Who doesn’t want their pearly whites to shine when they smile? No wonder cosmetic teeth whitening is the most requested cosmetic dental procedure across America. The primary purpose of teeth cleaning and whitening is to remove yellow stains from teeth to make them appear whiter and brighter. There are different types of teeth whitening designed to achieve this goal.
Some people prefer teeth whitening at home, while others prefer professional and advanced types of teeth whitening. This post provides you with information on both DIY and professional teeth whitening so that you can decide between the two.
Ask dentists about a common dental problem, and they will name plaque and tartar. This article covers the following valuable information about plaque and tartar:
What is Plaque?
What is Tartar?
What is the Difference between Dental Plaque and Tartar?
What are the Symptoms of Dental Plaque?
What are the Symptoms of Tartar?
What Dental Problems are caused due to Plaque and Tartar?
How to Remove Plaque and Tartar from Teeth?
Other Relevant FAQs
These details will immensely help you to avoid many oral health problems.
Do you feel discomfort while eating something extremely hot or cold? Do sweet and sour foods also trigger pain sometimes? There is a good chance that you have tooth sensitivity. Sensitive teeth cause sharp and sudden pain sometimes.
A dry mouth is a condition where the salivary glands in your mouth don’t generate the amount of saliva required to keep your mouth hydrated. And saliva is critical to dental health. It prevents tooth decay, improves taste buds, helps in chewing & swallowing, and aids in digestion. All these factors get affected by decreased saliva in your mouth. The common question in every patient’s mind is, “why do I have a dry mouth?” There are various factors that causes dry mouth related to your overall health. More than being a disease, dry mouth is a symptom of other health conditions. Read on to learn some critical facts about dry mouth.
Do you grind teeth while sleeping or in an awake state? It is a dental disorder called bruxism, commonly known as teeth grinding. You unknowingly engage in teeth grinding and jaw clenching if you have bruxism. There are 2 types of bruxism. When you gnash your teeth during sleep, it is known as sleep bruxism. Whereas clenching teeth while being wide awake indicates awake bruxism.
You might have lots of doubts if you are going through this disorder. This post answers all your questions, including why I grind my teeth at night, what causes teeth grinding, how to stop grinding your teeth at night, and more. Let’s get started!
Why is Bruxism Harmful?
If your teeth grinding is severe and frequent, it can invite many harmful complications. The pressure it puts on your jaw muscles and tissues can result in jaw pain, sore gums, popping of jaw joints, tooth loss, and TMJ disorder. Another cause of worry is that bruxism affects the younger generation more than, the older one. The lowest rate of bruxism is in people aged over 65 years.
Moreover, many kids suffer from grinding teeth and jaw clenching. A study was conducted to determine the prevalence of childhood bruxism. 38% of parents of children under 17 confirmed that their kids grind their teeth.
What are the Symptoms of Bruxism?
Following are the most common symptoms of bruxism or teeth grinding:
If you are suffering from sleep bruxism which leads to grinding teeth while sleeping, you can come across the following symptoms:
Grinding your teeth at night
Damaged teeth
Pain in neck and jaw
Inconsistent episodes of teeth clenching in some nights
Your partner waking up with clenching and grinding sound of teeth
Morning headaches
What Causes Bruxism?
The answer to the question of what makes you grind your teeth is not straightforward. Different people have different triggers of bruxism. Check out the following leading causes of bruxism. Does any of them ring a bell to you?
Stress & AnxietyIt is one of the most common causes of bruxism, especially sleep bruxism. Patients under stress often don’t realize that they are grinding teeth.
AgeGenerally, young children get affected by bruxism. It is not always severe and can go away on its own with age.
Medication & DrugsPsychiatric medicines like antidepressants can cause teeth grinding as a side effect. Recreational drugs also lead to bruxism.
Poor Lifestyle ChoicesSmoking tobacco, overconsumption of alcohol and caffeinated beverages can also make you grind your teeth.
Family HistoryFamily history is also one of the leading causes of bruxism. If your parents or any other family member has a history of bruxism, there are chances of you getting it too.
Medical DisordersBruxism can also result from mental health conditions like Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and sleep disorders such as sleep apnea.
When to See a Doctor?
If you notice any or multiple symptoms described in this article, visit your dentist to check you for bruxism. Especially don’t ignore the damaged teeth and facial pain. Your teeth might need treatment from the wear and tear of grinding. Your partner can also tell you if you make any grinding sounds in sleep. Also, watch out for risk factors like stress, medical disorder, family history, etc.
How is Bruxism Diagnosed?
Any of the following routes can be taken by your doctor to diagnose and detect the issue of teeth grinding:
Symptom Evaluation
If you have prominent and clear symptoms of teeth grinding, the doctors or dentists can right away start the treatment for bruxism.
Determining the Causes/Risk Factors
If you have any risk factors that cause teeth grinding, such as stress or anxiety combined with bruxism symptoms, the dentist may start evaluating your chances of teeth grinding.
Sleep Study
An overnight sleep study in a sleep clinic can be performed on you to diagnose sleep bruxism. This study is known as polysomnography, and the sleep medicine specialist does it. It is the most conclusive way to detect bruxism and other sleep disorders as well.
What Can I Do to Stop Grinding My Teeth? (Treatment Options)
Doctors also don’t know how to stop bruxism entirely. But there are approaches that gradually decrease its intensity and limit the damage. They are as follows:
Dental Prevention
You can use a night guard covering your upper and lower teeth to protect against the possible damage of teeth grinding. They are available on the counter. And you also can get them custom-made if you want.
Stress Reduction Techniques
If stress is causing bruxism, the doctor will suggest some stress reduction techniques. You can’t completely eliminate stress and anxiety. But you can reduce your exposure to stressful situations and your negative response towards them through therapy.
Medication
Some drugs can alter the brain chemically and reduce muscle activity. It helps to stop grinding teeth. Botox injections also help in stopping grinding teeth while asleep and awake. Remember to discuss the possible side effects of these medications with your doctor before taking them.
What are the Home Remedies to Stop Clenching Teeth?
Avoid alcohol and smoking as much as you can. It will be best if you can stop it entirely.
Limit your intake of caffeinated drinks.
Don’t attempt to chew on anything complicated for example, don’t try to crack a nut with your teeth.
Strive to be mentally strong to control your urge of jaw clenching & teeth grinding.
Keep your jaw muscles as relaxed as possible.
Do Children Grind Teeth?
Grinding teeth is common in kids. It happens when they are growing baby teeth and also while they start to get permanent teeth. There are fair chances that their teeth grinding habit will disappear once all their adult or permanent teeth have fully erupted. But in any case it is better to get their dental check-up done.
What are the Specific Ways to Stop Bruxism in Children?
Work on decreasing your kid’s stress levels.
Take your kids for a timely dental check-up.
Ask your dentist for treatment of kids for teeth grinding. According to the age of your kids and the severity of the disorder, the dentist may prescribe crowns or night guards.
Dehydration is also linked to teeth grinding sometimes. So ensure your children drink plenty of water.
Teach them jaw massage and jaw stretching exercises to relax their muscles.
At Coral Dental Care, we provide personalized care for teeth grinding (bruxism) with custom night guards, and comprehensive treatments to protect your teeth. Let us help you find relief— request an appointment or call us today at 978-607-0110!.
Are you troubled by tooth pain, along with pain in the jaw or gums? Do you ever find yourself wondering why your teeth hurt? You might be surprised to know that according to a survey by American Family Physician, 22 percent of adults experienced similar pain in the last six months. There can be multiple reasons for this pain. The most likely causes are increased tooth sensitivity, tooth infection, or cracked teeth.
Overview
Tooth filling or dental filling is a proven way to treat, repair, and restore a decayed tooth. Various types of dental filling material are available for filling your teeth.
At Coral Dental Care in Salem, MA, you can make an informed choice about which type of dental filling is right in your case of the cavity.
Also known as tooth decay, cavities in kids are one of the most commonly reported problems. Cavities have nothing to do with age. Even a toddler can develop tooth decay. Although you might ignore cavities in a toddler with the thinking that they will lose their baby teeth, anyway. This is an unhealthy mindset to adapt. If your child develops a cavity at a young age, they are more likely to have a set of unhealthy teeth after they grow permanent ones.
Cavities are dental caries which indicates tooth decay. They create tiny holes in teeth which become prominent with time if untreated. Sometimes the tooth decay by cavity occurs in the gum line. It can be a sign of gum recession. This will leave the roots of teeth exposed. It is a stressful and painful condition. But you are not alone. 92% of adults between 20 to 65 years of age are diagnosed with gum line cavities.
Let us explain the essential facts about the gum line cavity treatment, its causes, symptoms, risk factors, and prevention.
What Causes a Cavity along the Gum Line?
Bacteria, dental plaque, and tartar are the most common reason for the gum line cavity. Bacteria are formed in your mouth by eating sugary foods and drinks. They commonly make a place in back teeth pits, along the gum line, and in molars. These bacteria are responsible for creating plaque, which results in the gum line cavity in most cases. Plaque builds a sticky layer around your teeth.
This layer eats on the hard enamel of your teeth. If not treated, plaque converts into the yellow hard layer known as tartar. This layer is formed around your gum line. The exposed tooth root due to gum recession is also accountable for the cavity by the gum line. Now that you know what causes tooth decay at the gum line, you can be more careful about your dental hygiene and eating habits.
What are the Gum Line Cavity Symptoms?
Toothache
Pain in the tooth is almost a sure sign that cavity is developing in your tooth and gum.
The damage caused to enamel and cementum due to cavities leads to toothache after eating anything sweet.
Spots on Teeth
White spots converting into dark stains around your gum with time are also symptoms of a growing cavity.
Small Holes in Teeth
Small pits or holes in your tooth are a definite cavity symptom at a much deeper level. You should contact your dentist at the earliest in this case.
One Side Sensitivity in Mouth
If you feel pain and sensitivity while chewing on one side of your mouth, that side is probably affected by cavities.
Who is More Likely to Get Gum Line Cavity?
1
Adults & Older Adults
Cavity below and above the gum is generally diagnosed in adults rather than kids. It is even more common in older people who are more than 50 years of age. The reason being the wear and tear of gums and teeth over time. Read about Dental Care Tips for People at Different Stages of Life to know more.
2
Poor Oral Hygiene Habits
It is common knowledge that brushing and flossing get rid of the cavity-forming bacteria from your mouth. So if you are lazy in performing a daily dental hygiene routine, you know what can happen next!
3
Dry Mouth
Saliva is vital for protecting your teeth and gums against bacteria and cavities. When you don’t produce enough saliva, you suffer from a dry mouth and eventually cavities by the gum line.
How to Treat Cavities at Gum Line?
Many people doubt that can a cavity at the gum line be fixed permanently. Yes, it can be very well fixed at any age. It depends upon the location of the cavities. The cavity below the gum line needs more large-scale treatment like a root canal. Whereas, cavity above the gum line can be treated with surface treatments like tooth filling.
How to Prevent a Tooth Decay at Gum Line?
Brushing Teeth
A simple activity like brushing your teeth twice a day can save you from so many dental issues. Brush your gum line along with your teeth in back and forth motion to make your mouth clean and bacteria-free.
Daily Flossing
Sometimes, a toothbrush doesn’t reach the extreme corners of your teeth. Flossing can reach those narrow spaces between your teeth and clean the food particles from there as well.
Professional Teeth Cleanings
Professional dental cleanings goes an extra mile than your regular brushing and flossing. Take advice from your dentist on how often you should get a dental cleaning and dental check-up. Follow that schedule diligently.
How to Stop Gum Line Tooth Pain?
Cavity by gum line needs to be treated at the earliest. In the meanwhile, you can follow these proven tips to stop the pain:
Avoid acidic foods like meat, nuts, and carbonated drinks.
Avoid sweet and sugary foods like candies, chocolates, and ice-creams.
Try to avoid icy and hot beverages. Drink everything at room temperature.
Final Thoughts!
Dental hygiene, good eating habits, and regular dental check-ups can significantly reduce your chances of getting a gum line cavity. We at Coral Dental Care provide dental check-ups and treatment for cavities and other dental issues at our state-of-the-art clinics. Schedule an appointment now!
Tooth decay is the softening of your tooth enamel and damage to the structure of the tooth due to plaque bacteria. They break down sugar in your mouth subsequently leading to acid creation. Plaque, a sticky film of bacteria, forms on your teeth due to foods and drinks containing excessive sugars. A dental cavity, also known as tooth decay is one of the most common dental diseases.
