Blog Archives

Is a Dental Bridge Right for You?

12/18/2021

When you were a kid, everyone thought gaps in your smile were adorable. However, as an adult, gaps in your bite and missing teeth can cause serious dental health issues and give you a fault in your appearance. Did you know you don't have to put up with gaps in your teeth or missing teeth? Dental bridges, for example, are a type of restorative dentistry that can properly reconstruct your bite.

What Are the Reasons You Might Require a Dental Bridge?
You may have lost a tooth in an accident or be missing one or more teeth due to tooth rot/decay. In any case, missing teeth are an issue for your oral health. In addition to cosmetic issues, missing teeth could increase the risk of tooth decay, gum disease, jaw bone difficulties, and additional tooth loss.

Your upper and lower teeth are designed to function as a unit. One or more missing teeth in the front or rear of your mouth have a detrimental impact on your ability to eat and digest food, as well as speak and express yourself confidently.

Your existing teeth may also slip out of alignment over time due to missing teeth. Explore your restorative dentistry choices and work with Dr. Hu to decide the best technique to restore your smile today!

What Are the Benefits of Dental Bridges?
Dental bridges consist of natural teeth attached together to literally "bridge" the gap caused by one or more missing teeth. On either side of the afflicted area, your doctor will place a custom-made crown to look and function like your original teeth. Your bridge is completed by a prosthetic bridge fashioned to seem like your natural teeth.

Dental bridges have the same appearance and function as natural teeth. You can converse, eat, and drink with your restorative dentistry hidden from view. The natural teeth that hold your bridge can also be kept in good health for years with proper oral hygiene and dental care.

Not Sure if You Should Get a Dental Bridge? Here Are Five Reasons You May Want One:

Dental Bridges Can Prevent Shifting
Your surrounding teeth may shift into the area created by your lost tooth if you don't have another tooth or teeth to keep them from resettling. A dental bridge would keep the remaining adjacent teeth from slipping or shifting out of place.

Dental Bridges Can Improve Your Ability to Chew and Eat
Lack of teeth may hamper your ability to chew food. You can resume eating most of your favorite foods in a usual, healthy manner with a dental bridge.

Dental Bridges Can Improve Your Appearance
Let's be honest: Missing, broken, stained, or discolored teeth can detract from your overall appearance and smile appeal. You may believe that because your missing tooth is hidden in the back of your mouth, no one will notice. However, people notice when you speak, laugh, or chew. A dental bridge brightens your smile and improves your appearance.

Dental Bridges Can Improve Your Speech
A lisp and other speech impairments, as well as poor pronunciation, can result from missing teeth. A dental bridge ensures that you are understood clearly.

Dental Bridges With Dr. Hu
Are you missing a tooth? Thinking about getting a dental bridge or want to learn more about them? For more information regarding treatment for damaged teeth or other dental issues, contact the Smiles of Alaska team. We are available through email at office@smilesofalaska.com or by phone at 907-349-6466.

0 Comments

What Exactly Does a Dental Implant Entail?

12/18/2021

0 Comments

Have you lost an adult tooth and are looking to replace it? But what are your options?

Dentures demand a lot of maintenance and can't perform as well as natural teeth. Furthermore, they are unable to replace a single tooth.

Bridges add more structure and function more like natural teeth, but they aren't permanent and require strong teeth to function well.

Thankfully, implants are available to aid people who are missing at least one tooth. Implants are the closest thing to natural teeth regarding appearance, feel, and function. Their structure is essential, and understanding the three components of a dental implant can help you understand why they might be ideal for you.

Dental implants contain three components:

The implant
The abutment
The crown

The Implant Itself
The implant is a titanium rod inserted into your jawbone during the initial surgery. After that, it's allowed a few months to fuse with your natural bone, which is known as osseointegration. This bonding completely incorporates the rod into your jawbone structure, providing the same level of support that natural tooth roots would.

An Abutment
An abutment is a component that links the implant and the replacement or false tooth crown. Your doctor can insert the abutment after osseointegration is complete; these connectors are positioned in the gumline on top of the implant. Your doctor can insert the abutment after osseointegration is complete. The gums should heal around the abutment and partially disguise it, resulting in an entirely natural-looking final crown implantation.

The Crown
When your implant is complete, everyone will see the crown of your tooth. Crowns are made of a long-lasting, tooth-colored substance that is permanently connected to the abutment. Your doctor has created them to match your teeth and fit your mouth perfectly, and they should feel just like a natural tooth. The entire construction is exceptionally sturdy, from implant to crown, and can be used as a denture anchor if necessary.

The Advantages of Dental Implants
Because implants function like natural teeth, they offer several advantages not available with conventional tooth replacement methods, including:

Looking like natural teeth
Feeling like natural teeth
Improving the ability to eat and chew
Preserving facial and bone structures
Having a high success rate
Dependable and long-lasting

Dental Implants With Dr. Hu
Dental implants are primarily considered the most effective and helpful treatment for tooth loss. You owe yourself to learn more if you have missing teeth that need to be replaced. For more information regarding treatment for damaged teeth or other dental issues, contact the Smiles of Alaska team. We are available through email at office@smilesofalaska.com or by phone at 907-349-6466.

0 Comments

Restore Your Smile With Composite Bonding

12/18/2021

0 Comments

Do you find yourself half-smiling because you have a chipped or cracked tooth? Or perhaps you don't like the stains on your teeth, especially when you're meeting new people. Composite bonding to the rescue! You do not need to seek other cosmetic dental procedures such as veneers or crowns. Composite bonding is a simple and effective technique to rebuild your smile in just one dentist appointment with minimal tooth preparation.

What Exactly Is Composite Bonding?
Composite bonding is a cosmetic dental process that involves your dentist applying a tooth-colored material (resin) to your tooth, sculpting it, hardening it, and polishing it. Because of the resin that bonds to your tooth, the technique is called bonding.

It's perfect for simple cosmetic dentistry procedures, including filling minor gaps between teeth or repairing chipped or broken teeth. Because of its visual appeal, your doctor may also use bonding as a filler for small cavities.

Why Is Composite Bonding Required?
As you may know, composite bonding is used to address flaws in your teeth, such as elongating a small tooth to the same level as the others. You may consider dental bonding if:

You wish to have a chipped or damaged tooth repaired
You have cavities that need to be filled
You want to make your stained teeth look better
You want to make your teeth appear longer
You want to close the gaps in your teeth.
You must fill up the gap where your gums have receded
Your teeth need to be reshaped

How Does Composite Bonding Work?
Teeth bonding is a simple treatment that involves the following steps:

Preparation
There is no need to prepare for dental bonding ahead of time. In most cases, the procedure will not require anesthesia. If your doctor utilizes bonding as a dental filling, your tooth needs contouring, or the chip is close to the nerve, your doctor may administer anesthesia.

Bonding
To ensure that the bonding material adheres appropriately, your dentist will roughen the surface of your tooth. Then, a conditioning solvent is added to aid in the bonding process. Your doctor will then select a hue that closely matches your teeth using a shade reference.

The shade-matched resin will be applied, molded, and smoothed. After that, your teeth will be subjected to luminous light to solidify the resin. Your dentist will cut, shape, and polish the resin once it has solidified to match the rest of your teeth.

Each tooth may take between 30 and 60 minutes to complete.

After-Care
Because dental bonding is more easily discolored and chipped than other types of cosmetic dentistry, you'll have to be a little more careful with it to keep the bonded teeth looking great. Here are some suggestions:

Brush at least twice daily
Floss at least once daily
Use mouthwashes at least once daily
Tea, coffee, and red wine should be consumed minimally
Avoid smoking
Stop biting your nails and avoid complex objects like ice and raw carrots.

How Long Will They Last?
The bonding's location and your habits will determine its longevity. Expect your bonding to last anywhere from three to ten years on average.

Composite Bonding With Dr. Hu
While it can seem challenging to decide what a person needs to restore their smile, Dr. Hu can help! At Dr. Hu's office, patients can create an individualized care plan, which will help them navigate through the process of restoring their smiles. For more information regarding treatment for damaged teeth or other dental issues, contact the Smiles of Alaska team. We are available through email at office@smilesofalaska.com or by phone at 907-349-6466.

0 Comments

Waterlase With Dr. Hu

12/18/2021

0 Comments

What is Waterlase?
Are you afraid of going to the dentist because the drill's noise, vibration, and heat make you nervous? If that's the case, you'll be relieved to learn that BioLase® Waterlase technology can eliminate the complexity and trauma involved with numerous dental procedures!

The Waterlase apparatus can remove hard and soft tissue by applying laser-powered water droplets and hydrokinetic technology. The Waterlase laser also produces no heat, vibrations, or noise. Furthermore, the FDA confirmed in 1998 that hydrokinetic laser is safe for both adults and children.

Waterlase can provide a painless way to achieve the perfect smile for children and patients with dental phobia.

What Procedures Can Waterlase Assist With?
This piece of dental equipment is quite versatile, and your doctor may use it for a variety of treatments, including:

Cavity preparation
Dentin & enamel procedures
Caries removal
Gum lifts and contouring
Dental decay removal
Procedures involving soft tissue

What Are the Advantages of Waterlase?
Waterlase combines laser energy and atomized water to remove soft and hard tissue gently. In most circumstances, this precise laser removes the need for an anesthetic. Another advantage is that the laser sterilizes the surgical region, lowering the possibility of bacterial infections or invasion.

The following are some of the reasons why doctors may favor Waterlase over a traditional dental drill:

Neighboring teeth are less affected
Fillings could be bonded more quickly and effectively
Only a tiny portion of the healthy tooth must be removed
Patients have been said to have minimal bleeding both during and after the surgery
No more noise, heat, and uncomfortable vibrations
Highly precise to generate superior results
Possible reduction of dental visits
Possible reduction of post-surgery infections

What Happens During Waterlase Treatments?
Although waterlase treatments vary, many elements stay constant. Your doctor will first provide protective eyewear as a shield for the eyes. Following that, a tiny Waterlase laser will then cut through the hard or soft tissue with streams of atomized water. As a bonus, the laser also sterilizes itself as it moves, meaning your doctor can finish soft tissue augmentation treatments in a single visit!

Is It Possible for Waterlase to Do Specialized Procedures?
Apart from the diversity of procedures that regularly impact individuals, Waterlase may execute many specialty procedures. Waterlase can also be used for:

Laser whitening
Composite fillings
Porcelain veneers
Crowns
And other cosmetic dental procedures.

Waterlase With Dr. Hu
The Waterlase laser aims to improve patient comfort while lowering dental anxiety and costs. Furthermore, it is the least invasive and most effective tool available to general dentists. Waterlase can help restore the appearance of your smile while also improving the condition of your teeth. Contact the Smiles of Alaska team today by email at office@smilesofalaska.com or phone at 907-349-6466.

0 Comments

Is a Dental Bridge Right for You?

What Exactly Does a Dental Implant Entail?

Restore Your Smile With Composite Bonding

Waterlase With Dr. Hu

Archives

Categories