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Showing posts with the label dental implants

Why is Sugar Bad for Teeth?

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Everyone knows eating too much sugar can lead to tooth decay, but few are aware of exactly how that happens. It's not the sugar itself that does the damage, but rather the chain of events that takes place after you eat that piece of cake. Your children may be more inclined to heed your warnings about the effects of sugar on teeth if they know about the continuous tug-of-war taking place inside their mouths. Here's how taking certain actions can prevent tooth decay from hijacking your family's oral health. How Cavities Develop The mouth is full of hundreds of bacteria, many of which are beneficial to the oral ecosystem. However, certain harmful oral bacteria feed on the sugars you eat to create acids that destroy the tooth enamel, which is the shiny, protective outer layer of the tooth. Cavities are a bacterial infection created by acids, that cause your teeth to experience a hole in them. Without treatment, cavities can progress past the enamel and into the ...

What Happens During a Root Canal?

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The following is a broad overview of root canal surgery. Treatment required: ​Local Anaesthetic ​Drilling ​Cleaning and shaping of the canal ​Antibiotics ​Final root filling placement Number of visits required:   2 - the first visit involves the drilling and fillings, a second visit for the crown placement Treatment time:   1-2 weeks Follow-up plan:   Regular cleaning and maintenance Step-by-step Procedure ​1) Preparation You will be given a form of sedation in the form of a local anaesthetic or nitrous oxide (happy gas) in order to relieve anxiety what is a root canal and numb the area that the dentist is working on. A dental dam is placed over the tooth to isolate it and keep the tooth free of saliva. The dentist will usually measure the depth of the canal at this point if they have not already done so. This step is important in order to ensure to the whole cavity is cleaned thoroughly. An x-ray will be taken using an instrument that sen...

How Long Does Teeth Whitening Last?

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The bad news about teeth whitening is the fact that it is not permanent.  The length of time that teeth whitening lasts depends on several variables.  Some of the variables are personal and some are professional. Personal Variables One of the most important personal variables to do with teeth whitening is the health of your teeth.  Do you have solid enamel on your teeth, or are your teeth thin and cracked?  The less healthy your teeth are the less likely teeth whitening will be very successful or last very long at all. Another variable concerning whether you will be having extended results with teeth whitening is if you choose to go the over-the-counter route or choose professional cosmetic dentistry.  Over-the-counter products are not going to give you drastically long periods of whiteness for your teeth.  Some teeth whitening pastes or gels may only last days or weeks.  You will have to deal with the process of reapplication repea...

Why Do You Need To Remove Wisdom Teeth?

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Wisdom teeth are the extra set of teeth that sometimes you get when you reach your teenage years or early adulthood. You might have heard wisdom teeth removal stories of people having to go get them removed, coming out of surgery and looking like a chipmunk or even having seen videos of people who are funny to watch because they’re still affected by the anaesthesia. While some people aren’t even born with wisdom teeth, a majority of people tend to get their wisdom teeth removed. But why is that so? Let’s have a look. Painful One of the most common reasons why you need to remove your wisdom teeth is because you start to experience pain. Typically, the wisdom teeth start to erupt or break through the back of the gums behind all your molars. This can sometimes hurt and in many cases… these wisdom teeth can become impacted, causing immense pain. An impacted tooth means that the tooth is not able to break through the gum or is blocked somehow. The most common reason for thi...