Benefits of Panoramic X-Rays

In order to get the best care, you need to visit a clinic with the best tools. We at the Bridge Smiles Dental Group often provide patients with dental restorations and orthodontic services. To plan our patients’ treatments and monitor their progress, we use three-dimensional panoramic imaging, a type of x-ray more commonly known as a Panorex.

Use of the Panorex does not require any special effort on the patient’s part. After removing metallic objects from their person, they will bite down on a hard piece of plastic that is used to position their jaws. They will then stand still for about twenty seconds while the Panorex’s panels rotate around their head. The machine’s height may be adjusted as needed.

The Panorex will produce a digital image that can be used with software that helps us to predict future tooth migration. The patient is not required to hold film in their mouth, as is needed for older x-ray machines, and there is less risk of radiation exposure. The 3-D image is crucial for determining whether the patient is a good candidate for implants, planning wisdom tooth extractions, and detecting abnormalities in jaw bone tissue. It also allows us to monitor dental wear and instability associated with temporomandibular joint disorder.

Drs. Meghadri and Grewal run Bridge Smiles Dental Group at 820 US Hwy 202 North Neshanic Station, NJ, and 15 North Bridge St. Somerville, NJ. To schedule an appointment, visit Bridge Smiles Dental.

 

Causes of Bad Breath

Do you often have bad breath? It may not be something you ate. We’re dedicated to helping our patients maintain their oral health at the Bridge Smiles Dental Group, and we want our patients to be aware of the signs of infection and other problems. Halitosis, or bad breath, is one of the most significant indicators that your oral hygiene needs more attention.

Bacteria colonize the papillae of the tongue and the spaces between tooth roots and the surrounding gum tissue. Their secretions turn into plaque, and eventually, tartar. Oral bacteria excretions are foul-smelling, and the more food debris oral bacteria have to feed on, the more secretions they’ll produce. They may also consume other biological material, such as nasal discharge that lands in the back of the throat.

Scent related to infections will be worse when the patient lacks saliva to neutralize bacterial acid. Other conditions that can contribute to halitosis are those such as diabetes which create an elevated risk of gingivitis. People may also suffer from bad breath if they have frequent bouts of acid reflux, which may be related to a diet high in citrus juice, alcohol, or red meat. Regular brushing and flossing is crucial to mitigating all of these, as is use of a tongue scraper and mouthwash.

Drs. Meghadri and Grewal run Bridge Smiles Dental Group at 820 US Hwy 202 North Neshanic Station, NJ, and 15 North Bridge St. Somerville, NJ. To schedule an appointment, visit Bridge Smiles Dental.

 

Getting Veneers

If you have chipped, cracked, or slightly gapped teeth, you may not need to have the entire crown replaced. The Bridge Smiles Dental Group in northern New Jersey offers dental veneers to restore your smile. Within two weeks, we can provide you with prosthetic tooth surfaces that will remake your appearance for years.

A veneer is a piece or porcelain that adheres to the front of a tooth. Before we can place it, we must shave a bit of enamel off the patient’s natural tooth to make room for it. (This is done while that patient is numbed.) We will then make an impression of the patient’s reshaped teeth, which we will send to a dental laboratory. While the patient is wearing temporary prosthetic teeth, the dental laboratory is milling their custom-fitted and colored veneers. This will take about two weeks. Once they’re finished, the patient will return to us, and we’ll apply an etching acid to their teeth in order to increase the teeth’s surface area. The veneers can then be cemented on, and the patient will soon be eating and speaking normally.

Veneers can last for ten years when cared for properly. The patient will have to brush and floss as normal and should be careful to wear a mouthguard during physical activity. If the veneer is being used to correct minor crookedness in a tooth, the patient may find that their oral hygiene will become easier to maintain.

Drs. Meghadri and Grewal run Bridge Smiles Dental Group at 820 US Hwy 202 North Neshanic Station, NJ, and 15 North Bridge St. Somerville, NJ. To schedule an appointment, visit Bridge Smiles Dental.

 

Cleaning a Night Guard

Night Guards are crucial oral appliance for people who suffer from bruxism, or night time teeth grinding. Not only to they prevent the teeth from grinding each other down and reduce incidences of obstructive sleep apnea, they also prevent the patient from developing pain in their temporomandibular joints and necks. Different models of night guards will have different rules about cleanliness, but we at Bridge Smiles Dental Group wanted to remind our patients of their importance. Proper hygiene will extend the night guard’s life.

Most night guards should be kept dry when not in use, but there are a few that should be kept wet, according to their manufacturer. These manufacturers will often sell cleaning solution to submerge them in. Regardless of model, a night guard needs to be cleaned on a daily basis and so does the case that contains it. As with all oral appliances, they should be brushed with soft-bristled toothbrushes and with antibacterial soap or gentle toothpaste. Minerals such as fluoride may scratch their plastic, allowing bacteria to colonize them and create a foul odor. Night guards are also vulnerable to warping if they are subjected to extreme heat. Patients should only have them repaired by professionals and should have them updated if their teeth are changing position. They should also always brush and floss their teeth before inserting an oral appliance.

Drs. Meghadri and Grewal run Bridge Smiles Dental Group at 820 US Hwy 202 North Neshanic Station, NJ, and 15 North Bridge St. Somerville, NJ. To schedule an appointment, visit Bridge Smiles Dental.

 

Pregnancy Gingivitis

Gum disease is common, and pregnant women are especially vulnerable to it. While this is expected, it is still a potential threat to a woman’s oral health. We at Bridge Smiles Dental Group care for whole families and want our patients to be as comfortable as possible during pregnancy, so we thought we’d explain a bit more about what causes gingivitis.

Plaque contains acid produced by bacteria in the gum pockets. It is sticky and hardens into tartar. When gum tissue is irritated by acid and tartar, it triggers the body’s inflammatory response. Swelling makes it harder for infectious materials to flow to the rest of the body and easier for antibodies to move through membranes, but the gum tissue also becomes painful and red. When a woman is pregnant, her body will produce large amounts of the hormone progesterone, which triggers the growth of new blood vessels. Progesterone will make the gums particularly responsive to irritants.

Pregnancy gingivitis usually ends with the pregnancy, but it may develop into a more serious infection. As always, brushing and flossing are a patient’s best defense, although she may also want to try non-alcoholic mouthwash. If a woman is snacking more, she’ll also need to clean her teeth more frequently, or at least chew on sugar-free gum after meals. We can provide patients with deep cleanings to remove tartar from their gum pockets and give them refreshers on oral hygiene.

Drs. Meghadri and Grewal run Bridge Smiles Dental Group at 820 US Hwy 202 North Neshanic Station, NJ, and 15 North Bridge St. Somerville, NJ. To schedule an appointment, visit Bridge Smiles Dental.

 

Treating Intrinsic Stains

Cosmetic dentistry and root canals are both among our specialties at the Bridge Smiles Dental Group. Did you know that there are some circumstances that require both kinds of treatments? Intrinsic stains are much rarer than extrinsic ones, but when they occur, you want our experienced dentists on your side.

An extrinsic stain is one that develops on the outside of the enamel as a result of something the patient regularly consumes. Intrinsic stains affect the pulp. Sometimes they form due to the circumstances of the tooth’s development, such as when the patient was exposed to high levels of fluoride or tetracycline antibiotics. These would cause a tooth to be brown or black. But when intrinsic stains develop later in life, they indicate an injury. Infected dental pulp will appear black or some shade of red. They also sometimes give off a bad taste and smell and may be especially sensitive.

We’ll do a root canal procedure to remove infected dental pulp and prevent it from posing a further threat to the patient. Although we frequently use implants to replace teeth, it is to a patient’s benefit to save the natural tooth whenever possible. After the root canal, we’ll fill the empty pulp chamber with whitening solution and seal it. A week later, we can remove the solution and fill the tooth in normally, leaving it with a white crown. A veneer may be added, if necessary.

Drs. Meghadri and Grewal run Bridge Smiles Dental Group at 820 US Hwy 202 North Neshanic Station, NJ, and 15 North Bridge St. Somerville, NJ. To schedule an appointment, visit Bridge Smiles Dental.

 

Dental Avulsion

We hope that you’ll never need to know what to do if you get a tooth knocked out. But if it does happen, there are things you can do to improve your chances of recovery. Although we frequently place dental implants at the Bridge Smiles Dental Group, we don’t underestimate the benefits of keeping natural teeth healthy and we encourage patients to remember the following advice.

“Dental Avulsion” is what we call it when an entire tooth is knocked out of its socket. Ideally, there will be a first aid kit nearby that contains a tooth saving kit approved by the American Dental Association. But if not, the tooth should be picked up by its crown, washed in a saline solution, and then placed back in the socket. If the patient is unable to tell which way the tooth should be facing or is unable to reinsert it, the tooth may be held in the cheek or in a jar of milk while the patient makes an emergency trip to the dentist. (There is a limited amount of time during which teeth can be saved, but gashes to the face should take higher priority.)

Reinserting the tooth will only work if it is a permanent one and relatively undamaged. Dentists do not reinsert baby teeth because doing so may cause them to fuse with the jaw bone instead of being pushed out naturally later. But a juvenile patient may be referred to an orthodontist to keep the gap open until a permanent tooth emerges. A tooth that is cracked at the root cannot be saved, either, but it may be replaced with a partial denture or implant.

Drs. Meghadri and Grewal run Bridge Smiles Dental Group at 820 US Hwy 202 North Neshanic Station, NJ, and 15 North Bridge St. Somerville, NJ. To schedule an appointment, visit Bridge Smiles Dental.