The Dental Place

A conversation with your dentist will enlighten many patients that brushing and flossing are critical to maintaining excellent oral health; but there’s much more involved to enjoy healthy teeth and gums for your lifetime.

Teeth serve us in many ways … they help us to form sounds correctly; teeth are needed to chew; and a beautiful smile contributes to self-confidence and feeling great about appearance.

So what role does proper nutrition play?

1. Fresh fruits and vegetables are not always available; thankfully today we have easy access to frozen nutritious choices and they are as healthy as fresh. Many fruits can satisfy a sweet tooth with a more healthy option than a sugar laden snack. Vegetables offer many of the vitamins and minerals naturally that promote good health.
2. Staying hydrated is important to the body, but beverages can help to keep the mouth flushed from bacteria that contributes to plaque build-up. However, what we drink makes a huge difference. Tap water in most communities contains fluoride and is probably the healthiest beverage available (and is economical too).
3. Reducing sugar consumption is a wonderful way to improve your dental health … and sugar is not just in sweets like candy, cookies, and ice cream. The sugar contained in “healthy” foods like yogurt, cereals, and many beverages touted as being nutritious counts just as much as the sugar in sweets.
4. Teeth can become stained with the consumption of many foods and beverages. To keep teeth their brightest, limit beverages like coffee, tea, red wine, and cola. Colorful foods like tomato sauce, beets, and many berries have the ability to stain dental enamel. If you know you are going to consume these items (and many of them are good for you), plan on rinsing or brushing as soon after eating/drinking that you can.
5. A well balanced diet will help promote the ability to sleep sufficiently, which will also contribute to your oral health. Just remember, the reverse is true as well. Too much caffeine, sugar, or fat in the daily diet can keep us awake at night.

Understanding the role nutrition plays in oral health starts with young children. Your dentist can help with that education process, so take advantage of the time spent in your dental office every six months to learn how nutrition can impact your dental health. To learn more, call our office at 972-264-5795.

Imagine that your dentist possesses technology to detect tooth decay at its earliest stages with a special laser. While this may sound like something from a science fiction film, it is actually possible. In fact, our skilled dentist is proud to use some of the most state-of-the-art technology available including the DIAGNOdent device that detects cavities sooner than normal examination methods can.

The Basics on DIAGNOdent

DIAGNOdent is a portable device that utilizes a laser light beam to detect cavities. It works by measuring and recording wavelengths reflected by the laser. This technology can detect tooth decay in its earlier stages before the cavity deepens and causes more damage to a tooth.

The laser works by first producing a record of the baseline wavelength of healthy tooth enamel. Tooth enamel is the mineralized barrier that surrounds teeth to protect them from bacteria that cause decay. However, when enamel is damaged, bacteria can attack the surfaces of teeth and create cavities. As our dentist uses the laser to scan the teeth, the DIAGNOdent machine will alert any changes in the baseline wavelength. When an alert shows that the wavelength is lower, it indicates that enamel is damaged and potentially the formation of a cavity.

Benefits of DIAGNOdent Technology

The most impressive benefit of using the DIAGNOdent laser is the earliest possible detection of decay. This allows our dentist to address dental caries as conservatively as possible. When decay is found early on, smaller restorations can be used so that more of the biological tooth’s structure is kept intact.

By receiving regular examinations and utilizing advanced technology, patients can reduce their costs for dental treatment such as crown placement, root canals, and tooth extractions. Teeth are incapable of repairing themselves and this is why damaged and diseased teeth must be treated with restorative and endodontic therapies. DIAGNOdent also helps our team detect enamel loss, which can be addressed with sealants and fluoride treatments.

Our team is proud to offer the latest technology to help our patients maintain or achieve optimal oral health. Contact our office at 972-264-5795 to reserve an examination or cleaning.

White spots can originate for various reasons … there can be a genetic basis; they can be indicative of active dental decay; there can be a mineral imbalance; excessive fluoridation can lead to tooth discoloration; or wearing dental braces can result in white marks on teeth. Your dentist can diagnose and offer suggestions to diminish the appearance of white spots on teeth.

Prevention – In many cases, white spots can be a result that occurs beyond one’s control. Genetic conditions or undiscovered mineral imbalance can lead to spotting. However, knowing what causes the white spots such as in the case of excessive fluoride exposure or wearing braces can help prevent them from occurring.

What can be done once the spots are present? Your dentist has several remedies available that vary depending on the level of discoloration and the extent of correction you wish to pursue. 

1. Teeth Whitening – In many cases, professional whitening in conjunction with recommended treatment might allow white spots to blend better with the rest of teeth. However, using white strips or self-whitening products is not recommended as the spots can lighten as the rest of your teeth do too.
2. Dental Bonding – If spotting is small or in limited areas, dental bonding using a composite resin material can blend away marks using this tooth colored product.
3. If many teeth are impacted or spotting is excessive, there are more extensive cosmetic repairs available such as dental veneers. Veneers are ultra-thin shells fabricated to match the shape and color of surrounding untreated teeth. Veneers are permanently cemented to the front of teeth that are stained giving them a makeover that is virtually undetectable.

White spots can also mean enamel decalcification has or is occurring. This is a sign of active dental decay, and requires treatment by your dentist.

Children who have dental braces removed may have the presence of white spots … this is often due to ineffective dental hygiene throughout the teeth straightening process resulting in plaque build-up.

Daily brushing and flossing coupled with visits to the dentist for a complete cleaning and dental exam will help to keep teeth and gums healthy. If white spots are obvious and bothersome, our dental team will make a recommendation on the best course of treatment to improve appearance, while repairing potential decay.

When you visit your dentist, radiographs are taken which allow for diagnosis of dental decay, malformation of dental bone, bone loss, periodontal disease or to identify problems associated with benign or malignant masses.

The use of digital x-ray versus traditional radiographs may seem irrelevant to the patient; however, the result means:

1. Less exposure to radiation – even though the amount of radiation is considered minimal at each appointment, a lead apron is placed over the patient for utmost protection.
2. Time saving – with traditional dental x-rays, the picture is taken; the dental provider must then transport the x-rays to a darkroom for processing; the x-ray is placed in a chemical bath during processing; the x-ray is then returned for the dentist to read. If an error was made in any of the steps, the process must be repeated. This is time consuming and wasteful. With digital x-rays, the result is immediately displayed on a screen … if further diagnostic evidence is required, it can be obtained right away.
3. Digital radiographs are stored electronically – they can be transmitted and viewed between dental rooms or dental offices.
4. Better quality – Until digital x-ray, hairline cracks and small caries were difficult to see. Consequently identifying some dental problems was not done until they may have escalated into a more serious problem.

Some dental maladies are obvious and can be diagnosed before the x-ray is even taken. But a visual exam cannot identify underlying issues such as decay beneath the gum line or further decay in a tooth previously treated for a cavity.

While bone loss can be suspected due to general oral condition, x-rays must be taken to confirm the diagnosis.

When the need arises for endodontic care (root canal therapy), a dental radiograph is needed to verify the number of root canals to be treated as well as their location for a successful procedure.

When trauma occurs, an x-ray can identify the extent of the damage often not detected with a visual examination.

Impacted teeth can be identified which can lead to a proper diagnosis and correction before a more serious or painful condition can occur.

Ultimately, early detection and correction saves time and money; and when dealing with many dental conditions this also translates into a less uncomfortable condition and treatment procedure when finally discovered.

Call our team at 972-264-5795 to schedule your appointment today.

The primary ingredients in soda beverages that make them taste so good and become seemingly addictive are sugar, corn syrup, and carbonation. Your dentist can explain how regular soda consumption can lead to dental decay and gum disease.

Soda pop is also very acidic, which is detrimental to dental enamel. The acids in soda have the potential to escalate erosion of the protective enamel covering on teeth.

These are the main harmful effects on teeth; however, cola drinks can also stain teeth. So dental enamel damage, teeth discoloring, and decay … these are the main negatives on your oral health with soda consumption.

There are alternatives to soda, but many of them like sports drinks and beverages that identify themselves as “healthy” contain the same harmful ingredients that make soda detrimental to dental health. The ultimate healthy beverage that can be consumed all day, won’t harm your teeth, plus has the added benefit that will not result in weight gain is, of course, water. 

But for many, the lack of flavor, sweetness, or carbonation is not appealing; so even with cautions from the dentist, soda remains very popular.

Patients determined to drink soda can follow a couple of ideas that may diminish the harmful effects:

1. Drink through a straw – this allows much of the damaging beverage to bypass the teeth.
2. Swallow right away – don’t swish soda.
3. Rinse with water following consumption – do not brush teeth right away as the acidic content in soda can result in more damage to enamel if brushed.

The sugar in soda clings to the bacteria that live on teeth. Over time plaque forms. Plaque builds up on teeth, and if not removed may result in dental decay, gum disease, and the eventual possibility of tooth loss.

Daily brushing and flossing coupled with a dental visit to have plaque build-up professionally removed every six months will help guard against problems associated with plaque.

But to help promote better oral and overall health, limit soft drinks that contain sugar; or better yet, substitute these beverages with water. Since these sugary beverages are consumed largely by adolescents and teens, parental guidance to limit these beverages is urged. Caregivers can lead by example; in addition by not bringing these products into the home, lack of availability may result in less consumption of soda and drinking more water.

For more information about healthy dental habits, contact our team at dentist grand prairie today.