Being able to smile is a beautiful thing – we all deserve a beautiful one! Some of us might need some work to obtain a dazzling smile, and cosmetic dentistry has been very popular and reaching that dazzle. Just don’t let your dream turn into a nightmare while pursuing your smile make over!
If you are planning on having any elective cosmetic work done, make sure your physician is familiar with different cosmetic options and has a good training background. The most common cosmetic dentistry problems can be prevented if you do your homework, including unsatisfactory cosmetic outcomes or clinical and technical shortcomings! These problems can lead to a not so happy nor healthy smile, altered speech, gum irritation, increased tooth sensitivity , chipping, loose teeth and even breakage of porcelain (from insufficient bonds between natural teeth and porcelain veneers from an overly trimmed tooth structure or bite issue). These errors end up needing additional work (like crowns, root canals or gum surgery) and can be painful and infuriating.
It is important when considering any kind of cosmetic work – dentistry or otherwise – that you evaluate your own needs, and knowing your own health as a foundation for your own future. The consequences of only looking at cosmetic dental procedures without the health side can put your long term oral health at risk. If you have a fairly healthy mouth with well-aligned teeth, it may be easier to get satisfactory cosmetic results with the average cosmetic dentist . If you have seriously mis-aligned teeth, gum disease or lots of dental work / TMJ problems (or are prone to cavities), you have a much more sensitive oral cavity and must be very careful with who you choose to be your cosmetic dentist. Also, you may require multiple steps in order to attain a healthy, long lasting result.
It is also important to have a well thought-out plan before the procedures starts as good communication with your cosmetic dentist and technician is key. Not only is it necessary to be able to convey your desires clearly, but it is also best to go through the proper diagnostic steps to analyze the problem, plan the treatment scientifically with a mock-up or wax-up procedure and set up the detailed 3-D blueprint of your smile makeover before proceeding with dental reconstruction work. Make sure your dentist and ceramist are well experienced by asking other patients what kind of work you can expect and by checking into his or her credentials, education and training background (www.aacd.com is a good reference site). Look at pictures of past cases the dentist has worked on, and get a feel of what kind of sincerity and caring attitude the dental team will be able to provide you, in order to help make your important decision. Make sure you ask questions about what will make the procedure a long term success before proceeding the work.
It is a wonderful thing to have a great smile, but maintaining it will be just important. Proper home care and regular professional check-ups are musts – proper diet and healthy habits will keep your smile beautiful for a long time! Finally, wear a night guard if you are prone to bruxism as they can help maintain the structure of your oral system.
Getting a good night’s sleep is one of the most fundamental rules of good health. Getting 7 to 8 hours every night not only rejuvenates you for tomorrow’s activities, but sleep is essential for a well functioning immune system! Improper sleeping habits can also affect your oral health, including grinding and jaw problems which can lead to severe issues down the road.
A good night's sleep is essential for your health!
When trying to understand your sleeping habits, it is essential to understand the difference between REM and non-REM sleep. REM, which is short for rapid eye movement, accounts for about 1/5 to 1/4 of a typical person’s total sleep in a night, and is characterized by a rapid flickering of the eyes, irregular breathing, major voluntary muscle paralysis and decrease in body temperature. It is high in brain activity and it is when most of our dreaming occurs. REM sleep is the fifth and last stage of sleep that occurs in the sleep cycle, which repeats itself about five times throughout a period of sleep. It is preceded by four stages of non-REM sleep. The 3rd and 4th stages of NREM sleep are the deep sleep stages, there is evidence that brain cells reset their sodium and potassium level during this deep sleep, and in fact the body repairs and regenerates tissues, builds bones and muscle, and strengthen the immune system during this stage!
Usually the deep sleep represented with Delta waves in brain activity are long, slow undulating waves. Certain frequencies in the Delta range trigger the release of Human Growth Hormone and are thus beneficial to healing and regeneration. Quality sleep by definition must include deep sleep, which is the deepest, first cycle of your sleep – synchronizing your sleep with your body’s natural sleep cycle will help you obtain better quality sleep. For most of people, going to bed before 11 PM would follow the body’s natural biological rhythms. Your body’s call for sleep is essential, we need it to stay healthy.
Bruxism (grinding and clenching your teeth during sleep) is brought up with the contraction of your jaw muscles, which most intensively happens at the 2nd NREM sleep cycle stage, moving in and out of the REM cycles. If you don’t go to bed on time every night, or your sleep pattern gets interrupted repeatedly, you will not be able to get into the restful stage 3 and stage 4 sleep that your body needs. You will end up getting more of the shallower stages of sleep, and going through more clenching and grinding. As we have learned, the consequences of excessive force bought up with clenching and grinding of the teeth can lead to excessive wear on our teeth, breaking up dental restorations, overloading the mouth’s supporting structure, gum recession and even TMJ symptoms, if these destructive forces are not properly managed. Of course, we should all work on establishing healthier lifestyles, and better rest. We can also work on better diet and cutting back on stimulants at night that can interrupt your sleep cycle. Having a custom-fitted nightguard made from your dentist might also be an idea worth exploring – consult with your dental professional, and stay healthy!
Do you enjoy scuba diving? Deep sea exploration is certainly a fun and exciting sport, especially in an exotic location! Before any big diving trip, most enthusiasts gear up on wetsuits, goggles, oxygen tanks and other equipment, but have you ever thought that mouth piece you’re wearing to get your oxygen can cause you dental problems?
This person was properly fitted for her mouthpiece!
Scuba diving is a sport enjoyed by over 4 million people a year, and if you dive, get yourself a proper fitting mouth piece to prevent jaw, teeth and gum problem! If you have a mouthpiece that is not fitting right for you plus the pressure changes from diving, you could suffer from what’s known as “diver’s mouth syndrome,” a painful condition caused by a ill-fitting mouthpiece that irritate your mouth, or you have been clenching your jaw very hard combined with the drop in air pressure as you explore beneath the ocean’s surface.
The mouthpiece that regulates oxygen flow from your oxygen tank to your lungs not only delivers fresh air, but it protects your teeth while diving. The tendency to clench your teeth while diving is very common, and because most standard scuba-diving mouthpieces will not really fit your mouth perfectly, the mouthpiece tends to put unnecessary pressure on the gum and jawbone. So biting hard into the mouthpiece, your gum could be full of lacerations and you could suffer from jaw joint pain or toothache as well after your trip is finished. If the pain lasts for over several days, you could even have a TMJ problem, which will take time to recover.
The best prevention is to make sure you are in good dental health before the trip, and to visit your dental professional who can evaluate how well your mouthpiece fits. Also, if you have recently undergone orthodontic treatment or have an extracted tooth (or temporary fillings), you must be extra careful and see your dentist before diving! Enjoy the under water world and be safe!
TMJ, or Temporomandibular joint disorder is a condition involving inflammation of the tissues and structure around the joint which connects the mandible to the temporal bone of the skull. The disorder, which can cause extreme discomfort, soreness and pain in the head and neck areas, and also the teeth and ear areas. Unfortunately, a patient can get a wide variety of treatment prescriptions from asking different health care physicians. Because TMJ does not fall under once specific type of physician’s specialty, dentists, neurologists and even psychologists all offer differing approaches to TMJ treatment.
Because TMJ involves not only bone joints but muscular tissue as well, a multitude of symptoms can be attributed to TMJ. Among the most widely experienced are symptoms in muscles, nerves, ligaments, bones, connective tissue, the ears and teeth. Headaches, muscle pain, jaw popping or cracking (or even locking), tooth mobility (movement), tooth sensitivity, damaged dental work, ringing of the ears and tooth loss are all symptoms of TMJ. The temporomandibular joint itself, an extremely complex set of joints in the human body and its position and development is related with the rest of the body as well. If you have comprised orthopedic conditions such as spine misalignment or bad posture (caused from wearing high heels, carrying a heavy purse on one side for women or even Kung Fu for men!), the TMJ can often become constrained and surrounding tissues of the head and neck region which ascends to the TMJ can become sore; people who suffer from TMJ often feel their jaws clicking or popping as a result. Because the joint is so close to the ear, TMJ can cause ear pain and be confused with an ear-related issue.
Factors which can contribute to TMJ include jaw trauma (such as being in an accident or being punched), tongue thrusting (which can occur subconsciously during speech and swallowing) which will put the head at a more forward unbalanced position (which is also a phenomenon involving multiple factors, from airway obstruction to allergies to anatomical anomalies etc…), excessive nail biting or gum chewing (or any excessively repetitive activity involving jaw movement), and night grinding. Treatment of TMJ would of course require consultation with your dental professional and maybe chiropractor. A common treatment of TMJ, if in an acute stage is ice compression, and muscle relaxants. The use of an oral appliance to control jaw movement and tension is also possible treatment. Other treatments can be looked into when the cause of the problem has been found; Symptoms can be releived with medication, injection, massage, infrared or low level laser therapy treatment (or by using other energies to treat the affectd site or meridian points).
Using a TMJ splint, which is commonly a custom acrylic appliance, fits over your upper teeth and directs your lower jaw to rest in a more favorable position allowing your system to recover to a healthier condition. A more permanent solution would be orthodontical or restorative repositioning of the jaw, to create a more balanced orthopedic and facialmuscular harmony. Not only can a night guard protect against potential damage to your Temporomandibular joint, but can also promote a healthy faciomuscular system, in addition to protecting your teeth against possible bruxism (grinding) damage. Consult with your dental professional to find the best TMJ solution for you, or to find out if symptoms you are experiencing may be attributed to TMJ disorder!
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from an overly trimmed tooth structure or bite issue). These errors end up needing additional work (like crowns, root canals or gum surgery) and can be painful and infuriating.
