What does Snoring have to do with Jaw Pain?

When people are suffering from jaw pain, they’re right to go to their dentist for help. What they may not know is that a dentist can also help with their snoring. At Alta Loma Dental Care, we treat obstructive sleep apnea and want our patients to understand how it is related to temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD).

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a very complex structure. It connects the lower jaw with the head and is responsible for its full range of motion. A healthy TMJ must be able to absorb all the forces put on it during chewing.  When a person suffers from sleep apnea, their body often attempts to keep their airways open by moving the jaw around at night, which is called bruxism. This can cause wear and tear on the teeth in addition to subjecting the TMJ to additional stress. An injury to it can cause pain to be felt anywhere from the head to the shoulder. When it is sore, a patient may not be able to open their mouth or hear clicking noises when they do.

We provide night guards which hold a person’s teeth in place during sleep. This reduces the damage of bruxism and eliminates the body’s incentive to move the jaw at night.

Alta Loma Dental Care is at 7283 Carnelian St, Alta Loma, California, 91701. To schedule an appointment, call 909-987-6268 or visit Alta Loma Dental Care and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Sectioning - A Way of Prepping for Extractions

We’ve mentioned before on our blog that we at Alta Loma Dental Care safely remove patients’ wisdom teeth. One of the ways in which we do this is by sectioning them before removal. This means that a tooth is cut apart so it does not have to be yanked out all at once.

The typical way to remove a tooth is by rocking it back and forth while pushing or pulling it. There are two important limitations of this. One is that a wisdom tooth may be too firmly connected to the jaw to be pulled without using a dangerous amount of force; the other is that it may be partially covered by gum tissue and not have enough room to move. Using a dental drill, our doctors can cut a wisdom tooth apart while the patient is numbed and won’t feel anything. They can then pull pieces of the sectioned tooth out through smaller openings without needing nearly as much force. This also makes it less likely that a tooth will break accidentally while being pulled.

Alta Loma Dental Care is at 7283 Carnelian St, Alta Loma, California, 91701. To schedule an appointment, call 909-987-6268 or visit Alta Loma Dental Care and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Link Established between Alcohol and Oral Cancer

At Alta Loma Dental Care, we’re dedicated to combatting oral pathology. To assist our patients’ preventive care, we wanted to pass along the findings of a new study by the American Society of Clinical Oncology linking oral cancer to alcohol.

Most previous studies of oral cancer did not assess alcohol as a causative factor separately from smoking. According to the study, most people are unaware that alcohol alone causes cancer, despite that it can be linked to 5% of all new cancers globally, including those of the oral cavity and throat. The study also found that even light and moderate drinkers are at risk and that the type of alcohol they drank made no difference (meaning that beer is not safer than hard liquor in this particular regard).

We help to provide oral cancer patients with treatments for medication side effects such as dry mouth, but alcohol can interfere with treatments. There was some good news: when people stopped drinking, their risk of developing mouth and throat cancer declined.

Alta Loma Dental Care is at 7283 Carnelian St, Alta Loma, California, 91701. To schedule an appointment, call 909-987-6268 or visit Alta Loma Dental Care and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Post-Operative Instructions

Once you complete an oral surgery procedure, the extraction site will require special care and attention over the next few days. You may experience numbness, bleeding, and will need to alter your diet to accommodate the healing process. Our doctors at Alta Loma Dental Care will provide you with step-by-step instructions to follow at the end of your appointment. In the meantime, if you are anticipating your surgery, here’s what to expect afterward.

Swelling around the mouth, cheeks, and sides of the face are not uncommon, so don’t be alarmed if you look a little puffy. A certain amount of bleeding is expected following surgery, so be sure to replace gauze when necessary and place pressure to stop the bleeding. If you feel pain, take your prescribed medication tablets as directed and gently apply ice packs to the affected area. Your diet should be restricted to soft foods and liquids, and you will need to avoid sucking through a straw so the sutures don’t come undone.

If you have questions or concerns about oral surgery or post-operative care, please give us a call. To learn about services we provide at our practice, visit www.altalomadentalcare.com for more information. To schedule an appointment in our Alta Loma, CA office, call Alta Loma Dental Care at 909-987-6268.

February is National Children's Dental Health Month

Alta Loma Dental Care is a family practice, and we’re proud to be observing National Children’s Dental Health Month. Each year, the American Dental Association sets aside this month to educate children on an important theme. This year’s focus is on how to properly use fluoride toothpaste.

Fluoride helps provide teeth with more protection against the acid caused by bacteria. It is commonly delivered through water and children’s teeth are treated with it during their check-ups. Although baby teeth are not permanent, it is still painful when they have decay. The pain may disrupt a child’s sleep, eating habits, and speech development, and cause them to perform poorly in school. Additionally, poor oral hygiene could become a habit, but if a child learns to brush properly, they will have taken their first step toward managing their own health.

When brushing, people should always use soft-bristled toothbrushes and brush for a full two-minute session. They should brush on every tooth surface and on their tongues. Fluoridated toothpaste should be spat out after use so that it doesn’t cause the teeth to develop white spots. It should also only be used on natural teeth, not on things like mouthguards.

Alta Loma Dental Care is at 7283 Carnelian St, Alta Loma, California, 91701. To schedule an appointment, call 909-987-6268 or visit Alta Loma Dental Care and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Fixing a Cracked Tooth

Accidents happen, and sometimes a cracked tooth is the ultimate accident.  A tooth may crack after chewing on something too hard, or perhaps you didn’t bite down correctly. There may be little to no pain at the site of the cracked tooth, but it will need to be repaired and restored to prevent further damage. Fortunately, our doctors at Alta Loma Dental Care have plenty of aesthetic and restorative treatment options for patients to choose from.

When a crack in a tooth is minor, it will only eliminate the surface of enamel and may require dental bonding to fix. When a crack is deeper than the tooth enamel, treatment is necessary to prevent infection or a deeper fracture. Teeth grinding can cause fractures to the teeth in addition to hard foods. If you notice yourself grinding your teeth or if you notice frequent jaw pain, call us to discuss your treatment options.

If you have questions or concerns about the appearance of your smile or cosmetic dental options, please give us a call. To learn about services we provide at our practice, visit www.altalomadentalcare.com for more information. To schedule an appointment in our Alta Loma, CA office, call Alta Loma Dental Care at 909-987-6268.

Tooth Decay in Seniors

We of Alta Loma Dental Care want patients of all ages to be able to enjoy healthy, comfortable teeth. A study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control found that the rate of untreated tooth decay in adults is surprisingly high and that as many as one in five seniors have untreated caries.  We don’t want our patients to ever resign themselves to bad oral health, so we need to examine why caries in seniors are common.

The survey indicated that there’s a lot of tooth decay in general, but seniors face some particular challenges. Some of them change their diets to include food that is softer, but higher in sugar. Forgetfulness is a problem with oral hygiene, but so is limited dexterity.  Dry mouth, which is a common medication side effect, damages the body’s ability to fight off oral infections, allowing decay-causing bacteria to flourish. Compounding all of this is the fact that seniors often did not benefit from water fluoridation when their teeth were forming, which leaves them more vulnerable to decay.

Regular dental hygiene appointments are crucial opportunities to spot and treat decay in seniors. They’re also opportunities to identify problems and recommend products which can provide solutions. Some toothbrushes come with specialized grips that are easier for people with manual problems to use. There are also products which make flossing easier and moisturizers to combat dry mouth.

Alta Loma Dental Care is at 7283 Carnelian St, Alta Loma, California, 91701. To schedule an appointment, call 909-987-6268 or visit Alta Loma Dental Care and fill out a contact sheet.