| Minor Dental Cracks Are Often More Dangerous Than They Appear |
Many people have tiny hairline cracks in their teeth. They know they are there, but do not worry much about them. If the crack is inside the tooth but not all the way through the enamel, then watching the crack to see if it gets larger may be the best option. However, when the crack completely comes through the enamel, then it needs treatment. If you don't get it treated, it could lead to the loss of your tooth or worse.
How Can a Minor Dental Crack Cause Such Chaos?
Think of a minor dental crack like a tiny divot in the road. Most of the time, that divot is only going to sit there and look unsightly. However, eventually, trucks and cars are going to drive over it and knock some of the cement or blacktop out, causing it to get larger. The same goes with your tooth. Each time you bite down on the cracked tooth, it opens and gets larger, even microscopically. Not only does the crack grow a little at a time, but it also opens enough to allow bacteria in each time. This means the tooth is going to be able to start decaying from within that crack over time.
The only way to ensure that a dental crack does not completely ruin a tooth is to make sure we treat it as soon as it poses a problem. For even a minor crack, we have options. If you have a cracked tooth, or even suspect that a tooth may have a crack in it, contact us and let us take a look.
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| Can Sipping Water After Coffee Reduce Dental Staining?
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Many people love coffee but hate the stains that come with it. If you want to be able to have your coffee while still protecting your pearly whites, then you need to figure out how to avoid some of the tannins that lead to those stains. One way is to take a drink of water after each sip of coffee. However, most would find this less than ideal. Another option is to drink your coffee through a straw. This helps expose your teeth to fewer tannins, meaning you will have fewer stains. For more tips, reach out to us. We know lots of ways of helping to keep your teeth white.
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| What Do We Look for During an Exam? |
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When we do a dental exam, we are doing more than simply looking at your teeth. While looking at your teeth is important, we also want to look at the rest of your mouth. We will look for signs of decay of the teeth and ill health of the gums. If the gums have pulled away from the teeth, we want to figure out why so it can be fixed. We also want to look at all of the surfaces of the inside of your mouth. It is important to find signs of oral cancer as early as possible. If we find it early, the chances of curing it are very good in most instances. To find out more, contact us for your next exam!
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