This article provides a brief description of dental implants, what their benefits are and why people sometimes need them.

Considered as one of the most significant advances made in the field of dental science in recent decades, dental implants offer benefits that would have you wondering why you would ever consider another option. Aside from the fact that they are virtually impossible to differentiate from natural healthy teeth, the biological fusion between the jawbone and titanium screw comprising the dental implant allows the complete tooth replacement structure to stay firmly ‘rooted’ in the jawbone and work very similar to a natural tooth!

Unfortunately, the need for dental implants can be as unavoidable as the need to take out the trash. At some point, regardless of your age, (accidents happen!) a trip to the dentist’s office will be necessary. Tooth loss can be the result of accidental trauma, tooth decay, dental caries, certain illnesses and periodontal (gum) disease. These oral afflictions are almost always the result of poor dental hygiene and a lack of professional care. Rest assured; the dentist in Silver Spring MD supplies the best solution modern dentistry has to offer patients who have lost teeth: dental implants!

What Are the Benefits of Dental Implants?

• Minimum discomfort: Aided by sophisticated computer software and 3D Cone Beam CT scans, implant dentists are able to place dental implants using very few incisions and sutures. Since this kind of trauma is what’s responsible for most post-operative pain, recovery is hastened and made far more comfortable.

• Restoration of smile aesthetics: Gaps left by missing teeth are filled by the dental implants, thus restoring a full, healthy-looking and confident smile.

• Restoration of bite strength and function: Dental implants are strong and function like natural teeth, meaning that you can return to enjoying your favorite foods as soon as the implants have properly healed.

• Improved speech: Missing teeth can and do affect speech and one’s ability to articulate their words properly. By filling the gaps left by missing teeth, dental implants help to address this problem, returning the proper interaction between the teeth, tongue and lips during speaking.

• Fixed and non-removable: Dental implants are ‘rooted’ in the bone of the jaw and as such, they do not require support from surrounding teeth (like conventional bridges) and underlying gums (like removable dentures). This prevents them from causing irritation, damage and inflammation.

• Lasting solution: If looked after properly with good oral hygiene as well as frequent visits to your friendly dental healthcare professional, your new teeth can last several decades and even a lifetime! This makes dental implants the perfect long-term option for addressing your missing teeth misery.

It’s not as if you need more reasons to be convinced, but just in case, additional benefits of dental implants include: the promotion of dental stability, functional stimulation and preservation of bone and gum shape. When we lose teeth, the gum tissue and bone in the surrounding areas atrophies and begins to disappear, undergoing a natural remodeling process. Left untreated, this can cause many aesthetic and functional problems for the surrounding teeth. However, a Silver Spring dentist can offer solutions, complete with all the benefits mentioned above, giving you the opportunity to walk away with a beautiful, healthy and beaming smile.

This two-part article series discusses the predominant causes of halitosis, helping people understand what they need to do (or NOT do) to prevent bad breath!

No matter how blessed you are in the “looks” department, there is no greater damper on attraction than bad breath. You could have a smile worthy of a celebrity and a body that would give the Baywatch crew a run for their money (before they all went off the rails), but if you breath halitosis all over the object of your affection, chances are they’ll run a mile… with your less attractive best friend in tow! Thankfully, the dentist in Silver Spring MD has provided us with the inside scoop so that, armed with this information; you can do what it takes to prevent beastly breath!

1. Bad Breath is Caused by Bacteria

According to Silver Spring dentists, most of the time, the cause behind stinky breath is bacteria. That’s right… a ponging mouth is evidence that it is home to unhealthy levels of oral bacteria. But it’s not actually the bacteria you smell when that awful boss of yours comes and breathes all over your cubicle: it’s the wastes they produce! Just like any other animal on the planet, bacteria produce wastes and these are high in sulfurous compounds.

As charming as that thought ISN’T, it does mean that preventing bad breath is pretty easy. A rigorous home oral hygiene should be sufficient to keep your breath fresh and smelling perfectly acceptable! What does this involve?

• Brush at least two to three times a day, for two minutes at a time.
• Floss your teeth before you go to bed at night.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Gargle with an ADA-approved anti-bacterial mouthwash.
• Go for regularly scheduled appointments with the oral hygienist.
  

Minimizing bacterial activity in your mouth also means avoiding foods that are high in sugar and starch, as well as certain bad habits, such as smoking and excessive drinking.

2. You Are What You Eat

And if what you eat is stinky, then your breath will likely smell bad. Blue cheese may smell delectable perched on a cracker, but coming from your mouth…? Not so much. There are a variety of foods that are known to sour breath. In most cases, a decent brush and floss can eliminate the smell of, for example, stinky cheese, anchovies, coffee and banana (surprisingly enough).

But, the pungent juices of other foods, such as onions and garlic actually get absorbed by the bloodstream and are expelled via your lungs. So, no matter how vigorously you brush, you won’t fully be able to get rid of the smell of last night’s Thai stir-fry! If you have a hot date and don’t want to risk putting him or her off, your very best bet is to lay off the garlic the night before.

Alcohol is also absorbed by the bloodstream, which is why your breath smells like petrol the morning after a heavy night on the town. Unfortunately, no amount of brushing will eliminate that smell either, only time and plenty of water, which should help for that particularly nasty headache too.

Stay Tuned for Part 2

To read more about the causes of bad breath and Silver Spring dentists’ recommendations, stay tuned for the second installment of our two-part article series.

This two-part article series focuses on the various cosmetic procedures specifically designed to improve upon the evenness and symmetry of one’s gums and gum line.

Welcome back to our two-part article series on the various cosmetic treatments available for gums that depreciate the overall aesthetics of your smile. As we explained in Part 1 of the series, the gums simply don’t get the attention or credit they deserve as far as smile appearance is concerned, when in fact they make a huge difference! Pink, healthy gums are as important to your smile as symmetrical, white teeth. We spoke to some dentists in Silver Spring Maryland, about what can be done for patients who are in good oral health, but whose gums just aren’t up to scratch.

Here’s what they had to say…

Cosmetic Solutions for Aesthetically “Bad” Gums: A Recap of Crown Lengthening

The first treatment these dental health care professionals explained was Crown Lengthening, which is recommended for patients who have an atypical gum-to-crown ratio resulting in a gummy smile and teeth that appear to be short and stubby. We’ll now take a look at the reverse situation…

Cosmetic Solutions for Aesthetically “Bad” Gums: Gum Grafts

In cases where patients present will gums that have receded unnaturally from the crowns of the teeth, revealing a greater portion of the crowns or even the roots, dentists in Silver Spring Maryland may recommend gum grafting. Gum recession is often the result of gum disease, aggressive brushing or tongue and lip piercings that have wrought localized soft tissue damage. Either way, it will be the priority of your dentist to treat any infection before addressing the damage done.

“Gum grafting, like crown lengthening, is a fairly simple treatment that involves the lifting of a tiny sliver of soft tissue usually from the roof of the mouth,” explains a dentist in Silver Spring MD. “It is then grafted over the location that is lacking gum tissue. This can either be localized around a specific tooth or, in the case of patients who have been “born” with large crowns, along the length of the gum line.”

Gum grafting is performed to restore a more natural and aesthetic gum-to-crown ratio and in this respect it is a cosmetic treatment. However, it also plays an important role in restoring oral health and oral comfort, especially where the roots of the teeth have become exposed due to gum disease or aggressive brushing. By covering the roots up again, they become less vulnerable to decay and to sensitivity caused by temperature extremes. This is more comfortable for the patient.

A Final Note on Cosmetic Dentistry for the Gums

Most people are convinced that a teeth whitening treatment or restorations like veneers will give them the smile they want, when in many cases, it’s the health of the gums that’s begging attention. “What makes a smile beautiful is healthy teeth and gums,” say dentists in Silver Spring MD. “With good oral hygiene and lifelong health, you can get that perfect smile for a fraction of the cost. And if imperfect gums are in your genetic packet, there are simple, inexpensive and straightforward cosmetic treatments available!”