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We’re not talking about caring for major appliances here—the refrigerators, dishwashers, and washing machines which make our lives easier. We’re talking about much smaller scale appliances which produce major results for our oral care—the dental appliances which give us healthier, more attractive smiles!

A dental appliance is simply any device which helps promote dental health. And while that definition is awfully broad, you still might be surprised at the many types of dental work which qualify! Today, we look at “fixed” appliances. These restorations or devices stay in the mouth, unlike removeable appliances like mouthguards and aligners. How do they work for us, and how do we provide the care they need to work effectively?

Fillings, Crowns, and Dental Implants

Dental restorations such as crowns and fillings, which protect the structure of your teeth, are considered appliances. So are dental implants. Implants use a post surgically implanted in the bone to act as the tooth’s “root.” When the post has fused with the bone, a crown is bonded to the implanted post for a tooth which functions—and looks—like your natural teeth.

• Cleaning—Clean your restorations and implants just like you would your natural teeth. This means brushing at least twice each day for two minutes and flossing once each day to protect both your dental work and your oral health.
• Diet—While restorations allow you to eat normally, it’s best to treat both your natural teeth and your restorations with care. Hard foods can crack or damage enamel, implants, and restorations. Chewy, sticky foods like caramels can dislodge restorations.

Fixed Orthodontic Appliances

If you or your child are in orthodontic treatment, you know that taking good care of orthodontic appliances will help treatment progress as quickly and comfortably as possible. Traditional braces and functional appliances like palatal expanders and the Herbst® and Forsus™ appliances are commonly used to help patients achieve their best smiles. Because these appliances stay in the mouth until treatment is complete, caring for them can present some day-to-day challenges.

• Cleaning—You might need to brush and floss after every meal and snack to prevent plaque buildup and to keep food particles from sticking to braces and/or functional appliances. Your orthodontist will provide instructions for daily cleaning routines.
• Helpful tools—Interproximal brushes, flosses designed for braces, and water flossers can make cleaning teeth and appliances easier and more effective. Talk to your dental team at Fabre Family Dental Care of Marrero to learn the best tools and techniques for your specific needs.
• Diet—Sticky, chewy, hard, and crunchy foods are not on the menu when you have a fixed appliance! Sticky and chewy foods like caramels can damage appliances and are difficult to clean from appliances and enamel. Hard foods require biting pressure which can damage appliances—and your teeth! Crunchy foods can leave hard little particles stuck in and under appliances. Your orthodontist has all the details on choosing foods which are good for your teeth and your orthodontics.
• Stick to your orthodontic routine—Keeping up with your appointments and adjustments keeps your treatment on track and allows your orthodontist to discover any problems with your appliances. If you have any concerns about an appliance, it’s always a good idea to call your orthodontist’s office immediately.

Bridges

Bridges complete smiles when a tooth or teeth are missing, enabling normal speaking, biting, and chewing. Bridges also help prevent the remaining teeth from shifting out of place.

To create a custom bridge, a prosthetic tooth or row of teeth are attached to crowns placed on adjacent natural teeth, or attached with wings bonded to adjacent natural teeth, or secured to carefully placed implant posts. The type of bridge your dentist recommends will depend on your preferences, the health of your surrounding teeth, and the number and location of the missing teeth.

• Cleaning— Because the artificial teeth in the bridge are often connected to each other and/or to surrounding teeth, typical flossing between teeth isn’t always possible. Special flosses, interproximal brushes or water picks can make sure the areas under the bridge and adjacent to your natural teeth are free of plaque and food particles. Dr. Keith J. Fabre Jr. can recommend the best tools and techniques.
• Diet—A bridge-friendly diet is a lot like a healthy orthodontic diet. Avoid hard and chewy foods like nuts and caramels which can damage or loosen your bridge. Foods like corn on the cob, tough meats, hard breads, and apples require more biting force, which can loosen a bridge over time. Cutting foods into smaller pieces and choosing softer food options will help extend the life of your bridge. Your dental team in Marrero is a great source of information on the healthiest diet for you and your dental work.

Implant-Supported Dentures

Permanent, fixed dentures remain in the mouth, anchored by implant posts strategically placed in the jaw. Like individual implant posts, these are placed surgically and require time to heal. When the posts have fused with the bone, an individually crafted denture is secured to them.

• Cleaning—Once the dentures are secured to the posts, brush and floss as you would with your natural teeth. A water flosser is helpful for cleaning under and around the denture.
• For best maintenance, Dr. Keith J. Fabre Jr. can remove your denture for professional cleaning as needed.
• Once you have become used to your dentures, you can eat normally (although it’s best to avoid small, crunchy particles which can get trapped under the denture).

So many appliances, helping us protect our dental health and comfort in so many ways! And there are a few additional steps we can take to make sure these appliances perform at their best:

• Watch out for destructive dental habits. Nail biting, chewing on pencils or other objects, using teeth as tools to open bags or bottle caps, crunching on ice—any behaviors which can damage teeth can also damage appliances.
• Keep up with regular dental exams. Dr. Keith J. Fabre Jr. can assess the health of your teeth and gums as well as the condition of your appliances.
• Don’t ignore problems! Call your dental team at once if you notice any damage to your teeth or appliances.

Fixed appliances make our lives better. They improve oral health, allow us to eat and speak without difficulty, and create confident smiles. With conscientious care, your appliances will continue to work both comfortably and effectively.

A study conducted in Washington State in 2004 and another conducted in Madrid, Spain in 2012 both reported findings that support a direct relationship between parents’ dental fear and their child’s fear of the dentist.

The Washington study examined dental fear among 421 children ages 0.8 to 12.8 years old. They were patients at 21 different private pediatric dental practices in western Washington state. The Spanish study observed 183 children between the ages of seven and 12 as well as their parents.

The Washington study used responses from both parents and the Dental Sub-scale of the Child Fear Survey Schedule. The survey consisted of 15 questions, which invited answers based on the child’s level of fear. The scale was one to five: one meant the child wasn’t afraid at all, and five indicated he or she was terrified. The maximum possible points (based on the greatest fear) was 75.

Spanish researchers found a direct connection between parental dental fear levels and those among their kids. The most important new discovery from the Madrid study was that the greater the fear a father had of going to the dentist, the higher the level of fear among the other family members.

Parents, but especially fathers, who feared dental procedures appeared to pass those fears along to every member of the family. Parents can still have some control over fear levels in their children. It is best not to express your own concerns in front of kids; instead, explain why going to the dentist is important.

Dr. Keith J. Fabre Jr. and our team work hard to make your child’s visit at our Marrero office as comfortable as possible. We understand some patients may be more fearful than others, and will do our best to help ease your child’s anxiety.

“I’d rather have a root canal!”

That’s the common go-to response to anything unpleasant. But, because the second week of May is “Root Canal Awareness Week,” let’s see if we can take some of the sting out of that cliché by examining just how much root canals actually improve lives!

The pulp chamber and root canals inside each tooth hold the tooth’s pulp, which is living tissue made of nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue. Nerves and blood vessels in the chamber travel through the tooth’s roots, emerging from a small opening in each root tip to connect to your nervous and circulatory systems.

When the pulp inside your tooth is inflamed because of trauma or infection, it’s a condition called pulpitis. Swelling and pressure inside the tooth cause pain, which can be quite severe. If the tooth is left untreated, infection can spread and lead to bone, tissue, and tooth loss.

A root canal procedure treats irreversible pulpitis. You might need a root canal because an injury or trauma has damaged the root’s pulp. Or because a deep cavity or crack in the enamel has exposed the pulp tissue to bacterial infection. Or because serious gum disease has spread to the pulp via the tooth’s roots.

While severe tooth pain is often a symptom of pulpitis, you should see Dr. Keith J. Fabre Jr. if you experience any symptoms which might indicate pulp trauma or infection:

• Persistent tooth pain, which can be either dull or sharp and severe
• Pain when chewing or when pressure is placed on the tooth
• Prolonged sensitivity to heat or cold
• A cracked, broken, darkened, or discolored tooth
• Gum tissue near the tooth which is sore, red, or swollen
• A pus-filled bump, called an abscess, on the gums which persists or keeps recurring.

If you’ve been postponing a trip to the dentist because you’re anxious about root canal treatment, talk to your dental team at Fabre Family Dental Care of Marrero in Marrero about the various sedation options available to provide you with your most comfortable experience.

The root canal procedure itself is safe and straightforward:

• The area around the tooth is numbed.
• The dentist makes a small opening in the crown to allow access to the pulp inside.
• Very small instruments are used to remove infected and dead or dying tissue in the pulp chamber and root canals. The interior of the tooth is cleaned.
• The inside of the tooth and each root is shaped, filled with a biocompatible filling, and sealed.
• A temporary filling or crown is placed on the tooth to prevent food particles and bacteria from entering the site while a permanent crown is created.
• A permanent crown shaped and tinted to match your natural teeth will be placed at a later dental appointment.

The entire process usually takes from one to three visits. Any post-procedure discomfort or sensitivity typically lasts only a few days and is often treated with over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen and acetaminophen, warm saltwater rinses, and ice packs. Dr. Keith J. Fabre Jr. will give you detailed instructions for your personalized aftercare.

With all this new information in mind, maybe it’s time to reframe the conversation about root canals!

I’d rather have a root canal . . . than suffer pain.

When a tooth is badly infected or damaged, the pain can be excruciating. Root canal procedures remove the cause of that pain, and many patients feel relief immediately after treatment.

I’d rather have a root canal . . . than lose a tooth.

Losing a tooth can affect your bite, your tooth alignment, your ability to eat, your speech, and your self-confidence.

I’d rather have a root canal . . . than damage my overall health.

Untreated tooth and gum infections can spread to other parts of the body, causing jawbone, face and neck, and, potentially, system-wide infection.

Timely dental care is essential for a lifetime of healthy smiles. If your dentist recommends root canal treatment, get all the facts on just how this procedure can protect and improve your dental health.

So, final thoughts on root canal procedures? They relieve our pain. They save our teeth. They can even safeguard our health. Just something to be aware of, this week and year-round!

Your dashboard lights up when you need an oil change. Your smoke detector beeps when you need to switch out the batteries. But when it’s time to replace your toothbrush, you’re on your own. Luckily, there are several not-too-subtle clues that you should be shopping for a new model.

• Fraying

Is your toothbrush looking a bit scruffy? Do those once orderly bristles look like they have the toothbrush equivalent of bed head? Have some bristles vanished altogether? Time to retire that toothbrush. Once the bristles are frayed, you just can’t reach plaque as effectively, especially where it likes to hide between the teeth.

Are you prematurely fraying? You could be brushing too hard. Overbrushing can damage delicate gum tissue and cause wear and tear to tooth enamel. If you find your brush fraying after only a few weeks of use, you might be using too much force. Remember, plaque is a sticky film, but it’s a soft sticky film. Ask us for advice on just how hard you need—or don’t need—to brush.

• Odor

This one really goes without saying—no one wants an aromatic toothbrush! How to make sure your toothbrush is fresh and clean?

Always rinse carefully after you brush. This will get rid of any toothpaste, bits of food, or other particles left on your brush.

Let your toothbrush air dry. It might seem more hygienic to keep your brush covered in a bathroom setting, but a closed, moist container is a perfect breeding ground for germs. Don’t let them make a home in your bristles!

• Illness

A cold or a bacterial infection (like strep throat) is no fun. But now that you’re feeling better, it might be time to throw out your toothbrush. The chances of re-infection are very low, unless your immune system is compromised, but this is a perfect opportunity to replace your brush with a fresh, germ-free model.

And if you share your toothbrush, or if you store it right next to a loved one’s or family member’s (which you really shouldn’t do, for this very reason), germs get shared, too. Quarantine your brush while you’re ill, and replace it once you’re out and about.

• Discomfort

Bigger isn’t necessarily better. A brush with a head that’s too big won’t allow you to get into those small spaces in your mouth where plaque likes to collect.

And harder doesn’t mean more effective. A brush with hard bristles can cause damage to your gums and enamel. We almost always recommend soft-bristled brushes for this very reason.

There are so many styles of brush out there, you’re bound to find the perfect fit with a little trial and error. Or ask Dr. Keith J. Fabre Jr. for suggestions the next time you’re at our Marrero office for a cleaning!

• The “Best By” Date Has Passed

Because of its durable construction, your toothbrush can last a long, long time. But no matter how comfortable and effective your toothbrush is right now, it was never meant to go through life with you. Bristles break down over a period of months, and just don’t clean as effectively. Your brush should be changed every three months, and this includes changing the head on your electric toothbrush.

Unfortunately, you don’t have a flashing light or annoying beep to remind you when it’s time to change brushes, so you’ll have to devise your own reminders. Reminder apps, calendar notes, the first day of a new season—use whatever works best for you. 

Don’t ignore the clues your toothbrush is leaving you. Replacing your brush whenever it’s necessary helps guarantee that the time you spend cleaning your teeth and gums will lead to confident, healthy smiles. Case closed!