You may need a dental crown for a variety of reasons – to protect a broken tooth, to protect teeth weakened from large or deteriorated old fillings, to cover a dental implant, to support a dental bridge or for cosmetic reasons. In the past, dental crowns have been made out of materials like gold or silver. Now, they are made out of more natural-looking material such as porcelain, or in some cases, zirconia. Typically, when you smile you’re able to see the damaged tooth. Using these tooth-colored materials makes for a seamless smile! (more…)
How Does Preventive Dentistry Work?
If your teeth aren’t properly taken care of, they can become decayed and susceptible to infection – potentially leading to tooth loss. However, practicing proper oral hygiene and visiting your dentist to ensure your teeth are strong and healthy can prevent infections such as periodontitis. Your dentist may periodically recommend x-rays and oral cancer screenings – rest assured this is to maximize your oral health. Typically, if you have an issue like infection or oral cancer, the earlier your dentist is able to identify it, the earlier you’re able to treat it. (more…)
Are You Dreaming Of A White Smile?
Professional teeth whitening sure has its perks, and could be a great holiday gift! Are you dreaming of a white smile? Although an in-office treatment is the most efficient when it comes to whitening, it may not be for everyone so you do have other options. A kit that can be purchased at your local grocery store or pharmacy, for example, can be more cost effective. So, if you’re looking for something you can do at home, don’t rule out your dentist just yet! They may have an option where you can take home whitening trays that have numerous benefits. You have so many options – what will it be this holiday season? (more…)
Should You Change Your Diet To Help Your Teeth?
With Thanksgiving so closely behind us and more holidays just on the horizon, we want to take time to educate our patients about preventive dentistry and how your diet can affect the health of your teeth. The meal you ate in observance of the holiday last week was chewed with your teeth – did you eat more stuffing and cheesecake than you did green beans and turkey? Should you change your diet to help your teeth? We know how delicious it is, but if this is a regular meal for you, you could be harming your teeth with the food you’re consuming. (more…)
What Happens After You Lose Teeth?
Unfortunately, we can lose teeth to gum disease, decay, or facial injury. Lost teeth directly affects how you speak, chew, and how confident you are. In addition to the benefits of restoring your tooth (or teeth), you can also prevent your face from changing shape and your teeth from shifting to fill the current gaps in your mouth. If your teeth shift, your bite will most likely be affected and become misaligned – which could potentially lead to a whole other set of problems. Are you wondering what happens after you lose teeth? Well, the answer is up to you – what are you going to do? (more…)
What Is An Oral Cancer Screening?
Oral cancer screenings are performed at every routine cleaning throughout the year to ensure that you are healthy. Throughout an oral cancer screening, your dentist will check your tongue, cheeks, lips, gums, and floor of your mouth for signs of cancer. This is another reason why dentists recommend annual or biannual visits because the earlier on you can catch oral cancer, the easier it is to treat. Preventive dentistry helps to maintain healthy teeth and gums for an overall healthy mouth! (more…)
What Is Tooth Bonding?
Tooth bonding is a procedure that is done to restore your smile. A resin material (that appears the same color as a tooth) is placed over your tooth and then hardened and bound to the tooth by a special light resulting in a beautiful smile! Tooth bonding can fix a multitude of cosmetic issues and can even restore decayed teeth. Prior to having your teeth bonded, you may want to whiten them because the resin material is matched to your tooth color and it does not change once it’s made. (more…)
How Often Do You Brush Your Teeth When You’re Sick?
This time of year is notorious for illnesses from the common cold to the influenza virus. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention officially refer to this time of year as “the flu season,” and this year it started even earlier than usual. When you’re afflicted with influenza-like symptoms, such as fever, bodyaches, coughing, and many more, rising out of bed can seem like an Olympian’s challenge. Accomplishing routine daily tasks once you’ve risen out of bed, including brushing and flossing your teeth, can often prove impossible. However, if you are still able to rise to use the restroom, you still have opportunities to care for your dental health. Syosset dentist, Dr. Richard Kobak, explains why you should take advantage of those opportunities every time they arise to help protect your dental health while you’re sick.
While You’re Away…
Even when you’re healthy, bacteria grow and collect inside your mouth to form the sticky biofilm known as plaque. Many of these oral bacteria are the source of destructive oral health issues, including tooth decay and gum disease. Brushing and flossing your teeth helps control plaque buildup and inhibit bacterial gathering, reducing your risk of developing oral health issues. When you’re sick with the cold, flu, or any other systemic illness, bacteria thrive under your distracted immune system, increasing bacteria’s potency and ability to proliferate. You may not feel like brushing your teeth when you’re sick, but if you neglect to, then bacteria and plaque will increase faster than normal, and your oral health will face a greater risk than normal, and in much less time. (more…)
Prevent Stress from Diluting Your Holiday Joy
Recently, we wrote about the devastating effects of stress on your oral health. While elevated stress levels have long been associated with a higher risk of certain illnesses, the damage that stress causes your teeth and gums is often more subtle and less-often discussed. Bruxism (the habit of teeth-grinding), TMJ disorder, and excessive tooth wear and damage can all result from prolonged stress. As the holiday season draws near, tension and anxiety may become much more prevalent in your daily life than normal. To help prevent stress from diluting your holiday joy, Syosset dentist Dr. RichardKobak offers these tips for beating back stress.
Tips for Stress-Free Holidays
Be reasonable—Tradition plays a major role in most families’ holiday celebrations. While traditions are often sacred, the truth is that families change and grow, and struggling to make your Christmas exactly as the last one can create a ton of unnecessary stress. For instance, if your grown children cannot visit for the holidays, find innovative ways to celebrate together, such as video conferencing or swapping photos online. If you remain flexible, then sudden changes or shifts in your plans will not devastate your tranquility. (more…)
Syosset Dentist Explains the Three Mechanisms of Tooth Staining
Even if you’ve never needed corrective dental work, chances are that at some point you were, or will be, disappointed with the color of your teeth. In fact, whiter teeth are still among the most commonly requested cosmetic dental procedures today. Like all aspects of your health, however, prevention is the best cure for a less-than-brilliant smile. To help you understand tooth staining, and thereby take better measures to prevent it, your Syosset dentist Dr. Richard Kobak explains the three mechanisms by which food can leave its lasting impression on your teeth.
How Food Stains Teeth
Pigment
The first, and perhaps the most obvious, method that food uses to stain your teeth is the color of your food itself. Strongly pigmented foods are more likely to share their pigment with your teeth. Your food and beverages attribute their color to molecules called chromogens. These molecules are intensely pigmented and have a strong tendency to latch onto your tooth enamel. (more…)
