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
We
Care About Kids!
When should my child first see a dentist? “First visit by
first birthday” sums it up. Your child should visit a
dentist when the first tooth comes in, usually between six
and twelve months of age. An early examination at AuraSmile
Dental and preventive care will protect your child’s smile
now and in the future.
Preventing Child Tooth
Decay – the Easy Way!
Contrary to popular belief, cavities are not caused solely
by eating too many sugary foods and not brushing enough.
Many people who have a high-carbohydrate diet never get
cavities, while others who do not consume many sugary foods
continue to get cavities year after year. Cavities are
caused by multiple factors in the mouth including diet,
dental hygiene habits, and the most important, the type and
concentration of bacteria found in the mouth.
Excessive amounts of specific cavity-causing bacteria can
result in tooth decay even if a patient has good dental
hygiene and a low-sugar diet. And this issue is more
important now than ever because people are investing in
keeping their teeth healthy like never before. We are
finding that while new cavities in teeth are on the decline
in America, there is an alarming increase in the amount of
tooth decay forming underneath old dental fillings and
crowns. This type of decay is usually painless, and it
gradually infects the nerve of the tooth over time,
increasing the need for a future root canal. Preventing
tooth decay from eroding the integrity of dental work is
absolutely essential to protecting the health of teeth long
term.
AuraSmile Dental
24834 Lorain Road
North Olmsted, OH 44070
Tel: (440) 925-5255
‘Lock
in’ Your Dentures with Dental Implants
If you have been wearing dentures for a number of years and
are tired of and annoyed from the slipping, tilting, or
wandering, we have a solution to these problems. With
implants, your bridge or cosmetic denture is secured with
implants. Our dental team will give you a comfortable fit,
and you will be happy with both the great look and stability
when speaking and eating. They will return your confidence
and keep you smiling.
AuraSmile Dental
24834 Lorain Road
North Olmsted, OH 44070
Tel: (440) 925-5255
A Crowning Solution
Whenever a crown or cap is required for a tooth, we utilize
advanced technology high-strength ceramics that look and
function just like natural teeth. No more dark metal line at
the gumline, and typically most of our crowns do not require
root canal therapy first. We may recommend a crown if your
tooth has enough decay that it cannot hold a filling, or if
your tooth is cracked or broken and in danger of cracking
down into the root if left unattended.
A crown covers your tooth completely. It is bonded
permanently to the tooth and protects what remains of the
natural tooth. Our crowns are permanently bonded to the
tooth, strengthening them back to a near
original condition.
No Mercury! No Metals! No Kidding!
Replace old crowns and bridges with metal-free restorations.
There’s a huge difference between metal fillings and our new
porcelain restorations that reflect the translucence of
natural teeth. Your new metal-free crowns, inlays, and
bridges won’t show wear or cause opposing teeth to erode,
and fitting the crown or bridge is a breeze. For over 100
years, dentistry has restored teeth primarily with a
material made of mercury and silver. It has done its job
well, although we have had to live with its weaknesses.
Those weaknesses consist of cracking teeth due to expansion
of the material, and restorations turning black as the
mercury in the material corrodes.
AuraSmile Dental
24834 Lorain Road
North Olmsted, OH 44070
Tel: (440) 925-5255
