Cosmetic Dentistry Blog

Cold sores, sometimes called fever blisters, are groups of small blisters on the lip and around the mouth. Those who suffer from cold sores often suffer from them regularly. Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus and for many people, cold sores can be very painful.

Traditional treatment with pills and ointments may get rid of cold sores, but only 1 to 2 days faster. Pills and ointments can help ease the pain from the blisters or other uncomfortable symptoms. However, often the worst part of cold sores are the sores themselves. Many find them embarrassing. For this, pills and ointments do not always help.

Laser treatment for a cold sore is a fast, painless procedure. It can be performed by one of the dentists or hygienists at Dream Smile Dental on any cold sore lesion on the lips. Treatment of the cold sore during the “tingly feeling" stage can prevent the cold sore from progressing to the “full bloom" stage. Treatment after the blister has formed will greatly reduce symptoms and shorten the duration of the outbreak. Laser treatment will also significantly reduce the chances of another cold sore recurring in the area that was treated.

The first symptoms of cold sores may include pain around your mouth and on your lips, a fever, a sore throat, or swollen glands. They will disappear in a couple weeks, but if this is too long for you or if you suffer from frequent or even occasional cold sore break outs, this treatment is for you!

Problem: Tooth Decay

Also known as cavities, tooth decay occurs when plaque is allowed to linger on teeth for too long.

Who can suffer from tooth decay? Anyone can get a cavity, but children and older people are the most prone. The incidence among children has been declining, because of the increased use of fluoride toothpastes, but more than half of all children have cavities by the second grade. Older adults are prone to cavities at the root because protective gum tissue often pulls away.

What to do: Brush with a fluoride toothpaste and floss every day. Children can also benefit from sealants applied to the chewing surfaces of their back teeth as soon as their adult molars come in. Older people should be vigilant and those who have a tendency toward dry mouth should receive regular fluoride treatments from a dentist. They should also use a fluoride-containing mouth wash.

Problem: Gum Disease

A bacterial infection caused by plaque that attacks the gums, bone, and ligaments that keep your teeth in place. The early stage is known as gingivitis, the advanced stage is called periodontitis.

Who can suffer from gum disease: Everyone. It is estimated that half of all adults have some signs of gingivitis. Most at risk are people with poor oral hygiene; those with a systemic disease, such as diabetes, and smokers. Women also have a tendency to develop gingivitis during pregnancy. Other risk factors are stress, which weakens the immune system, and genes.

What to do: See a dentist regularly. Let your dentist know if your gums feel tender or bleed. Gingivitis can be reversed with regular brushing and flossing. To combat periodontitis, a dentist or periodontist may perform a deep cleaning around the teeth and below the gum lines and prescribe medication to combat the infection. If the disease has progressed to affect your gums and bone, your dentist might suggest surgery, such as a gum graft.

Problem: Tooth Infection

The pulp inside the tooth is damaged or becomes infected because of decay or injury. The root canal, which connects the top pulp chamber to the tip of the root, may become infected, too.

Who’s at risk: Anyone with a deep cavity or a cracked tooth, which can let in bacteria. An injured tooth can have a problem even if it's not visibly cracked or chipped.

What to do: If you feel pain in or around a tooth, see your dentist. He may refer you to an endodontist, who specializes in root-canal procedures. In one to three visits, the dentist will perform a root canal. He will remove the pulp, clean the pulp chamber and root canal, then fill the tooth. Finally, he may seal the tooth with a porcelain or gold crown.

Problem: Enamel Erosion

Exposure to acid, primarily from soda or citrus drinks, can wear down the surface of the teeth, making them rounded and discolored.

Who’s at risk: Anyone who drinks lemonade, soda and diet soda, or sports drinks all day.

What to do: If necessary, teeth can be restored with bonding materials. But to prevent further damage, you have to change your habits. If the cause is soft drinks switch to water. Second best is to drink sodas with a full meal, then follow with a tooth brushing, sugarless gum, or a gargle with water.

There are many dental procedures, but it may be the root canal that has the worst reputation of them all. And because of its reputation, at Dream Smile Dental we get lots of questions about them.

It is important to know that very few root canals are painful, very few deserve their reputation. We often get asked, “Will I be in pain during or after the root canal?”

During the root canal treatment your mouth and gums will be entirely numb; you will feel nothing. After the root canal, patients are rarely in pain. There are a few extreme cases, and in those cases, the dentists at Dream Smile will prescribe you something for the pain.

Because of the reputation of the root canal procedure, many patients will say, “well, I don’t feel any pain; can’t I wait on receiving a root canal?”

Unfortunately, the answer is no. It is never a good idea to wait on any needed dental treatment, especially a root canal. If you require a root canal, it needs to be done as soon as possible in order to prevent further infection. The infection can spread too, and really complicate your health, sometimes seriously.

Lastly, we often have people wondering if their insurance company will cover a root canal procedure. But we can’t answer that question. Every insurance plan is set up differently. Therefore various procedures are covered differently according to their fee schedule. Dream Smile Dental works with most insurance plans. To find out what your plan will specifically cover, contact us.

At Dream Smile Dental we believe in what we do. We are confident that you will be happy with your dental care. In fact we are so sure; we would like you to refer a friend (or two).

When you refer a friend you will receive a $25 gift card to Dream Smile Dental and your friend will receive an exam, a professional dental cleaning and polishing, all necessary dental x-rays and a dental consultation for only $99.
 
If you are new to Dream Smile, and you want to try us out on your own, print out the coupon and receive the same discounted services. You are in for a surprise though; Dream Smile isn’t your regular dentists office.

At Dream Smile Dental, we want your visits to our office to be as pleasant as possible. Our goal is to create an atmosphere of comfort and relaxation that is so enjoyable, you'll look forward to each and every dentist appointment you make with us.

For extended dental procedures, we provide our patients with hot/cold neck cushions for added comfort and support. Patients receiving a BrightSmile teeth whitening procedure or a long appointment are treated to a heated massage pad on the chair and can select a DVD from our movie library while they visit.

Our goal at Dream Smile Dental is to deliver the best dental care to all our patients. Contact us and see for yourself what a different kind of dentist can do for you.

Just mention “the dentist” and some people break out into a cold sweat. Just the thought of the sound of the drill can cause quite a bit of anxiety in some people. But dental health is as important as physical health, you can’t avoid the dentist's office.

Sedation dentistry may be a good idea for you when the idea of the dentist causes stress and anxiety. What is sedation dentistry? It’s the use of medication and local anesthesia during dental procedures to help patients relax in a sleepy state; perfect for children or those with dental phobias.

Several medications are available to help create a more relaxed, comfortable dental visit. Some drugs control pain, some help you relax, and others put you into a conscious sedation state during dental treatment. The procedure itself, your anxiety level, allergies and your overall health will determine which avenue is best for you. The dentists at Dream Smile will work together with you to devise the best course of action for  your overall comfort.

Contact Dream Smile Dental and schedule a consultation to discuss concerns or to ask specific questions.
 

The goal of cosmetic dentistry is to turn a dull smile into a bright one. Dream Smile Dental in Canton has several options to restore teeth that are crooked, chipped, stained, have gaps or uneven gums and we have several ways to replace missing teeth.
 
Before we begin we will talk with you about what you want from your smile, and perform an exam to check your oral health. The goal of cosmetic dentistry is functionality along with enhancing beauty.
 
In planning your treatment there are specific measurements we take to achieve the best facial harmony. At Dream Smile Dental our dentists take into consideration the shape of your face, your individual teeth, and the width of your smile. Improving your smile may be as easy as a whitening process, or it could entail something more involved like placing crowns, implants, or orthodontics. We’ll make the best decisions with you about what is best for your case and answer all questions.
 
Cosmetic dentistry can enhance your confidence, increase the health of your teeth, and give you a more youthful smile. Contact us, so together we can begin to help you design a plan that gets you the smile you have always wanted.

Several medications are available to help create more relaxed, comfortable dental visits. Some drugs control pain, some help you relax, and others put you into a deep sleep during dental treatment. You and your dentist can discuss many things when deciding which drugs to use for your treatment: the type of procedure, your overall health, history of allergies and your anxiety level. Working together you and the dentist can choose the most appropriate way to make your dental visit as comfortable as possible.

Providing you with high-quality, appropriate care and making your dental visit as comfortable as possible are top priorities for Dream Smile Dental. Advances in dental techniques and medications can reduce discomfort during dental visits. Sedatives can be administered before, during or after dental procedures.

Sedation dentistry is also called relaxation or sleep dentistry. Anti-anxiety medicines, such as nitrous oxide, or sedatives can help you relax during dental visits and often may be used along with local anesthetics. Dentists also can use these agents to induce "minimal or moderate sedation," so the patient achieves a relaxed state during treatment. At Dream Smile, the type of sedation we do is called oral conscious sedation.

Sedation Dentistry is effective and extremely safe. Our team and Sedation Dentists are specially trained to offer you sedation and closely monitor your progress during your dental treatment. Dream Smile Dental uses pain and anxiety control techniques to treat many patients safely every year. Understanding the range of choices that are available to relieve anxiety and discomfort makes you well-informed. If you have questions or concerns about your oral health care, don't hesitate to talk to us.

Invisalign can help with many cases from simple to more complex, including crowded teeth and underbites to jaw problems to teeth misalignment.  And they're basically invisible so most people won't even notice you're wearing them.

The dentists at Dream Smile will determine if Invisalign is right for you. If so, we will take x-rays and impressions of your teeth, which Invisalign will use to create a digital 3-D image. With these images we will create a precise treatment plan, including the exact movements of your teeth. Then a series of custom-made, clear aligners are created specifically for you and your mouth. These are made of a smooth, comfortable plastic.  You wear Invisalign throughout the day, and as you wear them, your teeth gradually shift gently into place.

Similar to braces, in cost, Invisalign also helps with problems like spaced teeth, cross bites, underbites, and crowded teeth. However, there are many advantages to invisalign over braces. While the results are the same, a new and confident smile, when comparing options there are many benefits to invisalign. With invisalign you can eat any foods; the aligners are removable making eating and brushing and flossing easier for better periodontal health; and the smooth comfortable plastic is easier on your cheeks and gums than metal braces. Additionally, there are less office visits than with braces. Invisalign visits range from every 4 to 6 weeks. Contact Dream Smile Dental for a consultation. See if Invisalign is right for you.

There are three different factors which determine your bite: teeth, muscles and joints. Neuromuscular dentistry uses modern technology to assess the function -or dysfunction- of the jaw by evaluating all of these and creating the optimum bite for your jaw structure while creating your new beautiful smile.

If you suffer from headaches, ear congestion, dizziness, difficulty swallowing, neck pain, jaw clenching or teeth grinding, jaw joint pain, and even nervousness or insomnia this treatment can pinpoint the source. In evaluating your teeth, and the muscles and joints of your jaw, you can alleviate TMJ disorders and in the process, get the smile you have always dreamed of.

There are various types of muscles located in the face and neck that hold your jaw, control the movement of your jaw, and allow you to chew and swallow; all of which is done subconsciously. If your bite is off, your body automatically strains the muscles of your jaw, working the muscles extra hard. This is why the temporomandibular joints become over stressed and TMJ occurs. The goal of Dream Smile Dental is to find and restore your jaw to its natural, optimal position. TMJ disorders are eliminated by restoring your jaw to that position where the muscles, teeth and joints are in balance.   This takes the pressure off of your joints and overstrained muscles, eliminates jaw or teeth clenching, and allows for your muscles to act naturally, and with no effort, make your jaw function properly.

Those who are fond of reading magazines and watching television are often curious how those models have such shiny white teeth. Well, there are people who are really gifted when it comes to their teeth. All they need is a little maintenance and they can have that bright smile for a long time. There are also people who have teeth that are easily broken or damaged. Some dentists say it is because of the lack of calcium in their body. However, we can all have that bright white smile by undergoing some dental procedures.

The most sought after treatments center around cosmetic dentistry, which has great benefits for people who have oral problems. Cosmetic Dentstry is proven to be very effective in restoring your smile. There are procedures that can be accomplished in a day's work but there are some processes that will take more time to accomplish .. such as those procedures that require surgery. The majority of restoration procedures are affordable and well worth the investment. Cosmetic dentists specialize in teeth whitening that can take as little as one visit. There are other procedures that are involved like dental bridges, gum surgery, veneers and implants. The presence of black spots can be solved by filling up your tooth with tooth colored fillings. We can also fix dentures, lengthen your crown, and repair cracked teeth all with the help of cosmetic dentistry.

The demand for cosmetic dentistry has sky rocketed over the past few years. Increasing your confidence can be done through cosmetic dentistry, in great thanks to the advancement of technology and science.