Waterford Family Dental Care

Your Best Bet for Tooth Replacement

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Your Best Bet for Tooth Replacement

If you’re missing teeth, you’re probably not enjoying life to its fullest. You may cover your mouth when you laugh, keep your mouth closed when you smile, and even avoid social situations. After all, it’s easier to stay inside than to be out and about where you have to worry about keeping others from seeing your gapped-tooth grin. Fortunately, Waterford Family Dental Care has a solution that will restore your smile and your confidence: dental implants.

Dental Implants 101

Implants are small metal posts that mimic the function of a natural tooth root. They are surgically placed beneath the gums where they eventually become fused with the jaw bone, providing unparalleled stability for the prosthetic tooth that is attached once the mouth has healed. Because implants are individually placed, they are effective for patients missing as few as one tooth or as many as a mouthful. In addition to providing stability, implants offer the following benefits:

  • The ability to eat what you want. With other prosthetic options, fresh fruits and vegetables, tough meats, and anything excessively chewy are off limits, but because implants are individually placed and as stable as natural teeth, they can handle your favorite foods.
  • They’re easy to care for. Simply brush and floss as you do every night and visit your dentist as recommended; no overnight soaking required.
  • Improved comfort. Since implants are permanent, they won’t slip or slide around your mouth and irritate your gums.
  • A new and improved self-image! No more concerns about your laugh, your smile, or speaking in front of other people!

Are You a Candidate?

The ideal implant candidate will have good overall health, ample jaw bone mass, and healthy gums. Another important requirement is the willingness to take care of your teeth. The only way to determine your candidacy for dental implants is to be evaluated by a dentist. If you live in or near Waterford, Michigan, we’d love to see your smile!

What To Do If …

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What To Do If …

No matter how careful we may be, dental emergencies happen. And they don’t just occur during contact sports or other physical activities, either. All it takes is one trip over your dog’s leash and BOOM! There goes that front tooth. Since we can’t avoid dental emergencies altogether, the team at Waterford Family Dental Care wants you to be prepared. Here are three of the most common dental emergencies and what to do if when they happen.

  1. Your tooth gets knocked out: In this case, it’s important to contact my office ASAP. In the meantime, gently rinse the tooth in cold water (do NOT scrub) and place the tooth back in the socket, if possible. If it’s not, don’t force the tooth; instead, place it in a cup of milk or in your own saliva. The faster you act, the more likely you are to save the tooth.
  2. Your tooth gets chipped or cracked: If you can find any tooth fragments, rinse them with cool water and place them in a cup of milk or saliva. If any nerves or dentin is exposed, you may experience severe pain and will be prone to infection, so it is urgent that you contact me if this happens.
  3. Your crown, filling, or veneer gets damaged: While these aren’t emergencies in the traditional sense, it is still important that you deal with them before further damage can occur. While you wait for an emergency appointment, try reattaching the crown or covering the space where the restoration used to be with dental wax. If you’re experiencing pain, use an over-the-counter numbing agent (such as Orajel) to help you feel more comfortable.

We hope you never have to experience a dental emergency, but if you do, having a plan in place will increase the chances of maintaining your gorgeous smile. Whether for a dental emergency or a semi-annual exam, let Waterford Family Dental Care handle all of your family’s dentistry needs. Contact our office today to schedule an appointment. We serve patients in Waterford, Michigan, and the surrounding communities.

We Don’t Want You To Lose Money

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We Don’t Want You To Lose Money

Ever heard the expression “use it or lose it”? That’s what’s about to happen to money you’ve already spent. No matter how busy you get as the holidays approach, there is one thing you want to stay on top of before the end of the year to avoid throwing hundreds of dollars down the drain. Continue reading to learn more.

How Dental Insurance and FSAs Work

If you have dental insurance and/or a flexible spending account, you might be running out of time to use them. Unlike health and auto insurance (which are for unexpected expenses like an EKG or car accident repair), dental insurance and FSAs provide maximum yearly benefits that are intended to cover routine care. What does this mean? What you don’t use within the year, you lose! Millions – literally millions – of dollars are lost each year by patients who did not utilize their benefits by December 31.

What You Can Do

To make sure you’re not throwing away money (by not using a benefit that you’ve already paid for), call my office today. Don’t wait until December; call now so we can book an appointment at a time that is convenient for you. If you wait too long, appointment availability may be limited, and that’s the last thing I want to see happen.

Make sure that December 31 is a time of celebration, not of regret over throwing away your money. Make sure you schedule an appointment now so that your teeth can be beautiful and bright in time for the holidays.

Find Well-Needed Relief For Jaw Pain

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Find Well-Needed Relief For Jaw Pain

If you have jaw pain and have been waiting patiently for it to go away, you may want to come up with another plan. Chronic jaw pain may be an indication that you are suffering from a condition known as temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMD. Unlike a cold or a headache, TMD will not go away without treatment. At Waterford Family Dental Care, we want to make sure you know exactly what your jaw pain means and how we can help you find relief.

TMJ or TMD?

TMJ, or the temporomandibular joint, is what connects your lower jaw to your upper jaw. When inflammation or irritation occurs in your TMJ, you may have what is known as TMD, the acronym for temporomandibular joint disorder.

The thing about TMD is that its symptoms can be tricky. While jaw pain is the first indication, there are other symptoms that you wouldn’t instinctively connect to a problem with the jaw joint, such as:

  • Headaches
  • Neck aches
  • Backaches
  • Earaches, ringing of the ears, and dizziness
  • Facial swelling

Because most of these can be linked to other conditions, few doctors think to suspect the TMJ.

Waterford Family Dental to the Rescue!

If any of these symptoms resonate with you, we can help! Our dentists have the experience and technology to determine the cause of your TMD and help you find well-deserved relief. Whether we recommend stretches to relax your jaw muscles or create an oral device to guide your jaws into the correct position, you’ll finally be able to speak, chew, yawn, and even smile without pain.

At Waterford Family Dental Care, we’re not just concerned about your teeth, we’re concerned about your whole health. If you’re suffering from jaw pain, let us offer a solution. If you live in or near Waterford, Michigan, we’d love to be part of your healthcare team. Contact our office today to schedule an appointment.

Look Out: Gum Disease Ahead

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Look Out: Gum Disease Ahead

Do you take risks with your dental health? Do you avoid warning signs, hoping they’ll go away? If you do, you’d better look out: you could be on the road to gum disease! As the leading cause of tooth loss, everyone should be concerned when they see the warning signs. So are you going to race to the finish line with all of your teeth intact or will your smile be as checkered as the flag waving in the distance? Click here to read more.

The Warning Signs

At onset, gum disease is known as gingivitis. If your gums are tender, bright red, and bleed when you brush or floss, you need to seek treatment immediately in order to prevent the infection from becoming worse.
If it does get worse, you’re heading directly into gum disease territory. The signs are often more extreme than just tender gums and include the following:

  • Gums that have visibly pulled away from the teeth
  • Persistent bad breath
  • Loose teeth
  • A change in your bite

How I Can Help

In order to keep your teeth, it is imperative that you visit my office for treatment. Only a professional has the skills and tools required to completely remove the infection from beneath the gum line. After you’ve been treated, you’ll need to be diligent about your home dental care routine and coming for cleanings regularly.

If you have any of the symptoms of gingivitis or advanced gum disease, please don’t wait for the symptoms to go away. Let’s work together to keep your teeth where they belong. Ready? Set? GO!

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