Dental Information Guide

The Dental Guide provided is a collection of articles, links and news related to Dental topics. You can also find local dentists using our local dentistry directory. Visit any of the following to find a local dentist:

DENTAL HEALTH

Dental Health contains information on dental check-ups, oral hygiene, gingivitis, gum disease, halitosis, toothache, cavities, TMJ/TMD and bruxism.

COSMETIC DENTISTRY

Cosmetic Dentistry contains information on veneers, lumineers, dental implants, crowns/bridges and restorative dentistry.

TOOTH WHITENING

Tooth Whitening contains information on professional tooth whitening, over-the-counter tooth whitening and home remedies for teeth whitening.

ORTHODONTICS

Orthodontics contains information on children/teens and braces, adults and braces, types of braces, caring for braces and more.

PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY

Pediatric Dentistry contains information on babies, younger children, older children, children, sports & dental health and more.

Additional Resources:

Dentistry Consumer Guide - An Information Guide About Dentistry.
Aesthetic Consumer Guide - An Information Guide About Various Aesthetic Topics Including Cosmetic Dentistry.

Bad Breath

Everybody has bad breath now and then, depending on what you've eaten and what time of day it is. But besides the run-of-the-mill garlic breath, some people have chronic breath problems. If that sounds like you, see your dentist. He or she may be able to help you develop a plan to deal with the problem. And if the cause is poor dental hygiene or gum disease, your dentist is the obvious choice for help. Bad Breath

Cavities

Acids in your mouth caused by bacteria create what dentists call plaque. When plaque clings to your teeth, the acids can eat away at the enamel of the tooth. If you don't visit the dentist regularly, the acids can continue to make their way through the enamel to the inside parts of your tooth and cause tooth decay. You may end up with a toothache that may be the result of a cavity that reached all the way inside a tooth, where they are affecting the nerve endings. Cavity

Periodontal Disease Linked to Cancer

For years now periodontal disease, more commonly know as gum disease, has been linked through extensive research to heart disease, diabetes, stroke, respiratory infections, osteopenia (low bone mass) and preterm low birth weight babies. Now new research studies show a significant increase in the rate of cancer in patients who have periodontal disease. Periodontal Disease Linked to Cancer

Snap-On Appliance

Snap-On Smile is a brand new state of the art removable provisional multipurpose restorative dental appliance having the advantages that it requires no shots (anesthesia), no drilling (cutting down healthy tooth structure) and no adhesives to achieve retention. Snap-On Smile Appliance

Lumineers

Lumineers are the trade name for DenMat's revolutionary new no tooth preparation veneers. Lumineers allow smile makeovers to be done with no anesthetic needles, or shots, no sensitive tooth reduction, or drilling, and therefore no pain. Lumineers are the most significant breakthrough in cosmetic dentistry since technology has allowed teeth to be restored through bonding procedures. Lumineers allow patients who were once too phobic to seek the care they need and want to have their entire smile redone in the image they desire in complete comfort and relaxation. Lumineers

Tooth Colored Fillings

Today there are a variety of tooth colored restorations (fillings) that restore not only the tooth's form and function but also its cosmetic aspect. Tooth colored fillings allow you to maintain or even improve the cosmetic qualities of your smile and enable you to achieve the esthetically pleasing smile that just a short time ago was unthinkable. Tooth Colored Fillings

Tooth Bonding

Today tooth bonding can be used to do many types of dentistry. Bonding is the chemical preparation of hard tooth structure, both enamel and dentin, to cause micro pores that the bonding agent fills and locks into. Then the restorative material is chemically bonded to the bonding agent. Thus, bonding gives very strong adhesion of the restoration to the remaining tooth structure that is not possible to achieve with non-bonded restorations. Tooth Bonding

Crowns and Bridges

Crowns are a long term treatment for replacing missing tooth structure when there is no longer sufficient tooth structure remaining to support a filling. This can be caused by caries (tooth decay), tooth fractures, lost fillings, traumatic injuries, or a combination of these and other factors. A crown is placed on an individual tooth, somewhat like a thimble over a finger, so the tooth has to first be prepared prior to the crown being fabricated to insure there is sufficient space for the different materials the crowns are made out of. Crowns and Bridges

Teeth Contouring & Reshaping

Teeth contouring and reshaping is used by cosmetic dentists to correct crooked, chipped, and overlapping teeth. During the procedure, the teeth are "sculpted" by removing a small amount of tooth structure and/ or by using a small amount of tooth colored laminate to build up the teeth. Teeth Contouring

Dentures

Full dentures are used to restore a patient's arch or mouth, both upper and lower arches, when no teeth remain. Dentures allow the missing teeth to be replaced so that the patient can chew food, restore the esthetics, support the facial soft tissues, lips and cheeks, and reestablish the vertical dimension of your bite (the distance between your chin and nose). Dentures also aid in speaking, swallowing and smiling. Dentures

Root Implants

Implants also have the additional benefit of preserving the patient's jawbone, which in the long run is their greatest asset. Restorations can be changed, redone or upgraded as the patient's needs desires or financial situation dictates and technological advances warrant only as long as there is adequate healthy jaw bone present to support these new restorations. So implants not only allow for the restorations of today but also the restorations of tomorrow. Root Implants