Considering Porcelain Veneers
Many women were given tetracycline as kids,which permanently darkened their teeth. Most teeth whiteners alone won’t bleach out the stains,but porcelain veneers instantly and permanently give you a white smile.
Many women were given tetracycline as kids,which permanently darkened their teeth. Most teeth whiteners alone won’t bleach out the stains,but porcelain veneers instantly and permanently give you a white smile.
Losing tooth enamel is inevitable over time, but you can minimize the damage by avoiding things that accelerate the process. We tell our patients to use an electric toothbrush or a regular brush with soft bristles. Any brush that has medium or hard on the label is too abrasive on your teeth.
Another thing to consider is watching your intake of acidic food and drinks, like coffee and wine.
I am very happy to say that I am the newest team member at Dr. Fox’s office. I started here over a year ago, however I have been a patient here for years starting back when my mother worked here in the 1990’s. I have been a Dental Hygienist for 5 years now and completed all my schooling in California where I am originally from.
I have been married for 4 years and spend most of my time with my family and my three children ages 3 and under. Ienjoy shopping, traveling, playing sports and doing arts and crafts. Most importantly, I enjoy making my patients happy and providing an enjoyable experience here at the office. I look forward to meeting you soon.
Stacey Powers RDH
Nichole and I just celebrated our 5th anniversary. We are so happy here in Richmond raising our sweet 15 month-old daughter Lucy. The school and community has been very good to us these last two years.
I have just started my 3rd year of dental school at Virginia Commonwealth University. I just started seeing patients in May and greatly enjoy developing relationships with so many wonderful people. It is great to finally start serving others after such a long preparation time. Right now I am mainly doing the basic dental and periodontal procedures from cleanings to fillings. I recently became certified to do crowns and soon look forward to being able to do root canals.
I am thankful for the faculty and fellow students here at the dental school who have assisted me in my education. Also to my Dad who has provided me precious counsel and advice; as well as excitement to begin my career in serving the community’s dental needs with him.
Do you wake up in the morning with sore jaw muscles, headaches, earaches? Are your gums receding or do you have loose or worn down teeth? If so, it could be a result of Bruxism. Bruxism is a medical term for involuntary clenching or grinding of your teeth at night.
Clenching is holding your teeth tightly together which puts pressure on the muscles, tissues, teeth and other structures around your jaw. Grinding is moving your teeth back and forth or side to side which will wear down the enamel on your teeth over time. The exact causes are not known but can possibly be caused from stress, improper alignment of your teeth, or disruptive sleep patterns.
If you feel that you suffer from any of these symptoms, we have just the thing for you! Our office recommends the UltraFlex night guard. UltraFlex is a custom made night guard to help protect your teeth from clenching and grinding. The UltraFlex night guard is soft on the inside yet firmer on the outside for a better fit and higher compliance rate. Other benefits are that it is acrylic-free, durable, can be relined, adjusts to your body temperature for the best fit and is available in colors like red, blue, violet or the standard clear.
If you think you are clenching or grinding and could benefit from an UltraFlex night guard, call us today!
Sealants are generally considered to be low-viscosity resins placed into grooves of molar and bicuspid teeth that are at risk of developing cavities. The sealant concept has been practiced for over 50 years, but sealant longevity has been shown to be relatively short and unpredictable. At five years, about 50% of sealants have been lost, and the remaining sealants show significant wear and breakage. Previous research showed that 92% of sealants over 10 years in service had active cavities under them (Clinicians Report, Dental Hygiene newsletter, January 2002).
These results may not be surprising since sealants are a superficial veneer placed over active biting surfaces. In addition, most sealants are placed without thorough cleaning of the grooves, directly over variable microorganisms, and without chemical bonding. Sealants, therefore, fail due to poor techniques and inadequate physical properties of the materials under load and stress.
Outdated techniques from the past, such as sealants, should be replaced by techniques that are minimally invasive. Minimally invasive dentistry infers using techniques that cause the least amount of damage to the tooth. In our office we use a laser scanner, the Diagnodent, to detect decay in grooves of the teeth. If it is found, we use a Waterlase laser to remove the cavity and then place a conservative tooth colored filling. Unlike sealants, these restorations never” fall out” and don’t get decay underneath them.
We have been using this laser technology in our office for seven years with great success. No shots, no drilling, safe for everyone!
We would like to give you an overview of the technology we have in our office:
Intraoral Camera
•”It’s a very thin camera that gives us a ‘tour’ of your mouth on a TV screen. We can even print out a picture of your broken tooth. We want you to be informed at every step of your treatment.”
•”With this camera you can see what we see.”
Laser
•”Lasers are a precise and effective way to perform many dental procedures.”
•”Laser dentistry oftentimes minimizes bleeding.”
•”The laser uses a sensitive beam of light to remove unwanted tissue with very little discomfort.”
•”Bacterial infections are minimized.”
Cavity Detection System
•”We offer the latest, most precise, diagnostic tool. Using an electronic laser light system it helps us find even the smallest area of concern. These areas would otherwise go undetected until they are larger, cost more and become more complicated.”
•”A large percentage of tooth decay can go undetected with traditional dental techniques like probing and X-rays.”
•”This system is painless and will help preserve your teeth by finding potential problems early on.”
Digital X-rays (more…)
For those who don’t know, Dr Fox’s son,Erik,is starting his second year of dental school. He attends the Medical College of Virginia, in Richmond. In three years he will be joining Dr Fox in practice here in Burke.
Erik and his wife,Nichole, recently welcomed their first child, a daughter,into this world. Lucy was born on May 14,2010- just one day after Eriks last final exam!
Congratulations Erik and Nichole!!!!
It is important for patients to know that when they have their teeth cleaned, the dental prophy is not done for “cosmetic” reasons. Patients with periodontal disease have twice as much chance of developing heart disease as patients without gum disease. The cause is thought to be chronic, low-grade bacteremia in the blood stream, originating from the disease site. This bacteremia is thought to cause a chronic inflammation of vessels, which makes them more susceptible to atherosclerotic plaque accumulation and eventual artery blockage.
CRACKED TOOTH SYNDROME
You may have a very commonly occurring problem in one of your teeth.
Teeth may crack when subjected to stress of chewing hard foods or ice, or by biting on an unexpected hard object. Teeth with or without restorations may exhibit this problem, but teeth restored with typical silver alloy restorations are most susceptible.
SYMPTOMS AND SIGNS ARE SOME OR ALL OF THE FOLLOWING:
TREATMENT FOR CRACKED TEETH: