Month: September 2021

Although it is true that many people recommend visiting the dentist twice a year, the truth is that every smile is different. The answer is a little complex and depends on your personal circumstances and risk factors. The outcome depends on your dental hygiene, habits, and medical condition.

Depending on the clinic, some patients will need a cleaning and checkup every six months, while others may only need an annual appointment. A dentist might urge you to make more frequent visits if your mouth is having an ongoing issue.

Dental Checkups: What to Expect

In most cases, a dental checkup takes less than an hour. You will have this opportunity to discuss your oral health with your dentist and dental hygienist, who will make recommendations for treatment and homecare. The procedures that your dental practice will follow at your six-month appointment vary by practice, but generally, you can expect the following:

X-Rays

To give your dentist a chance to review them before examining your mouth, the dental hygienist will take required x-rays at the start of the appointment.

Polishing and cleaning

Dental cleaning has many advantages. Cleaning your teeth with scalers and other dental instruments allows the hygienist to remove plaque and tartar just below the gum line and from tooth surfaces. Once your teeth are polished with a paste, they will floss between your teeth.

When brushing your teeth, you may hear that certain areas need attention. Consult your hygienist about this. 

The current state of dental work

A dentist checks the condition of dental work during an exam because fillings and other dental work don’t last forever. An existing filling, crown, or bridge that is not keeping a tooth healthy and strong will need to be replaced.

Why Is It Important To Visit Your Dentist Regularly?

Regular dental visits have more benefits in terms of what you could avoid. You’ll be less likely to suffer from the following diseases if you visit the dentist at least once a year.

• Cavities: Although you may have mastered brushing your teeth, there is still the possibility of missing some areas. As plaque accumulates, it can solidify, making it extremely difficult to remove. Your dentist can remove tartar before eroding your teeth and creating cavities. 
• Gum disease: The buildup of tartar causes gum disease. There won’t be symptoms until swelling, bleeding, or soreness appear, leading to tooth loss and other complications. With a regular visit to the dentist, you can have your gums checked and inflammation treated before it becomes infected. 
• Oral cancer: It is possible to learn you have a treatable condition if you catch it early enough. Almost anyone can develop oral cancer, which is extremely common and life-threatening. Your dentist will easily spot symptoms and signs of an early cavity. 

A dentist examines more than just the visible parts of your teeth and gums. You’ll receive regular x-rays of your mouth, giving you a behind-the-scenes look at what is happening inside. With the help of this procedure, your dentist can diagnose impacted teeth, bone loss, tumors, and cysts, among other conditions. 

Your dentist will examine much more than just your mouth, gums, and tongue; they will also check your neck, jaw, and lymphatic nodes for any abnormalities. In cases where symptoms don’t appear for a while but develop quickly, getting checked out is essential. 

Book your appointment now and get your dental issues resolved!

It is possible that your child began sucking their thumb in the womb as early as 30 weeks gestation. When an infant or young child is nervous, self-soothing, or has trouble falling asleep, they will pop their finger or thumb in their mouth. Although it is not harmful, it might be easier to break the habit by using a pacifier instead.  

A child begins to develop other coping strategies by 2 or 4 if thumb-sucking is used as a coping strategy. Thumb-sucking issues and pacifier-sucking issues can arise during the preschool years if the behavior continues. This practice can negatively affect the mouth and speech if the child doesn’t naturally give it up. Often, it is difficult for a child to break a habit like thumb sucking. Learn how to help your child stop sucking their thumbs.

Satisfy Sucking Needs

During the first few months of infancy, allow your “sucky baby” to suck away. Make sure to breastfeed during cued times. Sucking your fingers is a great way to bond with your baby. Sucking, which is not nutritional, should follow the baby’s full-blown hunger.

Introduce an alternative to sucking early

Rather than pacifying a child with an intense sucking urge, think about alternatives. Try rocking, massage, animation, and singing. The younger the baby is exposed to alternatives to breastmilk, bottles, thumbs, or pacifiers, the sooner he will become accustomed to alternatives to oral gratification.

Engage Thumbs

Little thumbs, bored with nothing else to do, seek the company of their mouth when they’re bored. Try distracting and redirecting your child when he or she starts to reach for the mouth with the thumb.

Display and Tell

Thumbsucking hurts your child’s teeth if he is old enough to understand thumbsucking. Let your child hold up his index finger in front of a mirror and press it into the gap between his two upper teeth when he bites. Show your child the results of thumbsucking teeth by imitating buck teeth (like Bugs Bunny). Your child should also be made aware that one of her thumbs is sucked and the other is not.

Set Reminders

Tape or adhesive bandages can be used on the thumb in thumbsuckers over four. Thumb suckers can be discouraged by wearing gloves at night. Discuss with your child the use of paint on the thumb that delivers a stinging sensation when the thumb meets the lips. Having his thumb and habit painted on himself is good for his development.

Competing Habits

You can use the competing habit principle if the child is over four. Make your child think of other ways than sucking his thumb instead of folding his arms or squeezing his thumb. If it’s a bedtime habit, suggest hiding the thumb under the pillow. 

Is there a risk if nothing works?

It can be extremely difficult for some kids to break the habit of thumb sucking. Take a deep breath, and don’t worry. You may delay the process by putting too much pressure on your child to stop thumb sucking. 

Visiting the dentist can help you determine whether thumb sucking can cause dental problems for your child. Kids may find it more effective to talk to their dentist about thumb sucking than to talk to their parents.

An aligned set of teeth provides a great face that gives you more confidence to smile happily. But think about the awkward appearance of a gap between your teeth. Whenever you open your mouth or smile, you can easily spot the space between your teeth, mainly between the front teeth.

Dental problems like these can cause self-confidence issues. Especially when you speak in public or open your mouth, you might feel embarrassed. There’s no need to feel low about yourself because of a little gap. Various ways exist for filling the gaps between your teeth and improving your self-confidence. Some people cannot wear braces, but everyone deserves a beautiful smile. Without braces, you can fix teeth gaps in six ways:

Tooth Gap Bands

An easy and fast way to close a gap between teeth is to use dental gap bands. The gap between the two front teeth is not a problem for the bands, intended for patients with little misalignment. There is a time difference between two weeks and six months for fixing the gap. The Tooth Gap Band is intended for patients with a small gap between their front two teeth, less than 3.5 mm. It’s a quick, affordable, and little-pain alternative to braces that can fix a small gap quickly and affordably. 

Dental Bonding

A composite resin is used for dental bonding to fill in the gap between two teeth. The low-pain nature of dental bonding makes it a great treatment option for many people. Usually, patients with a small gap between their front teeth and mostly straight remaining teeth are recommended for dental bonding.

Porcelain Veneers

Custom-made, extremely thin porcelain veneers are made from tooth-colored porcelain. They are very strong and stable despite being thin. For changing the size, shape, and shade of your teeth, porcelain veneers are ideal. They resist stains from alcohol, food, and cigarettes, and just like natural teeth, porcelain veneers do not stain easily. Almost no difference between the natural tooth and veneers can be observed because they are custom-made for the individual tooth.

Implants

If a tooth or teeth are missing, dental implants may help fill in gaps between them. A dental implant’s metal frame or post is surgically implanted into an individual’s jawbone and gums. The dentist will then insert the replacement tooth after the implant is made. Replacing a missing tooth with an implant is a safe and secure procedure. A jawbone implant ensures that the implants remain in place in the mouth and won’t shift. There is no need to remove other teeth to place an implant.  

Crowns

The entire tooth surface is covered with a dental crown where a crown is cemented over a tooth. Only dentists can remove it. By restoring the shape and alignment of your teeth, a crown can improve their appearance. Porcelain or ceramic crowns are available in a color that matches your teeth. These are often the strongest and best for back teeth. They can be made of gold, metal, or acrylic.

You should contact a dentist in order to get your tooth gap fixed. Every person has a different set of teeth, and their alignment and shape are unique. A dentist can help you choose the best method for fixing your tooth gap. 

Book an Appointment to find out which treatment might be best for you.