The dental term for gapped front teeth is ‘diastema.’ Although, by today’s beauty standards, having a gap between front teeth is not seen as a desirable characteristic, it has given unique appeal to certain famous names. These include Lauren Hutton, Madonna, football/talk show host Michael Strahan, and country music star… Read More…
Root canal therapy can be required due to a number of reasons. A tooth’s nerve and pulp can become irritated due to deep decay, repeated dental procedures, large fillings, a crack or chip in the tooth, or clenching and grinding your teeth at night. A ‘root canal’ is the natural… Read More…
It’s not unusual to see a new patient who complains of having jaw pain, some for many years. The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is located in front of the ear on each side of your head, connecting the lower jaw to the skull. The jaw joint is one of the most… Read More…
Very few of us have teeth that are perfectly aligned. Various flaws in development can leave many people with crooked or overlapped teeth or jaws with abnormalities. Too, improperly designed crowns and fillings can also contribute to an uneven bite. Yet, bite misalignment is one of the main sources of… Read More…
A crown (referred to by some as a ‘cap’) is a tooth-shaped cover placed over a tooth that is broken, cracked, fractured, worn or decayed. Crowns are necessary to protect teeth that have fillings that make up too much of the tooth. A crown is also useful in saving a… Read More…
If you lose your hearing, you can regain some level through the use of hearing aids. However, nothing will ever work as well as the natural ear structure you once had. Even with the most expensive hearing aid options, adults often complain of echos and interferences of background noise. Like… Read More…
While the eyes are said to be the “window of the soul,” the mouth is credited for being the “window to the body.” And, rightly so. So much in our overall health originates in the mouth. While speech and the digestion process are commonly known to begin in the mouth,… Read More…
The other day, I used the term “restoration” to a patient. When she asked me to explain what I meant, I was slightly caught off guard. This is a long-time, college educated patient, and she likes to feel fully informed at all levels of her care, and rightly so. It… Read More…
With the start of the school year just around the corner, I’m reminded of how often an older patient with a mouthful of dental problems shares the same words of regrets. When I give them the diagnosis of how many teeth need crowns, replacement or realigment to prevent headaches or… Read More…
Bruxism (teeth grinding) can lead to worn teeth, pain in the jaw joints, headaches, and disrupt sleep that results in daytime fatigue. Bruxism is most often associated with bite misalignment, but researchers are finding that grinding one’s teeth during sleep can also be a symptom of sleep disordered breathing. Sleep… Read More…
