Friday, February 24, 2017

Orthodontics before Implants

The Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center of Philadelphia is equipped to provide for a wide range of patients’ cosmetic and orthodontic needs. But patients who need extensive work done may not know what to get first. Implants are an incredibly effective type of restoration but they nearly always need to be placed after orthodontic work has been completed.


If the orthodontics are needed to correct overcrowding, there may not be room for the implant, let alone a new crown. But the main reason orthodontics don’t work on implants is the way in which implants need to fuse with the patient’s jaw bone. Endosteal implants get their name from the endosteum, a layer of tissue inside bones. An implant is inserted into this layer and if the osseointegration process goes correctly, new bone tissue will grow around it. The bone and titanium matrix won’t be pushed out of place by any orthodontic device, nor would a patient want it to be.


Because implants cannot be moved, it is important for the arches of a patient’s teeth to already be in the right shape if the artificial tooth is to align properly. However, patients who already have implants may still be able to undergo orthodontic treatment. It depends on which teeth need to be moved and to where. In some cases, an implant can actually provide helpful anchoring to the jaw ridge.


Shireen Malik, D.D.S, operates the Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center at 1128 Walnut Street, Ste 500, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 191078. To schedule an appointment, call 215-279-1193 or visit NicholasCosmeticDentalCenter.com and fill out a contact sheet.


 

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Wisdom Tooth Decay

As we age, we acquire wisdom, and the same goes for wisdom teeth. Wisdom teeth appear between the ages of 17-21 and are known as the third set of molars. When they erupt correctly, healthy wisdom teeth can help you chomp your food a little faster.  However, if they start to cause you pain and discomfort, you may need to schedule a consultation one of our doctors at Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center to discuss extraction.


If you bite on a piece of food that is too hard or you experience a mouth injury, wisdom teeth may become troublesome. They can also become cracked, broken, and decayed. When this happens, the risk of infection increases, because if a tooth becomes broken, it could leave a hole that makes the tooth vulnerable to bacteria and decay. Decay can form on any tooth surface, but when the decay begins to attack the wisdom teeth, depending on the position of the tooth it becomes difficult to clean. Depending on the individual case, one of our doctors may be able to fill the tooth, but even in cases where a filling could be successfully placed, if the wisdom tooth cannot be adequately maintained, recurrent decay can occur. Though many patients tend to procrastinate through the process, extraction is always best to avoid infection.


If your wisdom teeth are still intact and you have questions about removal, please give us a call. For more information about the services we provide at the office, visit www.nicholascosmeticdentalcenter.com. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center in Philadelphia, PA, call 215-279-1193.

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

A Deep Cleaning for Your Gums

Deep cleaning your teeth is not something you do after eating a messy meal. A deep cleaning is required to treat gum and periodontal disease. If you haven’t been to the dentist in quite some time, you not only increase your chances of developing gum disease, you risk needing costly procedures to reverse the damage. The treatment that our doctors at Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center utilize is called scaling and root planing and we are going to explain when it’s necessary.


Deep cleanings are offered when dental X-rays show some bone loss and a full-mouth exam reveals one or more gum pockets greater than 4 millimeters deep. Ideally, normal healthy pockets will be no more than 3 millimeters deep. If the pockets are greater than 5 millimeters, our doctor might prescribe a deep scaling and root planing appointment. Severe periodontal takes some time to develop, therefore, to prevent it you should practice proper oral hygiene at home and schedule regular cleanings twice a year.


If you think you may benefit from a deep cleaning, please give us a call. For more information about the services we provide at the office, visit www.nicholascosmeticdentalcenter.com. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center in Philadelphia, PA, call 215-279-1193.

Friday, February 3, 2017

Electric Toothbrush Apps

At the Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center in Philadelphia, we strive to help patients understand the wide variety of dental products available to them. Among these are the new smart phone apps that manufacturers such as Oral B and Kolibree are creating for their electric toothbrushes. These apps are designed to make electric toothbrushes more useful to children and people with disabilities, so we thought we’d provide a run-down of them.


A manual toothbrush is as good as an electric toothbrush when used for two full minutes during each brushing session. Many kids struggle to do this, which is why the reduced time an electric toothbrush requires is advantageous to them. However, they still have to use it for a certain amount of time and in the right way. New apps provide users with a reward system, games and videos which last the length of time for which they are supposed to brush, and educational content to provide encouragement. Some apps also provide feedback on which tooth surfaces the patient is overlooking and whether the toothbrush’s settings need to be adjusted. This could potentially help users correct mistakes they’re not aware their making.


Whether to get an electric toothbrush depends greatly on a patient’s situation, but manufacturers are constantly producing new products which may be useful to some people.


Shireen Malik, D.D.S, operates the Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center at 1128 Walnut Street, Ste 500, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 191078. To schedule an appointment, call 215-279-1193 or visit NicholasCosmeticDentalCenter.com and fill out a contact sheet.