Cosmetic Dentistry Directory Blog

If you suffer from painful and chronic headaches that your primary physician hasn’t been able to resolve, it’s possible that you are one of millions of Americans suffering from a condition known as temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD / TMJ). This painful disorder happens when your jaw’s delicate ball-and-socket joint becomes misaligned. Even a minor displacement can lead to a wide range of symptoms, since your temporomandibular joint is so closely linked with the tendons, nerves, and muscles of your neck and back.

Headaches caused by TMD often feel similar to migraines, which is why so much misdiagnosis occurs, but they are in fact tension headaches – brought on by acute muscle stress in your face, neck, and back. Any tension occurring in one of your muscles inevitably radiates to your other muscles, which is why these headaches can progressively worsen over time. For many people, TMD headaches interrupt their daily life in difficult ways.

Neuromuscular dentists are trained in diagnosing and effectively treating TMD. Using state-of-the-art technology, your neuromuscular dentist can relax your muscles and determine the ideal and correct position of your jaw. Once this position has been identified, he or she can then move forward with a treatment plan. TMD treatment generally involves the use of an orthotic device that fits over your teeth in order to stabilize your bite.

For more information about TMD, contact an experienced neuromuscular dentist in your area today to schedule a consultation.

Dental implants are overwhelmingly considered the best tooth replacement method available. Dentures and dental bridges simply cannot contend with the strength, convenience, longevity, and seamless appearance of well-placed dental implants.

Despite this, many older patients have apparently resigned themselves to the use of dentures or bridges, thinking their age prevents them from taking advantage of implants. This is simply false. Age is not a factor in dental implant candidacy. Anyone who is healthy enough for routine dentistry can potentially be a candidate for dental implants. The oldest known dental patient with implants is 88 years old.

Being a candidate for dental implants depends on a handful of basic requirements that have nothing to do with age. You must:

• Be in good health
• Have enough bone for the implant to fuse to
• Have healthy, disease-free gum tissue
• Be committed to responsible oral hygiene

Besides being functional and durable replacement teeth, dental implants can also help you prevent many of the long-term oral health problems caused by missing teeth.

If you are interested in dental implants and want to determine whether you’re a candidate, contact an experienced cosmetic dentist in your area today to schedule a consultation.

If you are looking to combine a teeth whitening treatment with porcelain veneers, most cosmetic dentists recommend having your tooth whitening procedure performed before your veneers are applied. In this way, you can lighten your teeth to the shade of white you desire, and then have your porcelain veneers custom-tinted to match the color of your whitened teeth. This will result in a seamless and beautiful smile.

The trouble with having teeth whitening after porcelain veneers are applied is that your veneers are going to stay the same color regardless of the bleaching process. All too often, this ends in your natural teeth being a different shade of white than your veneers, which can be distinctly noticeable when you smile.

Another issue that commonly arises is that of tooth sensitivity. In order to place porcelain veneers, cosmetic dentists must sometimes remove a thin layer of enamel to allow for the best possible fit. With less enamel protecting your teeth, the hydrogen peroxide used in teeth whitening gels can cause a significant level of sensitivity and discomfort. However, peroxide will not damage the porcelain veneer itself. In fact, peroxide is often used to clean veneers that have been contaminated by dental bonding materials, or by the chemicals that dentists use to take impressions of your teeth.

If you have more questions about porcelain veneers and teeth whitening, contact an experienced cosmetic dentist in your area today using the Cosmetic Dentistry Directory.