Mauck & Ricci, DDS Blog

Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends to come together and celebrate. However, it’s important to think about what you’re filling your belly with this time of year. Whether it’s your grandma’s homemade cranberry sauce or your mother’s famous apple pie, you may find that your waistband isn’t the only thing in trouble. Your teeth may be, too! Before driving or flying home for the holidays, consider which Thanksgiving foods to limit to avoid a trip to the emergency dentist’s office.

If you’re unhappy with your smile’s aesthetics, it can be tempting to brush off the feeling. After all, if it’s not jeopardizing your oral health, then it’s not a big deal, right?

Actually, more and more research is showing the importance of self-confidence – which your teeth definitely contribute to! Dental stains and minor damage make many people afraid to show too much oral bone. They avoid photos, laughing, and sometimes even talking. Cosmetic dentistry can beautify your smile andoffer peace of mind. Keep reading to learn more about what types of problems it can solve!

When you have a TMJ disorder, you’re likely to experience jaw pain and other unpleasant symptoms on a regular basis. You’ll naturally want to have the issue treated as quickly as possible – but just how quickly is realistic? What will the timeline for TMJ treatment look like? This may seem like a simple enough question, but the answer can vary based on the situation.

Dental emergencies can be shocking; when they happen, it usually seems like they’ve popped up out of nowhere. While this is true sometimes, it’s much more common for toothaches and breakages to be the consequence of long-term oral health problems finally coming to a head.

That being the case, there are actually steps you can take to prevent many of the most common dental emergencies before they happen. Here are a few tips that can help you.

There are all kinds of dental procedures that make patients anxious, though perhaps none more so than root canals. For some reason, this procedure has a nasty reputation, one that really isn’t earned. The use of powerful anesthetics makes root canal treatment completely painless, and it’s often the least invasive treatment available to patients looking to deal with a serious root pulp infection

However, it isn’t just the treatment itself that patients are concerned about; the matter of aftercare also tends to cause some anxiety. Here’s what you should expect from that process, what you can do to be prepared, and why it shouldn’t scare you.

Root canal therapy is a successful procedure to save an infected tooth from needing to be extracted. The treatment has over a 97% success rate; however, some patients may require retreatment. Not everyone will require a second root canal, but several factors can increase your risk of complications. Here’s when root canal retreatment may be necessary and what you can expect during the procedure.

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Many people have the impression that root canals are painful – one of the most painful treatments you can undergo, in fact. Not only is this not accurate, but it also might prevent you from seeing your post-root canal discomfort as abnormal. There is a threshold that you should watch out for, and if you’re experiencing severe aches, it might be time to revisit your dentist.

Now you’re probably wondering what qualifies for “abnormal” root canal recovery discomfort. To help clear up the confusion, keep reading.

Your dentures should fit snugly and comfortably at their best. That’s only natural – a dental lab customizes them to ensure they suit your mouth. Still, these prosthetic teeth can start to feel “off” over time. They can then cause health issues until they’re corrected. If you think your own don’t fit well, your dental practice can help you find out for sure. Read on to learn four complications of ill-fitting dentures and why to see a dentist for them.

Dentures are a treatment that often restores quality of life. They can not only give back a brilliant smile but also the functionality of your teeth to eat delicious food and talk with loved ones. However, there are times when the prosthetics can be rough on your mouth and cause denture sores.

If you’re dealing with these irritating ulcers, or if you want to prevent them, continue reading. You’ll learn some great tips to keep your dentures comfortable.

Modern dentures are incredibly realistic and durable, so much so that it can be easy to forget that they aren’t actually your real teeth. However, if you want your prosthetic to stick around for as long as possible, you’ll need to take care of them as well as you possibly can.

Thankfully, this doesn’t have to be all that difficult. Keep these few tips in mind, and you should be able to take care of your prosthetic for a long time to come.