When you have the correct dentist, your dental procedures and regular checkups will be a pleasurable and relaxing experience. Additionally, these appointments will be a great way to take control of your dental health and prepare you for a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums. Our entire dental team at Medical Arts Dentistry, including hygienists, assistants, and dentists, has valuable advice to offer. As a result, ensure that you’re utilizing your time in the dentist’s chair by asking a lot of questions.
Snoring
Do you have a snoring problem, severe teeth grinding, or sleep apnea? Through the examination of your mouth, throat, and teeth, detailed discussions with you and your spouse, and a sleep test, a dentist can gain additional information about your risk of snoring or sleep apnea. Your dentist will have the ability to determine if you grind your teeth, a behavior that your brain does in an attempt to open your airways. Headaches, sore jaws, and tooth wear are all signs that you are grinding your teeth.
Pain
Pain is the body’s way of signaling that there is something wrong. In the instance of a toothache, the symptom indicates a problem in the mouth. A toothache could be the symptom of an infection that would become worse if it wasn’t treated. The pain is likely caused by a problematic third molar that disrupts the bite. Sensitivity to the root causes pain to occur intermittently. It’s necessary to treat it.
Toothache can be caused by a traumatic injury that exposes the tooth to the risk of infection and tooth loss. This can also occur with people who constantly grind their jaws. Many of these issues that cause tooth pain are considered dental emergencies. They can lead to tooth loss, extensive dental work, or long-term orthodontic treatment. Some tips on how to manage the pain:
- Over-the-counter anti-inflammatories and painkillers
- Cold compress
- Numbing gels
- Clove oil
- Rinsing with food-grade hydrogen peroxide
Whitening
For many, the most significant oral complaint is discolored teeth. Many methods of treatment exist for a smile makeover, but few have the instant and dramatic results that teeth whitening can provide. Professional teeth whitening can take years off of a patient’s smile and remove discoloration. Tooth discoloration caused by decay or other oral health issues will not benefit from whitening agents, which will further weaken already fragile teeth.
Before scheduling a whitening session for your teeth address all other dental issues first. Whitening agents will only affect natural teeth. Many dentists recommend scheduling procedures for color enhancement in advance of installing crowns or other prosthetics. This also helps the dentist in creating a more precise shade to achieve a uniform smile.
Braces
Braces treat a wide variety of conditions, from underbites to crossbites, excessive overjet, crowding, gaps or diastema, and more. Some of these disorders are immediately apparent, for example, crowding is obvious to a degree, but there is also a mild overbite that is subtle. Rather than diagnosing on your own, the most effective way to determine your specific condition and determine if braces are necessary is to speak with a licensed orthodontist.
Your teeth may have hidden needs that you didn’t know of, but these needs would have a significant impact on your health. Dentists are not orthodontists, but they have a basic understanding of the types of dental conditions that require braces. Many patients are referred to orthodontics by their primary dentist.
If you believe you might benefit from talking to a dentist about snoring, tooth pain, teeth whitening, or braces, book a consultation with Medical Arts Dentistry. We can examine your teeth immediately and recommend what solutions are right for you. Let us help you get the smile you deserve!