Why Replace a Lost Tooth with a Dental Bridge in Houston

Dental bridges are one of the best options for replacing a lost tooth. Teeth may be removed from the mouth for a number of reasons, including decay, accident, or on the recommendation of a dentist. When the tooth comes out, it leaves a gap that some people may find unappealing.

This gap may be unappealing to the patient as it makes them feel self conscious, but that gap can actually pose a different, more serious problem.

What Happens When a Tooth is Lost?

Everyone knows what it’s like to lose a tooth. When they are growing up, children seem to lose teeth all the time. So why is it such a big deal if an adult tooth comes out?

Granted, there’s no extra tooth to replace an adult tooth, which means the gap stays. When a child loses a tooth naturally, it will be replaced by an adult tooth.

But the presence of the gap is a problem for a different reason. When there is a missing tooth, the other teeth will begin shifting position to close that gap. And it’s not just the teeth on either side; a tooth directly above a gap may start to lower its position.

The major problem with this, aside from being self conscious about the appearance of the shifted teeth, is that this can lead to an uneven bite and gum disease.

How Can This Problem Be Corrected?

There are a few ways to address a gap in the teeth. The first way is to use a spacer. Second, dentures can be used to replace several lost teeth. Lastly, dental bridges can replace a tooth with a more permanent fixture.

●     Spacer
A spacer is a very low cost way to address a tooth gap. Like the name implies, it leaves the space of the gap between the adjacent teeth.

The spacer is typically made from a metal frame and it prevents the other teeth from shifting around it.

●     Dentures
Dentures are great for replacing several teeth for a relatively low cost. However, there is a lot of extra maintenance that comes with them.

Dentures are a temporary fixture in the sense that they can’t stay in your mouth all the time. They must be removed to be properly cleaned, or they may breed bacteria and cause an infection.

●     Dental Bridges
Dental bridges are the best tooth replacement because they not only look and feel like your original teeth, they are also a more permanent fixture than dentures.

Once a dental bridge is installed, it stays there. It may need a replacement 15 or 20 years later, but it doesn’t need to be removed to be cleaned. It can be taken care of simply by brushing your teeth as normal.

Dental Bridges in Houston

When you are looking to get dental bridges in Houston, your Houston dentist will need to prepare your teeth for one.

This involves filing down the teeth adjacent to a gap that will serve as anchor points for the bridge.

Next, a cast is created so the dental lab can make a false tooth and crowns that will perfectly fit your mouth. You will receive a temporary bridge in the meantime while the permanent bridge is created.

On your return visit, your Houston dentist will install the bridge and make sure it fits securely and comfortably. If so, it will be cemented into place, and you’re new dental bridge will be done!

Galleria Area Dental Sealants and Fillings

Dental sealants are a preventative measure that can protect teeth from cavities by making the surface of teeth easier to clean with a toothbrush.

Our molars are typically very rough on top, which aids in grinding down food to a more manageable size. This roughness is caused by grooves in the teeth.

Bacteria is able to take shelter in these grooves as they can be difficult to clear out using a regular toothbrush.

But dental sealants applied by a Houston dentist give the bacteria no place to hide.

Dental Sealant Process

Dental sealants are completely pain free in their application, making them especially great for children. Pediatric dentists in Houston often apply a dental sealant to a child’s molars soon after they come in to help prevent cavities.

To apply a sealant, the mouth is kept open and saliva is suctioned out to keep the working area dry.

Using a small applicator, your Houston dentist applies a resin like material to the grooves of the molars. The dentist then moves the resin around to fill in all the grooves with an even coating.

Once the resin hardens, it will make a much smoother surface for the top of the molars. This smooth surface is much easier to clean, helping remove cavity causing bacteria.

Sealing Other Teeth

Dental sealants are not solely relegated to the molars; rather they can be applied to any tooth that has developed grooves.

The molars are sealed most often because they naturally have grooves on them. Other teeth may develop them due to grinding, eating hard foods, or from an accident.

The dental sealant is applied to other teeth just like it would be for molars. The resin is used to fill the grooves and make them flush with the rest of the tooth.

By eliminating these grooves, which could appear on top or on the sides of teeth, bacteria has a harder time collecting and causing damage.

When Dental Sealants are Not Enough

Sometimes, even with dental sealants, cavities will develop. A sealant only helps prevent cavities, but cannot guarantee they won’t form.

The only way to prevent cavities entirely is to keep up with regular oral hygiene at home and seeing a Houston dentist at least twice per year.

If a cavity develops, your Houston dentist will need to determine how bad the decay is in order to provide the best treatment.

An x-ray imaging of your teeth will provide detailed visualizations of how deep the decay goes and how much needs to be cleared out.

Using the x-rays as a guide, your Houston dentist will drill into the tooth at the cavity site to remove all the decayed portions of tooth.

After removing all this material, they will fill the tooth to strengthen it from the inside.

Fillings may be made from silver, gold amalgam, composite resin, porcelain, or glass monomer.

Some materials are cheaper than others, but they may not be as durable or look as good.

For example, resin fillings are the cheapest and cause the least amount of wear on nearby teeth, but they have a very low durability.

Porcelain fillings look like natural teeth but can be rather expensive. They also don’t have the highest durability, but they are significantly better than resin fillings.

Finally, a metal filling like silver or gold is very durable, but some patients don’t like how much they stand out. These are often the best fillings for molars since they are less noticeable.

Dental Dreams: Sedation Dentistry in Houston

Nervous about visiting the dentist? You’re not alone! Many people, especially children are fearful about visiting the dentist.

Most visits are hardly a nail biting experience as conservative dentistry seeks to prevent problems rather than solely treating them. Even still, there are some procedures that some patients will find unpleasant, and for those times, sedation dentistry is the best medicine.

What is Sedation Dentistry?

Sedation dentistry is a mean to calm and relax a patient, as well has help keep them still during a procedure. This increases the patient’s comfort level and decreases their anxiety while simultaneously allowing the dentist to perform a lot of work in a shorter amount of time.

There are varying levels of sedation, from mild to heavy.

Mild sedation usually involves an oral sedative. The patient will remain fully awake, but the oral sedative will put them at ease. This is the most common method used to simply calm a nervous patient down.

Moderate sedation involves using an inhaled gas (nitrous oxide) or an IV to administer the sedative. The patient is still conscious and aware of what’s happening, but for the most part they won’t recall much of what happens during the procedure. The sensation of pain and discomfort is also reduced, making it a preferable option for slightly uncomfortable procedures.

This sedation level and each successive level is continually monitored by your Houston dentist or a certified anesthesiologist.

Heavy sedation brings a patient right to the cusp of consciousness, balancing the thin line between awake and asleep.

At this level, the patient is largely unresponsive and very still, which helps the dentist do a lot of work. These higher levels of sedation also greatly reduce the sensation of pain, making more invasive procedures easier to handle.

Finally, with general anesthesia, the patient is fully unconscious. This level is reserved for the most aggressive treatments where the patient must be completely still for a long period of time.

Is Sedation Dentistry in Houston Safe?

Sedation dentistry is perfectly safe as the dosages of sedation are carefully monitored. Your Houston dentist only wants to provide the minimum level of sedation necessary to complete the procedure and keep the patient comfortable.

There are some side effects with sedation, primarily drowsiness. It is best to have someone drive you to and from your appointment if you are using sedation dentistry.

After a particularly invasive procedure, it’s best to go home and rest, letting the sedation wear off without putting yourself at risk by driving or operating any machinery.

Sedation dentistry for kids is also very safe and effective. The requirements for pediatric sedation dentistry are stricter than those for adult sedation, so kids have an extra watchful eye looking out for them.

Like with adults, the biggest side effect is drowsiness after a procedure.

When Is Sedation Used?

Sedation dentistry can be used for just about any procedure. The lighter forms of sedation like the oral sedative can be used to calm a patient down that is nervous while the heavier dose sedatives reduce pain and discomfort.

Many patients who use sedation dentistry say that the dental procedure feels like a dream and that it seems to go by much faster.

With mild and moderate forms of sedation, the dentist is able to give instructions to the patient such as needing them to turn or open their mouth more.

Heavier forms keep them either just barely conscious or just barely unconscious, but it rarely takes more than a gentle nudge to awaken the patient.

Dangers of Advanced Periodontal Disease in Houston

Periodontal disease can be a nasty thing to deal with, especially once it has reached the advanced stage. At this point, it can actually be of concern to your overall health, not just that of your mouth.

Periodontal disease is usually caused by lack or oral hygiene, but it can sometimes be attributed to certain medications, other diseases, and the result of an accident.

Nearly half of all Americans experience some form of gum disease, but many may not realize it if the symptoms are not very strong. Some Americans may not seek treatment until gum disease gets really bad, and that can be a mistake.

Why Is Gum Disease Such a Problem?

Since the symptoms of gum disease can be fairly mild early on, it’s easy to ignore them. If they’re stemming from poor oral hygiene, this means they will continue to advance unchallenged until they become a major issue.

Similarly, some patients who do regularly keep up with their oral hygiene may be experience gum disease as a result of some underlying disease like diabetes or heart disease. Some medications may also cause periodontitis.

Whether a result of poor hygiene and especially if the result of another issue, seeing a Houston periodontist as soon as possible is the best thing you can do.

In the early stages of periodontal disease, the periodontist doesn’t need to do quite as much to reverse the effects. In the case of gum disease as a result of another disease, they may refer you to see your primary care doctor so that proper treatment of the root cause can be administered.

If the early stages are unnoticed or ignored, they will reach the advanced stage, which brings with it far more challenges and difficulty in treatment.

Treating Advanced Periodontal Disease in Houston

The best way to treat periodontal disease is to get to the source: bacteria causing infections under the gum line.

This hidden bacteria is causing the gums to swell, change color, and become tender. And as the bacteria spreads further, it can reach deep into the gums to the jaw bone, which is a whole new mess to deal with if that happens.

The most common procedure for treating advanced periodontal disease in Houston is a flap surgery. For this procedure, the dentist makes several small incisions in the gums to peel them up like a flap.

This flap exposes the base of the roots of your teeth, making them easier to clean and scrape away the bacteria causing the problem.

In more extreme cases, it’s possible that a soft tissue graft may be necessary if the infection has caused significant damage to the gums.

Further still, bone grafts may be required if the damage extends to the jaw. Some tissue and bone regeneration is possible using synthetic grafts and other methods, but they are not always an option.

Ideally, it is best to treat periodontal disease as soon as it is detected. If you are experiencing the usual symptoms, such as swollen, discolored, and tender gums, a perpetual bad breath, or loosening teeth, see a Houston periodontist right away.

The sooner you begin treating periodontal disease, the more effective the treatment will be and the greater the chances are of reversing all the damage. Not to mention you will also save money and a lot of discomfort by seeing a periodontist early.

Gingivitis: Early Warning of Gum Disease

Gingivitis is the earliest form of gum disease and the most easily treated. Many times it can be treated at home by simply increasing the depth of your oral hygiene routine.

However, because gingivitis tends to have very mild symptoms, it’s also common for it to go unnoticed. Leaving gingivitis to fester can lead to full blow periodontitis, which can cause a lot more problems.

Identifying Gingivitis in Houston

The absolute best way to identify gingivitis is the visit your Houston dentist and describe any symptoms you are experiencing. Using a keenly trained eye, they will inspect your teeth and gums and based on the symptoms you’re experiencing, can determine if gingivitis is at fault.

The most common symptoms to keep watch for are swollen gums, tender to the touch gums, bleeding from the gums, and discoloration of the gums.

You may only have one symptom, all four, or none at all. Most people associate gingivitis with bleeding of the gums, which is usually noticed when brushing their teeth.

It’s not uncommon for gingivitis symptoms to be so mild that your don’t notice them. The swelling can be easy to miss, any discoloration will likely just be a brighter red or a milky white color, and they may not feel tender.

Since the symptoms are so easy to miss, it’s important to see your Houston dentist twice per year. They will ask you about your oral health between visits, and based on your responses can look into the causes of things like gingivitis.

Gingivitis Treatment in Houston

After a diagnosis of gingivitis is made, your Houston dentist will perform a deep cleaning of your teeth. Using specialized tools like a water jet and dental probe, they will forcibly remove bacteria and plaque that have collected around your gums.

Once this thorough professional cleaning is completed, the dentist may prescribe a medicated mouthwash to use at home. It will help with killing lingering bacteria in difficult to reach areas.

You will also need to up your game on the oral hygiene front to keep your teeth clean and prevent bacteria from collecting and growing.

Gingivitis is pretty easy to treat and reverse the damage of. It can usually be accomplished with home care and especially effective after getting a professional cleaning from your Houston dentist.

The real trick is treating it early.

What Happens if You Don’t Catch Gingivitis Early?

Gum disease is a steadily progressing disease. If you don’t take care of it as soon as you discover it, it will continue to worse.

Gingivitis is just the first of three stages of gum disease. With mild symptoms, it’s easy to ignore or miss, but as it progresses, the damage it can do increases and the measures needed to stop it become more aggressive.

At the middle stage, periodontitis, the gums have become infected and can be painful. They are often noticeably swollen and can also be discolored, either a bright red or a purple color.

As it progresses further, it will cause infections deep in the gums, creating abscesses that can cause teeth to loosen and fall out. The gum line recedes exposing the teeth to further bacterial infection.

At its worst, gum disease can infect the jaw, which can also lead to tooth loss as well as a host of other problems.

The later stages of this disease require treatments that are uncomfortable but necessary to preserve your health. By taking steps to stop gum disease as soon as you notice it, you’ll be saving yourself a lot of pain and money.

Choosing the Right Dentures in Houston

Treating a patient who has lost teeth is no simple task. This is especially true for patients who have lost multiple teeth.

Our teeth play many important, vital roles in our lives. They help us chew our food, form words, and shape our mouths.

When a tooth is lost, it can affect speech, eating, and drinking. If the space is left alone, the teeth around the gap can shift, changing the shape of the mouth.

 

When multiple teeth are lost, these problems are compounded.

Addressing Lost Teeth with Dentures

Dentures are a low cost method to replacing several lost teeth at once. They are especially beneficial for patients who would prefer to replace several teeth with spending on the more permanent dental bridges.

Dental bridges can replace one or two teeth that are adjacent, but it requires filing down teeth near the gap to create anchor points. Dentures can be held in place with a strategically placed metal plate.

While it seems like dentures are the better option, it still must be considered that they require a great deal of extra care than a dental bridge. They may also require more replacements as time goes on.

Partial and Complete Dentures

Dentures can either be made as a complete set to replace all of the teeth or as a partial set to replace only the number of teeth that are missing.

Complete dentures can only be created and installed once all existing natural teeth have been removed. The gums need to start healing to determine the final shape of the inside of the mouth so a perfectly shaped set can be fashioned.

Complete dentures can take between two and three months to create, meaning the patient will be without teeth for that period of time. Once complete, the dentures will replace all of the teeth and restore the patient’s bite, speech, and drinking ability to normal.

Partial dentures only replace teeth that are missing, and can replace anywhere from two teeth to all but one tooth. They are usually constructed with a central hub plate from which all the teeth are branched out to the appropriate position.

The dentist creates a mold of the patient’s mouth so that all of the teeth can be perfectly placed for a comfortable, secure fit.

This method preserves any remaining teeth and prevents them from shifting position by filling the spaces left by lost teeth. It is often a much more cost effective option to replace several teeth, especially for senior citizens.

Dental Insurance for Dentures

Dentures, both complete and partial, are typically well covered by dental insurance.

This can be especially helpful for seniors with a fixed income. Dental insurance can reduce the upfront costs of dental procedures in Houston by as much as 80%.

As we age, the gum line recedes, and this can give rise to gum disease and tooth loss. For this reason, seniors are 70% likely to get gum disease.

With dental insurance, procedures that address gum disease or replace lost teeth will be covered, making it easier on the patient to afford the corrective measures that will increase their oral health.

Early Detection of Periodontal Disease Means Easy Treatment

Gum disease is a problem that affects nearly half of all Americans, including up to 70% of senior citizens.

Many people may not even realize they have gum disease until it becomes a very big problem, which is why it is important to regularly see a Houston periodontist.

A periodontist in Houston will examine your gums using various techniques including x-rays and probing in addition to a visual examination to find signs of gum disease cropping up.

Symptoms of Periodontal Disease

Periodontal disease is often characterized by swollen and tender gums. For milder forms of the disease, no outward symptoms may be visible, or they may go unnoticed by the untrained eye.

A Houston periodontist will thoroughly examine your teeth and gums, looking for the signs of gum disease such as the swelling and discoloration.

Typical Periodontal Exam

Like with seeing a Houston dentist, a periodontal exam involves a thorough visual examination of your gums. The periodontist checks the front and back of teeth looking for collections of plaque and symptoms of periodontal disease.

Using x-rays, the periodontist can see what’s going on underneath the gums. In severe cases of gum disease, infections may show up on the x-rays, showing the periodontist where to concentrate their efforts.

A dental probe is used to check pocket depth around the teeth and gums. In a healthy patient’s gums, there should be very shallow pockets seen.

If there are larger pockets, bacteria can more easily take up residence and cause an infection, which leads to gum disease.

Most of the time, periodontal disease is caused by allowing plaque and tartar to form around the gum line.

If this material is not regularly cleared away, it hardens and protects bacteria that can wreak havoc under your gums.

Treating Periodontal Disease

In moderate cases of periodontal disease, your Houston periodontist will use a method called scaling and root planning to remove the bacteria and help prevent it from returning.

Scaling is a method of actually scraping the bacteria from the tooth. It can be a bit uncomfortable, but with sedation dentistry it’s not as bad.

Root planning is procedure that smooths out the roots of teeth. When the surface of a tooth is rough, bacteria can cling to it and it can be more difficult to remove, which is why scaling is necessary.

Once the bacteria has been removed and any inflections are cleared up, the gums will begin to heal on their own and any swelling, pain, and discoloration will go away.

It is important to maintain a healthy regimen of daily oral hygiene after being treated for periodontal disease. Only by keeping your teeth healthy and clean can you prevent the bacteria from causing problems again.

If periodontal disease progresses too far, the methods for stopping its progression become more aggressive and uncomfortable.

Ideally, it’s best to get regular checkups and address the problem of gum disease as soon as it surfaces, rather than waiting it out to see if it gets better.

Early treatment is not only easier to do, it is less costly and more effective at reversing any damage.

Choosing a Dental Crown that Fits Your Life

When a tooth becomes damaged from an accident or decay, and a standard filling isn’t enough to save it, a dental crown may be the best option.

Many people feel self conscious about cavities and the need for fillings, and they may feel even less inclined to get a dental crown.

While some dental crowns are still made of metal, they are not the only option.

Choosing a Dental Crown in Houston

There are several options available for dental crowns in Houston. Their availability at your Houston dentist can vary based on the material, but in most cases they’ll all be present.

Dental crowns can be made from metal, resin, ceramic, and porcelain.

●     Metal Crowns
Metal crowns are usually created from gold alloy, which has been a standard crown for several centuries. Other metals that may be used include nickel, palladium, and chromium.

The type of metal used usually depends on if the patient has an allergy to a certain metal as well as the metal’s availability.

Additionally, temporary crowns (which you would get while a permanent one is constructed) are fashioned from stainless steel.

●     Resin Crowns
Resin crowns are very low cost and cause the least amount of wear to nearby teeth. However, they are also the least durable. They may require replacing once every few years instead of once every decade or two.

●     Porcelain and Ceramic Crowns
All-porcelain and all-ceramic crowns are made from a singular material and can be color matched to your teeth. These look and feel the most natural, but are often the most costly. However, they do provide a decent durability and can last upwards of 10 years.

●     Porcelain-Metal Crowns
As a middle-of-the-road option, porcelain fused to metal crowns provide a good cost/durability/appearance balance, and can still be color matched to your teeth. These are often the most popular option for getting dental crowns in Houston.

Why Should I get a Dental Crown?

Dental crowns do more than restore the look of your teeth. They can also restore the function of them.

A damaged tooth that has been chipped, fractured, or decayed may be painful to bite, chew, or drink with. Even a simple probing with your own tongue can be enough to shoot a lance op pain through your mouth.

With a dental crown, your Houston dentist gives you the ability to restore your smile and ability to drink and eat like you did before the tooth became a problem.

Dental crowns restore the shape and appearance of a tooth along with much of its strength. Metal crowns provide greater durability, which is perfect for molars.

On the other hand, porcelain and ceramic crowns can look like real teeth, making them especially suited for the more visible front teeth.

How Are Dental Crowns Applied?

First, your Houston dentist in Tanglewood area will prepare the tooth receiving the crown by filing it down.

While the crown acts like a real crown in that it fits over your existing tooth, it won’t fit over the whole tooth.

By filing it down, the crown will be able to match the size and shape of your original tooth.

A mold is created to show the dental lab what area they have to work with and how to shape the dental crown.

Once the new crown is completed, you will return to your Houston dentist to have it installed. The dentist will make sure that it fits securely and snugly, and once it does, it is cemented into place.

Targeting the Root of the Problem

Root canal treatments are often one of the most feared dental procedures. However, as technology and medical practices have advanced, they have become more commonplace and less painful.

What is a Root Canal Treatment?

A root canal treatment is a procedure that is performed by a Houston dentist. It involves entering a tooth, usually from the top of the crown, and removing infected or decayed dental pulp from inside the tooth.

After the damaged pulp is removed, the tooth is filled with gutta percha and a standard filling to strengthen it.

Sounds simple like that, doesn’t it? It really is!

A root canal treatment is designed to relieve pain, not cause it. Dentists of long ago did not have the sophisticated technology we have now, and they had limited access to anesthetics, which are important to maintaining a pain free experience.

How Is a Root Canal Treatment Performed?

When you first come in for a root canal treatment at a Houston dentist, the first thing that will be done is you will have x-ray images taken.

These images will help the dentist visualize the inside of a tooth needing the procedure. It will show the areas of decayed dental pulp, giving a sort of road map to follow.

Next, you will receive sedation dentistry to make your experience as painless as possible. It can also make it seem like the procedure goes by much faster.

After the x-rays are completed and the dentist is prepared for the procedure, they will drill into the top of the tooth.

Upon reaching the pulp chamber of the tooth, which contains dental pulp, the tissue that provides feeling and blood for the tooth, they will begin clearing out the infection.

Many times, the pulp chamber will be cleared out completely, as this area becomes completely infected, which is partially why your tooth hurts before a procedure.

After this chamber is cleared out, the dentist will use the x-rays as a guide to find each root canal that is filled with decayed pulp.

These canals extend from the pulp chamber down the roots of your teeth and into the gums where they connect with the rest of your circulatory system.

At the base of a tooth root, the infection may have caused an abscess to form. This can be the other reason why your tooth is hurting.

The abscess is a pocket of infected tissue that causes swelling and inflammation to occur around it.

Once the abscess is cleared away, your teeth will stop hurting.

After all of this is complete, the dentist will fill the root canals and pulp chamber with gutta percha to protect them, then fill the crown of the tooth with a standard filling.

Dental fillings are important to maintain the strength of the tooth. A hollow tooth would break very easily.

Does the Dentist Always Take Everything Out?

When using the x-rays, the dentist will look for canals that still have healthy pulp and preserve those. Sometimes in trying to preserve healthy pulp, they might miss a small section of infected pulp, which can require a root canal retreatment.

A retreatment works the same way as the initial treatment, but it only seeks to carefully remove the sections that were missed.

Retreatments are very uncommon, as the panoramic x-rays often detect all the canals needing treatment. With their keen eye, your Houston dentist will do all that they can to ensure all of the decayed pulp is removed to prevent a need to return.

Pediatric Dentistry in Houston Does More than Just Cleaning

Children are our future, and making that future bright includes giving them a bright smile!

Bringing your child to a pediatric dentist may seem like a difficult experience, especially if they are fearful of seeing the dentist.

This fear is perfectly understandable, especially if they haven’t gone to the dentist very often or have never been at all. The key to an easy visit to a kids dentist in Houston is starting early and going regularly.

When Should My Child See the Dentist?

Your children should visit the dentist for the first time right after their first tooth appears, but no later than 12 months old.

By starting this early, they will begin to form a relationship with your Houston dentist and see that visits involve non-invasive and pain free checkups.

This helps eliminate the fear of going and maintains a healthy regimen that prevents major diseases and decay from occurring.

As your child grows, your Houston pediatric dentist will increase the array of care that your child receives.

What Sort of Care Do Children Get?

In general, children receive the same care that adults do at the dentist. However, for younger children, there is more of an emphasis on preventative care that does involve an intense amount of work.

As they grow, the checkups will become more thorough to encompass all of the new teeth coming in. Additionally, they may seek to apply a dental sealant to molars as they come in.

Dental sealants help protect the molars against cavities by filling in the grooves on the crown of the tooth, making them easier to brush and clear away bacteria.

X-ray imaging is performed once per year (more often if there is a suspected issue) to get a view of all the teeth and how they are developing.

Monitoring the development of early teeth is very important as they will be setting the stages for the adult teeth that come in later.

A Houston pediatric dentist will use x-ray imaging to see the developing teeth that have not come through the gums yet and determine their course, ensuring they erupt (break through the gums) properly and don’t interfere with adjacent teeth.

If the alignment of new teeth will be a problem, the dentist may advocate for braces or other corrective dental apparatuses. The purpose of these corrective measures is to ensure the adult teeth come in perfectly.

What About if My Child Has an Emergency?

Sometimes accidents do happen and a child’s tooth may get fractured, chipped, or knocked out entirely.

A fractured tooth may require a filling to strengthen it, where an avulsed (knocked out) tooth may be replaced.

When a tooth is knocked out, it can sometimes be saved by preserving it in a container of milk and seeing an emergency pediatric dentist in Houston right away. If it cannot be saved (or possibly not found), the dentist will take other measures to prevent the other teeth from shifting.

Having a complete array of teeth is important, as a missing tooth can change the whole geography of a mouth. Even if it was only a baby tooth that was lost, if it’s still a while before the adult tooth comes in, the other teeth can shift, and the adult tooth will cause problems when it does erupt.

Seeing a Houston Dentist Twice per Year Stops Tooth Decay

Taking care of your oral health is an important aspect of maintaining your overall health. Your teeth, gums, and whole mouth can be indicators of how diseases and medications are affecting your body.

Your teeth need to be cleaned regularly, both at home and by a Houston dentist in the Memorial Galleria area. Cleaning your teeth removes bacteria and plaque, the basis of decay.

What is Decay?

Tooth decay is the most common cause for teeth damage. It is caused by bacteria that has lingered and started wearing away your teeth.

As the bacteria grow, it leaves behind a waste product known as plaque. The plaque provides housing for the bacteria and protects it from the saliva and other bacteria in your mouth (of which there can be hundreds of different kinds).

The best way to remove the plaque is with a professional cleaning at your Houston dentist, but another effective means is to brush your teeth regularly.

If you don’t brush regularly, the plaque will harden to form tartar or calculus within a few days. Tartar is more difficult to remove and it protects the bacteria even more.

While protected by the plaque or tartar, the bacteria is free to feed on the enamel of your teeth, burrowing down into them toward the softer dentin and the even softer dental pulp.

This burrowing and damage to the teeth is tooth decay.

Professional Cleaning for Adults and Kids

Getting a professional cleaning during your dental checkup at your Houston dentist provides the highest quality cleaning you can get.

Your dentist is able to look around and clean tough to see and access areas of your mouth using specialized tools like a concentrated water jet.

If there is any plaque, the dentist will clear it away. The plaque is the most important part to clean so as to remove the bacteria’s safe haven.

When seeing a kids dentist in Houston, they will receive the same high quality cleaning that an adult would. Bringing a child to the dentist regularly (the ADA recommends every six months) helps familiarize them with the procedure and removes fear or anxiety.

Unless there is a major problem, the dentist will only want to perform a painless checkup, cleaning, and perhaps apply dental sealants to protect teeth from cavities.

Finding a dentist that is centrally located in the Tanglewood area of Houston that can take care of all your family dentistry needs makes going to the dentist that much easier.

Building a Relationship with a Houston Dentist

Your dentist wants you and your family to be healthy. The best time to visit the dentist is before a problem arises.

By getting regular checkups, you will be actively preventing tooth decay and gum disease from taking hold.

Of course, it’s still important to maintain a healthy routine of brushing and rinsing at home, but it is also critical to have a professional checkup at least twice per year.

This is especially for children seeing a pediatric dentist in Houston. Many children fear seeing the dentist, but by building a relationship early on with regular, non-invasive and pain free visits, they will feel comfortable with going to the dentist.

Should a problem arise later in their life, they may not be as apprehensive about getting it looked at and treated.

Pediatric Dentists’ Secret to Teaching Oral Hygiene

Pediatric care requires a special touch that not every dentist has the qualifications for.

Children need to feel at ease at the dentist office, and when visiting a dentist for the first time, they likely don’t want to get right to fixing a broken tooth.

Instead, an easy introduction to the dental staff and office helps them to familiarize themselves with the environment, exploring it and seeing that the people there care just as much about them as their family does.

Encouraging Children to Practice Good Oral Hygiene

Children like to learn, though it may not always seem that way. The reason is that they like to learn their way.

Oftentimes this means exploring the world around them and doing whatever they can to interact with what fascinates them at any given moment.

Simply telling a child how to properly brush their teeth may not instill the value or captivate their attention well enough to grasp and adhere to it.

Instead, helping a child learn through play, as in finding a way for them to learn while having fun and enjoying it, is the key to instilling good habits.

When visiting a kid’s dentist in Houston, they need that kind of interactivity to help them learn in a way that engages them.

Showing them how to brush teeth using a model and over-sized toothbrush teaches them a skill but in a way where they may feel like it’s a game.

Show them all the spots to get, encourage them with congratulatory speech when they accomplish a goal, and don’t chastise if they don’t have it quite right.

Making learning fun is one way that pediatric dentists can get children to maintain healthy teeth and gums well into adulthood.

Don’t Play on Fears

If a child needs to visit the dentist for a procedure such as getting a filling, avoid using language that may cause fear, such as “drill” or “cavity.”

Instead, focus on the positives of visiting the dentist. Things like “The dentist will make your tooth stop hurting” and “When you’re done, your teeth will be even stronger!” will go a long way toward boosting their confidence.

Using Familiar Imagery to Relate to the Child

Find some way to relate a procedure to terms the child understands. For example, if a child loves superheroes, a parent could say “The dentist is giving your tooth a suit of armor like Iron Man” instead of telling them that they’re getting a filling.

Or perhaps “A dental crown makes one tooth the king/queen of your other teeth” to use a fantasy reference.

Talking to the child in terms they understand helps them to understand what is happening or what will happen. They can better process the real situation in this manner.

Certainly, as a child gets older, usually into their teens, these methods may no longer be as helpful, but parents can still encourage their child with reminders that the dentist wants to help relieve pain and prevent it from returning.

Reinforce Habits with Repetition

It’s not enough to just teach a child a good habit, even if it is taught in an engaging way.

Repetition is the key to them remembering and following through with it. As a baby, keep up with brushing their teeth for them.

When they are old enough to brush their teeth themselves, do it alongside them. As long as they keep up a constant routine of brushing, flossing, and rinsing, it will ingrain the habit into their minds, and it will become second nature.

Gingivitis Treatment in Houston: Professional or Home Care?

Nearly every American will experience gingivitis at some point in their life. Most of the time it is when they are seniors and their gum line has receded some, but some may experience it sooner.

Gingivitis is caused by bacteria irritating the soft tissue under your gums.

The bacteria can gather under the gum line if you’re not diligent enough about brushing and flossing your teeth.

Bacterial waste matter, known as plaque, is left behind by the bacteria and it can be used as a type of defense, keeping the bacteria in place despite the probing of toothpicks and toothbrushes.

If this plaque is left untouched for a couple of days, it hardens to form tartar, which can be more difficult to get rid of than plaque.

Identifying Gingivitis

Gingivitis’ most common and easily visible characteristic is causing the gums to bleed. They may not ooze blood, but rather you may notice a redness in your saliva when brushing your teeth.

This is often the first sign that people notice, but it is not always the only one present.

Another symptom of gingivitis is swollen or puffy gums. The bacteria is causing the soft tissue of your gums to become inflamed, which makes them swell.

Additionally, some people may notice a tenderness of the gums. This is less common in the gingivitis stage of gum disease, but more common in later stages.

The symptoms of gingivitis are often so mild that many people don’t notice them or pay any mind to them until they either resolve on their own or they advance to periodontal disease.

The only way to officially diagnose gingivitis is with a visit to your Memorial Galleria area dentist in Houston. They will perform a visual examination and based on the symptoms you describe, can determine if it is indeed gingivitis.

Gingivitis Treatment in Houston

When you visit the dentist, they will conduct a good cleaning of your teeth, particularly focusing on the gum line, as this is where much of the bacteria is collected.

They may prescribe a medicated mouthwash in notably bad cases, but most often you will be able to treat gingivitis at home with proper, regular dental hygiene practices.

The dentist will show you the best way to brush and floss your teeth to effectively remove plaque and bacteria that causes gingivitis.

Following this regimented course of brushing, flossing, and rinsing, you can clear away the bacteria and reverse the damage caused by gingivitis. Maintaining the regimen afterward will prevent gingivitis from striking again in the future.

While it is definitely possible to treat gingivitis on your own at home, it’s not recommended that you do so.

A professional evaluation from a dentist can, with knowledge of your medical history, determine a possible alternative source of the disease.

Gum disease can stem from certain other ailments like diabetes as well as some medications. Your dentist should know what health conditions you have and medicines you take to make an accurate diagnosis.

In some cases, a dentist may actually be able to detect an underlying disease before a doctor has officially diagnosed it.

The reason for having a dentist diagnose the symptoms and cause of gingivitis is to treat the root cause.

Improving your home oral hygiene routine is not going to improve your gingivitis situation if it is being caused by another disease.

This is why it is especially important to follow up with your dentist for scheduled appointments and regular checkups every six months.

Toothaches Come and Go. Should I See a Dentist?

Are you ready for a root canal treatment in Houston?

That seems to be a question for anyone who may need one. They try to psych themselves up in anticipation for an uncomfortable experience, hoping that maybe in biding their time the pain will go away.

The truth is, while the pain may go away, it doesn’t mean the damage does. And getting a root canal treatment in Houston is not something to be feared.

Modern medicine has come a long way and with techniques like sedation dentistry and tools like fine tipped drills, the whole process can be pain free.

But the Pain is Gone... Do I still Need to See a Dentist?

Many people think that once a toothache has gone their teeth are fine and they can go on as normal.

In the case of root canal issues, that’s not true. The initial pain you are feeling is the damage being done to the dental pulp, which is a sensitive material carrying the blood vessels and nerves of your teeth.

When the pain goes away, it doesn’t mean your teeth are better. It means that the dental pulp is dead and the nerves no longer work.

It also means that the inside of your tooth is weaker since it doesn’t have the dental pulp to fill it. This can make it more easily fractured.

What’s worse is the abscess created by the dental pulp infection could spread the infection further.

Gum disease could stem from the abscess affecting your gums, and that can lead to tooth loss and bone infections.

What Happens During a Root Canal Procedure in Houston?

When you visit your dentist in the Memorial area, you will first get a visual evaluation and an x-ray to determine the extent of the root canal damage.

The x-ray imaging will show all of the damaged roots and pinpoint the location of any abscesses. Once that is ready, your dentist can begin work on removing the damaged material and abscesses.

Next, you may undergo sedation dentistry to reduce or nullify any discomfort during the removal process.

After that, the dentist will begin drilling into the top of the affected tooth and clearing away all of the damaged dental pulp.

Your dentist wants to preserve as much of the good pulp as possible, so any roots that have not been damaged by decay will be left alone.

Once all of the damaged pulp and abscesses have been removed, the dentist will use gutta-percha, which is a rubber like compound, to fill in the roots that have been cleared out.

On top of that, the rest of the tooth, from the pulp chamber up through the crown, will be filled with a standard filling (the material of which may vary based on availability, allergies, cost, and personal preference).

Don’t Delay; See a Houston Dentist Today

Dental procedures are not as scary as many perceive. Some procedures may be more unpleasant than others, even with sedation, but the results of oral issues can be far worse.

Visit the best dentist in Houston centrally located in the 77057 area for an evaluation, cleaning, and a dental procedure that will leave you smiling.

Choosing the Best Dental Crowns in Houston

If you’ve got a cavity that is too large for a filling to take care of or if you’ve received head trauma that severely damaged a tooth, you may be considering a dental crown as an option to fix your tooth up.

Dental crowns serve many purposes, both practical and cosmetic. They can repair a damaged tooth to make it stronger, provide an anchor point for a dental bridge, or improve the appearance of teeth.

A lot of factors can go into choosing the right dental crown, so how do you choose?

Factors to Consider when Looking for the Best Dental Crown in Houston

What is the best dental crown in Houston? The answer depends on many things. Cause, severity, location, cost, and personal preference all play a role in what dental crown you ultimately get.

The main materials used in dental crown construction include:

●     Resin, which is a cheap, low damage material that prevents excess wear on the adjacent teeth.

●     Gold, a standard for crowns for centuries. Gold crowns rarely cause issues, but remain durable for years.

●     Silver amalgam crowns are also durable and can be used as a cheaper alternative to gold crowns.

●     Porcelain crowns look very natural and are perfect for front teeth.

Choosing one of these materials as the crown for your tooth may depend on several factors.

First and foremost is the material’s availability. Not every dentist will provide all of the materials as an option for crowns.

Next, for most people, is the cost. Some crowns are more expensive than others. Keep in mind, however, that cost isn’t necessarily a reflection of worth, which we’ll get to in a moment.

Another factor is location and reason for the crown.

The reason for the crown may be providing an anchor for a bridge, accommodating a large filling, or saving a tooth from severe damage.

The location of the tooth, whether toward the front or back and in the upper or lower array may affect the material used?

Teeth toward the back require the durability to withstand heavy bite forces while teeth toward the front are more visible.

Lastly is personal preference. Some people may not mind having a metal crown that is visible, but a lot do.

Crowns that look more natural are more expensive, but not as durable. This makes porcelain crowns more suited to front teeth which are visible but not subject to heavy bite forces.

Metal crowns are best for the molars which do most of the chewing. These teeth also aren’t as visible as the front teeth, so patients often don’t mind them being metal.

Cost / Worth Analysis

Does a higher price mean a better crown? Not necessarily.

All of the factors that go into choosing a crown affect the material’s worth.

A resin crown is not very durable, but it does reduce the damage to nearby teeth.

A metal crown is moderately expensive, but is very durable, albeit noticeable.

A porcelain crown is expensive and less durable than metal crowns, but looks natural.

Talk with your Galleria area dentist and discuss the pros and cons of each type of crown to determine which are the best dental crowns in Houston for you.

When It’s Time to See a Houston Periodontist

Advanced periodontal disease is as bad as gum disease gets. All the symptoms and warning signs of the earlier stages have led to this, a point where treatment can be uncomfortable, but it can also be life saving.

Gum disease stems from several possible sources, the most common of which is bacteria gathering under the gum line. It can also be a sign of a different disease altogether, which makes diagnosing the source all the more important.

Why It’s Important to See a Houston Periodontist for Advanced Periodontal Disease

Beyond the ability to treat the disease, which we’ll get to in a bit, gum disease can be an indicator for an underlying problem. Certain medications and other diseases can cause gum disease, so it’s important to know what the root cause is for an effective treatment.

 

If you’re treating the gum disease as though it’s the only problem, but it’s actually being caused by diabetes, you’re not going to effectively treat it and it can keep recurring.

By treating the source, you can prevent the periodontal disease from growing and spreading.

Treating Periodontal Disease in Houston

The early stages of periodontal disease can be reversed with a good, thorough cleaning of the teeth, particularly under the gum-line. Gingivitis, the first stage, can often be reversed at home. Periodontal disease requires dentists scrape the bacteria from teeth.

With advanced periodontal disease, however, a Houston periodontist needs to surgically remove the bacteria, which is so deep under the gum-line that it can’t be removed easily.

Most times, a procedure called open flap surgery is conducted to access the roots of teeth. The roots are where most of the bacteria are gathering, which causes adjacent tissue to become inflamed. By making small slits in the gums, the periodontist can peel back the gums to expose the roots and remove the bacteria.

Additionally, soft tissue grafts may be needed to restore damaged or destroyed gum tissue. The tissue is usually taken from the roof of the patient’s mouth, but guided tissue regeneration can sometimes stimulate the gum tissue cells to grow on their own.

Another major problem with advanced periodontal disease is that the bacteria may have reached and infected the bones of the jaw.

If this happens, the bones can become weak, causing teeth to fall out and other major issues. In order to treat this, the dentist will remove any pieces of bone that are infected and may apply a bone graft to stimulate healing.

Care After Advanced Periodontal Disease Treatment

All of the treatment methods for advanced periodontal disease treatment are uncomfortable. The patient will likely need a few days to recover. However, stopping the spread and reversing the damage of the infection can potentially save the patient’s life.

During the procedure, sedation dentistry can be used to reduce the sensation of pain and discomfort, but it may not eliminate it entirely.

The dentist does not want to cause the patient any pain, but unfortunately it may happen due to the severity and depth of the disease. After the surgery, the patient should rest at home for the rest of the day. Take any prescribed pain medications as directed to reduce discomfort while the mouth heals.

Avoid chewing or biting any hard foods for a while to prevent accidentally causing additional pain or loosening teeth. If any more problems arise after the surgery, contact your dentist immediately for a follow-up appointment.

Don’t Ignore the Signs: Early Periodontal Disease Treatment

Periodontal disease treatment in Houston can do more than improve the appearance of your gums. It can help reduce pain and possibly even save your life.

Nearly everyone will, at some point in their life, develop some form of gum disease. The severity of it varies, but some level is almost always guaranteed.

So how can you stop the spread of gum disease? Regular visits to your Houston dentist in the 77057 area can prevent the onset of a potentially horrible condition.

Early Stages of Periodontal Disease

The earliest signs of gum disease often go unnoticed or are passed off as nothing serious.

They start out with inflammation, redness, puffiness, and discoloration of the gums. Sometimes, patients may not even have any symptoms, or they may be so mild that they don’t pay any mind to them.

If you are experiencing these symptoms, visit your local Memorial Galleria area dentist. The only way to have gum disease properly diagnosed is to have it professionally examined.

Later Stages of Periodontal Disease

As the gum disease progresses, the symptoms may become more noticeable. The gums can change to a purple or bright red color, they may be very tender to the touch, and they can be very swollen. The gum line may also recede as the disease progresses.

By this point, the disease has progressed to a point where you will need a professional intervention from a Houston dentist to stop the spread of the disease.

Periodontal Disease Treatment in Houston

Treating periodontal disease in Houston relies on targeting the bacteria that causes the infection. A deep cleaning is required to remove the plaque and tartar that house the bacteria, even under the gum line.

The primary method used is scaling and root planning. Scaling literally scrapes the teeth clean of bacteria. It can be uncomfortable, so sedation dentistry may be used.

Root planning smoothes the roots of the teeth to remove any grooves that may have formed. These grooves become havens for bacteria as regular cleaning methods can miss them.

The best way to cure periodontal disease is to prevent it. Catching the signs early, especially in the gingivitis stages where it’s much more manageable, and proper oral hygiene will go a long way toward preventing gum disease from taking root.

The American Dental Association recommends that you visit your local Houston dentist every six months and to get x-rays done every 12 months. The regular visit will involve a visual examination and a cleaning to check for signs of gum disease and clear away ay bacteria that could pose a threat to developing gum disease.

X-rays can get a view below the gums finding other issues that could lead to gum disease such as an abscess in the gums. An abscess is full of infected material, and if it infects the surrounding tissue, periodontal disease can develop.

Periodontal Disease as a Result of Other Means

Sometimes periodontal disease can flare up even if the patient is good about their oral health care. Certain diseases like diabetes can cause gum disease. In fact, periodontal disease is one of the earliest symptoms of diabetes, which can help someone catch it very early on.

Certain medications can also cause gum disease. It’s important to share your medical history including prescriptions with your dentist so they can more accurately diagnose the source of gum disease and other issues.