Our patients often ask what’s in the white filling material we use. Many think the material is porcelain, which is correct, in a way, but also a misconception. We do use porcelain for some work but not typically for small fillings. Porcelain is usually used for larger restorations, such as crowns and/or veneers. It is an extremely [...]
Do you think your insurance company has your health in mind? I didn’t think so. This hasn't always been the case with insurance companies, nor do I think it's always true today; it certainly does seem to be the trend, however. One night, I watched an episode of 60 Minutes with Scott Pele, which illustrated how the case review [...]
A cracked tooth is one of the most common problems I see in my practice on a daily basis. So, how do you know if your tooth is cracked? Most people assume a cracked tooth will hurt, and they'd be correct…sometimes. Yes, some teeth that develop cracks do hurt, and they typically hurt for a [...]
I get this question sometimes when a patient has a toothache and my diagnosis for their ache is a dead nerve. We refer to a dead nerve as a “necrotic pulp” or a “pulpless tooth.” It’s a logical question, as the assumption is that tooth pain must come from the nerve within the tooth. It's possible to [...]
The term “veneer” has many meanings but it has a specific meaning in dentistry. According to Webster, the word veneer is “to face or cover (an object) with any material that is more desirable as a surface material than the basic material of the object.” So, the true definition of veneer is actually a verb, as [...]
Fifty-three percent of the U.S. population over age 20 have bleeding gums—a condition called “gingivitis.” Yet very few people actually understand why their gums bleed. Although there are several potential reasons why gums may bleed, the most common reason for gingivitis is bacteria. Many different species of bacteria live in our mouths. This is actually [...]
WHAT IS TMD? TMJ is an acronym for “Temporomandibular Joint,” the joint that allows our lower jaw to open and close. We all have two TMJs: one on the right and one on the left. Malfunction of this complex joint mechanism on one or both sides is referred to as Temporomandibular Dysfunction/Disorder, or “TMD.” Many symptoms are [...]
Most of us at some point have noticed someone with a dark tooth like the image below, or perhaps your own tooth looks similar to this one. What causes one tooth to darken like this? Most often it’s because the nerve within the tooth is losing its blood supply, creating a “dead nerve”—what dentists refer [...]
One question we get quite often at Northside Dental Care is, “Do the tooth whitening kits from the drug store work as well as the more expensive professional ones you get at a dental office?” I suspect that most people have a hard time justifying the extra expense of purchasing a professional whitening system from [...]
Many people have been curious to know if “Obama-care” encompasses dental care. I’m afraid for now that the answer is “No” unless you're a child. According to Ron Inge, CEO of Washington Dental Service, our state’s largest dental insurance company, the Affordable Care Act “will greatly increase access to oral care for previously uninsured children [...]