As people grow older, sometimes they do not visit the dentist as often as when they were younger. Sometimes this is due to financial constraints, or to reduced mobility, which can make it difficult to get to a dental office for regular appointments. However, dental appointments and overall dental health remain important into your senior years.
Everyday Dental Care
As you become older, many things tend to become more difficult. This can include regular oral hygiene. Arthritis or other causes of reduced movement can make it difficult to hold and maneuver a toothbrush. Older people suffering from dementia or other forms of reduced mental capacity might have difficulty remembering to care for their teeth and gums.
If you are older and have difficulty holding a toothbrush, ask your dentist about toothbrushes specially designed to help those with arthritis or reduced movement. These toothbrushes are much easier to hold and maneuver, and can be a great help to older individuals.
Regular Dental Visits
Regular visits to the dentist also remain important for seniors. The dentist will check not only for problems with the teeth and gums, but also for signs of oral cancer or other issues. Caring for the gums can be an important way to maintain overall health, as gum disease has been linked to heart problems and other serious health related issues.
Denture wear can also cause various problems with the mouth that should be monitored by a dentist. Dentures that do not fit properly can cause abrasions or sores to develop on the gums. Denture wear can also result in bone loss in the jaw. These situations should be monitored during regular checkups.
If you are an older individual or a caretaker for a senior, please contact a dentist in Allen, TX to find out more about how to ensure you or your loved one receives proper dental care and takes the best possible care of his teeth and gums well into his later years.
Porcelain veneers are one of the most versatile treatments a cosmetic dentist can offer. Their unique structure, realistic appearance and relatively low cost make them an excellent choice for numerous restorative dentistry applications.
What Are Porcelain Veneers?
Porcelain veneers are very thin pieces of porcelain that are affixed to the front of the teeth with a special bonding agent. The bonding agent produces a powerful bond between tooth enamel and the porcelain, making the veneers very durable. Porcelain is naturally semi-translucent, and can be color-matched to your teeth. These two qualities mean that veneers are virtually indistinguishable from your natural tooth surfaces.
Veneers are placed on your teeth in two stages. First, the teeth are treated by removing a thin layer of enamel from the surface. The dentist then makes a mold of your teeth and places temporary veneers. From the mold, your custom-made veneers are produced, usually in an off-site laboratory. When they are completed, they are permanently affixed to your teeth.
Porcelain Veneers and Restorative Dentistry
Porcelain veneers are often used to treat tooth problems that previously would have required full crowns, complex orthodontic procedures, or even extraction of the tooth. Some common problems that can be easily treated with veneers include:
Cracks in the teeth
Chipped teeth
Pitted teeth
Severe discoloration
Teeth that have been broken or cracked due to injury can be quickly and easily restored with porcelain veneers. Veneers can also be used to correct slight misalignments or small gaps between the teeth.
Consulting with a cosmetic dentist is the best way to find out if porcelain veneers are a good option for your specific dental restoration needs. An experienced dentist can determine if you need more extensive treatment, such as a crown, root canal or orthodontic work in order to properly treat or restore your teeth. To schedule a consultation or an appointment, please contact a cosmetic dentist in the Allen, TX area.
A sparkling smile is a huge asset to any personality. Often, teeth that are stained, of a dull shade, or yellowish in color, can give a rather unclean appearance to the teeth and mar a smile. Some people have naturally darker shades of enamel, or intrinsic stains due to fluorides or medications, while some acquire stains from smoking or beverages like coffee or tea.
Smile designing in such cases, needs ‘whitening’ or ‘bleaching’ treatment to impart a white, even shade to the teeth. Bleaching or whitening treatments are basically non-invasive methods of lightening the shade of enamel, and can be done in various ways. Conventional ‘home bleaching’, typically involves applying a weak bleaching chemical daily for weeks, using custom trays, and is not as effective as stronger bleaching treatments that can be performed in a dental office.
Laser teeth whitening is the most advanced and effective method of dental bleaching available to dentists today. Cases with tough stains, which don’t respond to traditional home bleaches, can be easily managed with Laser bleaching to produce much more aesthetic and rapid results. This is because Laser whitening involves a stronger but safe bleaching agent, which is specially activated by the light energy from a powered Laser source.
Most Laser whitening treatments can be done by the dentist in a single half to one hour sitting. A barrier gel is first applied to the gums around teeth and cured, so it acts like a shield to protect the sensitive gum tissue. Next, a translucent bleaching gel is applied to the teeth and exposed to a powerful Laser, which activates it and lightens the enamel dramatically. The dentist will often use a shade-guide to precisely determine the degree of whitening desirable.
Laser teeth whitening can give you an instantly brighter smile and is a great option for those with sensitive teeth. Contact our teeth whitening specialists in Allen, TX if you’re looking for a dazzling smile!
Many parents do not know when their children should start regular visits to the dentist. In many cases, they believe it is alright for children to wait until their permanent teeth have fully developed before pursuing regular dental care. However, this is not the case. For the best oral health, children should begin visiting the dentist much earlier than this.
Why Baby Teeth Matter
Baby teeth require regular dental care just like permanent teeth. Allowing the baby teeth to decay or develop other problems can cause severe problems with the permanent teeth. If baby teeth decay and must be removed, permanent teeth can be pushed out of proper position, or can also suffer decay or damage. Your child’s gums must also be kept healthy so that the permanent teeth will have the best possible environment to develop and grow.
To ensure your child has the best possible opportunity to develop strong, healthy permanent teeth, he or she should take a first trip to the dental office as soon as teeth begin to develop. The dentist can evaluate your child’s mouth, check the health of teeth and gums, and give you instructions on how to keep the baby teeth clean and healthy as they continue to come in.
Developing Good Oral Hygiene Habits
Another reason children should visit the dentist is to develop good oral hygiene habits. The earlier your child learns to brush and floss properly, the more likely she is to maintain these habits throughout life, ensuring that her teeth and gums will remain strong and healthy into adulthood. Taking your child to the dentist regularly will also help him become used to the dentist and the dental office, making it a familiar place and reducing the possibility of future dental phobia.
Your family dentist in Allen, Texas can help you establish a regular schedule of dental visits for your child. Be sure your child has the best possible start in life by scheduling a checkup today.
The importance of dental care is always on my mind and one of the issues I ponder is whether or not I should be using an electronic toothbrush or a manual one. An electronic toothbrush can be purchased as an electrical, plug-in type or a less expensive, battery-operated device.
After looking into several research studies, I found that there really isn’t a difference in performance or plaque removal when teeth are correctly brushed for at least two minutes.
The emphasis on the phrase correctly brushed was done as I feel this is the true area where an electronic toothbrush should come into play.
As an adult, I brush my teeth as instructed; however, my nine year old is only interested in keeping the toothbrush in his mouth for the full two minutes. In his case, the electronic toothbrush is an excellent option. It will automatically rotate, moving back and forth scrubbing his teeth and gums while his mind wanders into a boy’s wonderland of video games, homework and buddies.
An electronic toothbrush is also a great choice for someone with limited mobility. If the circular motions mixed with back and forth movements can’t be performed or cause pain, using an electronic toothbrush becomes almost required.
I feel I should be sure to add that neither option replaces the professional cleaning you should receive every six months. Your dentist performs a special cleaning that gets the places missed even with proper home tooth care. It’s often easiest to schedule the next cleaning after your current visit is complete so you won’t forget.
The privacy of dental and medical information is of crucial importance in today’s world where personal information can be misused by mischievous elements for individual gain. Your information is personal and your dentist has a moral and legal obligation to see that your dental information remains confidential and secure. The dental office will carry a record of all the treatments and services acquired by you.
The federal HIPAA Privacy Rule was established to protect your health information, by setting standards and regulations for health care providers to follow on how to share your personal information responsibly. According to the law, your dental information must be kept private and your dentist in Allen, Texas, must furnish a notice describing their legal duties, privacy practices and your rights regarding dental information. The clinic must follow the terms mentioned in the notice to the full extent. Even conversations about you conducted between health care providers must be kept confidential.
Your dentist can disclose your health information in the following conditions:
Treatment: Your dental clinic can share information with other dental specialists when there is need for referral for the purpose of treatment or payment.
Payment: The dental clinic may disclose your health information to your insurance provider for the purpose of payment.
Workers’ Compensation: Dental information may need to be disclosed as necessary to comply with state workers’ compensation laws.
Emergencies: When there is a medical condition or in the event of an emergency or of your death, the dental clinic may disclose your health information to notify or assist in notifying a family member, or another person responsible for your care.
Public Health: As required by law, the dental clinic may disclose your health information to public health authorities for purposes related to: reporting disease or infection exposure, reporting child abuse or neglect, reporting domestic violence, reporting to the Food and Drug Administration problems with products and reactions to medications, etc.
Judicial and Administrative Proceedings: During any administrative or judicial proceeding your dental information may need to be disclosed.
Law Enforcement: Law enforcement official may need your health information for purposes such as identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person, complying with a court order or subpoena or in order to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a particular person or to the general public.
Deceased Persons: Your health information could be transferred to coroners or medical examiners to identify deceased persons. It may also be needed by organ procurement agencies.
Research: Your health information may be disclosed to researchers conducting research that has been approved by an Institutional Review Board and has established protocols for ensuring privacy of dental information.
Appointments: Your information could be used by the clinic to send you appropriate reminders regarding appointments.
Your dentist will regularly advise that you get a professional dental cleaning every 6 months, but most patients fail to comply. The advent of professional cleaning has improved the oral hygiene status of many people, especially in the developed countries. Still, many people put off going to their family dentist in Allen for regular dental cleanings.
Plaque is the greatest enemy of teeth and gums. The presence of plaque can irritate the gums causing inflammation, called gingivitis. As the plaque deposits accumulate and get calcified, they form a hard substance called tartar. The tartar attracts further plaque on its surface, carrying the plaque deeper within the gums. This causes further damage to the gums and weakens the supporting structures of the teeth, such as bone. This advanced stage of gingival disease is called periodontitis.
If left untreated, it can cause loosening of teeth. At this stage, there is little that can be done to save the tooth. One sign is lengthening of teeth, which is the process of gums shifting from their normal position due to disease.In some cases, gingival surgery and deep cleaning of the roots of the teeth, followed by splinting, will help. Otherwise, your Allen dentist will advise extraction.
Because of this, preventing the plaque and calculus from forming is of paramount importance in preventing gum disease. Fighting gum disease in the early stages allows the gums to repair any damage. Plaque is a breeding ground for millions of microbes. Plaque is the reason why most people with poor oral hygiene complain of bad breath (halitosis). Periodontitis can also alter the taste sensation in the affected persons mouth.
Certain individuals who are at risk of gum disease are: people with uncontrolled diabetes, people with compromised immune system, people who are physically or mentally handicapped and cannot maintain proper oral hygiene on their own. These people in particular will need regular cleanings at least every three months.
Advantages of regular dental cleanings
Removes plaque and tartar
Fights gum disease. Healthy, pink and firm gums cannot be maintained by mere brushing alone.
Prevents bad breath. Regular cleaning can stop foul smelling bacteria from colonizing in your mouth
Prevents loss of teeth. Advanced gum disease is the primary cause of tooth loss.
Prevents dental decay. Decay formation in the roots of teeth can be prevented to an extent with regular dental cleanings.
Clean mouth-Healthy body. Gum disease has been proven to complicate other diseases like diabetes and heart disease. E.g. Inflammation of gums increases the insulin resistance, therefore regular cleaning can help control diabetes.
