A mouthguard is a small piece of sports equipment, but it can protect against chipped, broken, or knocked-out teeth when a young athlete takes an unexpected hit to the face. And that risk is not limited to football or other sports where mouthguards are required. The challenge for parents is choosing a guard that provides protection without being so bulky... read more »
A severe toothache can come from several dental problems, so pain alone does not tell you whether you have an abscess. Swelling, a bad taste in your mouth, tenderness when biting, fever, or a bump on the gum near a painful tooth can provide additional clues that an infection may be present. A dental abscess is a pocket of pus... read more »
A crown falls off while you're eating, or part of a filling suddenly breaks away. You check the tooth, realize it barely hurts, and face the obvious question: Do I need a dentist today, or can this wait? Pain is important, but it is not the only factor that determines how quickly a damaged restoration should be evaluated. Swelling, worsening... read more »
Babies start sucking their thumbs before they are even born, which tells you something about how deeply this reflex is wired into early development. Thumb sucking and pacifiers are not bad habits in the way a parent might instinctively assume. They are a normal way infants self-soothe, explore their surroundings, and manage the everyday stress of being a very small... read more »
A sip of ice water should not cause a sharp jolt of pain, but for a meaningful share of adults, it does every single time. Tooth sensitivity is one of the most common complaints in dentistry, and it is also one of the most misunderstood, since the pain often shows up in a tooth that looks completely normal on the... read more »
A child who cries at the sight of a dental chair is not being dramatic. Their nervous system is reacting to something that genuinely looks and sounds alarming from a smaller vantage point, surrounded by unfamiliar tools and adults leaning in close. Kids' dental anxiety is one of the most common reasons families delay checkups, and it is almost always... read more »
Teeth start picking up color again the moment they touch food or drink, so the real question is never whether whitening fades. It is how fast, and that answer changes considerably depending on which type of whitening was used in the first place. How long does teeth whitening last is one of the most common questions dentists hear, and the... read more »
White teeth get most of the attention, but they are rarely what a dentist notices first. A healthy smile has more to do with gum color, tissue texture, and how teeth fit together than with shade alone. Someone with slightly yellowed but well-cared-for teeth can have a healthier mouth than someone with a bright white smile and inflamed gums underneath... read more »
A smile is often the first thing people notice about someone and the first thing that person feels self-conscious about. According to a national survey conducted for the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, 48 percent of Americans say a smile is the single most memorable feature after meeting someone, ahead of what they said or how they were dressed. That... read more »
It is one of the most common questions dentists hear, and it is a reasonable one. The short answer is that an electric toothbrush does offer some real advantages for certain patients. The longer answer is that the toothbrush used well and consistently will always outperform the one sitting unused on the counter. Technique and habit matter more than the... read more »