Tuesday 25 February 2014

The Dentist in New Jersey Asks: Could a Mouth Guard Save Your Teeth From Early Demise?

With our questionable diets, habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol, general wear-and-tear and less than perfect oral hygiene, it’s no surprise that most people lose at least one of their natural teeth before reaching late adulthood. Full-blown edentulism (not having any teeth at all) is a far more common state for those entering into their golden years. But there is another factor that can lead to the loss of more teeth than any other: accidental trauma received to the face and/or mouth.

Damaged Teeth"Perhaps second only to gum disease, an oral surgeon’s most common patients are those who have sustained trauma to the face and mouth,” say dental implants surgeons in Rutherford. “Contact sports, extreme sports and recreational activities, such as bicycling and skateboarding, are frequently the cause of facial injuries that can lead to the irreparable damage of teeth.”

Thankfully, there are protective measures you can take to prevent a fall or blow to the body from leaving anything more than a bruise. Elbow pads, shin guards, helmets... But what about your teeth? That’s where mouth guards come in!

What Are Mouth Guards?

“It’s all in the name really,” says a dentist in New Jersey. “A mouth guard is a covering that is worn over the teeth. Professional sportsmen and women wear them and so should you if you engage in any contact or extreme sports. Even if you play social football or hockey once a week, you should invest in a mouth guard. It only takes one unfortunate blow to the face or a stray hockey puck to the teeth to see you in a dental implant surgeon’s office. Rather spend a few dollars on a mouth guard than a few thousand on replacing shattered teeth!”

Different Kinds of Mouth Guards

There are three different kinds of mouth guards: 

1. Stock mouth protectors, which are mass-produced, preformed guards that you can pick up at any sports or department store. They tend to be uncomfortable, bulky and make it difficult to talk or even breathe. “If you’re serious about keeping your teeth in good nick, we don’t really recommend stock mouth protectors because they don’t provide much protection at all,” say dentists in New Jersey. 

2. “Boil and bite” mouth protectors are far better because they can be softened in hot water and then shaped around the teeth using pressure from the tongue and fingers. This provides a far more comfortable custom fit and one that offers greater protection. Boil and bite mouth guards are available from most sports stores.

Use Mouth Guards While Skating 3. Custom-fitted mouth guards are the best yet. They are custom made in a dentist’s office from molds or impressions that have been taken of your teeth. “Custom mouth guards may be more costly than store-bought protectors, but they offer superior protection and are far more comfortable,” say dental implants surgeons in Rutherford. “Most professional sports players invest in these.”

Whatever option you go for, you should be on the lookout for the following: An effective mouth protector should resist tears, be comfortable, durable, and easy to clean and it shouldn't make talking, breathing or swallowing difficult.

A Final Note...

So, whether you’re a child, teenager or adult and whether your passion is football, hockey, cricket, gymnastics, mountain biking or skateboarding… if there is any risk that you might receive a blow to the mouth, getting a mouth guard fitted is a fantastic idea and one that might prevent you from being rushed to the New Jersey dentist’s office for a dental emergency!

Monday 24 February 2014

Teeth Implants Surgeons in New Jersey Reveal The Whole “Tooth” Behind Extractions, PART 3

This three-part article series explains why tooth extractions are sometimes necessary and what patients can expect from this straightforward surgical procedure.


Welcome the final installment of our three-part article series on tooth extractions, why they’re sometimes necessary and what New Jersey residents can expect from the experience. In our previous two article posts, we spoke to a panel of teeth implants surgeons in New Jersey about why teeth extractions are sometimes recommended and what the procedure entails. It was thankfully explained that this procedure, although typically very simple and straightforward, is usually performed under the effects of a local and/or general anesthetic, thus preventing patients from experiencing any pain.

We have just a couple of questions left for our dental implant experts before we allow them to return to their surgeries, so let’s get cracking…

What should and shouldn’t I do after I’ve had a tooth pulled?

Tooth Extraction Tools“The length of recovery and the degree to which it is recommended that you keep your feet up depends heavily upon the nature of the procedure you’ve just undergone,” explain the NJ dental implants surgeons. “For example, if your child has had a decayed primary or baby tooth removed, typically recovery is quick and with minimal discomfort, save perhaps for a little treat to reward them for their bravery. If you’ve had an adult decayed tooth extracted, you may want to avoid certain strenuous activities and tough foods for 24 to 48 hours to prevent bleeding.”

“Then, if you’ve had all of your teeth removed – because you’ve got gum disease and have been diagnosed with a ‘failing dentition’ – you should take a few days off from work and spend a week relaxing. Your recovery will be longer and slightly more complex than it is for those who have only had one or two teeth pulled.”

Can you give us a list of things patients should avoid or shouldn’t do right after having a tooth extracted?

1) Avoid smoking,
2) Don’t eat any hard, crunchy foods,
3) Avoid strenuous activities or exercise,
4) Try not to poke, explore or rub the area with your tongue,
5) Don’t lie with your head flat against the mattress when sleeping… try to keep it elevated by propping it up with pillows. This will help stop the bleeding.
6) Avoid alcohol. It thins the blood and may prolong bleeding.
7) Avoid any strong sucking motions or vigorous gargling as this may rupture the surgical site, causing it to bleed again.

Sounds fairly straightforward, and what about things patients SHOULD do?

1) Take your painkillers as recommended by your teeth implants surgeon in New Jersey. Even if you don’t immediately experience any pain, you should stay one step ahead of it by following the dosage instructions.

2) “After the 24-hour mark, gently rinse with warm salty water every couple of hours. This will reduce the risk of infection, while also reducing infection and relieving pain,” advise NJ dental implants surgeons.

3) Stick to a diet of softer foods, such as soup, gelatin and pudding. As you heal, you can introduce more solid foods.
Teeth Implants Surgeons

4) Do continue to brush and floss your teeth. Just do so carefully and softly at first.

5) If you’ve been prescribed anti-biotics to help prevent post-operative infection, make sure you finish the course.

A Final Note on Tooth Extractions

“It might sound scary, but having a tooth pulled is really nothing to be terrified about,” say teeth implants surgeons in New Jersey. “Your dentist will make sure that you don’t feel anything and, in any case, it’s typically over within a few minutes. Remember, having a decayed tooth removed can prevent more serious problems further down the line. There’s nothing like an excruciating oral abscess to make you regret a lack of earlier action!”

Wednesday 19 February 2014

NJ Dental Implants Surgeons Reveal The Whole “Tooth” Behind Extractions, PART 2

This three-part article series explains why tooth extractions are sometimes necessary and what patients can expect from this straightforward surgical procedure.


Welcome to the second installment of our three-part article series on tooth extractions, why they’re sometimes necessary and what New Jersey residents can anticipate for the experience. In our previous article post, we spoke to a panel of dental implants surgeons in Rutherford about why teeth extractions are sometimes recommended. The reasons discussed ranged from tooth decay and gum disease to orthodontic problems and problematic wisdom teeth. What was consistent was the preventative nature of such a procedure.

“Extracting teeth is done to prevent more complex oral and dental problems from developing; problems that are more painful and more expensive to fix further down the line,” explain the Rutherford dental implants surgeons. “Removing an impacted wisdom tooth prevents damage to the second molars and possible overcrowding of the dental arch if there isn’t enough space. Removing a decayed tooth can prevent painful abscesses from developing and it can prevent the spread of infection.”

Now, the question is... how are tooth extractions done?

Can you explain to us how you extract a problematic tooth? And what can you do to prevent a patient from feeling anything at all?

Suffering From Dental Problems“Before we even pick up a tool, we rub a topical anesthetic cream onto the gums where we intend to inject the numbing medication. The former prevents the latter from being painful and the latter prevents the procedure from being painful,” explains the dentist in New Jersey. “This way, patients typically have absolutely nothing to be afraid of… not even the needle used to administer anesthetic.”

“If you’re only having one or two teeth removed then we will begin the procedure from this point. If, however, you are having several or even all of your teeth removed – as is frequently the case with patients who present with advanced gum disease, then we may administer I.V. anesthesia to sedate you,” explain the dental implants surgeons in Rutherford. “This will make the patient ‘sleep’ and wake up when everything is already over. A general anesthetic may also be necessary for patients who have impacted wisdom teeth that haven’t, or aren’t able to erupt from the gums.”

Isn’t there a lot of blood? What do you do to calm the nerves of particularly anxious patients?

Dentist In New Jersey
“Pulling a problematic tooth often provides relief to patients who have been enduring the pain and sensitivity associated with a decayed tooth or impacted third (wisdom) molar for months. Oftentimes, all patients really need to know is that they’re doing the right thing by having a damaged/diseased tooth extracted and that they are going to feel a lot better once it’s done,” explains the dentist in New Jersey.

“As for bleeding, it may be moderate at first, but by applying pressure to the area via a moist gauze pad immediately after extraction, it can be slowed or even stopped within a few minutes to hours. In some cases, we may stitch up the tooth socket or, if the patient is having a tooth replaced, we may continue with the dental implant procedure. If patients continue to experience bleeding for more than 24 hours after surgery, we encourage them to contact us immediately.”

Stay Tuned for Part 3

Stay tuned for the third installment of this three-part article series on tooth extractions, why they’re sometimes necessary and what patients can expect from the experience.

Sunday 16 February 2014

NJ Dental Implants Surgeons Reveal The Whole “Tooth” Behind Extractions, PART 1

This three-part article series explains why tooth extractions are sometimes necessary and what patients can expect from this straightforward surgical procedure.


“It’s like having a tooth pulled” is a common idiom that is used to illustrate how painful and uncomfortable certain situations or experiences have been. For example: “Having tea with my stepmother was like having a tooth pulled.”

Dental Implants What this idiom fails to elucidate is the fact that the modern procedures and techniques used to extract teeth nowadays are really no longer painful. In fact, dental extractions are in most cases one of the quickest, simplest and least painful of all the surgical procedures.

And so, we spoke to a panel of NJ dental implants surgeons about teeth extractions. We wanted to find out why it’s sometimes necessary, what the procedure entails and just how bad (or not) we can expect to feel afterwards. Here’s what they had to say!

First of all, what would a bunch of dental implants surgeons know about teeth extraction?

“A whole lot! Many of the patients we treat come to us with teeth that are so deteriorated and decayed that it’s only a matter of time before they fall out on their own,” explains a New Jersey dental implant dentist. “We save patients a lot of time, pain and further exposure to infection by removing these teeth. Once we’ve done our best to eliminate any diseased tissue, we can then replace the extracted tooth or teeth with dental implants.”

Oh, okay! Now tell us... under what circumstances would you recommend that a tooth be removed? How badly does it need to be damaged or decayed?

Tooth Extractions“No quality dentist would remove a patient’s natural tooth without first being certain that there is nothing else that can be done to save it. You see, while dental implants (and the restorations they support) offer New Jersey residents a very sophisticated, functional and aesthetic solution to missing teeth, nothing on the market can rival your own biological technology. 

“Your natural teeth, if cared for properly, have the potential to last you a lifetime and nothing can really match their functionality, aesthetics and durability,” explain the NJ dental implants surgeons. This is why we do everything we can to rescue a damaged or decayed tooth before considering extraction and replacement with new implant-supported teeth. 

“Having said this, there are of course circumstances under which tooth extraction becomes unavoidable and this is typically when the insides of a tooth – the pulp chamber and root canals - become exposed via a crack, fissure, cavity or chip in the enamel… or as a result of decay and disease. Should endodontic therapy fail to restore and protect the tooth from further decay, we may recommend an extraction.”

“Other reasons to remove teeth may be for orthodontic concerns: perhaps a patient has an overcrowded dental arch, or their wisdom teeth are emerging and there’s no space for them. Teeth extractions are done for preventative reasons… your dentist is trying to avoid problems that will be far more painful, expensive and complicated to fix further down the line,” explain the dental implants surgeons. “It may even prevent New Jersey residents from needing new teeth.”

Stay Tuned for Part 2

Stay tuned for the second installment of this three-part article series on tooth extractions, why they’re sometimes necessary and what patients can expect from the experience.