Category: Blog

Are you of the opinion that dentures are designed exclusively for the elderly? You are sadly mistaken because dentures or more prevalent than you imagine. Studies reveal approximately 20 million over 40 wear complete or partial dentures. Furthermore, it is expected that over 38 million people will have dentures in their mouths by 2023.

Fortunately, tooth loss overnight and dentures may not be your only option because you can also consider alternatives. For example, if you practice good oral hygiene habits and visit the dentist nearby for regular checkups, you may never need dentures. However, there are indications of needing dentures for your dental health. In such cases, you must decide to get them if other options are beyond your scope of finances or if you think you need more time to be ready for them.

Situations Compelling You to Consider Dentures

You Neglect Six Monthly Dental Visits

Visiting the dentist near you for six monthly exams and cleanings is crucial to keep tooth decay and gum disease in check. In addition, visits to the dentist help identify problems like cavities and periodontal disease early to provide essential treatment. However, if you allow the infections to expand may have confront tooth extraction, making the need for dentures necessary.

Gaps between Your Teeth Are Causing Them to Loosen

Loose teeth are often a sign of advanced periodontal disease. In such cases, you may need extensive periodontal disease treatment failing which the teeth might be extracted.

Chronic Toothaches

Excruciating tooth pain indicates a visit to your dentist is crucial because it is a surefire sign of decay spreading deep in your tooth and attacking the dental pulp. Tooth decay detected early is comfortably treated with dental fillings, but extensive decay makes tooth removal inevitable, needing replacement options that dentures to cover the edentulous gap.

Swollen and Red Gums

Swollen and red gums indicate you have early-stage gingivitis better treated as soon as possible by the dentist nearby because periodontal disease is responsible for 70 percent of tooth loss among adults. If you receive treatment early, gum disease is reversible. However, if you delay getting treatment for neglect, tooth extraction becomes inevitable because your teeth loosen from the lack of support from your jawbone. The lack of a tooth or two makes you rush to dentures in Crestwood, IL, seeking replacements for your extracted teeth.

Tooth loss from Injuries or Accidents

If you have lost two or three teeth because of impacts on your mouth or accidents, you find it beneficial to replace them using partial dentures from the Crestwood provider. The replacement teeth prevent additional pressure on your remaining teeth while reducing the risk of losing more teeth from the extra wear and tear your remaining teeth confront.

Dental Damage Compels You to Hide Your Smile

Many people have severely damaged teeth that are beyond preservation. If you are one among the many and receive a suggestion from your dentist to get the tooth removed, you can consider dentures a reliable option to replace the missing teeth. In addition, dentures allow you to stop hiding your smile by showing off your natural and replacement teeth to everyone without anyone distinguishing between them.

Treatment Indigestion

If you don’t have sufficient teeth, you will likely swallow large chunks of food to become a victim of indigestion. You can blame the cause of indigestion on the large chunks of food, but your missing teeth compel you to swallow because big pieces of food without realizing they are challenging for your digestive system. Instead of becoming vulnerable to health problems because of missing teeth, you must consider getting dentures near you to restore the ability to have your favorite foods without swallowing them before chewing.

Whether you have missing teeth or must have your teeth extracted due to extractions, replacement solutions are available to close the gap between your teeth. You may have to wait for some time for your gums to heal after tooth removal or loss. However, it would help if you remained determined to close the edentulous gaps as soon as possible to prevent a host of complications in your mouth and your digestive system that make you vulnerable to numerous dental and health problems.

If you have missing teeth or must have some teeth extracted, Family Dental Care — Crestwood provides prosthetics to replace them with partial or complete dentures. Consult them today to replace your missing teeth as soon as possible to prevent unnecessary complications affecting your dental and overall health.

Dental emergencies can leave worried about locating a dentist when none may be available because they often make an appearance when least expected. In addition, dental emergencies are mysterious because you will find it challenging to determine whether you have a genuine dental situation needing help from the emergency dentist near you or you can wait until you can contact your regular dentist for an urgent care appointment.

Most dental emergencies, except for knocked-out teeth and a dental abscess, can wait until you can see your regular dentist for attention. However, you must learn how to distinguish between a genuine dental emergency and a situation where you can consider receiving treatment during the day during regular business hours.

This article will discuss dental situations that need prompt treatment and problems that can wait for at least a day until you can see the dentist 60617 by scheduling an urgent care appointment.

Dental Situations That Are Simple Emergencies but Aren’t

• Chipped and Cracked Teeth: Chipping and cracking teeth can occur when biting complex foods, using teeth to open packages, problems like bruxism causing you to grind and clench your teeth, and during childbirth. While the damaged teeth need attention from the dentist, you don’t have to rush to an emergency dentist for attention. Chipped or cracked teeth are best restored at the earliest from your dentist to ensure your mouth bacteria don’t penetrate them to create infections. However, you can wait until the daytime to receive the treatment when your regular dentist can quickly restore the tooth with tooth-colored fillings, making them appear new.
• Toothaches: if you develop a toothache soon after dinner, it is not a reason to start researching for emergency dentists in your location. Instead, you must realize the pain can emanate from food particles trapped between your teeth, easily removable by brushing and flossing. However, if you have an excruciating toothache with temperature sensitivity, fever, and chills, it is a reason to seek help from the emergency dentist nearby because it might indicate a severe infection in your tooth and suggest appropriate treatment for the pain. Dentists diagnose the cause of the discomfort by taking x-rays to detect conditions and, if noticed, provide antibiotics and painkillers to help manage the discomfort and suggest seeking help from your regular dentist to receive a root canal.
• Bleeding Gums: Bleeding gums often indicate the presence of advanced periodontal disease that results in bleeding after brushing or flossing. Periodontal disease loosens your teeth because they lose support from the jawbone and eventually become vulnerable to falling out. Therefore, receiving immediate treatment for advanced dental disease is crucial to control the bleeding and receive the treatment needed to prevent the condition’s progress.
• Knocked-out Teeth: If you have a knockout tooth in your hand instead of your mouth is a genuine emergency that needs prompt attention from an emergency dentist or any other dental professional within 30 minutes. Your best chance of saving your natural tooth is to reach the dentist’s office within the mentioned timespan to have the tooth splinted to the neighboring teeth. When confronting a situation with a knocked-out tooth, you must aim to reach the dentist’s office with the tooth in your possession kept in a moist condition for best results. Failure to contact the dentist office near you for immediate placement of the tooth in your hand in its socket results in needing replacement solutions for it at high prices.
• Dental Abscess: Dental abscesses occur near your tooth roots as an infection causing excruciating pain and often result from untreated gum disease or damage to a tooth without treatment, making it vulnerable to infections. Dental abscesses are life-threatening, making an emergency treatment from a dentist essential because you may require minor surgery to drain the infection besides antibiotics to deal with excess bacteria left over in your mouth from the condition.

Besides the above, you may also confront situations like broken fillings, crowns, or other restorations. Although they need attention from your dentist without delay, they are not dental emergencies and can wait until you can schedule an urgent care appointment to receive essential treatment for the condition that affects your teeth. However, genuine dental emergencies can result in the loss of teeth or threaten your life to make most dental situations harmless besides causing unnecessary stress because they result from the lack of knowledge or dental neglect.

Dental situations, whether emergencies or not, need attention from dentists. While most dental emergencies are not life-threatening, it helps if you receive attention for the problem you confront from Family Dental Care — Chicago, welcoming patients and treating them on arrival at their practice. Therefore, if facing a dental situation without knowledge about whether it is an emergency, kindly contact this facility for information and receive an appointment to see them at the earliest for treatment.

Cracked or broken dental fillings are never a pleasant experience. When fillings break or pop out, they are not considered a dental emergency. However, it is crucial that you receive treatment for the affected as soon as possible because the decay beneath the filling can spread and worsen, resulting in infections. Unfortunately, if you are in severe pain in the affected tooth, you may have a dental emergency needing treatment immediately from the emergency dentist near you.

Dental problems or damaged teeth that remain unresolved adversely impact your overall oral health, making it essential to seek treatment as soon as possible before the condition aggravates into an emergency. Experienced dentists can help alleviate the pain and discomfort from a cracked or loose filling at their office when you visit them.

This article looks at cracked and loose fillings giving you information on why you must seek an urgent care appointment with a dentist near you for the condition and why. Kindly continue reading for more details.

Dental Emergencies Defined

Generally, dental emergencies are situations involving facial bone trauma, uncontrolled bleeding, knocked-out teeth, et cetera. Urgent dental care is needed urgently. The following are some familiar dental emergencies. They are an abscessed tooth, fractured jaw lines or gum line injury, partially or fully dislodged tooth, and lost or broken fillings.

What Are Dental Fillings?

Dental fillings help restore tooth structure lost due to decay. For example, when treating cavities, the dentist in Calumet city removes the decayed portion of the affected tooth before cleaning and disinfecting it and prepares to fill the area with the appropriate dental filling material. Fillings also help repair broken and cracked teeth or even teeth affected by enamel erosion because of bruxism.

Currently, various filling materials help replace lost tooth structures from decay. Depending on the severity of the pollution and the tooth’s location, the dentist might recommend filling the teeth with gold or silver amalgam or tooth-colored composite resin fillings. After the dentist removes the decayed area and cleans the tooth, they place the dental filler. Tooth-colored fillings need multi-layering and trimming of excess material besides polishing of the final restoration by the dentist.

Is a Broken Tooth Filling a Dental Emergency?

Dental fillers are durable and expected to remain in your teeth for nearly a decade. However, they can crack or fall out from the wear and tear they endure from eating, chewing, drinking, grinding, or clenching your teeth. These activities can result in a broken filling, making it essential to seek treatment for the problem as soon as possible. Getting treatment early helps prevent the onset of a dental emergency requiring intensive treatments like root canals and tooth extractions, besides getting replacement teeth at considerable expenditure. Generally, it would help if you had prompt treatment for the broken filling to alleviate bleeding and severe pain and save your tooth. However, it isn’t a dental emergency, although it requires treatment urgently.

Whether you confront the challenges mentioned above or not from the broken tooth filling, it is crucial to schedule an appointment with a dental professional at the earliest to ensure you preserve the integrity of your tooth and its presence in your mouth as best as possible. The reason for getting prompt treatment is because the bacteria that decayed your tooth can penetrate the gap left by the cracked or broken filling resulting in further deterioration in the tooth if not treated soon.

You can consider fixing the broken filling using DIY methods, but you will not succeed. However, you can adopt a few steps at home to minimize pain and discomfort while waiting for your urgent care appointment to fix your tooth. For example, you can consider taking OTC painkillers, using saltwater rinses and cold compresses to alleviate pain and swelling, and searching for a temporary dental filler available in drugstores in your location.

The Calumet city dentist sets aside time from their hectic schedules to attend to patients arriving with dental situations resulting in broken or cracked fillings. Even if you find their office closed, you can listen to the instructions on the answering phone to determine what you must do while waiting for urgent care. If you have a dental situation with a cracked tooth filling, contact the office of the Calumet city dentist for instructions without considering your problem as an emergency because it merely needs urgent care.

Family Dental Care — Calumet City welcome many patients with cracked or broken fillings, treating them upon arrival because they set time aside for urgent care appointments. Kindly visit them if you have a similar concern to get your tooth restored immediately upon arrival.

Many people are interested in improving their smiles, so is a smile makeover procedure, but how long does it last? It’s a question that many individuals are asking, and it can be challenging to answer. Usually, smile makeovers are designed to be long-lasting and effective. However, the time for your results depends on the type of dental treatment you receive and how you maintain proper oral hygiene habits. For one thing, the kind of dental treatment one goes for will impact their results.

However, the cost of these dental treatments varies depending on where they are done and who is performing them, so plenty of research is needed before making any decisions about what might look suitable for any individual’s teeth. This guide helps you know how long a smile may cover last and how you can’t keep it beautiful and bright.

What’s a Smile Makeover?

Aesthetic this memory covers are becoming increasingly popular with other patients who want an instant boost in confidence after years of being unsatisfied with their current smile due to dental problems. It might seem like a quick aesthetic solution, but there is more of an investment in their oral health. It’s a combination of oral cosmetic treatments to enhance one smile.

It involves many aspects of gums, lips, and teeth. It also involves changes to the alignment of the natural teeth and aesthetic appearance using the cosmetic dental treatment and enhancing gum health by recontouring the surrounding tissues.

You’ll need an initial consultation appointment with your dentist at Family Denta Care in Oak Lawn to create a personalized treatment plan based on the most beneficial towards achieving optimal dental health. A cosmetic dentist addresses your cosmetic concerns and works with you to create a beautiful and unattractive smile that makes you look more confident, younger, and attractive.

There is a wide range of dental treatments, including teeth whitening, or the dentist, such as clear aligners and braces, porcelain veneers, gum reduction, cosmetic tooth bonding, dental crown bridges, and dental implants.

A smile makeover near you is beneficial because it gives your teeth a more natural and even appearance through aesthetic cosmetic dentistry procedures. Moreover, the duration of this procedure varies depending on what kind of oral surgery you choose and how long it takes an individual’s body to heal naturally.

How Long Does a Smile Makeover Last? 

Although there is no specific timeline for when smile makeover treatment lasts, your aesthetic dentists at 60453 will inform you of the approximate time frame for the restorative procedures. Many factors affect the lifespan of smile makeovers, including how well one takes care of them and what type of teeth one has.

By keeping the teeth healthy, you avoid gum disease and tooth decay, which undermines the results of your smile makeover. For optimal health, floss and brush regularly to keep plaque away.

Well, it’s essential to maintain dental hygiene; other factors affect your oral health. Consuming staining and acidic foods put one at a greater risk of tooth decay while consuming sugary foods increases the amount of plaque build-up in the mouth.

Following dental treatments, you must follow particular care instructions. Ensure to carefully follow them, as this includes a follow-up schedule to our dental offices in Oak Lawn, IL, which differs from your regular visits. After the follow-ups are done, you can enjoy your dream smile but for the best results, ensure you keep all follow-up dental visits on time.

Dental Veneers

Their longevity is determined by the type of material used and how carefully you maintain them. Dental veneers made of ceramic materials last for a decade when properly maintained, and composite veneers last five or more years.

Teeth Whitening

Teeth whitening provides lasting effects for one to three years if excellent oral hygiene is practiced.

Orthodontics

Be able to keep their orthodontic results for a long time. For maintenance, you must use a retainer as the dentist directs. If not worn regularly, the results can change back within several years.

Dental Bridge and Crowns

A permanent bridge and crown last up to 10 years, but they sometimes need replacement before this.

Dental Implants

These are the most long-lasting and durable dentistry procedures. The dental implants last up to 15 years or more if properly cared for. Implants have a high success rate and rarely fail. However, implant failure can occur. And if this happens, the dental implant must be replaced.

Maxillofacial surgery involves operations done by a highly-trained oral surgeon to treat defects, diseases, and injuries sustained on the jaw, face, or mouth.

When is Maxillofacial Surgery Required?

Jaw surgery is usually recommended when you have a condition severely impeding your jaw’s function. Below is an in-depth look at jaw problems that may need surgery as a form of treatment.

• Improper Bite Because of Bone Structure

If you visit your dentist’s office because of improper bite or malocclusion, the first line of treatments they are likely to recommend are braces, retainer, or tooth extraction. However, jaw surgery becomes the better option in cases of severe teeth misalignment or where the cause of malocclusion is abnormal jaw bone structure. This surgery can fix bite problems like open bites, crossbites, underbites, and overbites.

• Facial Trauma or Injury

Car accidents, sports injuries, and other traumatic events may result in facial trauma causing damage to your teeth, gums, and jaw. In cases where the trauma is severe, one may break their jaw bone, needing surgery to restore the symmetrical shape of the face and functionality of the jaw.

• Asymmetrical, Protruding, or Receding Jawline

A protruding or receding jawline will likely affect the alignment of your lower and upper jaws. Some conditions associated with asymmetrical jawline include mandibular hyperplasia, maxillary hyperplasia, maxillary hypoplasia, and mandibular hypoplasia. More so, some developmental syndromes can cause overgrowth in some jaw areas or inhibit standard growth on one side of your jaw.

All such conditions will need jaw surgery or recontouring to be corrected. An asymmetrical, protruding, or receding jawline can be apparent from a young age, but one must wait till they get to adulthood for them to have orthognathic surgery. The waiting period is necessary so as to allow the jaw to develop fully. Before surgery becomes viable, kids can wear headgear, retainers, or braces to improve their condition.

• Chronic Pain in Your Jaw

The TMJ, or temporomandibular joint, is a hinge connecting your lower and upper jaws. If you place your index finger in front of the ear and open your mouth, you can feel the joint move. This movement that you are supposed to feel is supposed to be smooth and uninterrupted, but at times there can be occasional popping which is normal. However, any feeling of pain when opening your mouth or experiencing a jaw lock when your mouth is wide open is a sign of TMD (temporomandibular joint disorder).

At Family Dental Care – Munster, our dentist will first recommend non-invasive options before suggesting jaw surgery. In less severe cases, TMD disorders can be treated with orthodontic appliances like a retainer or a mouth guard. Surgery becomes necessary in severe conditions to eliminate pain and restore normal jaw function.

• Jaw Cysts and Tumors

Your jaw and oral cavity are made up of various tissue types like the mucosa, glands, bone, and muscle. These tissues make a face more prone to cysts and tumors than other body parts, and the chances are much higher if you drink alcohol or smoke.

When abnormal growths develop around the jaw or on the inside, health experts will recommend having them removed surgically to prevent deformities, malocclusions, or other issues. Sometimes you may also be required to undergo radiation and chemotherapy if the cysts or tumors are deemed cancerous.

The Complications and Risks of Jaw Surgery

Jaw surgery, just like other medical procedures, has its complications and risks. Common complications that can occur include post-op pain, bleeding, swelling, and infection.

The risks associated with jaw surgeries include:

• Nerve injury
• TMJ disorder
• Excessive bleeding
• Tooth loss
• Dry socket
• Facial numbness
• Nasal deviation
• Relapse
• Recurring pain sensations

If you are experiencing jaw issues that bring you constant pain or make it difficult for you to eat and speak, set up a consultation appointment with our dentist in 46321. During your consultation, the medical practitioner will:

• Evaluate your symptoms
• Review your past medical history
• Ask about any current medications you have been on
• Conduct a full maxillofacial area examination
• Perform diagnostic imaging

The treatment options will be discussed once the full diagnosis is done and will depend on the patient’s age and state of health. If you have a severe jaw issue that needs surgery, visit our facility for a maxillofacial surgery near you.

Veneers are a restorative dental treatment that can correct multiple dental issues such as broken teeth and stained, cracked, and discolored teeth. If you notice that your veneers contribute to dental problems such as halitosis or bad breath, visit our dentist near you. Bad breath can affect one’s social life and self-esteem. Frankly, no one wants to talk closely to someone whose mouth is always smelly. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t get porcelain veneers. With proper oral hygiene and regular dental visits, you can avoid halitosis. At Family Dental Care-Evergreen Park, we offer dental veneers as a cosmetic procedure for tooth whitening and minor teeth alignment issues.

Do Veneers Make Your Breath Smell?

A common complaint among patients is that my dental veneers look beautiful but have a terrible smell. This is a severe dental issue that will require immediate dental care. Several causes of this could lead to you getting new veneers. They include:

Inadequate Oral hygiene Practices

Poor oral hygiene will make your veneers smell just like your natural teeth. It can lead to bad sour breath and taste inside your mouth. Our dentist at 60805 recommends brushing your teeth twice daily and flossing regularly. Having trapped food particles between your teeth can create a breeding ground for bacteria. This same bacterium can cause bad breath. Oral bacteria emit bad breath by exhaling sulfur. If possible, floss and brush after every meal to remove remnants of food particles from your mouth. This will leave your mouth feeling and smelling fresh.

Gum Disease

Oral bacteria can accumulate around the edges of your porcelain veneer and produce a sour smell. Worse than that, oral bacteria also cause gum diseases which can be gingivitis or periodontitis on the gums next to your veneers. Additionally, aggressive placement of dental veneers can increase the risk of gum disease. Once the infection has set in and not addressed, it can spread to the rest of your gums. Gum disease symptoms include bleeding, red and swollen gums, loose teeth, sensitivity, and bad breath.

Poorly Fitted Dental Veneers

You are correctly taking care of your dental veneers, but what could be the cause of the foul smell in your mouth? Dental veneers are supposed to fit snugly on your teeth without gaps, ledges, or imperfections. Unfortunately, veneers don’t fit around your teeth that well. This leads to oral bacteria being trapped on the veneer, causing bad breath.

Tooth Decay

The integrity of your dental veneers sorely depends on the health of the underlying teeth. Veneers only cover the front surface of your tooth, leaving the rear parts and roots. This makes decay hard to spot on teeth under porcelain veneers. Get checked quickly if you have a foul smell emitting from your mouth. It could be a sign of decay. Additionally, the more you wait, the higher risk of needing a root canal or tooth extraction on the veneered tooth.

Fixing Dental Veneers from Bad Breath

The good news is that the above issues are preventable and treatable. Here are ways of treating porcelain veneers in Evergreen Park.

Deep Cleaning

This procedure is done when you have gum disease. The dentist removes built tartar and plaque deposits around the gum line. Deep cleaning will reduce swelling and allow the gums to heal. It is painless and can be done in one sitting.

New Veneers

Are your current veneers the cause of the foul smell in your mouth? Your dentist will examine you to diagnose the cause. If the veneers aren’t a proper fit, you may consider getting new ones. Replacing them may take time, but it is worth it in the long run. Once the old veneers are removed, the dentist will remove all the leftover bonding material and clean the tooth. They will then make an impression of the tooth and send it to a dental lab where a new veneer is manufactured. You will have temporary ones as you wait for the permanent veneers.

Treatment for Tooth Decay

There are several treatment options for tooth decay. Dental fillings may be all you need, or a root canal may be necessary for severe decay. Additionally, the dentist may do a fluoride treatment to strengthen and protect your teeth from cavities. If none of the mentioned treatments are possible, you may have a tooth extraction.

A bone graft is a procedure done by dentists if they think your jawbone isn’t thick enough to support a dental implant. But how long does recovery last? The answer to the question depends on the type of graft you are having. The healing may take three to four months if you have a socket preservation graft. A sinus augmentation will take four to nine months, while a ridge augmentation may take about six months or more to heal. Additionally, at Family Dental Care-Crestwood, the dentist will tell you how long your bone graft will take to heal.

Bone Grafting Explained

Most patients will assume that bone grafting only requires the dentist to remove a bone from a part of your mouth and put it in another part. However, this process doesn’t generally require a human bone and can be done using other biocompatible materials. The bone graft can be obtained from sources such as:

• Allograft. This type of graft is harvested from a donor or a cadaver. In this case, no bone marrow is present, and there are low chances of the body rejecting the graft.
• Synthetic Bone Graft. This is a synthetic bone created for that specific location.
• Autograft. The bone is harvested from another part of your body, such as the pelvis, rib, or wrist. This process will require several surgeries.

However, the dentist will have to make sure other bones that are not human are safe before being used. The procedure is reasonably comfortable since the dentist will use dental sedation.

Recovering from Bone Grafting

The period your bone graft surgery will take to heal will be determined by many factors, including age, the type of surgery, and physical and overall health. Generally, the recovery can last from two weeks to a year. However, the recovery will also depend on how well you take care of your oral and overall health.

During this recovery period, your new bone tissue begins to fuse to your existing jawbone to support your dental implants. The process is slow, and in rare cases, it can be complicated if your body rejects the new bone tissue. For patients whose goal was to have a dental implant, they will be ready for them about four to six months post the graft surgery.

During the healing process, the patient may take antibiotics and over-the-counter painkillers prescribed by your dentist in 60418.

Post-Grafting Aftercare Tips

Here are instructions on how to take care of your bone graft after the surgery.

• Refer to the medication information sheets for any prescription your dentists give and report if you get a reaction from them.
• Manage the bleeding after surgery by placing gauze on the site until the bleeding stops. Visit the dentist near you immediately if the bleeding becomes excessive.
• Reduce swelling by applying an icepack on your face at intervals of twenty minutes on and off. If you had the surgery on both sides, alternate the side every twenty minutes. Don’t exceed twenty minutes with the ice pack on your skin to avoid tissue injury. It’s normal for the swelling to last for a maximum of two days. Don’t exceed the icing for beyond the first 24 hours.
• Do not use orthodontic retainers post-surgery if you have any. You can resume them after three days if comfort allows.
• For oral hygiene, gently rinse your mouth using salty warm water for the first three days. Rinse your mouth three times a day, morning, after meals, and before bed. Don’t use over-the-counter mouthwashes to rinse your mouth unless prescribed by the dentist, as they may irritate the slow healing site. Resume your brushing teeth the same day after the procedure but be careful to avoid the area. It’s not unusual to see traces of blood on the brush.
• Limit your physical activities after the procedure for at least three to five days. Avoid smoking tobacco and alcoholic products. They could delay your healing process and increase post-operative pain.
• Immediately after surgery, if hungry, start with something like a milkshake, soup, or smoothie. Limit your diet to cool soft foods on the first day. However, if your mouth is still numb from sedation, avoid chewing or taking too hot foods and liquids to prevent burning the area. Suggested soft foods include eggs, pancakes with syrup, or pasta like spaghetti.

Don’t forget to do follow-up visits if necessary and appointments scheduled for you. Visit us for bone grafting in Crestwood for any emergency post-operative appointments.

Professional dental cleaning is an easy way to maintain your oral health. Besides the cleaning, it enables your dentist to perform a thorough dental exam. At Family Dental Care- Chicago, after a teeth cleaning process, we finish the appointment by guiding our patients on what to do after the procedure.

Why Do You Need Teeth Cleaning

Practicing good oral hygiene habits prevents the development of oral health issues. For example, regular dental cleanings allow the dentist to access spots that patients miss during their regular oral hygiene. These visits also enable the dentist to monitor the health of every part of your mouth. Additionally, it’s an opportunity for your dentist to advise you on good oral habits and discourage bad ones. Here are several reasons why you need regular dental cleaning:

• It prevents gum disease or periodontists, which could lead to tooth loss.

• You also get to have an oral cancer screening which includes a physical examination, x-rays, and various tests if necessary.

• It helps detect dental issues such as broken fillings, cavities, and gum infections in the early stage.

• To brighten your smile. During a dental cleaning, the dentist will polish your teeth and remove beverage and coffee stains.

• Proper oral hygiene and professional dental cleaning prevent lousy breath, also known as halitosis which, according to dental studies, affects about 85% of people.

• Most dental insurance plans cover dental cleanings, and due to this, they save you a lot of money to be spent on dental treatments in the long term.

• It helps you develop a treatment plan for any dental issues diagnosed during the cleaning procedure.

Overall, having regular teeth cleaning in Chicago gives your dentist a chance to compare your previous medical history with the current one. They have an immediate plan to bring you back if you are going off track.

What To Expect During Teeth Cleaning

The teeth cleaning process is straightforward, and here is what to expect from the dentist near you.

During the first step, the dentist will examine your gums, teeth, and oral cavity for any health issues. If any minor dental problems are found, the dentist will take care of them on the spot. Additionally, the dentist will give the nod for the cleaning if you are found fit.

The dentist will then rinse your mouth and scrape off plaque and tartar from your gums and teeth. Next, your teeth are polished using a polishing paste and an electric handpiece. They will then proceed to floss your teeth to remove any tartar and plaque hiding between your teeth.

The dentist will then apply fluoride treatment on your teeth if necessary. The treatment reinforces and strengthens your enamel to prevent decay and cavities.

Finally, the dentist will apply a dental sealant on the molars. Sealants will create a barrier and protect your teeth from harmful bacteria and other substances.

After Care Tips for Teeth Cleaning

Dental cleaning isn’t done with tropical anesthesia, and because of this, you may experience slight discomfort throughout the process. But despite this, you may question if any special aftercare tips are required after the procedure. Here are the dos and don’ts after dental cleaning:

• Avoid eating or drinking in the next 30 minutes after the procedure. This will give the fluoride treatment used to bond with your tooth enamel. Additionally, fizzy or acidic drinks could wash away the fluoride used before serving its purpose. If you are thirsty, sip water.

• Don’t take hot beverages or foods within the first four hours after the process. The reason is that hot food dissolves the fluoride treatment used before having the chance to settle permanently. In addition, the heat could also cause discomfort to patients experiencing sensitive or tender gums.

• Brush your teeth gently and correctly before going to bed. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush to do this. Use sensitive toothpaste if you are experiencing tooth sensitivity and tender gums. Avoid the temptation of skipping your night’s oral hygiene after the cleaning unless the dentist tells you otherwise.

• Be on the lookout for any warning signs after the procedure. Experiencing tooth sensitivity and tender gums is normal. However, patients who have gone for a long without flossing may have minor bleeding. These inconveniences should clear out within a day or two. If they persist for longer, visit your dentist at 60617 for a follow-up.