One of the most important things you can do to maintain proper dental care in Bel Air, MD is to eat nutritious foods that improve your oral health rather than detract from it. Your dentist has probably stressed the importance of maintaining a proper oral hygiene routine to avoid tooth decay and the need for tooth extraction. Your meal and snack choices are just as important as brushing and flossing when it comes to maintaining oral health. Keep reading to learn more about choosing foods that are healthy for your whole body—including your teeth.

The Relationship between Sugar and Tooth Decay

Tooth decay occurs when the plaque that builds up around your teeth and mouth comes into contact with sugar from the foods that you eat. This interaction can cause acid to eat away at the teeth, forming harmful cavities. Eating a non-nutritious diet high in sugary foods can even affect your immune system, making it more difficult for your body to fight off infection and leading to oral health conditions such as gingivitis, advanced periodontal disease, and eventual tooth loss. Fortunately, tooth decay is preventable. In addition to a good dental care regimen including brushing your teeth with a fluoride toothpaste twice daily, flossing every day, and making regular visits to a dentist, you should eat a healthy diet and avoid added sugars in order to help keep your teeth and gums clean and healthy.

How to Choose Nutritious Foods

In order to choose nutritious foods for a healthy diet, be sure to read the nutrition facts and ingredients list for all processed foods that you purchase. This will help you avoid choosing products that are high in hidden sugars and that may not provide you with many vitamins or minerals. The most obvious culprits are candy, cookies, and pastries. Don’t forget to take into account what you drink as well. Soft drinks and juices typically contain an abundance of added sugar, and even some dairy products contain sugars that can cause tooth decay if they are consumed too often.

Do you practice proper dental care in Bel Air, MD? Your dentist has probably told you that one of the most important parts of a healthy dental care routine is flossing daily. Be sure to use a proper flossing technique in order to avoid dangerous tooth decay.

Watch this video to learn the details about proper flossing technique. Wrap about 18 inches of floss between your two middle fingers. Then, gently insert the floss between your teeth, working it up and down against the surface of each tooth. Don’t forget to floss behind your back teeth, too! Ask your dentist or local dental clinic if you have any questions about flossing when you have dental work such as a dental bridge or orthodontic appliances.

Do you have sensitive teeth? You may need to make an emergency dental appointment with a dental clinic near Bel Air, MD to help find the root cause of your tooth pain. Read on to learn more about what your dentist might say is behind your current tooth sensitivity.

Tooth Sensitivity and Tooth Structure

In order to gain a better understanding of why your teeth have become sensitive, it’s important to first understand how the teeth are structured. The hard outer layer of your tooth is called tooth enamel. It protects the inside of your tooth, which mainly consists of dentin, a tissue filled with small tubes containing microscopic nerve endings. Your teeth may become sensitive when your tooth enamel is worn down, exposing the nerve-filled dentin below. This can potentially be very painful, especially when you eat foods that are hot, cold, acidic, or sticky.

Tooth Sensitivity and Dental Issues

Several different dental issues can cause your tooth enamel to become worn down and eroded. Even using a hard toothbrush during your daily dental care routine and brushing too aggressively can weaken your tooth enamel. Likewise, grinding your teeth at night can also damage tooth enamel. Ask your dentist to check for signs of grinding and excessive wear patterns on your teeth; he or she may recommend using a mouth guard at night so that the problem does not become exacerbated.

Tooth Sensitivity and Diet

If you tend to consume highly acidic foods and drinks, such as sodas and certain fruits, you may also be weakening your tooth enamel. Limit your intake of acidic foods and aim to brush after meals to get rid of leftover acid in your mouth. Finally, tooth decay, damaged fillings, and broken or chipped teeth can expose your tooth dentin—as can gum recession. Your dentist should be able to locate and repair broken dental work that may be causing your tooth sensitivity. As for gum recession, it’s important to maintain a proper daily dental hygiene routine in order to prevent additional gum recession and the pain that goes along with it.

If you have a chipped tooth in Bel Air, MD, your first step should be to contact your dentist. A chipped, cracked, or knocked-out tooth is one of the most common dental emergencies . While a minor chipped tooth may not initially be accompanied by any adverse symptoms, chipped teeth can result in severe tooth pain or sensitivity. Even teeth that do not appear to be damaged can cause major health problems if left untreated. Keep reading to learn more about what you should do about a chipped tooth, including immediate care, professional care, and follow-up care.

Immediate Care

Even before you contact your dentist, you should rinse your mouth with warm water. After you chip a tooth in an accident or fall, bacteria and dirt can enter your mouth. Simply rinsing the affected area goes a long way toward preventing infection. If your mouth is bleeding, apply a clean piece of gauze and press firmly until the bleeding stops. If you cannot get in to your dental clinic on the day of the accident, purchase dental cement from your local drugstore to seal the tooth.

Professional Care

Depending on the size and severity of the chip, your dentist has many options for fixing your chipped tooth. If the chip is extremely small, a dentist may simply smooth and polish the affected area. If your tooth enamel has been damaged and the chip is visible to the naked eye, your dentists may use a filling, dental crown, or cap to restore the look and function of your tooth. If you have severely compromised the tooth structure, you may need a root canal to remove the infected inner tooth pulp.

Follow-Up Care

Follow-up care for your chipped tooth is highly dependent on your dentist’s recommendations. If you have had a root canal or need a prosthetic device like a crown or bridge, your dentist will give you exact instructions on how to care for your restoration and ward off infection. Regardless of your treatment plan, it is essential to maintain proper oral hygiene after chipping a tooth.

Good dental care in Bel Air, MD , involves quitting bad habits that damage your teeth. Speak to your dentist and watch this video to learn why even smokeless tobacco can compromise your oral health.

If you smoke cigarettes, your dentist has probably already advised you that quitting now will substantially decrease your risk for oral cancer, gum disease, and tooth decay. However, a dental clinic also regularly cautions patients that chewing tobacco places you at just as high of a risk for developing oral cancer as do cigarettes and cigars. Dentists have also linked chewing tobacco to bad breath, tooth discoloration, cavities, and a decreased sense of taste and smell.

A dentist in Bel Air, MD, has many techniques for restoring your smile . If you are missing teeth or suffer from tooth decay, ask your dentist about restorative dentistry.

With dental restoration, a dentist can help you achieve a healthier and better looking smile. If you have lost teeth due to accidents or tooth decay, your dentist may suggest dental implants to restore your smile. Dental implants are tiny titanium screws that fuse with the jawbone to provide permanent anchors for a dental bridge or crowns. A dental clinic should also regularly perform root canal procedures. With root canals, your dentist removes inner tooth pulp that has become infected. As long as the infection is caught early, a root canal can help preserve the natural tooth. However, your dentist may also use crowns to strengthen the tooth. Dentists also offer dentures and partial dentures for individuals who have lost all or most of their teeth due to age or periodontal disease. Finally, if you have cavities, dentists use composite fillings to repair the affected teeth. All of these techniques ensure that you can have a full and healthy smile.

Teeth whitening is one of the most in-demand procedures for cosmetic dentistry in Bel Air, MD . Watch this video to learn more about how professional teeth whitening can help you achieve a beautiful smile.

Teeth whitening uses the latest technology in cosmetic dentistry to deliver a white smile in just one visit to a dentist. At-home teeth whitening kits contain only low levels of bleach. Dentists are able to use high-powered bleach, which means you can brighten your teeth by many shades after one pain-free procedure. The teeth can become dark or stained for many reasons, including smoking cigarettes, drinking coffee, taking certain medications, or having certain dental procedures. If you have always wanted a brighter smile, ask your dentist if professional teeth whitening may be right for you.

Modern cosmetic dentistry in Bel Air, MD , offers many solutions to help patients achieve the smiles of their dreams. A dentist who practices cosmetic dentistry focuses on improving the appearance of a patient’s mouth, teeth, and smile. These treatments are generally considered elective and are customized depending on an individual’s preferences, needs, and goals. Continue reading to learn more about new cosmetic dentistry trends, including teeth whitening, porcelain veneers, and dental implants.

Are you deciding between dentures and dental implants near Bel Air, MD ? You are not alone. Dentists report that almost 70% of American adults between 35 and 44 have at least one missing tooth, and the numbers only increase with age. Fortunately, cosmetic dentistry now offers many different options for restoring your smile, including dental implants and dentures. Continue reading to learn more.

Bone Health
The first step in deciding between dental implants and dentures involves asking your dentist to evaluate your jaw bone. When you schedule a consultation with your dental clinic, your dentist will determine whether you have enough healthy bone to support dental implants. When you lose teeth, the bone beneath naturally deteriorates, because it has no tooth to support. However, for dental implants to successfully adhere to the jaw, there must be sufficient healthy bone to support them.

Permanent Solution
Dental implants are ideal for individuals who want a permanent solution to missing teeth. Because they fuse directly with the jawbone, dental implants last a lifetime. Additionally, the bridge or dental crowns function just like normal teeth. However, some patients prefer the efficiency and ease of dentures. Dentures do not require surgery and can often be created in a single day, so you can leave your dentist with a full set of teeth. Additionally, dentures can be easily removed and require little at-home care.

Cosmetic Appearance
When you decide between dentures and dental implants, you may also want to consider how much importance you place on your smile’s cosmetic appearance. Both dentures and dental implants are much more natural looking today than ever before. However, dental implants and crowns offer an aesthetic advantage over dentures, because they look just like natural teeth. If having a full set of beautiful teeth is important to you, be sure to consider dental implants.

After losing a tooth, or multiple teeth, you may want to consider dental implants near Bel Air . Dental implants are used in place of a missing tooth, as an artificial root for a new crown or bridge to fill in any gaps in your smile. An implant is surgically placed by a dentist and attaches to the existing bone. For more information about the procedure, continue reading this article.

Considering Surgery
If you have a missing tooth, you may be wondering if you are a candidate for surgery. Dental implant recipients are generally in good overall health. Since dental implants are most successful when they are able to easily integrate with the jawbone, it is best when recipients have healthy gum tissue, free of periodontal disease.

Placing the Implant
The dental implant procedure actually consists of multiple surgeries. The first surgery is the procedure to insert the implant into the gum. A dentist will make an incision in the gum to expose the bone and correctly place the implant in the gum. At this time, the implant will begin to fuse together with the bone as the incision heals. This keeps the implant in place.

Placing the Abutment
Once healing is complete, usually after about six months, the dentist will make another incision to expose the implant. The dentist will inspect the implant to ensure proper healing and placement. At this time, the abutment will be attached to the top of the implant. This is the piece that will connect the implant to the crown or bridge. The second component of the procedure takes less time, and healing time is quicker as well. In some cases, a dentist or oral surgeon may opt to place the implant and abutment at the same time.

Caring for a Dental Implant
Once the gums have healed and the implant is in place, a crown or bridge will be placed. This completes the dental implant procedure. To care for a dental implant is no different than caring for the rest of your teeth. Regular brushing, flossing, and dental cleanings will keep your dental implant healthy.