The mineral density of your tooth enamel provides your teeth with the hardness to handle a lifetime of biting, chewing and grinding the foods you consume. However, poor oral hygiene practices can start to demineralize your tooth enamel, which could leave you increasingly susceptible to tooth decay and potential dental fractures.

If you have a bad habit of crunching on hard candies, and ice or you frequently grind your teeth while sleeping, you could be at increased risk of risk of suffering a fracture on the occlusal surface of a molar or premolar.

The size and depth of the dental fracture will directly influence the mode of treatment that our dentist suggests. In a case where the damage is limited to the biting surface of the tooth and the other surfaces remain unaffected Dr. Milla Openko might be able to treat the problem by installing an inlay dental filling.

After the tooth has been fully treated, you might want to try sleeping with a dental guard in your mouth or make a mindful effort to curtail the activity that caused the dental fracture.

If you have a tooth with a chipped or fractured biting surface, and you are in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area, you should call 412-885-5590 to seek treatment at Gentle Dental Care.

The post A Tooth With a Damaged Biting Surface Needs to Be Treated first appeared on Gentle Dental Care.

While you make your way to Gentle Dental Care for an emergency appointment, there are a few minor first-aid measures that can help manage pain and minimize complications.

It might be helpful to clear your mouth of excess blood and any other introduced material to make a better visual inspection. This can often be done by gently rinsing your mouth with lukewarm salt water. This can also help soothe injured soft tissues in the mouth.

If you have swelling concerns with the soft oral tissues, you might be able to address it by lightly pressing a cold compress to the area for up to 20 minutes at a time.

Sometimes gently rubbing a topical oral anesthetic on the affected soft tissues or taking a standard dosage of an over the counter anti-inflammatory medication can help reduce the pain.

If the problem is significant, you should consider calling 412-885-5590 to have it examined and treated by the oral care specialists at Gentle Dental Care’s clinic in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The post A Saltwater Rinse Can Help with Oral First-Aid first appeared on Gentle Dental Care.

While you wait for your appointment, you might be able to minimize the sensitivity and the exposure of the damaged tooth by gently applying some protective dental wax. This will help secure the area until you can get treatment. There are several varieties of dental wax sold in stores that have been specially formulated not to affect the natural enzymes in your mouth. You should look for the American Dental Association’s Seal of Acceptance to verify that the wax has been researched and tested for safety and effectiveness.

If you are in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area and you have a fractured or damaged tooth, you should call 412-885-5590 to have the tooth examined and treated by the oral care specialists at Gentle Dental Care. Let us help you take care of your smile today so you can get back to your regular lifestyle today!

The post You Might Be Able to Ease the Effects of a Fractured Tooth with Dental Wax first appeared on Gentle Dental Care.

You may have heard that root canal therapy is an extremely painful treatment, and you might be tempted to avoid having one. However, if you need root canal therapy but choose not to get it, you risk losing your tooth. You should also know that root canal therapy is not as painful as you may have heard. In fact, most patients who have had root canal therapy and a filling placed often claim that the two treatments are fairly comparable.

Please remember that having root canal therapy is important to saving an injured tooth even if you aren’t feeling any pain or discomfort. Other symptoms you may want to know about include red and swollen gums, a strange taste in your mouth. pain when you chew and eat, and sudden sensitivity to temperatures. You may also need root canal therapy if you don’t have any of these symptoms, which is why regular, routine checkups are so important to the health of your smile.

If you’d like to hear more about root canal therapy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, please feel free to give Gentle Dental Care a call at 412-885-5590. Our dentists, Dr. Milla Openko and Dr. Dean Dedola look forward to helping you with all of your oral health needs!

The post Do You Need Root Canal Therapy? We Can Help! first appeared on Gentle Dental Care.