Understanding Tooth Enamel Loss

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Dr. Nicholas Polito and the rest of the team at Dental Health and Beauty meet thousands of people every year who are concerned about the damaging effects of tooth enamel loss. We’re proud to provide high quality tooth enamel care and protection in the greater Libertyville, IL area and encourage people to educate themselves about tooth anatomy in order to improve their oral health.

Understanding Your Tooth Enamel—And What Can Make it Wear Down Over Time

Tooth enamel is a thin protective layer covering your teeth. It’s main job is to protect your teeth from chemicals and temperatures, as well as during the normal day-to-day actions of teeth themselves (e.g., biting, grinding, and chewing).

The main thing that causes tooth enamel to wear down and degrade over time is excessive exposure to acids, which can happen due to a variety of reasons, including:

  • Diet high in sugar and starches
  • Acid reflux disease (GERD) and other digestive problems
  • Chronic dry mouth or low saliva production
  • Excessive or chronic use of certain medications
  • Genetics
  • Plaque build up on your teeth
  • Environmental factors (e.g., grinding teeth in your sleep, stress, etc.)
  • Certain health conditions, including bulimia (in which a person frequently purges and vomits their food)

Signs and Symptoms of Tooth Enamel Loss

Tooth enamel itself is actually translucent—the white part of the tooth is actually from the dentin directly underneath the enamel. If enamel begins to wear away, this dentin can become stained, leading to brown or yellow discoloration.

clean and dirty tooth enamel

Additional signs and symptoms of tooth enamel loss include:

  • Chips, cracks, and indentations in the teeth
  • Tooth sensitivity
  • Increased risk of cavities and tooth decay

How our Libertyville Dentist Can Manage and Prevent Tooth Enamel Loss

Unlike other tissues in the body, enamel has no living cells inside, meaning that when it becomes damaged or chipped it can’t be healed naturally by your body. For this reason, enamel protection is essential for maintaining a bright healthy smile.

We advise our patients to follow the following basic oral health guidelines for healthier enamel and teeth:

  • Brush, floss, and use mouthwash daily.
  • Avoid highly acidic foods, refined sugars, soft drinks, and fruit drinks.
  • Drink plenty of water and use sugar-free gum between meals to boost saliva production.

We also provide services such as sealants, bonding, or veneers/crowns which can further protect your teeth from enamel erosion and decay and improve cosmetic appearance.

Worried About Tooth Enamel Loss?

Your oral health makes an incredible impact on your overall health—not to mention confidence! If you have concerns about tooth enamel loss and would like to learn about how our Libertyville dentistry team can help, contact Dental Health and Beauty today at (847) 367-1133.

Why You Should See a Dentist Twice a Year

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Routine Dental Visits in LibertyvilleIt’s easy to put off those regular dental appointments. You’re too busy at work. The kids are keeping you too busy. Do you really need those routine checkups and cleanings anyway?

Yes, you do. Failing to schedule in those appointments increases your risk of dental issues and other health problems. Here are just a few of the reasons you need to make the time to head to your dentist twice a year.

Those Cleanings Make a Difference

Scheduling those cleanings every six months is essential since a professional cleaning does a lot better job on your teeth than you can. Even if you’re brushing and flossing twice a day, you still can’t eliminate all the plaque and tartar from your teeth. Dental hygienists use professional tools to remove the tartar and plaque off teeth, and these routine cleanings can help prevent tooth decay, bad breath, and gum disease.

Routine Exams Catch Problems Early

Seeing your dentist regularly also helps make sure that any dental problems are caught early before they become a major problem. Your dentist will look for the signs of tooth decay and gum disease, and if you do have dental issues, they can be treated effectively if they’re caught early.

Benefits to Overall Health

Failing to visit the dentist twice a year can actually have negative effects on your entire body. Many studies show that dental health impacts your overall health. Since your mouth is full of bacteria, routine dental hygiene and regular dental visits can ensure that bacteria don’t contribute to the development of other health problems like heart disease.

Some Patients Need to Come in More Often

While twice yearly visits are recommended for most patients, some people may need to see the dentist more often. You may need more than two visits a year if:

  • You have poor oral hygiene habits
  • You deal with chronic health problems like diabetes or gum disease
  • You have dry mouth
  • You have problems that make it tough to clean your teeth on your own
  • You use any type of tobacco
  • You’ve had a lot of dental work in the past

Protect your oral health. If you’re behind on routine cleanings and checkups, call our office to get your appointment set up today.

Why You Might Need Porcelain Veneers

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Porcelain veneers provide an effective way to improve your smile when you have certain kinds of cosmetic flaws. These veneers are made from impressions of your natural teeth that your dentist takes, which helps ensure that they match your teeth as closely as possible. Find out more about why you might want to consider looking into getting porcelain veneers.

Common Uses for Porcelain Veneers

Porcelain veneers are commonly used to cover dental flaws that can affect the way you feel about your appearance, especially when you smile or talk to other people. Some of the most common reasons to have these veneers include to cover up stains or discolorations if you’re not a good candidate for teeth whitening and to restore teeth that are chipped or cracked. Other uses for these veneers include correcting coloring for darker teeth, covering irregular tooth surfaces and hiding signs of worn teeth due to an underlying disease or teeth grinding.

Benefits of Porcelain Veneers

Porcelain isn’t the only kind of veneer material available; Resin composite is another material that some veneers utilize. However, porcelain veneers provide certain benefits that resin composite veneers don’t. These benefits include a lower risk of stains and a reduced risk of wear and tear. Porcelain veneers also don’t require you to have as much tooth enamel removed as resin composite veneers do. Other benefits of these veneers include a lower amount of maintenance needed and a more natural appearance.

What to Expect from Porcelain Veneers

When you decide to get porcelain veneers, your dentist will first make impressions of your teeth. When your veneers are ready, you’ll come back in for another appointment to have them applied to your teeth. Your dentist will prepare your teeth for these veneers by removing a small amount of enamel. This helps ensure that your porcelain veneers fit properly on your teeth.

If you want to know more about porcelain veneers for your teeth, please contact Nicholas Polito, DDS in Libertyville for an appointment. We can help you determine if veneers are right for you.

 

Types of Dental Implants

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For people with missing or damaged teeth or other oral health issues, dental implants help them maintain a healthy jaw bone and eat foods without pain or stress. Once installed, dental implants function as artificial tooth roots atop which restoration can be placed. There are two main types of dental implants:

Two-Stage Dental Implants

In this two-part procedure, the dentist begins by surgically placing the implant into the jaw bone and stitching the gum tissue. After allowing the tissue to heal for a few months, the patient undergoes a second minor surgery to attach an abutment and temporary restoration to the implant.

Endosteal (Endosseous) Dental Implants

Commonly used for two-stage dental implant procedures, endosteal are placed in the jaw bone in place of a bridge or denture. Endosteal implants can be cylindrical, bladed, or threaded (screw-shaped).

Single-Stage Dental Implants

While a single-stage dental implant is completed in two parts, only the initial procedure requires surgery. The dentist places a more extended implant into the patient’s jaw and gum tissue and stitches the gum for healing. After a few months of healing, the patient returns to the office to have the abutment and restoration installed directly on the implant, which is still exposed, eliminating the need for another surgery.

Subperiosteal Dental Implants

Commonly used for single-stage implant procedures, subperiosteal are longer than endosteal and are placed into the jaw bone and gum to hold the abutment restoration. The length of these implants allows the dentist to put the abutment and restoration without reopening the gum to expose the implant. Patients with a shorter jaw bone often receive subperiosteal to ensure proper placement of dentures.

Your dentist can help you learn more about implants and whether they are right for you. Before the procedure can be performed, the dentist must take an X-ray and CT scan of your teeth and gums. This is needed to ensure you have an adequate bone structure to support the implants. As always, you should visit your dentist for routine checkups to ensure your teeth are healthy and strong.

The Importance of Regular Dental Checkups

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For as long as you can remember, you’ve been told to brush your teeth twice a day and floss regularly. Oral health is essential, but if you’re doing your due diligence with your toothbrush and dental floss, why do you need to make semi-annual excursions to your dentist?

There are plenty of reasons regular dental checkups are essential. Take a look at some of the top things your dentist will do during your appointment:

1. Plaque Removal
Your mouth naturally produces a clear, sticky substance called plaque. Brushing, flossing, and using mouthwash help remove plaque, but if the material lives on your teeth for too long, it turns into tartar, which can only be removed by dental professionals. Tartar, in turn, can cause gingivitis (gum disease) and other health issues, which is why it’s vital to have it removed regularly.

2. Checking for Signs of Cancer
Did you know your mouth tells more stories than how often you’re flossing? During your regular checkup, your dentist will examine your neck, lymph nodes, face, gums, and tongue for signs of anything out of the ordinary. These areas are subject to oral cancer. Regular dental checkups will enable your dentist to identify potential issues early, which could ultimately save your life.

3. Finding Symptoms Related to Diabetes or Vitamin Deficiencies
Diabetes and vitamin deficiencies can cause dangerous health problems, too. You may have diabetes and not even know it, and if you’re experiencing symptoms you don’t realize are related to the disease, you’ll likely overlook your need to be tested.

Fortunately, your dentist is equipped with tools that can help them identify potential diabetes and vitamin deficiencies. If your dentist identifies the following, he or she may advise you to seek additional medical assistance:

  • Sore or loose teeth
  • Mouth ulcers or fungal infections
  • Dry mouth
  • Excessive cavities
  • Severe gum disease

Although related to oral health, these symptoms may be signs of something more serious.

Are you searching for a dentist near Libertyville, Illinois? Nicholas Polito, DDS has been helping the people of Libertyville love their smiles for 20 years. If you’re ready to embrace the power of your pearly whites, schedule your initial appointment today!