At Green Hills Family & Cosmetic Dentistry, we believe that informed patients make the best decisions about their dental health. Here, we’ve compiled answers to some of the most common questions we receive from our patients. Whether you’re curious about specific dental procedures, wondering how to handle a dental emergency, or seeking tips for maintaining good oral hygiene, you’ll find helpful information below. If you have any other questions or need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re here to support you on your journey to a healthy, beautiful smile!
What is Occlusal Equilibration?
Your jaw joints (one right in front of each ear) rotate when you open and close, but they can also slide forward and down a very slippery slope when you open wide or push your chin forward. When you close, the muscles that pull your lower jaw up until the lower teeth hit their chewing partners on the upper also pull the jaw joints back up their starting position in the sockets. In an ideal situation, the joints stay in that position when the teeth come together, hitting evenly and at the exact same time on each tooth.
However, if there is one tooth that gets in the way of your other teeth, your jaw will reflexively shift and slide forward on one or both sides to find a spot where the most teeth come together. This is a way for your body to protect itself from injury caused by chewing on just one tooth.
Over time, this shift can cause a whole host of problems, from TMJ pain and headaches to temperature sensitivity, recession, broken and loose teeth, and facial pain. Fortunately, these bite discrepancies are very often treatable with minimal dentistry needed.
What is the treatment process for Occlusal Equilibration?
Once the problem has been diagnosed, we make models of your teeth and mount them on an instrument that shows my exactly how your teeth come together when the joints are in the right position. Using these models I can discover the best, easiest, and least invasive way to correct the problem. Very often the solution involves a procedure called Occlusal Equilibration.
Occlusal equilibration involves minor reshaping of the teeth to allow them to fit together like puzzle pieces when the jaw joint is seated completely in the socket. This allows the muscles to relax and very often eliminates pain and sensitivity within days if not hours.
This may sound like extensive work or even a painful procedure, but it can actually be a very conservative, pain-free, and effective method. Think of the reshaping of your teeth like filing your nails. In the case of equilibration, though, it is so slight that you would not notice a difference in shape. You will likely notice a big difference when you bite, though.
What is Periodontal Therapy?
Without optimal periodontal health, you can not have optimal dental health. If you picture yourself with a beautiful and healthy smile, the frame around that picture is your gums.
Periodontal disease is the number one reason people lose teeth, and it can have a significant impact on your overall health as well. That is why we perform a very thorough periodontal evaluation on every new patient and continue to monitor your periodontal status at each hygiene appointment.
In general, there are two types of inflammatory periodontal disease: gingivitis and periodontitis. Gingivitis is limited to the soft tissue and is completely reversible. Periodontitis is a more advanced form of the disease that affects the bone that supports your teeth. When periodontal disease has advanced to this point, we can manage the health of the gum tissue with regular maintenance appointments, education, in-office treatments, medications, and enhanced oral hygiene skills training and products, but the bone loss is not reversible.
What is the difference between a crown, a cap, and inlay or onlay?
All of these terms refer to porcelain restorations that fix teeth with significant damage. A “crown” and a “cap” are the same thing. These are used when there is enough damage to the tooth that it has to be covered completely in order to restore its health and function. Inlays and onlays are very similar to crowns. However, we use them for teeth that still have some healthy tooth structure and don’t require a full crown. An inlay fits inside the cusps, or bumps, of a tooth. An onlay is larger and covers one or more tooth cusps. These porcelain fillings are extremely durable, match existing tooth color, and protect teeth for years to come.
What is the best way to whiten my teeth?
A bright smile is a sign of youth and health. Fortunately there are ways to safely and effectively whiten your teeth without breaking the bank.
We use two different methods to whiten teeth. The first is very inexpensive and uses a one-size-fits-all delivery system for about 30 minutes daily for a week or two. This works best for people who are looking for a modest shade shift and have teeth with a yellow/orange hue.
Teeth that are darker, or have more greys and blues in them generally need a more intense course of treatment called Deep Bleaching. Both approaches use a type of peroxide to whiten teeth. However, the Deep Bleaching material has a higher concentration. We use it with a custom tray that holds the material precisely where it has the most effect.
We have seen amazing results with Deep Bleaching in even the most difficult cases, and with minimal maintenance, the results last for years!
