Overcoming Dental Anxiety MANY OF US, even though we know that going to the dentist is a safe, normal, and important part of life, don’t find it particularly fun to lie flat on our backs while someone pokes around our teeth and gums. For some, though, the very thought of visiting the dentist fills them with anxiety, and it could even be a full-blown phobia. That’s why we’d like to put our focus on helping our patients overcome their dental anxieties and fears. Dental Anxiety Stats Fear of going to the dentist is fairly common, with an estimated nine to 15 percent of Americans completely avoiding visiting the dentist because of anxiety and fear. That means up to 40 million Americans are taking a serious gamble with their dental health. Putting off a basic twice-a-year cleaning out of fear leaves patients much more susceptible to tooth decay and painful infection. It’s always better to view dental care as preventative, not just reactive. Your Friendly Neighborhood Dentist If you’re worried about going to the dentist, that might be because history and pop culture have given you the wrong idea. Before WWII made anesthetics the norm, dental procedures were uncomfortable, to say the least, but the field has come a long way since then. Modern dental offices maintain a high standard of comfort and care for patients. Advice For Overcoming Dental Anxiety It's very important to us that our patients have a relaxing and stress free appointment. If you are nervous or anxious before coming to see us, please let us know, we have a variety of accommodations to help all of our patients. Our in office accommodations include, friendly faces who care about your well being, massage chairs, ear phones, blankets, and towels for behind your neck or back. We also offer Nitrous Oxide (N2O) or "Laughing Gas". Both of our Hygienists and Assistants are certified to monitor patients on N2O if the doctor needs to step out of the room.  If you need something a little more to help with nervous, our doctors are more than happy to prescribe Valium if needed. Please remember not to drive yourself when taking this medication, make sure you have someone to bring you and take you home from your appointment. Please watch the video below for more information.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2HYXFDEmIk  We Will Work With You! Your care and comfort are our top priorities. If you or someone in your family struggles with dental anxiety and it’s interfering with getting needed dental care, we’d love to schedule a time for you to come to our practice so that you can get used to the facility and get to know our team. We can answer any questions you may have. We hope to see you soon!                                                                          Dr. Andrew Bruening & Dr. Carissa Bruening are  General & Family Dentists located in Chesterfield, Missouri. 636-532-3311 | admin@chdental.net Check Out Our Website!                               Top image by Flickr user Lachlan Hardy used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original. The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Swimmer’s Ear? More Like Swimmer’s Tooth!

HAVE YOUR TEETH ever felt extra sensitive after a swim at the pool? That’s no coincidence, although it can take quite a lot of swimming before the effects become noticeable. What is it about the water in swimming pools that damages teeth?

Chlorine: Good For Sanitation, Bad For Teeth

That’s right: the same chemical that kills many of the germs that love swimming in fresh water as much as we do can also be pretty hard on our teeth if the pool’s pH isn’t carefully regulated. The proper pH for pool water is 7.2-7.8, but it can easily become acidic because of the chlorine.

Swimmer’s Calculus: A Risk For Serious Swimmers

Swimmer’s Calculus isn’t the name of an underwater math class; it’s what happens to tooth enamel after prolonged exposure to acidic chlorine ions. The pH of saliva in a healthy mouth is very close to neutral. It’s the perfect pH to keep your teeth strong (as long as we’re also brushing and flossing).

Acid, like the diluted hydrochloric acid that forms in pools with chlorine, will erode more tooth enamel the longer we swim. This can lead to “swimmer’s calculus,” or yellow and brown stains on our teeth. It can also make our teeth extra sensitive after swimming, because erosion of the enamel exposes the more vulnerable dentin underneath.

Other Underwater Tooth Problems

Maybe you’re not a huge fan of the public pool, but you love snorkeling and diving in natural bodies of water. While you probably won’t have to worry about swimmer’s calculus, those activities come with their own set of tooth-threatening problems.

Scuba Diving And Tooth Squeeze

Diving in the deep end of a pool is enough to make us feel the water pressure in our ears, but did you know that when you dive deep enough, you might feel it in your teeth? Barodontalgia, or tooth squeeze, is what happens when tiny air bubbles trapped in cracks, crevices, and holes in our teeth change size due to pressure. This can cause significant tooth pain and it can even fracture teeth. The best way to prevent it is to visit the dentist before diving season begins.

Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ)

Most divers know the inconvenience of the mouthpiece design, but you might not know all the specific ways it’s bad for your teeth. The shape has been described as “one size fits none” because it’s too small and doesn’t really fit most divers’ teeth. Despite the less-than-ideal size and shape, we still have to grip it between our teeth the entire time we dive.

Clenching our jaws for so long, especially when the pressure is mostly on the front teeth, can lead to Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ), which causes jaw pain, headaches, and difficulty chewing. A good solution, particularly for a frequent diver, is to get a custom-fitted molded mouthpiece.

To learn more about TMJ and the treatment options available, watch the video below:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTvDdtTd0jg

We’ll Help You Prepare Your Teeth For The Water!

We want to make sure you have a great summer enjoying all of your favorite water activities without fear for your teeth. Schedule an appointment so that we can come up with the best plan to help you avoid these common underwater tooth problems!

Thank you for being part of our practice family!

                                              



                                              Dr. Andrew Bruening & Dr. Carissa Bruening are

 General & Family Dentists located in Chesterfield, Missouri.

636-532-3311 | admin@chdental.net

Check Out Our Website!

                                           


                                       

To stay up to date with patient appreciation raffles, office specials, and volunteer events, go "LIKE" our Facebook Page by searching @chdental or Chesterfield Hilltown Dental. We are always accepting new patients, and our family looks forward to meeting yours!

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions. Top image used under CC0 Public Domain license. Image cropped and modified from original.

Your Child’s Baby Teeth Timeline

GROWING AND LOSING BABY TEETH are major milestones in your child’s development. If you’re a first-time parent, you probably have a lot of questions about what to expect, so let’s take a look at how baby teeth develop and when you can expect to start seeing them, as well as when adult teeth will start replacing them.

Baby Teeth Develop Before We’re Even Born!

Long before babies are even born, their teeth begin to develop in the gums, a process called odontogenesis. The tooth buds that will become baby teeth start forming by week six of pregnancy, then continue to grow until after the baby is born, ultimately pushing through the gums. Even then, the roots still have a bit of growing left to do.

They Don’t All Erupt At Once

Baby teeth tend to erupt in pairs, and these pairs tend to alternate between top and bottom teeth. The first pair, the lower central incisors, normally make their appearance after between six to ten months. The next two are the upper central incisors between eight to twelve months. The lateral incisors come next, between nine and sixteen months. The first molars come next, then the canine teeth, and finally the second molars.

Most toddlers have their full set of twenty baby teeth by the time they turn three. Talk to us if you’re worried your child’s baby teeth aren’t growing in according to schedule, but there isn’t usually cause for concern unless no teeth have arrived by eighteen months. Whenever that first tooth does arrive, be sure to schedule an appointment!

It’s Time To Call the Tooth Fairy!

Normally, children begin losing baby teeth between ages five and six. Kids who take a little longer might feel left behind, because losing a tooth is a rite of passage and symbol of maturity. If no baby teeth are loose by the time they turn seven, it’s a good idea to talk to us about it. There isn’t usually anything to worry about; late-blooming adult teeth can actually be stronger and more cavity-resistant than they would’ve been if they arrived on schedule!

Fun Trivia: Natal Teeth And Folklore

In some (rare) cases, a baby might actually be born with one or two teeth. These are called natal teeth. They aren’t actually part of the regular set of baby teeth and typically are oddly shaped and have malformed roots, which makes them very loose. Doctors often remove them before new parents take their baby home from the hospital.

Even though natal teeth are perfectly harmless anomalies, over the centuries, different cultures have had a wide range of reactions to them. In China, they were considered bad luck, but in Europe, they were a mark that the child had a wonderful future ahead of them. Some Ural-Altaic tribes even viewed them as a sign that the child was a sorcerer!

Keep On Brushing!

No matter whether your child is a six-month-old with just one tooth or is a teenager with nearly a full set of adult teeth, all teeth always need to be cleaned and taken care of. Healthy brushing habits for baby teeth lead to healthy habits for adult teeth!

We love our patients!

                                   



                                               Dr. Andrew Bruening & Dr. Carissa Bruening are

 General & Family Dentists located in Chesterfield, Missouri.

636-532-3311 | admin@chdental.net

Check Out Our Website!

                                            


                                       



To stay up to date with patient appreciation raffles, office specials, and volunteer events, go "LIKE" our Facebook Page by searching @chdental or Chesterfield Hilltown Dental. We are always accepting new patients, and our family looks forward to meeting yours!

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Top image used under CC0 Public Domain license. Image cropped and modified from original.

Photo Op: Types Of Dental X-Rays

EVERYONE WHO’S BEEN TO THE DENTIST is familiar with X-rays. You put on the lead apron, you’re given a rectangular contraption and told “put this between your teeth and bite down,” and then you hear that tinny beep. Have you ever wondered what the different types of dental X-rays are and what they’re for? Let’s take a closer look at three of the most common ones.

The Big Picture: Panoramic X-Rays

Has an X-ray technician ever had you stand on a circular platform and stand still for several seconds while the machine spun around your head? Then you’ve had a panoramic X-ray, which is the most common type of extraoral dental X-ray.

With these, we can see your entire mouth in one image, because the camera travels all the way around your head while taking the picture. These X-rays show incoming adult teeth and wisdom teeth, including any that are impacted, which is how we determine if there’s enough room for these teeth to come in and if they’ll come in on their own. Panoramic X-rays also make it much easier to detect things like tumors, cysts, and abscesses.

Glamor Shots: Bitewing X-Rays

As you might have guessed from the name, bitewing X-rays are the ones where the patient has to bite down on a piece of dental film before the image is taken. Because the dental film is inside your mouth, bitewing X-rays are a type of intraoral X-ray. Usually, there will be one X-ray taken for each of the four quadrants of your mouth.

Bitewing X-rays are taken to give us a clear view of the crevices between your teeth, which are difficult to see with the naked eye. With these images, we can easily check for tooth decay and cavities in those areas.

It’s Time For Your Close-Up: Periapical X-Rays

This intraoral X-ray is the close-up of the dental world. If a specific tooth or area in your mouth is bothering you, we’ll probably take a periapical X-ray to get a clear idea of what’s going on there, but they can also be taken alongside bitewing X-rays even if you aren’t aware of an obvious tooth problem.

For more information on dental X-rays and why they’re so important, watch the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLwwzSnlaPc

Early Warnings For Healthier Smiles

All types of X-rays are simple, low-risk tools that help us catch dental problems early on, maybe before you’ve even noticed anything! However, in order for us to do that, it’s crucial that you come in for your regular cleanings and dental exams. Is your smile ready for its next close-up.

We’re so happy to have you as part of our practice family!

                                    



                                              Dr. Andrew Bruening & Dr. Carissa Bruening are

 General & Family Dentists located in Chesterfield, Missouri.

636-532-3311 | admin@chdental.net

Check Out Our Website!

                                            


                                       

To stay up to date with patient appreciation raffles, office specials, and volunteer events, go "LIKE" our Facebook Page by searching @chdental or Chesterfield Hilltown Dental. We are always accepting new patients, and our family looks forward to meeting yours!

Top image used under CC0 Public Domain license. Image cropped and modified from original.

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.