Follow These Common Sense Steps When Your Child has a Toothache

A child's toothache is no fun for either the child or the parent. But if you're faced with this situation, don't panic — unless they have a fever or you notice facial swelling, it's unlikely an emergency.

 Instead, take the following steps:

Find out where it hurts and for how long. Tooth pain can stem from a lot of causes, including decay or a localized area of infection called an abscess. See if your child can tell you if it's coming from one particular tooth or from a general area. Although children can't always judge how long they've hurt, try to get a general idea so you'll know if you need to call us sooner rather than later.

Look for problem signs in the mouth. As you look where they say it hurts, see if you can see brown spots or cavities on any teeth — this would indicate tooth decay. Look also at the gums or inner areas of the mouth for sores or swelling. Unless they've had an injury, this could indicate an abscess.

Try to dislodge any food shards between teeth. It's also possible the pain is coming from a piece of hard food like a popcorn kernel wedged between their teeth. Help them gently floss between the teeth to see if you can dislodge any.

Try to ease the pain. Although you may not need to see us immediately, your child's mouth still aches. You can help relieve it temporarily with a child's dose of ibuprofen or acetaminophen. You can also apply an ice pack to the outside cheek for swelling, but don't apply the ice directly to the skin, which can burn it. And don't rub aspirin or other pain relievers on the gums — they're acidic and can irritate soft tissue.

See us for a full examination. It's wise to have any tooth pain checked — the question is often how soon. You should see us the same day or first thing in the morning if the pain has persisted for more than a day or night, pain relievers haven't eased the pain or they have fever or facial swelling. If the pain is short-lived you can usually wait until the next day — but do get it checked out.

If you would like more information on treating your child's toothache, please contact Dr. Cindy Sumarauw at 801-281-3500 to schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “A Child's Toothache.”

Clear Aligners Make it Easier for Teenagers to have Their Teeth Straightened

Braces can change a person's life — not just their appearance but their dental health as well. To be honest, though, wearing braces are, well, kind of a drag — especially for teenagers.

Braces can be restrictive and confining; you'll also have to give up certain favorite foods for a while. But more than any of that, they're just plain unattractive. Even being able to choose colors for the brackets and elastic bands can't fully ease a teenager's embarrassment when they smile.

There is, however, an alternative to braces: clear aligners. And they could make orthodontic treatment during this difficult phase of their life much easier to handle.

Clear aligners are a set of clear plastic trays that can be taken in and out of the mouth. Each of the custom-designed trays is slightly smaller from the previous one in the series. After wearing the first tray for a couple of weeks (at least 20 to 22 hours a day), the patient switches to the next tray in the series. They repeat this process until they've worn all the trays. The gradual change from tray to tray moves the teeth to the desired position.

Clear aligners have some distinct advantages over braces, especially for younger patients. They can be removed for cleaning or for a rare special event. They don't limit movement as much as braces. And, they're nearly invisible — other people may not even notice them. And newer aligners are now designed with tiny “power ridges” that increase their movement capabilities. This has made them more useful for teenagers with complicated bite problems and other issues.

There are cases, though, where braces may be the better choice: where you need more control over tooth movement or the patient needs jaw surgery to achieve proper tooth alignment. And their removability could be an issue if the patient won't leave them in their mouth for the necessary time each day.

To find out if clear aligners might be a viable option for your teenager, visit us for a complete orthodontic examination. We can then discuss your best option — clear aligners or braces — to achieve the most desirable outcome for your teenager.

If you would like more information on treating bite problems in teenagers with clear aligners, please contact Dr. Cindy Sumarauw at 801-281-3500 to schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Clear Aligners for teens.”

4 Reasons you may want Your Dentist to Whiten Your Teeth

With the advent of home whitening kits, you no longer have to go to the dentist to have your teeth whitened. DIY kits are relatively safe and effective, if you follow the directions carefully.

So, you might be thinking: why have a dentist whiten my teeth? Actually, there are good reasons why you might. Here are 4 of them.

We'll make sure your teeth are healthy first. Your teeth may need some attention first, such as treatment for dental disease, before we undertake whitening. We'll also determine why your teeth are stained, which could impact how they're whitened (more about that in a moment).

Our application could take less time and last longer. Bleaching agents in home kits make up less than 10% of volume, much weaker than the applications we use. While it often takes several applications at home to achieve the desired brightness, you may only need one or two sessions with us. Our stronger solution may also extend the “fade time” — when the whitening begins to diminish — than what you may encounter with home whitening.

We can be more precise achieving the right shade. There are different shades of teeth whiteness — what looks good for someone else might not look good for you. We have the training and expertise to achieve a color that's right for you. What's more, we also have techniques and equipment like UV lighting that enables us to color match more precisely than you can with a home kit.

Your DIY kit can't alter some forms of staining. Home kits bleach only the outermost layers of tooth enamel. That won't help, though, if your discoloration originates inside the tooth. This intrinsic staining requires procedures only a dentist can perform to bleach the tooth from the inside out.

Even if you'd still like to use a home kit we'll be happy to advise you on purchasing and application. It's also a good idea to have us check the staining first to see if a home kit will work at all. In the end, we share the same desire as you do: that your teeth are as healthy as they can be and bright as you want them to be.

If you would like more information on tooth whitening options, please contact Dr. Cindy Sumarauw at 801-281-3500 to schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Tooth Whitening Safety Tips.”

Dental Implants Could be Your Best Option to Replace Lost Teeth

An estimated 35 million people in the United States are missing all of their teeth on at least one jaw. Your situation may not be as serious — perhaps you've only lost one tooth. But even one missing tooth could eventually impact the health of underlying bone or other teeth — and it can certainly mar an otherwise attractive smile.

Depending on other health factors, you could be an ideal candidate for a dental implant to replace that missing tooth. Since their introduction in the 1980s, implants have rapidly become the popular choice for tooth replacement. They've gained this popularity for several reasons: they're a life-like replacement that also functions like a tooth; they're adaptable to a variety of situations; and they enjoy a 95%-plus success rate.

The key to their success lies in their unique construction: they replace the tooth root, not just the crown. They accomplish this through a metal titanium post imbedded directly into the bone. The titanium attracts bone cells, which eventually grow and adhere to the post to anchor the implant securely in the jaw. This growth also deters bone loss that occurs after tooth loss and continues after acquiring other forms of removable restorations like full or partial dentures.

If implants have one drawback, though, it's their cost, especially if you have multiple lost teeth. The good news if you're missing several teeth is that each tooth does not need an implant due to their inherent strength. As few as two implants could replace three to four missing teeth or play a role as supports for other restorations like removable dentures. Some of the implants' other benefits will also carry over, including enhanced bone health.

To determine if dental implants are a good choice for your missing teeth, you'll need to undergo an evaluation of your individual dental condition (including bone health). From there we can advise you on whether implants could change your dental health and your smile.

If you would like more information on dental implants, please contact Dr. Cindy Sumarauw at 801-281-3500 to schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Dental Implants 101.”

Any Time, Any Place: Cam Newton's Guide to Flossing

When is the best time to floss your teeth: Morning? Bedtime? How about: whenever and wherever the moment feels right?

For Cam Newton, award-winning NFL quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, the answer is clearly the latter. During the third quarter of the 2016 season-opener between his team and the Denver Broncos, TV cameras focused on Newton as he sat on the bench. The 2015 MVP was clearly seen stretching a string of dental floss between his index fingers and taking care of some dental hygiene business… and thereby creating a minor storm on the internet.

Inappropriate? We don't think so. As dentists, we're always happy when someone comes along to remind people how important it is to floss. And when that person has a million-dollar smile like Cam Newton's — so much the better.

Of course, there has been a lot of discussion lately about flossing. News outlets have gleefully reported that there's a lack of hard evidence at present to show that flossing is effective. But we would like to point out that, as the saying goes, “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” There are a number of reasons why health care organizations like the American Dental Association (ADA) still firmly recommend daily flossing. Here are a few:

• It's well established that when plaque is allowed to build up on teeth, tooth decay and gum disease are bound to follow.
• A tooth brush does a good job of cleaning most tooth surfaces, but it can't reach into spaces between teeth.
• Cleaning between teeth (interdental cleaning) has been shown to remove plaque and food debris from these hard-to-reach spaces.
• Dental floss isn't the only method for interdental cleaning… but it is recognized by dentists as the best way, and is an excellent method for doing this at home — or anywhere else!

Whether you use dental floss or another type of interdental cleaner is up to you. But the ADA stands by its recommendations for maintaining good oral health: Brush twice a day for two minutes with fluoride toothpaste; visit your dentist regularly for professional cleanings and checkups; and clean between teeth once a day with an interdental cleaner like floss. It doesn't matter if you do it in your own home, or on the sidelines of an NFL game… as long as you do it!

If you would like more information about flossing and oral hygiene, please contact Dr. Cindy Sumarauw at 801-281-3500 to schedule an appointment for a consultation.

Lasers are Making an Impact in Treating Gum Disease

Periodontal (gum) disease is potentially devastating to your teeth, gums and bone. To fight it we have to remove the substance that causes and sustains the disease from all oral surfaces — a thin layer of bacteria and food particles known as plaque.

To accomplish this task, we use a variety of hand instruments called scalers to mechanically remove plaque and calculus (hardened plaque deposits), as well as ultrasonic equipment to vibrate plaque loose and flush it away with water. If we detect plaque deposits well below the gum line and around the tooth roots, we may need to use other techniques like root planing or surgery to access these deeper areas.

 While gum disease is persistent and aggressive, these traditional techniques have proven quite effective in controlling the infection and restoring health to diseased gums. Yet like other aspects of medicine and dentistry, technological advances have created a new option for gum disease treatment: the Nd:YAG laser.

The Nd:YAG laser is named for the crystal it uses to produce a narrow and intense beam of light on a specific frequency. In recent years it's become an important surgical tool because it can distinguish between diseased and healthy tissue, destroying the former while not affecting the latter. It's being used now on a limited basis for treating gum disease, especially for removing infected tissue in deep pockets that can form below the gum line, and for removing plaque and calculus from root surfaces.

 Because of its precision, early evidence of effectiveness is encouraging: minimal tissue damage and swelling, less bleeding and reduced patient discomfort after treatment. The heat from the laser has also been shown to kill bacteria and essentially sterilize the area.

Still, the findings aren't conclusive enough as to whether lasers are superior in most circumstances to traditional scaling methods. For the time being, we'll continue to use the tried and true methods for removing plaque and calculus. But as laser technology advances, the time may come when this new approach to gum disease treatment will become a more prominent and beneficial option for patients.

If you would like more information on your treatment options for gum disease, please contact Dr. Cindy Sumarauw at 801-281-3500 to schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Lasers Versus Traditional Cleanings for Treating Gum Disease.”

Your Options for Restoring a Chipped Tooth

A tooth that's been chipped doesn't mean it's no longer healthy. The same, unfortunately, can't be said about the attractiveness of your smile, especially if it's one of your front teeth. A chipped tooth can be quite noticeable and make you self-conscious.

The good news is a chipped tooth can be restored cosmetically to look just as normal and attractive as your other teeth. Depending on the application there are two different materials we commonly use: porcelains, a type of oven-fired ceramic most often found in veneers or crowns; or composite resins, a mixture of glass and plastic substances we apply in liquid form that hardens in built-up layers on the tooth's surface to ultimately resemble normal tooth shape and color.

So, which of these two materials is the best option for your tooth? That depends on the extent and location of the tooth damage. Composite resins are most often used for mild to moderate chipping or breaks in the enamel (and somewhat for the underlying dentin) or decayed areas in the front teeth. Porcelain veneers or crowns are better for more extensive damage or discoloration.

Both materials have their advantages and disadvantages. Composite resins can be applied in one office visit, but they require a skillful technique and an artistic eye to achieve a life-like appearance; although their strength has improved over the years, they're also limited in their durability and longevity compared to porcelain. Porcelain, on the other hand, is quite durable and has an excellent tooth-like appearance; they do, however, require removal of more tooth material than a composite resin to accommodate the new veneer or crown, along with more than one visit and the services of a dental lab to create the restoration.

The best way to find out which option is best for you is to visit us for a thorough dental examination. From there we can review with you our findings, our recommendations and the costs associated with each option. But whichever material we use, porcelain or composite resins, you can look forward to a new smile you'll be proud to display.

If you would like more information on cosmetic treatments for teeth, please contact Dr. Cindy Sumarauw at 801-281-3500 to schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Artistic Repair of Front Teeth with Composite Resin.”