blog
- Home
- blog
The Benefits of Dental Bridges vs. Implants for Tooth Replacement
Implants and dental bridges are two popular options for tooth replacement. Each offers distinct advantages that can significantly impact oral...
Read More
How Missing Teeth Affect Your Speech and Facial Structure
Structure plays a vital role in how you communicate and present yourself to the world. Missing teeth can significantly impact...
Read More
The Importance of Restorative Dentistry in Maintaining a Youthful Smile
Just as your skin and hair require care to maintain a vibrant appearance, your teeth demand regular attention through restorative...
Read More
How to Choose the Right Materials for Restorative Dentistry
Dentistry requires you to select materials that not only restore your patients’ smiles but also ensure durability and safety. Your...
Read MoreFilling materials: the good, the bad and the ugly
What type of filling material is best?
At Rocky Mountain Dental we use ceramic to rebuild teeth that have lost a significant amount of structure. It is the most stable and healthy white material on the market today. It is done with CEREC, a machine that builds ceramic restorations on site and the same day. The physical properties (hardness and dimensional change) of ceramic are the same as a natural tooth. If only a small section of a tooth needs to be rebuilt, a traditional white resin filling is appropriate. Gold is used to rebuild back teeth in some exceptional cases.
What is a root canal?
What is a root canal/nerve therapy?
After excessive trauma and damage, teeth can die internally. A dead tooth will cause infection, swelling and pain. When this happens, there are two possible treatments that will solve the problem:
- Extraction of the tooth
- Nerve therapy and saving the tooth
Nerve therapy (also known as a root canal) entails removing the internal dead nerve and bacteria in order to save the rest of tooth and root.
Bone grafting
What is bone grafting?
A bone graft transplants bone tissue. Dental surgeons use bone grafts to repair and rebuild diseased bones. Grafts can also repair bone loss caused by some types of fractures or cancers. Once your body accepts the bone graft, it provides a framework for growth of new, living bone.
What causes bad breath?
Bad breath, medically known as halitosis, can result from poor dental health habits and may be a sign of other health problems. Bad breath can be made worse by the types of food you eat, and other unhealthy lifestyle habits.
TMJ, headaches and facial pain
The most common type of joint in the body is a ball and socket. Whenever the ball of a joint is not centered in its socket, the muscles surrounding that joint become active and contract. This contraction is involuntary and happens automatically in the form of spasms, also known as muscle splinting. As the ball of a joint moves further and further away from its socket, muscle spasms increase in intensity.
Platelet Rich Fibrin Treatment
What is Platelet rich fibrin (PRF)? Why are we so excited to introduce it into our practice? One reason: Radically reduced healing time. This is regenerative dentistry in its most natural form!
Orthotic therapy
Orthotic therapy is a non-surgical and non-invasive technique to control and minimize muscle spasms that result from TMJ imbalance. Dental orthotics decrease the amount of force that is applied to the teeth. It is a precise device made of acrylic that sits on either the top or bottom teeth. The majority of patients will only wear the orthotic while sleeping. Others with more severe conditions will need to wear the orthotic during the day as well.
CEREC: high tech dentistry
CEREC: the convenience of modern dentistry
CEREC stands for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics. A revolutionary CAD/CAM system (computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing) developed by the dental company Sirona, CEREC allows ceramic filings, crowns and veneers to be fabricated in a single visit. Using a computer and machine that work in tandem, custom ceramic restorations are milled to precision.
Gum disease
What is gingivitis (gum disease)?
Plaque and bacteria grow very quickly on teeth. After a professional cleaning, bacteria grow back on teeth within hours. Few people are able to clean their teeth as well as a hygienist. As a result, plaque will often remain in contact with areas of the gums for several months between cleanings.
Plaque irritates the gums, causing them to swell and occasionally bleed during brushing or flossing. This is the first sign of gingivitis. The process is quite painless and most people are unaware of it. If gingivitis is present for too long a period, the inflammation may spread to the underlying bone of the tooth socket.