Dealing with Dental
Emergencies
Many people don’t see a dentist on a regular basis. They go
only when they feel they have a problem. At AuraSmile Dental
we call this “crisis treatment” as opposed to “preventive
treatment.” While these patients may feel they are saving
money, it usually ends up costing much more in both dollars
and time.
The reason for this is that most dental problems don’t have
any symptoms until they reach the advanced stages. An
example is tooth decay. At AuraSmile Dental, we hear all the
time, “Nothing hurts...I don’t have any problems.” But tooth
decay doesn’t hurt! Until, that is, it gets close to the
nerve of the tooth.
Then a root canal and crown are usually necessary, instead
of the small filling, which could have been placed several
years ago when the cavity was small. We can usually detect a
cavity 3-4 years before it may develop any symptoms. Today,
however, with our aging population, we are starting to see
rapidly progressing tooth decay occur on root surfaces that
have no protective enamel coating. It is not uncommon to see
a patient with a tremendous cavity and they have never felt
a thing!
AuraSmile Dental
24834 Lorain Road
North Olmsted, OH 44070
Tel: (440) 925-5255
What
is a TMJ Disorder?
TMJ disorder affects your jaw joint, more technically called
the temporomandibular joint. Its dysfunction results in
discomfort and pain during chewing, speaking, or opening and
closing your mouth.
These are signs of the TMJ disorder:
- Facial pain and tenderness in and around the ears
- Jaw pain, stiffness, or tenderness
- Neck pain
- Discomfort while chewing
- Headaches
- Difficulty opening and closing the mouth
- Jaw “locking up”
- Jaw makes a clicking sound
- Teeth that don’t come together properly when eating
or chewing
Proper
Treatment Helps You Say ‘Goodbye’ to Headaches and Jaw Pain!
The range of treatments for TMJ/TMD covers mild to severe
symptoms. Basic treatments consist of massage, moist heat,
or anti-inflammatory medicine. A splint as an oral appliance
is custom made to prevent grinding and help reposition your
jaw for a better bite. Sometimes a protruding or unusually
shaped tooth causes TMJ. Coronoplasty or equilibration often
eliminates the problem to allow teeth to meet properly.
The severe cases of TMD are due to a variety of causes.
Teeth may have been ground down over time or knocked out or
extracted. Your jaw will not set in a naturally relaxed
position, which causes pain in the jaw muscles. A full mouth
rehabilitation or orthodontics can correct the occlusion to
let your jaw relax and relieve the pain.
Let us discuss the benefits of treatment and outline a plan
for you to improve your quality of life.
AuraSmile Dental
24834 Lorain Road
North Olmsted, OH 44070
Tel: (440) 925-5255
Always
Tired? Sleep Loss is Harmful to Your Health
Your body needs rest and sleep every day to regenerate
itself and give you the mental stamina and physical strength
for a day’s activities. When you rest properly, your heart
will decompress to relieve all the stresses it has
accumulated throughout the day. With a good night’s rest,
your blood pressure lowers, and the rate of age-related
diseases is diminished. This can help to curb obesity,
memory loss, diabetes, and hypertension.
In contrast, a lack of sleep places excessive strain and
stress on your heart muscle. Cardiovascular disease and even
death have been connected to sleep disorders or poor quality
of rest.
Snoring Isn’t Just an
Annoyance
Snoring sometimes indicates that a person has a more serious
health concern called sleep apnea. This is an obstruction of
the airway during sleep, so many people don’t even realize
they are suffering from this condition. With diminished
breathing capability, less oxygen is getting into the lungs
for hours while asleep. Over time, the amount of sleep loss
can result in serious health conditions and even premature
death. Depression can also result, with an increase in
stress hormones.
We have a solution with an oral appliance that is custom
made. It results in the reduction or complete cessation of
snoring to give you and your partner a restful night’s
sleep.
Our
Alternative to CPAP
The conventional treatment for sleep apnea is the CPAP
device. The use of the Continuous Positive Air Pressure
device remains the standard. A patient is fitted with a mask
that is attached to a machine that will pump air continually
into a patient’s nose and mouth while asleep. The main
problem patients have with the CPAP device is the bulkiness
that makes it uncomfortable to wear.
If you have become frustrated with the CPAP, our doctors can
custom make an oral appliance for you, such as the
SomnoDent™. These small acrylic devices fit over your teeth
just like an orthodontic retainer. They will realign your
tongue and jaw to allow air to flow through your lungs while
you sleep soundly. They are easy to remove and clean, and
pack lightly for travel. They are comfortable and have an
excellent success rate to stop snoring and give quality
sleep.
AuraSmile Dental
24834 Lorain Road
North Olmsted, OH 44070
Tel: (440) 925-5255
Preventive
Resins
Preventive Resin Restorations (PRR) prevent cavities from
forming in the deep grooves of teeth when they first erupt
in the mouth of a child.
The
deep grooves of permanent back teeth in children are the
most vulnerable to decay when first erupting. These grooves
often have pits and fissures where bacteria harbor and the
toothbrush bristles cannot reach. Most tooth decay in
children and teens occurs on these surfaces.
We
utilize a WaterLase™ laser to safely and painlessly kill
bacteria on the deep grooves of the teeth that would
otherwise grow under the Preventive Resin Restoration. This
makes the PRR long-lasting. Then a high-strength,
tooth-colored, composite resin filling material is bonded
onto the tooth surface, effectively sealing out the tooth
from bacteria and decay.
AuraSmile Dental
24834 Lorain Road
North Olmsted, OH 44070
Tel: (440) 925-5255
