Category: Dental Information

Dental Information

What You Should Know Before You Get Braces on Your Teeth

Posted on by Marty

Are you going to get braces because you would like to straighten your teeth? If they are crooked, overlapping, or spaced out too much, getting braces is a great way to get your teeth to move from one position to the next until they officially become much straighter.

Although it is good to get braces, there are some things you should know before you have the braces put on your teeth. You should always know what to expect of the orthodontic procedure.

You Will Likely Need Spacers Beforehand

Most people need to have spacers placed between the teeth at least a week before getting their braces installed, but this will depend on whether the teeth are already spaced out or not.

If you have large gaps between your teeth, you would likely not need the spacers. The purpose of the spacers is to make some extra room for the metal brackets that you are going to have on your teeth.

You may feel a slight bit of discomfort with the spacers in the beginning, but that discomfort should subside within a day or two.

The Process Often Takes Over an Hour to Complete

The process of getting braces can take more than an hour to complete because there are certain steps that the orthodontist needs to follow. While molds are often taken during one of your first trips to see the orthodontist, you may still need to have additional molds taken after having the spacers removed.

It takes time to attach brackets to the teeth and seal them in place to make sure that they are not going to move around. Although the process can take some time, the orthodontist will make sure you are feeling comfortable the entire time.

The installation process will not hurt you.

You May Experience Some Discomfort After Getting Your Braces

After your braces are on your teeth, you may begin to experience a bit of discomfort or even some slight pain. It is normal to experience this type of pain because your teeth are going to begin shifting, even if you do not notice that they are moving from one spot to the next.

It takes time to see the difference that the braces are making, but you will begin feeling the difference in no time. The first few days are often the most challenging, but the orthodontist may recommend taking over-the-counter pain medication and eating soft foods for a bit to keep the pain at a minimum.

It is a good idea to eat gelatin, mashed potatoes, soup, or other soft food options that are not going to cause you any pain while you are biting down and chewing. Although the discomfort will eventually come to a stop, you may experience some pain each time you have your rubber bands adjusted, which is usually something you will need to have done at least once a month.

The pain from having the rubber bands adjusted will typically only last for around 24 hours or less.

You Will Need to Work Harder to Keep Your Teeth Clean

It takes more effort to keep your teeth clean when you have braces, but it is worth it. Food particles can easily get stuck between wires and brackets, so you should always bring special floss with you to use whenever you are planning to eat something.

Many people with braces like to use interdental brushes to get between their brackets and remove those bits and pieces of food that can easily get stuck.

Along with flossing more often to get rid of food, you should also consider switching to a mechanical toothbrush when you are brushing with toothpaste and using an anti-cavity mouthwash that is safe to use with braces.

If you are getting braces in the next few weeks, these are the things you should know about them beforehand.

Although it can take some time to get used to having the braces on your teeth, you should know that the orthodontic treatment is worth it because you will eventually have a beautiful smile with straight and healthy teeth.

Despite any discomfort that you might experience while having your braces, you will feel like it was the best decision you could have made by the time you have them removed.

Dental Information · Dentist's Tips

What Are The Different Types Of Dentists in Jacksonville And What Do They Do?

Posted on by Marty

When you are looking to choose a dentist, you want to be familiar with the different types that you have to choose from. Knowing the different types of dentists available on the market to choose from will put you in a much better position to identify the right one for your family. In this article, we will talk about some of the different types of dentists and what they do.

Different Types Of Dentists:

1. General Dentist.

This is a dentist that, much like a general practitioner, focuses on the overall comprehensive outlook of you and your family’s dental health. This is the most common type of dentist that you will find available on the marketplace.

A lot of their work revolves around preventative oral care which includes everything from dental cleanings, repairing damaged teeth, and keeping your gums healthy.

A general dentist Jacksonville is someone that you would regularly see every 6 months or so in order to get check-ups and regular cleanings. Seeing a general dentist is something that you will want to do on a regular basis. The only time you should need to go more than every 6 months, is if you or your family have special oral care needs.

A general dentist is going to be fully capable of providing you with proper analysis of your dental health and more. While general dentists are going to be fully capable of treating a lot of common conditions, if you are suffering from specific dental issues that might require the help of a specialist, they will generally refer you to the appropriate specialist that has additional education, training, and experience dealing with it.

2. Periodontist.

A periodontist is going to be someone that specializes in preventing, diagnosing, and treating a variety of gum diseases and issues that you might be faced with.

If you are someone and/or you have someone in your family dealing with significant gum issues or your general doctor refers you to a periodontist to get specialized care, you will be referred to a periodontist. They are going to be much more capable of providing you with the right preventative care and necessary grafting, procedures, and more to treat your gum disease. This is especially true if you are a much more advanced case.

Seeing a periodontist is something that you really want to do if you are dealing with serious gum issues because they will have the necessary training and specialization to ensure that you get the best care for your specific situation.

3. Orthodontics.

You will also find orthodontics in the same field. Orthodontists are those that are specialized in keeping your teeth and bite in the optimal position. They are fully trained and capable of providing you with the appropriate treatment needed to maintain healthy looking and feeling smiles in terms of the overall function of your mouth.

They will be able to install braces, help improve the composition of your bite, correct deformities, and more. You will want to see an orthodontist if you are dealing with crooked teeth or any serious issues that are negatively impacting your bite. They are going to be much more experienced and trained to help provide you with the best guidance.

4. Endodontist.

This is a doctor that specializes in the inner part of your teeth. Therefore, if you are dealing with issues that relate to the inner portion of your teeth, you are going to want to consider seeing an endodontist.

They will be much more capable of offering you the right treatment options and more for those that are dealing with anything ranging from trauma to decay that might be negatively impacting the inner portion of the tooth.

Overall, there are so many different kinds of dentists that you are going to want to consider seeing depending on what you are dealing with.

If you are simply looking for a dentist that can look after you and your family’s dental health, you are going to want to consider looking for a general dentist.

However, if your general dentist deems that you have specific issues associated with your teeth that need specialized care, you are going to want to seek out professional help. Therefore, it is ultimately going to come down to whether or not you have issues that you need to be handled by specialists or if you are able to go to a general dentist instead.

A general dentist should be fully capable of referring you to any specialist that you might need to seek treatment from because they will be trained to spot issues that you might have. Therefore, you generally want to go to a general dentist beforehand. That way, they can tell you whether or not you are going to need to seek treatment from someone that specializes in a specific field.

Dental Information · Oral Health

The Common Problems That Missing Teeth Cause

Posted on by Marty

Having one or more missing teeth might cause feelings of low self-esteem and make you feel self-conscious and embarrassed. In addition to the emotional trauma of a missing tooth, there are a number of other concerns and dangers associated with a missing tooth or teeth, which often results in significant health concerns.

1. TMJ Problems

People that have missing teeth, especially the molars, will often experience a shift in their original bite. This usually occurs on the opposite side of the missing tooth as the remaining teeth compensate for inabilities to chew properly on the side where the tooth is missing.

This usually results in jaw stiffness and pain that increases as time goes by and can develop into TMJ disorder. TMJ is a condition that causes the jaw to click or pop, pain, muscular headaches and can even start to limit how wide you can open your jaw.

2. Breeding Ground For Bacteria

You have probably already noticed on commercials for toothpaste and mouthwash, that most of the bacteria present inside your mouth is hidden in the areas that are harder to reach.

When you lose a tooth, the dark cavern which is left behind is the ideal space for bacteria to breed. This often results in gum disease, cavities, and decay.

You will probably also experience the issue of food becoming trapped or stuck in the spaces that are left behind from the missing tooth, which leads to issues such as bad breathe along with more bacteria growth.

3. Limited Diet

When you have a tooth that is missing, you may start finding it more difficult to eat certain types of food on that side of your mouth. This might start placing a limit on the type of food that you eat, especially when it comes to harder foods such as meat, nuts, and hard vegetables or fruit.

When you stop chewing in the area where the tooth is missing, this results in an increase in wear-and-tear when it comes to the other teeth in your mouth.

4. Shifting Teeth

Over time, the teeth that are next to the site where you lost a tooth will start to move into the spaces left behind. This might result in more gaps between the remaining teeth, and the shifting teeth might start twisting or tilting as they start shifting.

When this starts to happen, your eating abilities become further compromised, while the likelihood of developing TMJ also starts to increase.

5. Facial Changes

While some people attribute changes to the face with losing weight or getting older, when you start losing teeth these processes start to accelerate.

As bone loss in your mouth starts to increase, the width and height of the jaw bone start to decrease which can result in a number facial changes that include bite changes, your face height starts to decrease, and your chin might start moving forward.

6. Bone Loss

Bone strength is largely dependent on regular stimulation. The jaw bone holds the responsibility of supporting your teeth and stress and small vibrations caused by teeth contact makes sure the bone remains resilient and strong. It can be compared to muscles that get stronger when a person regularly works out.

When a tooth is lost, that areas in the jaw bone no longer receives these stressors and small vibrations, and the bone density starts to decrease which includes the height, width, and the overall bone volume.

In one year, many people experience up 25% of width loss in their jaw bone.
In 2 to 3 years after losing a tooth, the bone in this area can decrease by as much as 4 millimeters.

Bone loss is also associated with causing aesthetic problems, along with issues with pain, talking, and eating. If you carry on losing teeth, these problems become even more exasperated, with bone density loss that can result in fractures.

7. Low Self Esteem

A missing a tooth or teeth will make you feel uncomfortable when it comes to speaking or smiling when around other people. You might even start to speak differently, or even start avoiding social settings.

Treatment Options

Fortunately, today there are various options to treat missing teeth which can restore the normal functions of your mouth. Below are some of the common treatment options for missing teeth:

• Dental Implants

Dental implants are known as one of the most effective options. In most cases, an implant looks just like a natural tooth when it comes to both the function and appearance of the tooth.

• Bridges

Unlike the implants, a bridge is positioned using adjacent teeth as the anchor points. This is a less expensive option when compared to the implants, yet the bridges are not as long-lasting.

• Dentures

When you have lost most of the teeth in your mouth, dentures are the most cost-effective option. These come in partial or complete dentures, where they replace both the gum tissue and the teeth.

Hopefully, this gives you some important information in regards to the negative impact of leaving missing teeth untreated in your mouth. Our advice is not to delay in replacing missing teeth as the negative effects greatly outway the cost of replacing them.

Dental Information · Dentist's Tips

What Are Some Of The Benefits Of Getting Braces?

Posted on by Marty

Keeping your mouth completely healthy is one of the most important things that you will want to do in order to minimize complications that could result. Your mouth is said to be the gateway to your overall health. Because of this, it is even more important to remain on top of all of the important things you should be doing to sustain optimal dental hygiene.

That being said, if your teeth are far too crowded or you have other dental issues causing increased plaque buildup, food to get stuck in between your teeth, or something else, you might be climbing uphill as far as your dental hygiene is concerned.

For those with these issues, braces can be a complete ‘game changer.’ Below, we will be going over some of the most significant benefits of getting braces.

Benefits Of Getting Braces:

1. Prevent Gum Disease.

Perhaps the greatest benefit you will be able to get from getting braces when you need it would be the ability to prevent gum disease.

Those that have issues such as overcrowding or those that have crooked teeth might be dealing with significant barriers to effective dental hygiene. This alone can cause plaque buildup and issues that can result in increased complications with things like gum disease.

If you are looking to minimize the issues that you might be experiencing with gum bleeding and progressive gum disease, braces can help you get your teeth straightened out which can really improve your ability to clean your gumline well.

2. Prevent Cavities.

Another major benefit that you are going to be able to get from getting braces for your hygiene would be the ability to prevent cavities from forming.

Because you will be able to minimize the issues that you might be experiencing with overcrowding and other problems that can cause inefficiencies with your dental hygiene, you can really help to prevent cavities in the end.

By getting your teeth in a better position for proper brushing and flossing, you are going to be able to achieve a healthier overall mouth with fewer cavities.

3. Assist In Improving Digestion.

One of the benefits that braces can bring you that not many people even think about is the ability to help with digestion. Chewing your food is one of the first things that has to be done in order to get your food digested.

The issue is, those that do not have properly straight teeth or a functional bite might be unable to properly chew their food. Thus, they are forced to consume food that hasn’t been properly chewed which can really put a strain on the entire digestive system as a direct result.

By getting your teeth straightened out and by being able to properly chew your food, you are going to be able to digest your food much easier.

4. Help Your Bite.

Another major benefit that you will be able to get from getting braces that can correct issues with your teeth would be the ability to help optimize your bite. Having a bad bite is something that can really cause a lot of issues with the health of your teeth. Not only can it cause your teeth to improperly hit against one another which can lead to the grinding of your teeth, but it can also cause issues with your eating as mentioned above.

The problem is, by grinding your teeth against one another, you will cause enamel erosion. Along with this, you will cause bone loss, as well.

By correcting your bite, it is going to make your jaw sit much better and to be much more relaxed which can cause less grinding at night.

5. Improve Speach Abilities.

Believe it or not, but your bite or even your teeth being improperly positioned can cause issues with your ability to speak properly. If you are suffering from an open-bite, closed-bite, or crooked teeth, it might be causing you to be unable to speak as well as you should. This alone might be reason enough to consider braces for some.

Overall, there are so many different ways that getting braces can end up helping you. Whether you are someone that is dealing with bruxism and night time grinding due to having a bad bite or you are someone that has a lot of gum problems due to having improper teeth positioning, you will want to get the issues resolved by getting yourself braces because it will make it much easier to remedy the problems altogether.

Braces can really help you improve your smile and the overall health of your mouth in general. Because of this, you might want to consider braces for a variety of reasons as it can really make significant improvements to your dental health and hygiene.

Speak to your orthodontist in order to figure out if braces is something that you should be considering.

Dental Information · Dentist's Tips · Oral Health

What You Should Expect At A Dental Check Up

Posted on by Marty

Going to the dentist is very important. Everyone should be making it a priority to go to the dentist a minimum of two times per year. For those with issues, more visits might be necessary depending on your dental condition.

Getting the proper checkups throughout the year can really help you keep your dental health in check. Below, we will be going over some of the things that you should be expecting at a dental check-up.

What To Expect At A Dental Check-Up:

1. X-Rays.

One of the things that you are going to be expecting at a dental checkup would be x rays. Getting x rays completed during a checkup is typically recommended especially if you haven’t had one in a while. During these x rays, they will be checking for everything from jaw or bone problems, decay, cysts, and even tumors.

An x-ray will tell the dentist a lot about your dental health and it can help to spot issues that wouldn’t normally be able to be detected with the naked eye.

2. Full Examination.

Another thing that you should expect at a dental check-up would be a complete examination of the mouth. Your dentist will look through your entire mouth checking for signs of gum disease, tooth decay, and other common issues. They will be checking to see whether or not there are specific issues that might be cropping up that they could treat to prevent the issue from becoming an actual problem. This allows them to offer preventative measures and care for their patients.

They will typically come in at the end of your cleaning to see what the hygienist has to say about your teeth and the condition they were in. Also, they will ask you all kinds of questions and whether or not you are dealing with any pain or issues with your teeth.

3. Thorough Cleaning.

Most of all, you are going to be getting your teeth thoroughly cleansed. Checkups are a time at which you will have a dental hygienist or even your dentist perform thorough teeth cleaning.

During this, the hygienist will be using various state of the art instruments in order to scrape hardened plaque off of your teeth, below your gum-line, and more. They will likely polish your teeth and even floss your teeth to remove anything stuck between your teeth.

This is a necessary aspect of a dental checkup because you want to get any buildup that cannot be removed with your own toothbrush and flossing routine. Otherwise, the plaque buildup could lead to issues like tooth decay and even gum disease because it will provide food for bacteria to thrive.

Overall, there is a lot that you should be expecting from a dental checkup.

You want to be sure that you are investing in a checkup a minimum of twice per year. That way, you will be able to get your teeth thoroughly cleaned and avoid issues that can stem from having major plaque and tartar buildup.

By getting your teeth looked at twice per year and by getting the proper x rays, your dentist should be able to tell you whether or not you have to make changes to your oral health care routine and whether or not there are certain things that can be done to protect your oral health.

You want to go to the dentist to get a dental checkup anywhere from 3 to 6 months at a time if your teeth are healthy.

However, if you need to go back for further treatment due to having a cavity or for another reason, you will be making an additional appointment to handle it.