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Our goal is to develop a strong partnership with every patient. When you understand the importance of your dental health, we can help you maintain a healthy mouth, as well as treat the causes and symptoms of any dental condition.
We invite you to read our latest SmileLink newsletter and to check out our website often for new information, or contact our office with any questions or concerns. Working together, we can help you achieve a lifetime of healthy and attractive teeth and gums.
Featured Article |
SmileLink Articles |
When children are young, their baby teeth and permanent teeth are very vulnerable to decay. Tooth decay is this nation’s number one chronic childhood disease! If your child complains of a toothache, for example, we need to see him or her in our office right away. Dental pain is a warning sign that something is seriously wrong and should not be ignored. If the pain is caused by tooth decay and has destroyed the primary tooth’s protective enamel above the pulp chamber and entered the pulp, we can perform a pulpotomy.
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Having missing teeth is no laughing matter! They affect your dental health and your emotional wellbeing. Today’s implanted bridges are a vast improvement over yesterday’s technology and can offer you the perfect solution to fill an empty gap. An implant provides a strong, stable option to replace missing teeth. Your dental health is a measurement by which you engage in activities. If it hurts to bite and chew, you may not be getting the nutrition you need so that you have the energy and desire to live an active life. You may also shy away from engaging in conversation. Will you get that date invitation? Will you be chosen for that long-sought promotion?
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You could be one of the estimated 34,000 people in the U.S. who will be diagnosed with oral cancer this year. Sadly, only 52 percent of those people will survive more than five years. Why? Because oral cancer typically is diagnosed when it is in its late stages. Oral cancer’s worst enemy, and your best friend, is the VELscope, a small hand-held device that checks your soft oral tissues and shows us if you have cancerous cells in your mouth. The examination is not invasive and does not use radiation; nor does it cause pain or discomfort. You relax, sit back and open wide while we shine VELscope’s safe blue light in your mouth.
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Munchy, crunchy, gooey and chewy can be your child’s dental enemy and best friend. For kids bouncing through the door after school, unhealthy snacking has created a national dental epidemic. Tooth decay is the number one, chronic childhood disease that affects more than 50 percent of children from 5 to 17 years of age, and unhealthy snacks contribute to tooth decay. It’s not so much the snack that causes a problem; it is when the snack is eaten. Sugary foods are less harmful to your child’s teeth when they are eaten after a regular meal and your child brushes with fluoridated toothpaste afterwards, and here’s why.
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It might seem that we speak a mysterious language when we talk about your "malocclusion."
Mal occlusion means you have a bad bite. It prevents you from properly chewing because your teeth do not match up like they should. Malocclusion causes more than just dental problems.
Your bite is controlled by four factors.
1—Heredity: You and one of your parents share a dental characteristic, e.g., you both have front teeth that are not the same length.
2—Nerves and muscles: With malocclusion, a nerve does not activate and tell you to stop biting so forcefully, in turn, causing you to clench and grind your teeth. This can result in jaw joint pain. Jaw muscle tension can result in headaches, migraines, pain behind your eyes and sinus pain. It can also stress your neck, shoulder and back muscles.
3—Environmental factors: This refers to things you did as a baby. If you used a pacifier after you were three years old, the shape of the roof of your mouth may have been affected. Maybe you sucked your thumb beyond the age of five. Either situation can create jawbone space and size issues.
4—Posture: Try this: Hold your head upright, look straight ahead and close your teeth. Now, tilt your head back and close your teeth; you can feel the difference.
If you are experiencing any of the signs or symptoms mentioned, or another denta...