Mail-in braces have been a common commodity and have become a long-lived trend. However, it has become one of the most harmful trends available for children, teenagers, and young adults, hoping they can straighten their smiles. Mail-in braces are a good solution for dental care through the internet. However, they come with risks that can be both detrimental and even irreversible. These variants of braces can be particularly dangerous for children with misaligned teeth, and we’re to provide the reasons why we must avoid them at all costs.
Whether you’re taking your child to a pediatric dentist or you go to your orthodontist, they use methods that are backed by research and utilize safety steps to protect your or your child’s teeth during the alignment process regarding braces. During the alignment of a child’s teeth, their teeth will move gradually due to the shifting and pressure placed on their jaws and tissue structures within their mouth. Because of this, it’s known to be easier for children to straighten their misaligned teeth due to the ways that their body changes as they grow up.
With mail-in braces, they attempt to offer appealing advantages over going to a dentist’s office. These advantages include cost-effective braces, enhanced straightening capabilities, and more straightforward usage. In reality, mail-in braces cause far more problems than braces provided and installed by a dentist, as they don’t use the proper safety steps, leading to restricted teeth movement, which presents a much higher risk to your child’s teeth development.
Due to the risks that mail-in braces can and have created, those seeking solutions must visit their dentist before deciding on any treatment options. A dentist can provide safe solutions for oral health that will benefit both you and your children in the long run in both a healthy and financial outcome without running the risk of potentially damaging you or your children’s teeth.
In their youth, teaching our children about dental health is vital. Before the first primary tooth grows, we must prepare to guarantee the child’s oral health. Once the first tooth arrives, we must ensure that this tooth remains as healthy as possible before it is replaced with its adult counterpart. While these are temporary, known as baby teeth, they remain crucial parts of our children’s development processes. They ensure that the jaw develops appropriately, guiding it, so there’s enough room for all the adult teeth soon to come. To maintain the healthy growth of our children’s teeth, we must provide them with a foundation of reliable dental hygiene.
When teaching our children the importance of oral hygiene, they must know what they need to do, how often it needs to be done, and how to care for their teeth properly. When it comes to our children, nothing speaks louder to them regarding being taught about something, especially hygiene, than making them feel heard and answering any questions they might have regarding their oral health. It may seem unimportant to answer repetitive questions from our children. However, every time you answer their questions, the answer becomes more ingrained in their minds, creating a motivation behind their choices towards their oral health. These are some techniques you can use to aid your child’s healthy oral habits.
Dentists spend years assisting families like ours to develop integral oral hygiene routines as an essential part of their careers. They stay up to date with the latest info in oral hygiene and health, ensuring that this information is given to their patients. They can also aid us in choosing the appropriate oral hygiene products for our families and ensuring that our children’s choices are the best they can make.
How others perceive us has been a core of human culture since the beginning of history. The specifics of how we “should” look to meet the current social norms have changed as often as the weather. The invention of the internet has made our appearance seem all the more critical, especially for those born to it. With Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook, and Twitter providing an ongoing march of ever more polished and filtered images, our view of reality can quickly become distorted. With so many people using social media to communicate with those they care about all over the world, it’s hard to remain unaffected.
Selfie culture is one of the most notable driving forces behind the rise of social dysmorphia. Selfie culture is the compulsive sharing of images of ourselves through various social media channels. Through these images, we create an impression of how we look and our lives are. In many cases, the images and the description of our lifestyle are misleading and flat-out fabricated at worst. One of the driving forces behind these manipulations is a desire to be well-perceived by others and even envied. However, this has led many people of all ages to develop a misguided view of a healthy and natural appearance.
This has led to the rise of a mental health concern known as smile dysmorphia. Smile dysmorphia is the perception that our smiles are unhealthy, unattractive, or somehow flawed despite none of these things being true. This is often the cause of deep insecurity in those suffering from this condition. These individuals will seek out cosmetic dental care that is unnecessary. In the worst cases, they’ll go to extremes to reach that ideal smile and appearance.
Those with smile dysmorphia often seek treatments such as the following:
One essential part of battling smile dysmorphia is building a good relationship with your dentist. As a dental health professional, you can rely on their assessment of your smile. They’ll offer healthy and effective treatment options to help you meet your aesthetic dental concerns without putting your oral health at risk. Call for a consultation today!
Every time you go to your dentist, they take pains to help ensure you’re healthy. One quiet service they provide is scanning their patient’s oral cavities for cancer. Oral cancer occurs in many forms and is treatable if caught early. For this reason, checking for this disease is an important part of every dental visit.
Several indicators are on your dentist’s watchlist as they perform a standard dental exam. Oral cancer can appear in your throat, cheeks, tongue, and gums. Any of the membranes within your mouth can be a place where this condition can form. Signs of discoloration are one of the earliest indicators your dentist is on the watch for. However, lesions that aren’t healing properly, polyps, and other sores can also indicate something is amiss. When oral cancer is suspected, your dentist may request one of the following tests:
In addition to the above tests, your dentist may order CAT scans, MRIs, or additional x-rays to reach a conclusive diagnosis. The information these tests provide can help direct your medical providers toward effective treatment options. These tests will reveal the aggressiveness of cancer, the degree to which it has progressed, and how far it may have spread.
If you find yourself worrying about the presence of oral cancer, reach out to your dentist or primary care provider. These cancers are those that can be effectively treated in their earliest stages. As a result, you must remain vigilant about their presence. Your dentist or primary care physician will address any concerns you have, and tests will be done to determine if there’s any need to worry. If oral cancer is detected, they’ll coordinate in developing a treatment plan with you that will give you the greatest chance of becoming a cancer survivor.
Modern dentistry has made loads of progress over the last ten years. For cosmetic dentists, more smiles are becoming seamless in their appearance with the help of dental restorative materials. People with cavities, gum disease, crooked teeth, and discoloration can quickly get treatment from their dentists for their health and well-being. Using a combination of skills and techniques, cosmetic dentists can match tooth shades to the shade of your smile, making all restorative procedures appear flawless. Tooth reshaping is just one aspect of dentistry that’s less often talked about, and we’re here to provide some essential insight into what it means and how it’s done.
Tooth reshaping methods have significantly expanded over the last few years, with many cosmetic dentists working with valuable tools of their trade to provide their patients with immeasurable results. People seeking cosmetic treatments often look to restore their smile to its natural appearance because, in most cases, people are faced with constant issues with their oral health. Problems such as misshapen teeth, dental decay, chipped teeth, and gummy smiles pervade everyone, and while many of these problems are cosmetic, these issues can easily fall into the realm of oral disease.
Tooth reshaping is just one of the many ways that cosmetic dentists can work to correct those issues. Tooth reshaping uses bonding materials to contour the teeth, removing signs of unevenness, chips and cracks, and minor signs of misalignment. This procedure works as a cost-effective option for people looking to restore the appearance of their teeth without the significant investments involved with other treatments, including dental implants and crowns. While this procedure is normally used for those with mild cases of trauma and after-brace treatment, it’s a simple and easy method of correcting minor imperfections through the following ways:
Oral diseases and dental trauma needs to be corrected and prevented at all costs. Still, regardless of the underlying causes of those issues, dentists all over working with cosmetic treatment options can help provide their patients with the support and services they need to maintain proper hygiene and have a healthy smile.
We all know that childhood is an important developmental period. During this time, we are making emotional, physical, and mental advances that will impact us throughout the rest of our lives. Our mental and emotional development will aid us in our approach to the world. Our physical development can have an impact on our health as adults. One area of development that is essential is our dental health. Even though our primary teeth will pass as we get older, they play an important role here. They impact the development of our jaw, impacting our adult smiles’ appearance and health. This makes caring for them essential to our oral health throughout our lives.
To experience good oral health for our entire lives has to start with taking care of our teeth as children. This starts with a comprehensive oral hygiene routine that includes flossing, brushing, and using mouthwash. While these steps can help keep tooth decay at bay, it’s essential to know how to identify it in case it begins to appear.
The first step of tooth decay is the appearance of white blemishes on the surface of our teeth. These white blemishes indicate areas where the enamel has begun to soften. This softening results from demineralization and makes those areas vulnerable to the onset of decay. There are restorative steps we can take to help stop decay in its tracks. We must do it, as there is no way to restore lost enamel. When the only damage is white spot lesions, there are things we can do to address it.
Even with these options, a consistent oral hygiene routine is the most effective tool in your toolkit. However, you must teach your children to brush their teeth properly. Visits to the dentist can help you identify problem areas and take steps to correct your children’s brushing habits.
While tooth decay and white spot lesions are among the most common oral health concerns, gum disease is second. You can identify gum disease by looking for puffy, irritated gums. They’ll often be red and tend to bleed when brushed. Early in the development of gum disease, it can be fairly easy to correct. When it advances to periodontitis, there is a greater cause for concern. Consult your dentist for proper steps to take to manage it.
There has been a growing dedication to patient education in the annals of the medical industry. The idea that the patient should merely trust to doctor to know what’s best for their health has passed. Today’s patients are active in their healthcare, wanting to understand the treatments and how they may help. Medical professionals have discovered that an involved patient aids the treatment and results in greater satisfaction. Dentistry is among those industries that have seen the benefit of patients being active in their care.
Traditional braces most often come to mind when thinking of orthodontic appliances. They are three components that work together to produce the desired results. While they have been a central part of orthodontic care for generations, patients often don’t understand how they work. The principles that drive traditional braces are relatively simple. Their components apply pressure to the teeth precisely, adjusting them into a final position and restoring proper occlusion or bite. The jawbone softens and hardens throughout the process, allowing the teeth to move and securing them in place.
There are three physical parts involved in this process, including:
These components are placed and adjusted using the skill of the dentist. In addition to the jawbone responding to treatment, so does the periodontal membrane. This membrane covers the jawbone beneath the gums and aids in securing the teeth in place. It too will adjust to the pressure applied before strengthening to hold them in place.
Your dentist will always be willing to discuss your oral health details with you. They’ll detail the procedure and how the body responds to the treatment. They’ll let you know what to expect in the process. It’s important to take an active role in your healthcare, so don’t hesitate to ask them any questions you may have.
As we age, some changes inevitably happen with our teeth. Aging brings out a variety of oral health concerns, but with consistent and proper care, many people can maintain their smiles for life. A good, healthy smile starts with oral hygiene, but there are more ways that your oral health can be taken care of, and that’s through visiting your dentist to address your health concerns. But often, one of the biggest mistakes often made is avoiding our dentists or being negligent with our oral health. Here’s why we emphasize the importance of maintaining our oral health and what you can do to take care of it.
While there’s no presently available way to eliminate all factors involved with aging, many of the age-related concerns we face with our oral health can be avoided. Although our oral health does decline as we get older, one of the problems faced by seniors and receiving oral care is the lack of access to essential resources, including information about dental treatment options for seniors. Leaving poor oral health in place can only worsen the conditions faced and create long-term problems that can impact your quality of life.
However, there are key changes that occur as we age that partake greatly in our oral health and how oral health conditions form. These changes include:
Many of these issues commonly contribute to poor enamel strength, tooth decay, and other health problems. Alongside this, factors such as dementia, carpal tunnel syndrome, and poor nutrition can affect your ability to engage and interact with your oral health. But through receiving dental care, many of these problems can be treated and managed. Finding resources for treatments such as bridges, dental implants, and cosmetic bonding procedures can help address concerns you experience while aging, and if you struggle to find ways to treat your oral health, speaking with your primary dentist can be helpful as they can provide payment alternatives and financing plans to give you the treatments you need. For more information, contact your dental provider to learn more about how to care for your oral health.
Every medical provider enters their field with one goal driving them. That goal is the desire to help their patients by delivering the best care possible. What this means can change from field to field. In the dental field, it means more than maintaining good oral health. It also means ensuring their results are attractive, resilient, and affordable. One way they reach this goal is by ensuring that they’re using the most effective tools and materials available to them. One such piece of equipment is Cone-Beam Computer Tomography or CBCT. This digital imaging device produces results that are far better than previous technologies, and it’s changing how endodontic care is performed.
Root canal treatments, or RCTs, are the most well-known endodontic procedures. While this procedure has become fairly routine, it remains challenging to perform. The narrowness and twisting natures of the titular root canals made it difficult to ensure they had eliminated the infection. Some of these canals were so narrow they were challenging to impossible to identify with the naked eye. Even the magnifying technology before modern innovations had difficulty finding all the hidden canals. CBCT technology has changed all that.
CBCT technology uses a new form of imaging known as digital imaging. Digital imaging has been around for the past couple of decades. However, CBCT represents a leap forward in imaging technology. Quick, easy, and painless, this device takes hundreds of pictures in a few seconds. Thanks to the swing arm to which it’s attached, it’s able to take numerous angles throughout the process. The result is a comprehensive 3D view of the oral cavity in a high-detail. Through this new imaging process, dentists can better identify concerns in the tooth, including root canals that would have formerly been missed.
CBCT Technology provides:
In addition to the CBCT technology, another device has been introduced. This device makes it possible to take a full mouth scan to create an impression. Previously, impressions involved the use of messy alginates. The impressions produced using this new technology are of higher quality, result in better fits, and involve less mess and discomfort for the patient.
Your dentist is always watching for the latest technology to improve their care standard. While not every innovation will make it into their office, the ones that do make a difference. Speak to your dental provider to learn about the equipment they’re using. They’ll help you understand how it’s improving your care and your future plans. Call and schedule your next bi-annual appointment today!
A trip to the dentist can be a terrifying experience for those with dental anxiety. Those suffering from this condition can become nervous at the mere mention of dental care. When it comes to an actual visit, the fear can be paralyzing. The severity of response varies from patient to patient and on the treatment being performed. Introducing the dental laser has made receiving dental care more pleasant for everyone. Those with dental anxiety may benefit most from the traditional rotary drill passing from daily use in more dental clinics.
Even for those without dental anxiety, knowing they need to be treated using a dental drill can be worrisome. The reason for this anxiousness is due, in part, to the signature traits of this tool. Its high-pitched whine can excruciate the ear, and the vibrations it causes during use can be uncomfortable even under sedation. Those with dental anxiety have reported that the shrill sound of the drill alone can be enough to cause a panic attack. This means that going to see the dentist can be a harrowing experience, even if they aren’t the ones being treated.
These traits have made the dental laser such an amazing innovation in the dental industry. The laser is nearly silent, emitting a soft pulsing sound during operation. This sound has been reported as being soothing to the patient. Even those with dental anxiety have stated that this sound helps ease some of their anxiety. There are also no vibrations with the dental laser, meaning that the entire operation is free from pain and sensation. You can find a list of the benefits of this tool below:
The dental laser has also been used for cosmetic procedures, which is where it got its start. Over time the tool was refined and improved for use in other treatment types. Today it’s used to eliminate gum disease and dental decay. It can accomplish these tasks quickly, quietly, and with better results.
Every year we see how dental technology is improving the way that dentists provide treatment for their patients. Dental lasers can reduce the amount of time needed to perform complicated procedures thanks to their precise nature. They can get into areas that you may otherwise miss and automatically cauterize treatment areas as they eliminate decay. This all contributes to shorter recovery times, reduced discomfort, and a limited chance of complications with procedures performed in this way. Reach out to your dental provider to determine what services they offer at their clinic that are enhanced by dental laser treatments. Call and schedule your consultation today.