Cosmetic Dentistry Blog

With such an emphasis put on our physical and mental health these days, many people don’t realize the impact on our health that an improper bite has. When you have an improper bite, your entire body can become misaligned. Over 75 million Americans have a misaligned body due to an improper bite.  
 
Everyone wants straight teeth, but an improper bite and misaligned body isn’t actually about straight teeth. How your teeth come together with the muscles and joints of your jaw is what we are referring too when we talk about “your bite”.

All of the muscle and bones in our body have relationships with the others. So, if your jaw is out of line, your entire body is out of line. Just like hip or back pain makes you limp. Overtime, this causes pain in your knees or feet. When your jaw is out of alignment causing an improper bite, the discomfort can start affecting you outside of your face, head and neck.    

By relaxing the muscles of the face and neck areas, we are relieving the symptoms of headaches, neck pain, shoulder pain, back pain, jaw discomfort and many more go away. This changes our way of life, our stress levels and how we live. Do you want you bite evaluated? Contact Dream Smile Dental.  

Around 37,000 Americans are diagnosed with oral cancer each year - with only 45% of those diagnosed surviving more than five years. Cases of mouth cancer or oral cancer have risen by 20% in the past 30 years. It affects twice as many men as women.

Cancer is an abnormal and excessive growth of cells. Scientists are still trying to figure out all of the causes and cures of oral cancer. They do know however, that oral cancer is almost always caused by chewing tobacco. Tobacco use and prolonged, heavy alcohol drinking are the biggest risk factors, but it has also recently been determined that the presence of oral HPV is also a clear risk factor for the disease.

Recommendations for the prevention of oral cancer includes abstinence from all types of tobacco, only moderate alcohol consumption, limited exposure to UV light and use of a SPF 15 lip balm to protect against cancer of the lips. At Dream Smile Dental, we also recommend avoiding sources of oral irritation like poorly fitting dentures, eating the required daily servings of vegetables, fruits and whole-grains and regular dental checkups including an oral cancer exam.

Often, oral cancer is discovered too late, which is the main reason for the high death rate. Early detection and diagnosis is imperative in increasing life expectancy; it is 90% curable when found in the early stages. However, 70% of oral cancers are diagnosed in the late stages.

At Dream Smile Dental, our practice has incorporated VELscope, the most powerful tool available for the discovery of oral abnormal cell growth for up to 5 years before it rises to the surface and can be seen by the naked eye. If you are concerned, or have never been screened for oral cancer, contact us.

Too many people compromise their dental health because of their fear of going to the dentist. Between the needles and the sound of drills, many convince themselves that if they just brush and occasionally floss, their teeth and dental health will be fine.

When the idea of the going to the dentist causes stress and anxiety, you have options. Sedation dentistry is a good idea for you.

Sedation dentistry uses anesthesia to put patients into a relaxed state. Using anesthesia to calm patients, to put them in a sleep-like state though awake, keeps them relaxed throughout their dentist appointment. For those with dental phobias this is a perfect solution.

Nitrous oxide, anti anxiety medications, or oral sedatives are some of the sedation methods used. The dental treatment you need and your level of anxiety will determine the type of sedation dentistry method used. The dentists at Dream Smile Dental along with your input, will determine the best option for each patient situation. Contact Dream Smile Dental and schedule a consultation to talk about your dental anxiety and discuss any concerns you may have.