Elgin

910 Lee Dildy Blvd #260 Elgin, Texas 78621
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Dental care

6 Habits That Harm Your Teeth

We all have at least one habit we wish we could break. Would you believe that some of them can be detrimental to our oral health? Check out some of these habits and tips for breaking them.

Utilizing Your Teeth as a tool:

  • How can it be harmful: You can chip or break your teeth or suffer jaw injury using the teeth to open bottles, cut thread, or perform other tasks.
  • What can be the solution: If you don’t have scissors at your disposal, you shouldn’t hold or open items with your teeth. Locate your scissors or ask someone for assistance. You will greatly benefit from it, preventing yourself from dental complications that can be expensive and painful.

Biting your nails

  • How can it be harmful: Nail biting could negatively impact your dental health by chipping your teeth or causing damage to teeth. The longer you leave your jaw protruding, the stronger the pressure on it becomes. Your gums may also be torn or damaged.
  • What can be the solution: Several patients find that wearing a mouth guard prevents them from biting their nails. You can also apply bitter-tasting nail polish to reduce nail biting or use therapy techniques to reduce stress.

Constant Snacking

  • How can it be harmful: Cavities are more likely to occur if your diet is heavy on sugary foods and drinks. Leftover food feeds the cavity-causing bacteria, producing acid that erodes your teeth’ outer shell.
  • What can be the solution: Eating balanced meals will help you stay fuller for a more extended period, thus reducing snacking. Don’t snack on sugary foods. Drink a glass of water after eating a sugary snack if you feel tempted to indulge.

Using too much pressure when brushing

  • How can it be harmful: Ideally, brush your teeth twice a day for at least two minutes. Avoid brushing too hard to avoid damaging your teeth or irritating your gums. Over Brushing may cause gum recession and inefficient tooth cleaning.
  • What can be the solution: Apply proper pressure when brushing with a soft toothbrush instead of brushing hard. Brush your gums at a 45-degree angle with your toothbrush bristles, and minimize the force of the brush.

Clenching and Grinding

  • How can it be harmful: In addition to chipping or cracking your teeth, you might also experience muscle tenderness and joint pain. In addition, you may be unable to open your mouth wide or experience pain when chewing.
  • What can be the solution: Using relaxation exercises can help you avoid grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw. You can also use a mouthguard to prevent your teeth from grinding while you sleep. You will be relieved of any tooth pain or sore muscles and can sleep better as a result. Consult a dentist if you suffer from teeth grinding to find out how to prevent it.

Chewing on ice cubes

  • How can it be harmful: Crystals make up enamel and ice. Pushing two crystals against one another can cause one of them to break. Sometimes it’s ice, sometimes it’s a tooth.
  • What can be the solution: Use a straw instead of ice when drinking beverages.

Call our office to schedule your next dental appointment if you feel pain or sensitivity in your teeth.

Schedule your appointment with a dentist today and get the treatment on time!

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Dental care

What are the stages of a root canal?

There is no pain associated with root canal therapy – it relieves it. Endodontic root canal therapy treats infected or inflamed tissue on the inside of the tooth by removing the infected or inflamed tissue. It’s often disregarded as a painful procedure – but it’s actually no more complicated than getting a simple filling in your mouth. To help you understand how simple root canal therapy is, here are the seven stages.

  • Probable Diagnosis: There is a reason why a root canal is performed. When you have an aching or infected tooth, your dentist will diagnose the problem and recommend a treatment. 
  • An X-ray: Be ready, you’re about to undergo quite a few x-rays. This will provide your dentist with a visual guide. They can follow it and proceed accordingly. An x-ray will also reveal how deep and wide the infection is.
  • Localised Anesthesie: Anesthesia is often used more heavily for this treatment than for any other.
  • Drilling: It is safe to use a dental drill if you are with a professional dentist. Drilling a hole through the tooth is the first thing to drain bacteria, pulp, and nerves that have been compromised. 
  • Removal & Drainage: The damaged area inside your tooth will be removed with tiny files once the hole has been drilled. Only the right portion of the tooth is removed with these files, while the rest of the tooth remains intact.
  • Filling as a temporary Measure:  The final steps in some root canals are scheduled at a later date, depending on the situation and the endodontist. The tooth is temporarily filled with a filling.
  • Crowning And Sealing: It is imperative that your tooth is sealed and crowned in order to prevent further infection and cracking. A crown is not always necessary after root canal therapy, but it does make a tooth more protected.

Root canals can be saved by acting quickly so that your dentist can finish the procedure in a couple of visits.

Schedule your appointment with a dentist today and get the treatment on time!

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Dental care

Is a root canal permanent?

People don’t usually opt for root canals voluntarily, but when faced with a choice between a root canal or a lost tooth, the root canal becomes the better option. However, many people wonder how long the tooth is actually saved?

Do Root Canals Last Long?
It is a subjective question. Your dentist’s skill in removing infected material plays an important role in it. In addition, if any infection remains, it will eventually spread, resulting in the need for another root canal.

Furthermore, keep your regular checkups every six months so that you can catch problems early. As soon as the infection is found, it is easier to treat it before it has a chance to spread further. This is also dependent on what teeth are causing the problem. Roots in the front of teeth are fewer, so there is less room for error. However, back teeth have more, which can complicate things.

Your overall oral health is another important factor. It is easier to undergo the root canal procedure if your other teeth are healthy. An old or severely damaged tooth, even with a crown, may eventually crack even after a root canal. Healthy teeth are the best candidates for root canal therapy.

A Better Option
While the best way to prevent a root canal is to take good care of your teeth, it continues to be the best option if a root canal is ever needed. A crown and root canal will last much longer than extraction and a bridge. In this way, even though root canals are not permanent solutions, they can still fix the issue for many years, allowing you to keep your teeth as long as possible.

Schedule your appointment with a dentist today and get the treatment on time!

Categories
Dental care

Does a root canal bleed?

A root canal is a procedure that relieves toothache brought in by decay or an abscessed tooth. Root canal therapy entails removing the infected pulp of a tooth, cleaning and disinfecting the insides, and filling the space with synthetic material. A root canal treatment becomes unavoidable when a dental cavity is left untreated for prolonged times, and the oral bacteria seeps into the infected tooth’s pulp. Moreover, another ostensible cause of root canal is trauma or injury. A root canal therapy is a standard procedure with excellent success rates. Some of the veritable advantages of root canal therapy are:

  • Prevention of dental infection from spreading to other teeth
  • Mitigating symptoms associated with an infected tooth
  • Reducing the risks of jawbone damage
  • Eliminate the need for tooth extraction

Now that we have touched upon the basics of a root canal let us try to answer the looming question of whether root canals bleed or bleed.

In usual circumstances, root canals do not bleed. After root canal therapy, some pain and swelling that lasts for two to three days are normal. However, bleeding may signify a re-infection or a root canal failure. If you experience bleeding after getting a root canal done, visit your dentist at the earliest. They will perform an X-ray to determine the cause of the bleeding. At times, a recurring gingival infection may also be the reason why you might be bleeding after a root canal. Although root canals have a 98 percent success rate, failure is inevitable in some cases. Therefore, in addition to bleeding, some of the signs that you should be vigilant about after a root canal therapy include:

  • Persistent pain
  • Swollen gums
  • Tooth discoloration
  • Sinus problems
  • Dental abscess
  • Pus or drainage

In case of a root canal failure or the propping up of a re-infection, alternative treatments are available. 

Schedule your appointment with a dentist today and get the treatment on time!