The term cosmetic dentistry pertains to the enhancement of a smile through various restorative techniques typically used by local dentist office providers. Although its main focus is on aesthetics, many cosmetic procedures also improve the overall function of the mouth, such as speech patterns and mastication. In addition, a beautiful smile boosts the patient’s self confidence and poise.
Because of continuous advancements in technology, an array of cosmetic dentistry procedures can be performed to correct the teeth that have been chipped, fractured, stained or misaligned due to trauma, poor nutritional choices or genetics.
Tooth Bleaching
Perhaps the least invasive method of smile improvement recommended by a cosmetic dentist is tooth whitening or bleaching. The procedure is painless to the patient. Depending on the severity of the present staining, it can dramatically enhance the appearance of the teeth. Tooth bleaching requires periodic re-applications and can be maintained by proper oral care at home and changing individual eating and drinking habits.
Composite Restorations (Bonding)
By bonding durable tooth-colored material, the cosmetic dentist is able to restore the tooth structure lost because of decay or fractures. The composite compounds are also used to close small diastemas (spacing between teeth) or minor cracks. Due to the porosity of the material, the restorations may have to be occasionally replaced as they wear down.
Porcelain Veneers
More durable than composite and made of ceramic ingredients, the veneers are implemented when significant aesthetic discrepancies are present. They can only be applied within the anterior region of the mouth and considerably improve the patient’s smile. The shade of the ceramic restorations closely mimics the natural hue of the existing teeth.
Tooth Reshaping
Minimally invasive, this method is used for slightly misaligned teeth or dentition that could benefits from minute redesign. It is sometimes combined with bonding for better functional value.
Crowns and Bridges
Numerous types of materials are used in this type of restorations and depend on the location and function of the tooth in the oral area. All-ceramic crowns are often placed on anterior teeth. Porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns are placed on posterior teeth as they provide added strength and durability needed for chewing and speaking. Dental bridges effectively replace missing teeth and have long-term prognosis.
Local dentist office professionals always offer full explanation of each option and guide the patient through the process with their skills and knowledge. New materials and techniques are continually developed, and the patients are encouraged to schedule their initial consultation to learn more.
Tooth extractions can be a slightly uncomfortable and necessary experience at a local cosmetic dentist office. Even if you brush and floss your teeth regularly, your dentist might find that an extraction is needed to maximize your health. Teeth removal can occur for a variety of reasons. You may not always be able to control the reasons behind the removal. Extractions don’t always cause pain. In fact, modern dentistry has removed most of the pain and discomfort associated with extractions.
Visit a local dentist if you think you might need an extraction. An examination of your teeth might reveal the need for an extraction for the following reasons.
1. Decay
The most common cause for an extraction is decay. Some cavities are so bad that they can’t be filled or saved any other way. The entire tooth must come out for the health of the rest of the mouth. Some people are more susceptible to tooth decay than others. It may not be enough to brush and floss. Regular dental visits can help you keep your mouth healthy, but you might also find out that your teeth need to be removed due to decay.
2. Crowding
Crowding is a common problem when children get their adult teeth. Some of the baby teeth might stubbornly prevent the adult teeth from growing in correctly. Teeth removal would be necessary in this case to ensure the future health of the child’s mouth. The adult teeth must grow in correctly so that the child develops a strong, straight smile. Once the adult tooth grows in after the baby tooth is extracted, braces may become necessary. If the dentist suspects the child’s teeth are crowding, then a removal might be required.
3. Damage
A cosmetic dentist can only do so much to repair damaged teeth. Tooth extractions often occur for people who suffered damage to their teeth. Injuries from sports, fights, car accidents, and other incidents can make extraction necessary. Damaged teeth often need to be removed from the gums. They can cause additional damage and infections if they aren’t promptly removed. Tooth extractions can help the rest of your teeth avoid further damage.
If you suspect you need teeth removal, contact a local cosmetic dentist today. The office can help you create an appointment that fits your needs and your schedule. Don’t delay with your need for a tooth to be extracted. It’s much better to have these teeth taken care of as soon as possible.
Since the introduction of the power toothbrush in the 1960s, this tool has undergone many technological advances, from design and bristle motions to rotation oscillation and sonic vibration.
What is rotation oscillation? That’s when the head of the toothbrush alternately rotates in one direction and then the other. Power toothbrushes can deliver up to 50,000 strokes per minute, which is much more effective than the average 300 strokes per minute with a manual toothbrush.
A smaller brush head is available for hard-to-reach areas, which is a good alternative for small mouths. The brush heads are replaceable and should be changed every three to six months. Each family member should have his or her own brush head while sharing the base motor. What a great deal! Check the handle size. A large handle is better for members of the household with arthritis, children, or family with other physical disabilities.
A rechargeable toothbrush is ideal. It should deliver enough power on a full charge for one week of brushing.
We recommend you brush for a minimum of two minutes. Some electric toothbrushes include a signal you can hear, such as a beep every 30 seconds, to indicate it’s time to switch to a different area of the mouth. Others sound an alert after the full two minutes has elapsed.
Will an electric toothbrush harm the teeth or gums? Studies indicate that people tend to apply more damaging pressure to their teeth and gums during manual brushing than when they use an electric toothbrush. If you experience tooth sensitivity, choose a model with pressure sensors that stop the toothbrush any time you press too hard.
Who would benefit from an electric toothbrush? Everyone! Consumers with a physical disability may have specific needs that power toothbrushes can address. Children also tend to maintain better oral health hygiene when they use an automatic toothbrush. Plus, many of them find it fun to brush!
Automatic toothbrushes really do remove debris better than the old-fashioned way. You may have heard the term “biofilm.” Better known as plaque when it occurs in the mouth, biofilm is the debris and bacteria that cause infections to your teeth. It regenerates quickly; so healthy habits are the best defense for a healthier you! With a healthier mouth, you face a lower risk of gum disease and other conditions like heart disease: mouth health has been linked to heart health.
When you’re ready to make your decisions, be a wise comparison shopper. Consult with our team at our Uptown Charlotte dentist office to decide what is best for you!
Xylitol is a naturally occurring sweetener found in tree bark, plants, fruits, and vegetables. The human body also produces it in small amounts. It looks and tastes like sugar, so as part of a health regimen, most people require no willpower to use it.
Xylitol is safe (approved by the World Health Organization) because only a small amount is needed for health benefits. With a glycemic index of seven, it is safe for diabetics. It has less than three calories per gram and 40% fewer calories than other carbohydrates. If eaten in extremely large amounts too quickly, it has a laxative effect in humans.
Tooth decay happens when bacteria in your mouth consume the sugars you eat. When you eat food that contains ordinary sugar, it gives energy to the bacteria on your teeth, allowing them to multiply and start making acids that destroy the enamel on the teeth.
Since xylitol is a natural sweetener derived from the fibrous parts of plants, it does not break down like sugar, so it helps maintain a neutral pH level in the mouth. Xylitol also prevents bacteria from sticking to the teeth because they are unable to digest it. That is how it protects the teeth from cavities.
With xylitol, the acid attack is diminished. With less bacteria and acid, your teeth stay healthier. The frequency of xylitol ingestion is important: aim for five grams a day, or one gram every three hours.
Studies of xylitol use as either a sugar substitute or a small dietary addition have demonstrated a dramatic reduction in new cavities. It has also stopped and even reversed some existing cavities. This effect is long lasting and possibly permanent. Low cavity rates persist even years after the trials have been completed.
Xylitol needs to be one of the first ingredients in a product to be effective. It is convenient and easy to use. You can find it in health food stores and specialty grocery stores. Xylitol can be delivered to your teeth in chewing gum, tablets, or even candy and mints.
It also comes in toothpaste, mouth rinse, baby oral wipes, gel and pacifiers, nasal wash, dry mouth spray, a granulated form for cooking, granulated packets to add to drinks, and commercially prepared foods. It can replace sugar on a one-to-one ratio.
Sweet rewards in xylitol are good for the body and the teeth! If you have specific questions please feel free to contact our Uptown Charlotte dentist today. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Our staff relies on digital X-rays to help us diagnose oral conditions and process images at incredibly high speeds. You can also view digital X-rays in real time while we examine your mouth with an intraoral camera and upload the images to a software program. A chair side computer monitor lets you see these images as we refine areas of concern to ensure an accurate diagnosis.
But are dental X-rays safe?
Yes! They emit 80 percent less radiation than exposure-type X-rays and provide detailed images to improve diagnosis and treatment. We can now detect dental problems in their earliest stages without subjecting you to unnecessary radiation. The amount of radiation released by digital X-rays is “negligible,” which means the amount is so small, that it can be safely disregarded.
Safe enough for children and pregnant women, digital X-rays detect microscopic pitting in tooth enamel and other abnormalities in the oral tissues that might have remained undetected with traditional X-rays. When our doctors and staff discover dental caries in their earliest stages, we can initiate treatment measures that will effectively prevent cavity development, tooth decay, and potential tooth loss.
Patient appointment lengths are shortened with digital X-rays as well, because images are immediately viewable and do not require the exposure time associated with old-style X-rays.
How Digital X-Rays Differ from Traditional X-Rays
Instead of using cardboard-contained film, we insert a small sensing device about the size of a pen in your mouth and engage the digital X-ray machine by manually manipulating control buttons. Within seconds, images appear on the monitor that can later be stored in your file or sent to another doctor for further examination.
The increased resolutions afforded by digital X-rays means that patients are able to understand the seriousness of their dental issues better, and are more inclined to follow through with procedures recommended by our team.
Safer, Better and Faster
For detection of cancerous tumors in their early states, digital X-ray technology offers vast improvements over film X-rays because of its cutting-edge image processing capability. Early detection of oral cancer and dental caries is the best way to prevent any type of oral health problem from exceeding the treatable stage.
Our team at our Charlotte dental offices knows that periodontal disease isn’t something exclusive to adults. It can affect adolescents as well. Gingivitis, which is a milder form of periodontitis, is a form of periodontal disease, and a warning that more serious problems may arise. Untreated gingivitis can develop into full-blown periodontitis.
The American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) explains that research proves that younger people may develop more severe forms of gingivitis. Gingivitis is linked to periodontal disease. Children and adolescents who have type 1 diabetes or immune deficiencies are more likely to suffer from periodontal disease.
There are three types of periodontal diseases that our team sees in children and adolescents.
Chronic gingivitis
Parents may suspect that their adolescent has chronic gingivitis if he or she shows or complains of symptoms such as redness, swelling, or bleeding gums. Early treatment may prevent gingivitis from developing into a more severe form of periodontal disease.
Aggressive and/or chronic periodontitis
Once called adult periodontitis, the term chronic replaces “adult” because periodontitis can occur in people in their early teenage years, and progress throughout their teens. Chronic and aggressive periodontitis primarily affects incisors and first molars. One of its distinguishing characteristics is bone loss. Curiously, patients who suffer from this form of the disease have minimal dental plaque on examination.
Generalized aggressive and chronic periodontal disease
This form of periodontal disease has many of the same characteristics of the chronic and aggressive form, but this more severe type of the disease affects the entire mouth. Symptoms include major plaque and calculus accumulation, and inflamed gums.
In both forms of more severe periodontal disease, the overall gum structure may change. The severity of these changes may alter gum strength enough to loosen teeth, or even worse, cause them to fall out.
The success of any treatment is largely contingent on early diagnosis. Our dentists should conduct a thorough periodontal exam as part of an adolescent’s twice-yearly complete dental examinations.
The mouth is full of bacteria. Some of it is necessary for food digestion. Diseases are more likely to develop if bacteria travel to open places in the mouth, such as exposed gum pockets or cavities. Proper dental hygiene is essential for a healthy mouth, and a healthy mouth offers greater protection against painful dental diseases.
Be sure every member of your family has a complete dental exam and cleaning twice a year, and contact our team when you or your young kids or adolescents complain of pain, sensitivity, or other oral problems. Early detection leads to treatment of oral problems and prevents them from turning into serious periodontal disease and potentially irreversible problems.
When you look in the mirror today, you wonder what happened to that beautiful smile you used to have. Many adults struggle with tooth discoloration and find it embarrassing to show off their teeth in a smile. Once you identify the cause of your tooth discoloration, there are treatment options that can restore your teeth and your confidence.
What Causes Tooth Discoloration?
There are a host of factors that may cause your teeth to discolor. Some are directly under your control, and others may not be preventable. Here is a list of common reasons that teeth become discolored.
Treatments for Tooth Discoloration
There are a variety of treatments available to individuals with discolored teeth. One of the easiest ways to reduce tooth discoloration is through prevention. Avoid drinking red wine, soda, or coffee and stop using tobacco products. If you drink beverages that tend to leave stains, brush your teeth immediately or swish with water to reduce staining.
Over-the-counter whitening agents might help, but in-office whitening treatments provided at by our Charlotte uptown dentist would be more effective. When whitening agents do not help, bondings or veneers are among the alternative solutions for tooth discoloration.
If you are worried about your teeth becoming yellow or brown, think carefully about your diet and medication use. Talk to the dentist to identify substances that may be causing the problem.
After treatment for tooth discoloration, you will have a beautiful white smile you can be proud to show off.
Uptown Charlotte Dentistry & Orthodontics
We do our best to make it easy for you to get the beautiful smile you deserve! Our office accepts nearly all major insurance plans. Even though dental insurance is a private arrangement between you and your company, we will file your claim, handle all the paperwork, and help you get maximum insurance benefits.
Follow us
Don't Miss Out On Dental Tips or
Special Discounts.
