Although your dentist is the best person to evaluate your smile for treatment, let’s talk about
whether your cavity will need just a filling or if a root canal would be your best form of care.

When a Filling Is All That’s Needed

If your tooth isn’t discolored and you’re only experiencing minor pain or sensitivity, your dentist
may be able to repair the tooth with a simple filling.

When tooth decay happens, bacteria eat through the first layer of your teeth, the enamel. The
decay may progress to the second, softer layer, the dentin, and results in a cavity. If your cavity
has not progressed to the third layer of the tooth—the nerve tissue—a filling should suffice.

Getting a filling is a relatively simple procedure and you and your dentist can talk about what
filling material would suit you best. Although your filling will need to be replaced at some point
in your life, it shouldn’t get worse with the proper home care and dentist visits!

When Root Canal Therapy Could Help

Some people may have cavities that are beyond repair or be experiencing other symptoms that
will result in the need for a root canal. For instance, if your cavity is large enough or deep
enough that it would be impossible for a filling to repair your tooth, root canal therapy may be
the most appropriate form of treatment.

If your tooth is discolored in any way, such as having a brown or yellow hue that’s noticeably
different from the other teeth, the nerve tissue inside your tooth may be dead. In this case, a
root canal is the best treatment. If you’re experiencing severe tooth sensitivity or pain, you may
need a root canal.

Fortunately, a root canal isn’t much different from getting a filling these days. Technology has
made it possible for your root canal to be performed with no pain and you’ll be able to save
your natural tooth!

Which Do You Need?

If your cavity is a relatively normal size and not accompanied by discoloration, pain, or
sensitivity, you may just need a filling. However, if your cavity is large, has cracked your tooth,
or is causing you pain and sensitivity, your dentist may recommend root canal therapy to save
your tooth.

Whether you need a filling or a root canal, you’ll still be able to save your natural tooth, which
is the most important thing. When you can keep your natural tooth, you’re saving a part of your
smile that would otherwise need to be replaced with a cosmetic dentistry option!

If you’re seeing evidence of a cavity, don’t delay in making an appointment with your dentist.
Prompt treatment can prevent your cavity from turning into a problem that needs root canal
therapy to fix!

The post Is a Filling Okay, or Will I Need a Root Canal? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

What situations call for a root canal retreatment?

New Decay – Using an x-ray, your dentist may notice new decay that is occurring. Sometimes this occurs when a crown placement is delayed. As a result, the tooth has time to decay further. Reinfection of the root can occur, or continued decay of the tooth.

Reinfection of the Root – Sometimes this is the result of a delay in placing a crown. At other times, some of the infection is in a curved or narrow root canal resulting in a complication of the original procedure.

Original Filling Is Leaking – When the filling leaks, this can allow another infection to spring up. This can also occur if the crown becomes damaged.

Tooth Is Fractured – If a treated tooth becomes fractured, additional treatment becomes necessary.

Tooth Did Not Heal Properly – This can have numerous causes ranging from complications in the size or shape of the root canals to crown and filling issues.

While root canal treatments are successful about 97% of the time, even a successful treatment may spontaneously fail on occasion due to the causes noted above. If this occurs, retreatment can once again successfully save the tooth for many years, often for the rest of a person’s natural life.

Should I Opt for Retreatment if There Is No Pain?

Sometimes your dentist will catch something on an x-ray that you don’t even feel yet. When this is the case, it can be tough to decide to undergo retreatment. However, it is important to remember that by the time pain is felt, a lot of damage is done. For a tooth that has already experienced a root canal procedure, the best chance of saving the tooth is by performing retreatment before the new concern gets worse. While you may not be in pain now, your dentist will only recommend retreatment if an issue is imminent. Waiting for the pain to start may make it too late to save the tooth.

Once again, retreatment only presents one alternative, and that is extraction. That means that if the conditions above present themselves, retreatment is the best option.

The post Root Canal Retreatment: When Is it Necessary? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

When a person with sleep apnea is asleep, their breathing will periodically become obstructed. The patient may not even realize they are awake, but these sleep disruptions result in fewer deep sleep cycles. For some, the fact that sleep apnea complications are long-term means that they don’t feel the need to struggle through wearing a device. Oral appliances, however, are a far more comfortable and easy to use option than CPAP machines. These oral appliances allow you to get a good night’s sleep and avoid those dangers down the road.

Oral Appliance Advantages

Because you have to wear the device while you sleep, comfort is key. After all, what good is a device to help you breathe while sleeping if it keeps you awake half the night in discomfort? Oral appliances have the following advantages over other sleep apnea treatments:

– More comfortable

– Easy to put on and take off

– Quiet – allowing your mate to sleep as well

– Travels easily

– Simple to keep clean

How Does It Work?

The oral appliance is a custom-fit mouthguard that holds the airways open wider while you sleep. This prevents the obstructions that interrupt sleep and often cause snoring (which interrupts your mate’s sleep). This method is usable for those with mild to moderate sleep apnea.

The devices work in one of two ways. Some are designed to keep the tongue from blocking the airway (a common cause of airway obstruction during sleep). The second type gently nudges the lower jaw forward. This holds the airway open wider.

Winning the Fight Against Sleep Apnea

If you are struggling to control your sleep apnea, an oral appliance may be your opportunity to take control. There is no equipment to get tangled up in, it can easily fit in your traveling bags, and there is no blowing air to dry out your throat or sinuses.

The fact is that there are just too many sleep apnea complications to ignore the disease. Sleep apnea can result in hypertension, heart disease, stroke, and an increased risk of diabetes, just to name a few. Even just a few breathing interruptions per hour can cause you to be drowsy throughout the day. Some sufferers experience an obstruction every couple of minutes.

If your diagnosis has revealed that an oral appliance can treat your condition, by all means, make your appointment today. Your oral appliance may add years to your life.

The post How Exactly Do Sleep Apnea Oral Appliances Work? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

How Your Jaw Is Connected Throughout the Body

First of all, TMJ throws off the balance of the entire body. The spine is rather slender compared to the size of the human head that it must support. If anything is out of alignment, including the jaw, it can cause everything to become misaligned. The result can often be headaches. This occurs when long-term muscle tension around the jaw turns into tension in the face and neck. Tension headaches may begin to recur. Even more concerning is the fact that this imbalance can be transferred down the spine resulting in muscle tension all over.

Pinched nerves are another painful side effect of TMJ. The trigeminal nerve, for example, is very close to the jaw. Pinching this nerve can result in back and neck pain. From there, pain often travels to the extremities.

The Results of TMJ Correction

Correcting TMJ may be the first step in eliminating these other serious problems. Some patients have discovered that when their TMJ was fixed, other problems went away that they did not realize were related. For example, one woman found that her hand pain and gripping problems went away. Obviously, her TMJ had resulted in a problem with her brachial nerves. After correcting the root cause, the symptoms were relieved.

One of the primary connected issues is headaches including tension headaches and migraines. Fixing a problem with TMJ with frequently result in fewer headaches or relief from them altogether.

How Is TMJ Corrected?

The first step to overall health is correcting TMJ. This will also relieve any other symptoms that have TMJ as their root cause. Treatment for your TMJ will depend on an examination and the severity of the case. Treatments include:

· Conservative, Self-Treatments – This involves exercises for the jaw, a change in diet to make eating easier on the jaw, and the use of ice.

· Pain Management – NSAIDs, such as medications containing ibuprofen, may be prescribed or certain brands recommended if an over-the-counter dose is suitable.

· Bite Guards – This is more of a temporary relief of symptoms rather than a cure. Bite guards can only be used on a temporary basis and will not reverse the problem.

· Botox – Clinical trials are being used to determine if this is a viable treatment option for TMJ. This treatment is not currently approved by the FDA making it an off-label treatment option.

· Surgery – This is considered to be a last resort in extreme cases because the surgery is invasive and cannot be reversed. Be sure that your doctor discusses all of your available options before deciding on surgery.

· Implants – One form of TMJ surgery involves a surgical implant. Be sure to consider the possible effects before deciding on this option.

Contact your dentist today to see how dental treatment can alleviate the causes and symptoms of TMJ.

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