The following brief bits of information are designed to help you understand some of the most common dental health issues that our Bethlehem & Lehigh Valley patients face. Of course, if you have questions about any dental topic not covered here, please feel free to ask us at Pure Family Dentistry in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, for information!
TMJ Disorder
You may spend most of your life unaware of the important little triangular-shaped temporomandibular joints located in front of each of your ears. Lined with cartilage, these joints move with a smooth, gliding motion joining your lower jaw and temporal bone, allowing your mouth to open and close. However, stress-related reactions can wear down that cartilage, exposing nerve endings and creating chronic pain.
Brushing Right Can Save Your Life
Although most people are aware of the reasons behind proper, daily tooth brushing, few people realize that clean teeth and healthy gums can protect against a wide variety of other general, even life-threatening, health problems!
Composite Resins: Strengthen Your Smile
If you are self-conscious about your smile because of decayed, disfigured, or discolored teeth, you may be a good candidate for composite resins. A composite resin is simply a tooth-colored resin material that we use to restore teeth to an attractive, healthy state.
Crowns: We Have Got You Covered
If you are self-conscious about your smile due to cracked, broken, decayed, or worn teeth, our Bethlehem and Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania aesthetic dentistry can bring back your healthy, natural-looking smile with dental crowns. Designed to fit snugly and function as normal teeth, crowns protect your teeth from further damage and preserve your jaw’s correct natural alignment.
The CEREC Procedure
Let’s face it, very few of us have perfect teeth, free of decay and fillings. You can probably see a filling or two in your own mouth, which do just that — “fill” a cavity, or hole, in your tooth left from the excavation of decayed tooth structure. In many cases, those fillings are made of metal material and can go bad, weaken the tooth, or get additional decay under or around it. Our practice can now restore teeth with metal free crowns or ceramic fillings in one visit saving patients time and inconvenience.
Veneers/Laminates
Many people desire a brighter, cleaner, more attractive and aesthetic smile, but have chipped, stained, discolored, unevenly spaced, or even slightly crooked front teeth. Often, porcelain veneers or laminates can provide these people with a completely new looking smile in just a few simple appointments.
Root Canals
The nerve in a tooth can become infected for many reasons. An area of deep decay could involve the nerve, or the accidental fracture of part of the tooth, could expose the nerve. Sometimes, just a blow to the tooth can cause the nerve to die and become infected.
Intraoral Cameras
Intraoral video imaging involves the use of a small camera with a fiber optic light source small enough to be placed within the mouth. This camera is attached to a computer, which allows the images of your teeth to be displayed on the computer monitor.
Oral health and your heart
Researchers are finding possible links between periodontal infections and other diseases throughout the body. Current studies suggest that there may be a link between periodontal (gum) disease, heart disease and other health conditions.
Dental Sealants
Dental sealants offer a means of successfully protecting molar and premolar chewing surfaces from decay.
Pennsylvania Dental Implants
It is not uncommon for adults to lose teeth due to accident, injury, gum disease or extraction. In such cases, we may recommend dental implants as a secure, functional replacement option because they do not rely on neighboring teeth for support.
Fixed Bridges
When teeth are lost due to accidents, injury, or gum disease, we often recommend a special permanent bridge appliance to replace the missing teeth.
Sensitive Teeth
Some people experience tooth pain whenever something hot or cold touches their teeth. Usually, the culprit is a case of worn enamel or receding gums, since these conditions can expose the tiny, sensitive tubes located within the tooth’s inner dentin layer.
Oral Cancer
Oral cancer has one of the highest mortality rates because it is both painless and sneaky in the early stages, often going undetected until it is advanced beyond what can be effectively battled by cancer treatments.
Floss: Your Single Most Important Weapon
You may not realize it, but even when your mouth is clean, it is full of bacteria. These naturally occurring microorganisms accumulate into colonies on your teeth, roots, and tongue known as plaque.
Bruxism, Migraines, and Nightguards
Everyone clenches and grinds their teeth now and then. In fact, it is a normal stress-related response; however, if habitual and intense, this “bruxism” will lead to tooth structure breakdown, gum recession, and eventual tooth loss. You can have perfect hygiene habits and still lose your teeth, simply due to bruxing! In addition, we construct custom athletic mouthguards to protect the dentition during contact sports.
Diagnodent
The Diagnodent is a quick, comfortable, and highly accurate tooth decay diagnosis device.