Toothspot - All About Teeth

Cracked Teeth Below are some answers to common questions patient's have about cracked teeth:  Why Do Teeth Crack? Will My Grinding Habit Make It Worse? Why Does It Hurt To Bite On It? Why Is It Sensitive to Hot and Cold? What Will Happen If I Just Do Nothing? What's The Usual Treatment for A Cracked Tooth? Is It Possible That The Nerve Is Already Dead? Is It Safe to Leave A Tooth With a Dead Nerve? If The Nerve is Dead, Do I still Need a Crown? Doesn't The Nerve Always Recover? Why Do Teeth Crack? Cracked tooth syndrome is a very common problem usually affecting teeth that have large amalgam (silver) fillings. Large fillings weaken the remaining tooth structure. Like all materials, teeth are subject to forces of stress fatigue.  Will My Grinding Habit Make It Worse? Yes. Almost everyone, at some point in their life, grinds their teeth. Grinding can increase the stress and strain on a tooth by 200 to 300%, especially if you'

Teeth Grinding  Wearing of the chewing surfaces if your teeth occurs normally throughout life at a slow pace. Just the friction of the upper and lower teeth moving against one another wears away your enamel. You don't notice it because it is such as low process. Though, you might notice that the biting surfaces if your lower incisors appear more yellow than they used to. Depending on your age, the yellow you are looking at is probably dentin (the layer under enamel). You may have also noticed that your upper front teeth are beginning to chip.  The normal process of attrition can become greatly accelerated if your teeth don't fit together properly. In other words, if your normal bite is off to one side and not evenly balanced with the teeth interlocking, you can have problems with excessive loss of tooth structure. One out of every four adults falls into this category a some level. Grinding and clenching are usually a physical manifestation of stress. It occurs at night

How can I make my teeth whiter? Bleaching or veneers are typically the best choice unless you have existing dental work. If you currently have crowns, you may have to have them replaced to whiten your smile. If you have bonding or tooth colored fillings, you may need to change them following bleaching.   Which bleaching method is the best? If your teeth are receptive to bleaching, all methods will eventually lighten your teeth to a similar result, though, some methods may take longer than others. The in-office treatments offered by your dentist will give you the quickest result. The tray method will also whiten your teeth over a longer period of time (generally about 2 weeks). Are there any reasons I shouldn't bleach my teeth? Yes. You shouldn't bleach your teeth if your pregnant, nursing, or have any infections related to your teeth or gums. You might also consider avoiding bleaching if you have excessively sensitive teeth.  So, How long w

Bad Breath (halitosis) My breath gets worse throughout the day, what's going on? Do you breath through your mouth? Do you spend most of your day speaking? This is often a common problem for people whose jobs require them to speak quite a bit. Talking or mouth breathing dries out the tissues in the mouth and makes for an ideal environment for odor-causing bacteria. You might want to carry a bottle of water with you. Frequent sips will keep your mouth moist and stimulate salivary flow. I brush my teeth constantly, but I still have bad breath. What can I do? Brushing and flossing are definitively the first steps to eliminating bad breath. Brushing and flossing remove bacteria responsible for creating odorous sulfur compounds and the food these bacteria feed on. However, bacteria hide not only on and around the teeth but also on the tongue under a layer of mucous. Here they are free to create odorous sulfur compounds. You might want to consider using a tong