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From the category archives: Blog
general dentistry
Your mouth is filled with functional teeth and gums that serve a significant purpose in function and aesthetics. Each tooth, whether incisors, canines, or wisdom, is unique and serves its own intention for reason for growth throughout a person’s lifetime. Each tooth grows during certain ages and some may need to be removed to help maintain a healthy smile. As such, it is very important to care for your teeth on a daily basis to ensure a sustained healthy oral environment. A dentist in Nashville, TN can assist you in making sure this important step is executed to your best benefit, along with making healthy lifestyle choices.
What Are Wisdom Teeth?
Wisdom teeth are also known as an additional (third) set of molars that typically erupt through your gums between the ages of 17 and 21. They are found in the back of your mouth and are usually the last set of teeth to emerge. These teeth were once necessary in the earlier years of human existence, but as time has progressed on, and the hum ...
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Do you grind your or clench your teeth during the day or even at night? You may not realize it, but you may be experiencing an issue called bruxism. Signs and symptoms of bruxism can include:
Chipped or cracked teeth
Facial pain
Locking of the jaw
A popping or clicking in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ)
Tongue indentations
If left unattended, bruxism can lead to temporomandibular joint disorder, also known as TMD. Symptoms of can include pain or swelling in your face or neck area, trouble chewing, or feel discomfort in your jaw area when eating. This disorder is most common among people between the ages of 20 and 40. Additional symptoms of TMD can include: jaw popping and stiffness, migraines, misaligned teeth, eye pain, and ear aches. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, be sure to visit a dentist in Nashville, TN to get evaluated for a specific treatment plan to address this issue.
Treatment Options for Bruxism and TMD
A dentist in Nashville, TN can of ...
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People often delay getting their wisdom teeth extracted until problems develop. However, most of the main problems can be avoided if they’re extracted when a patient is still in their teens or early 20s. Many doctors offer wisdom tooth removal in Nashville, TN, and if you still have yours, then you should schedule an appointment to remove them as soon as possible before significant, hard to repair, problems develop!
Infections
Wisdom teeth often do not erupt out of your gumline properly. They become impacted into your neighboring teeth, damaging next door teeth, and in a way that’s hard to properly clean. Impacted teeth open the door to possible infections. Without prompt treatment, impactions can lead to tumors and cysts, which requires various intensive surgeries to correct.
Shifting of Teeth
To fit wisdom teeth into the jaw line, most people’s teeth will be shifted out of their normal positions to make room. Someone who had orthodontic corrections as children can ...
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Have you ever experienced pain or swelling in your face or neck area? Do you have trouble chewing or feel discomfort in your jaw area when eating? These are just a few symptoms of temporomandibular joint disorder. Also known as TMJ, this disorder is most common among people between the ages of 20 and 40. While the specific cause of TMJ is unknown, some reasons may include jaw injury, teeth grinding or clinching, or joint arthritis. Additional symptoms of TMJ can include: jaw popping and stiffness, migraines, misaligned teeth, eye pain, and ear aches. A dentist in Nashville, TN may suggest different treatment options for you to help mediate and relieve the pain caused by TMJ and any other associated symptoms.
What is the Temporomandibular (TMJ) Joint?
The TMJ links your jaw to your skull. It gives your jaw the range of motion to speak, chew food, laugh and allows your jaw to move up and down and side to side. This joint is more complicated than other joints in the body due to its juncture a ...
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Your temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, is responsible for opening and closing your mouth. It is a vital joint, yet due to a number of reasons, it can become damaged over time. If you have an irregular bite or sustain facial trauma, it is possible for the joint to stop functioning properly. It is vital to see a dentist in Nashville, TN as soon as you discover issues in your jaw.
TMJ Symptoms
Among the most common indicators of damages is jaw discomfort. This pain might even emit to the neck as well as shoulders. This discomfort will certainly end up being more pronounced any time you yawn, chew, or talk. Some patients report experiencing muscle spasms when they have stagnated their jaw in a while. One more symptom consists of tinnitus, which is persistent buzzing in the ears.
A lot of people report listening to clicking, popping, or grating noises whenever they relocate their joints. This indicates the disc is in an abnormal position. The noises might not necessarily create discomfor ...
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Have you experienced a cavity? If so, you may have gotten it treated with a metal or amalgam-based filling to seal any openings in the tooth enamel and prevent any additional exposure to bacteria or increased tooth decay. Historically, your dentist in Nashville, TN has used this type of filling to address cavities, however, metal or amalgam materials are often associated with known problems.
The Issues With Metal Fillings
Although amalgam fillings have been commonly used, they may not be the most ideal choice for cavity treatment and do not come without their own flaws. These can include issues with proper fit, placing pressure on the natural tooth, and causing allergic reactions or negative side effects for those with metal allergies. These factors have led to the availability of alternative filling materials, such as composite fillings.
Composite Fillings
Composite fillings are colored to closely match the color of the natural tooth. The composite material securely bonds ...
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So, you are missing a few teeth? No big deal, right? Do not fool yourself! There are plenty of issues that come with missing teeth in Nashville, TN. You lose the confidence in your smile, you can’t chew the foods you use to enjoy, and so much more. Beyond these though, there are also adverse health effects to missing teeth.
What Happens When We Are Missing Teeth?
From gum disease to infection, there are several reasons why you should consider replacement of your missing teeth!
In many cases, the gums where the tooth used to be will get infected which will cause inflammation. This is known as gingivitis, commonly referred to as gum disease. Gingivitis can cause your gums to bleed when you floss, changes in your bite line, pain when chewing, pus to form between the gums and teeth, and other symptoms. This, of course, makes day-to-day life more difficult as the pain from chewing causes great amounts of anxiety about eating and can cause other teeth to loosen or fall out.
Another p ...
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Many doctors recommends people in Nashville, TN get their wisdom teeth removed when they are still fairly young! When people receive this tooth extraction when they are in their teens or 20s, there is a reduced likelihood of experiencing complications as a result from the surgery. Waiting even a few years can increase your odds of having the following health problems.
1. Damage to the Adjacent Teeth
Four teeth will try to erupt if you do not get them removed. In a vast majority of cases, there is not enough room in the patient’s mouth for the teeth to grow. As a result, they will rub against the adjacent teeth. This leads to further damage, and your other teeth may become misaligned and required treatment down the line.
2. Pericoronitis
This is a medical condition where the soft tissue in the mouth becomes inflamed. The symptoms of this condition include a slight fever, discomfort and extreme pain. When this occurs, the only way to find relief from the pain is to get rid of the ...
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Have you been experiencing swelling, pain, discomfort, or irritation around your gums or teeth? If these symptoms are present specifically around your wisdom teeth, they may need to be removed, and could be a sign of infection. Wisdom teeth are often the last teeth to erupt, typically during the teenage years, and rarely have enough room to grow in properly. Due to this and the upward curvature of the jawbone, they often grow sideways—pushing against healthy teeth—and sometimes failing to erupt fully through the gums. This leads to swelling, infection, pain, misalignment, and sometimes cysts and tumors. Ultimately, these late-erupting teeth can cause a great deal of difficulty and yet you don’t need them to eat or speak normally. Here are three reasons why wisdom teeth removal is beneficial:
Wisdom teeth can cause decay and infection. Wisdom teeth that have partially erupted through the gums can easily trap bacteria. If normal brushing and flossing can’t reach these ...
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Laser Gum Surgery has major health benefits because it improves your oral health by removing bacteria within your mouth that can be detrimental to your oral health. Also, because of the fact that your oral health is connected to your overall health when you have laser gum surgery and improve your oral health you are also improving your overall health. Let’s explore exactly what laser gum surgery is and how it positively impacts your oral and overall health by precisely removing damaged gum tissue.
What Is Laser Gum Surgery?
What exactly is laser gum surgery you might ask? Well it involves using a dental laser to precisely remove any damaged gum tissue and clear away harmful bacteria that is associated with advanced gum disease. Also, there are quite a few different advantages of that laser surgery has when compared to traditional forms of gum surgery. To learn more about these advantages please review the bullet points below:
Medical lasers are precise, so only the ...
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