Tag Archives: International District Dentistry

A fractured tooth is a big dental problem. Just like a cavity, it represents a breach in your protective enamel that allows your oral bacteria to penetrate into your dentin and rot away your tooth structure. Also like a cavity, it is entirely possible to live with a fractured tooth without ever realizing that you have a problem. Your tooth may feel normal to the touch, and you may not experience any pain until your pulp becomes infected. Therefore, be on the lookout for the following warning signs that your tooth may be broken:

• Erratic pain when you chew
• Pain, swelling, or pocketing in the gums
• Pain that results from cold temperatures
• A rough or sharp feeling on the surface of your tooth

If you think that you might have a fractured tooth, it is important for you to bring it to our International District dentist before the damage can progress too far.

Do you have a child who habitually breathes out of his or her mouth? This is a common habit for young children. About half of children under the age of eight will be guilty of at least some mouth-breathing. If he or she hasn’t grown out of the habit by eight years old, though, it might be wise to bring this to our International District dentist.

The main problem with mouth-breathing is that it dries up the saliva in your mouth. You need this saliva to protect yourself from the harmful microbes that cause tooth decay and gum disease, so a dry mouth can invite serious dental problems upon you. Children with dry mouths are highly prone to tooth decay, gum disease, and other such conditions, which can seriously affect their oral health well into their adult years.

When you have a tooth drilled and filled, the end result is not likely to be as durable as your natural tooth structure. Particularly if you are using silver amalgam fillings which don’t bond to your dentin, your fillings can occasionally fall out. When this happens, the next actions you take will be very important.

Your first priority should be to contact our International District dentistry clinic as soon as possible. Without your filling, your tooth is extremely vulnerable to decay and further breakage. As a matter of fact, when a filling falls out, it’s a good sign that you may have some decay or cracked tooth structure to deal with.

Should you swallow your filling, don’t worry. Modern fillings are non-toxic, and will pass harmlessly from your system. In the rare case that the filling goes down your windpipe and gets stuck in your lungs, you should contact your doctor.

It’s old news that sugary soda is bad for your teeth. Obviously, all the sugar in soda is a big contributor to tooth decay and gum disease. Armed with this knowledge, some people think that they can avoid this problem by drinking only sugar-free soda. Unfortunately, this is not the fix that they think it is. Our International District dentistry cautions you to take as much care with sugar-free sodas as you would with sugary beverages.

The truth is that it is not only the sugar content of soda that is detrimental to your teeth. The carbonation is also doing your mouth no favors. Carbonated beverages like soda are highly acidic, and this acid has a high potential to break down your tooth enamel. In many drinks, this acid is doing more damage than the sugar itself. You can minimize this damage by chasing an acidic beverage with a calcium-rich drink, like milk, and stick to drinking water between meals as much as you can manage.