Author Archives: Kristle Warren, RDH
The Basics of Preventing Tooth Decay
Cavities are awful. They create ugly holes in teeth, resulting in fillings, in severe cases root canals, crowns, or even extraction. There is no guaranteed way to ensure a natural tooth never gets a cavity, but there are a certain things that can make it far less likely to happen. The factors involved are: the presence of bacteria, the sugars in your diet, and Fluoride.
To start, bacteria are the cause of tooth decay. Many different types of bacteria are found in plaque (biofilm) build-up. There are certain types that cause cavities between the teeth, and they feed on carbohydrates. Read More
Periodontal Disease and Your Health
In ancient times, your doctor was your dentist. They were one and the same. As civilization and medicine progressed, those who practiced dentistry became their own sort of specialty. In a nutshell, your doctor and dentist became, and are still, separate. So then the idea that your overall well being was separate from your oral health became the norm.
Not everyone accepted this idea, of course, and in recent years scientific research has proven that the two are bound together, and not separate at all. Your dentist understands in depth, the part of you that your physician does not typically address. Your physician looks after the rest of you, diagnosing and treating the conditions that the dentist cannot. Read More
Sedation Dentistry is for More Than Pulling Teeth
I’m completely terrified of needles. Also, my TMJ will ache for days from the tension I have during dental treatment, regardless of if it took twenty minutes or two hours. Why do I mention this? Because most of us have a fear of something, causing us to avoid certain necessary parts of life, like keeping up on dental treatment. Discomfort is also a big reason many use to avoid dental treatment. Dental fear and discomfort can be among the top reasons to avoid going to the dentist. Sedation dentistry can address these concerns and more.
Sedation for dental treatment is a remarkable way to have your oral health needs taken care of while addressing the concerns of fear or discomfort. Under moderate conscious sedation, fear and anxiety are greatly diminished, if not gone entirely. The body is able to relax, making tension and the following muscle soreness nearly obsolete.
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Do I Have To Get Dental X-Rays?
Do you really need dental x-rays at the dentist? They are inconvenient, often uncomfortable, and then they have the radiation factor. On the flip side, x-rays show if you have tooth decay, abnormalities of the teeth and jaw, and can spare you significant pain and expense when these problems are caught early. As a patient, you will always have the choice to decline or accept x-rays as a diagnostic tool. Unfortunately, I have found that the facts about dental x-rays are often misunderstood or unknown altogether.
I have met many patients that decline on the basis that they “feel just fine”. Right away, I can say that not all dental problems cause pain or discomfort, in fact, it is better to find things like decay and periodontal disease in the early (and often painless) stages. This can give you the option of treating the problem sooner, reducing overall expense, discomfort, and increasing the likelihood Read More