All Coast Dental

Showing posts with label dental. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dental. Show all posts

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Tooth Extraction Site Preservation


Sometimes pulling teeth is a necessary procedure for overcrowding in the mouth or infection due to tooth decay. It isn’t a procedure to be taken lightly. Like wisdom teeth removal where they are located in the back of the mouth and sutures are used, the tooth extraction site essentially becomes an open wound, one that needs to be monitored and given time to heal. We at All Coast Dental understand that getting a tooth pulled isn’t very fun, but we are committed to making the procedure and healing process as comfortable as we can for our patients. 




If you ever think your healing process doesn’t feel normal, you should contact your Pacific, CA dentist. Signs of complications include:




- Cough, shortness of breath, or chest pain


- Severe nausea or vomiting


- Redness, swelling, or excessive discharge from the extraction site


- Signs of infection, such as fever and chills




Something else to keep in mind when removing teeth is what to do with that open space once it has healed. If a tooth is removed and nothing is done to the extraction site, your jaw bone will degenerate and change shape while the site heals. This can create problems in your bite and may affect chewing and speaking. Make sure you and your dentist come up with a plan to fill this space.



All Coast Dental is located at 2180 Garnet Ave., Suite 1-K, in Pacific, CA 92109. For more information about nightguards or to schedule an appointment, please visit allcoastdental.net or call 858-270-4904.


 



Thursday, December 5, 2019

Nightguards


Nightguards are placed in the mouth to act as a “cushion” during sleep to prevent someone from grinding or gnashing their teeth together. Some people actually do this during the day as well. Grinding your teeth, also known as bruxism, damages enamel, wears down teeth, causes jaw pain, and irritates gums. If you think you are grinding your teeth, we at All Coast Dental in Pacific can help.




Severe teeth grinding can lead to tension-type headaches and disorders in the temporomandibular joints (TMJs), where a clicking noise is heard when you open and close your mouth. Teeth grinding has also been seen in quite a few children. According to WebMD, “approximately 15% to 33% of children grind their teeth.” The first step to preventing teeth grinding is to determine what is causing it. Sometimes a nightguard or change in lifestyle is all you need to prevent it.




There are several factors that increase the chances of grinding your teeth:




- Stress and anxiety


- Age (though common in children, bruxism goes away by adulthood)


- Aggressive or competitive personality type


- Psychiatric medications


- Smoking tobacco


- Consuming caffeine or alcohol


- Family history of teeth grinding


- Other disorders such as Parkinson's, dementia, gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), epilepsy, night terrors, sleep apnea, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)



All Coast Dental is located at 2180 Garnet Ave., Suite 1-K, in Pacific, CA 92109. For more information about nightguards or to schedule an appointment, please visit allcoastdental.net or call 858-270-4904.