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^{Dental X-rays are useful diagnostic tools that help your dentist detect disease and issues that cannot be seen during a regular dental exam. X-rays images that you see in dental or medical situations are a form of picture taken using invisible beams of ionizing radiation or X-rays.}

How X-ray works

“When the X-rays a directed” – at the body, they are absorbed into the body at different rates by various tissues in the body. Once they pass through the body, they are captured by film to produce images of that part of the body. Some tissues in the body such as your teeth, jaw bones and other calcified bony structures will clearly appear on the X-ray images and can be used for diagnosis by a dentist or doctor.

Types of X-rays for dental treatment

Your dentist may recommend taking one or more from among a number of types of films depending on the problem suspected. Here are the common types of images that are taken using X-rays:

• Panoramic films

• Periapical films

• Bitewings

• Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT)

More information on types of dental X-rays

• RadiologyInfo.org site of the Radiological Society of North America provides a comprehensive set of printable handouts about all possible types of procedures including dental cone beam CT (CBCT) and panoramic dental X-ray. These handouts explain in simple language everything that you need to know about each procedure including how to prepare, what to expect, what it is used for as well as its benefits, risks and limitations.

• Image Gently campaign of the Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging also provides useful information on pediatric dental radiology.

• American Dental Association’s MouthHealthy.org has a video and article on dental X-rays.

Safety of dental X-rays

More information on the safety of dental X-rays can be found in our blog post on this topic. 

We covered the news of Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recommendations on safety of dental X-ray procedures in a previous post: FDA Urges Dentists to Use Faster X-Ray Film in Order to Limit Radiation Exposure.

Your dentist should be able to give you more information and answer any further questions you may have on dental X-rays.

When you need to find a local dentist or dental specialist in your area, the easiest and fastest way to go is searching on the FreeDentistFinder.com network of quality dentists. The dentist finder will help you find a dentist practicing near your home or workplace by using a zip code search or by searching by dental specialty. 

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Not everyone needs dental anesthesia. According to the American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists (ASDA) there are certain groups of people who can benefit from anesthesia during dental procedures:

• Toddlers with rampant carries – While a toddler with a couple of teeth needing attention may not need dental anesthesia, multiple caries lesions resulting in time consuming procedures may require anesthesia because toddlers are unable to stay quiet for too long.
• Children with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) – According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly one in ten school-age children in the US have an ADHD diagnosis. People with ADHD have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors and are overly active, in some cases. Such children may be unable sit still in the dental chair may call for dental anesthesia.
• Seniors with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia – Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia among older adults. It affects parts of the brain controlling thought, memory and language.CDC estimates that as many as 5 million Americans could be suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. In the US, around 5 percent of men and women in the 65 to 74 age group have Alzheimer’s disease. And nearly half of those who are 85 and older may suffer from it. When due to dementia people find that they are unfamiliar with the dental office or are unable to cooperate fully during dental procedures, anesthesia may be needed in order to complete treatments.
• Adults with tremor disorders like Parkinson’s disease or cerebral palsy – Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders that affect the ability to move and to maintain balance and posture. It is the most common motor disability in children affecting around 1 in 303 childrenin the US.Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, progressive neurological disease that results from the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells. Parkinson’s Disease Foundation estimates that as many as one million Americans could be living with Parkinson’s disease. While it occurs more commonly among over 65s, of the approximately 60,000 Americans who are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the US each year, around 15 percent are less than 50 years of age.

These disorders cause involuntary movements which make even minor treatments rather risky. To reduce this risk, dentists may prefer to treat such patients under anesthesia.

• People with developmental disabilities – Anesthesia is needed for safe treatment of those whose ability to follow directions may be limited.
• People with certain psychiatric disorders – If a person suffers from a psychiatric disorder which makes them likely to cause injury to themselves or to the dental team, treatment can be given under dental anesthesia.
• People with dental anxiety – People who are scared or apprehensive of dental treatments may need anesthesia to keep them calm during treatment. Anesthesia is just one way of treating patients with dental anxiety.
• Patients on the autism spectrum - Autism spectrum disorders include autistic disorder, pervasive developmental disorder and Asperger syndrome. They are five times more likely to occur in boys than girls. According to CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network data, about one in 88 eight-year olds in the US have ASDs.
• People for whom unfamiliar surroundings could be a problem and for whom two-way communication can be difficult may also need anesthesia to complete dental procedures.

Do you feel you or your family members need dental anesthesia prior to dental treatments for any of the above reasons? Talk to your dentist and the dental anesthetist and find out how best the condition, your concerns and treatment can be managed.

The best way to find a dentist in your area is to search for a local dentist by zip code and dental specialty on the FreeDentistFinder.com network of quality dentists. You can even talk to FreeDentistFinder.com dentists and discuss your anesthetic needs with them even before fixing a dental appointment. Dentists who join the network express their willingness to answer such questions from potential patients.

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There are many ways in which you improve your smile. Your options belong in a wide array, depending on costs, chair-time, length of treatment and commitment involved. Some methods, like tooth whitening and the recontouring of tooth or gums, are fast, easy and affordable; while others like crowns and veneers may be costly and require multiple visits. There are yet other options like orthodontic therapy with a variety of appliances that may require a longer time for producing results and demand high levels of commitment from you for success. Let’s take a look the options.

Tooth whiteners or bleach

Quite often the biggest reason for dissatisfaction would be due to their stains and discoloration.  While veneers or other methods may help, this is truly over treatment. If your only issue is stained teeth, you can solve the problem in no time at a little cost with an in office or take home tooth whitener. Usually in office tooth whitening procedures under the supervision of your dentist brings more uniform whiteness.

Read the FreeDentistFinder.com article, Improving Your Smile: Top Tooth Whiteners in the Market, for more about tooth whitening options.

Recontouring of teeth

Reshaping or recontouring involves removing a small amount of the tooth enamel to change the shape, length or the surface of a tooth to improve appearance. Tooth recontouring is a relatively easy and fast process which can bring about a distinct change to your smile. An uneven line at the bite surface, teeth that are longer than the rest of the front teeth or teeth that are slightly out of shape or rotated may be made to look more harmonious with the rest of the teeth with recontouring. This procedure is also referred to as enameloplasty, odontoplasty, tooth stripping or slenderizing.

Recontouring the gums

Recontouring of the gum line is an easy procedure that can make a dramatic difference to your smile literally within minutes and at little cost. When teeth are even at the bite surface, but appear to be of different heights due to an uneven gum line, this can be solved easily with gum recontouring provided you have sufficient gum tissue to make a difference.

Orthodontics

Orthodontic treatments can correct misaligned or rotated teeth and improperly aligned jaws. Overbite, underbite, crossbite and open bite can be treated and corrected with orthodontic therapy. A misplaced midline, where the center of upper and lower front teeth do not align with each other, as well as crowded teeth and spacing between teeth can be treated by an orthodontist to improve your smile.

Braces, other special fixed alliances, fixed space maintainers and a variety of removable appliances such as aligners, such as Invisalign, removable space maintainers, splints, lip and cheek bumpers, palatal expanders and removable retainers can be used to treat orthodontic problems.

You can read more about orthodontic therapies in the FreeDentistFinder.com article on Are You a Candidate for Orthodontic Therapy?  and in the Dental Treatments section in the article archive.

Because orthodontic therapy depends to a great degree on how the teeth, jaws and gums respond to the pressure or relief from the appliances used, orthodontic therapy takes a longer time to produce results than other alternatives mentioned here. The treatment for overcrowded teeth may include removal of some teeth and the realignment of the rest.

Dental crowns and bridges

Crowns are tooth shaped caps fitted over teeth and cemented into place to fully cover the entire visible part of the tooth above the gum line. When more than one tooth needs this treatment, bridges are used.

Many articles about dental crowns and bridges are found in the Dental Treatments section in the FreeDentistFinder.com article archive.

Dental veneers

Veneers are wafer-thin shells made of tooth colored materials that are custom made to fit over and cover the front surface of teeth that are visible when you smile. They are bonded onto the front of your teeth, after special preparation. Dental veneers are sometimes referred to as laminates.

You can read more about dental veneers in the Dental Treatments section in the FreeDentistFinder.com article archive.

Which option is best for you?

That depends entirely on your specific problem. Talk to your dentist to see which type of treatment is best for you. In case you need treatment by a specialist orthodontist, your local dentist can refer you to one. You can find a local dentist or dental specialists like orthodontists on the FreeDentistFinder.com network of quality dentists. Just login to the website and do a zipcode search for your area to locate a dentist near you. You can also search for dentists by specialization.

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Recently we came across an interesting and most helpful article on how to deal with such matters.

No time to go? No store close by? Can’t imagine doing without it? Don’t worry. You will find solutions in the article titled, “Are You Sure You’re Out?” published by Noddy in the Practical Survivalism and Sustainable Living group on Dailykos.com.

Noddy who is a prolific writer on matters of survival describes how to make do if you are out of personal care products such as a tooth brush, toothpaste, mouthwash, shampoo, deodorants and lip balm.

We are just mentioning the toothpaste ‘recipe’ here.

Toothpaste is easy – not as easy as shampoo, but easy enough. Mix baking soda 3:1 with fine ground sea salt and that’s it.  Dampen your toothbrush and dip it in a small amount of the soda/salt mix and brush away. You can add a drop or two of any culinary grade essential oil, such as peppermint, spearmint, aniseed, cinnamon, clove, orange, lemon, tea tree, sage, vanilla, rose, violet, myrrh, or other flavor of choice.  If you prefer a paste over a powder, mix up 1/4 cup of the toothpowder, add 3 tablespoons glycerin (adjust for the thickness of paste you prefer) and a drop or two of your flavoring oil of choice.  Mix into a thick paste.  Scoop a bit onto your toothbrush.

Please check out the complete article and follow ups for many more homemade solutions.

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More than four in five Americans have some level of gum disease, which can lead to eventual tooth loss if left untreated. Sometimes your dentist may prescribe a deep cleaning for your teeth which is usually performed by a periodontist. Usually this happens when there are visible signs of gum disease, such as swollen or red gums, dental pockets between teeth and gums and even mild cases of gum bleeding while brushing or flossing.

A typical dental cleaning session involves using a mechanical planer to clean all the surfaces of the tooth crown—that part of your teeth that visible outside the gum line. If you have dental pockets and other signs of gum disease, a typical cleaning may not be sufficient and you will be prescribed a deep cleaning session.

During a deep cleaning session, the periodontist—who is an expert on gum disease and treatment—reaches under the gums to clean the teeth roots; besides cleaning the teeth crowns as with a typical dental cleaning. A deep clean can rid you of food debris that has lodged itself underneath the gums as well as plaque, spots of infection referred to as barnacles that adhere to the tooth root and pockets of infection that occur when gums separate themselves from teeth in infected areas.

A deep cleaning session may involve cleaning root surfaces using ultrasonic and hand equipment. Ultra sonic equipment helps clean the teeth without wearing out too much of the tooth root surface. The mechanical planers used on tooth surfaces above the gum line cannot be used to clean parts of your teeth that lie below the gums. Cleaning this part of your teeth can be tricky if there are cracks, grooves, fissures or other issues below the gums. Smoothing out areas is called as root scaling.

At a typical deep cleaning session, you can expect:

• A plaque evaluation, which is sometimes referred to as disclosion;
• Instructions on maintaining oral hygiene;
• Use of probing depth measurements;
• Registration of bleeding during the probing;
• Scaling your teeth for removing plaque;
• Polishing of teeth;
• Application of fluoride;
• A radiograph if required.

The goal of all this is to identify and treat any signs of recurring gum disease. The ultimate goal is to ensure your teeth and gums are healthy, and gums are well attached to teeth, without pockets of infection between teeth and gums.

A typical deep cleaning session may require more than one visit to the periodontist.

Research findings show that periodic deep cleaning sessions, combined with a routine of effective daily self cleaning of plaque helps keep gum disease under control. Daily routines alone are not sufficient to help maintain healthy gums in those who have gum problems. You may also be prescribed with mouth wash or medications such as oral antibiotics, depending on severity of gum disease.

How often you may need maintenance visits involving deep cleaning depends on the condition of your teeth and gums. Typically a routine dental cleaning session every six months would be sufficient to keep your teeth and gums in good health. But, those with signs of or advanced levels of gum disease may be asked to get deep cleaning sessions more frequently.

Read more about dental cleaning in the FreeDentistFinder.com article archive. In particular you may find these articles useful:

• How often should I have a dental exam and cleaning?
• What you need to know about dental cleaning
• Professional dental cleaning sessions reduce risk of heart attack  and stroke

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A lot of people consider their smile as their biggest asset. Gaps between teeth can make people self conscious and make kids shy, preventing them developing social skills and freely moving among their peers. This does not have to be; gaps between teeth can be prevented.

Although we are more familiar with gaps between the upper front teeth, they can appear between any two teeth.

Why do gaps develop between teeth?

Gaps between two adjacent teeth—medically referred to as diastema—can occur due to many reasons. These include:

• Mismatch between size of jaw bones and teeth – If teeth are too small for the jaw, there will be gaps between teeth.
• Missing teeth
• Undersized teeth
• An oversized labial frenum—the tissue that extends from inside the upper lip to the gums above the two upper front teeth—or one that continues to grow can lead to tooth gaps.
• Thumb sucking puts pressure on teeth making them move forward resulting in gaps.
• Tongue pressing against the teeth in an incorrect swallowing reflex can put pressure on teeth which will push forward over time, causing gaps between teeth.
• Loss of bone due to gum disease can make gaps because teeth become loose.
• Gaps between teeth after baby teeth fall out

Some gaps, such as those between baby teeth will most often disappear when permanent teeth erupt. If gaps occurred due to mismatch between teeth and jaw size, these gaps will be permanent. Habits such as thumb sucking can make gaps worse. Whatever the reason, there are as many ways of filling these gaps.

Prevention and treatment

Treatments depend on the cause, before treating your dentist will have to find out the reason for the gaps. Your dentist is the best person who can guide you on what steps you can take to correct the gaps between teeth.

• If the cause is the labial frenum, a surgical operation referred to as a frenectomy can stop the gap developing further. If frenectomy is done early the gap may close on its own. Older kids and adults may need to use braces.
• Bad habits have to be caught and corrected, such as changing the swallowing reflex or stopping thumb sucking. Afterwards braces may be used to close the gaps.
• If gum disease and loose teeth are the cause, it will be necessary to consult a periodontist and obtain treatment. Once gums are healthy, corrective measures can be taken to close any gaps that are left.

Here’s a list of possible methods which can help close the gaps between teeth:

• Braces will help remove the gaps by moving teeth together. A full set of braces on both upper and lower teeth will have to be worn because changes in one part of the mouth can affect other parts. You can opt for standard metal wire braces, lingual braces that are worn behind the teeth and Invisalign which cover the teeth but are transparent.
• Veneers, crowns and bonding can make teeth wider and bridge the gaps.
• Dental implants, a bridge or partial dentures can fill in the spaces left by missing teeth.

Talk to your dentist about the many possibilities that are open to you and select the one that best matches your needs, your budget and your temperament. Some methods such as Invisalign may require more commitment towards success.

If you have seen gaps develop between your child’s teeth, the earlier you take up the matter with your dentist, the better it is.

You can now use the FreeDentistFinder.com network to locate a quality local dentist or dental specialist, such as periodontist, cosmetic dentist, orthodontist or Invisalign dentist for the care that you need.

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Is having dark gums a problem? That depends, more than anything on the color of your skin. Dark people are likely to have dark gums. The dark color comes from a buildup of melanin pigmentation in the gum tissue.

What causes dark gums?

People with darker skin are more likely to find this condition, which is natural.

Other factors can also darken gum tissue.

• Smoking can cause dark patches in the gums.
• Certain medications, including antimalarial agents, minocycline and tricyclic antidepressants can cause discoloration.
• Amalgam tattoos, dark gray or blue spots on the gums, occur in the gum tissue near teeth restored using silver amalgam. This occurs when silver particles from the amalgam fillings get into the gum tissue.
• Gum disease – Gums can also discolor as a result of calculus buildup, leading to gum disease. Calculus is a calcified version of dental plaque that usually forms on and under the gum line or between teeth. But it can also build up on the surface of gums as yellow or dark brown spots or patches. It tends to be rather common among children.
• Black gum disease—medically known as necrotizing periodontal disease—is an infection that kills your gum tissue. The disease appears as blunted gum tissue and can be accompanied by pain, bleeding, an unpleasant odor and black dead gum tissue. Black gum disease occur with a combination of poor nutrition, stress, smoking, viral infections including HIV and autoimmune diseases. It is a serious condition that should be immediately shown to a periodontist.

Can dark gums be avoided?

If your skin color is dark, dark gums is not something you need to worry about because it is not a medical condition. If the darker color is due to smoking, giving up may be a good solution. If medications are causing your gums to darken, talk to your doctor about changing to alternatives. Although amalgam fillings do not always lead to amalgam tattoos, some people prefer alternatives to amalgam.

If your gums are dark because of the beginnings of gum disease, you can easily change that by brushing and flossing twice a day for two minutes each time. If the dark spots are there already, you need to visit your dentist and get treatment, and also to get your teeth professionally cleaned. After that, visiting the dentist twice a year and brushing regularly will help you avoid gum disease.

Treatments for dark gums

Whatever the cause, some people are bothered by the aesthetic aspect, and wish to do away with the dark color from their gums.

First of all, you need to find the reason for the dark color, besides your genetic heritage, and remove the causes. Then, if it does not go away, you may seek treatments to lighten the color of your gums.

Treatments include surgically removing the pigmented layers, transplanting new tissue or use of laser beams to bleach the pigmented areas into a more natural pink color. These techniques are effective for removing both natural pigmentation and dark patches from amalgam tattoos. In a few people, the pigmentation may return some time after treatment.

FreeDentistFinder.com can help you find a local dentist who will check and clean your teeth, and help remove the dark pigmentation on your gums.

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Tooth loss is an inescapable reality. When it comes to replacing them, you face that inevitable question: Dentures or Implants? Most people don’t know enough about either option. But, answering this question becomes easier now with the implant side being able to boast about the All-on-Four treatment concept.

With the All-on-Four treatment, you can go home immediately with a loaded and fixed set of teeth supported by 4 implants on each jaw. The survival rate for a group of 165 patients who collectively had over 700 implants showed that, after 29 months from implant, survival rate exceeded 99 percent. Now, wouldn’t that be something any person who has lost teeth can buy into? Or should we say, bite into?

Although dentures have been around for years, they can be tricky and troublesome with practical, aesthetic and phonetic reasons making them less than ideal solutions. Pain and discomfort, stability issues, poor retention and difficulty in chewing and biting are common complaints. Dentures can also affect speech and hearing in those who wear them. A number of studies have shown that implants deliver a better quality of life, overall when compared with dentures.

The American Association for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons is of the view that dental implants are frequently the best treatment option for replacing missing teeth. But, you cannot always depend on your dentist to recommend implants as there appears to be a resistance to implant dentistry among certain dentists; and in favor of saving natural teeth.

The key reasons for tooth loss are dental caries, gum disease and poor oral hygiene. The need for an effective method of replacing missing teeth fast is essential because tooth loss can affect oral health, general health and the quality of life for patients. The urgency for effective treatment increases as the number of adults in the US who will need to replace one or both sets of teeth would reach 37 million by 2020. This figure for 2000 was 35.4 million adults.

This technique is not suitable for those who lack sufficient quality and quantity in bones needed for implant placement. It is also not suitable for those who have a history of teeth grinding and other habits which can impede success. Patients should not have a compromised medical history that would affect implant placement.

You can find out more about dentures and implants on FreeDentistFinder.com section on Dental Treatments.

FreeDentistFinder.com can help you find a local dentist or local implant dentist.

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How would you like a way to stop tooth decay, rebuild damaged teeth and to have your fillings done without drilling? Yes, it sounds too good to be true.  But that is exactly what happens with the revolutionary method of treating tooth decay that was developed by researchers at the University of Leeds, in the UK.

Working together with researchers in the University of Leeds’ School of Chemistry, researchers from the University of Leeds Dental Institute developed a ‘magic fluid which dentists can apply to a patient’s tooth at the slightest observation of tooth decay.

Says Professor Jennifer Kirkham who led the team that developed the technique: “This may sound too good to be true, but we are essentially helping acid-damaged teeth to regenerate themselves. It is a totally natural non-surgical repair process and is entirely pain-free too.”

How it works

The fluid gets inside the tiny pores that begin the process of tooth decay and forms a gel. This happens because it contains a peptide called P11-4 which can assemble itself into a fibrous gel given the right conditions. The fibrous gel provides a structure on which calcium can build up, helping regenerate the tooth from the inside. This process can make drilling and painful fillings obsolete to a large degree.

But does it work in real patients, outside of labs?

Recently the technique was tested on a small group of adults whose dentists observed early signs of tooth decay and the results show that the peptide can actually help reverse acid damage and help regenerate tooth tissue.

Professor Paul Brunton who oversees the patient testing at the University of Leeds Dental Institute finds the results of the tests so far extremely promising. Says he: “If these results can be repeated on a larger patient group, then I have no doubt whatsoever that in two to three years time this technique will be available for dentists to use in their daily practice.”

Now wouldn’t that be something you can look forward to? It is even more wonderful news to those who hate the dentist’s drill and suffer from dental anxiety even though drill may have nothing to do with the type of treatment they need.

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