As we grow older, teeth begin to grow in. In early adolescence, our incisors emerge, and canines, premolars, and molars swiftly follow. From infancy to adolescence, we grow our first set of teeth, lose them, then an entirely new set replaces them. Each set of teeth has a purpose. The sharper teeth in the front tear food into smaller pieces, while the flatter teeth in the back grind food down. The third and final set of teeth does not make themselves known until early adulthood, somewhere between ages 17-21. These are known as wisdom teeth.
You are presumably wiser the older you get, hence the reason for the name of these teeth. However, many people wonder why these teeth grow in when they usually end up being removed from the mouth. Even though they serve no purpose now, they once did.
Anthropologists believe that our early ancestors survived off of a diet of raw meat, nuts, roots, berries, and leaves. Early humans did not have the eating utensils such as knives and forks to cut their food nor were they able to cook their food to soften it up, making chewing easier. A stronger, broader jaw was needed to chew through tough foods.
Larger jaws were very common in our ancestors, making it easier to accommodate wisdom teeth. They were able to grow in normally along with the rest of their teeth. However, the jaw of the average human today is much smaller. Some scientists believe our jaws have gotten smaller to accommodate the space for our growing brains.
Along with this, our diets and dental needs drastically changed as well. We have utensils and different cooking methods to make eating easier. Because of these changes, our jaws decreased in size, limiting the space for our wisdom teeth.
While the need for these teeth has disappeared, genetics still cause most adults to develop them. However, many researchers would not be surprised if there came a day when nobody had wisdom teeth anymore. Unfortunately, that’s not the case today. A study found that at least 53% of people have had at least one wisdom tooth grow in with men more likely than women to get them.
As we mentioned earlier, human jaws have evolved to grow much smaller than our ancestors’. Four wisdom teeth initially grow in, two on the top and two on the bottom on each side. Most people can grow anywhere from one to all four. Regardless of how many grow, they still can cause issues.
By the time you are 18 years old, your jaw will most likely be done growing. However, most wisdom teeth do not start to emerge until you are around 19.5 years old. The issues caused by them are more than likely due to them not fitting. Many of these issues include:
Just because you can’t see your wisdom teeth, does not mean they aren’t there. Some wisdom teeth never emerge and never become visible. An X-ray is needed to confirm if you have wisdom teeth under your gums. When wisdom teeth cause issues through the gums, they are known as impacted wisdom teeth.
It is recommended that during the teenage years, you should be evaluated for wisdom teeth removal surgery. The younger you are when your wisdom teeth are removed, the better the recovery is. If you ever beginning to experience one or more of the above symptoms, you should contact Cosmetic & Family Dentistry for wisdom tooth extraction. While there will always be risks with any surgery, it is important to discuss with your dentist about your options to properly monitor your oral health.
Wisdom teeth are the third and final set of teeth you grow as you get older, but they no longer serve a purpose. Because of how we have evolved, our mouths are too small to properly house these extra teeth. A handful of dental problems can occur once wisdom teeth emerge. That is why it is important to have the help of the trusted dental and oral care experts at Cosmetic & Family Dentistry of Las Colinas on your side to guide you through this situation.
From the moment our teeth start growing in, we are told to take extremely good care of them. After all, our teeth are vital to our overall health. They help us eat by breaking down food. They can also be a point of pride for many as a good smile can improve people’s self-esteem. While we are constantly told about the importance of proper dental hygiene, not everyone practices these techniques.
Children especially struggle to adequately keep up with caring for their teeth. However, one in four adults have a cavity as well as nearly half of all teenagers in the U.S. Without the proper cleaning, our teeth will be in danger of tooth decay. One of the greatest dangers to our teeth is cavities. It is important to understand how dangerous cavities are to your overall oral hygiene and how to prevent them.
Cavities are essentially just another way of describing tooth decay. When a tooth begins to break down, a hole will start to grow in your tooth, growing deeper and larger over time. Cavities occur when plaque, a soft, slimy film containing bacteria, begins to build up more and more on your teeth. As the amount increases, an acid is produced that begins to eat through the enamel of your tooth, developing a hole in your tooth. The larger the cavity grows, the greater the chance it can eventually affect the tooth root.
The bacteria in your plaque thrive from eating sugar from the foods and drinks you consume. If the sugars you consume aren’t properly and swiftly cleaned off of your teeth, the bacteria will then feed off of them and produce enamel-eating acid. Sodas, candy, cakes, high-sugar fruits, and cereals all contain sugar that can aid in tooth decay.
In some instances, however, heredity and the genes you inherit may also increase your risk of developing cavities.
As we have grown older, through losing our baby teeth to developing our permanent ones, we have always been told of the importance of proper tooth care. However, there are many steps to preventing cavities from forming in your mouth. Here are a few tips that can help you prevent cavity growth:
No one wants to get a cavity. They are painful, hurt your oral health, and can affect how your smile looks. It is important to take the highest level of care possible to prevent tooth decay. Enlisting the help of a trusted dental expert will put you and your teeth in a better position to fight cavities. Cosmetic & Family Dentistry of Las Colinas is staffed with dental experts who possess the skills and knowledge needed to help you improve your oral hygiene.
Maintaining proper oral hygiene is easy and should be practiced by everyone. It is as simple as brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing daily. When these practices are not done or done improperly, your oral hygiene and teeth suffer. Your mouth can develop bad breath, your teeth can develop cavities, and your gums could develop any number of diseases. One of these such diseases is gingivitis.
Gingivitis is a relatively common, non-destructive form of gum disease. It occurs when plaque, a naturally-occurring, bacteria containing film, builds on the teeth, leading to inflammation of the gum tissue. When inflamed, your gums will become irritated, puffy, and red, often bleeding when brushing your teeth or flossing. Gingivitis should not be taken lightly and should be treated swiftly. If untreated, it can progress into periodontitis, a much more serious disease that often leads to tooth loss.
There are mild cases of gingivitis where patients will not even recognize that they have the disease since their symptoms are so mild. However, whenever you first notice any symptoms or your symptoms persist, you should seek treatment from your Las Colinas dentistry at Cosmetic & Family Dentistry.
For those who practice proper oral hygiene techniques, their gums will be firm and have a pale pink color. They will fit tightly around the teeth. This is always good to know when examining your gums to check their health. Here are a few symptoms of gingivitis:
If you notice one or more of these symptoms, it is in your best interest to schedule an appointment with your dentist. If you wait too long to treat gingivitis, the worse the condition will get.
While the most common cause of gingivitis is poor oral hygiene, this is far from the only reason for the disease. Most cases of gingivitis are due to plaque buildup, but some causes vary. Here are a handful of causes of gingivitis:
In some mild cases of gingivitis, the condition can be treated safely and appropriately at home. Even if it has become more advanced, it can be successfully reversed if the treatment you receive is proper and prompt.
Gingivitis can develop into a nasty condition if not treated in a timely manner. Whenever it has become advanced, you will notice your teeth becoming much more sensitive than before, and they might even bleed. While you can occasionally treat this disease on your own, it is recommended to seek the professional care of your dentist. If you believe that you may have developed gingivitis, contact your Las Colinas dentists at Cosmetic & Family Dentistry today.
For many people, your smiles are often the first things people notice about you. They can begin to form opinions and make first impressions about you based purely on your smile. Teeth play a large role in making an impression on others. While it isn’t always the best to form opinions based on aesthetics, many people often do. Even beyond that, your smile can also bring you either great confidence or be an area of insecurity for you.
Whether you wish to improve your confidence with a brand-new smile or want to make great first impressions in your professional or personal life, porcelain veneers are an excellent choice to transform your smile.
At Cosmetic and Family Dentistry of Las Colinas, our dental experts offer porcelain veneers to transform your smile. These veneers are a thin, custom-made molding that is crafted to cover the front of the tooth. Each individual will have moldings designed specifically for their own smile, so it is natural for them to vary in shape and size. They are designed to give a natural yet enhanced look to your smile.
Before the veneers are properly placed to your teeth, you will be able to review the look of the veneers, and if you were to find an area or style you do not love, it will be corrected before they are cemented to your teeth.
While nothing is permanent, they are designed to last a significant amount of time. Like natural teeth, they can crack or break with trauma from accidents to biting down on unusually hard food. Typically, problems with veneers are only found in one veneer with the rest still in great condition. Taking proper care of them can add to their longevity.
Veneers are a fantastic way to transform your smile into the dream smile you have always wanted. The dental experts at Cosmetic and Family Dentistry are dedicated to making sure that you are in love with your new smile. Here are a few benefits of veneers:
Here at Cosmetic and Family Dentistry, we understand how important your smile can be in your personal and professional lives. It is often the first thing many people notice about you, and if you aren’t confident in your smile, it can affect your life. We make it our priority to ensure you fall in love with your new set of pearly whites. Contact us today to learn more about our dental transformations today.
While you may have been scolded as a child for chewing gum, perhaps in school or by your orthodontist caring for your braces, you likely have never been taught the surprising benefits of chewing gum.
While sugary bubble gum, candy gum, and any gum, while you have metal braces, should be avoided, sugar-free gum actually has some surprising health benefits. We chew gum in order to keep our mouths entertained, we chew gum out of habit, and we chew gum to freshen up our breath but keep reading to learn about the important reasons you should grab a pack.
Just how chewing gum aids in the production of saliva and helps your body’s natural digestive processes, this production of saliva also helps protect your teeth from decay and cavities. Your saliva has components that help flush out bad bacteria that lead to tooth decay. Since chewing gum helps your mouth produce more saliva, it, therefore, helps your mouth fight cavities.
According to a study at Louisiana State University, people who chew gum after lunch present with fewer food cravings afterward throughout the day. The study also showed that the people who chewed gum ate fewer calories on average. While chewing gum may not be a magic answer to losing weight, it can assist you in weight management and making smarter dietary choices.
Studies have shown that chewing gum helps to increase blood flow to the brain, therefore, increasing the amount of oxygen that flows to the brain. When your brain has efficient levels of oxygen it is able to work more efficiently. Therefore, chewing gum helps to improve your short-term memory and your cognitive performance.
Chewing gum can help improve your digestion as well as aid in acid reflux and heartburn. When you chew gum, it increases the production of saliva in your mouth, which is a vital component for proper digestion-process functioning. When your mouth produces more saliva, it promotes for easier swallowing as well as activates the digestive process by moving along the flow of helpful acids and enzymes. This process, in turn, decreases the symptoms of acid reflux and heartburn.
While chewing gum can be a healthy habit, it is important that you engage in the recommended healthy habits such as regular brushing, flossing, and dental checkups and cleanings to ensure your oral health. If you are looking for a highly recommended Irving dentist, we can help. Our trusted and caring team of dental experts here at Cosmetic and Family Dentistry put your health and comfort first. If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.
While you have probably heard several times how bad sugar is for your health, it is likely that you don’t truly understand just how negative the effects of sugar are, especially on your teeth. In fact, sugar is the number one cause of tooth decay in people who practice normal daily oral care. So, if you are aiming for oral health, and overall health, you will want to take a step back from the sugar intake.
Your mouth is full of thousands of different types of bacteria, some that are beneficial, and some that are harmful. When you consume sugar, there is a group of harmful bacteria in your mouth that feed off of that sugar and then produce a type of acid in your mouth. The acids break down the healthy minerals in the tooth enamel (which is the hard, protective outermost layer of each tooth). When these bacteria produce this enamel-decomposing acid that breaks down your tooth’s enamel, it is called demineralization.
Your saliva helps work against these harmful bacteria via a process called remineralization. There are healthy minerals in your saliva that enable the enamel to repair itself by supplying the minerals that were lost from the demineralization.
The problem is, when you are consuming too much sugar, your saliva is at a loss and finds itself unable to address all the damage being caused by the harmful bacteria and acids. Over time, sugar consumption can eventually win out over the remineralization leading to cavities and tooth decay.
After enough of the enamel is weakened and broken down via the harmful bacteria in your mouth, a hole develops in the tooth, or as you may know it, a cavity is formed. Cavities worsen when left untreated and spread down to the deeper layers of the tooth which can even lead to tooth loss after enough time. If you have a cavity, you will likely notice the following symptoms:
The first way to protect your mouth from tooth decay is to engage in regular, daily oral health care habits. This means brushing your teeth at least twice a day for 2 minutes with fluoride toothpaste, as well as flossing daily. Here are some other ways to fight cavities:
Make sure you understand the risks of consuming too much sugar and follow the tips above to keep your mouth healthy and cavity free. Come visit our trusted and caring Irving family dentist at Cosmetic and Family Dentistry to ensure your oral health is in check. If you have questions or would like to schedule an appointment, call us today.
Having bad breath every so often, in the mornings or after a garlic-filled meal is normal. However, for those who suffer from bad breath throughout their day, it can be embarrassing and affect your day-to-day activities. There are various reasons behind bad breath, and understanding them can help you conquer them. Keep reading to learn more about what causes bad breath as well as how to prevent it.
Did you know that 90% of bad breath is caused by the bacteria in your mouth in between your teeth, on your tongue, and in your throat? Whenever the bacteria break down various food particles and salivary proteins located in your mouth, odorous compounds are released.
While food and food breakdown are the main cause of bad breath, not eating can also cause bad breath. When you go too long without eating, it causes the bacteria to grow and the saliva production lowers, leading to an overproduction of bacteria with no cleansing solution.
While the food breakdown or lack of food break down process are common causes of bad breath, so is the general consumption of particular foods. When you eat things like garlic, onion, etc., they go on to be metabolized. The odor is then produced and excreted from the lungs and in perspiration than from the actual oral cavity.
The best place to start in preventing bad breath is in your mouth, by engaging in healthy oral care habits. This means, brushing your teeth at least twice a day (or after every meal if you can.) It also means, flossing at least once a day. You should also be visiting your dentist for a dental cleaning in Irving every 6 months to get rid of built-up plaque and prevent tooth decay.
If you don’t always have access to a toothbrush after every meal, the next best thing you can do is to vigorously swish water around in your mouth to help loosen up food particles that are stuck in and in between your teeth. Remember the importance of staying hydrated for not only your overall health but for your oral health. Dehydration can lead to a dry mouth, and a lack of saliva production leads to bad breath.
If you are still suffering from bad breath after engaging in normal daily oral care habits, there are other steps you can take to help prevent it. While the tongue is a popular home for bacteria to hide out, you may want to consider getting a tongue scraper. Use your tongue scraper twice daily. You can also add mouthwash to your routine. Purchase a mouthwash that contains zinc chloride to help kill off the bad-breath-causing germs in your mouth.
Another good way to conquer bad breath is to carry around some sugar-free mint gum. Chewing gum is great in aiding your mouth’s cleansing process as it stimulates the production of saliva, which wards off the bad bacteria that cause bad breath.
Overall, good oral hygiene is usually the best preventative measure to take to avoid bad breath. Schedule an appointment with our trusted Irving dentist today to make sure your oral health is in check. Our experienced team at Cosmetic and Family Dentistry prioritize you and your family first. Call us today to schedule an appointment.
Those who suffer from dry mouth understand how frustrating of a condition it can be. It can interfere with your quality of life and it especially can interfere with getting a good night’s sleep. Dr.y mouth is quite common and known to most frequently occur at night. The condition is caused by a lack of saliva being produced by the salivary glands. The lack of saliva production leads to a lack of necessary moisture in the mouth. Your Irving dentist will stress the important role that saliva plays in the mouth, in keeping the acid and bacteria levels down and helping to prevent things like tooth decay and gum disease, as well as bad breath. Let’s take a closer look at the symptoms, causes and potential remedies for dry mouth.
If you are experiencing dry mouth at night you will likely notice some or all of the following symptoms:
One of the most common reasons for a dry mouth at night is that of breathing through one’s mouth. The triggers to breathing through one’s mouth at night are usually due to one of the following reasons:
There are a few steps you can take at home to help prevent excessive dry mouth at night. While the underlying cause often cannot be changed or controlled, try implementing these tactics to help prevent dry mouth:
Your oral health is immensely important and linked to the general health of your entire body. Make sure you are making your oral health a priority by regularly visiting your family dentist in Irving. Here at Cosmetic and Family Dentistry, we have a caring team of oral-health experts that want to help. If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment, contact us today.
It occurs all too often that people are not aware that their dental benefits reset at the start of every year. If you don’t use your benefits before December 31st, then you will lose out on them, making December one of the best times of the year to go to the dentist. If you haven’t already, give your family dentist in Irving a call to set up an appointment and take advantage of what your dental insurance provides. Here are some reasons why you want to use your dental benefits before the year is up.
To save yourself money in the long run, you should utilize your benefits this December. Cosmetic and Family Dentistry is a trusted and highly recommended practice in Irving. Our team of oral experts care about the health of you and your family and always put patient care first.
Call us today to schedule an appointment and ensure that you get the most out of your dental insurance plan.
An important part of keeping your child’s health in check is ensuring you keep their teeth healthy. Don’t make the mistake of neglecting your child’s oral health as it can not only lead to other issues but can actually lead to permanent damage to their adult teeth. Most parents know it can be difficult to get your child to engage in healthy habits, but the trick is starting them as young as you can. If you are a concerned parent, check out these tips to help ensure you keep your child’s oral health in check.
It is important to start installing healthy habits into your children while they are young. You will have much more difficulty installing these types of habits if you wait too long. Teach your kids about the importance of oral health. Make sure they are practicing the habits of brushing twice a day, avoiding chewing on hard objects or foods like ice and hard candies, as well as avoiding eating too much candy in general. As soon as they are old enough to floss, make sure you voice the importance of flossing as well.
Sometimes it is difficult to get our children to engage in healthy habits as they can sometimes feel like chores. Make oral care more fun so that your child wants to engage. For example, set up a calendar in which every day that they have a “happy teeth day” that they get a star. Another great tip is to play your child’s favorite song while they are brushing. This makes brushing more fun as well as ensures that they are brushing for the right amount of time. You can also make oral care a fun family activity by always doing it together in the mornings and evenings.
Sugar is one of your child’s teeth’s biggest enemies. Try to limit the amount they consume as well as ensure they brush their teeth after sugar consumption (especially the chewy kind). Monitor and look out for hidden sugars. Hidden sugars are found in juices, yogurts, fruit snacks, and dried fruit, etc. Although dried fruit is healthy (the kind without added sugar), it can still be harmful to teeth in that the chewy and sticky substance causes the sugars to stick to the teeth and invite bacteria in which leads to decay.
Calcium is essential for healthy and strong teeth and vitamin D helps to regulate that calcium within the body. Ensure your child is getting enough in their diet. This can be a problem from many kids in that lactose intolerance is so common, however, there are alternatives to getting one’s daily dose of calcium. Healthy fish with omega 3’s often contains these two nutrients, as well as seeds, beans & lentils, almonds, and certain leafy greens.
One of the best and most important ways to ensure healthy teeth for your kids is to make sure that they regularly visit their pediatric dentist in Las Colinas. Bi-annual checkups and cleanings are very important in the early development of your child’s mouth and teeth.
If you follow these tips and tricks you will likely be successful in achieving dental health for your child. While 4 out of the 5 you can do at home, the final and vital step requires going to a trusted family dentist in Irving. Here at Cosmetic & Family Dentistry, we can help. If you have questions or would like to schedule an appointment with our expert and caring dental team, give us a call today.
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