Dec 21, 2015 | Blog
Our smiles can be what people notice first about us; before our words, before our actions, before it all comes our smile. If your smile is less than its best, it can be holding you back personally and professionally. Minor tooth problems might not be an issue, but major ones, especially front teeth that are missing or gapped, can be the source of many missed opportunities.
Personally, if you have a mouth full of decayed teeth, you’re likely to have bad breath, and your mouth might taste bad. This can get in the way of intimacy, even with those with whom you are very close. Even if you are able to overcome your own confidence issues to try to be close to someone, the reality of your oral condition might make that closeness unpleasant, leading to relationship troubles.
Poor oral hygiene can also lead to missed professional opportunities. No company wants someone to represent them in the public sphere with very poor teeth. It sends a message about your socioeconomic situation and your education level that could be entirely untrue, but is still transmitted to those you meet. Poor teeth can be at the root of being passed over for promotions, travel opportunities or other advancement options at your workplace.
If you feel you aren’t reaching your personal or professional potential, talk to your cosmetic dentist today. See what a smile makeover at our Central Fall RI dentists office can do for you to make your life better. Feel good about yourself again; get the smile you’ve always wanted.
Jun 7, 2016 | Blog
Missing teeth can make you feel self-conscious and compromise your oral health. With an incomplete smile, remaining teeth may shift, other teeth may be lost, and your diet may suffer. Dental implants can restore the health and appearance of your smile. Designed to look and function like your real teeth, implants create solid, attractive replacement teeth.
If you don’t know much about dental implants, dispelling certain myths and providing these facts should help you make an informed decision.
Myth: Dental implant surgery is painful
Fact: While no surgical procedure is enjoyable, your dentist will administer sedation designed to keep you comfortable during the procedure. After surgery, your doctor can recommend the right medications to ease your pain.
Myth: Dental implants have a high failure rate
Fact: Actually, the opposite is true. With proper care, dental implants have a 95 to 98 percent success rates
Myth: Implants require extra care
Fact: One of the best features with implants is the fact that you treat them like your natural teeth. Brush twice a day, floss regularly, and see your dentist for checkups.
Myth: Older patients aren’t good candidates for implants
Fact: Age alone isn’t the deciding factor. For successful implant therapy, you need good oral health and solid bone structure to hold the posts. If you don’t have adequate bone tissue, bone grafting maybe an option.
Myth: Any dentist can place dental implants
Fact: While most dentists can complete the restoration of implants, which involves placing permanent crowns on the posts, the implant surgery to position the posts in your jaw requires special training. Make sure you find a dentist or specialist who has extensive experience with implant placement.
Family Dentistry Central Falls RI
Mar 24, 2016 | Blog
Though your dentist often reminds you about the need to brush in the morning and at night, most people may not understand the significance. Brushing twice a day is an important part of maintaining good oral health. Consider these reasons to keep up your brushing habits:
One of the best ways to prevent cavities is fluoride. When you brush before bed, you apply a layer of fluoride on your teeth, which is the first line of defense while you sleep. In the morning, brushing right away helps strengthen that protection.
Your mouth contains harmful bacteria that produce plaque and weaken enamel. If you only brush once a day, these bacteria have 24 hours to wreak havoc on your teeth and gums, but twice-daily brushing cuts that time in half.
- Prevention of tartar build up
When plaque hardens, it becomes tartar. The only way to remove tartar once it forms is with a professional cleaning. By brushing twice a day, you can remove plaque before it can calcify and cause oral health problems like gum disease and tooth decay.
Frequent brushing helps stimulate gums and keep them healthy. If you don’t take good care of your gums, you risk developing periodontal disease, a serious oral health condition that can result in bone degeneration, receding gums, and tooth loss.
Nobody wants bad breath. Brushing twice a day helps remove food particles and the bacteria that can cause halitosis. For optimal freshness, consider brushing your tongue or using a tongue scraper.
Family dentist in Central Falls, RI
Mar 28, 2016 | Blog
You no longer have to suffer through the embarrassment or difficulties of having gaps in your smile due to missing teeth. Dentists are able to restore smiles using dental bridges, which replace your missing tooth or teeth in a completely natural looking and comfortable way. If you have gaps in your smile from losing teeth to infection, decay, or trauma, it’s time to learn how to bridge those gaps.
What is a bridge?
A dental bridge does exactly what it conjures up in your mind; it bridges the gap where a tooth or teeth are missing. The bridge consists of two caps (also called crowns) and a false tooth. The bridge is permanently placed next to teeth on both sides of the artificial tooth. Once in place, the bridge allows you to eat, speak, and look as if you have natural teeth.
Are there different kinds?
There are three primary types of bridges:
- Traditional bridges, made of porcelain, are fixed in place so that they cannot be removed from your mouth.
- Cantilever bridges are used when there is only one natural tooth next to the gap in your mouth.
- Maryland bonded bridges, or resin-bonded bridges, are mostly used for missing front teeth. They are ideal when the surrounding teeth are healthy and strong.
How can it benefit me?
In addition to the obvious advantage of making your smile look more attractive, dental bridges can also help you eat more efficiently and comfortably. Your speech will likely improve, and your bite may also be corrected. With proper oral hygiene, bridges help lower your risk of gum disease and prevent teeth from moving into the gaps that were there before. The bridge process itself usually only requires two dental visits, and is less invasive than some other procedures.
Cosmetic Dentist in Central Falls, RI
Apr 7, 2016 | Blog
It is important for your children to begin proper dental care as soon as their first tooth has erupted. For most kids, this means having a dental checkup before the age of one. While there are dentists who specialize solely in pediatric care, you may be surprised to learn your family dentist is also trained to handle the special considerations necessary when treating children.
A good family dentist should be able to offer the following dental care options to your child:
- Preventative dental care such as professional cleaning and treatment with fluoride and protective sealants
- Pediatric oral exams and assessment of dental risk
- Treatment for dental trauma including broken, loose, or knocked-out teeth
- Diagnosis and treatment of gum disease, tooth decay, cavities, and other dental defects
- Identification and treatment of misaligned, misshapen or crooked teeth, and jaw or bite problems
Many family dental practices offer an array of child-friendly amenities including game rooms, TV’s with age-appropriate videos in the exam rooms, and treats for completing a successful visit. Your family dentist can help to educate your child about good oral care in a comfortable, safe environment. As your child ages, there will be no need to switch dentists, because your family dentist can treat your child from infancy to adulthood.
Taking your child to the family dentist also makes scheduling their twice a year exams more convenient. Many family dental practices will see multiple members of your family in the same visit. Having a dentist who knows your family and each member’s history is a big benefit to your entire families’ dental health. As your child approaches the time for their first dental visit, you can rest assured your family dentist will be able to provide excellent oral health care for a lifetime.
Dentist for kids in Central Falls, RI
Mar 21, 2016 | Blog
When you think of dentures, if you’re picturing the sometimes frightening contraptions that you recall floating in your grandmother’s water glass, you are in for a nice surprise. Dentures no longer are the painful, bulky, ill-fitting appliances that you might envision. They offer many benefits that will help you regain your smile.
Dentures are removable appliances that are professionally fitted to your mouth to restore your smile when some or all of your teeth are absent. Available in a variety of advanced materials like porcelain, plastic or acrylic, dentures look so much like real teeth that your friends may not even realize they aren’t your natural pearly whites.
You may be a candidate for partial or full dentures depending on how many teeth are missing in your mouth. When some of your real teeth remain in good health, partial dentures stand in for the missing ones and prevent the shifting of your natural teeth. Full dentures are suitable for those who have already lost all of their teeth or need to have them all removed.
To fit your dentures, your dentist will create a wax bite after taking an impression of your upper and lower jaw. This allows an exact model to be made for your mouth that you can try on for fit, shape, and color. Adjustments are done at this stage before the final dentures are completed.
Any side effects like awkward chewing and talking will disappear as you wear the appliance. Eating soft food at first helps. You may produce more saliva than usual and experience minor gum irritation, but those will dissipate. Any pain from your dentures is cause to visit your dentist.
Your appliance requires care and attention so that you don’t break or lose the dentures. Always clean them over a soft cloth so that they aren’t chipped or cracked if you drop them, and use warm water. Use a soft toothbrush or denture brush to remove food debris, and always clean them before replacing them in your mouth. If you remove your dentures overnight, store them in water or a denture solution to maintain their condition.
Dentures are a great solution for restoring smiles. Ask your dentist about how they can benefit you today.
Dentures dentist in Central Falls, RI