How to Handle Sensitive Teeth

How to Handle Sensitive Teeth

Some people take a bite of ice cream or a sip of hot coffee and experience discomfort, usually brought on by teeth sensitivity. These unpleasant sensations typically occur when you eat anything that is cold, hot, or sweet. Several factors can cause teeth sensitivity, including tooth damage, over brushing, enamel wear, and whitening products.

To give your mouth relief and lessen sensitivity, consider these helpful hints:

Brush correctly
In an effort to maintain good oral health, some people brush too aggressively and end up damaging their teeth. Choose a soft-bristled toothbrush and gently clean teeth at least twice a day.

Use the right product
For people with sensitive teeth, specially formulated toothpastes may reduce the symptoms. These products usually contain potassium nitrate, an ingredient that helps block the tiny tubules in the layer of dentin and reduces sensitivity with each use.

Watch your diet
Foods and beverages high in acid content, like tomatoes, oranges, and fruit drinks, contribute to enamel erosion, which is a main cause of tooth sensitivity. Limiting your intake will help lessen your discomfort. When you do consume these items, rinse your mouth with water afterward to minimize exposure.

Deal with bruxism
Clenching and grinding your teeth can make teeth sensitivity worse. Wearing a night guard will help control bruxism and help you feel better.

Be careful when you whiten
A bright smile is a great asset, but some people overuse whitening products, which can cause teeth to feel sensitive. Usually this sensation passes once you stop whitening. Make sure to follow all the directions carefully so that you don’t hurt your teeth.

If you live in the Conyers area contact us today

Cosmetic Dentistry Treatments for Special Occasions

Cosmetic Dentistry Treatments for Special Occasions

Most people have things about their smiles they’d like to fix. Maybe the things are minor or perhaps they are major, but most of them can be addressed with some form of cosmetic dentistry. You may have been unhappy for a while with the smile you see in the mirror, but just haven’t felt the necessary impetus to schedule an appointment with a cosmetic dentist.

To get that jump start toward your dental treatment, look ahead in your life. Maybe you have a class reunion coming up, or maybe a friend’s wedding. Perhaps there’s a job interview, first date or anniversary approaching. These special occasions are all excellent reasons to turn to cosmetic dentistry treatments. Here are some of the most common procedures that could be used to transform your smile.

  • Teeth whitening – perhaps the most popular and common cosmetic dentistry procedure, it utilizes light-activated bleaching chemicals that can lighten natural teeth and remove stains and discoloration.
  • Dental veneers – very thin, wafer-shaped shells crafted out of porcelain or another material that are bonded onto the natural surface of the tooth. Sometimes a thin layer of the natural tooth enamel must be removed in order to accommodate the application of the veneer.
  • Dental bonding – composite resin mixed to match the color of your tooth and then molded by hand onto the tooth’s surface to create the illusion of a complete natural tooth.
  • Dental crowns – restorative dental therapy that protects and preserves a natural tooth that has had a root canal treatment.
  • Enameloplasty – the correction of malformations of a natural tooth through hand-shaping. This is also the name for the removal of the tooth’s surface required for most types of dental veneers.

All of these cosmetic treatments will transform your smile for that special occasion. Get the bright, straight, white smile you want people to remember with the help of a little cosmetic dentistry.

If you live in the Conyers area contact us today

Convenience and Your Family Dentist

Convenience and Your Family Dentist

Life isn’t getting any slower, in fact, it seems that it’s always speeding up! This is never truer than it is for families, especially those with two or more children. Parents can feel like the local taxi service, running one child to band and another to piano and yet another to a doctor’s appointment. Finally, there’s a solution to one of the trickier issues: visiting the dentist.

In the past, parents would go to one dentist and the children would go to another. Those same children would later age out of their pediatric dentist and have to form a new relationship with a dentist who doesn’t know them at all! For young people just beginning to take responsibility for their own dental care, this can be the beginning of spotty or not-at-all visits to the dentist for checkups and cleanings. This can be the beginning of poor oral hygiene that leads to scores of adult problems.

A family dentist wants you to skip all that running around and to have your kids avoid the step of finding a new dentist. A family dentist wants to see your entire family, from the youngest baby cutting teeth to the oldest retiree looking at options for aging teeth. This type of relationship is so important. The family dentist will know the patient’s history going years and years back, and can make the best and most informed decisions based on this information.

Your family dentist will also make your family appointments in blocks. Can you imagine having each member of your family – including you – getting your checkups, cleanings and dental care done in the same day, sometimes at the very same time? This is a possibility with the convenience of a trusted family dentist.

If you’re looking to save time and to have the best possible dental care you can get for you and your family, seek out a skilled family dentist today. You won’t regret it!

If you live in the Conyers area contact us today

Diet and Oral Health

Diet and Oral Health

For years, we have heard that sugar is bad for our teeth. As research has grown, scientists now understand which kinds of sugars hurt your teeth and which foods help keep your mouth healthy. A balanced diet can help keep your smile looking and feeling great.

Certain foods produce changes in your mouth that can increase the risk of tooth decay. For instance, bacteria in the mouth transform sugar and starches into bacteria that attack the teeth and weaken the enamel. As well, foods like candy, cakes, pastries, and dried fruits can stick to teeth and create a haven for bacteria.

Making healthy choices can help promote a healthy mouth. Cheeses, protein, meats, nuts, and milk can protect tooth enamel by contributing calcium and phosphorus, which will remineralize teeth. Crunchy fruits and vegetables like apples and carrots are also good choices because they contain lots of water, which encourages saliva production.

When choosing a beverage, water, milk, and teeth are the best options for your oral health. Try to cut back on soft drinks and other beverages that contain sugar. Products that contain sugar substitutes like Equal or Splenda aren’t digested the same way as true sugar so they don’t cause over production of bacteria. In fact, chewing sugar free gum can actually improve saliva production and help protect your teeth.

Children and teens should work especially hard to eat a balanced diet. Poor eating habits can not only but their teeth at risk, but it can create other problems at well. A good diet influences brain development, learning capabilities, and normal growth patterns.

Schedule a dental cleaning appointment today at our Conyers dentists office.

Is Nail Biting a Dental Problem?

Is Nail Biting a Dental Problem?

Also called onychophagia, nail biting is a common habit for lots of people, usually children, teens, and young adults. Often, nail biting is caused by stress and seems to wane as people get older. Though some would argue that it’s not as bad as smoking or other less desirable habits, there are several reasons to stop nail biting:

It’s unsanitary. Did you know that your mouth and your hands/nails are two of the germiest areas on your body? If you have any open sores on your fingertips and you bite your nails, the germs from your mouth spread to that area. Pretty gross if you think about it.

It’s unattractive. Nobody really wants to watch someone bite their nails. As well, it doesn’t make your nails look very nice either.

It hurts your teeth. When you bite your nails, it strains front teeth and can weaken them, which may contribute to misalignment or crookedness. Nail biting also keeps your teeth in constant chewing motion and may wear them down faster than if you didn’t bite your nails.

It can cost you money. The Academy of General Dentistry estimates that nail biting may add $4000 to dental bills over a lifetime.

Stopping any habit can be difficult. To curtail your nail biting, try to:

  1. Think about it. Sometimes, just be conscious of this habit can help you stop.
  2. Make your nails look nice. You won’t want to mess them up if they are neatly manicured.
  3. Create a deterrent. Check at the drug store for colorless, odorless solutions you apply to the
    nails. These topicals taste awful, which should make it easier to quit.

We look forward to seeing you in our Conyers dental office

Is Nail Biting a Dental Problem?

Is Nail Biting a Dental Problem?

Also called onychophagia, nail biting is a common habit for lots of people, usually children, teens, and young adults. Often, nail biting is caused by stress and seems to wane as people get older. Though some would argue that it’s not as bad as smoking or other less desirable habits, there are several reasons to stop nail biting:

It’s unsanitary. Did you know that your mouth and your hands/nails are two of the germiest areas on your body? If you have any open sores on your fingertips and you bite your nails, the germs from your mouth spread to that area. Pretty gross if you think about it.

It’s unattractive. Nobody really wants to watch someone bite their nails. As well, it doesn’t make your nails look very nice either.

It hurts your teeth. When you bite your nails, it strains front teeth and can weaken them, which may contribute to misalignment or crookedness. Nail biting also keeps your teeth in constant chewing motion and may wear them down faster than if you didn’t bite your nails.

It can cost you money. The Academy of General Dentistry estimates that nail biting may add $4000 to dental bills over a lifetime.

Stopping any habit can be difficult. To curtail your nail biting, try to:

  1. Think about it. Sometimes, just be conscious of this habit can help you stop.
  2. Make your nails look nice. You won’t want to mess them up if they are neatly manicured.
  3. Create a deterrent. Check at the drug store for colorless, odorless solutions you apply to the
    nails. These topicals taste awful, which should make it easier to quit.

We treat patients from Conyers and the surrounding area