What Causes Teeth Grinding?

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Teeth grinding, also known as bruxism, affects numerous people. Unfortunately, it can cause a variety of problems such as sensitive teeth, headaches, jaw pain, and more. If you are one of the many who grind your teeth during the day or at night and wonder why it’s happening and what your dentist in Medina, OH can do about it, here’s what you need to know.

Stress and Anxiety

Should you be under stress at school, work, or within your personal life, the anxiety you are feeling will likely be a primary reason why you are grinding your teeth. For some people, this habit is developed and exacerbated when they are involved in intense concentration, such as when taking a test.

Foods and Drugs

Unfortunately, if you love coffee, alcoholic drinks, or tobacco products, all of these can be causing your teeth grinding. In many instances, these things cause or worsen acid reflux in certain individuals, which is often related to nighttime teeth grinding. In some cases, people who are taking medications to treat depression report teeth grinding to be a side effect. By cutting back or eliminating some of these items from your life, your teeth grinding may disappear as well.

Treatments

2If you suffer from teeth grinding, your dentist will probably outfit you with a night guard. Resembling a retainer you may have worn years ago if you had braces, the night guard will be customized for your mouth and be worn while you sleep to prevent your teeth from being damaged. Other forms of treatment can include being prescribed muscle relaxers that help relax the jaw at night, or using stress management techniques such as biofeedback or meditation to reduce stress levels.

Address the Underlying Cause

While dentists agree these treatments can be effective, they also emphasize that patients need to address the underlying cause of their teeth grinding. Since no treatment is looked upon as a silver bullet, getting to the cause of stress, anxiety, and tension can be life-changing and put a stop to teeth grinding.

Whether you grind your teeth more during the day or night, finding out why it is happening and seeking appropriate dental treatment is important. Rather than risk tooth fractures or jaw issues, discuss your teeth grinding in detail with your dentist in Medina, OH

Your Child Is Afraid of the Dentist? What You Can Do

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Lots of kids have feelings of trepidation about visiting the dentist. Some children feel this way because they’ve picked up on fears from their friends. Other kids are just shy.

If your child has some fears about going to see the dentist, you can take action to make visiting the dentist in Medina, OH a more positive experience. By helping your child to develop a more positive view of the dentist, you can help set up your little one to have good oral hygiene into adulthood. Here’s what you can do to make a difference.

Talk Positively About the Dentist

Your child will take notice of the way you talk about the dentist. If you say good things about the dentist, then your child will have more positive associations with the dentist. Say good things about your visits to the dentist – both before and after. Make a point of saying these things in front of your child to ensure they hear you.

Play “Dentist”

Children often work through their fears by playing out stressful experiences. You can show that visiting the dentist is a good experience by playing “dentist office” with your child.

Pretend to be the dentist, and have your child be the patient. Show your child the way the dentist will look at their mouth and compliment their teeth. If your child wants to take a turn being a dentist, let them!

Read Books About the Dentist

There are many children’s books about the dentist that show what the experience is like. Reading your child books before taking them to the dentist will help them feel like they know what to expect.

Find a Dentist With Pediatric Experience

When the time comes to make a dental checkup appointment in Medina OH, make an appointment with a dentist who has pediatric experience. Finding a good pediatric dentist will help ensure a good experience.

Pediatric dentists know how to help kids feel comfortable and often have special equipment and even toys that can make the experience better for your child. Not sure which dentists are best?

Call around to the dentists in your area to ask questions about how they handle pediatric patients. Calling around to dentists can help you find a professional that you’re comfortable with.

4 Common Questions About Everyday Tooth Care

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Do you have questions about dental care? Do you forget to ask these questions to your dental provider when you’re sitting in the dentist’s chair? That’s a common problem! In this article, we’ll go over some of the most common questions that people ask their dentist when they have time.

1. How often should I see my dentist?

Most dentists recommend that patients come back for their general cleaning every 6 months. Your dentist may recommend that you return more frequently because of a condition that you have or for other reasons. It’s important to see your dentist as often as recommended. Next time you go in for a teeth cleaning, your dentist should tell you how long to wait before making your next appointment.

2. How many times per day should I brush and floss?

Unless directed to do otherwise by your dentist, you should brush your teeth twice per day – once in the evening and once in the morning. Floss at least once per day, unless otherwise directed by your dentist. To ensure that the flossing and brushing is being done correctly, contact your dentist in Medina, OH.

3. Is mouthwash necessary?

Mouthwash is not necessary unless your dentist prescribes special mouthwash, or instructs you to use mouthwash. However, mouthwash can be a good tool to keep your mouth clean and your breath fresh. Use mouthwash according to instructions. There are different types of mouthwash including prescription products, mouthwash that prevents gingivitis and so on. The best mouthwash is the kind recommended by your dentist.

4. What can I do to prevent cavities?

There are many things you can do to prevent cavities.

  • Brush your teeth twice per day.
  • Floss once daily.
  • Avoid drinking sugary drinks or eating sugary foods, like candy.
  • Drink more tap water.
  • Consider dental sealant.
  • Get fluoride treatment from your dentist.

Want to know more about taking care of your teeth? Make an appointment.

At Evanko Dental Group of Medina, we’re committed to the care of our patient’s teeth. We’ll be happy to help you take care of your teeth, and would love to answer your dental care questions. Write them down, and bring them with you when it’s time to have your next dentist appointment.

5 of the Most Damaging Things You Do to Your Teeth (and don’t even know it)

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Patients are often surprised to learn during a general dentist appointment that they have problems with their teeth. Unfortunately, a lot of seemingly find habits and actions may put the health of your mouth at risk.

1. Brushing immediately after a meal

It can sound counterintuitive, but brushing immediately after you eat or drink may actually be bad for your smile. Acidic foods can raise the pH levels in your mouth temporarily, which means when you brush right after eating, you could be inadvertently encouraging tooth enamel to break down. As a good rule of thumb, try to wait around an hour to brush after eating.

2. Chewing on hard objects

The end of your pen, your fingernails, a metal hairpin—chewing on things can be a bit of a hard-to-break habit. However, this is one habit you really should break to protect your teeth. If you are constantly nibbling on hard objects, you can wear down the enamel of your teeth in certain spots and open up your smile to a host of problems.

3. Skipping the fluoride

Fluoride can be really valuable for your teeth. The ingredient can help remineralize the enamel of your teeth, which is important to protect your teeth from decay. If you drink only filtered water without added fluoride, don’t eat foods rich in the mineral, and don’t use dental hygiene products with fluoride, you could be putting your smile at risk.

4. Using low-quality dental hygiene products

Dental hygiene is ever-important to your oral health, but you do need to use high-quality dental hygiene products. A few pointers to remember:

  • Skip generic mouthwash that may cause more harm than good
  • Opt for toothbrushes made by recognizable manufacturers
  • Use high-quality floss or flossing tools

In general, if you look for products that have been approved by the ADA, you should be fine.

5. Chomping on sugar-ridden chewing gum

Some chewing gum can actually be good for your teeth because it helps to break down and slough away plaque. However, anything sugar-laden and especially sticky can be your oral health’s number one enemy. You are essentially keeping a wad of sugar in your mouth, which heightens levels of certain bacteria that can eat away at your tooth enamel.

Get More Tips from Your Medina Dentist

Worried about your smile? Rest assured, if you are working with a good dentist, you can negate many of the common problems with your oral health. Reach out to us at the Evanko Dental Group in Medina if you need to schedule a preventive dental appointment.

How Cigarettes Affect Your Oral Health

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Your dentist in Medina does everything possible to ensure your good oral health. However, sometimes bad habits can make it more challenging to maintain that good health. For instance, smoking cigarettes is not only bad for you overall; it actually negatively impacts your oral health. Here’s how.

Smoking Causes Gum Disease

Did you know that cigarette smoking is a leading cause of gum disease? Most people equate gum disease and tooth decay with sugar, but smoking can lead to the same outcome. Gum disease is an infection of the gums and can be caused by the ingredients in cigarettes. In fact, smokers are two times more at risk for gum disease than non-smokers. The more and longer you smoke, the higher that risk becomes. Even worse, continuing to smoke makes it more likely that common treatments for gum disease won’t work for you.

Smoking Causes Yellow Teeth

Have you ever looked at the teeth of someone who has been smoking for a long time? You’ll notice that smokers’ teeth are discolored. That’s due to some of the ingredients in cigarettes, such as tar and nicotine. Those ingredients stain teeth and cause them to look yellow and in poor health. Teeth whitening may remove the discoloration temporarily but it will soon return with more smoking.

Smoking Impedes the Healing Process

Smoking lowers your immune system and impedes the healing process. Anytime you have a mouth sore, tooth extraction, oral surgery, or another treatment that requires a time of healing, it will take much longer due to smoking. And a longer healing time means a higher risk of infection.

Smoking Causes Bad Breath

Everyone appreciates fresh breath. It’s a sign of good oral health. But if you smoke, your breath will never smell fresh. In fact, smoking causes bad breath, which will likely keep other people from wanting to be too near to you.

Smoking Increases Risk of Oral Cancer

Oral cancer is a terrible disease that can lead to all kinds of negative outcomes. When you smoke, you expose the tender tissues inside your mouth to deadly carcinogens that can lead to oral cancer.

If you currently smoke, talk to your Medina dentist about ways to quit the habit. The sooner you stop, the sooner you can start enjoying optimal oral health.

 

4 Ways Modern-Day Dentures Have Evolved

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While dental innovations have afforded many new smile restoration options, dentures are still the most popular choice for those who have lost their teeth. If you have been looking into getting dentures yourself, you will be pleased to know that modern-day dentures have really evolved over the years. Here is a closer look at just how much these smile replacements have changed.

1. Dentures are more realistic in appearance than ever.

Many patients who need dentures are under the impression that the mouthpieces always look like fake teeth. However, modern innovations have made it possible to create dentures that look far more realistic than they ever have before. Thanks to changes like lifelike gum tissue to synthetic teeth that boast a natural shade and shape, many people have dentures and the people around them have no idea.

2. Dentures can be better fitting due to digital dentistry.

Not only do dentists take impressions before making dentures, but they may also use digital instruments to garner accurate measurements of the shape of the mouth and jaws. Digital dentistry is an excellent resource during denture creation because these techniques allow for the appliances to be perfectly built to be a perfect fit.

3. Dentures can be more aligned with your natural smile.

When you go in for a consultation about dentures, the dentist will go to great lengths to make your new smile look as much like your natural smile as possible. The dentist may:

  • Take measurements of your existing teeth before they are extracted
  • Look at photos of your smile from the past
  • Work with you to pick the proper tooth and gingival shades
  • Examine your natural bite

4. Dentures can be anchored in place if needed.

For patients who have a great deal of bone loss or have issues with traditional dentures staying firmly seated, implant-supported dentures and partials are now a possibility. These dentures are seated on surgically implanted posts so they cannot shift and move as you speak or chew.

Talk to Us About Dentures in Medina, OH

When all is said and done, modern-day dentures are an excellent way to restore chewing power and your smile. If you are interested in dentures, reach out to us a the Evanko Dental Group of Medina to schedule an appointment.

 

Is Dental Care Safe During Pregnancy? Get the Facts

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You are well on your way to being a mother, and you will already do anything to protect the life that grows inside of you. It is only natural to be concerned about seeking dental care while expecting a child. A few things can bring about concern during pregnancy, but many treatments are perfectly safe for you and your growing child. Here are a few things to keep in mind.

Inform Your Dentist of Your Pregnancy

When you find out you are pregnant and have appointments scheduled with your dentist, make sure you give them a call and let them know you are expecting before the appointments. The dentist is knowledgeable about what changes will have to be made to your care plan due to your pregnancy, so they can adjust treatment plans accordingly and go over anything that must change with you as their patient.

Dental Care During Pregnancy Is Important

Even though you may be tempted to avoid dental care during your pregnancy, it is best that you continue the levels of care that may be necessary. Pregnancy can change things like your blood pressure and hormone levels, both of which can have an effect on your oral health. For example, you may be more vulnerable to gum inflammation and gum disease during pregnancy, so this is something the dentist should monitor you for throughout the pregnancy.

Some Procedures May Need to Be Postponed

While a lot of types of care during pregnancy are perfectly safe and some are necessary, there may be some things that are best postponed. For example, if you need to have dental x-rays done, this will normally be postponed until you have delivered just to prevent unnecessary risks of exposing the baby to radiation. Likewise, procedures that involve anesthesia may also need to be postponed.

Talk to Your Medina Dentist About Pregnancy Concerns

Even though there are general rules to follow when it comes to dental care during pregnancy, every situation can be unique. If you have specific concerns about dental treatment plans while expecting, reach out to us at the Evanko Dental Group of Medina for more information.

Why Do My Teeth Have Ridges?

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The ridges are also known as mamelons. They are rounded bumps on the edge of a tooth. Like the other parts of the tooth’s outer covering, they are made of enamel. In French, the word mamelon means “nipple.” It refers to the way each bump protrudes from a tooth.

 

Ridges are Most Common on Kids

You may notice ridges on the permanent teeth of a child. However, adults can have them, as well. The ridges appear on a child’s teeth when their permanent teeth start growing. The mamelons vary from one person to another. Some of them are prominent, while others are subtle. If the edges are rough, ridges may make your child’s teeth look uneven. They are commonly found on the upper and lower permanent lateral and central incisors. Mamelons are only found on newly erupted incisor teeth. Usually, they are found on permanent incisors. In some cases, they can be seen on primary incisors too.

 

They Appear as Adult Teeth Start Growing

The ridges appear when permanent teeth start growing at a young age. Mamelons are formed from the enamel, which fuses together when a child’s teeth are developing underneath their gums. A child’s front teeth are formed as lobes that are fused before they break through the gum tissue. When adult teeth from underneath the gum tissue, three types of cells line the edge of the teeth, making it easier for the teeth to break through the gum tissue.

 

They are Not an Oral Health Problems Symptom

When the teeth erupt, some parents think that the teeth have been damaged. However, there’s no need to worry as this is just the teeth ridges helping the tooth to grow through the gums. Mamelons are rare in adults as they wear slowly. They are not considered major oral health issues as wear away early on in a person’s life. Finally, although the ridges are not threats to your oral health, they have no benefit either. However, you can talk to a professional dentist to offer a solution, depending on whether you want to fix mamelons only or you intend to take care of other issues as well.

A dentist will examine a patient’s ridges and determine the best way to respond. There are several ways of getting rid of teeth ridges if they are problematic. After examination, your dentist will recommend the best course of action.

Do I Need Professional Teeth Cleaning?

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“I brush my teeth twice a day and floss once daily. Do I need professional teeth cleaning?”

Our dentist hears this question quite often, especially from busy patients who don’t want to spend any more time in a dentist’s chair than they have to.

While many of our patients do take very good care of their teeth, everyone can benefit from professional teeth cleaning from a dentist or dental hygienist. Brushing and flossing can remove the plaque and cavity-causing bacteria that build up on your teeth, but it cannot always remove all of plaque. In time, plaque can harden into tartar that brushing and flossing cannot remove.

Crusty deposits of tartar make it difficult to remove plaque and bacteria. Plaque and tarter can also destroy the hard enamel the layer of teeth, which can, in turn, lead to tooth sensitivity and cavities. Tartar and bacteria below the gum line can cause serious gum disease and even tooth loss. Tartar, bacteria, plaque, gum disease and tooth decay can also give you bad breath. Gum disease can even increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.

While brushing and flossing is important, they cannot remove plaque and tartar as well as professional teeth cleaning. During a professional cleaning, your dentist or hygienist will use tools unavailable to you, such as a scaler, to remove plaque and tartar before they cause problems. Your dental health professional also uses special techniques to clean in between your teeth and in those hard-to-reach spots at the back of your mouth.

Professional dental cleanings also make your teeth look and feel their best. During professional teeth cleaning, your dentist or dental hygienist cleans your teeth with a high-powered electric brush and special gritty toothpaste, which removes tartar and polishes your pearly whites. Professional teeth cleanings also freshen your breath and brighten your smile.

Finally, your dentist or dental hygienist can detect hidden dental problems during your teeth cleaning. Early detection and treatment of common dental issues typically lead to better outcomes.

You need professional teeth cleaning for a variety of reasons, from improving your oral health to giving you a great smile. For more information on the importance of professional teeth cleaning, contact Evanko Dental Group of Medina.