Blog

Sep 12
0

Seven Reasons to Consider Cosmetic Dentistry

By | Dental Article | No Comments

Cosmetic DentistryCosmetic Dentistry is an often misunderstood field. People tend to ignore the massive benefits of cosmetic dental treatments and instead focus on the implications of the name — that it’s an extra service and not necessary. But Pacific Dental Care would like to give you a few reasons why you should take cosmetic dentistry a little more seriously.

1.) Cosmetic Dentistry Can Improve Your Oral and Overall Health

Cosmetic dentistry, it’s not just about aesthetic enhancement or making superficial or artificial improvements to your smile. Lots of cosmetic procedures can also improve your overall dental hygiene. Tooth-colored fillings are a common cosmetic dental procedure that repairs and seals a cavity. A metallic filling can be less-than-desirable and often contain mercury. Dental implants can replace your tooth if your tooth is in stages of advanced decay past the point of reparation.

Invisalign or dental bonding can alleviate an improper bite alignment, which will then prevent costly corrective measures down the road. Gum lifts which can adjust the gum line not only make your teeth and gums look better, it also prevents food from getting trapped beneath the gums (this can result in cavities or gum disease). Gum disease, as we know, is one of the leading causes of tooth loss, tissue damage, and bone loss. A full cosmetic dental overhaul will help increase your overall health in the long run and leave you with a movie star quality smile in the process.

2.) Cosmetic Dentistry Will Improve Your Self-Confidence

It’s amazing what a simple cosmetic dental treatment with Pacific Dental Care can do for a patient’s self esteem. We’re great at improving our patient’s self-confidence and setting them up for great oral health successes in the future.

An aesthetically pleasing smile can open doors you never knew existed. You might smile more at work or during interviews and gain new opportunities. Your supervisor might notice a positive change which will put you in conversation for promotion during your next review. You might gain access to new social circles. A healthy smile can mean better friendships and deeper, more meaningful relationships.You may go from introvert to extrovert overnight. Self-confidence and a fantastic smile seem to go hand-in-hand. People will take notice when you smile. Ultimately, you’ll be able to execute networking scenarios to better ends. You might even get noticed by that special someone.

3.) You Just Might Improve Your Diet, too

Or make the act of eating even more enjoyable. Fixing your smile might make certain problematic foods easier to eat. For example, with an overbite or underbite, you might not be able to eat certain types of fruits and veggies as easily. Its’ also more likely that people will take care of something that they’re proud of. If you’re proud of your smile, it’s easier to maintain a healthier diet and cleaning schedule which helps maintain that brand new smile.

4.) Improve Overall Speech

In many instances dental issues will cause speech impediments. A bite problem can make speaking harder than it should be. Gaps in teeth can create whistles or lisps, same with overbites and other alignment issues. After a Pacific Dental Care cosmetic dental procedure, many patients report experiencing easier speaking and eating. Being confident in your smile will likely make you less self conscious, making you better at public speaking.

5.) Healthy Dental Habits Last a Lifetime

Cosmetic dental treatments will often act as a catalyst that inspires patients to take better care of their teeth from that moment onward. Getting any cosmetic procedure done is an investment, and many people put in time necessary to protect their investment. Patients who have that smile they’ve always wanted are far more likely to brush, floss, and rinse more regularly.

6.) Inspire Early Growth and Self-Esteem in Young Ones

Children and teens seem to get the worst of it when it comes to ridicule and cruelty. Some of us even have to seek therapy for the injustices we endured in elementary, middle, and high school.  Social acceptance seems quite a bit more vital during these school years. Kids are very self-aware of their looks during these times. Some children and teens may not desire braces, because their classmates might take notice. Nowadays dentistry has advanced to amazing places. Invisalign will discretely fix and improve a child’s smile. With a new smile makeover, your child can:

  • Land that major role in the next school play.
  • Build a foundation of self-confidence and self-belief that will endure and shine for a lifetime.
  • Interview more effectively and dynamically for schools, internships, and jobs.
  • Get noticed by that special someone for the Sadie Hawkins Dance (another confidence boost!)

7.) You’ll Save Money

Cosmetic dentistry might seem a little expensive on the front end, but you’re making an important investment in your smile. Having a cosmetic dentist replace old fillings, correct bite alignment problems will prevent costly future dental issues, paying off in the long run. Overbites, can often cause jaw stress which lead to stressed, even cracked or broken teeth. Food also won’t get trapped as easily, which will help you enjoy cuisine more. You’ll also notice fewer cavities during your subsequent visits. As you can imagine, cosmetic dental procedures are interwoven with preventative dentistry.

Now that we’ve gone over the numerous ways that cosmetic goes beyond simply the physical and superficial, are you starting to think it could be right for you? Contact us today with any questions about our cosmetic dental procedures. Give us a call or schedule your appointment to discuss concerns with Pacific Dental Care today.

Aug 08
0

Differences Between Adult and Children’s Orthodontics

By | Dental Article | No Comments

BracesWith advancements in orthodontics, more and more adults are searching out treatment for oral problems that they’ve had since they were young. In fact, up to half of all orthodontic patients are now adults. However, if you’re looking into orthodontics at an older age, you should know that there are significant differences between adult braces and children’s braces.

Age-Related Concerns

Simply due to the passage of time, adult patients typically suffer from conditions that younger patients don’t have to worry about, such as mild gingivitis, marginal bone loss, and inadequate blood supply due to insufficient bone between roots. Bones also grow harder as you age, and this aging of the tissue means it will often take an older patient longer to adjust to the repositioning of teeth. These biomechanical limitations can lead to a longer and more involved process in adults than in children.

Tooth Extraction Problems

Many adults have had a tooth or two extracted at some time in their youth, and this can become an issue for orthodontists. Old extraction sites might not be good locations for teeth to be relocated, and they could require restoration by adding prosthetic bone to the area in question. And since adult bone doesn’t respond to pressure as well as growing bone, closing extraction gaps between teeth (and keeping them closed) is a more difficult process.

Bite Correction

One of the major reasons patients opt for orthodontic treatment is to correct an improper bite. In adult patients suffering from a deep overbite, there is often not enough room inside the mouth to correct the bite without extracting one or more teeth. As you get older, your likelihood of wearing parts of teeth down greatly increases, which can worsen your overbite, and make the process even harder. In these cases, an orthodontist’s goal may be to make an adult patient’s bite functional rather than perfect.

Root Resorption Risk

Patients undergoing adult orthodontics treatment run a higher risk of root resorption than children. This happens when your body reabsorbs the root of a tooth, leaving it without anchorage. It can be caused by factors such as family history, the type of roots you have, and oral habits.

If you have root resorption problems and your treatment causes friction to your roots, this can lead to your teeth becoming loose and falling out over time. Close monitoring can help an orthodontist discover signs of resorption, but if it’s not caught early, then it’s often untreatable.

Psychological and Social Considerations

Since people are more used to children wearing braces, adults looking into orthodontics are faced with higher levels of appearance concern, discomfort from wearing dental appliances, and heightened treatment expectations.

Orthodontics are a viable option for tooth correction, but one that must be considered differently for adults and children. If you’d like to know more about adult orthodontics, don’t hesitate to contact Pacific Dental Care today.

Jul 17
0

Should I Have My Wisdom Teeth Removed?

By | Dental Article | No Comments

Wisdom Tooth CarttonGetting your wisdom teeth taken out is an expected procedure for many young adults, with an estimated 10 million wisdom teeth removed from 5 million people each year. But many of these surgeries may not be necessary. Here at Pacific Dental Care, we want to make sure you know all the facts before you decide whether or not to have your wisdom teeth removed.

What are wisdom teeth?

Typically coming in during your late teens or early twenties, wisdom teeth are your third and final set of molars. When properly aligned and healthy, these teeth can be a valuable addition to your mouth, but more often than not, they enter your mouth misaligned. That could mean they come in horizontally, angled inward or outward, or tilted toward or away from your second molars. Any of these alignment issues can damage or crowd adjacent teeth, your jawbone, or your nerves in general.

Another potential problem with wisdom teeth is when they come in impacted or enclosed within the jawbone or soft tissue in a way that they only partially break through your gum line. This partial eruption creates an avenue for bacteria to enter into your teeth and cause an infection, and since these teeth become hard to reach and clean, this increases your likelihood of future tooth decay tremendously.

When should you have your wisdom teeth removed?

Dentists choose to remove your wisdom teeth when they are causing problems, or when X-rays show that they may cause problems down the line. They look at your age, the position of your teeth, and the shape of your mouth to project any potential issues. Many dentists remove molars that are seemingly healthy now because there’s a chance of future problems and because the longer you wait, the more difficult teeth get to remove. So even though your wisdom teeth may not be hurting now, removal could be the right option.

Along with the alignment and impaction problems listed above, other symptoms that may lead to wisdom teeth removal include:

  • Jaw damage: Sometimes cysts will form around a new group of wisdom teeth, and if these issues aren’t treated, they can damage nerves and hollow out your jaw.
  • Gum inflammation: Tissue around the wisdom teeth may become sensitive and swell, which could be painful and make the area harder to clean.
  • Sinus issues: Sinus pain, pressure, and congestion can all arise from problems stemming from your wisdom teeth.
  • Cavities: Gum swelling around the wisdom teeth may create pockets between teeth that are difficult to clean and help cavities form and bacteria grow.

With regular checkups, your dental professional will know whether or not you should have your wisdom teeth removed. So make sure to keep to the schedule of a routine check-up every six months. And if you have any questions about your wisdom teeth, don’t hesitate to call Pacific Dental Care and ask.

MENU