At Pebblewood Dental, in Napervill IL, we are pleased to offer a full range of dental care services and dental treatments. Our dental services include: children's, cosmetic, family, general, implant, preventive and restorative dentistry.
Showing posts with label general dentistry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label general dentistry. Show all posts
What is Dry Mouth? Dry mouth means you don't have enough saliva, or spit, to keep your mouth moist. Everyone has a dry mouth once in a while, especially if you're nervous, upset or under stress. But if you have a dry mouth all or most of the time, it can be uncomfortable and can lead to more serious health problems or indicate that a more serious medical condition may exist. That's because saliva does more than just keep the mouth wet -it helps digest food, protects teeth from decay, prevents infection by controlling bacteria in the mouth, and makes it possible for you to chew and swallow. There are several reasons that the glands that produce saliva, called the salivary glands, might not function properly. These include:
Side effects of some medications - over 400 medicines can cause dry mouth, including antihistamines, decongestants, pain killers, diuretics and medicines for high blood pressure and depression.
Disease - diseases that affect the salivary glands, such as diabetes, Hodgkin's, Parkinson's disease, HIV/AIDS and Sjogren's syndrome, may lead to dry mouth.
Radiation therapy - the salivary glands can be damaged if your head or neck are exposed to radiation during cancer treatment. The loss of saliva can be total or partial, permanent or temporary.
Chemotherapy - drugs used to treat cancer can make saliva thicker, or "ropey," causing your mouth to feel dry.
Menopause - changing hormone levels affect the salivary glands, often leaving menopausal and post-menopausal women with a persistent feeling of dry mouth.
Smoking - many pipe, cigar and heavy cigarette smokers experience dry mouth.
To read the entire article , please visit Colgate.com
Our doctors believe the best dentistry for each patient means letting you be part of your own dental decisions. With the intra-oral camera, you can see for yourself the problem areas that need work – as well as which teeth look great. Our high-tech miniature video camera provides a very clear and close-up picture of your upper and lower teeth in real time, on our chairside monitor.
Although many patients don't fear dental treatment, no one is crazy about having an injection. We are very pleased to bring you the latest development in anesthetic technology with the Midwest Comfort Control™ Syringe (CCS). This slowly administers the anesthesia into the designated area. What does that mean for you? Eliminated sensitivity and discomfort! The injection will be completed without you feeling a thing. Patients often comment how relaxed and comfortable they feel with this improvement in injection technology.
Signs of age affect more than just our bodies. Our teeth also bear the years of significant use. Wear and tear from what we consume, such as tobacco and caffeine, will turn white teeth darker and stained. Fillings may loosen, or teeth may have fracture lines – both conditions allow decay to set in. Decay must be removed and fillings replaced. Gum disease, which is a major problem in seniors, needs to be kept in check. Certain medications are known to reduce saliva flow, which can have a detrimental effect on your teeth. We can remedy all of these problems with regular check-ups before they seriously affect your health and well-being.
In a perfect world, there would be no cavities - but unfortunately that would mean there would have to be no sugar, and let’s be honest, that’s never going to happen. Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet isn’t just important to your overall health, its important to your oral health as well. Frequent or prolonged intake of sugary foods enables bacteria to maintain an acidic environment on the surface of your teeth. Soft and sticky foods cling to the biting surfaces of the teeth and stay there until itÃs brushed off. Saliva will spread the sugar between the teeth, and to the front and back. So how do cavities occur and that ugly dental decay? Every time you eat, plaque and bacteria in your mouth mix with the sugar and starch from the food you ingest, creating an acidic environment in your mouth. This acid softens the enamel of your teeth, and without proper oral hygiene, can expose your teeth to troublesome cavities. How to reduce the risk of decay:
Brush daily with fluoridated toothpaste.
Follow your country’s food guide necessary for a healthy diet.
When eating starchy foods such as bread, cereal and pasta, minimize the time teeth are exposed by eating them with meals rather than snacking on them throughout the day.
Substitute sugary snacks with sugar-free gum and mints. Xylitol found in some chewing gums has been found to reduce risk of cavities. This can help reduce cavities and increase saliva flow.
Drink high-sugar beverages through a straw, then rinse mouth with water and brush within 30 minutes. But be careful, brushing to quickly following a meal can damage your teeth’s enamel.
Rinsing with water after eating can help cleanse the teeth before brushing.
Most of us know how important it is to look after our teeth, but do you know what the different types of teeth are and how we use them? Teeth don't just help you bite and chew; they play an important role in speaking and support many aspects of your facial structure. There are four kinds of teeth in your mouth, according to Everyday Health, and each performs a slightly different function. Then there are three rarer formations that can occur in a growing jaw. Incisors At the front of the mouth are eight thin, straight teeth called incisors - four at the top and four at the bottom - which bite into the food you eat and help you pronounce words as you you speak. Incisors also support the lips. To read the entire article by Jenny Green, please visit Colgate.com
The mouth, or oral cavity, is made up of numerous components that work together so that you can breathe, speak, eat and digest food. When you understand these parts of the mouth and how they affect your general health, the significance of oral care takes on a whole new meaning. Here's what these things do for you. Lips and Cheeks Your lips and cheeks are made up of muscles that not only give you the ability to pucker up for a kiss, but also help shape your facial expressions - both happy and sad. Lips let air into your mouth for breathing and, together with cheeks, help you speak. They also keep food and saliva in your mouth while chewing. Ultimately, these strong muscles guide and keep your teeth in their proper positions. To read the entire article by Donna Pleis, please visit Colgate.com
Think back to the days when your tongue served two main functions: licking soft-serve ice cream cones and taunting a sibling when you stuck it out in his direction. But the tongue actually goes beyond melting desserts and young attitude. Here are ten human tongue facts, including some of its functions. The Average Tongue Is Four Inches Long The tongue consists of two parts: anterior and posterior. The anterior tongue is mostly visible and about two thirds of the tongue's total length. The posterior tongue sits near the back of the throat and measures the other one third in length. To read the entire article by Steve Auger, please visit Colgate.com
The habit: Grazing all day, especially on sugary foods and drinks, puts you at a higher risk for cavities. When you eat, cavity-causing bacteria feast leftover food, producing an acid that attacks the outer shell of your teeth. The solution: Eat balanced meals to feel fuller, longer. If you need a snack, make sure it's low in fat and sugar. If you indulge in the occasional sugary treat, follow it with a big glass of water to wash away leftover food. To read the entire article please visit MouthHealthy.org Pebblewood Dental Mark Mendiola, DDS & Larissa Navarro, DDS 1550 North Route 59, Suite 148 Naperville, IL 60563 (630) 369-6222 PebblewoodDental.com
The Laser Scanner Provides the Best Detection of Cavities
Perhaps in the past, you have seen your dentist on a regular, six-month schedule to ensure your mouth stays cavity free. On one of those check-ups you are quite shocked to hear you have a large cavity. You wonder how the cavity could have gotten so large so quickly.
The fact is that the cavity was there at least six months ago, but wasn't detectable through visual inspection or X-rays. To provide the best dental care, we use the laser scanner, which can accurately detect even the tiniest cavity. Sometimes tooth sensitivity can go undiagnosed because the cause cannot be found. The laser scanner provides the answers to questionable sensitivities or pain by identifying the source of the problem. It allows for restoration in a cavity's earliest stage to maintain more of your natural tooth structure.
Digital X-rays are a great advancement for dental technology. There is a 75% reduction in radiation, the images are available immediately, and no chemicals are used to develop the X-ray. It is a quick and easy process with the placement of a digital sensor in your mouth. Unlike with the old method, you won't have to wait for development. The images are viewable on our computer right away, so we can take a look together and decide on your care plan. Pebblewood Dental Mark Mendiola, DDS & Larissa Navarro, DDS 1550 North Route 59, Suite 148 Naperville, IL 60563 (630) 369-6222 PebblewoodDental.com
Dry mouth means you don't have enough saliva, or spit, to keep your mouth moist. Everyone has a dry mouth once in a while, especially if you're nervous, upset or under stress. But if you have a dry mouth all or most of the time, it can be uncomfortable and can lead to more serious health problems or indicate that a more serious medical condition may exist. That's because saliva does more than just keep the mouth wet -it helps digest food, protects teeth from decay, prevents infection by controlling bacteria in the mouth, and makes it possible for you to chew and swallow.
Our doctors believe the best dentistry for each patient means letting you be part of your own dental decisions. With the intra-oral camera, you can see for yourself the problem areas that need work – as well as which teeth look great. Our high-tech miniature video camera provides a very clear and close-up picture of your upper and lower teeth in real time, on our chairside monitor.
Although many patients don't fear dental treatment, no one is crazy about having an injection. We are very pleased to bring you the latest development in anesthetic technology with the Midwest Comfort Control™ Syringe (CCS). This slowly administers the anesthesia into the designated area. What does that mean for you? Eliminated sensitivity and discomfort! The injection will be completed without you feeling a thing. Patients often comment how relaxed and comfortable they feel with this improvement in injection technology.
Signs of age affect more than just our bodies. Our teeth also bear the years of significant use. Wear and tear from what we consume, such as tobacco and caffeine, will turn white teeth darker and stained. Fillings may loosen, or teeth may have fracture lines – both conditions allow decay to set in. Decay must be removed and fillings replaced. Gum disease, which is a major problem in seniors, needs to be kept in check. Certain medications are known to reduce saliva flow, which can have a detrimental effect on your teeth. We can remedy all of these problems with regular check-ups before they seriously affect your health and well-being. 
In a perfect world, there would be no cavities - but unfortunately that would mean there would have to be no sugar, and let’s be honest, that’s never going to happen.
Most of us know how important it is to look after our teeth, but do you know what the different types of teeth are and how we use them? Teeth don't just help you bite and chew; they play an important role in speaking and support many aspects of your facial structure. There are four kinds of teeth in your mouth, according to Everyday Health, and each performs a slightly different function. Then there are three rarer formations that can occur in a growing jaw.
The mouth, or oral cavity, is made up of numerous components that work together so that you can breathe, speak, eat and digest food. When you understand these parts of the mouth and how they affect your general health, the significance of oral care takes on a whole new meaning. Here's what these things do for you.
Think back to the days when your tongue served two main functions: licking soft-serve ice cream cones and taunting a sibling when you stuck it out in his direction. But the tongue actually goes beyond melting desserts and young attitude. Here are ten human tongue facts, including some of its functions.
The habit: Grazing all day, especially on sugary foods and drinks, puts you at a higher risk for cavities. When you eat, cavity-causing bacteria feast leftover food, producing an acid that attacks the outer shell of your teeth.
Perhaps in the past, you have seen your dentist on a regular, six-month schedule to ensure your mouth stays cavity free. On one of those check-ups you are quite shocked to hear you have a large cavity. You wonder how the cavity could have gotten so large so quickly.
Digital X-rays are a great advancement for dental technology. There is a 75% reduction in radiation, the images are available immediately, and no chemicals are used to develop the X-ray. It is a quick and easy process with the placement of a digital sensor in your mouth. Unlike with the old method, you won't have to wait for development. The images are viewable on our computer right away, so we can take a look together and decide on your care plan.