What Does Saliva Do for Your Dental Health?

Your saliva is made almost entirely of water—over 98% of it, to be more precise. Along with its other ingredients, the high water content makes your saliva an important defense mechanism against the harmful bacteria found in dental plaque. Besides preparing your food for digestion by making it easier to bite and chew, a healthy flow of saliva is also vital to maintaining your dental health.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Good Dental Hygiene

Hopefully, you know by now that brushing and flossing your teeth, as well as visiting your dentist at least once every six months for an exam and cleaning, are the main tenets of what you should do to keep your mouth healthy. However, good dental health is as much about what you don’t do as it is what you do. To help make sure that you’re making the most of a good dental hygiene routine, we explain a few important do’s and don’ts in proper dental health management.

What Is Tooth Decay?

Tooth decay occurs when plaque is allowed to buildup and cling to the tooth enamel. If plaque is not removed, it can combine with bacteria found in your mouth, forming acids that erode the enamel. Over time, the enamel becomes weak and a hole, or cavity, develops. Once a cavity forms, the layer underneath the enamel (dentin) becomes exposed and is susceptible to the spread of further decay. When bacteria are allowed access to the interior of your tooth, professional treatment may be necessary.

Is Gum Disease Present? Learn How to Treat It

For a large majority of people, gum disease is, or someday will be, a significant threat to their oral health. However, with consistently good hygiene and professional care, it doesn’t have to be a destructive influence. Gum disease is a progressive issue that, while common, is also highly preventable, and highly treatable if it is allowed to develop. While prevention is typically the same (daily brushing and flossing, along with routine checkups and cleanings), the secret of how to treat gum disease depends on how severe your condition is allowed to become.

How Teeth Whitening Can Improve Your Smile

Throughout your life, you may notice that some things begin to fade; memories, hobbies, interests, and even the color of your teeth. When the outer layer of a tooth (enamel) changes in color, it is known as extrinsic staining, and can typically be resolved with a minimally invasive cosmetic treatment. If staining goes beyond the tooth enamel and affects the layer underneath (dentin), it is known as intrinsic discoloration. This eliminates the possibility of a simple teeth whitening procedure, and further examination will be necessary.

Tooth Decay and How It Develops

The causes of tooth decay are numerous, but can usually be narrowed down to a handful of factors. A lack of proper preventive dentistry, too much of the wrong kinds of foods, and too much time in-between dental checkups are just some of the reasons tooth decay happens.

Dental Plaque and How it Develops

Anyone who has seen a mouthwash commercial has heard the term “plaque,” but how many really know what plaque is? Many people tend to think that brushing once or twice a day, along with some occasional flossing, will be enough to keep dental plaque away. However, is this enough to keep you from having to visit the dentist every six months? The answers may surprise you.

What's Causing My Toothache?

Aching in or around a tooth is caused by a nerve becoming irritated. A hit to the face, tooth decay, gum disease, and excessive plaque buildup are only some ways that toothaches may occur. In some instances, pain outside of the dental area can travel to the mouth, simulating tooth pain. Such issues can include problems with the jaw joint (temporomandibular joint or TMJ) or ears. Not all toothaches require a dental visit, as there are some at-home remedies for toothaches.

How Confident is Your Smile?

Smiling isn’t just a way to showcase your teeth. In addition to numerous studies, you may already instinctively know that smiling helps improve your interactions with others, and helps you appear more confident and approachable. When you aren’t happy with your smile, however, you might not show it often, and therefore won’t realize the benefits it can offer. The art of cosmetic dentistry can help improve the appearance of your teeth and gums so you can once again enjoy a confident smile, and all that it has to offer.

How Cranberries Can Help Fight Tooth Decay

The fall season brings a lot of reasons to celebrate, but Thanksgiving is perhaps the most celebrated and widely-known fall holiday. Though the reason for its popularity lies mostly in the food, the delights of Thanksgiving dinner feed more than just your palate and belly. They also feed the biological reactions of the bacteria that live in your mouth--such as those that produce acids that destroy your teeth’s protective enamel. According to research, however, you might find a powerful ally in one of the more commonly-used Thanksgiving foods, cranberries, which can help fight tooth decay at a molecular level.

Light Up Your Winter

It’s that time again! You know, time to bundle up with friends and loved ones, pile into the car with a thermos of hot cocoa, and drive through the Prairie Lights holiday light park, where the sparkling light displays dazzle against the night sky. Four million lights that cover an area of an approximate two-mile journey, that is. What better way to get into the festive spirit for the upcoming holiday season?

Dental Anxiety? Rest Easy with Sedation

Do you find that you avoid visits to the dentist because you suffer from dental anxiety? You may feel like you’re the only one, but you are actually one of millions who puts off a trip to your friendly dental office. Yes, even patients who have had good experiences fall victim to nervousness that keeps them from receiving the dental care necessary for maintaining optimal oral health. Consider the following answers to some frequently asked questions regarding sedation if you think it may work for you.

Are You Ready to Fix That Chipped Tooth?

Sometimes, a chipped tooth can add character to a smile, but if you don’t fix it, then the damage could eventually become much more than just a unique expression. If it’s bad enough, the blemish can weaken your tooth’s structure, making it more likely to crack or break. If it’s just a minor chip, then the normal wear and tear from biting and chewing might take a while to make it worse, but it will still take more of a toll than it does on your healthy, whole teeth. When you’re ready to fix your chipped tooth, we can help you decide on an appropriate, non-invasive restoration that will fill in your smile without standing out from it.

How Fluoride Helps Prevent Cavities

Though many people are familiar with the advice that fluoride can help prevent cavities, not everyone understands how, or why it’s important. If you don’t, then you might skip checking if a certain toothpaste contains the mineral before you buy it, or you might not understand the significance if your dentist recommends a topical fluoride treatment. To clarify, we explain just how fluoride helps prevent cavities, and why it’s become a staple of effective dental hygiene.

Your Dentist’s Warnings About Snoring

Your dentist warns you about a lot of things. Not brushing and flossing enough, eating too much too often, and skipping your dental checkups are among the more common warnings. What you might not realize, however, is that if your dentist knew you snore, you may also be warned about the dangers of not having your condition checked out and treated. As a general dentist, Dr. Quinn Smith has helped many patients stop snoring through customized dental treatment, usually in the form of an appliance that helps keep your airway clear while you sleep.

Common Questions About Dental Emergencies

Though you might never experience a dental emergency, chances are you might at least have a fright or two. For instance, if you bite down hard enough on a popcorn kernel to make your tooth hurt, or if you notice blood when you brush and floss your teeth. If it is an emergency, however, then seeking appropriate treatment from your emergency dentist could be vital to saving your dental health. To help you recognize when it’s time to seek treatment immediately, we answer a few common questions about dental emergencies, and what to do if the time comes.

How Dental Care Reduces the Risks of Respiratory Infections

Your dental health influences quite a lot more than just your smile. How your teeth and gums look can influence your confidence; your teeth’s alignment can affect how well your jaw and other facial structures interact; and in many cases, the health of your teeth and oral tissues can play a role in your overall wellbeing. In fact, according to a recent study, one of the more significant connections between oral and systemic health involves the role regular dental care plays inreducing the risks of respiratory infections.

Questions About Cavities and Tooth Fillings

You can’t discuss tooth fillings without discussing cavities. After all, the infection that causes cavities (tooth decay) is the reason why fillings are necessary in the first place. Nevertheless, even patients who’ve received the restorations to treat tooth decay may still have questions about their cavities and tooth fillings, some of which we’ve answered below.

When Breath Goes Bad: The Causes of Halitosis

Bad breath doesn’t always mean that you need to seek immediate dental treatment, even if it doesn’t easily go away when you brush and floss your teeth. While it’s true that dental infections, like tooth decay and gum disease, can foul your breath as they progress, halitosis (chronic bad breath) could just mean that your hygiene needs some improvement—before an issue does develop. To help you understand the source of your potential embarrassment, we explain a few common causes of halitosis, and how they make your breath smell bad.

How Porcelain Veneers Can Make You Smile

The beauty of cosmetic dentistry is that, no matter what’s affecting your smile’s appearance, there’s most likely a minimally-invasive cosmetic option to fix it. For instance, porcelain veneers can often be placed on one or more teeth to completely revamp their appearance without altering an excessive amount of tooth structure. If your issues are minor, we can also provide slimmer, quicker Lumineers, which require even less tooth preparation, or none at all.

About Root Canals

A tooth’s root canal serves a number of different functions, from stabilizing the tooth from within your jawbone to offering a pathway for your jawbone to feed the tooth necessary minerals and nutrients. When you need root canal therapy, it’s typically because the soft tissues connected to the root canals are infected with decay. If not treated, the infection will continue to cause more severe damage, including tooth loss. The most important thing patients should remember about root canals is that treating them when they’re infected is vital to preserving the health and integrity of your smile.

Important Reasons to Visit the Dentist

Keeping a routine schedule of dental checkups and cleanings is important, as most patients realize, but the reasons why may be more than most people suspect. Maintaining clean and healthy teeth and gums requires regular care from your dentist, and holding off dental diseases has a serious impact on your overall wellbeing. Among the most important reasons to visit the dentist, therefore, is to stop poor oral health from affecting your systemic health in any of a number of ways.

Is There a Way to Make Teeth Stronger?

Did you know that your teeth are the strongest parts of your body? Did you also know that, in some ways, they’re also the most vulnerable? Your teeth are unique in how they interact with the rest of your body, and in how they react when injured or afflicted with an infection (tooth decay). Understanding how and why they’re so exceptional can help you make your teeth stronger, and healthy enough to last a lifetime.  

“But I Don’t Remember Grinding My Teeth!”

Your dentist tells you that it seems you’ve been grinding your teeth, but you don’t recall any specific instances of actually doing so. The problem with bruxism—the clinical name for destructive teeth-grinding—is that it’s most likely to occur in your sleep, so you’re bound to have no recollection of it. So how can your dentist tell? Usually by detecting the typical signs, like excessively worn teeth, during your routine dental checkup; making regular dental visits all the more important.

Ways to Prevent Gum Disease and Tooth Loss

Given the fact that it’s the leading cause of adult tooth loss in theUnited States, successfully preventing gum disease is one of the most effective ways of preserving your teeth. However, its prevalence belies the fact that gum disease prevention isn’t typically complex. The good news is that, even if it develops, the condition may be reversed if treated in its early stage (called gingivitis). To help you better prevent gum disease, or stop it in its tracks if it becomes an issue, we offer a few ways to prevent gum disease and the tooth loss that it can cause.

Dental Implants—The Closest Thing to Natural Teeth

As dentistry has advanced over the centuries, the methods and materials used to address tooth loss have become more and more realistic. The advent of dentures, partial dentures, dental bridges, and various forms of dental porcelain make for a wide variety of options when it comes to choosing the right replacement teeth. However, the most recent innovation—dental implants—hold the key to making your replacement teeth more realistic than ever before by reestablishing the roots of your lost teeth.  

Kids and Cavities

As a parent, you worry about how well your kids take care of their teeth. You spent the better part of their early childhood teaching them to brush and floss, and you come up with innovative ways to excite them about visiting the dentist every six months. If they follow the tenets of good hygiene that you so diligently taught them, then your kids should be no more likely to develop cavities than the average adult. However, considering that over 90% of adults in the United States have had at least one cavity in their permanent teeth, those odds aren't necessarily comforting.

How You Care for Your Toothbrush Matters

For many of us, it’s tough enough dedicating adequate time in our busy days to properly brushing and flossing our teeth. With such limited time, that attention might not always extend to how well you care for your toothbrush when you’re not using it. Unfortunately, improper care can render your toothbrush not only ineffective, but a liability to your dental health, increasing your risk of tooth damage and diseases stemming from poor hygiene.

Is There a Better Way to Floss?

It should be ingrained into your dental hygiene routine so well that flossing is as natural as brushing your teeth. Unfortunately, for many people, it’s not, and for others, a cursory pass between a few teeth once in a while is all of the flossing they’ll commit to. However, if you’re among those who take their dental health seriously and you’re diligent about flossing, then you should know if there’s a better way to floss thoroughly without damaging your sensitive gums. To find out, compare your flossing techniques to our professional recommendations.

A Teeth-Whitening Test of Wits

Whether one or two of your teeth are stained, or all of your teeth have just sort of lost their shiny hue, teeth-whitening might be heavy on your mind if you’re unhappy because of tooth discoloration. Despite the ease and convenience of the procedure, however, there are several things you should know about teeth-whitening before deciding if it’s the right option.

Important Questions About Gum Disease

It affects over 75% of adults in the United States, and if not treated, it can lead to the permanent loss of one or more of your teeth. It’s also highly-preventable, and most people who experience it could have avoided it, so why is gum disease still one of the most destructive dental health issues around? Typically, gum disease is allowed to progress because of a lack of knowledge about gum health and disease. If you don’t recognize the signs, you might not know to seek treatment in time. For a better understanding about gum disease and how to protect your smile against it, we answer a few important questions about the notorious condition.

Understanding Fluoride and Dental Fluorosis

Fluoride is a negatively charged ion of the element fluorine. It’s naturally found in water, food, and soil, and is also artificially synthesized in laboratories for various uses, including water fluoridation. For decades, people have debated the wisdom of treating public water supplies with small amounts of fluoride. On one side of the debate, research has proven that fluoride in small measures promotes healthy mouths by fighting cavity formation. On the other, people believe that fluoridating water supplies is useless and unsafe. Rather than reignite the flames of debate, your Grand Prairie dentist, Dr. Quinn Smith, explains how fluoride helps your teeth and why some people consider it dangerous.

Children’s Dentistry, Hygiene, and Care

As placeholders for the permanent teeth that have yet to come in, young children’s teeth need as much care as yours; in some cases, more. That care begins with what you teach your children about good hygiene and dental care, from brushing and flossing their teeth to visiting the dentist on a regular basis. Because they’ll carry what they learn into their teens and adulthood, the children’s dentistry services we offer include helping you teach your children the basics of properly caring for teeth.

Why It’s Harder for Athletes to Prevent Cavities

Endurance athletes put their bodies through a lot in order to get in proper shape and condition for marathons, triathlons, and other main sporting events. The training period can often be brutal, and while your body may be at its peak fitness at the end, your teeth may not be so strong and healthy. Studies show that, when working out intensely, athletes are at a significantly higher risk for tooth-decaying cavities. Experts owe the phenomenon to a combination of increased risk factors, such as poor dental nutrition and weaker natural defenses, and warn athletes to pay special attention to their dental health when training.

Can a Cavity Strike the Same Tooth Twice?

If a tooth can’t regrow the structure that it loses to a cavity, does that mean that cavities can’t affect the same tooth twice? Unfortunately, they can. Cavities are a result of tooth decay, a bacterial infection; even if the tooth is treated, it’s still susceptible to infection that could destroy what remains of the tooth’s healthy structure. Fortunately, keeping the treated tooth healthy is as simple as keeping the rest of your teeth healthy. Practice good hygiene by brushing and flossing at least twice a day, and attend your regular dental checkup and cleaning as often as recommended.

Answers to Questions About TMJ Disorder

TMJ disorder (a dysfunction with your jaw’s joints) is one of the most evasive dental issues, despite the sometimes-debilitating nature of the pain it causes. Actually, the wide range of possible TMJ warning signs is one of the main reasons why diagnosing the condition can be difficult. Besides jaw pain, symptoms can also include headaches, earaches, dizziness, and other symptoms that might not even seem to relate to your dental health. To help you determine if you should be concerned about your jaw health, we answer a few common questions about TMJ disorder, and why it causes such widespread discomfort.

What if You Don’t Want a Metal Filling?

Dental fillings, a treatment that restores teeth infected by cavities, are most-often made from a mixture of silver, tin, copper, mercury, and other metals; also known as amalgam. While metal fillings are highly-durable, their popularity is due more to the fact that they’ve endured as effective restorations for over a century and a half. In more modern times, Dr. Smith offers patients a more advanced, and better looking, alternative to metal fillings in the form of white composite resin; commonly referred to as white tooth fillings.

What Do I Do If My Dental Crown Breaks?

If you crack or break a tooth, or if your tooth needs significant treatment for a cavity, then your dentist may recommend a dental crown to restore and protect the tooth. Designed to cover, or cap, your entire a tooth, a crown is often the only way to prevent it from suffering more damage due to its weakened state. However, though highly-effective, dental crowns can also suffer damage, either from undue force, improper placement, or any of a number of other factors. If your dental crown breaks, then the tooth it was meant to protect will once again be exposed and vulnerable, and Dr. Smith advises seeking professional treatment immediately.

An Overview of Brushing Your Teeth Properly

Brushing your teeth is the most basic, most repetitive, and perhaps the most important aspect of effective personal dental hygiene. However, did you know that improperly brushing your teeth can cause more harm to your smile than good? Your Grand Prairie dentist, Dr. Quinn Smith, explains how to get the most out of your toothbrush and toothpaste by outlining the tenets of brushing your teeth properly.

Frequently-Asked Questions About Toothaches

If you’ve ever had a toothache, your first and foremost question might be, “How do I cure it?” In most cases, though, the answer to that question isn’t so simple. Teeth hurt for a number of reasons, ranging from dental damage to a developing dental disease (tooth decay or gum disease), and the “cure” for your toothache will be unique to your situation. To help clarify the mystery behind your discomfort, your Grand Prairie dentist, Dr. Quinn Smith, answers a few frequently-asked questions about toothaches and how to make them go away.

Should You Extract a Painless Wisdom Tooth?

For many people, wisdom teeth are temporary inconveniences that are eventually extracted, either due to preference or necessity. For others, they're a barely-noticeable final addition to their smiles that never disturb their oral health. The trouble for people wondering if they should extract a wisdom tooth is that they may not know if it’s necessary until the tooth begins to hurt. Officially known as your third set of permanent molars, wisdom teeth often have little room to grow on dental ridges that already hold 28 teeth. Even if yours don't hurt yet, your Grand Prairie dentist, Dr. Quinn Smith, may recommend extracting them to prevent possible complications in the future.

Want to Cure Your Chronic Bad Breath? We Can Help!

If your breath seems persistently bad, even though you brush and floss your teeth religiously and swear by the pack of mints you keep close by, then eliminating it might sometimes seem out-of-reach. As a common symptom of a wide variety of issues, chronic bad breath may be overwhelming, but it isn’t permanent; in most cases, you can cure your bad breath with simple improvements to your daily hygiene. If the issue is serious, then your Grand Prairie dentist, Dr. Smith, can help uncover the cause and prescribe an appropriate treatment plan to restore your fresh breath and healthy smile.

Do You Feel Sleep Deprived?

Do you feel fatigued during the day, even though you believe you’re getting a good night’s rest? Does your sleeping partner complain that he/she can’t sleep because of your excessive snoring? Although obstructive sleep apnea is often marked by periods of severely loud snoring, many patients don’t realize they suffer from the sleep disorder unless someone else tells them, or until mysterious symptoms of sleep deprivation become present. Your Grand Prairie dentist, Dr. Quinn Smith, explores the phenomenon of extreme snoring and why you should worry if it indicates obstructive sleep apnea.

Discussing Your Oral and Lung Health

The importance of maintaining clean and healthy teeth and gums should be a given, considering your mouth is essential to eating and speaking. Even still, gum disease, one of the most destructive chronic oral health issues, affects over 75% of adults in America today. With a growing cache of research supporting a connection between your mouth’s wellbeing and your body’s health, preventing and treating dental issues takes on a new importance. According to a study published in the Journal of Periodontology, this connection may even extend to include the health of your lungs.

Common Questions About Cosmetic Dentistry

Have you tried numerous over-the-counter products from your pharmacy, but are still unable to return the youthful, pearly-white shine to your smile? Do you have one or more teeth that are chipped, but aren’t sure what’s the best way to fix it? Cosmetic dentistry has a wealth of solutions to most issues concerning your smile’s appearance. If you wish your smile were brighter, straighter, or generally more appealing, then ask your Grand Prairie dentist, Dr. Quinn Smith, how cosmetic dentistry can help you.

How does teeth whitening erase stains?

Though teeth stains are the most common cosmetic complaint, they’re also the easiest to address, at least in most cases. Professional teethwhitening consists of a highly-potent bleaching agent that eradicates stains on the semi-translucent surface of your teeth, while oxidizing and brightening the underlying tooth structure.

It’s Never Too Early to Prevent Gum Disease

Although it tends to affect older people more often than the young, gum disease isn’t an age-related disease; it’s neither determined by age, nor is it a natural part of the aging process. On the contrary, gumdisease can develop from poor dental hygiene regardless of age, race, gender, and color, and if not prevented or dealt with early, the disease can cost you one or more teeth. As a progressive condition, gum disease can’t be completely eradicated once it’s developed; therefore, keeping your mouth safe from it is best accomplished by preventing gum disease development in the first place.

Think Twice About Energy and Sports Drinks

It’s summer, and in Texas, that means HOT! So, naturally, your first instinct may be to keep a beverage with you at all times, and given their popularity, that beverage may often be a sports drink or energy drink. They’re full of flavor, electrolytes, and lots of other things that many people automatically assume are good for them. Unfortunately, that misconception hides the fact that many of what today’s sports and energy drinks contain can seriously affect your dental health, such as causing irreversible damage to your teeth.

How Dental Implants Compare to Traditional Dentures

Though today’s modern implant dentures are far more advanced than what our ancestors could have imagined, the idea of crafting artificial teeth to replace thenatural ones you’ve lost originated long ago. In fact, the earliest known example of tooth replacement comes from the Etruscans of ancient Italy, who crafted primitive dentures from human and animal teeth around 700 BC. Today, innovative and lifelike materials have replaced used teeth, but the philosophy remains the same; restore your mouth’s full set of teeth to restore your ability to chew and speak properly. Along with innovation, however, has come a greater understanding of our oral health, and we now know that restoring lost teeth’s roots is as important as filling the space left in your smile.

Is TMJ Disorder Your Problem?

Does your jaw pop and click when you open and close it? Do your jaw and/or face feel stiff, sore, and chronically uncomfortable? Your Grand Prairie dentist, Dr. Quinn Smith, has helped many patients find relief from craniofacial discomfort by treating a condition known as TMJ disorder, which affects the joints and muscles that control your jaw’s movement. Today, we explore how TMJ disorder can develop and list a few other seemingly-unrelated aches and pains that may also indicate a jaw dysfunction.

Tooth Decay Explained: Preventive Dentistry Practices

Your teeth are like the gatekeepers to the rest of your body. As you eat, drink, or inhale, various foods, liquids, particles, and chemicals your mouth acts as the gateway to your body. Teeth remain an important piece of the oral health puzzle, and they require special treatment just like any A-list celebrity you see on the cinema screen. However, the care your teeth need is specific and finite, meaning it’s manageable by anyone willing to make their teeth a priority. Dr. Smith explains the progression of tooth decay and ways to combat bacteria and dental caries in your mouth in the following article as a part of preventive dentistry.