The Affected Tissue in Your Tooth Is Removed

Some patients who need root canal therapy have an infection inside their tooth, or extensive decay that’s compromised the inner tissue that supplies the tooth with blood and nutrients to keep it alive.

During a root canal, any tissue that’s been affected will be removed by your dentist or endodontist—a specialist at saving teeth. This tissue generally consists of nerves that may or may not be dead, and will be cleaned out from your tooth.

The removal of this material will prevent your tooth from being sensitive to temperature and, if your affected tooth is discolored, help restore its natural hue.

The Pulp Chamber Is Cleaned and Sealed

Once the affected tissue is removed, your dentist will carefully clean the inside of your tooth—sometimes called the pulp chamber—with special tools. This cleaning process will remove any bacteria and remaining microscopic tissue in your tooth that could contribute to future problems.

After the cleaning is done, your dentist or endodontist will dry and seal the canal to protect the tooth and ensure an infection can’t happen. The pulp chamber of the tooth is sealed with a biocompatible material, meaning your body will not react to it and it won’t cause any problems [2].

Your Tooth Is Capped Off With a Dental Restoration

Now that your tooth has been properly cleaned and sealed, you’ll need to have some type of restoration placed over your tooth to protect it from further trauma [3]. Many patients will get a dental crown, which is a porcelain replication of your natural tooth, placed over the area. However, some patients will only need a filling material to keep the treated tooth protected.

Your dentist can let you know more about what you need during your consultation for root canal therapy!

Could a Root Canal Benefit Your Smile?

Root canal therapy can save a tooth that’s been impacted by decay or an injury, and for patients that have a single discolored tooth, a root canal can generally restore its color. If you’ve been told you need a root canal, don’t fret about this common procedure. Your root canal will be handled by an experienced dentist or endodontist to save your tooth!

Sources:
1. https://news.llu.edu/patient-care/let-s-get-root-of-root-canal
2. https://www.aae.org/patients/root-canal-treatment/what-is-a-root-canal/root-canal-
3. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007275.htm

The post What Happens to Your Tooth During a Root Canal? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Although having sensitive teeth is typically a chronic problem, the discomfort can be managed. One of the ways to manage this discomfort is with the right toothpaste. There are certain ingredients you can look for in desensitizing toothpaste that’ll help ease your pain and protect your teeth. Check the label for these helpful sensitivity fighters!

Calcium Phosphate to Remineralize Teeth

Since tooth enamel is composed of mostly calcium, calcium phosphate in your toothpaste can actually help to remineralize your teeth. Although you can’t replace the tooth enamel that’s been lost, the calcium phosphate can work to strengthen and protect your remaining tooth enamel from sensitivity.

When you lose tooth enamel, sensitive nerves become exposed and can carry the temperature of whatever is in your mouth to the pulp of your tooth. Tooth enamel can be lost through harsh brushing, frequently eating acidic foods (think sugar), and teeth grinding.

When you regularly brush with toothpaste that contains calcium, your saliva can help replenish your teeth with this important mineral to prevent painful sensitivity from occurring.

Potassium Nitrate to Stop Sensitivity

Potassium nitrate is a compound that works to block nerves at the tooth’s surface from
reaching the sensitive, interior pulp of your tooth.

Potassium nitrate helps to desensitize your teeth and reduce your discomfort by soothing these nerves. Potassium nitrate is considered to be a safe ingredient in toothpastes and is helpful for many people with tooth sensitivity.

Although effective, toothpastes that contain potassium nitrate may take 2-4 weeks to show results. It’s important to be consistent with brushing your teeth with the toothpaste and don’t give up. The results you experience will make waiting for this ingredient to work worth it!

Fluoride to Strengthen Enamel

Fluoride is an essential ingredient in desensitizing toothpastes that can help strengthen your tooth enamel and prevent sensitivity. Fluoride is also excellent for preventing tooth decay, making it a safe and effective ingredient for many people.

Most over-the- counter toothpastes contain fluoride, but if your tooth enamel is severely
compromised, you may need prescription-strength fluoride toothpaste. You can ask your
dentist about this toothpaste to help combat your sensitivity and desensitize your teeth if
regular desensitizing toothpastes aren’t helping.

Look for these ingredients when you shop for desensitizing toothpaste to help manage your tooth sensitivity. Your dentist can also talk with you about which ingredients would be most beneficial for your unique smile and may recommend specific brands. When it comes to tooth sensitivity, toothpaste can be an important tool for helping to manage pain!

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Here’s how you can best protect your teeth and have a beautiful smile this holiday season!

Make Friends with Water

Water is going to be your ally throughout the holiday season. Staying hydrated not only helps your body, but can help your smile immensely. Adequate water intake ensures that your oral bacteria are balanced, therefore cutting down on your risk for cavities.

Water also acts as a buffer between teeth and harmful substances you may have eaten, such as sugar. Combine this with the fact that water can help replenish your saliva and fight bad breath and you just made a new best friend to help you and your beautiful smile make it through the holidays.

Be Aware of Bruxism

The holidays aren’t a happy time for everyone. In fact, they can be quite stressful for some people. Increased stress that’s not being managed could turn into an oral health problem through bruxism, which is the term for teeth grinding.

Teeth grinding is immensely damaging to your smile. It wears away enamel, can cause
inflammation in the gums, and could eventually lead to tooth loss if not treated. Be mindful of your stress load this holiday season. If you’re experiencing headaches, jaw pain, or tooth sensitivity, you could be grinding your teeth and not even know it!

Be Ready to Travel

If you’ll be traveling to see friends or family this holiday season, be sure to pack everything you need to properly care for your teeth. It can be easy to leave behind your toothbrush, floss, or mouthguards for your bruxism.

To ensure you’re ready to travel, keep a spare toothbrush in your suitcase or in your handbag. Floss is small and can easily travel with you, making it ideal to store practically anywhere. Having spares on hand can help you be ready to care for your teeth despite the stress of traveling.

Watch Your Sugar Intake

There are few things that are as damaging to your smile as sugar is, and unfortunately, the holidays tend to be full of sweets! It’s important to watch your sugar intake, as sugar is best consumed only minimally or not at all. If you do choose to enjoy sweets this holiday season, be sure to rinse your mouth with water afterward and wait at least 30 minutes to brush.

This holiday season, you want to be able to show friends and family your most beautiful smile possible. You can help protect your smile throughout the season by drinking plenty of water, keeping an extra toothbrush on hand, consuming sugar in moderation, and being aware of any symptoms of bruxism. Happy Holidays!

The post How to Best Protect Your Smile During the Holiday Season appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Cosmetic Procedures

If you have a cosmetic issue with your gums that needs to get fixed, a periodontist would be the
person to see. This includes gummy smile, where the gums tend to cover more of the teeth
than necessary. Since periodontists are experts at handling gum tissue, they can reposition the
gums to help reveal more of your smile.

Treat Severe Gum Disease

Periodontists are skilled professionals when it comes to treating inflammation in the mouth.
This includes patients who have an advanced stage of gum disease.
Although many dentists can treat gum disease, your dentist may refer you to a periodontist if
you have a case that warrants extra attention. This includes aggressive gum disease, severe
gum disease, or gum disease which is recurring.

Periodontists can also clean the gums in a procedure called root planing and scaling, in which
the infection and bacteria from gum tissue is removed to help your gums heal from gum
disease.

Help With Dental Implants

Periodontists can assist with the placement of dental implants as well. Since these special
dentists know all about gum tissue, they can help determine where the best place to put them
is. Dental implant procedures involve a post inserted into the jaw through the gum tissue, so
ensuring the right placement can be incredibly helpful for healing.

Periodontists can also help maintain dental implants or repair them if they were done
incorrectly. Your dentist can help you determine when and if you need to see a specialist when
it comes to placement of dental implants.

Who Should See a Periodontist?

Not every dental patient will need to see a periodontist. Many gum health needs can be
addressed by your dentist, but some patients may need a level of care and expertise that can
only be provided by a periodontist. At this point in time, your dentist can refer you to a
periodontist to help.

People who may need to see a periodontist include those that have advanced gum disease, a
complex medical history that may make regular treatment for gum disease too risky, chronic
gum disease, or gum disease that’s set in early, such as in childhood. Other cases include
patients who have a gum abscess, or significant gum recession.

Have you ever seen a periodontist? These dentists receive years of extra training to be skilled
and experienced in treating your gum tissue. If your dentist thinks you need to see a
periodontist to treat your gum disease, determine dental implant placement, or conduct a
cosmetic procedure, you’ll be in good hands!

The post Dental Specialist Spotlight: What Is a Periodontist? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

How can you know if an investment in cosmetic dentistry is right for you? With so many options
to perfect your smile, here’s why you might consider scheduling a consultation!

Professional Presentation

Everyone wants to ensure that they look as professional as possible when they have a career
where face-to- face interactions happen daily. If your smile is stained, you have gapped teeth or
missing teeth, or your teeth have a shape that you’re just not proud of, professionalism might
feel out-of- reach for you.

Cosmetic dentistry can help fix all these problems and more to provide you with the
professional presentation you’ve been missing. From a simple whitening to porcelain veneers
to dental implants, you can attain the professional look you want and finally feel proud to show
your smile at the office!

Self-Confidence

Whether you want to look professional or just be confident with your smile, cosmetic dentistry
may be the choice for you. If you’ve spent years feeling like your smile isn’t attractive and your
entire self-confidence has suffered as a result of this, it’s time to make an investment in a
change that’ll last you for life.

Your teeth are always going to be a part of you. You can improve your self-confidence by
getting the smile you feel best represents you. Your professional cosmetic dentist can talk with
you about what your dream smile looks like to give you the confidence boost of a lifetime!

Positive First Impressions

Meeting new people isn’t easy for everyone! If you’re back in the dating game or just trying to
switch careers, it helps to be confident in the way you look. This is especially true when it
comes to your smile, which is often the first thing that many people notice about you. Don’t
hide your smile just because you aren’t happy with the way it looks—cosmetic dentistry can
change that!

You can make a positive first impression with a great smile. Even a professional whitening could
completely transform the way your smile looks. You can meet with an experienced cosmetic
dentist to discuss how you envision your smile so that you can make a lasting first impression
on employers, potential partners, and all the people in your life who you’ve been hiding your
smile from.

When was the last time you felt like your smile was something to show off? If you’ve been
hiding your smile because you aren’t happy with how it looks, schedule an appointment with
your dentist today. You have options to make your smile something you love to show people. It
could be worth it for you to invest in cosmetic dentistry and change your life for the better!

The post Is an Investment in Cosmetic Dentistry Right for You? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

When our tooth enamel is worn away, our teeth are no longer protected from what we eat or drink. The temperature of these foods can work its way into the nerves of the teeth and cause pain when tooth enamel is missing.

What are the top reasons your teeth have become more sensitive as a result of enamel
damage?

Brushing too Hard

Brushing your teeth is great; however, brushing aggressively can do more harm to your teeth than good. Since tooth enamel is porous, it can absorb some of the substances we eat and soften a bit. During this time, removing tooth enamel is unfortunately too easy.

This is why it’s advised to not brush your teeth until 30 minutes after a meal. Anytime before a meal is fine though! Even if you haven’t eaten recently, brushing your teeth too hard can wear away enamel over time. Buy a toothbrush with softer bristles and always brush gently to protect your tooth enamel and reduce your chances of sensitive teeth.

Eating Acidic Foods

Acidic foods can damage your tooth enamel: these foods include sweets as well as sugary drinks such as soda. Sugar can work with bacteria to attack and erode tooth enamel, therefore leading to increased tooth sensitivity. Choosing healthy foods such as those high in calcium and omega-3 fatty acids in addition to other nutrients can protect your enamel!

Not Getting Checkups

When you go in for a checkup and a professional teeth cleaning at your dentist office, your dentist is able to clean all the little spots you may have missed since your last visit. Without getting regular checkups and cleanings, plaque can build up.

Plaque sits on the surface of the tooth and can slowly eat away at your tooth enamel. Although this can lead to tooth decay, tooth sensitivity is usually the first warning sign. This means your enamel has been damaged and a cavity might not be far away.

Teeth Grinding

Grinding your teeth can damage your jaw, cause headaches, and even crack your teeth. Your jaw is able to exert immense pressure, and when you’re grinding your teeth, this pressure may be amplified by up to ten times! Teeth grinding is unfortunately one of the common enamel damagers and can lead to sensitive teeth.

Your dentist can help you seek treatment for your teeth grinding, therefore saving your tooth enamel and stopping sensitive teeth in their tracks. Once you notice sensitive teeth, see a dentist as soon as possible!

Sensitive teeth are your body’s way of telling you that something is amiss with your smile, and usually the problem is enamel damage. Discovering the cause of your damaged tooth enamel is important for stopping the process of erosion. Talk to your dentist about your tooth sensitivity today!

The post Why Have My Teeth Become More Sensitive? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Tooth enamel is actually porous. Over time, our teeth can get stained. This happens for a few
reasons, lack of proper dental care and eating habits among them.
What eating habits will lead to tooth discoloration? Here are some foods you might want to
watch out for and what you can do.

The Top Staining Foods

All foods have the potential to contribute to your teeth staining if you aren’t brushing your
teeth. However, there are a few that will cause more staining than others, especially if you’re
not drinking water or brushing afterwards.

These include foods like tomatoes (especially in pasta sauce), berries, and strong spices. Any
berry has the potential to stain your teeth. Particularly potent ones include blueberries,
blackberries, and cranberries. Spices such as curry and turmeric can also cause your teeth to
have a yellow or brownish tinge.

Other foods that could stain include balsamic vinegar and candies that contain food dye.
The Top Beverages That Stain

In addition to eating habits, beverages can stain your teeth just as much if not more than
certain foods do. The biggest culprits are coffee, tea, and red wine. Regular consumption of all
of these beverages can majorly stain your smile over time. Even certain juices can discolor your
teeth—think cranberry or cherry juice.

Although some of these stains will be superficial and can be removed with a toothbrush, others
will go deeper and may need a professional whitening to correct. Your best and safest drink for
your smile is water, so it’s smart to consume all other beverages in moderation!

Getting Your Whitest Smile Possible

You don’t have to totally give up the foods you love to have a smile that you love too. Follow
these tips to get your whitest smile possible:

 Drink water. Drinking water while consuming teeth-staining foods or drinking beverages
that can stain will help. It minimizes the staining damage and rinses your mouth!

 Brush your teeth. It’s a bad idea to brush immediately after eating as it can harm tooth
enamel, so try to wait about a half hour. After this, gently brush your teeth to help
remove surface stains and stop any additional staining from setting in.

 Use a straw. Using a straw for beverages such as coffee and tea can help the drink to
bypass your teeth, therefore helping to cut down on stains.

 Visit your dentist. Your dentist can remove most surface stains through professional
cleanings, especially regular ones! You can also talk with your dentist about getting a
professional whitening to get rid of any deep stains you might have.

It’s easy to have a white smile when you properly care for your teeth!
Tooth staining is embarrassing and can cause people to hide their smiles even if they have
perfectly straight teeth. While there are certain foods and drinks that can cause staining, you
can help protect your smile with the right care. Drinking enough water, brushing your teeth,
and visiting your dentist can help you achieve your brightest smile!

The post What Eating Habits Can Lead to Tooth Discoloration? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Although rare for children to develop gum disease, it can happen. Teenagers are more likely to show signs of gum disease than younger children. What can you do to prevent gum disease in your kids?

Teach Children Proper Dental Care

The best place to start with preventing gum disease is proper dental hygiene. This means
brushing twice a day, flossing once a day, and using fluoride if your dentist recommends it. You should start teaching your kids about how to properly care for their teeth as soon as they’re able to brush their own teeth!

Find a soft-bristled toothbrush for your child and teach them to brush gently and to brush the surface of every tooth. Have them floss once a day to remove plaque, food debris, and bacteria from the places they can’t reach. This can help reduce their chances for getting gum disease now and later in life!

Make the Dentist Part of Your Routine

The dentist is going to be an important part of your child’s oral care. It’s best to get your little one used to the dentist early—they should have their first appointment around the time that first baby tooth emerges! A good kid-friendly dentist can provide the necessary checkup and teeth cleaning your child needs to remain healthy.

You can also talk with your dentist about dental sealants, which may be a good idea to help
further protect your child’s teeth from plaque. Signs of gum disease include bad breath or a bad taste in the mouth, loose permanent teeth, tooth sensitivity, and receding, sensitive, or bleeding gums.

Eat Healthy Snacks

Promoting good nutrition goes a long way towards protecting your child’s teeth. Not only will these habits help your child’s smile now, but they can set up future habits that will protect your child for life. This includes limiting sugar, eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, and making water your main beverage.

Let your kids know that it’s ok to enjoy sugary snacks occasionally, just not all the time. Drinking water when consuming anything with sugar in it is a good idea, as it can act as a buffer for your teeth. Providing lots of healthy snacks at your home can help prevent childhood gum disease! Preventing gum disease is as easy as taking proper care of your smile. With children, they may need some extra supervision to ensure they’re doing a good job. You don’t have to do it alone. Regular checkups at the dentist can not only protect your child from gum disease, but from tooth decay as well. Encourage healthy brushing habits, visit your dentist, and eat healthy snacks. These tips will help you prevent gum disease for life!

The post Gum Disease Prevention Tips for Children appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Make a Dentist Appointment

Although it might feel like your tooth is fine at the moment, you need to make a dentist appointment right away. Call and tell them what happened and ask when they can fit you in. The following suggestions will only last a few days at the absolute most. You need to get your tooth repaired as soon as possible!

Make Use of Dental Cement

Over-the-counter dental cement can usually be found at your local pharmacy. If you apply this to your filling, it can substitute as a protective layer if your dentist appointment is a couple days away. If you had a crown placed over your filling and it came loose, you can try to fit the crown over the tooth. If you choose to do this, it’s imperative that you clean the crown first. You can also use the dental cement to temporarily “glue” your crown back on.

Try Clove Oil for Pain

Since your cavity is the result of eroded enamel, your affected tooth is going to be pretty sensitive. You may experience a mild pain from temperature or exposure, or it may be intense. To help cope with the pain, you can try clove essential oil. It’s relatively inexpensive and can be found at most supermarkets. Dab a very small amount—about a Q-Tip size—onto your cavity to help ease your tooth pain.

Keep Your Mouth Clean

It’s important to keep your mouth clean while your filling is exposed. You don’t want any food particles or bacteria making a home in there. Carefully remove food debris, brush gently around the area, and try to chew on the opposite side of your mouth. You may also choose to rinse with warm salt water, which may help ease pain.

Sugar-Free Gum Can Help

As with dental cement, sugar-free gum can work as a temporary filling. It may even help ease your tooth sensitivity. Never use gum that has sugar, otherwise it can make the cavity worse and irritate the area. Simply chew a piece of gum and place over the area. Keep it on for as often as you’re able to until your appointment.

When you lose a filling, don’t panic! You will need to see your dentist as soon as you can, but it’s not exactly a dental emergency. You can employ the use of these materials and practices to help you out in the meantime. Remember, seeing your dentist can fix the cavity right up. Fillings don’t last forever and you’ll need to replace yours eventually!

Post image courtesy of All Brite Dental

The post Lose a Filling? Don’t Panic! Here’s What You Can Do Until You See Your Dentist appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Sore Gums

If your gums are tender either to the touch or while you’re brushing, you could be experiencing a symptom of gum infection. If your gums aren’t sore regularly, it might not be anything to worry about. However, if your gums are consistently sore or seem to be getting worse, visit your dentist!

Red or Swollen Gums

This symptom usually goes hand-in- hand with sore gums. If your gums look more red than pink, this could be indicative of a problem. In addition, if your gums look puffy or look as though they’re sticking too far out from your teeth, they’re likely swollen and will need to be evaluated by your oral healthcare professional.

Bleeding Gums

Seeing blood when brushing is a common symptom of either a gum infection or gum disease. Some people think bleeding when brushing is normal—it’s not! Unless you are brushing too aggressively, blood when brushing could be a sign of an infection.

A Bad Taste in Your Mouth

If you have a foul taste in your mouth from time to time, you could have an infection which is causing this. Another sign of a gum infection is bad breath. The bad smell could be coming from the gum infection or gum disease or both. Regardless, persistent bad breath or a terrible taste in your mouth could mean a problem. Your wisdom teeth could also be a source of infection. If you never got your wisdom teeth removed and they haven’t fully erupted, your gum tissue is more prone to infection and may cause this unpleasant taste.

Receding Gums

When there’s an infection in the areas between your gums and your teeth, this could cause your gums to begin to pull back from your teeth. This is also known as gum recession and can actually lead to loose teeth. The infection needs to be treated or it’ll get worse!

Visible Pus

If you visibly see pus in your mouth or have pockets of pus—whether it’s from gum disease or an abscess on your gums, you need to get to a dentist as soon as possible. Letting an infection in your mouth go could lead the infection to get into your bloodstream and could cause serious health problems and even death.

If you have a gum infection, this is not a condition you want to wait to seek help for. It can ruin your smile and even cause you some serious health problems. Seeking treatment sooner rather than later is always ideal. If you suspect you might have an infection in your gums, see your dentist as soon as possible. Your dentist can properly treat the infection and save your smile!

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