Cosmetic Dentistry Directory Blog

Everyone grinds their teeth on occasion. Grinding or clenching your teeth is a normal response to anger, anxiety or when your sleep is disturbed. When you grind or clench your teeth on a regular basis, however, you may have a condition called bruxism.

Bruxism can have a negative effect on tooth enamel, gums, bone and your jaw and is frequently associated with temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ). An estimated 20 percent of the waking population and eight percent of the sleeping population experience ongoing bruxism resulting in damage.

Grinding and clenching of teeth can begin in childhood. Approximately 15 percent of children reportedly grind or clench their teeth. This can have an especially negative impact on the enamel and condition of young, still developing teeth. Generally, bruxism typically diminishes with time but may return in adulthood due to regular life pressures, among other things.

Tooth enamel normally wears down at a rate of approximately 0.3 millimeters every ten years. Those who suffer from bruxism can commonly experience two millimeters of enamel wear by their mid-twenties.

Over time, this clenching and grinding problem can take a significant toll on a person's teeth resulting in damage such as:

• Front teeth worn down so they are flat and even in length
  
• Micro-cracks and broken fillings, eventually leading to nerve damage
  
• Teeth ground down to the dentin, causing sensitivity to heat and cold
  
• Gum recession, due to pressure on the gum line
  
• Loose teeth produced by the back-and-forth rocking effect
  
• Headache and aching jaws due to TMJ/TMD
  

There are treatments available to manage the condition. A cosmetic dentist can perform restorative work to return your smile to something you'll be proud of, as well as relieve any tension that has built up in your jaw.

For more information on teeth grinding and how to repair the damage done, please contact the Cosmetic Dentistry Directory to find an experienced cosmetic dentist in your area.

When people think about improving their smile, they usually focus on the whiteness of the teeth or the gaps they have. While gaps in the upper teeth, also known as a diastema, are en vogue again, many people who have them would prefer to just have them closed.

People who want to correct these dental issues will be happy to know that a cosmetic dentist can perform these procedures and give outstanding results. An experienced cosmetic dentist can do these procedures at the same time, but they can do so much more.

Most cosmetic dentists offer smile makeovers to their patients. The smile makeover is a catchall for performing multiple procedures to improve your smile. If your teeth are stained, misaligned, and one or more of them is chipped due to wear, a smile makeover procedure may be right up your alley.

Smile makeover procedures performed by experienced cosmetic dentists include:

• Teeth whitening
  
• Dental bonding
  
• Porcelain veneers
  
• Dental crowns and bridges
  
• White fillings
  
• Inlays and onlays
  

Most people notice your smile right away, and since first impressions are everything, it is important to have a smile you are comfortable showing the world. You may not need much; just one or two procedures. However, only by speaking to a cosmetic dentist can you really find out what you can do for your smile.

If you are interested in finding out more about smile makeovers, please contact the Cosmetic Dentistry Directory to find an experienced cosmetic dentist in your area.

A recent press release by Water Pik, Inc. contained the results of a national survey conducted by Kelton Research. The study took a look at Americans' views on oral healthcare. The results of the survey may best be summarized by this statement from the report: "A clean mouth was most important in maintaining a healthy relationship."

Fifty-nine percent of the survey respondents stated that they would be most disturbed by their partner not brushing or flossing their teeth for a week. However, only 24% of those surveyed would be bothered if their significant other failed to wear deodorant. Far fewer were bothered by their partner skipping:

• Shaving – 9%
  
• Combing their hair – 6%
  
• Trimming their toe nails – 2%
  

The survey results also found that even though individuals are quick to judge the flossing habits of their significant others, the majority of them also struggle to adequately floss. Other interesting facts obtained from the survey include:

• Americans are most likely to floss just before visiting the dentist, have food stuck in their teeth or have bad breath
  
• 58% of Americans say they deserve a C or lower for their daily flossing habits. One in five gave themselves a failing grade.
  
• Among those who floss regularly, 57% said it makes their gums bleed, 52% said the floss gets stuck between their teeth and 42% said it causes little bits of food to fly onto the mirror.
  

Flossing is inconvenient and messy but your oral health is important to your significant other and should be just an important to you. Please contact us to find a dentist in your area that can help improve your oral health.

Public concerns about exposure to x-rays, or gamma radiation, escalated through the 20^th century. The advent of the nuclear age brought advances in military applications, energy and medical technologies. As more and more medical evaluation tools resulted in patient exposure, the health concerns of the general public became a key concern for the medical profession and governmental regulators.

When having dental x-rays, your exposure to radiation is very limited and safe. To put it into perspective, the average person is exposed to about 360 mREM of radiation per year from background sources. Sources for background radiation include outer space, natural materials in the earth and even other people.

The average dental x-ray results in about 1 mREM of exposure. So, a full mouth series of 18 intraoral films delivers about 18 mREM of exposure. As x-ray technology continues to advance, the exposures continue to decrease. There are x-ray film technologies currently in use that can reduce the radiation exposure by up to 60 percent.

All of the discussion on units of measure of radiation can be a bit confusing to many people. Federal health standards provide a point of reference on safe exposure levels. The Federal government has set the maximum safe occupational whole body radiation exposure to 5000 mREM per year. It would take 278 full mouth dental x-ray series (18 films each) to equal the one year maximum safe occupational radiation level.

Exposure to dental x-ray radiation is only one health concern that dentists have to be aware of and attentive to in order to safeguard their patients during and after a procedure. To locate a dentist near you that cares about all of the aspects of your oral care, please contact us today.