Temporomandibular Joint disorder—TMJ—often disguises the source of the pain it inflicts. Although it originates in the jaw joint, sometimes the pain appears to emerge from an entirely different part of the head. Many people living with TMJ don't know what's behind their suffering. Their teeth themselves feel fine. So they suspect the flu, an allergy, [...]
When Bad Breath is Something to Worry About Morning breath...dragon mouth...onion breath...there are about as many descriptions of halitosis as there are reasons for it occurring. Chronic bad breath is usually not just too much garlic for lunch. Here's a list of common bad breath causes, and what you might consider doing about each: Garlic [...]
Skill, Technology, and a little "Magic" With the wonderful age of dental bonding, teeth can be made healthy and beautiful in most cases without multiple appointments, anesthesia, temporaries and at less expense than crowns. Magic? Not really. Bonding techniques have been around for years, and improvements in dental materials have made it one of the [...]
Special Concerns for Older Adults Along with those gray hairs and inevitable smile lines, your mouth undergoes natural changes over the years, as well. Among them: Cutting edge of teeth are worn flat by chewing or grinding. Remember to keep regularly scheduled hygiene appointments to check for cavities. Consider dental sealants to prevent decay, or [...]
Maintaining the integrity of your mouth Teeth are tough. Formed from the hardest substances in the body, they're harder even than bone. But they're not indestructible. Throughout life teeth are subject to injury—maybe it will be a blow from a hockey puck in your twenties. Or a luckless chomp on an unseen popcorn kernel in [...]
There's only one good thing about a visibly damaged tooth: here, clearly, is where the pain's coming from and where our response will be focused. But complaints of "tooth pain" without a clear source or origin—now, that's something else entirely. Say you've been good with your hygiene, faithful in your checkups, and you wake up [...]
The words "aging" and "healthy" don't have to be either/or propositions. Fact is, in some ways we grow healthier as we age. We've built up so many antibodies that our resistance to virus increases. Years of brushing with fluoride toothpaste actually strengthens tooth enamel. A little effort on your part now can help insure you'll [...]
Harrison Ford took a nasty fall and lost two of his teeth. Thanks to modern dentistry, he went on to become a major Hollywood star. For as long as we humans have been losing teeth, we've been filling the gaps. Early dentures were made from ivory, bone, silver, gold, agate, mother-of-pearl and teeth removed from [...]
Social embarrassments come in many sizes. But chronic bad breath is near the top of the list. It affects those nearest and dearest to us and may limit the close social contacts we treasure most. Worse yet, a person with bad breath may be unaware he's offensive—we "turn off" our sensitivity to bad odors over [...]
Cheat The Tooth Fairy We sure can try, but your help is needed, and the most important word is TIME. When a permanent tooth is knocked out, the less time it is out of the mouth the better. In fact, the best results are obtained when the tooth is replaced within 30 minutes! A parent [...]
