments, it's often the best way to manage teeth grinding.

Orthodontic retainers are also well-established treatment devices. While appliances like braces or aligners cause teeth to move into better positions, retainers are designed to keep teeth from moving-helping them to stay in those positions. After active orthodontic treatment, a period of retention is needed to allow the bite to stabilize. Otherwise, the teeth can drift right back to their old locations, undoing the time and effort of orthodontic treatment.

So Robbie has got the right idea there too. However, for those who don't relish the idea of wearing a plastic appliance, it's often possible to bond a wire retainer to the back surfaces of the teeth, where it's invisible. No matter which kind you choose, wearing a retainer can help keep your smile looking great for many years to come.

If you have questions about teeth grinding or orthodontic retainers, , please visit our website at www.myparkdental.com, or contact us here, or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine articles "Teeth Grinding" and "The Importance of Orthodontic Retainers."