Dental Root Canal Treatment

Hopeless Teeth? Maybe We Can Save Them!
It used to be that teeth with damaged or infected roots required extraction. Because this can cause a variety of difficulties, it should be a last resort. If you come into the office with an infected tooth, or if we determine that dental decay has reached the nerve of the tooth, it’s unfortunately too late for a simple filling. The best way to save the tooth is a root canal. We remove the tooth’s pulp chamber and fill it with a filling material. In the early days of root canals they were quite painful, which has earned them the reputation of something to be avoided. Luckily, with modern anesthetics and technology, root canals are often painless.

Dental Group of Meriden-Wallingford
298 Broad Street
Meriden, CT 06450
Phone: (203) 235-5588
DentalGroupCT.com 

Top Dental Symptoms: Mouth Sores

Types of mouth sores include canker sores, cold sores, leukoplakia and candidiasis. They vary in their severity and causes. Mouth sores could be the symptom of a disease or disorder; infection from bacteria, viruses or fungus or result from irritation caused by braces, dentures or the sharp edge of a broken tooth or filling. Your dentist should examine any mouth sore that lasts a week or longer.

Above article from: MouthHealthy.org

Dental Group of Meriden-Wallingford
298 Broad Street
Meriden, CT 06450
Phone: (203) 235-5588
DentalGroupCT.com 

Gum Disease Treatment

Gum Disease Can Mean Lost Teeth
Often tooth loss is due to gum disease. Gum disease can be completely painless in the early stages. Symptoms include bleeding gums when you brush or floss and loose or shifting teeth. If you’ve been told you need gum surgery, you will be glad to know that it’s possible to control gum disease with a variety of non-surgical methods.

Gum Disease Can Contribute to Heart Disease and
Even Stroke
The statistics are staggering. The American Dental Association estimates that 8 out of 10 Americans have periodontal (gum) disease. At that rate, afflictions such as AIDS or tuberculosis would be considered epidemic. Most dentists do, in fact, consider gum disease at an epidemic level. But the biggest consequence was believed to be lost teeth. Hardly pleasant, but not life threatening. Or is it? Recent medical research has linked gum disease, stroke, and heart disease. Since heart disease can be fatal, gum disease is obviously a serious matter.

The American Academy of Periodontology reports: “studies found periodontal infection may contribute to the development of heart disease, increase the risk of premature, underweight births, and pose a serious threat to people whose health is already compromised due to diabetes and respiratory diseases.” Periodontal disease is characterized by bacterial infection of the gums. These bacteria can travel into the bloodstream – straight to the heart.

The Truth about Losing a Tooth
Even though losing a tooth isn’t directly life threatening, a single missing tooth can still cause many problems. The other teeth try to fill in the gaps, which can mean tilting and poor alignment. This interferes with chewing and your ability to absorb nutrients from your food. For some patients, the change in appearance can be even worse. With no teeth to support your face, it can gain a sunken look and make you look older. It can make talking difficult, and the inability to chew in those spaces can cause you to favor softer foods and more carbohydrates, often leading to weight gain.

So Let’s Hold on to Those Teeth
With gingivitis and mild periodontal disease several highly effective non-surgical procedures can virtually halt the spread of the disease. It starts with prevention and the best oral hygiene. Our team of hygienists at the Dental Group of Meriden-Wallingford will work with our patients and their periodontal issues. Deep cleaning includes scaling and root planing, procedures that remove plaque and tartar at and below the gumline. Patients who need it are also given ARESTIN™, an antibiotic that is delivered directly to the pockets in the gums, where it can kill the bacteria that causes gum disease.

Dental Group of Meriden-Wallingford
298 Broad Street
Meriden, CT 06450
Phone: (203) 235-5588
DentalGroupCT.com  

Tooth Decay and Sensitivity

What Causes Tooth Enamel Damage?

What happens when tooth enamel is damaged? The exposed part underneath becomes vulnerable to decay. Cavities aren't the only problem.

Teeth with damaged enamel can become sensitive to extreme temperatures. Suddenly, eating ice cream or sipping hot coffee can be painful or unpleasant.

Above article from: WebMD.com/oral-health

Dental Group of Meriden-Wallingford
298 Broad Street
Meriden, CT 06450
Phone: (203) 235-5588
DentalGroupCT.com 

Third Molar Extractions

The third molars came to be called wisdom teeth because they erupt later in life than all the other teeth, usually between ages 17 and 25. With age comes wisdom, so the term “wisdom teeth” came to be used.

These teeth erupt through the gums at the back of your mouth, two each in the upper and lower jaws. Unfortunately, most of us can’t fit these teeth in our mouths. The lack of room often causes impaction, when they become enclosed in the bone of the jaws instead of growing in straight. Impaction can cause a whole range of problems. They push and crowd the other teeth, which might cause these teeth to twist and turn. Cavities often occur more easily in these teeth and the ones next to them, because the crowding makes them difficult to clean. You can even get an infection in the jaw bone.

It’s usually best if wisdom teeth are removed at a young age, before problems occur and the bone in the jaw becomes denser, holding tighter to the teeth. Dental Group of Meriden-Wallingford offers IV sedation to help patients through this treatment. See the “Your Comfort” page for more information.

Dental Group of Meriden-Wallingford
298 Broad Street
Meriden, CT 06450
Phone: (203) 235-5588
DentalGroupCT.com  

White Dental Fillings

Natural-Looking, Strong Fillings
Standard fillings have been made from silver-mercury amalgam for a very long time. A reasonable restoration for many patients, amalgams do have a few shortcomings. Metal does not bond well to teeth, so decay can and does eventually leak into the tooth. But the biggest reason many of our patients are choosing the white bonded fillings has to do with the way they look. Many people simply want to avoid a dark, ugly spot in their teeth. We offer modern restorations that are a natural-looking white, contain no metals, and can actually strengthen your teeth. Because they bond very tightly with the healthy part of the tooth, they reduce the risk of future decay and actually strengthen your teeth.

Dental Group of Meriden-Wallingford
298 Broad Street
Meriden, CT 06450
Phone: (203) 235-5588
DentalGroupCT.com