In the course of your routine dental checkup, you and your dentist can discuss your current oral hygiene routine, and you can receive thorough care from your hygienist in the form of a teeth cleaning. The focus of these appointments is on the health of your smile. With that said, you can bring up concerns about dental discoloration. By doing so, you can learn that our Ankeny, IA dentist’s office can provide you with a take-home whitening kit that lets you discreetly brighten your smile. With this cosmetic dental procedure, you can ensure that your smile looks brighter in photos, that you feel more confident when speaking, and that you enjoy an overall boost to your comfort with your appearance. (more…)
Take Early Warning Signs Of Poor Dental Health Seriously
If there are any early suggestions of poor oral health that start to affect you, know that you can create more problems in the long run by ignoring them. While the appropriate care will help you avoid problems with your oral health, issues with tooth decay and gum disease can grow worse as time passes if they are not properly addressed. In the case of dental decay, putting off care can lead to a painful infection that makes biting, chewing, and speaking difficult. If you are ignoring evidence of gingivitis, the problem can worsen until you have a more severe periodontal infection, putting you at risk for tooth loss and other health issues. Our Ankeny, IA dentist’s office is prepared to take care of you when you show signs of poor dental health. We can also keep you informed about the state of your smile during routine dental exams. (more…)
Questions You Might Have About Restoring A Chipped Tooth
The location of a chipped tooth, and the size of the chip itself, can affect how a person might feel about their need for treatment. If you have some concerns about chipping, but feel that your tooth is “probably” okay, you should know that ignoring trauma can have consequences that affect you over time. The tooth may be in worse shape than you realize, and you can go on to develop an infection that puts your oral health at risk. There is also the potential for damage to worsen as you continue to rely on a chipped tooth for bite support. Our Ankeny, IA dentist’s office is prepared to help you if you have significant concerns about an injury, or if you simply want to make sure that the matter is not more serious than you realize. (more…)
What To Do If Stress Creates A Teeth Grinding Problem
When you keep experiencing periods of stress, or when you struggle with stress over a longer period of time, you can start to identify the physical responses that stem from this taxing state. One change you may identify is a habit of grinding your teeth. While you can stop yourself from grinding your teeth during the day, this problem can continue throughout the night while you sleep, wearing down your dental enamel and putting you at risk for damaging your enamel. Our Ankeny, IA dentist’s office can protect your smile by providing a custom oral appliance that will keep your teeth safe while you are at rest. During a routine dental exam, we can also talk to you about other ways in which stress can affect your oral health, and what you can do to protect your smile. (more…)
How Dental Checkups Provide Help With Gingivitis
How effective have your efforts to prevent dental problems been? While you may feel that the absence of obvious or worrying symptoms is a sign that you are in good oral health, you should know that it is possible for people to overlook problems that have formed with their oral health. At our Ankeny, IA dentist’s office, we take care to closely study a patient’s teeth and gums, as our goal is to make sure that they are completely free of issues that might hurt their smile or well-being. These evaluations help you avoid problems with gingivitis because early warning signs of infection can be spotted, and addressed through a periodontal cleaning, before the infection grows worse. (more…)
How Can I Be Sure My Dental Bridge Will Stay In Place?
When you lose a tooth, you can suffer from more than just a loss of confidence in your smile. A single missing tooth is enough to compromise your bite function and make it difficult for you to enjoy foods. In time, the strain of changing your bite can actually tax your jaw enough to create chronic pain, or even cause you to develop a worrying teeth grinding problem. There is also the risk that advanced wear and tear will affect your remaining teeth as you rely on them to do more work. At our Ankeny, IA dentist’s office, we are able to care for a person’s incomplete smile by offering a dental bridge. With a dental bridge, you will be able to enjoy better bite support thanks to the placement of a permanent appliance that restores your appearance as well as your bite! (more…)
What To Expect When Your Baby Has Their First Dental Exam
There are many milestones of development that your child will reach by their first year of life. Their growth at this age can be remarkable, and it can be exciting to see them go through these changes. One change of note is the arrival of their first tooth. As exciting as it can be to see the tooth appear, this creates a new concern for the infant – keeping them safe from dental decay. While your daily care will be important for keeping their newly-arrived teeth safe, you are not the only one who can protect their developing smile. Our Ankeny, IA dentist’s office welcomes babies for an introductory dental visit within six months of their first tooth’s arrival, or by their first birthday. This is a chance to introduce them to a new environment and person in their life, which can help to make future visits easier. (more…)
Common Obstacles To Good Oral Hygiene You Should Avoid
What stands between you and a truly healthy smile? While people tend to know what they ought to do in order to stay safe against cavities and gum disease, bad habits and inconsistent routines can make their approach to care less effective. What this means is that they can feel confident in the health of their teeth and gums, only to learn that they have a problem requiring treatment at their next dental exam. Our Ankeny, IA dentist’s office is prepared to do more than just restore your oral health when problems arise. Through effective preventive dental care, and through guidance on your daily routine, our practice can help you avoid the barriers between you and good oral hygiene! (more…)
Is Your Dental Sensitivity Linked To Gum Line Recession?
Some changes to your smile are hard to miss, and can make you eager to see your dentist as soon as possible. For instance, if your tooth is chipped or cracked, or if you start to develop severe pain, you can waste little time setting an appointment. With that said, some changes can be gradual, which can make it hard to notice when the issue truly started. These problems can include gum line recession and the onset of dental sensitivity, which can result from vulnerable portions of teeth normally covered by your gums being exposed. Recession is often linked to problems with your periodontal health, but it can also be triggered by teeth grinding issues and problems with aggressive brushing. If you are starting to worry about sensitivity, or if you have noticed a change in your appearance, talk to your Ankeny, IA dentist! (more…)
Can One Dentist’s Office Care For Everyone In Your Family?
While you and your kids are all focused on preventing oral health problems like tooth decay and gum disease, your needs in the dentist’s chair can vary. One reason for this is that children’s oral structures are still developing, and that development should be monitored in case there are issues to address. Another reason is that kids have to learn how to care for their teeth in order to develop and sustain good oral hygiene routines. At our Ankeny, IA dentist’s office, we are prepared to help our youngest patients with their different dental health needs, and we can also provide quality ongoing care to adults during their routine dental exams. (more…)