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Posts for: October, 2018

By Bohle Family Dentistry
October 21, 2018
Category: Dental Procedures
RootCanalTreatmentAlleviatesPainandSavesYourTooth

If you’re undergoing your first root canal treatment, it’s understandable if you’re apprehensive. So, let’s cut to the chase about your biggest fear: a root canal treatment doesn’t cause pain, it relieves it — and saves your tooth too.

You need this procedure because decay has spread deep into your tooth’s inner pulp. The infection has already attacked the nerves bundled within the pulp chamber, the source of the pain that led you to us in the first place.

The real concern, though, is the infection continuing to travel through the canals of the tooth root. If that happens, you’re in danger of not only losing the tooth, but also losing surrounding bone, adjacent teeth or damaging other important structures close by. Our goal is simple: remove the infected pulp tissue and seal the empty chamber and root canals from further infection with a special filling.

We begin by numbing the tooth with local anesthesia — you won’t feel anything but slight pressure as we work. After placing a dental dam — a thin sheet of rubber or vinyl — around the affected tooth to maintain a clean work area, we drill a small hole through the biting surface of a back tooth or in the rear surface of a front tooth. We’ll use this hole to access the pulp, where we’ll first remove all the dead and diseased tissue from the chamber. We’ll then disinfect the chamber and root canals with antiseptic and antibacterial solutions.

After some shaping, we’ll fill the chamber and canals, usually with gutta-percha that’s malleable when heated and can be compressed into and against the walls of the root canals to completely seal them. We’ll then seal the access hole.

You may have a few days of mild discomfort afterward, which can be managed generally with pain relievers like aspirin or ibuprofen. Later, we’ll permanently restore the tooth using filling to seal the root canal inside the tooth followed by a custom crown that’s fit over and bonded to the tooth. This will further minimize chances of a re-infection.

If we’ve recommended a root canal, then we think your tooth should be saved instead of extracted. The procedure will end the pain you’ve been suffering and give your tooth a new lease on life.

If you would like more information on root canal treatment, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “A Step-By-Step Guide to Root Canal Treatment.”


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By Bohle Family Dentistry
October 11, 2018
Category: Oral Health
Tags: oral health  
HaveYourChildsChronicMouthBreathingCheckedtoAvoidBiteProblems

We breathe every moment of every day and we’re hardly aware of it most of the time. But if you take the time to focus, you’ll find two possible pathways for your breath: through the nose or through the mouth.

While either pathway provides the air exchange needed to live, nose breathing offers better health benefits. Air passes through the nasal passages, which filter out many harmful particles and allergens. The mucous membranes in the nose also humidify the air and help produce heart-friendly nitric oxide.

Nose breathing also plays a role in your child’s facial and jaw development: the tongue rests on the roof of the mouth (the palate) and becomes a kind of mold around which the developing upper jaw can form. With chronic mouth breathing, however, the tongue rests just behind the lower teeth, depriving the upper jaw of its normal support. This could result in the development of a poor bite (malocclusion).

To avoid this and other undesirable outcomes, you should have your child examined if you notice them breathing mostly through the mouth, particularly at rest. Since chronic mouth breathing usually occurs because of an anatomical obstruction making nose breathing more difficult, it’s usually best to see a physician or an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist first for evaluation and treatment.

It’s also a good idea to obtain an orthodontic evaluation of any effects on their bite development, such as the upper jaw growing too narrowly. If caught early enough, an orthodontist can correct this with a palatal expander, a device that exerts gradual outward pressure on the jaw and stimulating it to grow wider.

Another bite problem associated with chronic mouth breathing is misalignment of the jaws when closed. An orthodontist can address this with a set of removable plates worn in the mouth. As the jaws work the angled plates force the lower jaw forward, thus encouraging it to grow in the direction that best aligns with the upper jaw.

Any efforts to correct a child’s breathing habits can pay great dividends in their overall health. It could likewise head off possible bite problems that can be both extensive and costly to treat in the future.

If you would like more information on promoting oral health in your child, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation.


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By Bohle Family Dentistry
October 01, 2018
Category: Dental Procedures
ARetainerHelpsyouKeepYourNewSmileaftertheBracesComeOff

It’s a big moment after months of wearing braces to finally get a glimpse of your new smile. The crooked teeth and poor bite are gone — and in their place are beautiful, straight teeth!

If you’re not careful, though, your new look might not last. That’s because the natural mechanism we used to straighten your teeth may try to return them to their previous poor positions.

Contrary to what many people think, teeth aren’t rigidly set within the jaw bone. Instead, an elastic, fibrous tissue known as the periodontal ligament lies between the teeth and the bone and attaches to both with tiny fibers. Though quite secure, the attachment allows the teeth to move in very minute increments in response to growth or other changes in the mouth.

Orthodontic appliances like braces or clear aligners put pressure on the teeth in the direction we wish them to move. The bone dissolves on the side of the teeth where pressure is being applied or facing the direction of movement and then builds up on the other side where tension is occurring.

The ligament, though, has a kind of “muscle memory” for the teeth’s original position. Unless it’s prevented, this “memory” will pull the teeth back to where they used to be. All the time and effort involved with wearing braces will be lost.

That’s why it’s important for you to wear an appliance called a retainer after your braces have been removed. As the name implies, the appliance “retains” the teeth in their new position until it’s more permanently set. For most people, this means wearing it for twenty-four hours in the beginning, then later only a few hours a day or while you sleep.

The majority of younger patients eventually won’t need to wear a retainer once bone and facial growth has solidified their teeth’s new position. Older adults, though, may need to wear one from now on. Even so, it’s a relatively slight inconvenience to protect that beautiful, hard-won smile.

If you would like more information on retainers, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “The Importance of Orthodontic Retainers.”


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