The Shading of Your Smile 15 Apr 2025, 3:00 pm

Regardless of what your smile needs (cosmetic improvement, tooth restoration, even dentures), there’s one thing you’ll want when we’re done: attractive, natural-looking teeth.

Getting teeth to look their natural best comes from the shape and color assessments we make throughout the procedure. Color depends of tooth size and thickness, location in the mouth, your skin and eye coloring—even your age.

Aren’t Natural Teeth “white”?

The best looking teeth, like gems, exhibit many different tones and hints. They’re lighter towards the front and center, deepening in shade towards the molars which receive (and reflect) less light. Silver amalgam in the mouth can have long effect on apparent tooth color—and a good reason for considering a more flattering tooth-colored filling.

A lot of the whiteness you see in teeth is actually light reflecting off translucent enamel.

If you thought teenagers were more likely to have brighter smiles than adults—you’re right. It’s because their crystalline enamel layer (surrounding the darker dentin layer) has not yet been worn down through years of chewing and brushing. When light can’t reach deeply into the tooth, it loses that sparkle. It’s then the dentist’s job to recreate the illusion through coloring.

There’s a lot we can do to lighten the color and improve the appearance of your smile! So please don’t hesitate to contact us for a consultation.

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How Are You Sleeping? 8 Apr 2025, 3:00 pm

We have informational brochures in our office concerning snoring and sleep apnea. If you suffer from these problems or are losing sleep because of someone who does, answering these simple questions may help you identify your symptoms.

A Sleep Quiz

• I have been told that I snore.
• I have been told that I snore loudly, every night and in all sleep positions.
• I have been jolted awake gasping for breath during the night.
• I fall asleep at inappropriate times like when driving a car or at work.
• After a full night sleep I wake up feeling tired.
• I have trouble concentrating.
• I have become unusually forgetful.
• I am told or I feel uncharacteristically irritable, anxious or depressed.
• I frequently wake up with a headache.
• I have high blood pressure.
• I am overweight.
• I seem to have lost my sex drive.

If you can answer yes to any of these statements you should ask us about treatment options.

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Tooth Watch: Early Detection 1 Apr 2025, 3:00 pm

Why Early Detection is so Important

Wouldn’t you say that the best dental treatment is the one you never had to undergo in the first place—because it was caught and corrected in time? We sure would!

We’re always on the lookout for a potential problem that can be avoided. That’s why during any checkup, we specialize in early detection to let you know about any problem areas we might see, and are of course happy to demonstrate proper brushing/flossing techniques anytime. Often, you can avoid future chair time with just a little TLC.

There’s another good reason for regular dental appointments. Your mouth is a sort of distant early warning system of all sorts of things going on: in your teeth, gums, soft tissue—even parts of your body far from the oral cavity. Early detection means we have a head start on the cure.

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About Nitrous Oxide 25 Mar 2025, 3:00 pm

The search for a substance that would let a patient slip into merciful oblivion during surgery has been one of mankind’s goals for centuries. In North America, we can thank a dentist, Horace Wells of Connecticut, for the development of nitrous oxide as a form of dental anesthesia.

During the early 1840s, Dr. Wells was looking for ways to make his patients more comfortable during procedures. While watching a demonstration of a popular intoxicant, a drug called “laughing gas,” Dr. Wells saw the possibility of helping his patients. The next day, he had one of his own teeth pulled while he inhaled this new mixture. The operation was a success, and Wells began using “laughing gas” in his practice.

When we elect to use nitrous oxide or “laughing gas” (an odorless gas administered through a mask), it produces a form of conscious relaxation. Although this method is not used in place of a local anesthetic injection, it does raise the threshold of pain, making dental procedures more relaxed and comfortable.

Modern dentistry has a lot to offer patients in order to assure a virtually painless treatment session. Nitrous oxide is just one example.

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Trouble Spots & Oral Lesions 18 Mar 2025, 3:00 pm

During the course of a day, you’re likely to have a look inside your mouth and briefly survey the landscape. We hope so, anyway. Aside from the stray loose filling or that crown that will need repair soon, fuss over the soft tissues in your mouth—the mucous membrane, the skin. Are there any red or white spots you haven’t noticed before? Maybe you have taken a wait-and-see approach to a small sore you found last week. Any unexplained swelling? Discoloration that doesn’t hurt a lick? Come on in; we need to see what you see.

Most oral lesions, as we call them, are harmless. A piece of crusty French bread with dinner can scratch delicate tissues. But if you use tobacco and alcohol, or are being treated for any number of systemic diseases—diabetes, autoimmune disorders among them—that harmless irritation is a red flag. During your dental appointment, we’ll take a closer look. When we find a lesion, suspicious or not, we intend to err on the cautious side.

Think about this…

• You are the proud owner of a mouth. It generally starts out fairly healthy. Bleeding gums DO NOT come with the territory.
• There’s a fungus among us. Candidiasis—an infection manifested by white patches on the tongue or mucosal surfaces—are the bane of denture wearers. This affliction can be painful but treatable.
• Ulcers where? Iron deficiency can cause oral ulcers, or for some women, recur once a month during menstruation. They hurt too, but are quite treatable.
• Is your tongue a bother? Have the dentist investigate an unnaturally smooth tongue that’s likely bright red. Anemia or vitamin deficiency may be involved.

Change is not always good, nor bad. The idea is to alert the dentist to changes that get your attention and go check it out. So help take an active role in your health remember to remain vigilant about changes in your mouth.

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How Old Is Your Smile? 11 Mar 2025, 3:00 pm

The concept of dental age is surprising to people when they first hear it. Dental age is independent of chronological age.

From a biological stand point, we are youthful until we reach maturity around thirty, we are adults from thirty to sixty years, and elder from sixty on. From a dental stand point, we are youthful at any age as long as we have close to a full compliment of teeth or its equivalent and the supporting tissues are in good health.

An adult dental age would be consistent with fixed bridges, small removable partial dentures, or bone loss around the teeth due to periodontal disease. We are considered dental elders when we have full dentures or extensive partial dentures.

Unlike chronological age, we can choose to stop aging dentally. Just make sure to schedule regular cleanings, and please contact us for a consultation on repairing damaged, painful, or missing teeth.

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What is Sleep Apnea? 4 Mar 2025, 4:00 pm

Sleep apnea is a potentially dangerous disorder with fairly benign symptoms—loud snoring at night, and morning headaches or daytime bouts of sleepiness. The cause? Intermittent periods throughout sleep when an individual actually stops breathing.

Breathing cessation, or apnea, lasts from seconds to nearly a minute. When breathing resumes—the brain senses lack of oxygen and wakes you up—snoring is loud, sometimes explosive. In the morning, the build-up of carbon dioxide in the blood causes headaches. And the lack of deep, relaxing sleep has you drowsy, and usually grouchy, during the day.

During sleep apnea, the upper air passages in the mouth and throat obstruct (no one is sure why). One form of treatment is wearing an acrylic appliance during sleep to keep air passages open. It’s comfortable, easy to use, and brings blessed sleep.

If you have symptoms of sleep apnea—your partner will let you know about the snoring—we’d like to discuss it with you. Patients in our program find the change in the quality of their sleep, and their waking life, like night and day.

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Xerostomia (Dry Mouth) 25 Feb 2025, 4:00 pm

News to Make a Mouth Water…

A thick, juicy prime rib of beef surrounded by a baked potato—all the trimmings—asparagus with drawn butter, fresh apple cobbler a la mode. Got your mouth watering? Good. Your salivary glands have been stimulated. And saliva’s a whole lot more important to you than helping you enjoy that special meal.

A Few Other Things You Might Find Good to Know About Saliva…

• It has a critical role in the health of your mouth—and your body.
• It’s a natural mouth rinse, flushing out the plaque that causes decay and periodontal disease.
• It acts as a buffer against overly acid mouth.
• Lack of saliva is a serious problem—and not an uncommon one. We call it xerostomia.

More About Dry Mouth…

• It happens when we get older—but it doesn’t have to.
• It’s a serious, debilitating condition. With dry mouth, tooth decay accelerates.
• Drugs and medical therapies (including radiation for cancer) can contribute to dry mouth.
• Other anti-dry mouth responses: sugarless gum, sugarless lozenges, mouth-wetting agents.
• You can fight it by drinking eight glasses of water daily. That’s a good idea even if you don’t have dry mouth.

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No More Metal Mouth 18 Feb 2025, 4:00 pm

You don’t have to be a dentist to know that metal is NOT a normal component of teeth. Used to be, gold or silver amalgam was necessary to restore structural integrity to damaged teeth (especially molars) that would be subjected to the great stress caused by chewing.

Today, there are new materials that stand up to the stress, but without the metal! They simply didn’t exist just a generation ago. For example, modern porcelain onlays and inlays can replace metal fillings even on back teeth, while leaving them looking as good as—or possibly better than—the originals. Because these replacement fillings are constructed to be so superior, you no longer need to settle for “metal mouth.” And in terms of your appearance—and the self-confidence it boosts—there’s no comparison.

Our goal is always to have a cosmetically attractive, natural-appearing smile.

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Sense about Sensitivity 11 Feb 2025, 4:00 pm

When teeth hurt, the sooner we reach the root of the problem, the sooner the pain disappears.

What triggers tooth pain?

Heat, cold, touch, air, sweet or sour foods. If you recently had a cavity filled, that area may be sensitive for awhile. Other causes of sensitivity are:

• Erosion of tooth enamel.
• Gum shrinkage down below the crown exposing the cementum beneath, an area sensitive to heat and cold.
• One or more teeth shifting into a position where they strike too hard against other teeth. This can happen to anyone, but it’s most frequent when a lost tooth is not replaced.
• Clenching or grinding of teeth, whether awake or asleep.

Try This At Home

Desensitizing toothpaste (look for the ADA Seal of Acceptance); avoid whitening or tartar control tooth-pastes. Use a soft toothbrush with short back-and-forth strokes and a gentle up-and-down motion. Brush thoroughly. Floss daily.

Get Professional Help

If pain persists, come see us. We can pinpoint the cause and offer solutions. Coating the area with a fluoride gel or desensitizing agent may be all that’s needed. If it’s a cracked tooth, worn filling or decay, we can fix that, too. Don’t delay. Call now.

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