Many dental problems do not cause you to experience discomfort until they have progressed to a point where they are quite serious. to determine if you have problems you can’t see or feel, so a regular visit is important to ensure your continued oral health.  [pullquote]Dentists are trained to determine if you have problems you can’t see or feel, so a regular visit is important to ensure your continued oral health. [/pullquote]

Signs You Could Have Dental Problems

If you assume discomfort is the first symptom of a serious issue in your mouth, chances are good that you will wait far too long to see your dentist. The best way to ensure problems are detected when they are still minor and easy to treat is to see your dentist regularly. However, there are some symptoms that can indicate you have an issue that are easily noticed and do not involve discomfort. These include:

• Bleeding when you brush or floss. This can indicate the early stages of gum disease.
• A shiny or dark look to your gums. This is also a symptom of gum inflammation.
• Extreme sensitivity to cold. This could indicate gum disease, decay, or other issues.

Dentists can look at these issues in depth and determine the root cause of your symptoms. They use tools you don’t have access to, such as dental instruments, digital photography, and X-rays to look at not only your teeth but your gums, tooth roots, and the facial bones that support your teeth. In this way, they can determine if problems are developing and arrange for you to receive treatment before the problems become overly serious.

The Importance of Regular Dental Care

The best way to avoid dental problems is through regular dental care. This includes everyday brushing and flossing as well as regular visits to the dentist. Most dentists recommend that you have a general check-up and cleaning about every six months. This check-up includes not only examining your teeth for cavities or gum disease, but also includes a scan for oral cancer—another oral health issue that can progress without any immediately noticeable symptoms. So be sure to take good care of your mouth and visit our dentists at the doctor Family Dentistry—your teeth and gums will thank you, and it could even save your life.

With the rise of implant dentistry, people who have lost teeth have even more options to restore their natural look. The process for having an implant placed can vary depending upon the type of implant you have and the condition of your mouth and jawbone, but in general the procedure involves at least two phases.

The First Phase of an Implant Procedure

The first thing you’ll do when you decide to have a dental implant is consult with an implant dentist. This specialist will decide if you are a good candidate for implants. If you are, you’ll then discuss anything that must be done before you can have your implants placed. This could involve treatment for gum disease, bone grafts to ensure a secure foundation for your implants, or even smoking cessation to increase your likelihood of a successful recovery.

After these issues are dealt with, your dentist will place the root portions of your dental implants. You might have an implant placed for each missing tooth, or a few implants placed to support an entire arc of a denture. Different approaches to implant dentistry allow you some flexibility in how your implants are placed, what kind of implant you have, and what options you can pursue if you lack sufficient bone density to support traditional implants.

The Second Phase of an Implant Procedure

Some implant dentists will place the prosthetic tooth or teeth—the visible portion of your implant—immediately after the roots are placed. However, in most cases, after the root portion of the implant is placed, you’ll have a few weeks to heal from the surgery. This ensures that the roots, which are made of titanium or a titanium allow, have time to bond with the bone of your jaw. This bonding process, called osseointegration, means that your new implants will stimulate your jawbone to grow normally, as it would if you had not lost your teeth. Keeping your jawbone healthy prevents atrophy of the bone tissue, which can make your lower jaw move closer to your upper jaw over time. After this healing process is completed, your prosthetic teeth are set into place, giving you a long-lasting, natural-looking smile.

Consult with our team of implant dentists by calling our office today.