Posts

Showing posts from June, 2021

How removable partial dentures can help you

Removable partial dentures usually involve replacement teeth attached to plastic bases, connected by metal framework. They attach to your natural teeth with metal clasps or precision attachments. Precision attachments generally look better than metal clasps and are nearly invisible. Crowns may be required on your natural teeth to improve the fit of a removable partial denture. When you first get a partial denture, it may feel awkward or bulky. But you will gradually get used to wearing it. It will also take a bit of practice to get used to inserting and removing the denture. It should fit into place easily and you should never force it. Your dentist may suggest that you wear your partial denture all the time at first. While it will be uncomfortable for a while, it will help you identify if any parts of the denture need adjustment. After making adjustments, your dentist will probably recommend that you take the denture out of your mouth before going to bed and replace it in the morning.

Making the most of your smile

Your smile is a major factor in the impression people get when they meet you. And the good news is that you now don’t have to settle for a smile spoiled by stained, chipped, or misshapen teeth. Advances in dental treatment mean there is a wide range of choices to help you get the smile that you want. Here are some of the options: – Tooth whitening (bleaching) can help brighten teeth that have become discolored or stained. It can be done in the dental office or with a system the dentist can give you to use at home – Bonding improves the appearance of teeth that have become chipped, broken, cracked or stained. This is done by bonding tooth-colored materials to the tooth surface – Enamel shaping involves modifying teeth to improve their appearance by removing or contouring enamel – Veneers are thin custom-made shells of tooth-colored materials designed to cover the front side of teeth. They are used to treat spaces between teeth and teeth that are chipped, stained or poorly shaped. – Brac

Root canal treatment

Root canal therapy is an important treatment that can save a tooth with a diseased nerve and which in the past would probably have needed to be removed. Inside each tooth is the ‘pulp’ which runs like a thread down through the root and provides nutrients and nerves to the tooth. It is the soft tissue that contains nerves, blood vessels and connective tissue. If the pulp is diseased or injured, the pulp tissue dies. The most common cause of pulp death is a cracked tooth or a deep cavity. Both of these problems can let bacteria enter the pulp. So, if you don’t remove it, your tooth gets infected and you could lose it. After the dentist – or endodontist (a dentist who specializes in problems of the pulp) – removes the pulp, the root canal is cleaned and sealed off to protect it. Then your dentist places a crown over the tooth to help make it stronger. Most of the time, a root canal is a relatively simple procedure involving one to three visits with little or no discomfort. Your restored t

How dentistry has developed over the last 300 years

When you visit a modern dental surgery, its hard to imagine the challenges of dental treatment without all the latest technology. Yet specialists have been taking care of peoples teeth for thousands of years. Here are some of the key developments over the last 300 years. 1723: French surgeon Pierre Fauchard – credited as being the father of modern dentistry – publishes the first book to describe a comprehensive system for the practice of dentistry. 1760: John Baker, the earliest medically-trained dentist to practice in America, immigrates from England and sets up practice. 1790: John Greenwood adapts his mothers foot treadle spinning wheel to rotate a drill. 1790: Josiah Flagg, a prominent American dentist, constructs the first chair made specifically for dental patients. 1832: James Snell invents the first reclining dental chair. 1841: Alabama enacts the first dental practice act, regulating dentistry in the United States. 1844: Horace Wells, a Connecticut dentist, discovers that nitr