What Advantantages Do Veneers Offer?

There are many benefits and advantages to having porcelain veneers applied to your front teeth.  These may include any or all of the following considerations:

1. Only a small amount of natural tooth structure (if any) is removed during the procedure.
2. A healthy, natural look is achieved with little or no discomfort.
3. Veneers are strong, durable and color-stable.

Veneers differ from fillings and crowns.  Tooth-colored fillings are usually used when a small amount of tooth structure needs replacing and repair.  A full crown is indicated when a tooth has had root canal therapy or when a substantial amount of the entire tooth structure has been lost.  A porcelain veneer is indicated when a portion of the front surface of a tooth needs a “face lift.”

Similar to a resin bonding procedure, veneers are attached directly to the existing tooth structure.  We take an impression of your tooth to make an exact replica.  During your appointment, we treat your tooth with a mild conditioning solution.  Before the veneer is placed, we apply a tooth-colored liquid bonding material, which helps the veneer adhere to your natural tooth.

Veneers can last for years, depending on how well you take care of them.  Because veneers are stronger than simple bonding, they are also more resistant to stains and chipping.  However, it is important to maintain regular oral hygiene, to avoid bad habits such as biting nails or chewing ice and to visit us regularly for routine cleanings and exams.  These precautions will help ensure that your veneers will last a long time and keep looking as good as new.

For information about other dental topics visit www.TavorminaDentistry.com

Who Needs A Beautiful Smile?

Perhaps a beautiful smile isn’t important to everyone, but you would be surprised at the difference a beautiful smile can make in someone’s life. 

When people are aware that they have a less than attractive smile, it affects their entire personality – how they speak with people, how much they smile, how they laugh, how they socialize.  Being unhappy with your smile makes your confidence level low and it really inhibits smiling and laughing.  When you smile and laugh your body actually produces feel good chemicals.  When you are self-conscious about your smile and either hold it back or cover your mouth when you smile or laugh, you don’t have the benefit of the feel good response that smiling and laughing produce.

So even for people whose work doesn’t involve business contacts &/or public speaking, low self-confidence affects their mood and performance.  For people whose work involves a lot of  people contact or public speaking, it is vital that they put their best foot forward and the best foot forward approach starts with a beautiful, open, confident smile.

A beautiful smile is a primary factor that helps people feel young and attractive.  As we age it is natural for teeth to get darker in color and get worn down.  When an older smile gets a makeover, it’s better than most any plastic surgery procedure to make someone look years younger and give renewed confidence in smiling, laughing, and living again!

For information about other dental topics and ways to beautify your smile visit our website: http://www.tavorminadentistry.com 

What's The Best Kind Of Dental Floss To Use?

The hardest thing to accomplish regarding daily use of dental floss is establishing the daily habit of flossing.  Flossing only needs to be done once a day carefully, making sure that the dental floss goes below the gumline and that the sides of the teeth are scraped clean with the floss, removing all disease causing plaque.  The best time to do this is at night before you go to sleep.

There are several types of dental floss you can use.  There is waxed and unwaxed floss, weave dental floss, and there’s expanding dental floss.  Some dental flosses are fine.  The qualities of each floss will help you determine what type of floss best handles your dental condition.

Traditionally waxed floss has been preferred for people whose teeth touch very tightly and for whom it is difficult to get the floss to go between the teeth.  There is now expanding floss which glides easily between even the tightest contacts.  It expands during use to clean more tooth surface and has multiple filaments and texturized fibers for exceptional cleaning.  It’s gentle on gums and is ideal for patients with tooth and/or gum sensitivity and gum recession.

Weave floss has a unique woven design that effectively removes plaque between teeth and under the gumline.  The interlacing process produces strong, smooth, and shred-resistant floss.

Fine floss is sometimes needed to clean between tightly spaced teeth.

The best approach is to experiment with the different types of floss until you find the one that most easily glides between the teeth and seems to remove the plaque best.

For information about other dental topics visit www.DrTav.com

Healthy Gums Can Lead To A Healthier Body

Inflammation is a major risk factor for heart disease, and periodontal (gum) disease increases the inflammation level throughout the body.  Since several studies show that people with gum or teeth problems also have an increased risk for heart disease, more cardiologists and dentists are joining forces for the improved health of their patients.  Dentists can serve as your first line of defense against future heart disease.

One study, looking at women with periodontal bacteria in their mouths, reported that they were more likely to have jawbone loss resulting in tooth loss. 

Scientists have found that bacteria growing in the mouth can be inhaled into the lungs to cause serious respiratory illness such as pneumonia, especially in people with periodontal disease. 

This discovery has led to the belief that such a mouth-body link can cause infections like chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD).  The question now is, “To what extend does oral hygiene play a part of reducing the frequency of COPD?”

Bacteria in the mouth through the exchange of saliva can also be shared amongst couples, children, and families, spreading the risk of periodontal disease more quickly.

Premature and underweight babies are seven times more likely from women with periodontal disease than from those without.  For a long time risk factors such as smoking, alcohol, and drug use were known to contribute to risky pregnancies.  Now periodontal disease can be added to the list.

The increase in blood sugar that often accompanies periodontal disease contributes to the higher risk for diabetic complications.  Therefore, patients with both diseases should be treated to eliminate the infections of the gums.  In addition, it’s been found that poorly controlled Type 2 diabetic patients are more likely to develop periodontal disease than are well-controlled diabetics.

The connection between oral disease and systemic disease is backed by scientific findings, and it makes common sense.  After all, the mouth is a part of the body – it’s the gateway to the entire body.

For information about other dental topics visit www.TavorminaDentistry.com