TMJ Treatment Options for Alleviating Your Discomfort

There are several types of TMJ treatments, however, TMJ is not the easiest disorder to diagnose, especially when people are at home and find themselves in pain. When you have typical symptoms that include popping of the jaw or difficulty opening your mouth, you should see a dentist so that we can help you to diagnose TMJ. It can take the experience of a professional to connect your symptoms to TMJ. This is because the disorder can manifest itself in a variety of different ways, including things that would not normally be associated with temporomandibular pain. These symptoms can include random tooth pain, aches in the neck, and even an ongoing headache. People who suffer from reoccurring migraine headaches have also been diagnosed with TMJ, so there really is no single set of diagnosis that can point to a patient having TMJ. 

Similarly, treating TMJ has a variety of different methodologies, requiring a step by step approach. The simplest treatment involves an exercise that causes relief from the symptoms. Some also find relief with gentle message. In our dental office, we find the greatest success in treating TMJ with a removable oral appliance.  We create these appliances out of plastic after an impression has been taken of the mouth.  They look like a full retainer and when worn, prevent the upper and lower teeth from touching.  This eliminates nighttime grinding and clenching, thereby preventing a common trigger for TMJ.  As a result, symptoms are often reduced or eliminated.

If this does not work, we may eventually suggest surgical remedies that may require a hospital stay and take several months to be effective. Given the intensity of these procedures, we always recommend this as the last resort after our non-invasive TMJ treatment has been tried.  There are several types of arthroplasty that is used to repair defects that lead to TMJ. These mostly are focused on the disc which can become damaged or move out of place, leading to the severe pain. 

Surgeries involving joints have become relatively commonplace in America today. Many people choose to have their knees surgically repaired or even have hips replaced when they are no longer able to treat these joints with physical therapy or other means. Similarly, if non-invasive options, for treating your TMJ, haven't worked, we will consider arthroscopic surgery to correct the problem. Using arthroscopic surgery means there will be virtually no scarring from a minimalistic incision. 

The first surgery that may be proposed is a disc repositioning surgery, which moves a slipped disc back to its original position. A slipped disc can cause severe TMJ because when the disc slips it puts a lot of pressure and pinches the nerves that are connected to the temporomandibular joint. This brief surgical procedure can relieve the pressure by moving the disc off the nerves and take away the symptoms of TMJ. If this does not work then there is a second, more invasive procedure that can be performed.  Still, we always recommend starting with an oral appliance as the non-invasive TMJ treatment option. 

The Historical Perspective on Teeth Whitening

Getting a teeth whitening procedure has become a popular trend but the basic concept has been around for a very long time. Teeth whitening has bludgeoned into an entire industry, thanks in part to the concept of having the perfectly Hollywood smile. A pearly white smile comes with a boost of confidence making it the holy grail of many who seek to achieve a perfect look. The desire to have cleaner, more confident, and certainly whiter teeth is not new, however. From as long as we can remember, historically speaking, mankind has always sought to have better teeth. The first teeth cleaning devices were called chew sticks, based on the fact that they were chewed to remove plaque, and can be traced back to around 3000 BC. Ironically there are people who still swear by these ancient remedies today. 

The Chinese invented the first device designed to actually brush the plaque off of a person’s teeth. These primitive brushes were made from the hair of a Siberian Hog, making them extremely coarse but were not popularly accepting in Europe for a very long time. The Europeans believed in keeping their teeth clean, and white, by the adopted Roman custom of picking teeth.  Today that custom exists in the form of a toothpick. 

History aside, teeth whitening comes with its own set of urban legends and questions that we get from concerned patients who are considering this procedure. We must stress that teeth whitening is among the safest dental procedure you can have done. By and large all dental procedures are relatively straightforward with limited risks. Teeth whitening is one of those procedures that is so safe that many people just take on the task at home with custom whitening trays that we prepare. We recommend that you get your teeth whitened under our careful supervision for a number of reasons, including the fact that we can care for the overall health of your mouth.  While store-bought home solutions do work and are safe, they can also lead to inadvertent irritation due to leaking solution. 

From among the many questions we get, here are our most popular urban myths:

Will teeth whitening erode my enamel?  There is no evidence to suggest that teeth whitening, in any form, damages your gums. Ancient people stood more of a chance of damaging their enamel with chew sticks than you can with whitening. The Journal of American Dentistry put out a comprehensive study recently that showed that there is no danger of enamel damage when you whiten your teeth, giving further credence to the safety of these procedures. 

Can teeth whitening hurt? Teeth whitening may cause a level of sensitivity. This sensitivity is because we are putting whitening chemicals so close to the sensitive gum tissue. However, this will not last for more than twenty-four hours and will never devolve into pain. When people perform teeth whitening at home, they may be using trays that are not custom fitted to their teeth and stand a larger chance of exposing the gums to the chemicals, thereby increasing their sensitivity. This is one reason we recommend that you come to us and get all your teeth whitening needs met. 

Learn How an Invisalign® Dentist Can Help Your and Your Teen

As an Invisalign® dentist, we understand that Invisalign® offers a degree of flexibility and comfort that traditional braces cannot. It is this flexibility that has prompted many working adults to decide to get their misaligned teeth fixed. When we speak of flexibility, it is not that the aligners aren't working all day - they are. Rather it is the ability to eat whatever food you want and have the peace of mind that you can take off the aligners whenever you need for brief periods of time. 

Additionally there are not as many follow ups, and there is no need to adjust or turn the aligners at home. All of these factors, combined with the fact that Invisalign® is completely invisible is making it a best-selling solution for people everywhere. Being able to fix your teeth without advertising it, by way of a mouth full of metal, is extremely important to many adults and also too many teenagers. As such, we offer this solution for our patients.

As an Invisalign® dentist, we recommend Invisalign® Teen as a product that has been specifically designed for the teenage audience yet works exactly the same way as the adult product and, ironically, on exactly the same principles as those old-school metal braces. When teeth are out of alignment braces or, in this case, aligners, are required to put counter pressure on the teeth. This pressure moves teeth from the position they are in, into a more suitable location. Braces accomplish this using a system of metal posts and rubber bands where Invisalign® uses a series of removable retainers to accomplish exactly the same goal. 

When you stop and consider that teenagers face many of the same challenges as adults, it becomes obvious that clear aligners are often a better solution for them as well. Let’s start with convenience - teenagers have a lot on their plate as it is. With school, some of them working jobs, a packed social schedule, and extracurricular activities - the last thing they need is a device that requires frequent attention, and takes time out of their schedule for dentists visits. Additionally teenagers often eat on the go, and are notorious for liking to eat certain foods that aren't always healthy. Since the aligners are supposed to come out while eating, this provides a level of flexibility that makes it easier for a teen to straighten their teeth.  Those that play sports will also find the aligners to be an easier option since they can remove them and wear a mouth guard instead, versus traditional braces that may be difficult to wear with one. As a bonus, Invisalign®’s aligners are completely invisible which means your teenager will never feel uncomfortable over how they look.

Not all dentists are an Invisalign® dentist, and we recommend that if you are considering straightening your teeth in this way that you see an expert.  The procedure is incredibly effective, but it is important to clearly lay out the goals that you have from the beginning, set clear expectations and understand how exactly the process will work. 

Common Reasons People Need to Wear Dental Veneers

Using dental veneers, we can repair a multitude of problems that occur with your teeth. We have found that the wafer-thin porcelain or composite dental veneers are an excellent solution to cracked teeth, chipped teeth, teeth that are discolored and even misaligned teeth. There is a wide spectrum of reasons why someone should consider veneers, and as more people become aware that they do not have to live with a less than perfect smile, veneers are growing in popularity and use. As a dentist, having a remedy that is easy and can restore teeth to their former glory makes it much easier to create the beautiful smile that most people are looking for. 

While dental veneers are a proven and effective solution, we want to make sure that our patients understand that ultimately there is nothing we prefer more than to salvage your own natural teeth. Proper hygiene, regular dental cleanings, and ensuring that we can catch any problems early on are ways you can help protect your natural teeth. It also helps, for you, to know some of the ways teeth get damaged, resulting in your needing dental veneers. There are three main ways that your teeth get worn down, leading to the need for a restoration. 

• Eroding of the teeth: Everybody brushes their teeth with the hope of staving off this condition, which occurs naturally and over time. Tooth erosion happens when you drink or place a piece of food in your mouth. The acids in the foot interact with your tooth enamel and start to erode, or eat away at the enamel. Eventually, this leads to the exposure of the dentin, which is much softer and easily eroded. Eventually, this leads to cavities and other complications. In more severe cases, tooth erosion can lead to chips, cracks, and damage to teeth that would have to be repaired using dental veneers. 
• Attrition of the teeth: All people have a normal level of attrition since this is the normal wear and tear that teeth experience by rubbing against the hardest substance in the body, other teeth. Enamel is by far the hardest substance in the human body; it is also the most brittle. When teeth rub up against each other in a constant state, eventually the enamel wears out, and this is known as attrition. Sadly this problem is greatly exasperated in people who tend to grind their teeth due to anxiety or stress. Night grinding, and even day grinders, can eventually wear their teeth down to the point where they have to get repair treatments like dental veneers. 
• Abrasion of the teeth: Abrasion is perhaps the fastest way people find themselves needing dental veneers, or even replacement surgeries like dental implants. An abrasion occurs when people use their teeth as tools instead of using a man-made tool. Cracks and chips most commonly are abrasion caused when someone tries to tear a bag or open a bottle with their teeth. Abrasions can also occur by eating extremely hard food, like chewing on the kernels of popcorn. There is rarely any other way to fix abrasions, so most patients opt for dental veneers to fix that ugly chip or crack. 

You can reduce the likelihood of needing a restoration by taking precautionary measures and visiting our office twice a year.  If, however, your teeth become sensitive or damaged, we can help restore them, using dental veneers. 

How Oral Surgery Can Improve Your Smile

At New York Dental office, we can use oral surgery to restore missing teeth and improve both the appearance and functionality of our patients’ smiles. Over sixty percent of U.S. adults will lose at least one of their adult teeth.  Whether due to an infection, accident, gum disease or other health concern, the majority of adults will struggle with this reality.  Traditionally, the only way to replace a missing tooth was to wear dentures.  While a dependable solution, dentures can be uncomfortable, feel bulky and come loose while speaking or eating.  This makes it nearly impossible to feel like they are natural teeth. 

Thanks to modern technology there are better ways to replace missing teeth.  Since the 1990s many patients have used dental bridges as a means to do so.  The bridge is formed by placing a crown onto the two teeth surrounding the missing one.  The crowns are used to hold the bridge and synthetic tooth in place. This is an excellent solution except for the fact that the surrounding teeth are impacted.  The teeth that wear the crowns may be perfectly healthy but in order for the procedure to be completed, enamel must be removed from them to make room for the crown.  Once the enamel is removed, it cannot grow back – making the procedure permanent. 

For those that want to permanently replace a tooth without damaging the surrounding teeth, dental implants are a far better option.  In this oral surgery, the dentist implants a metal post under the gums and secures it to the jawbone.  This must be done carefully, in order to avoid harming the surrounding gum tissue.  Over the course of several months, the bone and metal post will fuse together during a process called osseointegration.  Once done, this creates a new root system that is as strong and durable as a natural one would be with one major exception – metal can’t become infected. The final step of the process is securing a natural looking crown to the metal post.  

The crown is made in a dental lab to match the size and shade of the surrounding teeth.  Since the process involves the creation of a root system, the new tooth is completely sturdy and durable.  When wearing an implant, there is no risk of the tooth falling out or becoming loose.  This provides complete freedom to play sports, stay active, eat a variety of foods and more, all without restriction. 

While this is an oral surgery, once the process is complete it is far more convenient than a dental bridge or wearing dentures because an implant feels, looks, and behaves like a natural tooth.  It is taken care of by brushing and flossing so there are no additional care steps to take, and it should last a lifetime without needing to be replaced.  This is different than a bridge or dentures that have a shorter lifespan.  As a cosmetic dentist and oral surgeon we can discuss all of these options with you so that you can determine how you would like to replace your missing teeth. 

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New York Dental Office

245 East 63rd Street

New York, NY 10065

(212) 838-6226

www.newyorkdentaloffice.com

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A Cosmetic Dentist Can Correct a Damaged Smile

At New York Dental Office, we are a cosmetic dentist that can correct and restore your damaged teeth.  We focus on preventative care in order to help our patients to stay in excellent oral health.  Still, when accidents happen, teeth are often damaged in the process.  Whether in a car wreck or sports injury, teeth can become cracked, chipped or even knocked out. In the past, a damaged tooth may have been pulled.  Now, we have a wide variety of solutions for saving your tooth and helping it to look like nothing ever happened. 

One common procedure that we offer is dental veneers.  A veneer is a thin shell that is placed onto the surface of the tooth.  The natural tooth remains intact while the veneer restores the damage so that the tooth can function and appear as it did before.  Veneers can help with small cracks and chips while also addressing cosmetic concerns like dark stains and gaps in between teeth.  Our patients use this procedure to both physically and cosmetically improve their damaged teeth and smile. 

When a tooth has suffered more significant damage, or a large portion of the enamel is gone, a dental crown is often a better solution.  A dental crown can be made of all-ceramic, ceramic-on-metal, and all-metal.  As a patient, you can select the material based on where the crown will be placed within your mouth.  We recommend all-ceramic for front teeth since it looks the most natural and will still do an excellent job at protecting and restoring it.  Unlike a dental veneer, a crown surrounds the tooth which makes it a better option for teeth that need protecting.  As a cosmetic dentist, we can have crowns created to match the exact shade of the surrounding teeth so that it will blend in seamlessly. 

As a cosmetic dentist, we can also perform more basic bonding procedures and treat teeth that are infected.  All of the materials we use look like natural teeth so that you can restore damage without looking like you ever had a problem.  This is ideal for people that want to address their health needs while simultaneously improving their appearance. Cosmetic dentistry allows us to do both at the same time. 

If a tooth has fallen out we have additional options for replacing it.  We can use a dental bridge to replace it by putting a crown on the two teeth surrounding the missing one.  They in turn hold a “bridge” in place along with a synthetic tooth.  This is a permanent way to replace teeth without surgery. Patients that are looking for a long-term and durable solution for replacing teeth can use dental implants to do so.  In this procedure, a metal post is implanted under the gums and secured to the jawbone.  Once the bone and metal have fused together, it will form a secure root system that is as strong as a natural one would be.  A crown is secured to it for a replacement tooth that looks and behaves like a natural one.  

As a cosmetic dentist, these are only a few of the ways we can restore missing and damaged teeth in order to improve our patients’ smiles. 

Use These Teeth Brushing Tips From New York Dental Office

At New York Dental Office, we treat patients of all ages and help them to stay in good oral health.  We recommend having your teeth cleaned at least twice a year so that we can remove bacteria, plaque and tartar and prevent cavities.  This is an important part of preventative oral health care but should only be half of your routine.  You must also brush and floss your teeth at home in order to keep cavities and gum disease from forming. 

Many people make the mistake of thinking that if they brush their teeth once or twice a day; they are doing enough to stay healthy.  Unfortunately, this is not the case.  How you brush your teeth, what you use to do it, and how often all impacts whether or not your teeth and gums will stay healthy.  Use these tips to make sure that you get the best clean possible. 

• Buy a new toothbrush.  When you visit New York Dental Office, we will give you a new toothbrush to take home with you.  It needs to be replaced every three months before the bristles start to fray.  Once they do, you will no longer get as good of a clean.  If you notice that your toothbrush starts to smell bad or look stained during those three months, replace it immediately as that could be a sign of bacteria. 
• Soft vs. hard.  A soft toothbrush is much better for you because it won’t damage the enamel on your teeth.  When you use a hard one or brush too aggressively, the enamel can be stripped away and the dentin underneath exposed.  Dentin is extremely porous and when exposed can lead to tooth sensitivity. 
• Brush away from your gums.  In order to prevent gum disease you need to keep bacteria, plaque and food particles away from your gums.  When you brush, do so in a circular motion that starts at the gum line and brushes away from it towards the center of our mouth.  This will help your gums to stay healthy. 
• Brush often.  Carry a small travel toothbrush with you and use it throughout the day.  If you brush after every meal, you will remove the sugar right away and reduce your risk of getting cavities.  You will also have better breath, and your teeth will be less likely to become stained, so it benefits all of your oral health. 
• Use toothpaste.  Most people use toothpaste but more importantly – use the right toothpaste.  Buy one that has the American Dental Association seal of approval and make sure that it contains fluoride for cavity protection.  When you brush with fluoride toothpaste, you are strengthening your teeth by putting minerals onto them. 

At New York Dental Office, we remind patients that you need to brush for as long as it takes to get your teeth clean.  If they don’t feel clean afterwards, floss your teeth and brush again.  If you feel like they are still dirty, you may have tartar deposits on your teeth that can only be removed by a dentist. 

An ounce of early prevention

• Every $1 spent on dental prevention saves $8 to $50 on restorative and emergency dental needs (American Dental Hygienist Association, 2001)