A Root Canal Can Save Your Tooth

The prospect of a root canal can inspire fear in even the bravest dental patient. However, there’s no need to fear this procedure. You’ll find that root canals aren’t nearly as painful or uncomfortable as their reputation implies, and often they are the best option for saving your teeth from being extracted. In the long run, root canals can preserve your natural tooth, allowing you to retain a healthy bite.

The Problem

It used to be that infected or damaged teeth had no hope of being restored and were addressed by being extracted. This tactic had many drawbacks. Tooth extractions bring on their own slew of dental problems if the tooth is not subsequently replaced, including causing neighboring teeth to shift, distorting your healthy bite, and diminishing jaw bone density over time.

How Can a Root Canal Help?

A root canal keeps as much of your natural tooth as is possible, maintaining your jaw strength and keeping your other teeth healthy and in place.

During root canal treatment, the infected tooth pulp is removed, and the interior of the tooth is cleaned, filled, and sealed. After this is done, a crown or filling is applied to the tooth to protect it. After this work is done, your tooth will work just like any other healthy tooth.

This procedure can be done in as few as two dental appointments, one for the procedure and the second for crown delivery. A root canal is a conservative approach to dentistry, saving the patient time, money, and discomfort.

Benefits of Saving Your Natural Tooth

A root canal saves your natural tooth, and that provides many immediate and long-term benefits, such as:

• Preserves a natural appearance
• Maintains a normal bite
• Protects other healthy teeth
• Improves chewing efficiency

Make an Appointment with Southwest Family Dental

If you have a damaged or infected tooth, don’t wait till it’s causing excruciating pain before coming in to see us. Make an appointment at our Bakersfield dental office so we can discuss options and restore your oral health.

Dental Implant-Supported Dentures or Conventional Dentures: What’s the Best Fit for You?

There are many factors that lead to tooth loss.  While often thought of as a problem singularly affecting elderly patients, younger individuals also undergo dental trauma, damage or decay, and medical conditions that may require them to look for tooth replacement options. With several to choose from, dentures present its own set of benefits and disadvantages. Conventional dentures and dental implant supported dentures are two option to replace missing teeth and your dentist will help you determine which solution will best fit your personal dental needs.

Defining the Differences

Both dental implant-supported dentures and conventional dentures offer comprehensive solutions for individuals suffering from tooth loss. However, there are certain benefits associated with dental implants that may not be accessible with conventional dentures. The differences between the two options affect the level of stability and comfort.

 

Conventional dentures- Conventional dentures are fully removable, and must be taken out daily to be cleaned. Without implants to support the restoration, the denture rests on the gums.

Dental Implant-Supported Dentures- This type of denture is attached to and supported by dental implants, and is fused to the bone for durability and longevity. This option is viable when a patient does not have any teeth in their mouth, but has enough bone in their jaw to support an implant. Your denture may snap on to make daily cleaning easy or can be fixed to the implants, leaving patients with a permanent set of replacement teeth.

Weighing Your Options

Many people find that dental implant-supported dentures offer many benefits over conventional dentures. Implant-supported dentures are more stable and will create a more confident smile throughout the day. These implants will not move during eating or speaking for an improved quality of life.

Since conventional dentures need to rest on your gums, patients need to keep them stable with adhesive resins that may not last throughout the day, causing the plates to slip around when speaking or chewing. Additionally, dentures may cause discomfort as the plates irritate the soft tissue inside the mouth.

Some patients may not have enough bone to support implants and will need to opt this traditional solution. Others may not be keen on surgical placement or may not have the money or insurance benefits to support the added cost of dental implants.

Make an Appointment!

If left untreated, missing teeth can lead to many different oral and long-term overall health problems. If you have one or more missing teeth, contact our Bakersfield dental office to schedule a consultation and learn about your options to restore your smile.

What is Phase Orthodontics for Children?

When it comes to orthodontics for children, there is no “one size fits all” solution. While some children will require orthodontic treatment in phases, spanning years and starting early in life, others will be able to skip early treatments and go right into getting braces at an older age. Whether your child will need treatments in phases or not, it’s important to understand all of your options before committing to one orthodontic treatment.

Phase I Orthodontic Treatment

Also known as “Early Treatment,” Phase I Orthodontics begin when the patient is between the ages of 7 to 10. Early treatment is highly effective for children who will need some form of braces to correct bite problems due to skeletal imbalance issues, overcrowding, or misaligned teeth when there is a mix of baby and adult teeth.

Ideally, Phase I Orthodontics is designed to create a better environment for the introduction of adult teeth, and to correct jaw problems when the growth and size of the jaws are still malleable. While not every child needing braces needs this preliminary orthodontic treatment, those that have undergone Phase I Orthodontics have greatly benefited from this form of early intervention. This phase of treatment takes about 6 to 12 months and could include one or more types of treatment using orthodontia including:

• Expanders
• Spacers
• Braces
• Retainers

Phase II Orthodontic Treatment

The majority of patients that undergo Phase I Orthodontic care will require a second round of treatment once adult teeth come in. Sometimes, this secondary treatment is less involved than what it would have been if the Phase I treatment was not implemented. This second phase of treatment will take about 12 to 24 months.

Conventional Treatment

Traditional braces are implemented after all of the patient’s permanent teeth have come in. On average, patients receiving conventional braces are around 11 to 13 years of age, having not undergone Phase I and II orthodontic treatments. On average, children who go right into conventional braces may need teeth extracted or surgery to expand the palate in order to create a healthy bite.

Orthodontics in Bakersfield

With so many different treatments available, it is important to visit your orthodontist early. At Southwest Family Dentistry, we recommend bringing your child in for their first orthodontic appointment by age seven. At this stage, their permanent teeth are starting to come in and problem areas can be pinpointed quickly.

Don’t wait until your child starts experiencing discomfort or low self-esteem because of their smile. Schedule a consultation at Southwest Family Dentistry to see if phase orthodontic treatment or conventional braces would benefit your child. Contact us today!

Welcome To Our Blog

We're excited to announce the official launch of our Southwest Family Dentistry blog.

We'll be posting helpful dental tips, news from the dental industry, news from our practice, and more about the latest in dentistry.

We built our practice on the notion that we're there for our patients when they need us and we want our online presence to be a reflection of that principle. We hope this blog provides an extra level of service to our current and future patients.

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Here's to your best oral health ever!