Wisdom Tooth Decay

As we age, we acquire wisdom, and the same goes for wisdom teeth. Wisdom teeth appear between the ages of 17-21 and are known as the third set of molars. When they erupt correctly, healthy wisdom teeth can help you chomp your food a little faster.  However, if they start to cause you pain and discomfort, you may need to schedule a consultation with Dr. Christopher Emuedue of Greenville Family Dentistry to discuss extraction.

If you bite on a piece of food that is too hard or you experience a mouth injury, wisdom teeth may become troublesome. They can also become cracked, broken, and decayed. Decay can form on any tooth surface, but when the decay begins to attack the wisdom teeth, depending on the position of the tooth it becomes difficult to clean. Depending on the individual case, Dr. Emuedue may be able to fill the tooth, but even in cases where a filling could be successfully placed, if the wisdom tooth cannot be adequately maintained, recurrent decay can occur. Though many patients tend to procrastinate through the process, extraction is always best to avoid infection.

If your wisdom teeth are still intact and you have questions about removal, please give us a call. To learn more about the services we provide at our practice, visit www.greenvillefamilydentistrytx.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Christopher Emuedue at Greenville Family Dentistry in Greenville, TX, call 903-455-6701.

Toothbrush Care

Brushing your teeth plays an important everyday role for personal oral hygiene and effective plaque removal. You may not give much thought to cleaning your toothbrush; however appropriate toothbrush care and maintenance are important considerations for oral hygiene. At Greenville Family Dentistry, we want you to know how and when to replace, clean, and store your toothbrush.

The American Dental Association recommends replacing your toothbrush approximately every three to four months or sooner if bristles are frayed. However, toothbrushes will wear out more rapidly depending on factors unique to each patient. It is also important to never share a toothbrush because this practice could be a concern for people with compromised immune systems or existing infectious diseases. If your toothbrush comes in contact with another, thoroughly rinse the brush with warm tap water to remove any remaining toothbrush and debris. When you are done using the toothbrush, store it in an upright position and allow the toothbrush to air-dry until used again.

If you have further questions regarding toothbrush care, give us a call. To learn more about the services we provide at our practice, visit www.greenvillefamilydentistrytx.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Christopher Emuedue at Greenville Family Dentistry in Greenville, TX, call 903-455-6701.

HPV Fuels Oral Cancers

At Greenville Family Dentistry, we provide a full array of services to improve and maintain our clients’ oral health. Among the most important of those are oral cancer screenings. Therefore, it is of great concern to us that oral cancer diagnoses have remained steady in the United States in recent years. This is in large part due to the human papilloma virus (HPV) having superseded smoking as the main causative factor.

Tobacco, alcohol, genetics, and HPV are the most common reasons for the developments of cancers in the mouth and throat. All are more likely to occur in men, but HPV cancers are more likely to occur in young men. Anti-cancer educational efforts aimed at this generation mostly focused on tobacco and were successful in lowering the rate of smoking and chewing tobacco among young people, which will have great benefits for their long-term health. However, they may have also given them the impression that they are not in a high-risk group. In fact, while HPV-related oral cancers are more responsive to treatment than smoking-related ones, they also tend to be farther back in the throat, and more commonly go undetected until they have progressed to the point of constituting an emergency. Therefore, it is of great importance that young people make use of oral cancer screenings, so cancers containing HPV DNA can be caught before they cause severe damage.

Dr. Christopher Emuedue operates Greenville Family Dentistry at 7215 I-30, Suite B, Greenville, Texas, 75402. To schedule an appointment, call 903-455-6701 or visit GreenvilleFamilyDentistryTX.com and fill out a contact sheet.

Intraoral Cameras

Greenville Family Dentistry is a technologically advanced clinic which hosts the most up-to-date tools for patient diagnosis. These not only are designed to catch pathologies, but also reflect the philosophy that patients should be kept comfortable and provided with a full understanding of their own health. The intraoral camera is an example of screening in a way which provides feedback to patients and doctors alike.

Intraoral cameras create high-resolution digital images on screens in Dr. Emuedue’s office. They have their own LED, and can be moved by a hygienist to monitor any part of a patient’s mouth. The images they provide are extremely useful for surface-level observations of the patient’s tongue, gum, and tooth health. When combined with digital x-rays, they provide dentists with the best possible tools for predicting changes in the patients’ mouth, as well as assessing its current state. But unlike x-rays and the images from oral cancer screenings, the true-color intraoral camera images are easy for patients to interpret, which allows them to verify what the dentist is telling them and provide evidence of the necessity for treatment to their insurance companies and families. Besides increasing the trust between patient and doctor, intraoral cameras also allow caregivers to feel more confident in their decisions for their dependents.

Dr. Christopher Emuedue operates Greenville Family Dentistry at 7215 I-30, Suite B, Greenville, Texas, 75402. To schedule an appointment, call 903-455-6701 or visit GreenvilleFamilyDentistryTX.com and fill out a contact sheet.