bischoff-family-dentistry

How to Take Care of Your Teeth After a Dental Filling

Wed, 20 Apr 2022 19:33:06 GMT

96% of Americans have at least one cavity by the age of 65. Teeth filling is necessary to save the tooth and remove the decay.

Getting a dental filling takes care of the cavities, but for the filling to fully stay in place, you'll need to take care of your teeth. What's the best way to care for your teeth after a cavity dental filling?

If you're expecting to get a dental filling soon, here are some important ways to care for your teeth from your dentist in Peoria, AZ.

Eating and Drinking

After a dental filling , your dentist will educate you on what foods you should and should not eat for a certain period. Typically you can start eating when you feel ready, but hard foods and candies should be avoided for about two weeks. Hard foods may damage the filling or cause it to crack, which requires another trip to the dentist for repair.

Staying away from sugary foods as much as possible is also advisable. Excess sugar on teeth causes bacteria to produce plaque and tartar leading to cavities and even gum disease. If you do eat sugar, brush your teeth afterward to remove as much sugar as possible.

If you have a habit of chewing on hard objects like pen caps or biting your fingernails, your dentist may also advise you to stop. Chewing on any hard substance may damage your filling as well.

Managing Pain

When you have a filling, your dentist in Peoria gives you an anesthetic to numb the area so you don't feel the pain. You may feel some pressure during the actual procedure, but when the anesthetic wears off, you'll feel some pain.

Taking over-the-counter pain medications helps the pain subside for a time. If you're very sensitive to pain, or you've had multiple fillings, your dentist may prescribe stronger pain medication, though that's up to their discretion.

Pain is a normal response to fillings but should fade after a few days. If you had a deep cavity, sometimes the pain lasts for a week and may surface when you're chewing or speaking.

Sensitivity

Some people experience tooth sensitivity after a filling and this is completely normal. If the sensitivity bothers you, avoid hot or cold foods for a few weeks. But as long as you don't have pain along with the sensitivity, you should be ok, as long as you chew on the opposite side of your filling.

Your dentist can recommend a toothpaste formulated for sensitive teeth. If your sensitivity doesn't subside, you should contact your dentist.

Keep Your Oral Health in Check

Caring for your filling also involves brushing, flossing, and eating healthy foods. Brushing after each meal, or at least twice a day, and flossing once is necessary habits to avoid further cavities and maintain your filling.

You'll also want to visit the dentist twice a year to make sure your filling is holding up well. At your check-up, you'll get a deep cleaning which reduces the risk of more cavities and gum disease.

How Long do Fillings Last?

Fillings typically last about 10-15 when they're cared for well. Accidents do happen, but as long as you're visiting your dentist, keeping a healthy oral routine, and watching what you eat, you should expect your filling to last many years.

Different kinds of fillings may affect how long a filling lasts. The most common type of fillings is a composite resin, which hardens under a blue light almost immediately, and blends in with your teeth.

You can also have gold, but these are more expensive. In some cases, they're more durable, but they're also noticeable. Your dentist can talk to you about the type of filling that's right for you, especially if you're allergic or sensitive to certain metals.

If something does happen to your filling, be sure to let your dentist know so they can repair it.

When to Call Your Dentist in Peoria, AZ About Your Filling

Getting a filling is a routine procedure that's very common. However, there are times when things don't go according to plan. Here are some reasons you may need to call your dentist in Peoria, AZ about your filling.

Pain from your filling should only last a few days, but if it's prolonged pain, the filling may be set incorrectly. Because there are different types of fillings, they are set at certain times. If you're experiencing pain that's lasted longer than a week, you should reach out to your dentist.

If you think you've chipped or cracked your filling, you'll need to contact your dentist as soon as possible for a repair. Damaged fillings expose your teeth to bacteria, leading to potential dental problems.

Any bleeding or swelling is another sign that something isn't right with your filling. If your filling causes gum swelling, you should see your dentist.

Sometimes after a filling, it may be an odd adjustment to bite down. You may feel the sharp edges or your bite doesn't seem aligned. In these cases, you'll also want to contact your dentist if you feel something is out of place.

Getting A Dental Filling With A Dentist in Peoria, AZ

A dental filling saves your teeth when you have a cavity and allows you to use your tooth for many years. When you see a dentist in Peoria, AZ, you can feel confident that they'll educate you on how to care for your filling so it lasts for years to come.

Think you may have a cavity? Contact us today to schedule your check-up with a Dentist in Peoria.

Pediatric Dentist: Why Your Child Should Visit One in Peoria, AZ

Fri, 18 Mar 2022 13:51:31 GMT

You might be surprised to hear that the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Dental Association recommends a first dental visit by age 1, or within 6 months of when a first tooth arrives.

Now, you might be thinking, why would such a young child go to the dentist if they have only one tooth?

Dental health extends well beyond just teeth. In fact, you probably want to consider taking your child to a pediatric dentist.

Sure, you might have a family dentist , but a pediatric dentist will specialize in your child's young mouth much the way a pediatrician specializes in their young body.

So, what can a visit to the pediatric dentist do for your child? Read on to learn more about the many benefits of taking your child to a pediatric dentist.

Pediatric Dentistry — Kid-Sized Care and Comfort

Roughly 36% of the US population has some form of dental anxiety. 12% have severe dental anxiety.

When you start your child out at a pediatric dentist, everything is designed with the child in mind. The pediatric dental office is intended to create a kid-friendly, comforting atmosphere that feels welcoming and safe.

A pediatric dentist knows part of their job is to communicate with the child about their teeth so going to the dentist doesn't need to be an anxiety-riddled experience.

The idea of starting your child at such a young age fosters the level of comfort and ease you want them to feel when they visit the dentist.

Pediatric Dentist Becomes a Trusted Expert

Anytime a doctor, or dentist, specializes, they become an expert of sorts. It means a good chunk of their learning and practice involves focusing on that type of medicine and patient.

A pediatric dentist is a perfect example of being an expert. They focus on caring for the dental health and well-being of young mouths. They learn what works best when it comes to treating young children.

Like you might seek advice from a pediatrician for health-related questions for your child, the same would be true for your pediatric dentist. You can look to them to be the expert on the needs of a young person's dental health.

Pediatric Dentist in Peoria Becomes Dental Home

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry supports the notion of creating the idea of a dental home for your child. We all know and understand the idea of the comforts of home.

Children like and feel safe in places they know well and that are predictable to them. A visit to the dentist should be the same.

The pediatric dental office should have a level of comfort for a child, a place where they know they are safe and there are kind and compassionate people there to support them.

Starting a child young going to the pediatric dentist means they will develop that sense of a dental home with people who make them feel safe and well cared for.

Provide a Dental Education

One important role of the pediatric dentist is to act as a teacher for both parents and kids. Their role should be to teach about oral health, keeping young teeth clean and healthy.

They can also fulfill this role for parents too. Everything from when and how to brush a young mouth, healthy eating, gum health to the impact of thumb sucking or using a pacifier.

They can discuss which products are best to help keep your child's teeth and mouth healthy. They can also act as a coach for your kids in keeping up with their oral hygiene.

Kids understand the concept of an expert. They can look to your pediatric dentist as the expert they should listen to and trust.

Preventative Care

You might have heard the old idiom, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It certainly applies when it comes to dental care for kids.

Early preventative care can help to avoid potential problems later on. Teaching young kids very early about dental care can mean they keep a healthy mouth and avoid potential problems.

Preventative care can also spot potential problems before they become bigger issues. They can help to prepare you and your child for potential future needs, think the removal of wisdom teeth or orthodontics, for example.

Routine Care

Routine visits to the dentist can help to maintain good dental health.

The simple truth is that kids can be prone to cavities . Getting into the habit of routine visits to the pediatric dentist means the dentist can monitor your child's oral health.

They can evaluate how they're doing with brushing and flossing and even talk with them if there are some issues.

The dentist can also monitor how your child's mouth is changing as they grow. Do their teeth have enough room? Are there any changes in the bite or jaw that raise concerns?

Emergency Dental Care

The scary reality of raising kids is that accidents and surprises happen all the time. You're probably well acquainted with unexpected problems with injury or illness.

Guess what? Those emergencies can happen in their mouth too. Kids in sports get their mouths hit. Teeth get loosened or even fractured.

Having a relationship with a pediatric dentist already means they will know best how to treat a potential emergency when it comes up for your child.

Have Your Child Visit the Pediatric Dentist in Peoria, AZ

As you can see, there are many reasons to have your child visit a pediatric dentist and to have it become part of their overall dental care routine.

If your family needs a family dentist, we are a dentist in Peoria, AZ ready to meet your family's needs. Contact us today to learn more about how our practice can meet the dental needs of your child and the entire family.

How Periodontal Care Can Help With Gum Disease

Mon, 21 Feb 2022 14:28:41 GMT

Did you know that 47.2 percent of adults over the age of 30 have some type of periodontal disease? In addition, that number increases as you get older, with 70.1 percent of adults over the age of 65 having some type of periodontal disease.

But, do you know what periodontal disease is? Periodontal diseases are mainly caused by infections and inflammation of the gums and bones that surround and support your teeth.

The most common and mildest form of periodontal disease is gingivitis. Many of these conditions can be treated and controlled with proper care.

Are you wondering how your Dentist in Peoria, AZ, can help you with gum disease through periodontal care? Keep reading to find out what you need to know.

Understand How Periodontal Disease Progresses

To understand how periodontal care can help with periodontal disease, you must first understand how periodontal disease progresses.

Plaque Forms

When you eat food with starches and sugar, they interact with the bacteria that are normally in your mouth. This causes plaque to form on your teeth.

Plaque Progression

If plaque stays on your teeth, it can begin to harden under your gumline and become tartar or calculus. This is more difficult to remove from your teeth, and it's filled with bacteria.

The longer that tartar and plaque stay on your teeth, the more damage they have the capability of doing it.

Plaque and Gingivitis

Gingivitis gets caused by the inflammation and irritation of the gum tissue that's around the base of your teeth. This is also called the gingiva.

Gingivitis is the mildest form of periodontal disease.

Periodontitis

Once you reach the stage where you have gingivitis, if you don't properly care for it, it can cause problems. As your gum inflammation continues, you can eventually get what's called periodontitis.

Periodontitis causes pockets to develop between your gums and teeth. The pockets fill with plaque, tartar, and bacteria. As those pockets become deeper, they fill with more bacteria.

Untreated this infection can cause you to lose tissue and bone. You also may end up losing teeth. Finally, this chronic inflammation is difficult on your immune system, putting you at risk for other diseases.

The Most Basic Care Starts at Home

Practicing good oral hygiene is the simplest way to prevent periodontal disease, and that starts at home. You can take multiple steps at home for regular periodontal care to prevent plaque buildup.

Brush and Floss Your Teeth

You're told that you should brush your teeth from the time you're a child, and for a good reason. Plaque builds up quickly on your teeth.

However, if you're regularly brushing your teeth, it helps. You should brush at least two times a day for three minutes. You'll want to use a soft toothbrush with fluoride toothpaste.

You should also make sure you're replacing your toothbrush every three months or if it gets frayed sooner. Using an electric toothbrush could also be beneficial to removing plaque and some tartar.

In addition, don't forget to floss. Flossing before brushing your teeth will help eliminate loosened food particles and bacteria.

Regularly brushing and flossing your teeth is the most basic step to preventing and treating mild gingivitis.

Stop Smoking

Smoking doesn't just make your teeth look bad; it also puts you at higher risk for gum disease . Stopping smoking can reduce that risk.

In addition, if you do smoke and get gum disease, it's likely to progress more quickly and be more difficult to heal if you're a smoker. This is because smoking reduces your body's ability to fight off infections and heal.

Other Factors

Caring for your teeth at home doesn't just involve brushing and flossing and stopping smoking. Other lifestyle factors can impact your teeth as well.

If you're trying to keep your teeth healthy, you need to reduce stress, maintain a balanced diet, and avoid clenching and grinding your teeth.

Visit Your Dentist in Peoria, AZ

You can do some great things to help prevent and treat periodontal disease at home. However, visiting your dentist is an essential part of your plan as well.

There are a few things you can get done at the dentist to help prevent and treat gum disease.

Regular Teeth Cleaning

It's easy to forget to schedule your regular teeth cleaning appointment, but regular teeth cleanings are another important step in preventing gum disease.

As plaque turns into tartar, it will build up. Getting your teeth cleaned helps remove the tartar buildup and keep your gums healthy. It can also help with reversing gingivitis.

During an exam, your doctor will also do dental x-rays and check for signs of periodontal disease. Make sure you schedule your teeth cleaning every six months.

Scaling and Root Planning

If you do have periodontal disease, your dentist may recommend other treatments to help. This can include scaling and root planning.

Scaling and root planning is a deep-cleaning but nonsurgical procedure. It's done under a local anesthetic.

In this procedure, plaque and tartar will get removed from above and below your gum line. This is done by scraping it away (scaling), and rough spots on your tooth root get made smooth (planning).

By smoothing those rough spots, bacteria gets removed. This gives your gums a clean surface so they can reattach to your teeth.

This procedure occurs when your dentist sees that there is tartar under your gums that need to get removed.

Dental Surgery

Sometimes, gum disease progresses to the point where you need more intervention that can occur at home or through regular cleanings, or even scaling and root planing.

There are various types of dental surgeries that can get used to help with gum disease. These include:

Bone grafts
Soft tissue grafts
Guided tissue regeneration
Bone surgery
Flap surgery/pocket reduction surgery

During flap surgery or pocket reduction surgery, your gums are lifted back, and tartar gets removed. Your gums are then placed back to fit snugly around your teeth and reduce the space that harmful bacteria can grow in.

Other surgeries listed help repair damage and make it harder for harmful bacteria to continue growing in deep pockets that are created by periodontitis.

Make an Appointment With Your Dentist in Peoria, AZ Today

How long has it been since you last got your teeth cleaned? Taking good care of your teeth can help prevent and reverse early gum disease.

Bischoff Family Dentistry is here to help you keep your teeth and gums healthy. We're your dentist in Peoria, AZ. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.

The Importance of Flossing

Sat, 08 Jan 2022 19:05:16 GMT

Dentist in Peoria, AZ: Here's Why You Should Floss

It is incredibly important to floss in between your visits to your dentist in Peoria, AZ. This is why you should never skip out on flossing.

Dental floss might seem like a modern invention, however, archeologists have found ancient remains of sharpened sticks, horsehair and more, associated with flossing in the early days.

It wasn't until the 1800s that Levi Spear Parmly , a dentist from New Orleans invented the first form of dental floss. Eventually, years of study and research have established that regular flossing brings with it a host of oral health benefits.

Today, your favorite dentist in Peoria, AZ aims to outline these evidence-backed benefits and highlight how this simple habit can improve your oral health in the long term.

Let's get started!

1. Reduce Your Risk of Developing Cavities

Cavities are damaged areas on the surface of your teeth. These are generally caused by the build-up of bacteria associated with processed foods, fizzy drinks, and poor oral hygiene. While brushing twice a day helps eliminate food particles and debris from your teeth, toothbrush bristles aren't able to reach the areas between your teeth.

Here's where flossing can help. Flossing between your teeth, especially those that are set close to each other can help push out the debris stuck between them. In the long term, this helps prevent tooth decay and keeps your enamel from deteriorating.

2. Pre vent Gum Diseases

Maintaining a consistent and effective oral hygiene routine is essential in the prevention of gum disease. When you do not floss, bacteria begin to develop along the lines of your gum. This leads to inflammation, and eventually, your condition will exacerbate if not treated properly.

Gingivitis or gum disease, when left untreated can lead to periodontitis. This condition causes the receding of your gums, and sometimes your gums begin to pull away from the surfaces of your teeth. Flossing regularly has been found to effectively remove interdental plaque.

This helps reduce your risk of developing gingivitis and other gum-related diseases. Make sure you do a thorough job and educate yourself on how to floss your teeth effectively at least twice a week, and preferably once a day. You can also schedule an appointment with a qualified dental health professional near you to get a more thorough cleaning.

3. Eliminate and Prevent the Build Up of Plaque

Plaque is that sticky film of bacteria that develops on your teeth. While plaque starts off as a soft, relatively easy substance to remove, over time it can develop into something significantly harder. This plaque can contribute to tooth decay, bad breath, and oral cavities.

When you do not brush and floss regularly, the thin, colorless film begins to grow into something far more sinister. Flossing between your teeth reduces the formation of plaque in these easy-to-miss areas. While everyone is susceptible to plaque, if you're someone who has a dry mouth or is an older adult, your chances of developing tartar and plaque are far higher.

Try and make flossing a part of your nightly routine to improve your oral health and reduce the formation of hardened plaque.

4. Improve Bad Breath

Poor oral hygiene is closely linked to bad breath or halitosis. Food remnants in your mouth lead to bacterial formations that further lead to the release of sulfur compounds. These compounds are what create that foul odor emanating from your mouth.

Flossing can help improve your breath by getting rid of these food particles stuck between your teeth. If you haven't flossed in a while, you'll notice that you're removing quite a few substances you didn't realize were caught between the spaces of your teeth. Additionally, you'll also notice a distinctive smell.

Don't worry; it's never too late to develop a good habit. Start today and make flossing a regular practice to make sure your breath is fresh and odor-free in a week or two. However, if your symptoms don't improve make sure to visit a dentist to figure out other underlying causes of your bad breath.

5. Reduce Your Risk of Heart Disease and Other Health Conditions

Good dental hygiene comes with one obvious benefit - healthier teeth and gums. However, did you know that oral hygiene also helps with other health conditions like heart disease, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure?

Remember how we talked about gum disease and how it can further develop into periodontitis? Well, when this happens , the bacteria from your mouth can enter your bloodstream and make their way to your heart. This can lead to clogging of the veins and arteries, thereby contributing to heart disease.

Regular flossing can help cut down your risk of gum disease, and also reduce your chances of spreading inflammation to the rest of your body. When you begin with prevention, you don't have to worry about a cure. Given that there are no negative effects associated with flossing, it's a quick and simple way to reduce your chances of developing heart disease while keeping your oral health in check.

Visit a Dentist in Peoria, AZ to Take Your Oral Care to the Next Level

Flossing is an integral part of ensuring the preservation and maintenance of your teeth and gums in the long run. Start today and make flossing a part of your nightly routine to get the most out of it. Not only does it help reduce plaque formation and cavities but it also aids in improving bad breath and preventing gum disease.

As an added bonus, it could potentially reduce your risk for heart disease!

However, no dental regime is complete without a visit to your favorite dentist in Peoria, AZ. Schedule a consultation with the knowledgeable, friendly, and very experienced Mr. Bischoff, who recently completed his associate fellowship with the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. Get a routine checkup, schedule a cleaning, or book an appointment for any other dental service you need.

7 Facts About the Dental Implant Recovery Process

Mon, 13 Dec 2021 19:42:34 GMT

Do you have missing teeth? It may surprise you to learn that over 3 million Americans have dental implants. Replacing lost teeth improves dental health, nutrition, and self-confidence.

Most people wonder what it’s like to get these implants. Keep reading this article to learn about dental implant recovery. Then talk to your dentist to see if this is a good option for you.

Benefits of the Dental Implant Procedure

Missing teeth makes it harder to chew and speak. It also can change the shape of your face and make people feel reluctant to smile. They may even decrease their social interaction.

Getting dental implants provides artificial teeth that look and function as normal ones. You can chew and bite as you did before.

The implant keeps other teeth from moving into the blank space. It also stimulates the bone cells in the jaw and helps restore bone loss. This promotes healthier jawbones and gums.

They restore the normal shape of your face and give you back the confidence to smile. Patients report an improved self-image and feel more confident in social and professional settings.

What to Expect During Your Dental Implant Recovery

The length of the recovery process depends on several factors. Examples include your general health, the number of implants, and the specific procedure.

Your dentist will check your dental health to decide if you need other procedures. For example, if your jawbone has lost a lot of bone, you may need a bone graft. This step adds extra recovery time for the total procedure.

Yet, it’s vital to have a strong bone to hold the implant and achieve the best results. The gum usually heals in about ten days. After this time, you can return to your normal diet and activity.

The following provides a summary of the common dental implant recovery process.

1. Bleeding After the Implant

It’s normal to have some bleeding from the implant site for one or two days. If the bleeding lasts longer or increases, call your dentist for further instructions.

2. Bruising and Swelling

Another common side effect is swelling and bruising. This is greatest during the first few hours after the procedure.

Apply ice for about 20 minutes at a time to help reduce these symptoms. Take it off for 20 minutes before reapplying. Be sure to wrap the ice pack in a towel to protect your skin and make it more comfortable.

Immediately call your dentist If the swelling lasts several days and/or you see pus or have a fever. These can be signs of an infection.

3. Pain Management

Most people report mild discomfort after having an implant procedure. The application of ice will help with the pain as well as the swelling and bruising. Your dentist will also prescribe pain medications to take as needed.

Some individuals have pain for up to six weeks. Talk with your dentist if you feel like your pain is lasting longer than expected.

They will often recommend special soft diets for up to two months. This helps reduce the pain while the bone heals around the implant.

4. Post-implant Dental Care

Your dentist’s instruction usually tells you to avoid putting pressure on the implant for a few days. You may gently brush and floss your teeth, but you may need to avoid brushing your implant at first.

Rinsing with salt water reduces the number of bacteria in your mouth. This decreases the irritation at your stitches and soothes your mouth.

Put 1 teaspoon of salt in eight ounces of warm water. After the salt dissolves, gently swish it in your mouth for about 30 seconds and then spit it out. Repeat this about four times a day based on your doctor’s instructions.

Some dentists have you gently swish mouthwash to keep your mouth clean. If your implant starts feeling loose, call your dentist right away. They may want you to come in to get it checked.

5. Recommended Diet

Your dentist will give you a diet to follow during the first week(s) after your procedure. In general, avoid hard textures and spicy foods. Choose items that are soft and mushy. A few examples include:

Boiled or baked beans
Bananas
Pudding
Oatmeal
Mashed potatoes
Chicken broth
Eggs

Be sure to drink plenty of cool or room temperature fluids. Avoid hot beverages such as coffee or tea, alcohol, and carbonated drinks. Don’t use a straw because the suction can break blood clots loose.

6. Activity Restrictions

You want to rest during the first few days. Avoid strenuous exercise as this may increase your pain and/or bleeding. It’s good to take short, slow walks to promote good skin and lung health.

It’s important to refrain from smoking. This can interfere with the healing process and even lead to complications.

7. Follow-up Appointments

Your dentist will schedule follow-up appointments to check on how well you’re healing. Make sure you attend all these check-ups. If there’s a problem, they can catch it early and treat it before a serious complication occurs.

Are You Looking for Dental Implants Near Me?

If you’ve decided to get dental implants, discuss the procedure with your dentist. Ask them questions about the expected dental implant recovery. Bischoff Family Dentistry offers general family dentistry services.

Our expert and friendly dentists also provide dental implants, cosmetic, and hi-tech procedures. This allows you to get all your dental needs met under one roof in Peoria, AZ. We’ve provided professional care to this area for 30 years.

You’ll find that we accept most dental insurance plans. We also offer affordable individual and family payment plans. Contact us today for an appointment.

7 Common Symptoms of Tooth Decay

Sun, 14 Nov 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Signs of Tooth Decay: 7 Common Symptoms of Tooth Decay

Recognizing the signs of tooth decay is important in getting early treatment for tooth problems. Read more about the symptoms, causes, and treatment today.

By the time a person turns 50 , they've lost at least 12 teeth for various reasons, including tooth decay. Decaying teeth are one of the leading health issues that people face today, and it's essential to be able to spot the signs of tooth decay before it's too late.

If you suspect you need tooth decay treatment, here are some telltale signs.

What Is Tooth Decay?

Tooth decay is when your teeth sustain damage because of bacteria that exist in your mouth. What happens is the bacteria adhere to your teeth, and the acid begins to eat away at the enamel.

If the bacteria are not routinely removed from your teeth by brushing them daily, it can become a bigger problem. While poor oral hygiene is one of the leading causes of tooth decay, it's not the only one.

When you eat sugary foods, you're giving the bacteria something to feed on. The sugary foods you eat coat your teeth and begin to cause decay within the mouth.

Another common cause of tooth decay is genetics. Yes, you read that right; if your family has a history of things like enamel issues, it could be a sign that you'll be prone to tooth decay as you continue to mature.

While there are several causes of tooth decay, there are signs you should be aware of before it's too late to do something about it.

Toothaches

Have you been experiencing toothaches no matter what you're doing? If so, this can be a sign that you've got some degree of tooth decay occurring in your mouth.

Toothaches can either be dull or sharp pains that never seem to go away completely. Because of this pain, it makes it hard to do things like chew or sleep at night.

If the toothache goes untreated, it can lead to other issues such as headaches and gum irritation.

Changes in Appearance

There will be times when you don't have a toothache and can eat and sleep as normal, but you will notice changes in the appearance of your tooth. Initially, your tooth will become slightly discolored, which can be mistaken for calcium deposits within the teeth.

However, over time the spots become darker and more prominent. If you take a closer look at your teeth, you'll notice these spots have begun to turn into crevices or cavities.

Cavities or tooth decay is when the surface or enamel of the tooth becomes severely damaged, leaving behind holes and gaps in the tooth. In severe cases, cavities can leave the root of the tooth exposed, creating increased sensitivity.

Tooth Sensitivity

Another one of the most common signs of tooth decay is tooth sensitivity to both hot and cold things. When you drink a glass of ice water, your tooth immediately reacts, sending pain signals because it's damaged.

This sensitivity can cause you to be in pain whenever you're eating or drinking, and it causes tenderness around your gum line.

Bad Breath

25% of people have halitosis, otherwise known as bad breath, and one of the causes of this is tooth decay. As the food in your mouth breaks down and decays, it puts off an odor because of the sulfur compound it produces.

The odor is a result of the increase in bacteria lingering within the mouth. As decay within the mouth progresses below the tooth's surface, the smell becomes worse and more potent.

The only way to improve tooth decay is to seek family dentistry services as soon as possible.

Tooth Decay Treatment

If you spot any signs of tooth decay, it's essential to seek treatment from a dentist trained to provide oral care. Ensure you seek help from a dentist that has the licensing and certification to provide treatment.

If you're in the early stage of tooth decay, the dentist will speak to you about the importance of changing your diet and routinely cleaning your teeth. If possible, a fluoride varnish can be applied to the teeth to keep further enamel decay and damage from occurring.

Fluoride is found in toothpaste and is a critical factor in helping tooth enamel remain strong. It's not always possible to use this means of treatment, especially if your tooth decay is more progressive.

Cavities, as mentioned previously can become holes in the tooth and these gaps will need to be filled to stop more damage from occurring. Before your dentist fills the cavity or places a crown on the tooth, they will remove the cavity.

This ensures it doesn't spread into the root of the tooth, causing further gum damage. You've also got the option of having a root canal performed or having the tooth removed altogether.

These choices are only if your situation has progressed to the point where the tooth can't be saved. Before you have treatment performed, your dentist will sit down and speak to you about your options.

They will then help you decide which treatment method will be the best for your current needs.

Signs of Tooth Decay: Stopping Decay in Its Tracks

There are several signs of tooth decay you can spot that means you need treatment. If you're experiencing increased tooth sensitivity or headaches due to a toothache, you need to head to your dentist right away.

Are you exhibiting any of these signs and want to have your teeth checked out? Make an appointment with Bischoff Family Dentistry, and let us show you how to care for your teeth.

We offer several services, including hi-tech and cosmetic dentistry.

Beautify Your Smile: 6 Common Cosmetic Dentistry Procedures

Thu, 14 Oct 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Beautify Your Smile: 6 Common Cosmetic Dentistry Procedures

Want to boost your confidence and beautify your smile? Click here to learn the most common cosmetic dentistry procedures to enhance your smile.

Over 50% of Americans smile with their lips closed or cover their mouths when they laugh.

Why? Because they feel insecure about their teeth.

Can you relate? Do you feel embarrassed by the appearance of your teeth? Have you been researching different types of cosmetic dentistry procedures but you're unsure which one is right for you?

In this post, we'll take the mystery out of beautifying your smile. Here's a list of cosmetic dentistry procedures to consider.

1. Teeth Whitening

It's natural for our teeth to become dull over time, especially if we smoke or regularly drink coffee or red wine . One of the easiest and most affordable cosmetic dentistry procedures is teeth whitening or bleaching.

This is a "quick fix" for teeth that are stained, yellowed, or otherwise discolored. Although there are some DIY whitening kits you can buy at the store, you'll get the best results if you visit your dentist.

You can choose to have a whitening procedure done in the office. Or your dentist may be able to give you trays and whitening gel or toothpaste you can use at home. You'll notice results quickly and may even find that your teeth are whiter and brighter than their natural color.

2. Composite Bonding

Another common cosmetic procedure is known as dental or composite bonding. It's used to treat an array of conditions including:

Discolored teeth

Chipped or broken teeth

Tooth decay

Bad breath

Tooth gaps

Your dentist will use a composite bonding material similar to the material used for white dental fillings. It's a moldable, putty-like substance that can cover up and smooth out imperfections in your teeth. After shaping and placing it in the desired location, your dentist will harden the resin with a laser or UV light.

Dental bonding is a painless, quick, and affordable procedure if you're looking for subtle enhancements to your smile.

3. Inlays & Onlays

Also called indirect fillings, your dentist may recommend inlays or onlays to improve the appearance of your teeth. They're often recommended if you have mild to moderate tooth decay or insufficient structure to support a traditional filling.

Inlays get placed directly into your tooth cusp, provided there's no damage to the surface of the tooth. If there's significant damage, an onlay will cover the entire surface of the tooth.

Traditionally, onlays and inlays were made of gold. Now they're made in a laboratory from a mix of ceramic or porcelain, which closely resembles the appearance of your natural tooth. Your dentist will affix them with specialized adhesive cement.

This is a terrific option to strengthen and support your teeth while preventing further deterioration or decay.

4. Dental Veneers

Because of the comparably shorter lifespan of bonding, inlays, and onlays, many people opt for dental veneers. In recent years they've become the "gold standard" of cosmetic dentistry, giving your favorite Hollywood celebrities their perfect smiles.

Veneers are thin, life-like porcelain shells that fit over the front of your natural tooth. They can be shaped and molded to address any imperfection, from a chipped or cracked tooth to a noticeable gap between teeth. Bonus: Because they're non-porous, veneers can't be stained from beverages or food items.

Your dentist will gently file down the front of your tooth (or teeth), then make an impression to send off to a lab. When your custom veneers come back, your dentist will permanently attach them to the front of your teeth, giving you a Hollywood-worthy smile.

Veneers last an average of 10 years but can last up to 20 years or longer with proper care.

5. Dental Implants

If you're missing a tooth or you have a gap that's too wide to correct with veneers, dental implants could be your best solution. One of the best things about dental implants is that they're a permanent solution and just as easy to care for as your natural teeth.

How do dental implants work?

First, your dentist inserts a titanium screw that anchors into your jawbone and functions like a natural tooth's roots. Once it heals, a second procedure attaches a metal post to the screw. Finally, the replacement tooth or teeth get attached to the post or grouped together in a bridge.

Although implants are the most involved cosmetic procedure on our list, they're also one of the most effective and long-term solutions. This is why 500,000 people choose to get dental implants every year!

6. Braces or Invisalign

Perhaps the reason you're distressed about your smile is that your teeth are crooked or misaligned. Maybe you missed your window of opportunity to get braces as a child, so you've been stuck with buck teeth, crowded teeth, or a large gap.

No matter your age, it's never too late to straighten and align your teeth. These days you don't even have to wear metal braces, which is an off-putting thought for many adults. Instead, you can wear invisible plastic aligners from Invisalign to gradually straighten your teeth and improve your smile.

Traditional metal braces and Invisalign both work the same way to correct irregular teeth spacing and misalignments. There are pros and cons to each type of procedure, so talk to your dentist about which option makes more sense for you.

The Best Cosmetic Dentistry Procedures in Phoenix, AZ

Now that we've reviewed this list of common cosmetic dentistry procedures, what do you think? Are you ready to find the best solution for you and get the smile you've always wanted?

Bischoff Family Dentistry offers the best and most affordable cosmetic dentistry procedures in the Phoenix area. We have more than 30 years of experience giving people the beautiful smiles they deserve.

Take the first step and find out which types of cosmetic dentistry procedures are right for you. Use our online contact form or give us a call at (623) 842-1200 to set up a consultation.

Family and Cosmetic Dentistry: How to Choose the Right Dentist

Tue, 14 Sep 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Family and Cosmetic Dentistry: How to Choose the Right Dentist

What's the difference between family and cosmetic dentistry? How can you find the right dentist for your needs? Click here to learn more on the subject.

Did you know there are over 200,000 dentists in the US? With numbers like these, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by options when you're trying to find a dentist near you. Maybe you're looking for a cosmetic dentist to address problems with your smile. Or maybe you want to find a kind, friendly dentist that will make your kids feel at ease. Whatever the case, you need to set aside a few minutes to do some research. In this post, we'll walk you through the differences between family and cosmetic dentistry, as well as provide tips on how to find the best dentist in your area.

Keep reading to learn more!

Family and Cosmetic Dentistry: What's the Difference?

Just like doctors, dentists have different areas of specialization and training. To ensure you find the right dentist for your needs, here's a brief overview of the two main branches of dentistry.

Family Dentistry

Family dentistry is also called general dentistry. This is what most people think of when they envision a standard visit to a dental clinic.

A family dentist will handle routine procedures including:

Examinations and x-rays

Dental cleanings

Fillings for cavities

Root canals

Tooth extractions

Periodontal (gum) care

Some family dentists accept patients of all ages, while pediatric dentists focus mainly on young children. Others specialize in gentle dentistry for patients with dental anxiety or phobia . Take the time to seek a qualified family dentist in your area that caters to your individual needs.

Cosmetic Dentistry

While family or general dentistry takes care of needs, cosmetic dentists focus on giving you the smile you want. Cosmetic dentists may specialize in a number of procedures such as:

Dental implants

Braces

Invisalign

Crowns

Veneers

Dental bonding

Teeth whitening

The best cosmetic dentist will listen closely to your concerns. Then they'll suggest the best course of treatment to enhance your smile and boost your confidence.

How to Find the Best Dentist for You

Now that you know the difference between family and cosmetic dentistry, it's time to focus on your search. Here are some expert tips to help you locate the right dentist for your needs.

1. Ask for Recommendations

The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own (or paste your own from a different source).
To control the color or size of this text, please change the global colors or text size under the Design section from the left menu of the editor.

2. Read Reviews & Testimonials

Whether you get a personal recommendation or you're still on the hunt, your next step is to take your search online.

As you browse a potential dentist's website, look for testimonials from past and current patients. They should have overwhelmingly positive things to say about the dentist, the clinic, the procedures, and how they were treated.

Of course, keep in mind that the dentist chooses which testimonials to include on their business website, so you may not get the complete picture. To round out your opinion, visit third-party review sites such as Google, Yahoo, and Yelp.

Again, the majority of what you read should be positive. One poor review isn't necessarily enough to write off the clinic, but you should beware of a string of negative reviews — especially if everyone has the same complaint.

3. Prepare a List of Questions

Now that you're narrowing down a list of candidates, it's time to think about the things that are most important to you.

Write down a list of questions to ask when you call or visit the dental office. These might include:

Where did you receive your education and training?

What's your approach to preventative dentistry?

What are your main areas of specialization?

What are your normal office hours?

How do you handle after-hours dental emergencies?

How often do you attend conferences, workshops, or continuing education courses?

How do you cater to patients who struggle with dental anxiety?

Do you only work with adults, or do you accept patients of all ages?

Your questions may be different, but the point is to learn as much as you can before you make your final decision.

4. Consider Insurance & Payment Options

A vital question to ask is about the dentist's fees and payment plans.

If you have dental insurance, do they accept your plan? Are they an in-network provider? If not, what options do you have as far as paying for your treatment?

The best dentists will offer a variety of options (such as CareCredit) that suit your budget and circumstances.

5. Set up a Consultation or Office Visit

Once you've learned as much as you can online and over the phone, it's time to visit the dental clinic in person. This is the only way you'll truly know if you've found the right dentist for you.

From the moment you step through the door, you should be greeted in a warm and friendly manner. The waiting room and treatment rooms should be neat, clean, and tidy. The staff should wear gloves and masks and use appropriate protective equipment during patient treatment.

If any of these factors is lacking (or missing altogether), take your search elsewhere. Keep looking until you find a clinic where you feel comfortable, safe, and warmly welcomed.

The Best Family and Cosmetic Dentist in Phoenix

You have a lot of choices when it comes to dentists. That's why it's so important to do some research and find the best dentist for your unique needs.

We've put together this family and cosmetic dentistry guide to help you do just that. If you're looking for the best dentist in the Phoenix, AZ area, we can also assure you that your search is over.

Dr. Darrel Bischoff prides himself on being the friendliest dentist in Peoria. With over 30 years of experience, he and his team can take care of all your family and cosmetic dentistry needs.

Give us a call at (623) 842-1200 or use our online contact form to get in touch. We'll happily answer your questions or set up your first appointment in our Peoria office.

Why You Should Go to A AAID Accredited Dentist for Your Dental Implants

Fri, 28 Jul 2017 06:05:00 GMT

Want to ensure a safe and effective dental implant procedure? If yes, then make sure that you get your implant (s) from a AAID accredited dentist. Who are AAID accredited dentists and what makes them the best choice for implants? Let’s find out.

What does an AAID accredited dentist refer to?

Firstly, an AAID accredited dentist is a dentist who has been accredited by the American Academy of Implant Dentistry or AAID. In case you didn’t know that already, AAID has been anchoring and promoting advancements in implant dentistry through research and support since 1951. The dental implantology credentialing standard, AAID accreditation provides dentists with advanced education and invaluable oral implant expertise. Ultimately, this benefits the people who visit the AAID accredited dentists for dental implants. Before we discuss the reasons to go for a AAID accredited dentist, let’s briefly look at what dental implants refer to.

Understanding Dental Implants

You may want to consider a dental implant if you’re missing a tooth or have a severely damaged tooth that cannot be rehabilitated. Artificial tooth roots incisively placed into the jawbone underneath your gums, dental implants serve as the base for replacement teeth and their purpose is holding the replacement teeth/bridges in place. Dental implants are the best treatment for missing teeth but only if the procedure is performed by a AAID accredited dentist. Following are some of the reasons to choose a dentist accredited by AAID for your implants.

Get Strong, Stable Implants

Dentists accredited by AAID have the knowledge and expertise required to provide you with strong, stable implant that can hold the artificial tooth/crown in a way that makes the latter look, feel and function like a natural tooth.

Dentists Accredited by AAID have the Required Expertise and Knowledge

AAID accredits dentists after they undertake a minimum of 300-400 hours of oral implant related study, get more than five years of experience of dental implant placement, successfully complete fifty dental implant treatments, prove their expert implant knowledge via a written exam and showcase their dental implant skill and education via an oral exam. This ensures that the dentist accredited by AAID have the expertise and knowledge required to carry out the dental implant procedure in a safe and effective manner.

Eliminate the Fear That Your Artificial Tooth/Crown Will Fall Out

As mentioned above, dentists accredited by AAID have the knowledge and expertise required to place dental implants into the jawbone in a safe and effective manner. By ensuring a strong, stable implant, an AAID accredited dentists prevents your artificial your artificial tooth/crown from slipping/falling out. This saves you from unnecessary embarrassment.

By getting dental implants from an AAID accredited dentist, you can ensure a safe and effective implant procedure. The things mentioned above are just a few of the many reasons you should go for a AAID accredited dentist.

Sources:

http://www.dcsmiles.com/services/dental-implants/what-is-an-implant-dentist/
http://www.aaid-implant.org/dental-implant-experts/how-do-i-find-a-dental-implant-dentist/
http://www.aaid-implant.org/what-is-implant-dentistry/

How Long Is Dental Implant Recovery Time?

Fri, 28 Jul 2017 05:59:00 GMT

The time required to recover from dental implant surgery depends on several different things including the health of individual, the number of teeth affected and the method (s) employed to manage the recovery process. A three-phase process, dental implant surgery can be customized to meet the individual need of the person undergoing the surgery.

Generally, the entire process takes from 5 to 8 months. Most of this time is dedicated towards to the evaluation of the bone structure at the site of the implant and the preparation of the dental implant (s). This is the first phase of the implantation process and it takes 3 to 6 months. The other two phases of the process are the insertion of the artificial root/implant and the placement of the artificial tooth/crown.

Once the bone structure is evaluated and the dental implant (s) has been prepared, the artificial root/implant is placed into the jawbone underneath the gums. After this, the gum is allowed to heal. Once the gum is healed, a secondary surgery is performed to place an artificial tooth/crown on the implant.

The General Recovery Time

A question that many people ask is how long does it takes for the gum to heal after the placement of the implant. Generally, after a dental implant surgery, people experience mild discomfort, minor swelling, and spasmodic bruising that lasts for a few days. However, this can be managed with the medicines and care instructions prescribed by the dentist. In most cases, the gum will heal in about ten days after which the affected person can return to his/her normal diet routine. However, the pain may last in some people for up to six weeks. So, you may need to be careful with your diet for a month or two after the dental implant surgery.

Finding out your Dental Implant Recovery Time

Now, you may be wondering whether it’ll take your gums 10 days or six weeks to recover from the surgery. If that is indeed the case, then you need to know this: your dental implant recovery time depends largely on your lifestyle choices and tolerances. In most cases, a smoker will take longer to recover from dental implant surgery than a non-smoker. Even if you’re a smoker, you can speed up your recovery process by quitting smoking for a week or two post-surgery. In addition to speeding up the recovery process, you will lower the pain experienced during the healing process.

Poor diet, smoking, excessive use of alcohol and lack of dental care can delay your healing process after a dental implant surgery. For this reason, you should quit smoking, minimize alcohol consumption, maintain proper oral hygiene and eat a healthy diet for at least a week or two after the implant surgery.

The dental implant recovery time varies from person to person and depends on the lifestyle choices and tolerances of the affected person. The time required to recover from dental implant surgery and the factors that delay recovery are mentioned above.

Sources:

http://www.ryesmilesforlife.com/FAQs/how-long-is-the-dental-implant-recovery-time/
https://ncofsc.com/long-dental-implant-surgery-take/
https://www.realself.com/question/dental-implants-recovery-time
http://blog.ccomfs.com/blog/bid/232410/How-Long-Is-The-Typical-Recovery-From-Dental-Implant-Surgery

Dental Implants Vs. Bridges: Which Is Better?

Fri, 28 Jul 2017 05:53:00 GMT

When it comes to replacing missing or broken teeth, you’ve got options. Though, dentists generally ask patients to choose between dental implants and bridges. The two most popular ways of restoring missing teeth, bridges and dental implants can help people with broken/missing teeth to get back their smile. Now, many people want to know which one among dental implants and bridges is better for replacing the missing/broken teeth. If you’re one of them then following is some useful information that’ll help you make an informed decision.

Comparing Dental Implants and Bridges

Determining which one among dental implants and bridges is the best way to replace missing tooth/teeth can be a bit of a challenge. However, you can make an informed decision by considering the pros and cons of each. We’ll start with pros and cons of dental implants.

Pros and Cons of Dental Implants

Following are the pros of dental implants:

Minimal Maintenance

The biggest benefit of choosing dental implants over bridges is that unlike the latter, implants last a lifetime and don’t lose their shine over time. And, all this is possible without much maintenance.

Natural Looking

One of the best things about an implant is that it matches your other teeth in terms of color and translucence. In short, after getting an implant, you won’t miss your natural tooth.

Protect Your Jawbone

Your jawbone will be at risk for deterioration if you have an open space in your mouth at the site of the missing tooth. By triggering and maintaining natural bone growth, dental implants prevent the loss of bone.

Strain-Free Teeth

A dental implant stands on its own support and does not put any strain/pressure on other teeth. This in turn ensures the protection of surrounding teeth.

With the pros of implants covered, it’s time to look at their cons.

Time

The entire process takes from 5 to 8 months. This includes the 3 to 5 months required to evaluate bone structure and prepare the implant and the month or two required by the gum to heal after surgery.

Cost

The high upfront cost of implants discourages many people from choosing them for their missing/broken teeth. However, as implants generally last a lifetime, this cost is more than covered over time.

Pros and Cons of Bridges

Following are the pros of dental bridges:

Simple Procedure

Unlike the dental implant procedure, the procedure to get bridges is quite simple. Generally, the process to get dental bridges is only a few weeks long.

Affordable

Bridges don’t have a high upfront cost. However, they only last for 7 to 15 years before requiring replacement.

There are many cons of dental bridges including:

There you have it—the pros and cons of both dental implants and dental bridges. Using the aforementioned-information, you can decide for yourself which one among dental implants and bridges is better for replacing your missing/broken teeth.

Sources:

https://collingwooddentalcentre.org/dental-bridge-vs-implant-compared/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/70629-dental-implants-vs.-bridges/
http://yoursmilebecomesyou.com/procedures/implants-versus-bridges/
http://www.colgate.com/en/us/oc/oral-health/life-stages/adult-oral-care/article/dental-bridge-vs-implant-which-is-right-for-you-1015

3 Common Myths about Dental Implants

Fri, 28 Jul 2017 05:28:00 GMT

Not so long ago, dentures were the only option people suffering from tooth loss had to restore their mouth’s structure and function. However, recent advancements in dental technology has changed that. Today, many options are available to the people suffering from tooth loss. Of all the options available today, dental implants are probably the safest and most effective. Great substitutes for partial or full dentures, dental implants are artificial tooth roots incisively placed into the jawbone underneath your gums. After the implant is put in place, a replacement tooth is attached to it, allowing you to have that perfect smile once again.

Now, you will hear different things from different people about the dental implants. Some of the knowledge imparted to you will be true and some of it will be based on myths and misconceptions. It is important that you don’t fall prey to the wrong knowledge about dental implants imparted to you. The best way to do this is knowing the myths/misconceptions about dental implants making the rounds today. To help you in this regard, following are 3 common myths about dental implants.

Myth 1# Implants are Noticeable

The number one myth about implants is that they’re easily noticeable. Contrary to popular belief, implants are not easy to spot. Thanks to advancements in dental technology, dental surgeons can now create teeth from implants that match your other teeth in terms of color and translucence. So, unless you tell someone about them, chances are that people won’t be able to spot your implants.

Myth # 2 They are uncomfortable

Another common myth about implants is that they’re uncomfortable. The supposed pain caused by implants is a major reason many people avoid them. But, the truth is that the procedure to get implants is far less complex and painful than what most people believe it to be. In addition to local anesthesia, nitrous oxide is used during the implantation procedure to reduce anxiety and discomfort and make pain as good as negligible. In addition to the above, you will be given care instructions and prescribed medicine for the pain. Before you even know it, the implants will be in place in to give you back your beautiful smile.

Myth 3# They are expensive

Many people wrongly believe that dental implants are expensive. Implants have a higher upfront cost than bridges but unlike the latter, they last an entire lifetime. On the other hand, bridges last for seven to fifteen years before being replaced. This makes implants a cheaper option than bridges and dentures. Lastly, implants are less complicated than dentures, which makes them easier and cheaper to maintain than the latter.

There you have it—the 3 common myths about dental implants.

Sources:

http://thedentalimplantguide.org/dental-implants/myths-misconceptions/
http://www.vvdental.com/blog/post/3-myths-about-dental-implants-debunked.html
https://www.practo.com/healthfeed/myths-and-facts-about-dental-implants-26399/post
https://hawaiifamilydental.com/our-blog/top-5-dental-implants-myths-and-facts/

An Overview of the Different Types of Dental Implants

Fri, 28 Jul 2017 05:14:00 GMT

Tapered/cylindrical posts made of titanium, dental implants are artificial tooth roots incisively placed into the jawbone underneath your gums. Dental implants serve as the base for replacement teeth and their purpose is holding the replacement teeth/bridges in place. Considered by many as the best treatment for missing teeth, implants are positioned in the jawbone in a way that allows them to intermix with your natural bone and become a brawny and robust foundation for replacement teeth.

By intermixing with your natural bone, implants provide stable support for your artificial teeth/bridges. For this reason, more and more people today are using implants for replacing their missing/broken teeth. While dental implants are a good way for you to replace your missing/broken teeth, you must find out about and understand the implant options available to you. Today, there are over forty different types of dental implants. However, only two of them are considered safe by the American Dental Association(ADA). Following are the two implants recommended by ADA:

Endosteal Implants

The most common types of dental implants, endosteal implants are placed surgically into the jawbone. Shaped like screws, endosteal implants are place-holder posts made either of titanium, ceramic material or metal covered with ceramic. The implant (s) is placed into the jawbone and then time is given to the surrounding gum to heal. Once it is healed, a secondary surgery takes place to connect the implant to a post and create a strong hold. Finally, the replacement tooth (or teeth) is individually attached to the post or grouped on a denture or bridge.

Subperiosteal implants

The main substitute for endosteal implants, subperiosteal implants are implants with metal frames that are placed into the jawbone just underneath the gum tissue. Unlike the other types of implants, subperiosteal implants sit on top of the bone and aren’t fixed into jawbone. However, they’re still present below the gum. The frames become fixed to the jawbone upon the healing of the gums. Attached to the frame, the posts of the implants jut through the gums. These posts are what the artificial teeth are mounted to.
Best for people whose jawbone cannot hold endosteal implants, subperiosteal implants are a safe way to replace the missing/broken teeth. Whether you’re unwilling to undergo oral surgery or have little bone for endosteal implants, subperiosteal implants eliminate the need for you to get the complex and often painful endosteal implants to replace your missing/broken teeth.

There you have it—an overview of the two main types of dental implants. In addition to the aforementioned -implants, transoteal implants and zygomatic implants are some of the other implants commonly used to replace teeth.

Sources:

http://www.deardoctor.com/articles/dental-implants/page3.php
http://www.medicinenet.com/dental_implants/article.htm
https://www.perio.org/consumer/dental-implants
http://www.yourdentistryguide.com/implants/

What, Why and How of Wisdom Teeth

Thu, 25 May 2017 10:20:00 GMT

With age comes wisdom and so do wisdom teeth!

What are Wisdom Teeth?

Like our body, our mouth also goes through various stages throughout the life. We develop teeth in stages; incisors are the first one to appear. They are then followed by canines, premolar, molars and finally, during our teens (or maybe in early 20s) a third set of molars gradually starts appearing in our mouth. They are known as “Wisdom Teeth”.

The first thing that generally comes to mind whenever we talk about ‘wisdom teeth’ is pain and discomfort.

While it is not necessary that wisdom teeth cause pain or infections, in majority of people they do.

This when coupled with the fact that wisdom teeth do not play any role in chewing makes many wonder why do we have them?

Why Do Humans Have Wisdom Teeth?

It is believed that wisdom teeth started to appear in our ancestors as a result of the process of evolution. The food choices of our ancestors were greatly different from what we eat today (they used to eat various coarse foods, hard nuts, leaves, raw meat etc), and it is believed that wisdom teeth helped them in eating such foods.

The changes in food preferences and cooking methods over time have made wisdom teeth almost useless.

Why Do People Get Their Wisdom Teeth Extracted?

The reason why a lot of people choose to get their wisdom teeth removed the moment they start appearing is the likelihood of complications they may cause in future. While it is not necessary that wisdom teeth always cause pain, infection or any other complication, it often happens.

What Problems Wisdom Teeth Can Cause?

Wisdom teeth often grow in crooked damaging the neighboring teeth and sometimes, nerve and jaw as well. Another possible complication with wisdom teeth is that they sometimes do not come through the gum possibly because it is misaligned even inside the gums, or they do not get space to erupt. Such type of wisdom tooth is called impacted.

In case of an impacted wisdom tooth, there is possibility of damage to teeth, gums and even jaw line. Also, it can cause various types of infections.

If the impacted wisdom teeth somehow manage to come out of the gum, they only come out partially. In such situation, an opening is formed in the gums providing bacteria a way to enter into the gums and reach the roots of teeth. This could lead to swelling, pain, infection, and many other oral health issues.

How To Know If You Need To Get The Wisdom Tooth Removed?

Paying regular visits to a dentist is recommended for various reasons; indentifying any underlying problems and treating them before they cause serious troubles is only one of the many reasons.

When it comes to wisdom tooth, dentists can identify if they are going to be misaligned or impacted. Do not wait for the pain and other symptoms of wisdom tooth complications. Identifying problems beforehand will save you from the pain and infections. If you are looking for a dentistry for your entire family, look nowhere else than Bischoff Family Dentistry . Located in Peoria, AZ, it is the one stop solution for all oral health concerns of your entire family.

What Is Dental Anxiety?

Wed, 24 May 2017 09:32:00 GMT

You may not have heard the term, but it is likely that you or someone you know get nervous, anxious or afraid just by considering the idea of visiting a dentist. This is what is called dental anxiety.

Different people feel varying levels of anxiousness when they are told to visit a dentist. It can range from low to moderate to extremely high levels of nervousness, anxiety and fear. At the highest level, when people actually freak out with the idea of visiting dentist, the condition is called ‘dental phobia’.

While lower to moderate levels of stress and anxiety can be easily overcome, people who suffer from dental phobia get so terrified that they could do anything to avoid going to a dentist.

If you or any of your friends or family members exhibit strange behavior and are afraid of visiting a dentist, do not consider it weird or abnormal behavior. This may come as a surprise to many, but dental anxiety and phobia are quite common. According to research, about 30 to 40 million people i.e. 9 to 15 percent, suffer from these conditions in the United States alone.

A survey conducted by the British Dental Health Foundation found that out of all people who paying visit to dentist, 36% do so because they have a fear of it.

Causes of Dental Anxiety

According to research studies, following are the major reasons why so many people are afraid of visiting dentists:

Fear of Pain

The most common reason that people are afraid of visiting dentists is that the procedure would be painful. Although this anticipation is not always true, it has a powerful impact upon a person’s psychology.

Fear of Embarrassment

A lot of people feel uncomfortable with the idea of showing their oral condition to dentist. It may be because of the poor oral health, bad breath, poor appearance of teeth, and lack of self-confidence. Also, many people are highly conscious about their impressions on other people. Such people avoid going to dentists because they feel that their poor oral health would create a bad impression on the dentist. Some also have the fear of being humiliated by the dentists.

Fear of Helplessness or Lack of Control

Lying on a chair with your mouth wide open and a dentist hovering over you with strange tools makes a lot of people feel helpless and lacking any control over the situation. What makes the situation even worse for such people is that they could not see what the dentist is actually doing to their teeth. Also, they cannot anticipate what the dentist is going to do next until they are told. They feel helpless and lacking any control and this causes anxiety.

Previous Bad Experience(s)

Many people stop going to dentists after one or two bad experiences. If the previous experience is painful, humiliating, embarrassing or had caused some complications, some people feel all dental visits are going to be the same and hence, they avoid them.

Is there a way to overcome dental anxiety?

Yes, dental anxiety can definitely be controlled. Always visit an experienced dentist because they are most likely to have handled fearful patients many times in their career so they know the tactics and methods to calm down a stressed patient. Bischoff

Tooth Decay in Children

Tue, 23 May 2017 11:12:00 GMT

Tooth decay is a common oral disease that not only affects adults, but also children. According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, 28% of children develop a cavity between the ages of 2 to 5 and about 42% develop at least one cavity between the ages of 2 to 11.

Children Are More Prone To Tooth Decay

Children are sensitive and so do the enamel on their teeth. The enamel layer on children teeth is not only soft, but also very thin as compared to that of adults. This makes it highly vulnerable to bacteria and damage.

What makes the condition worse is the fact that a lot of parents do not develop teeth brushing habit among toddlers, allowing the bacteria to stay and grow in their mouth and cause cavities and tooth decay.

Causes of Tooth Decay in Children

According to dentists, following factors contribute to tooth decay in children:

Going To Bed With Bottles

American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry has stated that the biggest cause of cavities and tooth decay in children is the fact that they go to bed with their bottles, which are usually filled with juices or milk. As long as the bottle is filled with anything else than water, it creates an ideal breeding ground for bacteria that harm children’s teeth and cause various oral health problems, including decay.

Too Much Consumption of Sugar

According to a scientific statement published in ‘Circulation’, a journal of American Heart Association, children between the ages of 2 to 18 should not consume more than six teaspoons of added sugar in a day. A 12 ounce can of carbonated drink contains about 9 teaspoons of sugar. This is enough to tell how much sugar children are consuming these days.

The fact that children often sip on juices and other sugary drinks and suck candies and gummies makes their teeth even more susceptible to decay. This is because such poor eating habits increase the time children’s teeth are exposed to sugar, giving bacteria enough time and ideal environment to flourish.

Poor Hygiene

A lot of parents think that toddlers do not need to brush teeth and this is probably the biggest harm they are doing to their children’s oral health. As soon as the first tooth of your baby appears, it needs to be regularly cleaned. Inculcating good oral care habits in children is the best guard against bacterial growth and several oral health problems.

Identifying the Greatest Threats to Your Oral Health

Fri, 19 May 2017 11:35:00 GMT

Let’s accept the reality for once; we know how crucial maintaining oral health is for our overall wellbeing yet, for most of us, it comes at the bottom of the priority list.
We all want to have the sparkling teeth, bright smile, and fresh breath, but only few of us actually make effort to achieve and maintain them.
It’s surprising to know that despite increased awareness about general health maintenance and oral care, a large number of people still do not follow even the basic oral care practices.
Majority of the people (including those who regularly brush their teeth) do not floss and only 1/3rd of Americans visit a dentist on regular basis.
Shocking, isn’t it?
As a result, many people not only lose that beautiful smile that was once their best accessory, but also suffer from various diseases.
Research tells us that about 47.2% of people who 30 years of age or older suffer from periodontal disease (plaque buildup and bacteria are the main causes of periodontal disease). Not to talk about many other serious diseases (including but not limited to cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s lung diseases, dementia, stroke, etc) poor oral health could lead to.

Identifying Biggest Threats to Oral Health

In addition to regular and proper cleaning and visiting a certified dentist, certain practices and lifestyle factors also play a great role in achieving and maintaining oral health.
The good news is that majority of oral health issues can easily be prevented. Following are some of the greatest and the most prevalent threats to our teeth and gums so, make sure to stay away from them if you do not want to end up with oral health issues.

Sugar

This comes as no surprise. It is a common knowledge that consuming too much sugar can be really bad for your oral health. But, have you ever wondered why sugar is so bad for your teeth and gums?
It serves as food for bacteria and as a result allows them to grow and multiply. All these bacteria then produce harmful acid that ultimately leads to various gum diseases and cavities.

Tobacco

Tobacco is another greatest threat to oral health. Consuming tobacco not only affects the appearance of teeth and causes bad breath, but also causes damage to enamel and destroy gum tissues that leads to sensitivity and tooth decay. Also, tobacco greatly increases the chances of developing mouth cancer.
Anything That Causes Dry Mouth
Saliva is our best natural defense against many oral problems. It not only keeps our mouth moistened and prevents plaque buildup, but also prevents the food particles from sticking to teeth and gums. In short, saliva naturally keeps many oral problems at bay. Therefore, anything that affects the production of saliva (functioning of salivary glands) can seriously affect our oral health.

Causes and Symptoms of Mouth Cancer

Fri, 19 May 2017 05:49:00 GMT

Gone are the times when people didn’t know what cancer is. Unfortunately, the disease has now become so widespread that we all have the basic knowledge about it. The deadly disease can affect any part of the human body and the mouth is not an exception either.
When a tumor develops anywhere inside the mouth, whether in the inner lining of cheeks, on tongue, gums or lips or on the mouth’s roof, it is called mouth or oral cancer. Although less common, but mouth cancer can also develop in pharynx, sinuses, tonsils and salivary glands.

Oral Health Problems Caused By Diabetes

Mouth cancer is the result of certain mutations in the DNA of mouth cells that allow the uncontrolled growth and spread of cancer cells.
Despite great advancements in research techniques and medical science, the exact cause of mouth cancer is still unclear. However, healthcare professionals are certain that several habits and lifestyle factors greatly increase the chances of developing the deadly disease. These include:

Tobacco Consumption
Tobacco consumption, in any form and type, is the greatest factor that pts one at the risk of mouth cancer. According to the Mouth Cancer Foundation, 90% of people who suffer from mouth cancer have found to be consuming tobacco on regular basis.
People who smoke face three times greater risk of developing oral cancer than people who do not.

Alcohol Consumption
While consuming alcohol occasionally does not do any harm to the body, heavy drinking also puts a person at an increased risk of developing mouth cancer.

If a person is both a smoker and an alcoholic, he/she has 30 times greater risk of developing this deadly disease than others.

Some other factors that are also found to increase the chances of developing oral cancer are:

Signs and Symptoms of Mouth Cancer

Some common signs and symptoms of mouth cancer are:

Final Word

Oral Cancer can be treated if detected at initial stage. Therefore, it is highly important to regularly examine your mouth and visit an AAID certified dentist , at least once a year (in case of no apparent problem) so that if the disease is developing, it can be detected and treated at the initial stage. Visiting a dentist is recommended because there are certain areas of mouth that we cannot see on our own. Also, there is a possibility that what we consider a simple sore may in fact be a sign of mouth cancer. There are many such warning signs that only an expert dentist can recognize.

More than 40,000 people were diagnosed with mouth cancer in the United States alone during the year 2014. The figure is staggering therefore, it’s better to be safe and cautious than regretting later.

Orthodontic Braces: How To Know If You Need One?

Thu, 20 Apr 2017 10:41:00 GMT

While we all love to have the picture perfect kind of sparkling smile, many of us take our oral health too lightly or until we are faced with some serious problems. Orthodontic problems do not only affect your smile, confidence and self-esteem, but also cause various real oral health issues.

This is why regular visits to your family dentist are recommended. If detected at early stage i.e. during childhood when permanent teeth start emerging, orthodontic problems can be much easily because the child’s mouth is still in the growing phase and the tissues can be much more malleable than an adult.

Many of the orthodontic problems call for orthodontic braces. For majority of people, the most dreadful thing to hear from a dentist is being told that they need braces. Many of the teens, in particular, refuse to wear dental braces, as they are alternatively known as, because it affects their physical appearance.

Therefore, it is highly recommended to keep an eye upon your child’s teeth, since the toddler age until he/she has fully developed permanent teeth, and to address any and all problems there and then to avoid any drama later on.

However, if you have ignored your child’s or your own oral health for long; all is not over. There is no age limit for dental braces. It is a corrective treatment to avoid or to get rid of numerous oral issues.

How to Know If You Need Orthodontic Braces?

While the best way to determine if you need dental braces is to visit a dentist, there are few signs that help you identify on your own that you need the orthodontic treatment.
Important: Make sure to always go to a dentist who is AAID accredited, such as the Bischoff Family Dentistry, as it speaks volume about his/her credibility and expertise.

1. Gaps between Teeth
Malocclusion is a medical condition due to which your jaws do not fit together as they should. Gap between teeth is often the cause of this problem. Also, the gaps put the gum tissue at increased risk of plaque buildup and several other gum issues, such as infections and inflammation. This is because the tissue is exposed to bacteria.

People can have gaps between teeth naturally and they may also be a result of genetics, using pacifiers or thumb sucking during childhood.

2. Crowding Of Teeth
Overcrowded teeth are the most obvious of all signs that hint towards the need for getting dental braces. Not only it makes cleaning much difficult, it also makes proper cleaning less likely. Food particles easily get trapped between the overcrowded teeth which cannot be removed by regular cleaning methods. Hence, puts an individual at the high risk of plaque buildup, and developing periodontal disease, tooth decay, gum issues, bad breath and even bone loss around the teeth.

3. Abnormal Bite
Having an abnormal or incorrect bite means a condition in which your upper and lower teeth do not meet and interact the way they should. Incorrect bite is a widespread problem, but majority of the people tend to ignore it. However, if not treated, it can lead to tooth injury, problems in speech development, chronic headaches, issues with your jaw (such as Temporomandibular Joint Disorder) and tooth wear.

Oral Health and Diabetes

Thu, 20 Apr 2017 10:28:00 GMT

We all know that diabetes has now become a common disease and it is possible to keep it under control.

But, one can only take measures to live a healthy life when he/she knows that he/she is diabetic.
Is it possible that you may be suffering from diabetes and not know about it?

Yes!

Research tells us that there are 8.1 million such people in the United States alone.

This is why it is called the “silent killer”.

While it is a common knowledge that in the long run, diabetes cause harm to heart, kidneys, nerves, and eyes, do you know that it is one of those diseases that affect all parts of our body? Mouth is not an exception either.

Oral Health Problems Caused By Diabetes

If not treated, diabetes mellitus will negatively affect oral health and could lead to several oral issues and diseases. Some of the common problems include:

In general, diabetics have a much higher risk of developing certain dental and gum diseases because diabetes contributes towards weakening your natural resistance against infections and bacteria. This allows bacteria to easily attack your gums and cause various diseases. This is why periodontal disease is so common among diabetics.

According to research, 22% of people who are diagnosed with diabetes suffer from it, making it the most prevalent disease among diabetics.

How Diabetics Should Take Care Of Oral Health?
As they say, prevention is better than cure; it is advised to take up preventive oral healthcare measures as soon as someone is diagnosed with diabetes. These include regular visits to the dentist in addition to brushing and flossing the right way.

Remember that there is a two-way connection between periodontal disease and diabetes. This means that on one hand, diabetes increases the risk of developing periodontal disease, while on the other hand, the gum disease may also affect your blood glucose level and control and thus contributes to increased blood sugar level.

In addition to paying regular visits to a reliable and AAID accredited dentist , it is also highly important to be in touch with your endocrinologist/ diabetologist in order to keep your blood glucose level in control. If you wear dentures, do clean them properly on daily basis.

Also, avoid habits and practices that generally produce negative effects on teeth and gums, such as smoking, consuming too much sugar or alcohol, and poor hygiene.

4 Habits That Negatively Affect Your Oral Health

Thu, 20 Apr 2017 10:16:00 GMT

Are you destroying your teeth and damaging your overall oral health with even knowing?

It may be possible!

Does your toddler have a habit of thumb sucking?

Or you bite your nails?

If yes, then know that these habits are extremely bad for oral health. Certain habits affect our oral health too negatively and lead to teeth loss and other oral diseases.

Bad oral hygiene makes the situation even worse.

This is why, 25 % of US citizens, who are older than 65 years, do not have any tooth left in their mouth, according to research.

Startling, isn’t it?

How to Maintain Oral Health?

In addition to adopting practices for maintaining good oral hygiene, such as regular brushing, flossing and paying visits to your family dentist at least twice a year (if you do not have any apparent oral issue), it is important to give up on certain habits.

Habits That Negatively Affect Oral Health

Following are some of the don’ts for maintaining oral health. These include both the practices/ habits that cause immediate damage and those that slowly and gradually cause irreparable damage to your teeth.

So, put these habits and/or practices to rest, if you don’t want to harm your oral health.

1. Thumb Sucking
Thumb sucking is highly common among infants and many of them automatically give up on it as they grow, usually between 2 to 4 years. However, do not wait for that time; discourage this habit from the onset. This is important because thumb sucking is highly damaging for oral health, in the long run.

It not only cause the misalignment of teeth, but could also lead to speech problems. Additionally, it causes damage to the mouth’s roof and may also affect the structure of teeth and jaw.

2. Tooth Grinding and Jaw Clenching
Do you clench your jaw and grind your teeth in anger? Or you are a bruxist?
If your answer to any of these questions is yes, then your teeth are at high risk for damage!
Tooth grinding and jaw clenching puts extreme amount of pressure on our teeth and could even cause fractures (micro or actual).
Sounds scary, right?

3. Smoking
So much has already been said about the negative effects of smoking on our overall health that it has become a common knowledge. However, some people still do not know that smoking not only damages your internal organs, but your mouth as well.

In general, consumption of any form of tobacco puts you at the high risk of following oral health issues:

4. Using Teeth as a Tool
Let’s accept it, almost all of us have used our teeth as replacement for certain tools, many a times. For example, for cutting thread, tape and nails, to open packaging, and some even go as far as to using their teeth to open bottle caps.

Put simply, this is not what our teeth are meant for.

If you do any of these things, be assured that you are soon going to have cracked teeth.

An Introduction to Dental Veneers

Thu, 20 Apr 2017 09:55:00 GMT

Ever wondered how celebrities manage to have perfect hair, skin, and teeth?

While we all know that they take several measures to get and maintain beautiful skin and hair, few people know that many choose to give makeover to their smiles as well. They wear ‘Dental Veneers’.

Don’t believe us?

Google it and you would be surprised to know how many celebrities have gone through this cosmetic dental procedure.

So, if you are one of those who always shy to smile because you don’t have the perfect teeth, it’s time to flaunt a big smile proudly.

What are Dental Veneers?
Dental Veneers, also known as Porcelain Veneers, are customized, wafer thin shells or sheets that cover the front surface of teeth and hide any imperfections, such as discoloration, or breakage.

Why Do People Wear Dental Veneers?
As mentioned above, dental veneers are generally used to hide any dental imperfections and/ or damages. For example, discoloration that may be a result of aging or too much consumption of alcohol, tea or coffee. Also, people who have chipped or slightly cracked teeth prefer to wear dental veneers as opposed to wearing crowns.

Veneers are also used as protective coverings for enamel layer and to fix the abnormal bite patterns. They may also be used to fill small gaps between teeth.

Since they are custom made for each individual, they fit perfectly over teeth and give you the shape, size and color of teeth and ultimately the perfect smile that you always dreamed of. A lot of people simply go for dental veneers for pure aesthetical reasons i.e. to improve the appearance of their teeth.

What Are Veneers Made Of?
Dental veneers can be made from:

What Type Of Dental Veneers Are The Best?
The porcelain veneers are considered to be the best because they not only have high resistance against stains, but also have the light reflecting property just like the natural teeth.

However, porcelain dental veneers cannot be repaired (if damaged) and/ or removed. Also, they are not considered a good choice for people having weak or unhealthy teeth or who have a habit or problem (bruxism) of teeth grinding.

Therefore, it is recommended to consult an AAID accredited dentist to determine what material veneers are best for you, as they may vary depending upon your needs and oral health conditions.

How Long Is The Procedure?
Usually, three visits to the dentist are required to get dental veneers. On the first trip, the dentist will discuss your needs, examine your teeth to determine if you can go for dental veneers and what type of veneers will be most suitable for you.

Afterwards, you would have to pay two more visits to the dentist to get the veneers placed on your teeth. During the second visit, the dentist would prepare your teeth for the placement. This requires removal of some of the natural enamel from your teeth and taking the impression of your teeth so that veneers can be made according to your teeth size.

During the third and the last visit, veneers will be cemented to your teeth.

The Myth of Insurance

Mon, 17 Oct 2016 12:02:00 GMT

The Myth of Insurance, Part II

So, we’ve touched on how insurance started. It actually started in California back in the 1950’s. It was a way for the workers to get some compensation for the work that they were doing. It did become more main stream in the 1970’s, where employers were offering $1000 per year benefit. Now, doing the reverse math on this, a $12000 crown today would have cost you $362 back in 1971. Back then, it was a similar structure to what it is now, 100% of preventative (exams, x-rays and regular cleanings), 80% of basic (fillings, and most insurances consider basic to be periodontal or gum disease cleanings, root canals and extractions) and 50% of major (most insurances consider crowns or caps major, bridges, partials, dentures and implants). So, 50% of a $362 crown is $181.

Yes, my math is correct. Back in 1971, with your $1000 maximum, you would have used almost 20% of your insurance for ONE crown. You could have about 5 crowns for the price of one crown in 2016, yet your insurance dictates that you only get one crown a year. How in the heck are you supposed to keep your overall heath if you’re keeping your budge to whatever your insurance covers? The answer is, you’re not! You’re going to spend 5-10 years fixing the “infection” in your mouth at these rates, and that doesn’t include future work, so if the infection spreads (and we guarantee it will spread), you’re are, for lack of a better phrase, shit out of luck.

This is where dentistry gets its “it’s too expensive” name. Dental insurance hasn’t kept up its maximum with inflation. Health insurance has barely kept up, but dental insurance is still back in the 1970’s and 1980’s prices. I can tell you from the dental side of insurance, even their fees that they pay haven’t gotten any better. They have actually gotten 10x worse. I am looking at the future of dentistry thinking that there might not be much of a future. I am hoping there is, both for Bischoff Family Dentistry’s sake and my sake. I know A LOT about dentistry and hope to make it my future. But, if insurances have their way, it might not be much of a future.

Ten years ago, we as a dental office were getting paid $5-600 per crown if not more. Now a days, if you are in network, you are lucky to get $7-800 per crown. I know on the Delta “premier” plans, you can get almost $1000 if you are an in network doctor, but if it is a Delta PPO plan, then you’re getting between $500-800 per crown allowance from Delta. Which means it’s $250-$400 per crown that Delta Dental is paying you, and requiring you collect from your patient the other half of the $250-$400 per crown. Between the lab fees (which vary from lab to lab, but the top quality labs are $200 per crown made) and overhead, the dentist isn’t making any money on a crown.

That’s where the “crowns from China” have become popular. You pay $50 per crown, it may fit, it may not fit. It may be good quality materials, or it may have tons of lead and mercury in it crowns. This is why a lot of doctors have to swear to their liability insurances that their crowns aren’t shipped to China. It’s just a lot of money to make one crown and not be compensated enough to cover the cost of that crown.

Experience in life comes at you from all angles

Mon, 10 Oct 2016 09:40:00 GMT

Experience in life comes at you from all angles. I recently went to a seminar for dentists. So I’m in a room of over 50 dentists and their staff. Mostly front office staff. This was a new patient seminar.

I think most of the room thought that I was the dentist. I actually picked up on the information better than most, and I made jokes about what they were talking about. A lot of the information was review, but there were some great points made. This gets me into today’s topic: Insurance.

Now, I have briefly mentioned this topic in the past. But I’m really going to get into it in this blog series. Dental insurance is a scam. It’s the greatest scam I have ever seen. I’m sure it started with great intentions, for very little money every year, you get $1000 per year to use towards dental treatment. This widely used model started in the 1970’s. Now, I won’t go into much about the 70’s, since I don’t remember much of them (not due to drugs, but I wasn’t born until the end of the 70’s), but as I’m writing this blog, I’m doing some financial research about inflation and fun things of that kind.

So, according to inflationdata.com, $1000 in 1971 could buy you what $5,9646.99 could buy you today. Yes, you read that right. What you could have bought in 1971 would cost you almost $6000 today. Now, I hate to insert some modern acronyms in here, but OMG!!!! And add a few more exclamation points after that. So, back in the 70’s, your $1000 coverage would get you A LOT of dentistry! If dental insurance plans kept up with inflation, people would be getting $6000 per year coverage!
What are we getting instead? Well, up until the recent Affordable Care Act, I noticed more and more insurance companies squeaking up their insurance benefits to $1500, $2000 or dare I say…$2500. I think I saw one plan at $5000 and one plan at $10,000, but those plans had some other downfalls.

So, you’re paying for $1000. Average cost of a crown currently is well over $1000. Insurance might cover 50% of that, so we’ll say a crown is $1200, insurance covered $600, you have $400 left for the year. Two cleanings at $200 for the exam, x-rays and cleaning, and you’re out of insurance. What if you need a root canal? What if you have 5 other cavities? Most people just wait until next year. While that works for your pocket book, what does that actually do for your health? We’ll talk about that more next week!

The pros and cons to Root Canals…

Thu, 19 May 2016 05:51:00 GMT

The pros and cons to Root Canals.

Okay, root canals aren’t the best thing in the world, I will admit that. I’ve had one retreated after it got reinfected. That’s a complete possibility. That would be a con. Your tooth can still get reinfected. It will hurt because the ligament gets irritated, but not because the tooth is infected, there is no nerve there anymore! Also, your tooth becomes brittle. I don’t know about you, but it sucks. I’m always afraid of breaking my teeth, of course, my root canals are in the front teeth so breaking one would suck!

But…on the other hand, they get you out of some of the worst pain you’ll ever experience. I have heard it’s worse than giving birth to a baby, but I’ll let actual mothers be the judge of that. So a root canal will relieve the pain (maybe after a round of antibiotics). It also allows you to keep your tooth! I would rather have a root canal with my natural tooth under a crown than have an implant or bridge! Or, even better, a root canal is better than that gaping hole left by pulling the tooth.

It also removes the infection from your tooth and mouth. Removing that infection is better for your health and your life. You can die from that! So, a lot of upsides to this root canal business!

Can you live without a root canal? You could for a while, depending on how good your immune system is. You could also would have to have a high pain tolerance or hope your tooth isn’t hitting any other tooth. Mostly see drug addicts putting up with tooth pain, but that goes without saying. A lot of times they “put up” with the pain to get more pain meds, but that’s another subject for maybe another day.

Now for the more “serious” topic, are root canals dangerous? Nope, not dangerous. It’s more dangerous to walk down the street with the bright sunlight beating down on you every day than a root canal is. But, there are whispers on the internet that people with root canals get cancer. Okay, I haven’t done any research, but my logical side said that’s just like saying people who drink water get cancer or the people who breathe air get cancer. Not everyone who has root canals gets cancer, and not everyone who has cancer has root canals. But, you can say everyone who has had cancer has breathed the air. So unless you have some fancy way around it, we’re all susceptible to cancer. And unfortunately we haven’t found the cure yet, but it isn’t pulling out all of your teeth with root canals in them, and that’s not for the prevention of cancer either. Sorry if I shattered anybody’s hopes!

Now to continue on with my root canal saga…

Thu, 19 May 2016 05:49:00 GMT

Now to continue on with my root canal saga (yes, it is a saga).

So, I was literally shoved out the door to have my root canal done. Everyone thought they’d have to drive me to my appointment to make sure that I made it and didn’t run off to somewhere else. Unfortunately, I knew that I would be really rude to the specialist if I did that so I didn’t run and hide. Although looking back at it, hind site being what it is, I should have called and canceled and then ran and hid.

Cutting my scaredy-cat story short, I survived my first root canal. It took the specialist forty-five minutes to do the root canal, which is longer than a normal front tooth root canal should take. No pain, no zings, nothing. There is just a bunch of drilling and filing to get the nerve out of the tooth, and then poking and prodding to fill it back in. No big deal. I swear. That tooth, as the story kinda goes, was feeling much better. But, my luck with root canals didn’t end there!

Oh no, it didn’t. I think it was two years later, I ended up with two more, and then some crowns, and then another root canal, and the rest is history (yeah, 2 more root canals and one more crown after that).

Now, with root canals, crowns are generally recommended. Front teeth don’t always need them, but your chewing teeth do. After getting a root canal, your teeth become brittle. You’ve just sucked the life out of them and they are dead. Dead teeth don’t get nutrients and life that they need from the nerve of the tooth. So, brittle teeth, chewing on things, sometimes harder than we’d like to admit, you can do some serious damage to a root canal tooth if it doesn’t have a crown. So serious, that all of the time and effort (and money) you just spent on saving your tooth in the heroic fashion it deserves will go down the drain. So it is always a good idea to crown your root canal right after getting it done. It’ll make your tooth last longer.

How to avoid root canals? Don’t get cavities, don’t chew on ice, don’t chew on hard candies…basically stop living life! Great, huh? But in all seriousness, cavities can lead to root canals, cracked teeth can lead to root canals, any sort of trauma to the teeth can lead to root canals. So do your best to prevent them, but sometimes living life creates them!

And as a side note – I don’t regret all of the fun I had in cheer and in dance, I do wish I had scooted my face back a little bit so I wouldn’t have been kneed in the mouth, but the damage is already done and as I keep reminding myself, it could have been worse.

Onto a more serious subject, one that is on everyone’s…

Thu, 19 May 2016 05:38:00 GMT

Onto a more serious subject, one that is on everyone’s “I would rather be (fill in the blank) than have a root canal!” list. It’s the root canal! YAY!!

I am some what of a root canal expert. I’ve assisted the doctor in his efforts to give people root canals and I’ve had 1…2…skip quite a few…6 of them myself. None of my root canals were from cavities, so it wasn’t lack of dental care or waiting too long to get my fillings done. No, like I said before, I was in a cheer accident and got kneed in the mouth and it started a long saga of root canals and now an implant. I also had a dance “accident” where I did a jump and I was supposed to land in a push-up position, but instead I had jammed my chin into the floor. It was fun, and even better it was within the first 20 seconds of a dance I was performing at a competition. Yes, I’m that talented. But it helped crack a few teeth and lead to some crowns and at least one root canal as well.

But let’s get back on target. The ONLY reasons why a root canal would hurt these days is if you didn’t get Novocaine or, if the nerve was so hot that the Novocaine doesn’t work. What I mean by “so hot” is that it got infected or severely damaged in some way that it doesn’t respond to Novocaine. In that case, it’s either grin and bare it, or take antibiotics until the tooth responds to numbing. Either fix for a hot tooth isn’t quite pleasant. This is where root canals get their bad names.

They’re not scary. Of course I say that now. My first one I was freaked out! I had to go see a specialist and it was my first time seeing a different dentist than the one I’ve seen all of my life. I was also freaked out about what the experience was going to be like. I hadn’t had much done in my mouth at that point either. I think we fixed one cracked tooth (not with a crown). On top of all of this, I was being sent to the specialist because it was a “complicated” root canal. Meaning it was going to take my dentist too long to get it done because there was a complication. Mind you, this is my front tooth, and front teeth are the easiest to do root canals on. There’s only one “canal” for the nerve to go through (in most cases), so they are the preferred root canals for most involved. So, add the factor that it was an easy root canal that my dentist refused to do, and the fact that the most work I’ve had in my mouth was a filling, I was scared.

We’re on the subject of all over health and your mouth…

Thu, 19 May 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Okay, now that we’re on the subject of all over health and your mouth, I think I’m going to set a few things straight.

I went to college, I didn’t finish because taking eight years to get a four year degree wasn’t my idea of effective teaching. But that’s a story for another day. I went to school to become a chemical engineer. This means I took A LOT of chemistry classes. I love chemistry, but again, a story for another day. This next statement is going to shock a few people, but it needs to be said…

FLUORIDE IS NOT POISONOUS. It’s a naturally occurring element. You can find it naturally in water, dirt, rocks, etc. It is also not being used for mind control. If you are looking for conspiracy theories about fluoride, you’re not going to find them here.

Fluoride is also good for your teeth. Some people have had good results using fluoride, some people don’t notice any difference. I use fluoride all the time. Something happened in the chemical composition of my mouth (I admittedly was drinking a lot of soda, and a lot of other acidic drinks) and my teeth were beginning to soften. Also I had a few other interesting colored stains on my teeth that we couldn’t figure out what caused it. I got put on fluoride and my teeth started hardening up so I didn’t need fillings on all of the sides of my molars and the staining went away. Then, my favorite hygienist noticed that my gums were healthier too. So it is good for your mouth.

It also can be helpful for your bone growth as well. According to WebMD, women experience less hip and spine fractures when they drink more tap water and less bottled water. It also says that with the levels of fluoride that are in community water, it is beneficial for osteoperosis. So, it’s good for your teeth, and in normal levels it is good for your bones!

If your dentist recommends fluoride, it’s not to “control your mind” or to “poison you”, it’s to help save you from cavities and save you money for paying expensive fillings. And sometimes ugly looking fillings on the sides of your teeth…but your dentist is definitely not trying to kill you!

We are going to talk about why it is so important to take care of your teeth…

Wed, 06 Apr 2016 11:27:00 GMT

Okay, so we’ve covered most of the different types of cleanings for your teeth. Now we are going to talk about why it is so important to take care of your teeth.

Common “knowledge” dictates that those little cream colored things in your head are “just teeth”. The only thing that they’re good for is for chewing and pulling out when you have pain. Really simple to just let them rot and not brush my teeth or go to the dentist because it’s going to be a lot of money or I’m too scared to set foot into any dental office.

Did you know that gum disease is connected with heart disease, diabetes and respiratory infections? According to perio.org it does. The main thing is the inflammation that occurs in your mouth contributes to inflammation in other areas of your body. That’s right. Your teeth affect other areas of your body. They aren’t just teeth. What happens in your mouth affects other areas of your body. Taking care of them will help prevent or maintain other physical problems.

Then there’s the matter of letting infections just sit in your mouth. You can die from it. I’ve seen it happen with my own two eyes. My neighbor died from an abscessed tooth. Does it happen often? No, it doesn’t, most people have their teeth removed before that point. But, if it doesn’t make sense to you, then let’s take a small anatomy lesson in your mouth.

You see, there are veins that run through your jaw. The infection in your tooth can spread into the blood stream through these veins. Then if the infection lingers unchecked for long enough, you get serious other problems. The veins in your mouth only flow directly to two places. One obvious place is your head, your mouth is in your head, and it shares a lot of the same veins as your head. The next maybe less obvious place for those of us who hate biology and anatomy is your heart. Once an infection makes it to the heart, it can make it stop. Then we have REAL problems.

These REAL problems can be prevented, just with regular dental care! Yes, I know, the dreaded trips to the dentist can help be good for your overall health, and it can help save your life!

Lets talk about what happens now that you have gum disease…

Thu, 10 Mar 2016 10:04:00 GMT

Welcome back! Let’s talk about what happens now that you have gum disease. People get gum disease all of the time. Believe it or not, you NEVER get rid of it. You’re always going to have the bone loss and maybe even gum loss as well. The gum and bone loss actually create pockets to where the bacteria and tarter can settle in, get comfy, and live until cleaned out. Some times that takes a dentist or hygienist to clean out full because your floss and tooth brush aren’t going to be able to get that deep under the gum line.

After getting the initial gum disease cleaning, it will be highly recommended to get your teeth cleaned every three months. No, insurance doesn’t always cover it. Should you still get them done? Well, that is your choice. We can educate and recommend to you until we’re blue in the face. I myself would get it done irregardless of what my insurance tells me. It has happened more often than not, that someone has had to get their gum disease cleaning again because they decided to not follow the dentist’s recommendation of coming every three months. This happened to be before the person’s insurance required two year waiting span between gum disease cleanings. Then the person either is going to wait and have more damage done in their mouth, or they’re going to pay the full amount that it’s going to cost to get the cleaning done over again. So it does make a difference. Not following the dentist’s recommendations is just like playing Russian Roulette, maybe you’ll be fine, maybe you won’t be.

Now, we could blame this on the mean old insurance company, but it isn’t the insurance company that sets the rules. It’s what you or your employer signed up for. If you want something covered, you need to ask for it. Going to see your human resources to see if you can have that changed. Don’t blame the dentist. It’s not their fault your insurance doesn’t cover things. The dentist and hygienist only want what is best for your optimum oral health, they aren’t suggesting it if it isn’t needed.

This would be the recommended preventative care for someone with gum disease. Cleanings every three months at first. With good home care you can make your way back to six months, but to start with, it is highly recommended to come in every three months.

And that’s the end of proper preventative care! If you have any questions, contact our office!

What happen when you dont get your teeth cleaned every six months gum disease…

Thu, 10 Mar 2016 10:03:00 GMT

Okay, so we’ve learned it’s a good idea to get our teeth cleaned no matter what. Next up is one of the progressions that happen when you don’t get your teeth cleaned every six months, there is a change in medications, some stress in your life or you could be genetically prone to it. This would be GUM DISEASE.

Now, this is where the plaque and tarter in your mouth build up to a point that it starts eating away at your jaw bone. It’s the body’s response to the build up of too much bacteria and plaque and tarter. Everything in your mouth starts to pull away from the irritation source – the bacteria and the tarter – your gums become red and inflamed, they may start to bleed, and the bone that is holding in your tooth in place starts to recede too. This will eventually make your teeth loose and floppy and eventually they will fall out. Yes, it has happened that they come out without much prompting.

Is there a way to avoid this? Well, regular cleanings help. I would also check the side effects of any medications you are taking. Anything that causes dry mouth will help contribute to this. It will also help contribute to lots and lots of cavities. The most common culprits that we see from medications are the psycho-pharmaceuticals or better known as Prosac, Ritalin, Wellbutrin, and any other drug you can think of that helps out with mental disorders. They will all cause dry mouth.

I know stress is sometimes unavoidable. I’ve been through a fair share of my own. I also know it’s really easy to stop taking care of yourself when you’re tired and want nothing more than to go to bed and relax. It also does a number on your immune system. It will either over react to things it doesn’t normally, or it won’t react at all. Either way, it’s murder on your oral heath. So, reduce your stress! Take an extra B-complex if you notice you are under more stress than usual, and maybe see the dentist more often if you are under more stress!

And lastly, genetically prone to gum disease. Now there is a test to find out if you are genetically prone or not, but quite frankly, it doesn’t make a bit of difference once you have the disease. This is a little harder to avoid. I know I have the gene that makes me prone to having gum disease – my grandparents lost their teeth to it, my mom has it, my brother has it, and I could eventually get it. Instead of worrying about it, I just get my teeth cleaned more often than what is recommended.

Next up, we’ll talk about the care needed for gum disease, until then!

How to try your best to not get implants bridges and dentures…

Thu, 10 Mar 2016 09:27:00 GMT

Now, we’ve learned the difference between bridges, implants and dentures.Next topic is how to try your best to not get implants, bridges and dentures, or how to keep your teeth for most of your life.

I’m not saying that you’ll never need a tooth pulled if you take care of your teeth. I had one pulled, and not due to a lack of care. I’m saying this is a good way to keep your teeth as long as possible. You see, dentistry is the epitome of the saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. Dentists and hygienists don’t recommend regular cleanings to line their pockets. They recommend them because it’s taking gross bacteria off of your teeth and away from your gums that needs to be done by a professional on a regular basis.

I have heard the excuse many times “but I don’t have insurance!” That makes it even more important to show up regularly for your cleanings. A small filling that would cost about $150-$200 without insurance could end up costing you $1000 or more once you get insurance. It’s the same with cleanings, your teeth don’t get cleaner by the day. Through the process of eating, your teeth get DIRTY. Then, they build up plaque and tarter, and if that continues to build up and not be taken care of, the bacteria starts attacking the bone levels in your gums. This is when we get into cleanings that cost $200-$500 with insurance. This is why people think they need insurance to come to the dentist.

If you look at the money you spend on the prevention every year, you actually save money in future dental services – less fillings, less crowns, less (gulp) root canals, less tooth loss, etc. I could also make the point that, depending on your dental plan, you are actually spending more on your insurance that you would be on paying for a couple of cleanings. Not every dental insurance plan is like that, like if you work for the government you do have a good deal on your insurance, but a lot of plans are. So whether you have insurance or not, you should still plan to get your teeth cleaned at least!

Tooth replacement the finale…

Tue, 05 Jan 2016 17:25:00 GMT

Chances are that you have come across many people in your life that have “summer teeth”. It’s our cheeky term to define people who are missing teeth. What we mean by summer teeth is “summer here, summer there, summer gone”. As a person who grew up in the dental field, I don’t find this attractive.

It was one of the points I had on my list of things for my future husband. He had to have all of his teeth, or if he lost a tooth, he’d have it replaced. (as I’ve said before, I have actually lost a tooth!) Being in the dental field so long, my favorite saying when people come in and don’t want to get their teeth worked on is “I’ll just get dentures”. That is your choice, I can’t enforce a different idea on you.

But as the example with the prosthetic leg, dentures have their problems. They are not the end of dental treatment. You have to have them replaced. The teeth wear out, the acrylic wears out, you gain weight, you lose weight, they break. Your mouth and jaw bones have changed so much that they no longer sit in your mouth. There’s going to be problems. If you had the experience of your Aunt Bertha had the same dentures since she was 30 and she does perfectly fine with them and eats whatever she wants. I’m very glad your Aunt Bertha had that experience with her dentures. Not everyone does, and your Aunt Bertha might not be complaining about her problems to you because she’s just grown to live with her denture problems. Those senior citizens you see with their jaws thrusted forward, lips too big to be held together and slurring all of their words have ill-fitting dentures.

Then, once you’ve had all your teeth pulled out, there is no going back. The lower jaw dentures are especially the hardest to use and get used to. The upper denture has some suction with the roof of your mouth, but the lower denture just floats and relies on your tongue and cheek muscles to use. Implants can be used to hold the lower denture in, but you still have a denture. The only way out of a denture is full mouth implants and bridges, which cost about as much as a low end Lexus or a Porsche (or more depending on how many implants you have placed). That’s why I always recommend investing in your teeth throughout your life so you’re not in this situation. I personally know I can’t have an upper denture, I have a bad gag reflex when I get dental impressions, it’s only going to be worse with an upper denture. So I go to the dentist and get my teeth cleaned very regularly. Something needs fixed, I get it fixed. It’s easy to care for them, it’s A LOT harder to replace them.

Are there any dental topics you’d like to hear about? Let me know! And stay tuned for next week’s topic!

More on tooth replacement options.

Tue, 05 Jan 2016 17:24:00 GMT

So we’ve covered the removable options for tooth replacement. If that doesn’t sound like something that you’d like because taking something in and out of your mouth sounds like a hassle or you have a gag reflex and you don’t think you can have these things in your mouth, there are other options.

Some people get bridges. These generally span three teeth, but they can be made to go for a further stretch. Most of the time these need one to two teeth on either side of the missing tooth to cover the missing area. These are a little bit on the costly side because it’s literally a few crowns fused together to cover the span. Each tooth costs the same as a crown so depending on how big the span is is how much money you’re going to be spending on the bridge. If it’s only a single tooth replacement, it’s three teeth involved in the bridge. This has been the standard of care for a single missing tooth for years, but it is slowly transitioning into implants. One of the main considerations with a bridge is that it can take a perfectly healthy tooth and make it into a bridge which can reduce the lifespan of the tooth. Bridges decay and fail all the time. Just because they are non-removable doesn’t make them permanent. When considering a bridge, you have to consider that it will fall off, warp, decay or break within 5 to 15 years and then you have to replace all three units at the same time. With inflation, that might be a significant expense. For tooth replacement, it is a good option, it is middle of the road as far expenses are concerned, but the long term expenses are usually greater than those of an implant. Insurance companies are covering these between 5 and 10 years to replace them.

Newer on the scene is implants. These are titanium posts that are screwed into your jaw. Most people think that the tooth placed on top of the implant is the “implant”, but technically it is just the screw placed into your jaw. After that has been placed, there is a post screwed into the implant so the replacement tooth (crown) can be placed on it. Those are what we call an abutment and crown. Since these are new on the scene, and because insurance companies are stuck in the 1970’s, not every insurance company will cover them. Sometimes you will have a policy that will cover the implant, sometimes it will only cover it if there are two perfectly fine teeth on either side of it, sometimes they’ll only cover the crown. It just depends on how your insurance policy was set up by you or your employer.

Implants do have a failure rate, maybe 2% of them will fail. Otherwise it’s just the crown breaking or the abutment loosening. When that happens, you just replace the crown. This is generally covered by insurances every 5 to 10 years. The nice thing about implants is that it doesn’t affect the teeth around it. There is no grinding down of surrounding teeth and it is only replacing the one tooth that is missing.

Wait for next time, there’s more to learn about missing teeth!

Tooth replacement options continued…

Tue, 05 Jan 2016 17:22:00 GMT

So you’ve lost your tooth or about to lose a tooth and you want to know what your options are. We’ve covered not do anything and why that’s not a good option, however it is definitely one of the more chosen options out there.

Next up is a removable appliance. There are different types of appliances that can be used to replace a tooth. If it is a front tooth, you might be able to get away with what the dentist refers to as a “flipper” or a temporary partial. This is just like an orthodontic retainer that has a tooth on it and has no metal band to hold your teeth in place. It’s not recommended to eat with it in because it’s plastic. Thin plastic. It is to be taken out every day, and when you eat. It should also be cleaned with denture cleaner every evening to help keep the bacteria content down in your mouth. This is the cheapest option, but if you chose to do this and you have insurance, they won’t cover a sturdier option for five to ten years after they have been billed for it.

A step up from the flipper is a partial denture. This has a metal base that is covered by acrylic and has the teeth built into it. For a single tooth replacement, this is a bit much, but it is the next cheapest option and you can eat with it. This does work fairly well when a person is missing more than one tooth on the upper or lower jaw. It’ll give the person the option of having to fill in all of the empty spaces created by losing multiple teeth throughout the years. It is fairly sturdy, but I wouldn’t recommend chewing on hard candy with it….or anything hard at all with it. It can break still. (as a side note, I don’t recommend chewing on hard candies with your regular teeth either, they break too and it’s very painful to have a cracked or broken tooth). These are removable so you’ll have a cup next to your sink to place it in to clean it. Again if you have insurance, they only cover replacements every 5 to 10 years.

An interesting fact about all removable dental appliances (retainers and dentures included in this), your pets love them. Mostly dogs as they love to chew on things, but I have heard of the wayward cat chewing up a set of teeth (not as bad as a dog did though). So if you get removable teeth, PLEASE keep them away from your pets!

People generally opt for the partials if they have more than one tooth missing. It is more cost effective than having two bridges or two implants (I will cover these next time).

Next up on the topic of implants: the facts behind tooth loss and tooth replacement.

Tue, 05 Jan 2016 17:21:00 GMT

Now, being behind the dental wall and working with patients on their options, it generally comes down to how much does it cost and how much does insurance cover. What people don’t think about on tooth replacement is: it’s just like replacing a limb when you lose it. For example, you lose your leg in an accident. No leg there anymore, this could really affect your mobility. You’ll either be using a wheel chair or crutches for a very long time. From what I’ve been told, crutches are terrible and hurt your armpits after using them for a while. Who needs that hassle? A wheel chair also works, but sometimes it’s really hard to move yourself around in a wheel chair so you rely on others to help get you around.

So, what are your options? Next up is a prosthetic limb. These are so interesting, they are custom made to the person’s leg and they can learn to walk on their own again and have more mobility. Is it the same as their real leg? Nope, it never will be. There will be times where it hurts to walk with it on, you have to go back and get new ones made, if you gain or lose weight it doesn’t fit quite as well. There’s a whole list of troubles with a replacement limb.

How does this relate to your teeth? Well, false teeth are the same thing as a prosthetic leg. They’re just created for your mouth. You can’t eat properly without it, the chewing motion of your mouth just doesn’t work as well without a full mouth of teeth. Your other teeth suffer if you leave the space where your tooth was. I have personally watched it in friends of mine. They lose some of their back teeth, and the next thing you know their front teeth are chipping and cracking and wearing out because they have no other options but to chew with their front teeth. Or they start getting a “snaggle tooth” look because all of their teeth are shifting to cover the hole that was left by losing a tooth.

Obviously it’s best to get dental care for your tooth before it comes to this. But sometimes it can’t be avoided. Replacing the tooth can be a bit of an expense, and it can be an unexpected expense. What are your options? I will be covering this in more detail in the next blog!