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.

Are you considering visiting your dentist in Bel Air, MD for dentures ? As one of the most common techniques in cosmetic dentistry, dentists have relied on dentures to restore missing teeth for decades.

When you visit your dentist for dentures, you can expect to completely restore your smile. If you are missing many teeth, you may feel understandably insecure. Missing teeth can make it difficult or even impossible to properly speak or eat. Additionally, having a full set of teeth is essential to your oral health and good dental care. With dentures, you can preserve existing healthy jawbone and maintain your face shape and structure. When you visit your dentist, he or she will first determine if you need complete dentures or partial dentures. Complete dentures are for patients who are missing all of their natural teeth. Conversely, a partial denture fills in spaces where multiple teeth are missing. Your dentist will also determine if you can have your dentures created right away or if you need to have your few remaining teeth pulled. In that case, your gums will need to heal before you can wear your new dentures.

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.

After you visit your dentist in Bel Air, MD for Invisalign it is important to follow his or her instructions so you get the best results possible. Invisalign has helped millions of teens and adults achieve the smiles of their dreams. With Invisalign, you and your dentist can correct almost any alignment issues, including gapped, overlapping, overcrowded, and widely spaced teeth. Continue reading to learn about Invisalign care, including proper brushing, simple cleaning, and essential check-ups.

Proper Brushing

The best way to take care of your teeth when you wear Invisalign is by brushing and flossing regularly. As your dentist will tell you, maintaining superior oral health is key to the success of your Invisalign treatment. Simply remove your clear plastic aligners and brush and floss as you normally would. Good dental care mandates brushing teeth twice per day with fluoride toothpaste. You should also floss before bed with an ADA-approved dental floss.

Simple Cleaning

Dental care for your Invisalign aligners is simple. You can brush and rinse your clear plastic aligners in lukewarm water. You can also invest in an Invisalign professional cleaning kit for the best possible results. The Invisalign cleaning system uses special cleaning crystals to ensure that all plaque is eliminated from your aligners. If this sticky bacterial film is allowed to accumulate, it can cause gum disease and tooth decay. With the cleaning system, you simply soak aligners for fifteen minutes before popping them back in.

Essential Check-Ups

Invisalign care also involves visiting your dentists for regular check-ups. Only dentists have the professional tools necessary to completely eliminate plaque and tartar from your teeth and gums. Before your teeth have been straightened with Invisalign, it can be difficult to reach spots where teeth overlap using just your toothbrush. Your dentist will ensure that you maintain good oral hygiene and that your Invisalign treatment is progressing properly. You should schedule teeth cleanings twice per year and also make sure to visit your dentist every two weeks to pick up a new set of aligners.

If you feel insecure about your smile , your dentist in Bel Air, MD, may have suggested Lumineers. Lumineers are porcelain veneers that are designed to treat a wide range of problems in cosmetic dentistry. With Lumineers, your dentist can help you achieve whiter and perfectly aligned teeth. If you want to achieve the smile of your dreams, talk to your dentist about porcelain veneers. Keep reading to answer some frequently asked questions about how Lumineers work.

What Are Lumineers?

Lumineers are tooth-colored sheaths that fit completely over the fronts of teeth. These veneers are crafted from thin porcelain that can be matched exactly to surrounding teeth. Unlike traditional veneers, which can be thick and require a dentist to remove surrounding tooth structure, Lumineers are digitally designed to be ultra-thin. Lumineers have about the thickness of average contact lenses, so they can be placed precisely over teeth and blend in seamlessly with your smile.

What Kinds of Problems Do Lumineers Correct?

Dentists use Lumineers to correct many cosmetic problems. Lumineers can completely cover a chipped or cracked tooth. Because Lumineers can be crafted from any color, they can also mask even the darkest tooth discolorations. If your teeth are dark or yellow due to age, medications, smoking cigarettes, or years of drinking coffee and wine, Lumineers are the best way to achieve a whiter smile. While teeth whitening is also successful for many people, even teeth whitening cannot correct deep, internal stains as Lumineers can. These porcelain veneers mask any imperfections, which means they can also correct misaligned, gapped, or overlapping teeth.

How Does the Lumineers Procedure Work?

If you decide to invest in Lumineers, your dentist will first meet with you to discuss your treatment plan. You can decide to achieve a whiter, better aligned smile with just one Lumineer or with a full set of Lumineers that covers all your teeth. During your first visit, your dentist will create a customized mold of your teeth. After that, your porcelain veneers are custom-made in a laboratory. Dentists can place a complete set of Lumineers in just one quick and painless visit.

When it comes to cosmetic dentistry, teeth whitening in Bel Air, MD , is one of the most popular procedures. Today, professional teeth whitening can lighten your smile by several shades in just one visit to the dentist. Teeth whitening is also completely painless—and more affordable than ever. If you want to improve your oral health and cosmetic appearance, ask your dentist about your teeth whitening options. Keep reading to learn why a whiter smile is so important, including that it improves oral health, boosts self-esteem, and creates a younger appearance.

Improves Oral Health

Most people know that teeth whitening makes you look and feel better. But in addition to its cosmetic dentistry benefits, a white smile also improves your oral health. Whiter teeth deliver a smile that looks happy and healthy. When you invest in teeth whitening, you will feel motivated to take the best care of your smile, including brushing and flossing regularly.

Boosts Self-Esteem

Teeth whitening has given millions of people an essential boost in self-esteem. The teeth can become dark or yellow for many reasons, including as a natural side effect of aging, due to many dental procedures, or as a result of bad habits like smoking cigarettes or drinking coffee. When you whiten your teeth, you no longer need to feel insecure when you laugh, smile, or eat. That means you can enjoy a much more active social life. Whiter teeth can also help you excel at work. With your new confidence, you will feel more comfortable than ever meeting with clients—or asking your boss for a raise.

Creates Younger Appearance

Many people invest in teeth whitening because it is one of the quickest and most affordable ways to look and feel younger. As dentists know, everyone’s teeth are perfectly white and shiny when they are born. Yet, over time, everyone’s teeth also become darker. Instead of letting your smile make you look older than you feel, ask your dentist about your options for teeth whitening. With healthy gums and a bright smile, you are guaranteed to take years off your appearance.

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.

If you have reported bad breath symptoms to your dentist in Bel Air, MD , you most likely have no cause for concern. However, it is important to practice good dental care habits, as bad breath may be caused by poor oral hygiene.

To ward off bad breath, dentists suggest brushing twice per day and flossing every night. In addition to regular teeth cleanings at your dental clinic, good dental care at home is essential to keeping your whole mouth healthy. However, bad breath also has more serious causes. For example, bad breath can be caused by a dental abscess, gum disease, or tooth decay. It is important to tell your dentist about bad breath.