Dental Advice - Page 5 of 9 - Darlene Sand Wall DMD

Dental News and Advice from Erlanger Kentucky

Darlene Henry DMD and her team are dedicated to helping each patient achieve the beautiful, confident smile that lasts a lifetime. We often write useful and practical content to help our patients in the Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati region have happy, healthy smiles. Please email us any feedback or questions at [email protected]

Dental Care

Erlanger Dentist Shares Three Benefits of Dental Implants

In a child, a lost tooth is a sign of growing up. In an adult, it’s cause for panic. Just looking at the newly formed gap in a smile can be enough to raise anyone’s heart rate. Thankfully, dental implants can replace a lost tooth, filling in the gap and restoring the smile. But the benefits of dental implants are more than just cosmetic. Below, your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Darlene Henry, explores several other benefits of dental implants.

Three Benefits of Dental Implants

They provide a more natural feel. Dental implants mimic a tooth’s structure. The prosthetic crown is visible above the surface of the gums, while the implant’s post, a titanium rod, acts as an anchor in the jawbone, just like a tooth’s root. Thus, rather than relying on the surrounding teeth to stabilize the prosthetic tooth, dental implants utilize the jawbone. The result is a more natural feel with increased stability.
They work against the domino effect. The domino effect is a particularly nasty complication that sometimes stems from a lost tooth. The domino effect refers to a condition in which teeth continue to fall out of the mouth one after the other as a result of a single lost tooth. This complication occurs because the body stops sending nutrients to the area vacated by the lost tooth. Unfortunately, nearby teeth sometimes don’t receive adequate nutrition as a result, and eventually they too fall out. Dental implants work against the domino effect because the body recognizes the post of the implant as a tooth’s root and restores the flow of nutrients to the area.
They can improve jawbone health. Another complication that sometimes results from tooth loss is decreased bone density in the jaw. This condition occurs because the bone cells of the jaw do not receive adequate stimulation. Bone cells thrive on the forces of biting and chewing, but when a tooth falls out, these forces are no longer transmitted. However, when a dental implant is placed, the stimulating forces can once again make their way to the bone cells by means of the implant’s post, resulting in an increase in bone density and a healthier jawbone.

Dental Implants from Your Erlanger Dentist

Have you lost a tooth? Dental implants can replace it with a realistic and functional prosthetic. Contact our 41018 dentist office at 859-344-8500 to schedule an appointment with your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Henry. We serve patients from Erlanger, Cincinnati, Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Florence, Union, Independence, and Taylor Mill.

Dental Care

Erlanger Dentist: Kids’ Teeth Grinding Is Common

Walking past your child’s bedroom late at night, have you poked your head through the door and heard what sounded like a saw cutting wood. Taking a closer look, you may have seen your child’s jaw sliding back and forth, grinding his or her top and bottom teeth together. A sight like this one is not easy to forget, especially when the teeth in question belong to the smile you adore so much. However, before you get too panicky, you may be interested to know that in the majority of cases, teeth grinding (bruxism) is not treated in children. Below, your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Darlene Henry, explains why.

Bruxism in Children

A recent study showed that 38 percent of children grind their teeth. Yet very few of them receive treatment for their bruxism. This lack of treatment may seem like an oversight, but rest assured that it is not. Many children grind their teeth between the ages of three and six. However, because bruxism often ceases around age six, treatment isn’t often necessary. At this age, the threat of damage is not significant enough to warrant treatment.

Treatment for Bruxism

In a few cases, treatment may become necessary for bruxism in kids. Pay attention to your child, and keep an eye out for any recurring sensitivities in teeth. Sensitive teeth may be the result of bruxism, but they could just as easily be a fleeting sensitivity or the result of tooth decay. However, if you notice recurring sensitivities, contact your Erlanger children’s dentist, Dr. Henry, for dental assistance. Also keep an eye out for a sore jaw as jaw soreness can point to problems with the temporomandibular joint (jaw joint).

Bruxism in Older Children and Adults

A bruxism habit that does not fade away during childhood requires treatment. As the forces of grinding become greater, teeth are at an increased risk of cracking, chipping, or breaking. However, teeth can be protected by wearing a sleep guard prescribed by your Erlanger dentist.

Schedule a Visit with Your Erlanger Children’s Dentist

When was your child’s last dental visit? If it was more than six months ago, the time has come for another checkup. Contact our 41018 dentist office at 859-344-8500 today to schedule an appointment with your Erlanger children’s dentist, Dr. Henry. We serve patients from Erlanger, Cincinnati, Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Florence, Union, Independence, and Taylor Mill.

Dental Care

Erlanger Dentist Answers Your Most Frequently Asked Questions about Dentures

Do you need dentures to replace your missing teeth? Are you hesitant to get them because of the horror stories you’ve heard about embarrassing slips and slurred speech? If so, nothing will put your mind at ease quite like information. Here to provide you with that information is your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Darlene Henry. She answers your most frequently asked questions about dentures.

Why do dentures slip?

Dentures slip when they do not fit properly. Dentures rely on suction to remain in place, and that suction will not hold if the fit is improper. Instead, ill-fitting dentures will slide around the mouth, irritating the gums as well as the wearer. However, your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Henry, carefully considers the entire mouth of each patient when she fits dentures, resulting in a better, more precise fit.

Why do some dentures wearers slur their speech?

Again, the cause is an improper fit. When dentures are moving around the mouth, the facial muscles attempt to compensate for the improper fit by trying to keep them in one place. Unfortunately, this muscular effort causes mumbling and slurring.

Can dentures be held in place with dental implants?

Absolutely, providing the patient has adequate bone available. In cases in which a patient does not have adequate bone availability, he or she may be eligible for bone grafting. Once it has been determined that there is enough quality bone available, the dental implants are placed into the jawbone. Once in position, they fuse with the bone, providing a stable base to which your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Henry, can attach the dentures. Patients with implant-supported dentures can enjoy dentures that will not slip. The dentures will also feel more natural as they are supported by the jaw rather than the gums.

Schedule a Visit with Your Erlanger Dentist

Are you missing your teeth? Don’t let tooth loss ruin the quality of your life. Contact our 41018 dentist office at 859-344-8500 today to schedule an appointment with your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Henry. We serve patients from Erlanger, Cincinnati, Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Florence, Union, Independence, and Taylor Mill.

Dental Care

Erlanger Dentist Explains How Dental Implants Improve Jawbone Health

If you have lost a tooth, you may be familiar with dental implants. You probably know that they provide stable and convincing restorations that you can treat just like natural teeth. You may also know that they can prevent a condition called the domino effect (further tooth loss), which sometimes occurs as the result of a lost tooth. But did you know that dental implants can improve the health of your jaw following a lost tooth? Your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Darlene Henry, explain how dental implants stimulate the jawbone below.

Tooth Loss and the Jawbone

Following a lost tooth, further tooth loss is not the only complication that may arise. The jawbone may also see a reduction in density. However, both of these problems share a common cause: malnutrition. When a tooth’s root leaves the jaw, the body no longer recognizes the presence of a living tooth, prompting it to cease nutrition of the area. Unfortunately, the lack of nutrients can also affect nearby teeth and the jawbone, resulting in complications.

Dental Implants and the Jawbone

Dental implants intervene on behalf of teeth and the jawbone because the body recognizes the presence of the implant’s post in the jawbone as a tooth’s root. Accordingly, it resumes the flow of nutrients, solving the problem of malnutrition. However, dental implants do even more to promote a healthy jaw. They also stimulate bone cells, which respond to the pressure of biting and chewing. When a tooth falls out, the bone cells do not receive the pressure, and the jawbone often loses density. The presence of the implant’s post in the jaw allows the transmission of pressure, and bone cells can once again receive stimulation, prompting greater bone density.

Dental Implants in Erlanger

Do you have a missing tooth? Dental implants can replace it and encourage a healthy jawbone. Schedule an appointment with your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Henry, today by calling our 41018 dentist office at 859-344-8500. We serve patients from Erlanger, Cincinnati, Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Florence, Union, Independence, and Taylor Mill.

Dental Care

Erlanger Dentist Has Treatment for Snoring

It can be disastrous trying to sleep next to a snorer. No matter how hard you try to get to sleep, the loud and obnoxious snores won’t let you. You may secure some temporary relief by prodding the snorer awake or rolling him or her over, but within a few minutes, without fail, the orchestra of saws will start up again.

It can be very difficult not to let such frustrations creep into a relationship, and work and home lives may suffer as your fuse grows shorter and shorter as you become more and more sleep deprived. But what can you do short of finding new sleeping arrangements? Your Erlangerdentist, Dr. Darlene Henry, discusses the causes of those nighttime symphonies and what kind of treatment can stop snoring.

Snoring on an Anatomical Level

The vibration of soft tissues in the throat is responsible for the sound we associate with snoring. As the body relaxes at night, so do the throat’s tissues. When a sleeper lies on his or her back, gravity pulls the tissues into the airway, causing them to vibrate as air flows past them. If you roll the sleeper over, snoring may lessen or stop temporarily because gravity no longer pulls the tissues into the airway.

Treatment for Snoring

In order to treat snoring, your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Henry, may prescribe an oral appliance called a sleep guard for nighttime wear. The sleep guard can help stop snoring because it pushes the lower jaw forward, which opens the airway and keeps it clear even as the body relaxes into sleep. Another benefit of the sleep guard is that it protects teeth from bruxism (teeth grinding), which often occurs in snorers during the night.

Schedule a Visit with Your Erlanger Dentist

Is your spouse’s snoring driving you mad? Are you ready for him or her to stop snoring so that you can finally get some good rest? Set up an appointment or a consultation with your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Henry, today by calling our 41018 dentist office at 859-344-8500. We serve patients from Erlanger, Cincinnati, Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Florence, Union, Independence, and Taylor Mill.

Dental Care

Erlanger Dentist Challenges You to a Quiz about Dentures

Dentures have a tendency of conjuring a certain image in people’s minds. The image involves very fake-looking, clunky prosthetics that slip and slide, causing poor speech and serious embarrassment. Thankfully, that mental image is now more cartoonish than realistic. Advances in dentistry have taken dentures a long way. Just how far they have come may surprise you. So grab a pencil, take this quiz from your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Darlene Henry, and see what you find out about today’s dentures.

The Quiz

True or False: Dentures are heavy and rarely fit properly.
True or False: Denture wearers are doomed to have sore gums.
True or False: Dentures can be held in place by dental implants.

The Answers

False. Modern dentures are far lighter than their older relatives. Your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Henry, also ensures that they fit properly by taking the whole mouth into account when creating and fitting dentures. The proper fit will keep dentures in place, allowing patients to go about their lives without worrying about embarrassing slips or slurred speech.
False. Today’s dentures can be worn with comfort and confidence. A full denture completely covers the gums, staying in place with suction. A proper fit and lighter dentures have made sore gums far less prevalent in denture wearers.
True. For a restoration that feels truly natural, dentures can be supported by dental implants. Using a titanium post that bonds with the jawbone, dental implants hold dentures in place, allowing patients to eat even the toughest foods. Because the dentures are supported by the jawbone just like natural teeth, patients who have implant-supported dentures sometimes report forgetting that they have prosthetic teeth.

Schedule a Visit with Your Erlanger Dentist

A life without teeth is no life at all. If you have lost some or all of your teeth, dentures can restore your smile. Schedule an appointment with your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Henry, today. Call our 41018 dentist office at 859-344-8500. We serve patients from Erlanger, Cincinnati, Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Florence, Union, Independence, and Taylor Mill.

Dental Care

Erlanger Dentist: Take This Dental Quiz

Your knowledge about dentistry and proper homecare practices are one of the most important factors affecting your oral health. It doesn’t matter how diligent you are with your brushing and flossing if you are doing things incorrectly. Therefore, it is time you tested your knowledge about homecare and dentistry, and what better way than with a dental quiz from your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Darlene Henry.

Take the Quiz

True or False: You should brush your teeth as often as possible.
True or False: Brushing your teeth forcefully is beneficial because it helps to remove plaque.
How much floss should you use?
How often should you attend a dental visit?

Check Your Answers

False. While bacteria and plaque removal is a priority, brushing too often can actually be harmful. If you brush too often, you can wear away enamel from your teeth and damage your gums. Therefore, your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Henry, recommends that you brush your teeth twice a day. Brushing twice a day strikes a good balance between brushing too often and not brushing often enough.
False. If you brush your teeth too forcefully, you will damage your teeth and gums.
You should use about 18 inches of dental floss when flossing. Using this much floss allows you to use clean sections of the floss continually as you make your way through your mouth. If you do not use clean sections of the floss, you will spread bacteria around rather than remove it.
You should attend a dental visit with your Erlanger dentist once every six months. During these visits, a hygienist can remove stubborn plaque and tartar, giving you a cleaner and healthier mouth.

Schedule a Visit with Your Erlanger Dentist

If more than six months have passed since your last dental visit, you are ready for a checkup. Schedule an appointment with your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Henry, today by calling our 41018 dentist office at 859-344-8500. We serve patients from Erlanger, Cincinnati, Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Florence, Union, Independence, and Taylor Mill.

Dental Care

Erlanger Dentist Explains the Benefits of Dental Implants

With today’s advancements in dentistry, a lost tooth no longer has to be a cause for panic. Dental implants provide high quality, functional, and aesthetically pleasing restorations that mimic natural teeth. Their capabilities have pushed them to the lead of all tooth-replacement procedures. Here to explain why is your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Darlene Henry. She discusses the benefits of dental implants.

What Is a Dental Implant?

A dental implant is a prosthetic made up of three parts, used to complete an effective restoration for a missing tooth. The three parts of a dental implant are the crown, the post, and the abutment. The crown is the part of the implant that shows above the gum line. It is custom made to blend in with surrounding teeth, offering a realistic appearance even under close scrutiny. The crown is also strong, allowing patients to eat tough foods without a second thought.

But as impressive as the crown is, the post is the true star of the dental implant. The post is a piece of titanium that is inserted into the gums and the jawbone. Once it is in place, the post fuses with the jawbone in a process called osseointegration. When osseointegration is complete, the post provides a firm foundation for the entire dental implant, preventing any movement.

The final piece of the dental implant is the abutment. It simply serves as a connection point between the crown and the post. The abutment is also very sturdy and prevents any movement or twisting of the crown.

Benefits of Dental Implants

In addition to providing a high quality restoration, dental implants prevent complications stemming from tooth loss. Sometimes when a tooth’s root leaves the jaw, more teeth fall out in a process called the domino effect. The jawbone may also lose density. These complications occur because the body ceases sending nutrients to the area vacated by the tooth when the tooth’s root leaves the jaw. The dental implant’s post reverses this effect and thus restores nutrition the area.

Dental Implants in Erlanger

Do you have a missing tooth? A dental implant can replace it with a functional and aesthetically pleasing restoration. Schedule an appointment with your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Henry, today by calling our 41018 dentist office at 859-344-8500. We serve patients from Erlanger, Cincinnati, Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Florence, Union, Independence, and Taylor Mill.

Dental Care

Erlanger Dentist Shares Tips for Fresh Breath

Few things can make you more self-conscious than having bad breath. Rather than focus on a conversation with a friend or loved one, your attention will likely be more focused on ways to mask your breath. Unfortunately, this effort may be interpreted as rudeness rather than kindness. Thus, maintaining fresh breath plays an important role in your self-confidence and in your interactions with others. So if you’re looking for tips for fresh breath, look no farther than your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Darlene Henry. She explains the causes and remedies for bad breath.

What Causes Bad Breath?

The most common cause of bad breath is bacteria in the mouth. Bacteria cling to teeth and feed on residual sugar in the mouth. The focus of achieving fresh breath, therefore, is the removal of these bacteria.

Tips for Fresher Breath

Brush and floss your teeth regularly. Brush your teeth twice a day, being sure to angle the bristles of your toothbrush down toward the gum line. Also, be sure to brush your tongue to remove any bad-breath causing bacteria on its surface. Flossing is also an important part of ensuring fresh breath. Floss cleans surfaces of the teeth that a toothbrush cannot.
Attend regular dental visits. Sometimes plaque and tartar stick around despite your best efforts. Professional cleanings can remove this plaque and tartar and the bacteria contained within each of them, resulting in fresher breath.
Stay hydrated. Did you know that saliva plays in important role in cleaning your teeth? Saliva can neutralize acids, protecting teeth from decay. It can also aid in keeping teeth free of bacteria. However, when you are dehydrated, your mouth does not produce as much saliva. Therefore, staying hydrated can actually keep your breath fresher for a longer period of time.

Schedule an Appointment with Your Erlanger Dentist

Professional cleanings can remove bacteria-ridden plaque and tartar and keep teeth healthy. If it’s been more than six months since your last dental visit, schedule an appointment with your Erlanger dentist, by calling our 41018 dentist office at 859-344-8500. We serve patients from Erlanger, Cincinnati, Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Florence, Union, Independence, and Taylor Mill.

Dental Care

Erlanger Dentist: Gum Bacteria Manipulate the Immune System

Did you know that over 50 percent of adults age 50 and older develop some form of gum disease? Once a person develops gum disease, it could progress into a more severe form that results in the decay of teeth-supporting tissues and ligaments, which in turn, could lead to tooth loss. But what do you think of when you hear the words “gum disease”? Many people automatically think of gingivitis. If you know your Greek and Latin, you’ll know that gingivitis means inflammation of the gums. Itis is a Greek suffix meaning inflammation, and gingiva, is the Latin word for gum. However, inflammation of the gums doesn’t sound so bad, a bit like a rash for your mouth. Surely it will just go away on its own, right? Perhaps not. Recent research shows that the bacterium responsible for gingivitis actually inhibits the immune system from fighting against it. Your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Darlene Henry, discusses this research and the bacterium known as porphyromonas gingivalis.

Porphyromonas Gingivalis and the Immune System

When porphyromonas gingivalis, the bacterium responsible for gingivitis, enters the body, it triggers the production of an anti-inflammatory molecule called IL-10. This molecule interferes with T-cells, the cells responsible for fighting bacteria. Because it has these effects, gingivitis can often progress to a more damaging form of gum disease and eventually lead to tooth loss if it is not treated.

Preventive Care Against Gingivitis

Gingivitis is typically caused by the presence of bacteria on a tooth near the gum line. To defend against these bacteria, homecare and regular dental visits are important. Brush your teeth twice a day, angling the bristles of the toothbrush down toward the gum line, and floss once a day. Also, visit your Erlanger dentist, Dr. Henry every six months for checkups and cleanings.

Schedule an Appointment with Your Erlanger Dentist

Professional cleanings can remove stubborn plaque and tartar and keep teeth healthy. If it’s been more than six months since your last dental visit, schedule an appointment with your Erlanger dentist, by calling our 41018 dentist office at 859-344-8500. We serve patients from Erlanger, Cincinnati, Crestview Hills, Fort Mitchell, Florence, Union, Independence, and Taylor Mill.

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