Saturday, April 29, 2017

Baby Bottle Tooth Decay

Families who visit Greenville Family Dental know how much dentists emphasize to children the importance of preventing cavities. But children are at risk of tooth decay long before they are old enough to clean their own teeth, and we want families to know how they can protect their youngest children from Baby Bottle Tooth Decay.


Baby Bottle Tooth Decay is a pattern of tooth decay which affects the front side of toddlers’ incisors (the front teeth). It is believed to be caused by prolonged exposure to sugar in the form of milk or formula from a baby bottle. While dental information commonly and rightly discourages parents from giving children drinks with high sugar content, it is actually the amount of time for which teeth are exposed to sugar which is the biggest risk factor.


Unfortunately, people have a tendency to give toddlers baby bottles filled with milk or formula and let them suck from them for hours. This ensures the child’s teeth will be covered in sugary residue and that they won’t be thirsty enough to ask for water, which could help clean some of the sugar away. Parents can avoid this by limiting children’s time with the bottle, giving them water, and teaching them to drink from cups around the time of their first birthday. Of course, parents should also still avoid giving children drinks with high sugar content, such as juice.


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.


 

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

What Is Bone Grafting?

A bone graft might sound like a more intense procedure than a typical dental appointment, but bone grafting has become a routine procedure to help bodies heal.  The bone graft dentists perform is to the jaw bone in order to strengthen the future site of an implant. Dr. Christopher Emuedue can advise when this procedure is necessary. Bone grafting consists of harvesting bone material from a healthy part of a patient’s body, and transferring it to a site that needs reinforcement. This gives the injured or deficient bone a replacement and encourages growth of new material around the site. There are synthetic options for bone grafts, but a dental graft is usually obtained from a different spot in the patient’s own mouth.


When a patient needs a dental implant to replace a lost or damaged tooth, their jaw bone needs to be strong enough to receive the implant. A jaw bone can weaken over time if tooth loss or gum disease has left a certain portion of the jaw vulnerable, and this is when a dentist would perform a bone graft.  The healing process can often take several months, and your jaw is monitored by your dentist until it heals enough to handle the placement of an implant.


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.

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Mouth Guards

At Greenville Family Dentistry we want adults and children who are active in sports to know they may be overlooking an important safety precaution.  Athletes participating in any contact sport are advised to wear some kind of mouth protection, and as you and your family sign up for sports this season we are here to give you that protection. A mouth guard helps prevent damage to the teeth and jaw, and injuries to the cheeks, tongue, and lips.


You can find generic mouth guards in most sporting goods stores, but not in many sizes. These mouth guards often end up feeling uncomfortable, which leads to child and teenage athletes in particular not wearing the protection at all.  An ill-fitting or bulky mouth guard can even interrupt breathing and speaking. Have your dentist perform a custom mouth guard fitting and get a mouth guard made of thin, hard plastic that protects your teeth and still fits comfortably.  Mouth guards can also be fit over braces, preventing brackets from rubbing the inside of the mouth. This is an easy precaution to take for athletes, and you can go right back to playing your best!


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.

Thursday, April 6, 2017

Periodontal Splinting

Greenville Family Dentistry’s Dr. Christopher Emuedue is experienced in many kinds of restorations for his patients’ damaged teeth and gums. But what happens when teeth are loose enough to cause problems, but the doctor or patient doesn’t want to extract them? One solution is a periodontal splint, which distributes bite force across multiple teeth, sparing the loose one.


Usually, when we speak of weak teeth, we are actually talking about weak gum tissue. The splint is a permanent fixture in the mouth which provides an alternative anchor, stretching across the backs of the incisors. It is made out of a porous fiber which is dipped in resin. While older splints required lots of resin, the modern ones only create a small ridge, minimizing the unusual feeling of something being permanently stuck to the teeth.


During the application process, the gums are shielded with a gel inserted between each tooth. The teeth are etched with a mild acid to provide them with more surface area for the resin to grip to. This is the same type of acid used when orthodontists attach brackets to the front of the teeth, and shouldn’t result in prolonged sensitivity. Though a splint can’t reverse periodontal disease, it can mitigate a patient’s fears of tooth loss.


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.


 

Saturday, April 1, 2017

Effects of Thumb Sucking

While running the Greenville Family Dentistry office, Dr. Christopher Emuedue is happy to advise new parents on how to care for their baby’s oral health. Thumb sucking is a common behavior in toddlers, and parents often worry about whether it’s a problem.


Usually, children’s skull bones are flexible enough for changes in shape resulting from thumb sucking during their early years to resolve themselves. However, if thumb sucking (or pacifier sucking) persists after the age of five, when children start losing their baby teeth, it can endanger their oral health. Misaligned jaws, misshapen mouth cavities, and misaligned teeth are all known to be caused by thumb sucking at a late age.


Sometimes when they are discouraged from thumb sucking, children will develop a habit of thrusting their tongues against their front teeth, instead. This is equally problematic. While there are orthodontic devices which can discourage these behaviors, because they may result from anxiety, it is best to try to get the child to understand the reason for the dentist’s concern and to participate in breaking their bad habits.


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.