Common Dental Issues Treated At Fairchance Dental Arts

Plaque and Tartar

Dental plaque is a thin film that forms on your teeth when you eat, created from a combination of the bacteria in your mouth and the contents of your food.

If dental plaque hardens, it turns into tartar—which can only be removed with professional dental tools. Tartar can lead to more severe dental problems such as gingivitis (gum disease) and dental decay (cavities).

Plaque can also gather under your gums and attach to the roots of your teeth. Daily brushing and flossing can go a long way towards getting rid of plaque and preventing disease.

Cavities

Dental cavities are small holes in your teeth that form when plaque in your mouth erodes the enamel.

Watch for these cavity signs in your teeth:

• Ongoing toothaches.
• Staining on your tooth.
• A hole or pit in your tooth.
• Hot and cold sensitivity.
• Sensitivity to sweets.

We can fix cavities with dental fillings. Filling a tooth involves the removal of the decayed or damaged portion of the tooth and replacing it with a tooth-colored material. Fillings also help to reinforce the strength of your tooth to prevent future cavities and other damage.

Gingivitis / Periodontal Disease

Gingivitis is an inflammation of your gums. While the mild symptoms are easy to ignore, gingivitis can lead to bigger problems.

When gum disease is left untreated for too long, it develops into periodontitis. Periodontitis goes deeper into your gums which can cause your adult teeth to become loose or even fall out.

Look for the following signs that you have gingivitis:

• Gums that bleed during tooth brushing.
• Chronic bad breath.
• Receding gums.
• Red gums.

We can treat gum disease with a deep cleaning that removes bacteria from underneath the gums.

Toothaches

Toothaches are not fun, and—to make problems worse—they can be caused by many things:

• Food stuck between teeth.
• A bacterial infection.
• Damaged fillings.
• A broken tooth.
• Tooth decay.
• An abscessed tooth.

You can help relieve the pain of toothaches at home with an ice pack or some over-the-counter medications.

We can help treat all sorts of toothaches, no matter the cause. Our dental team will do a physical exam to help locate the cause of your toothache. Then we can treat the problem by giving you a cleaning, a dental filling, or even a dental crown.

Chipped or Cracked Teeth

Broken teeth are fairly common. Damaged teeth can impact many aspects of your health:

• Self-Confidence: A noticeable crack or chip in a tooth can be embarrassing.
• Nutrition: Eating with a cracked tooth can be painful, which limits your diet.
• Immune System: A crack in your tooth can let in bacteria and cause infection.

Need a cracked or broken tooth fixed? We got you! Our veneers and crowns are perfect for patching up cracks so you can enjoy life to the fullest. You’ll be able to smile confidently, eat the foods you want, and keep your mouth healthy.

Tooth Appearance

Along with chipped teeth, you might have a few teeth that are stained yellowish-brown. Tooth discoloration is a cosmetic condition that can make some people embarrassed to show their smiles.

Because we want all our patients to have beaming smiles, we offer teeth whitening services at Farichance Dental Arts. You can have white teeth again in no time!

Another cosmetic issue might be the spacing between your teeth. Whether you have too much space or not enough, our Invisalign braces can put your smile to rights. We also offer children’s braces.

Mouth Sores

Usually, canker sores and cold sores go away on their own. You can use over-the-counter oral numbing agents to relieve pain. Gargling baking soda and water can also help. Frequent canker sores could indicate an iron deficiency or it could mean something more serious.

If you are getting mouth sores frequently or if you have a sore for more than a couple of weeks, reach out and let us know. The sooner you come in, the better. We will take a look and let you know if the sores are a symptom of oral cancer or if they’re just normal canker sores.

Impacted Teeth

When a tooth is impacted, it can’t grow past the gumline, usually because there’s not enough room. When this happens it grows beneath the surface of your mouth and can cause the following:

• Pain when chewing.
• Infection and even gum disease.
• Jaw pain.
• Shifting teeth.
• Cracks in teeth.

We see this most frequently with wisdom teeth, which is why they need to be extracted for most people. Impaction can occur with other teeth as well. We can tell whether a tooth is impacted using x-rays and we can treat it with extraction or sometimes orthodontics.

Tooth Erosion

Our teeth are one of the most-worked parts of our bodies. For almost our entire lives, they help us eat, speak, and express our emotions. Over time, all this activity can take a toll on our teeth, wearing them down.

As the chewing surface of teeth wears out, teeth get smaller, their centers are exposed to bacteria, and they’re less efficient at breaking down food.

If your teeth are wearing down, we can place crowns or veneers on them to build them up and strengthen them so you won’t have to worry about infections or pain when chewing.

Oral Cancer Screening

The most common type of oral cancer is squamous cell carcinoma. This is cancer involving the mucus membrane lining the entire mouth.

At every dental exam, we will check your mouth for signs of cancer:

• Canker sores that last longer than two weeks.
• Red or white splotched on the gums, cheeks, or tongue.
• An abnormal lump or swelling.

Catching these cancer signs early is crucial to successful treatment and recovery. We include a cancer screening during exams, but if you notice any of the above symptoms between appointments, contact us immediately.