Jan 07

Gum Gingival Disease

This Blog was posted by Clearview Dental – your Family Dentist in Milton, Ontario

Gum Gingival Disease

– A huge percentage of the world population suffers from gum diseases. But the majority of them are not even aware of the condition.

Did You Know That The #1 Cause For Adult Teeth Loss Is Gum Diseases?

-It is not easy for an average person to identify gum disease. They will notice it only when the tooth falls out. Most of them do not know that they have gum disease or the severity of their condition.

Are You Aware Of The Fact That HIV Infection Is Possible Through kissing among People With Severe Gum problems?

-There is new case of a woman getting infected with HIV virus after she kissed a man with AIDS, whom she was dating. As both of them were diagnosed with advanced gum disease, it is assumed that the virus was transferred through blood transfer occurred through their gums. More on this page

Do Your Gums Bleed Easily Whenever You Brush, Floss Or Use A Toothpick?

Are Your Gums Red Colored, Swollen Or Painful?

Is There Any Pus Coming From Your Gums When You Rub On Them Hard?

Are Your Gums And Teeth Receding Away From Each Other?

Do You Notice Any Change In The Way Your Teeth Joins Together While You Bite Or Chew On Food Items?

Are Your Teeth Looking Longer Than They Used To Be, Due To Receding Gums?

Are Your Teeth Becoming Loose?

Do You Suffer From Bad Breath?

Is There Any Difference In The Fit Of Your Partial Denture? Does It Still Fit The Same?

If the answers for any of the above questions are true in your case, then you may have gum problems. Get an appointment with your dentist and get your gums checked immediately. You may have to follow up on this with a few more appointments before you can bring the condition under control.

Complete check up of your gums and teeth are done with the help of X-rays, periodontal probing, visual evaluation etc. In case there is evidence of any bone loss, your dentist will request you to undergo surgical or non-surgical
periodontal treatment.

A periodontal probe is a tool to analyze the health of your gums. If you have a healthy gum line, periodontal probe is going to only measure up to 3 millimeter or less. Routine dentist appointments and following up on dentist’s suggestions would help you to maintain healthy gums.

You may find redness and swelling on your gums. There may be plaque and calculus build up near it too. Periodontal probe is measuring between 3 and 5 millimeters. Even in this situation, if there is no bone loss yet, complete
reversal of this condition is possible through proper medical care.

In severe cases where the condition become periodontitis, the plaque and tartar affects the roots of the teeth, the bone which is anchoring the teeth and the ligaments which are attaching the teeth on to the jaw. In this case, the
separation between the gums and the teeth will be further increased. Periodontal probe measurements will be greater than 5 millimeters and this space will be a good hiding spot for bacteria and plaque. If you get the right medical
attention, the condition can be prevented from further worsening.

In the worst case scenario, the plaque and bacteria would destroy most of the bone structure around your teeth. The area below your gum line as well as the root will be covered with calculus. Periodontal probe measurements will be
greater than 8 millimeters and the teeth will start to move whenever you bite some thing. You may start to lose your teeth any time now.

Maintaining Healthy Gums

Sticking to healthy oral care practices can help you to protect your teeth for a very long time. As, three out of every four adults are suffering from periodontal diseases. You must stick to your regular dentist appointments and any procedures suggested by the dentist like X-rays, cleanings etc. Cleanings like scaling and polishing are usually done once every six months. This may be changed due to health of your gums. The difference in acquiring stains and
calculus among different people can make changes in the frequency of procedures.

Regular brushing and flossing at your home is an integral part of maintaining healthy teeth and gums. Flossing is done after brushing, so as to remove any left out food particles between teeth. Any food particles left in your teeth or
gums can attract bacterial activity and can be reason for tooth decay or gingivitis. Ideally, you should brush after every meal. Brushing before going to bed is the most important one of these.

Scaling And Root Planing

Non-surgical treatments like scaling and root planning are initial treatments provided for patients with periodontal problems. In these procedures, the dentist will try to remove any plaque or calculus built in between the person’s
gums so as to avoid infection.

After applying a local anesthetic and numbing the patient’s gums, the dentist will remove any plaque or calculus built up between the gums. This procedure got its name, as it is similar to removing scales of a fish. If there is any hard
calculus left after hand scaling, the dentist will use ultrasonic vibrating tools to get rid of them. Next, planing is done so as to smoothen the rough surface created after scaling.

The dentist will perform planing on your teeth in a similar fashion as a carpenter planes wood after he makes any thing out of it. This will remove any possibility of irritation for your gums while they grow back. As the gums are no longer irritated by the calculus and plaque, they are bound to shrink and get tighter around your teeth. Bleeding gums can also be controlled or totally stopped through scaling and planing.

After these non-surgical procedures are completed, the gums are given time to completely heal. The dentist will use periodontal probe to see if the gum pockets have reduced back to normal levels. The ideal pocket length aimed by
your dentist would be any thing between one to three millimeters.

After Scaling And Root Planing

For many people suffering from periodontal problems, scaling and root planing can provide the desired results. As these procedures are potent in removing infection causing plaque and calculus, the risk of damage to near by tissues
would be gone. Another plus point for these treatments are the non-surgical nature of these. Most people are scared of surgical procedures. The effectiveness scaling and planing is at its best during the initial stages of
periodontal problems.

But the effectiveness of scaling and planing won’t last forever. Most people will have to repeat the process once in every two years or so. This is necessary to get rid of the calculus accumulated in the meantime.

Scaling and planing works the best during periodontitis, which is the name used for describing the initial and medium stages of periodontal problems.

Once the dental problems are in advanced stage and already caused extensive bone loss, you may have to go for surgical procedures to fix your problem.

Every one who undergoes surgical or non-surgical periodontal procedures must get their teeth cleaned as prescribed by their dentist. The ideal duration would be once every three to four months. This is a must for them to prevent their dental problems from coming back again.

As periodontal problems are bound to recur, follow up treatment from your dentist is a must. Otherwise, the condition will keep on coming back and will damage some more bone each time, until you may be forced to extract the tooth.

Non-surgical periodontal procedures like scaling and planing are supposed to make your gums healthier by removing the plaque accumulating pockets present near the teeth and thus reducing chances of infection.

Tobacco is a major contributor towards dental decay and ultimately leading to tooth extraction.  If you cannot
do without tobacco then make sure you follow a strict oral hygiene routine like brushing teeth at least 2 times a day and flossing the teeth.

Carry out dental bleaching and re-contouring whenever your dentist asks you to, it can reduce the severity of dental
decay in future.

Preventive Dentistry is always better than curing a dental disease.

Mar 24

Are You Afraid To Smile Because Of Crooked Teeth

There are few things that are going to be as important to your life, over the long term, as making sure that you have a good smile that you have taken care of. It’s important that not only do you do the work that you need to do at home to ensure that said smile will continue to be in good condition, but there is more to it than that. More about family dentist Milton, On here
First, consider what are the things that you mostly use to judge people when you meet them? The appearance is pretty high up on that list, without a doubt, and if you want to pretend otherwise you are either an idiot, someone who is being dishonest with themselves (and seriously, why would you do that, you don’t have to be dishonest with yourself. You can tell the truth to yourself if you can’t tell it to anyone else, or someone who has never lived somewhere that wasn’t filled with people just like yourself. A huge part, literally, one of the biggest parts that you are going to be basing the snap judgments that you make about people on, is the way that their face looks.orthodontic treatment - braces

This is just natural for humanity. We read a lot into facial expressions, which we combine with other things like the tone that someone is taking, and the way that they are standing, and their body language in general, and we combine this all together in order to figure out what amount of threat an individual represents. This makes the smile, and the teeth that makeup said smile, all the more important.

If your teeth aren’t as straight as they need to be, your dentist may recommend an orthodontist for you to visit. To begin with, this is a great way to get the smile that you desire, but getting a referral is also a good way to save a little bit of money and to make sure that, when you go to get your teeth treated and realigned, you won’t end up having to worry about someone doing a bad job. Trust me, referrals from professional medical personnel are far more trustworthy than those from, say, your local contractor (as a roofer, I know for a fact that referrals for contracting work are basically us ripping you off and kicking back a bit of money to the referrers). Here are just a few things that such a referral will give you access to.

1. Examination

The first thing that you are going to need to do is to get an exam in order to figure out what is going on with your teeth and what you can do in order to fix your teeth. They will look at your teeth, they will poke and prod your teeth, they will take dental x-rays, and they will basically do whatever they need to in order to identify both the issue at hand and the root issue as well. Likely, they will then suggest braces to correct orthodontic issues.

2. Standard Braces

The most common thing that they will use in order to fix the smile is standard braces. First brought into use in the early seventies, they have, since then, become the most popular method around the world for fixing crooked smiles. They consist of a series of metal pieces, placed into the mouth, which will then be used to provide the tension needed to fix the smile and to make sure that your teeth will be as straight as you could ever hope for them to be.orthodontics san antonio

3. Invisible braces

Of course, popularity doesn’t automatically equate to something being a great product or the best one of its group. In fact, I would argue that invisible braces like Invisalign are a much more preferential way to fix up the smile. The benefit of clear braces is that, unlike the other braces that you will be using, they are invisible, and this means that when put on the teeth, no one is going to know that you have an issue to begin with, and this is a huge improvement. Let’s face it, no one likes having braces in their mouth and having them be invisible is a huge step forward for the technology.

So, if you’re looking for a great way to fix up your smile, it’s about time that you consider what it is that your local professional orthodontist can do for you. You’ll be glad that you did when you have a smile that you can show off to the whole world.

Jan 27

Braces Can Seem Intimidating

Braces can seem intimidating whether you’re an adult or child, but orthodontic devices can be a permanent path to a healthy smile.

Studies have shown that more than 4 million Americans wear braces, and 25 percent of them are adults. While braces can improve your smile, a misaligned jaw or out-of-place teeth can lead to serious health complications.

The American Association of Orthodontists estimates that between 50 and 75 percent of the population, in general, could benefit from some form of orthodontic treatment. Very few of us are born with perfectly aligned teeth and jaws. Even those who were may suffer trauma that may require orthodontic care or may experience maturational changes, such as the crowding of lower bottom teeth. Orthodontic treatment is performed to help a patient develop a healthy bite.orthodontics

A healthy bite means that the top teeth and bottom teeth meet each other properly. Getting a healthy bite may require only moving teeth, but often it requires alignment of jaws. A healthy bite allows an individual to have a good function when biting, chewing, and speaking.

Orthodontic treatment also contributes to oral health and overall physical health. Left untreated, improperly aligned teeth (malocclusions) and jaws can wear down tooth enamel and lead to dental problems including cavities, gum disease, and tooth loss. Improperly aligned teeth are a breeding ground for plaque and bacteria, and crooked and crowded teeth make daily oral hygiene difficult. Properly aligned teeth are easier to clean and maintain.

Braces aren’t just for children. Adults are turning to orthodontists more than ever to correct their smiles, whether it’s a first time or for a tune-up.

Braces are simply one type of appliance — the formal name for a device used to move teeth, guide jaw growth or hold teeth in new positions — used in orthodontic treatment. The changes in orthodontic technology in the last several years are staggering. Orthodontic appliances today are generally less visible and work faster than appliances of a generation ago.

Braces are basically brackets and wires. Brackets are much smaller than they once were, and are glued to the fronts of teeth (called “direct bonding”) rather than the old way of encircling each tooth with a metal band, soldering the bracket to the band, and tying the archwire to the band with thin, fine wires. Besides being smaller, today’s brackets can be made of a variety of materials: stainless steel, tooth-colored ceramic or gold-plated metal.

The wires are the component of braces that do the work of moving teeth. They have improved, too. Wires keep their strength a longer time. They apply a continuous, gentle force on teeth to move them. Because wires last longer, fewer visits to the orthodontist are necessary.

Braces fall into the “fixed” appliance category and are the most common appliance used to move teeth. Generally, standard stainless steel braces give the orthodontist the greatest amount of control to move a patient’s teeth.

Brackets can be placed behind the teeth (called lingual treatment — an option for more than 25 years, but improvements in the brackets and wires used make this form of treatment more comfortable for patients than it used to be).

One way wearers can individualize their look is with the tiny rubber bands called ligatures. Many young patients enjoy choosing from a rainbow of colors to match clothing, school colors or favorite sports teams colors. Adults often select clear or lightly colored ligatures that draw less attention to braces.

Another option is self-ligating brackets made of stainless steel or ceramic to hold the wire in place. Patients who choose ceramic brackets may also be able to use tooth-colored wires that now have longer staying power and don’t stretch out and lose their strength.Orthodontist Braces

In addition to braces, a variety of other fixed appliances include palate expanders to widen the upper jaw, permanent retainers to hold teeth in place and appliances to control tongue thrusting (when the tongue repeatedly pushes against teeth, it can move the teeth out of place and cause the bone that holds teeth to be misshapen).

Clear aligners, which are made by at least seven companies, were introduced in 1999 by Align Technology/Invisalign.

The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that children have their first check-up with an orthodontist at the first recognition of an orthodontic problem, but no later than age 7.

We look forward to speaking with you about any or all of the treatment plans that we offer. They are sure to find the best fit for you and your family. Call for your Complimentary Consultation Today!