Antelope Creek Family Dentistry
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Hooked on Hookah
It’s a social thing, especially for young, hip urbanites and young professionals living close to a college campus. Smoking a hookah, or waterpipe, is gaining in popularity in the U.S. and is just as dangerous as smoking tobacco or other forms of tobacco.
One user compared a hookah bar or cafe to being at home, but with cooler people. Oral cancer is not cool. And it’s no longer an “old man’s” disease. The hookah is a water reservoir with a tobacco heater, pipe and attached hose(s). The user sucks flavored tobacco smoke into the reservoir that acts somewhat like a filter, then sucks the smoke out through the hose and into his or her lungs.
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Is bone loss permanent?
Is bone loss permanent? The answer is yes and no. Unlike a crab that can regrow an appendage, humans cannot regrow new bones on their own, but we do have ways to encourage the bone tissue in the jawbone to regenerate. This procedure is called bone grafting or ridge augmentation.
There are several factors that can cause jawbone loss, including a tooth extraction, dental injury, oral disease or a developmental defect. Ridge augmentation is necessary for some restoration procedures. For example, your jawbone must be thick enough and tall enough for us to place a bridge, crown or denture that will be supported by an implant.
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Your Mouth and World War I
Could your mouth be fighting World War I? Commonly called “trench mouth,” Vincent’s stomatitis is a severe gum infection that plagued soldiers during WWI. Many soldiers were confined to trenches while fighting the War, their bodys’ resistance was low, and they couldn’t take care of their teeth.
Vincent’s stomatitis typically affects people up to about 35 years of age. This is a serious condition also known as ANUG—acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis.
Your mouth contains millions of bacteria, most of which keep the bad bacteria under control. Vincent’s stomatitis is an indication that the bad bacteria won the war in your mouth.
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Oral Care and Daycare: A dilemma
It’s a difficult decision to leave your youngster with a childcare provider while you are at work. One dilemma is making sure your child gets appropriate oral hygiene care away from home.
It is vitally important to protect baby teeth from decay and pre-mature loss. Baby teeth preserve space for the permanent teeth to erupt and move into position, and they help your child to chew and develop speech.
Not all childcare providers have oral hygiene programs.
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Are Your Roots Showing?
Have you watched a child trying to walk on stilts? They wobble and sometimes fall down. If your tooth is on stilts (has an open furcation), your tooth also wobbles and may fall out.
A furcation is the spot on the tooth where the roots diverge into two or more roots. It is a common condition that begins with periodontal disease. This is a chronic infection that caused your gums to recede and destroyed the jawbone and other supporting structures around your tooth. As the gums receded, a furcation (gap) formed under the tooth where the roots divide away from the body of the tooth.
It is impossible to keep the area clean. A furcation provides decay-causing bacteria and yeast a cozy hiding place to grow.
When periodontal disease reaches this stage, it can be difficult to save the tooth.
In the past, the only treatment was to extract the tooth. Today, we can sometimes use non-surgical procedures to save the tooth and restore your oral health.
We might be able to fill the furcation with a white restoration product that contains fluoride. If necessary, we could also use a tissue regrowing procedure to build up the gum so it covers the roots.
But, what is most important is to get the periodontal disease under control. This disease is unforgiving. Once you have it, you will always have it; so you will need to maintain a rigorous home oral care program after we treat the infection.
Having a hap...