Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Cosmetics and Dental Pulp

Patients at Fresh Meadows Dental Care in Flushing should have smiles they can be proud of. We offer a variety of cosmetic care options, including whitening. But some dental stains are on the inside of the tooth, and those could require more intensive treatment.


Intrinsic stains are unlikely to be responsive to external bleaching and could indicate an oral health problem. A benign cause of intrinsic staining is that the tooth was exposed to tetracycline antibiotics or a large amount of fluoride during its formation, which could make it look black or brown. This can be masked with a veneer. But a more serious problem is if the pulp is infected or necrotized. The swelling or rot could be visible from the outside and make the tooth look black, red, or purple.


Tactile and heat tests, as well as x-rays, can help us to determine if a tooth is infected. If so, we may be able to salvage it by performing root canal therapy. Once the infected material has been removed, the inside of the tooth can be bleached. After about a week, the bleach would be removed and the tooth would be sealed over. In worse cases, it may be necessary to provide an artificial crown for the tooth, which would be selected to have an attractive color. But if you have an unusual tooth stain, don’t delay getting it checked out. You don’t want an infection to spread.


Farid Hakimzadeh, DDS, operates Fresh Meadows Dental Care at 58-47 Francis Lewis Blvd., Suite 100, Flushing, New York, 11364. To schedule an appointment, call 718-224-7272 or visit Fresh Meadows Dental and fill out a contact form.


 

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Mouthguards and Facial Safety

If you play organized sports, you’re probably required to wear a mouthguard. But even if you don’t there are still plenty of activities for which it’s a good idea to have one. We’ve treated a lot of people at Fresh Meadows Dental Care who have suffered emergencies and we’ve provided them with lasting restorations, but we’d rather our patients understand their preventive options.


If a mouthguard is fitted properly, it shouldn’t interfere with breathing or be overly cumbersome. Athletic wear stores and online retailers provide both generic mouthguards and boil-and-bite models. The latter are much preferable. They have the advantage of being easily modified as a person’s teeth shift position, which is especially important for people undergoing orthodontic therapy. (Invisalign aligners should not be used as mouthguards.) A person with braces may want their boil-and-bite mouthguard refitted under professional supervision.


A fixed mouthguard might be preferable if a person is done undergoing orthodontic therapy. Regardless, mouthguards and their containers need to be cleaned with each use. They should also be kept out of heat to avoid unwanted reshaping. Besides when playing sports, the American Dental Association also recommends that people wear mouthguards while cycling, skating, and doing gymnastics. If you need help caring for a mouthguard, we’ll be glad to give you some pointers.


Farid Hakimzadeh, DDS, operates Fresh Meadows Dental Care at 58-47 Francis Lewis Blvd., Suite 100, Flushing, New York, 11364. To schedule an appointment, call 718-224-7272 or visit Fresh Meadows Dental and fill out a contact form.


 

Thursday, May 9, 2019

Tooth Decay and Sensitivity

Are you looking forward to ice cream sandwiches this summer? If not, we hope it’s not because of sensitive teeth. We at Fresh Meadows Dental Care in Flushing want all our patients to be confident in their teeth’s structure. If you suffer from sensitivity, the likeliest cause is thin enamel.


The dentin that surrounds our dental pulp is made up of miniature tubes. When it comes into contact with something very cold or hot, it easily conducts heat to or from the nerve at the tooth’s center. Below the gum line, dentin is surrounded by cementum, which helps the tooth root adhere to the walls of the gum pocket. Enamel, a tougher substance made of calcium phosphate, forms the hard shell of the crown of the tooth and normally insulates dentin.


Although enamel is extremely hard, it dissolves when subjected to acid. There are two main sources of acid; one is excretion by oral bacteria that consume food debris, and the other is acid reflux. Regular brushing and flossing is essential to removing oral bacteria, while cutting back on acidic foods such as red meat and alcohol can reduce acid reflux. Patients may also consider sealants to further shield their enamel and extra-fluoridated toothpaste to reinforce it. Once enamel has been lost, it will have to be replaced synthetically, but it may still be possible to strengthen enamel that has lost minerals. Tooth roots, which have no enamel to begin with, may need to be protected by a gum graft if gum tissue has receded from around them.


Farid Hakimzadeh, DDS, operates Fresh Meadows Dental Care at 58-47 Francis Lewis Blvd., Suite 100, Flushing, New York, 11364. To schedule an appointment, call 718-224-7272 or visit Fresh Meadows Dental and fill out a contact form.