As most of us know, toothaches and various types of oral injury can be extremely painful and unexpected and these dental emergencies should always be seen by a dentist immediately.  Our Dentist Fairfield Connecticut says that dental emergencies should be seen immediately by a dentist, day or night. These dental emergencies might include broken teeth, teeth that have been knocked out, or teeth that have been forced out of the socket.  With some emergencies, the cheeks, lips, or gums will have cuts or abrasions on them from where the teeth come out of the socket…these situations require immediate care.
 
If you have ever had a tooth knocked out, you know that the first thing a person should do is look for that tooth.  When the tooth is  found, it should be gently scrubbed to get rid of any dirt or debris.  After it has been cleaned, you should place it back in your mouth between the cheek and gums.  You should never try to put it back in the socket.  If you can make it to the dentist in time, he may be able to put the tooth back in place.
 
If you’ve had a tooth come out of place, you are aware that you can normally reposition it with your fingers.  Never use a lot of force, simply because it could damage the tooth and the teeth next to it.  You shouldn’t force the tooth into place, rather try to jiggle it around.  You can also use moist tissue to hold the tooth in place, until you can get to a dentist.
 
With a fractured tooth, treatment will depend on how bad the booth has been fractured.  No matter how light the fracture may be, it is very important to visit a dentist as soon as possible.  Minor fractures aren’t the worst dental emergency, as they can normally be smoothed out using sandpaper.  Sometimes, the tooth can also be restored with a composite.  Either way, you’ll need to make sure that you use extreme caution with the tooth for the next few days.
 
Our dentist Fairfield Connecticut says that if the fractures are more moderate, which will normally include damage to the dentin, pulp, and even the enamel, these fractures can sometimes be nothing to worry about, and yet painful at other times, with other cases.  Providing the pulp hasn’t been damaged, the dentist will be able to restore the full shape and function to the fractured tooth. 

In a situation where the pulp has been damaged, your dentist Fairfield Connecticut or wherever you are, may have to do a root canal or other type of serious surgery to repair the tooth.
 
When encountering a dental emergency, never hesitate to contact a dental office immediately.  The dentist will be able to assist you, fix the problem, and stop the pain.  Dental emergencies can happen at any time, at any place, and you should always have an emergency phone number for a dentist who will be there quickly.  Tooth pain can be very excruciating – and you’ll obviously want to get the problem fixed immediately…whether you have a dentist Fairfield Connecticut, or across the USA somewhere else.

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Fairfield Dental Office Discusses Dental Insurance

Fairfield, CT – www.1305dental.com – Does one need Dental Insurance? The question could be asked of any kind of insurance. Well, insurance is a tool that offsets financial losses due to accidents or incidents or unforeseen circumstances. With this in view, insurance is always advocated but if one is young and healthy and doesn’t need to visit a dentist more than twice a year, dental insurance will not be a requirement, since the premium for such insurance may be more than the annual tooth maintenance bill.

People with a turbulent dental history are advised to purchase dental insurance  for the simple reason that dental bills can turn out to be very steep. Millions of Americans are undergoing root canal and cavity procedures despite the fluoride in drinking water. Dental health in the USA has not been of very high standard over the decades. Dental health depends upon a variety of factors including dental hygiene, stress, personal eating habits, nutrition etc.

The programs of dental coverage available are Indemnity Plans, Preferred Provider Plans, HMO Plans, Discount Plans and HSAs

Dental Indemnity Insurance Plans

These are normal, traditional insurance coverage plans where you get a percentage of your dental bills covered for a monthly fee or premium. Normally a indemnity plan covers 100% of preventive services, 80% of restoration services and 50% of major treatment like orthodontics.

Dental Preferred Provider Plans

These plans cost an average of $40 per month and give you highly discounted rates of dental procedures within the specified network. A few benefits are available outside the network also. These plans are regulated by state insurance departments and fall in the insurance category.

HMO Dental Insurance

These insurance plans are also known as capitation plans. They operate like Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO). These are also regulated by state insurance department and cost between $20-$40 a month.

Dental Discount Plans

Discount dental plans are like clubs where you get the best deals when you show your membership card. These are again network based. They give best value to individual and family memberships. This membership is only purchasing a discounted access to a network dentist and is not considered insurance. Biggest issue with DDP’s is you need to go the dental office that offers the discount rates. This limits your quality of care!  

Another option that is becoming very popular is HSA accounts. HSA’s provide individuals with a smart way to save money to help pay for their current and future qualified medical expenses on a tax-free basis.

If you’re looking for a new dentist or want to discuss your dental insurance Call us anytime at 203-255-5999

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Cavities -What’s In Your Mouth?

To understand what happens when your teeth decay, it’s helpful to know what’s in your mouth naturally. Here are a few of the elements:

• Saliva: Your mouth and teeth are constantly bathed in saliva. Although we never give much thought to our spit, this simple fluid is remarkable for what it does to help protect our oral health. Saliva keeps teeth and other oral tissues moist and lubricated, washes away some of the food particles left behind after we eat, keeps acid levels in the mouth low, and protects against some viruses and bacteria.
• Plaque: Plaque appears as a soft, gooey substance that sticks to the teeth a bit like jam sticks to a spoon. It is, in fact, colonies of bacteria, protozoa, mycoplasmas, yeasts and viruses clumping together in a gel-like organic material. Also in the mix are bacteria byproducts, white blood cells, food debris and body tissue. Plaque grows when bacteria attach to the tooth and begin multiplying. Plaque starts forming immediately after a tooth is cleaned; it takes about an hour for plaque to build up to measurable levels. As time goes on, different types of microorganisms appear, and the plaque thickens.
• Calculus: If left alone long enough, plaque begins to mineralize and harden into calculus or tartar because the plaque absorbs calcium, phosphorus and other minerals from saliva. These minerals form crystals and harden the plaque structure. New plaque forms on top of existing calculus, and this new layer can also become calcified.
• Bacteria: We have many different strains of bacteria in our mouths. Some bacteria are good; they help control destructive bacteria. When it comes to decay, Streptococcus mutans is the bacterial strain that does the most damage. It attaches easily to teeth and produces acid.

How Your Teeth Decay

You need food, particularly sweet and sticky food, for the bacteria in your mouth to produce acids that will attack the tooth enamel (outer surface of the tooth). Sugars, especially sucrose, react with bacteria to produce acid. The acid from the bacteria can decay your teeth.

It’s not just candy and ice cream we’re talking about. All carbohydrate foods, as they are digested, eventually break down into simple sugars, such as glucose and fructose. Some of this digestion begins in the mouth. Foods that break down into simple sugars in the mouth are called fermentable carbohydrates. These include the obvious sugary foods, such as cookies, cakes, soft drinks and candy, but also pretzels, crackers, bananas, potato chips and breakfast cereals. The sugars in these foods combine with the bacteria normally in the mouth to form acids. These acids cause the mineral crystals inside the teeth to begin to dissolve.

The dental caries lesion forms when these acids start to dissolve a tooth’s outer protective layer, the enamel. A cavity forms when the tooth decay breaks through the enamel to the underlying layers of the tooth. You can reverse a caries lesion (before it becomes a cavity) by using a variety of fluoride products. These include fluoridated water, fluoride rinses for use at home, and, of course, any commonly used fluoridated toothpaste.

Every time you eat, the bacteria in your mouth produce acid. Therefore, the more times you eat the more times your teeth are exposed to an acid attack.

Types and Stages of Decay

Dental decay, also known as dental caries, begins first inside the tooth. A white spot appears on the enamel where the tooth has started to weaken inside. At this stage, the tooth can repair the weakened area with the help of fluoride and minerals in saliva. But if the decay continues and breaks through the surface of the enamel, the damage is permanent. The decay must be cleaned out and the cavity filled by a dentist. Left untreated, the decay will worsen and destroy a tooth all the way through the outer enamel layer, through the inside dentin layer and down to the pulp or nerve of the tooth.

In young children, teeth that have recently emerged have weak enamel and are highly susceptible to acid decay. A type of decay called baby bottle tooth decay or early childhood caries destroys enamel quickly and is common in children. This type of decay can eat through enamel and leave a large cavity in a matter of months.

Older adults sometimes have chronic caries: cavities that don’t seem to get any worse or do so at a very slow rate. Teeth with chronic caries will tend to be darker in color because the edges of the cavities become stained from normal eating and drinking.

Root caries (decay in the roots of the teeth) is more common in older adults. Older adults are more likely to have gums that have receded from years of hard brushing or periodontal disease. They also are more likely to have dry mouth (xerostomia), which increases the risk of decay. Dry mouth is caused by many common medicines. Be sure to ask the doctor or pharmacist if any of your medicines cause dry mouth.

Decay can form beneath fillings or other restorations, such as crowns. Sometimes, bacteria and food particles can slip into a tooth if a filling hasn’t been placed properly or if the filling cracks or pulls away from the tooth, leaving a gap.

Preventing Cavities

Do you or your family members get cavities frequently? Dental research has identified factors that increase your risk of getting decay. Next time you visit the dental office, ask about your risk factors and discuss the best ways to reduce your risks and limit dental decay.

To prevent your teeth from decaying, you can do two things — strengthen your teeth’s defenses with fluoride and sealants, and reduce the number of bacteria in your mouth.

Fluoride strengthens teeth by penetrating the tooth structure and replacing lost minerals to repair acid damage. Everyone should brush with a fluoride toothpaste every day. Dental offices sometimes recommend additional toothpastes, gels and mouthrinses for both children and adults.

Sealants are protective coatings placed over the tops of chewing teeth — molars and premolars. They block bacteria and acids from sticking in the tiny grooves on the chewing surfaces of these teeth. Children should get sealants soon after their teeth erupt into the mouth.

Although you can never get rid of all the bacteria in your mouth, you can control bacteria by brushing regularly and flossing daily, seeing your dentist and dental hygienist regularly for a thorough cleaning and check-up, and reducing the number of times each day that you consume fermentable carbohydrates.

Some prescription mouthwashes (those that contain chlorhexidine) can help prevent decay by reducing the number of bacteria in the mouth. Chewing sugarless gums, especially those with xylitol, can help reduce decay and increase the flow of saliva.
©2001-2007 Aetna All rights reserved.

For more information on Dental care visit www.1305dental.com or call 203-255-5999 the office of Dr Mariana Conant, Fairfield County, General Family and Cosmetic Dentistry.

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Oral cancer is a pathologic process which begins with an asymptomatic stage during which the usual cancer signs may not be readily noticeable.  This makes the oral cancer examinations performed by the dentist critically important.  Oral cancers can be of varied histologic types such as teratoma, adenocarcinoma and melanoma.  The most common type of oral cancer is the malignant squamous cell carcinoma.  This oral cancer type usually originates in lip and mouth tissues.

There are many different places in the oral cavity and maxillofacial region in which oral cancers commonly occur, including:

• Lips
• Mouth
• Tongue
• Salivary Glands
• Oropharyngeal Region (throat)
• Gums
• Face

Reasons for oral cancer examinations

It is important to note that around 75 percent of oral cancers are linked with modifiable behaviors such as smoking, tobacco use and excessive alcohol consumption.  Your dentist can provide literature and education on making lifestyle changes and smoking cessation.

When oral cancer is diagnosed in its earliest stages, treatment is generally very effective.  Any noticeable abnormalities in the tongue, gums, mouth or surrounding area should be evaluated by a health professional as quickly as possible.  During the oral cancer exam, the dentist and dental hygienist will be scrutinizing the maxillofacial and oral regions carefully for signs of pathologic changes.

The following signs will be investigated during a routine oral cancer exam:

• Red patches and sores – Red patches on the floor of the mouth, the front and sides of the tongue, white or pink patches which fail to heal and slow healing sores that bleed easily can be indicative of pathologic (cancerous) changes.
• Leukoplakia – This is a hardened white or gray, slightly raised lesion that can appear anywhere inside the mouth. Leukoplakia can be cancerous, or may become cancerous if treatment is not sought.
• Lumps – Soreness, lumps or the general thickening of tissue anywhere in the throat or mouth can signal pathological problems.

Oral cancer exams, diagnosis and treatment

The oral cancer examination is a completely painless process.  During the visual part of the examination, the dentist will look for abnormality and feel the face, glands and neck for unusual bumps.  Lasers which can highlight pathologic changes are also a wonderful tool for oral cancer checks.  The laser can “look” below the surface for abnormal signs and lesions which would be invisible to the naked eye.

If abnormalities, lesions, leukoplakia or lumps are apparent, the dentist will implement a diagnostic impression and treatment plan.  In the event that the initial treatment plan is ineffective, a biopsy of the area will be performed.  The biopsy includes a clinical evaluation which will identify the precise stage and grade of the oral lesion.

Oral cancer is deemed to be present when the basement membrane of the epithelium has been broken.  Malignant types of cancer can readily spread to other places in the oral and maxillofacial regions, posing additional secondary threats.  Treatment methods vary according to the precise diagnosis, but may include excision, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

During bi-annual check-ups, the dentist and hygienist will thoroughly look for changes and lesions in the mouth, but a dedicated comprehensive oral cancer screening should be performed at least once each year.

If you have any questions or concerns about oral cancer, please ask your dentist or dental hygienist

Or call Dr. Mariana Conant at 203-255-5999 for a Free Consultation For any questions you may have!

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