A mild form of gum disease, gingivitis is thought of as the first step along the road to the serious condition known as Periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is a serious threat to your dental health, if left untreated, cause total tooth loss, as well as a threat to your general health, should the infection spread from your gums to other parts of your body.

As we all recall from our childhoods, losing teeth is normal for children at some point in their development. Eventually, their "baby teeth" fall out and permanent teeth replace them. This is to be expected (that’s what the Tooth Fairy is for, right?). However, loose teeth in older adults are a sign of periodontal disease. Immediate treatment is required to save the loose tooth.

A tooth abscess is caused by a bacterial infection beneath your gums, either alongside your tooth or at the tip of your tooth root, creating a pocket of pus which develops, leading to inflammation of the gum and some intense pain. The abscess is most commonly the result of an untreated cavity, or possibly injury or prior dental treatments. The most common treatment for an abscessed tooth involves draining the pus to get rid of the infection, usually followed by a prescription for antibiotics, to prevent further infection.

Cosmetic dentistry consists of dental work that improves the appearance of a person’s teeth, gums, and smile. The ultimate goal is to improve your self-confidence and self-esteem. Cosmetic dentistry focuses on your appearance rather than on function. However, a responsible dentist will ensure that tooth function is never harmed with the esthetic choices to improve your appearance.

Implant dentistry is a permanent tooth replacement therapy using titanium dental implants to replace the tooth root, followed by a prosthetic device (such as a crown, bridge, partial denture, or denture) to replace your lost tooth or teeth. Tooth replacement therapy can do much more than merely improve your smile, it will also make eating and chewing easier and far more comfortable.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers water fluoridation a cost-effective method of delivering fluoride to all. Fluoride in water reduces tooth decay by 25% in children and adults. Furthermore, decay remains one of the most common chronic conditions among children, and many continue to advocate for this passive intervention.

A habit is an automatic pattern of behavior in reaction to a specific situation. It may be inherited or acquired through frequent repetition and is usually "triggered" by circumstance. You’ll notice that, in the preceding definition of a habit, there are no value judgments made; no difference offered between and bad habits, between unhealthy and healthy habits. It's important to consider in this definition that habits are, largely, automatic reactions in response to situations or conditions. This matters, because it means that habits are malleable; capable of being shaped or changed. In other words, you can replace a bad habit with a good one, you learn how.

Now and then, we hear from patients who want to know if dental X-rays are genuinely safe.

Known as "Restorative Dentistry" within the field of prosthodontics, dental reconstruction is generally thought of as the treatment of patients with complex dental problems. Treatment that requires the replacement or repair of many teeth. Thus, requiring total tooth replacement.

We make more progress today in oral health education, fluoridation of the water supply, and great advances in dental technologies. Despite this oral cavities are a problem in many areas of the country.

Some things are so basic, it’s easy to forget how important they are. Buying the right toothbrush, whether for yourself or family members is one of the things we take for granted. Yet, when it comes to long-term oral health, choosing the right toothbrush for everyone in your family is very important.

Periodontal Disease, also known as Periodontitis (or simply "gum disease"), is a serious infection of the gums that, if left untreated, can destroy the soft tissues surrounding your teeth, as well as the jaw bone; the very support your teeth require to remain in place. This infection can easily lead to dramatic tooth loss, as well as increase risk or heart attack stroke, or other health issues.

Tooth loss is normal in small children, of course, but should not be a problem for adults. To help answer the question, "Is tooth loss normal" let’s take a look at the process, shall we?

"Back in the day" as they say, when you lost your teeth due to decay and/or gum disease, you would head to your local dentist and get fitted with a set of dentures. This was the best dental care available for lost teeth at the time. For generations of patients thereafter, better care and oral health meant that fewer teeth were lost, and those were commonly replaced with crowns and bridgework. For decades, this was considered the "state of the art" dental care.

Good dental health is usually associated with good overall health and, as recent research has shown, this is largely true; poor oral health has been associated with heart disease, blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, and even cancers beyond oral cancer. All of this makes it important to know the difference between fiction if you want to maintain strong teeth and a healthy mouth.

For partial tooth replacement, removable partial dentures are an excellent choice. They will usually have replacement teeth fixed to an acrylic base that matches the color of your gums. The acrylic base may cover a metal framework. Partial dentures often have some form of clasp that attaches to your natural teeth which holds your partial denture in place.

It is never the goal of the Dental Health Blog to embarrass anyone. Rather, we are here to inform and educate. With that in mind, and for those who might need to know, today we answer the question: Why do you always have bad breath?

Having white teeth is the number one aesthetic concern of patients. So, we have developed a variety of ways to whiten teeth. The most popular method is to use a home tooth whitening system that whitens teeth dramatically. Because tooth whitening only works on natural tooth enamel, it is important to match fillings, crowns, bridges, or partial dentures. (Replacement of any restorations will be done after bleaching so they will match the newly bleached teeth.)

For more than two decades we’ve been your Littleton area prosthodontist and Littleton dental implants specialists. Our friends, neighbors, and patients, in both Littleton and Centennial, know that we provide the best care possible, with your comfort and peace-of-mind as our top priority

Losing a tooth can be an emotional experience, especially if it has happened for the first time. It can be embarrassing, while also making eating your favorite foods a challenge. For these reasons and more, quick tooth replacement therapy is a priority for most people. How long you should wait before an implant can be placed depends on the location of the extracted tooth and the integrity and quality of its supporting bone.