All Posts in Category: Tooth Sensitivity

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TMJ Awareness Month. - Green Dental Care

TMJ Awareness Month

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TMJ Awareness Month

How much do you know about temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD)? November is TMJ Awareness Month, so this is the perfect opportunity to learn more about TMJ and how it can affect you. At our Parker, CO dentist office, we offer several options for TMD’s treatment and management.

What is TMD?

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a collection of muscles and nerves that connect your jaw to your skull on either side of your head. Acting like a hinge for your jaw, the TMJ allows you to freely open and close your mouth while assuring you of smooth movement in your jaw when you are eating or speaking.

There are several concerns that could lead to a dysfunctional TMJ. Sometimes they are not entirely clear, but at other times it is easy to pinpoint them after a consultation with your dentist in Parker, CO.

One of the contributing factors to developing TMD is thought to be stress. By minimizing your stress or developing better coping strategies for it, you may be able to find a measure of relief. Orthodontia is also considered to be a concern for some. Dr. Leeson, a St. Pete family dentist, says that your TMD should resolve once the orthodontic treatment has concluded.

Signs of TMD

The several signs of a temporomandibular joint disorder are why this disorder goes undiagnosed or is misdiagnosed. During your consultation with Dr. Green, you’ll be able to discuss concerns freely. By comparing your symptoms with what the dentist can see during an examination, a diagnosis may be possible.

Some of the signs of TMD could include the following.

  • Pain felt in the TMJ
  • Pain inside of your ears, or around the ears
  • Hearing clicking or popping noises in the TMJ
  • Consistent headaches or migraines
  • Tenderness in the jaw
  • Inability to open or close the jaw
  • Discomfort when eating or speaking

Treatment Options for TMD

According to Dr. Green, there are several TMD treatment options for those who have TMD. Quite often, the less is more approach is the most effective. For TMD, this could include taking over-the-counter pain medications and applying ice packs to the area that is feeling discomfort.

Gentle massages on the jaw and the muscles in the neck can also prove to be helpful. Alter your diet to exclude excessively chewy foods. This includes chewing the sugar-free gum that you love so much. All of this excess chewing could put further strain on the TMJ.

If these easy at-home solutions are not quite as effective as you’d have hoped, your dentist 80134 patients will find can offer a dental appliance to help. The dental appliance, or splint, can help provide support for the TMJ when you are sleeping and awake. This sets it apart from the night guard you would use to keep yourself from grinding your teeth in your sleep. 

Contact Your Parker, CO Dentist for TMD Treatment

Are you experiencing some of the signs of TMD? Perhaps you’ve cracked a tooth? Contact Green Dental Care. Our office provides Parker, CO residents, emergency dental care, and more! We’re currently accepting new patients. Learn what patients are saying about us on our Google Reviews.

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Causes of teeth grinding- Green dental care

Causes of Teeth Grinding

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Causes of Teeth Grinding

Has your significant other accused you of grinding your teeth in your sleep? Bruxism, the name for teeth grinding, is a behavior that takes place when we’re sleeping. This means that many of us could be grinding our teeth in our sleep and not have any idea that we do.

Bruxism may sound harmless, but outside it irritating the person sleeping next to you. The truth is that bruxism can lead to significant damage to your teeth and result in a number of painful conditions beyond tooth pain. It may even lead to a tooth infection that requires being seen by an emergency dentist in Parker CO.

What Causes Teeth Grinding?

There are a number of factors that may be contributing to your bruxism. These could include anxiety, stress, sleep apnea, and even dehydration says Georgetown, KY dentist, Dr. Jordan Smith.

Sleep apnea is a serious sleeping disorder that can place patients at an increased risk for a number of serious and life-threatening conditions.

We all struggle with anxiety and stress at some point in our life. It is often recommended that you take steps to reduce your stress, or to engage in some activities that can promote stress reduction. Some types of medications may be suggested by your primary care physician, including those to help you get better rest or to address the anxiety that you are feeling.

If you tend to skip the water more often than not, this is a simple fix. Drinking more water could be one of the easiest solutions to making bruxism a thing of your past.

What Are Some Signs of Bruxism?

Grinding your teeth will result in wear to the enamel of your teeth. When this enamel has worn off, it will expose the softer dentin inside of the tooth. This can lead to the introduction of bacteria, tooth decay, and the need for tooth repair. 

Some of the symptoms of bruxism could include the following:

  • Tenderness in the muscles of your face
  • Headaches and earaches, ranging in severity.
  • Temporomandibular joint damage (TMJ)
  • Cracks and fractures in back teeth teeth
  • Sensitivity in teeth

Treating Bruxism

When you visit Green Dental Care, to meet with the best dentist in Parker CO, you’ll be able to get the right types of treatment to meet your needs. You may need to have some white fillings done, to repair tooth damage. Some cosmetic dentistry solutions may also be recommended.

There are a number of options for treating bruxism. The treatment that is best for you will depend on just how severe your case is. In addition to sleeping aids and other medications to help ease your anxiety and stress, it might be suggested that you skip caffeine and alcohol in the hours leading up to bedtime.

Additionally, a custom mouthguard can also be a good solution, as it will protect your teeth from the damage of grinding and the pressure of grinding.

So, the sooner that you reach out for help with your teeth grinding concerns, the sooner you will be able to get a solution to protect your teeth. Teeth grinding can lead to a number of concerns that are entirely preventable, including migraines and the potential loss of teeth as a result of decay.

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TMJ/TMD treatment- Green Dental Care

TMJ/TMD Treatment Options

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TMJ/TMD Treatment Options

If you experience tightness, pain, or clicking in your jaw, you aren’t alone. Those symptoms are characteristic of a condition known as temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and this affects lots of Americans.

However, the fact that you aren’t alone doesn’t mean you should live the rest of your life with this condition that can make it hard for you to go about your life as you would wish. At Green Dental Care in Parker CO, we have a number of treatment options that we can recommend so that you can improve the quality of your life. The following are some of those options.

Custom Night Guards

Temporomandibular joint disorder can result when you grind or clench your teeth while you sleep at night. It is virtually impossible for you to stop bruxism on your own. That is where Dr. Chris Green, the best dentist in Parker CO, comes in.

New providence, NJ dentist, Dr. Beth Herko will make a custom night guard that will protect your teeth at night while you sleep. Consequently, you will suffer limited or no TMJ pain since your teeth will grind against the customized nightguard rather than with each other. Generic night guards don’t offer the same degree of protection since they are unlikely to fit you properly.

Botox Injections

We also offer Botox as a treatment for TMD at Green Dental Care. Most people only know Botox as a treatment for tightening and smoothening skin, yet it is also great for conditions affecting muscles and joints.

When Dr. Andrei Ionescu injects this substance into your jaw muscles, they will be temporarily paralyzed and this will have the desired effect of partially or completely stopping teeth grinding and clenching.

A lot of the patients who visit our dental office for Botox as a remedy for TMJ disorders report that they begin to notice the positive effects just days after receiving the treatment.

If yours is a severe form of TMJ disorder, Dr. Chris Green may refer you to a specialist for more advanced care.

Corrective Dental Procedures

Sometimes, temporomandibular disorders are linked to existing dental defects in the patient. For example, your Parker CO dentist may discover that the TMJ pain you are suffering from can be traced to your improperly positioned teeth.

In such a case, Dr. Andrei Ionescu may recommend that you undergo orthodontic treatment using braces, for example, so that your teeth can be moved to better positions in order to allow the even distribution of bite forces.

Similarly, the uneven wear of your teeth caused by having crooked teeth can result in TMD, and getting a dental crown can restore balance to the bite surfaces of the affected teeth. Dental bridges and other replacements for missing teeth may also address TMD, so don’t hesitate to talk to Dr. Chris Green at Green Dental Care in Parker CO for an appropriate solution to your challenge.

Medications For TMJ/TMD Treatment

For some patients, medications may suffice to treat their TMJ disorders. For example, a family dentist Parker CO may prescribe stronger doses of anti-inflammatory medication to manage the swelling and pain you experience as a result of TMD. Alternatively, the dentists at Green Dental Care may recommend muscle relaxers so that your jaw muscles can relax and limit how much you clench or grind your teeth.

In some other cases, it may be necessary to prescribe anti-anxiety medication, especially when your medical and dental history reveals that your temporomandibular disorder is triggered by anxiety.

Other At-Home Recommendations to Manage TMD

It is important for you to avoid doing anything that could aggravate your TMJ disorder. At Green Dental Care, we strongly advise patients with TMD to take note of the following measures that are geared at minimizing extreme jaw movements;

  • Be conscious when chewing or yawning so that you don’t strain your jaw muscles
  • Avoid yelling or singing with your mouth wide open
  • Talk to your Parker CO dentist about massage or physical therapy to relieve muscle tension
  • Always maintain a good posture (for example, don’t hold the phone on your shoulder and keep it there using your ear as this can result in neck pain and TMD)
  • Keep teeth slightly apart as often as you can. This reduces the pressure exerted upon your jaw.

When all the conservative treatments and suggestions above don’t bring any relief, your dentist in Parker CO may recommend surgery. However, we at Green Dental Care don’t recommend surgery unless all other options have failed. We therefore think carefully about your condition and do everything that we can to resolve it without resorting to surgery. If your dentist has recommended surgery before trying anything else or exploring all available options, schedule an appointment at Green Dental Care. We will give you a second opinion and suggest how best to address the issue. Don’t let a member of your family suffer with TMD. Dr. Chris Green and Dr. Andrei Ionescu are here to lead a team of committed professionals who have the singular aim of finding a lasting remedy for you. Get in touch today!

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tooth sensitivity - Green Dental Care

Tooth Sensitivity

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If you intentionally avoid hot or cold foods and drinks because of your tooth sensitivity, you may want to contact your local dentist in Parker, Colorado. If you have sensitive teeth, sometimes even simple things like brushing your teeth, eating and drinking, and even breathing cold air can cause sharp temporary pain in your teeth. Tooth sensitivity can be especially annoying as it can rob you of the simple pleasure in life, like sipping a hot cup of coffee. If you are dealing with tooth sensitivity, contact Green Dental Care and Dr. Christopher Green will help treat your tooth sensitivity. 

What Causes Tooth Sensitivity?

Some people are naturally prone to tooth sensitivity due to thinner enamel (the outer protective layer of the tooth). For other people, the enamel can get weaker due to reasons that include:

  • Brushing your teeth too hardly/using a hard toothbrush
  • Grinding/clenching your teeth at night
  • Consuming acidic foods and drinks on a regular basis
  • Gum diseases
  • Cracked tooth

To sum it up, tooth sensitivity is caused by the weakening of the tooth enamel which, as a result, exposes the inner layers of the tooth. It is very important to let your Parker dentist know about your tooth sensitivity in order for them to assess it and determine what the problem is and advice you on the appropriate treatment for it. If you leave your tooth sensitivity unchecked, it can cause brushing your teeth to become painful, which can result in improper care of your teeth. Ultimately, it can lead to bigger problems such as tooth decay and gum disease. 

How Can You Prevent Tooth Sensitivity?

The best treatment is usually prevention. And unless you are naturally prone to tooth sensitivity, you can prevent it by:

  • Using a soft-bristled toothbrush to protect your gums and prevent gum loss.
  • Using special toothpaste specifically for sensitive teeth.
  • Avoid consuming excessively acidic foods and drinks on a regular basis.
  • Brushing and flossing your teeth at least twice daily.

What Should You Avoid If You Have Sensitive Teeth?

In case hot, cold, or acidic drinks and foods trigger sensitivity in your teeth, you should avoid their consumption. Similarly, if other things are causing sensitivity in your teeth, you should avoid them e.g. if brushing your teeth with cold water triggers sensitivity in your teeth, you should start brushing your teeth with warm water instead.

What Are The Treatments for Sensitive Teeth?

If you were not able to prevent sensitivity in your teeth, do not worry as your Parker dentist can cure it with different types of treatments available, some of which are:

  •  Desensitizing Toothpaste: These types of toothpaste are made of components that prevent the transmission of sensation from the outer layer to the more sensitive nerve area of the teeth.
  • Fluoride Treatment: This is a treatment your Parker dentist can give you in their office. Fluoride treatments strengthen the enamel in the sensitive areas of the tooth to reduce the pain. 
  • A Dental Crown/Bonding: Through the application of local anesthetic, the exposed roots are covered by resin or a dental crown.
  • Root Canal Therapy: If the pain in your teeth is severe and other treatments seem to be ineffective, your Parker dentist may recommend a root canal. Root canals are arguably the most effective treatment for tooth sensitivity.
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