Teaching Your Children About the Dentist
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Teaching Your Children About the Dentist

I work as a clerical assistant in a pediatric dental office, and I am commonly surprised by the number of children who are scared of the dentist. Many kids think that cleanings will be painful, and they believe they will be scolded for eating sugary foods. Children are also extremely frightful of the noises made by the water spraying tools and the suction devices. As adults, we know that dental cleanings are easy and free of pain. We need to impart this knowledge to our children so they know not to fear the dentist. I have provided blogs that will help you speak with your child about dental care. Good communication, trips to your own dentist, and online videos can assist you. So will good brushing techniques that will make your child proud to see the dentist. Enjoy my articles so you can help your child build oral care confidence.

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Teaching Your Children About the Dentist

Is TMJ Wearing Down Your Teeth?

Alfred Kelley

Temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMJ, is a common problem for many people. This disorder can not only cause pain and inflammation in the temporomandibular joint of your jaw, but it can also cause undue stress on your teeth. If you have TMJ and you think that your teeth aren't looking as good as they used to, here's why it's happening to you.

Abnormal Pressure

With temporomandibular joint disorder, there's often an excess of pressure put on one part of your jaw. This is because people with TMJ tend to grind their teeth, grit their teeth, or have a misalignment in the jaw joint itself. Instead of pressure being evenly distributed across each and every one of your teeth, some will get worn down more than others. This can cause a variety of problems to your smile.

Wear and Tear

One potential issue you may be experiencing is abnormal and early wear and tear on your teeth. This is often evident when you look at your teeth next to each other. If one tooth seems to be shorter or the edges are uneven, this is most likely due to wear and tear.

Chipping

Another common problem is teeth becoming chipped due to excessive pressure. Unfortunately, grinding your teeth can cause this problem quite easily.

While teeth are strong and able to put up with a lot of pressure, ongoing constant pressure will eventually cause problems. This can lead to a tooth developing small cracks or chips. Unfortunately, people with this condition often don't even realize that they have chipping until it gets to the point where the nerves are affected. By then, you may be in pain. Keeping up with your dentist appointments will help you to catch the problem early on.

What to Do

Getting help is as easy as visiting a cosmetic dentist (such as Cherry Hill Dentistry LLC). Cosmetic dentists specialize in improving the appearance of your smile, which includes restoring parts of your teeth that are damaged.

If your dentist notices damage due to the way that your jaw works, they'll repair it. Wear and tear can often be repaired with dental fillings to restore the part of your teeth that have been worn down and lost over the years. Chipping can also be restored in this manner.

Since TMJ is a constant problem, your dentist may recommend veneers. Veneers are typically used to make teeth look straight, white, and generally awesome, but they can also act as an extra layer of bite protection. The veneer takes the majority of the force of your bite, rather than the blunt part of the tooth. This can help to keep this kind of damage from happening again, especially if you get regular dental check-ups afterward.

There's no reason to put up with your teeth being damaged from TMJ problems. Talk to a cosmetic dentist, get your existing damage repaired, and get back to loving the way that your smile looks.


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