Westchester Gentle Dentistry Blog

Not to scare you or anything, but candy isn’t the only thing that goes bump in your mouth on Halloween. From spooky cocktails to a few too many beers, alcohol can damage your teeth as easily as Skittles and Hershey bars. Keep reading to see how scary booze can be for your dental health and learn some ways to protect your smile.

If you’ve ever heard that children’s song “London Bridge is Falling Down” you already know that bridges can and do fail. But what about dental bridges? These restorations can replace up to four consecutive missing teeth in one durable, lifelike prosthesis, but if you don’t take excellent care of them, they can’t provide the protection your smile needs. Here’s a closer look at some steps you can take to ensure your dental bridge avoids failure and stays in great shape for years to come.

Dental bridges are resilient restorations intended to rebuild 1 to 4 consecutively missing teeth. They are usually made from tooth-colored ceramic that can be crafted to match the size, shape, and shade of your natural enamel for beautiful results intended to last.

But that doesn’t mean these replacement teeth are invincible. For instance, they can become destabilized or dislodged if you neglect dental hygiene, sustain an injury, or if they are older and worn down. If you’ve just realized yours has fallen out, continue reading to learn about 4 steps to take to get help as quickly as possible!

Dentures are a tried-and-true solution to missing teeth that has helped millions of people. You might’ve gotten them to restore your full smile and are enjoying how confident they make you feel. As they get older, they might develop a bad smell. This can make you embarrassed, so here’s why this happens and ways you can freshen this prosthetic.

Although they were a dental mainstay for nearly 200 years, amalgam metal fillings aren’t without their drawbacks. Not only are they extremely visible in your smile, but because they’re metal, they can cause a variety of problems including expanding and contracting within the teeth, leaving them vulnerable to damage. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that having more than eight of these restorations can pose dangerous health risks. Here’s why if you’re still sporting old-fashioned metal fillings, it may be time to replace them!

Most people think of dental implants as simply a solution for missing teeth, but they could be more! The connection between your oral health and your overall health runs deep, and your heart is right in the middle of it. If you’ve been putting off replacing a missing tooth, knowing that it could have an effect on your cardiovascular health might be the extra encouragement you need to take the plunge.

Dental implants are one of the most durable and natural-looking solutions for replacing missing teeth. With proper care, they can last for decades and function just like natural teeth. However, their long-term success depends heavily on daily oral hygiene—especially flossing.

Even though implants cannot develop cavities, the surrounding gum tissue is still vulnerable to infection and inflammation. Without proper cleaning, bacteria can accumulate around the implant and lead to a condition known as peri-implant disease, which can threaten the stability of the implant itself.

If you’ve lost one or more teeth, it can be difficult to do things that you once found simple. This includes tasks like eating, speaking, and smiling without feeling self-conscious. Dental implants are the best tooth replacement option out there because they replace the roots of the missing teeth, allowing for a wide range of benefits. However, if you have rheumatoid arthritis, procedures like dental implant placement can be made more complex. Here’s how rheumatoid arthritis can affect your ability to get dental implants.