Category Archives: General

Crowns and bridges……To be continued

Bridges and crowns are fixed prosthetic devices that are cemented onto existing teeth or implants, by a dentist or prosthodontist. Crowns are used most commonly to entirely cover or “cap” a damaged tooth or cover an implant. Your dentist may recommend a crown to:

  • Replace a large filling when there isn’t enough tooth remaining
  • Protect a weak tooth from fracturing
  • Restore a fractured tooth
  • Attach a bridge
  • Cover a dental implant
  • Cover a discolored or poorly shaped tooth
  • Cover a tooth that has had root canal treatment
  • Gaps left by missing teeth eventually cause the remaining teeth to shift resulting in a bad bite. This can also lead to gum disease and TMJ disorders. Bridges are commonly used if you’re missing one or more teeth. They cover the space where the teeth are missing and are cemented to natural teeth or implants surrounding the space.

Types of Dental Crown Materials
There are four different types of materials used for dental crowns:

  1. All ceramic (porcelain-based).
  2. Porcelain fused to metal
  3. Base metal alloys

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Know more about Toothaches

Toothaches are one among the foremost common dental issues and are easily treated after proper diagnosis. the sooner that the toothache is diagnosed, the higher the prospect of saving the tooth.

Toothache Symptoms:-
Common toothache symptoms include the following:
• Sharp or throbbing pain within the tooth constantly, or when applying pressure to the tooth
• Swelling in or round the gums or jaw
• A fever or headache
• A bad taste, sometimes amid foul-tasting drainage and fluid

Prevention of toothaches:-

If the root exposure is not severe, try using a special toothpaste formulated for sensitive teeth that contains fluoride and other minerals.

The best way to manage root sensitivity and to prevent gum disease with a consistent oral health care program of twice-daily tooth brushing and daily flossing. Try a soft bristle toothbrush to avoid irritating your gums, which can increase the risk of root exposure and sensitivity.

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Toothaches……To be continued

Toothaches are one among the foremost common dental issues and are easily treated after proper diagnosis. The sooner that the toothache is diagnosed, the higher the prospect of saving the tooth.

Causes of Toothache:-

Toothaches have many causes, from gum disease to jaw clenching, but tooth root sensitivity can also cause a toothache.

The tooth root includes the lower two-thirds of the tooth, and it is usually buried in the jawbone. But when gum disease develops, the bacteria that cause the disease can also dissolve the bone around the tooth root. The combination of dissolved bone and receding gums means that more of the tooth root is exposed. Without protection from healthy gums and healthy bone, the root often becomes sensitive to hot and cold and to sour foods.In some cases, the sensitivity is so severe that you may avoid very hot, cold or sour foods.

Other common cause:-
Toothaches may result from a spread of causes, including the following:
• Tooth decay: the destruction or damage of the tooth, including the outer coating (enamel) or the inner layer (dentin) of the tooth
• Abscessed tooth: a tooth that has an infection in or around it
• Damaged filling: in some cases, an old amalgam filling must get replaced because it’s wearing out or chipped
• Gum infection: redness and soreness within the gums from improper oral hygiene or food stuck in gum tissue
• Grinding of teeth: the rear and forth movement of the upper and mandible that causes them to rub against one another
• Repetitive motion: a repeated action, like chewing gum, for long periods of your time

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Tooth Abfraction

 

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Abfraction lesions on teeth are small notches caused by stress (forces) on your teeth. Biting, chewing, clenching and grinding put pressure on your teeth. Over time, this pressure can cause cracks and splits in the outer layer of your teeth near the gum line. Such lesions are fairly common in adults. Older adults are especially likely to have them. They occur more often in the back teeth, called premolars and molars. But they can occur in the front teeth as well and appear as V-shaped or wedge-shaped notches.Abfraction lesions don’t usually hurt but if the deeper layers of the tooth are involved, sensitivity might occur. These lesions do not heal over time. Some may worsen, and if left untreated, can cause the tooth to fracture. In order to prevent this, your dentist might recommend fillings of these lesions. This will not only strengthen the tooth, but also decrease the sensitivity if present.

Tooth Abrasion

 

Tooth-Abrasion

Abrasion is the loss of tooth structure by mechanical forces from a foreign element. Brushing regularly is considered vital for healthy teeth and gums, but be warned, you cannot overdo a good thing. The people most at risk for tooth or gum damage from over-brushing are those who are very particular about their oral care but use faulty brushing techniques. Also in people who use medium- or hard-bristled toothbrushes or excessive pressure while brushing. Tooth abrasion can also be caused as a result of a combination of both these factors.

Vigorous brushing can wear down the enamel on the teeth as well as damage and push back the gums, exposing the sensitive root area. This can then lead to other dental problems such as gum disease and cavities on the roots of the teeth which may then require treatments such as fillings or root canals. To put it simply, brushing technique is vital to ensure cleanliness of teeth and you’re not going to achieve any extra benefit by brushing hard.

 

Supernumerary tooth

 

"Supernumerary premolar teeth may be defined as extra teeth occurring within thedental arch. It  can occur as singles, multiples, unilaterally or bilaterallyand in the maxilla, the mandible or both. Supernumerary premolar teeth in the mandible are rare.  Usually the teeth are unerupted and may have no effect on the developing dentition.However, in some cases they may lead to impaction, cyst development and root resorption of the adjacent permanent teeth."

A supernumerary tooth lying among, lingual to, or buccal to the maxillary or mandibular molars. Paramolar is a developmental anomaly and has been argued to arise from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Supernumerary teeth can be found in almost any region of the dental arch. They are most frequently located in the maxilla. The crowns of supernumerary teeth may show either a normal appearance or different atypical shapes and their roots may be completely or incompletely developed.

 

 

Know about Dental Implants

 

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  • Anyone can get dental implants.

Fact: Not everyone require dental implants. For dental implants, it is important to have healthy bone tissue in the mouth for the implant. A qualified dentist can figure this out.

  • Dental implants are painful.

Fact: Under local anesthesia, the patient undergoes a very comfortable procedure.

  • Dental implant titanium causes migraine or headache.

Fact: There are no clinical studies which prove this. In addition to this, the headache felt after the procedure might be due to patients having TMJ disorder or opening mouth wide.

  • Dental implants are ineffective.

Fact: Dental implants have history of over forty years. And, the researches show that dental implants have approximately 95% success rate.

  • Dental implants are quite high-priced.

Fact: When you think about dental implants to restore your missing teeth, the initial investments provides huge benefits over a period of time compared to other treatment alternatives available.

Take care of your oral health

Your oral health is more important than you might realize. The compartmentalization involved in viewing the mouth separately from the rest of the body must cease because oral health effects general health by causing considerable pain and suffering and in turn the overall well being.

1)Heart disease:- Studies have shown that people with moderate or advanced gum(periodontal)disease are more likely to have cardiovascular disease or heart disease than those with the healthy gums.

2)Lung Disease:- The same bacteria can also travel to the lungs , causing infection or aggravating existing lung conditions.

3)Organ Transplant:-Organ transplant patients defense system functions poorly due to heavy medication. The patient’s mouth must be completely healthy before and after organ transplantation .All infections of dental origin are potentially fatal when the body’s own defense system is suppressed.

4) Diabetes:- There is also a link between diabetes and gum disease .People with diabetes are more susceptible to gum disease. They should get there oral prophylaxis every six months.

5) Pregnancy:-During pregnancy ,hormonal changes may increase the risk of gingivitis ,or inflammation of the gums. Symptoms include tenderness, swelling and bleeding of gums. Without proper care, these problems may become more serious and can lead to gum disease.

Visiting a dentist regularly can help you maintain your oral health. A dentist’s exam may defect poor nutrition and hygiene, as well as provide clues to  your overall well-being.

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Post and Core

A post and core crown is a type of dental restorstion required where there is an inadequate amount of sound tooth tissue remaining to retain a conventional crown. A post is cemented into a prepared root canal, which retains a core restoration, which retains the final crown.

When deciding whether or not a tooth requires a post and core crown rather than a conventional crown, the following must be established.

  1. Presence of adequate tooth structure
  2. Sufficient length of canal to retain a post
  3. Curvature and overall anatomy of root canal system
  4. Sufficient root (radicular) dentine thickness for post preparation
  5. Restorability of tooth

Structure

A post and core consists of two parts :

  • The post

The post is a small rod, usually metal, that is inserted into the root space of the tooth and protrudes from the root a couple of millimetres. The post is then used to hold the core or a filling in place.

Because the post is inserted into the root canal, a post and core can only be made for a tooth that has had root canal treatment.

 

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The core

The core replaces missing tooth structure in preparation for making a new dental crown. The core is then utilized to hold a dental crown in place.

 

Why are post and cores needed ?

A great deal of a dental crown stability depends on the amount of tooth structure that extends into its interior. If very little tooth structure occupies this space, the crown will be easily dislodged, especially by forces directed at its side.

Basically, the core is rebuilding the tooth so it is closer to its original dimensions. Hence, the crown’s stability will greatly increase, and therefore its long-term chances for success are maximized.

Flossers and its types

Using a Flosser

If you don’t like reaching into the back of your mouth, or if you are helping a child or elderly parent with oral hygiene, a flosser may be the right product to meet your flossing needs. A flosser is, in simplest terms, a piece of dental floss on a handle. Many types of flossers are available, and any of them will help promote oral health when you use them properly to clean between and around teeth. Which flosser you choose comes down to personal preference, but look for a model with a long handle for easier holding and a compact head that makes it easier to reach behind the back teeth—a particularly tricky spot to clean.

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 Flosser Type

Some flossers are totally disposable and others have disposable, refillable heads. You can also buy flossers that have specially designed handles with no-slip grips to make them even easier to hold. Some flossers have an area that works as a tongue scraper, and others come in small sizes with child-friendly designs.

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