Our Las Cruces dental office is pleased to offer a full range of dental care services and dental treatments. Our dental services include: children's, cosmetic, family, general, implant, laser, preventive, restorative and sedation dentistry.
Below is an excerpt from an article found on Colgate.com that was written by Katriena Knights Enamel is the hardest substance in the human body, and is therefore vital to the health of your teeth. Not everyone's is the strongest, though, and still others have teeth without enamel at all. Without enamel to protect the softer interior parts of your teeth, they can't stand up to the stress of natural biting and chewing. These abnormal developments require special care and treatment. Enamel Hypoplasia Teeth can come in without enamel as a result of inherited issues or because of exposure to certain substances while the teeth are erupting. Baby teeth and permanent teeth can both emerge with enamel that is weak, improperly formed or missing altogether. One of these conditions is enamel hypoplasia, which literally means "underdeveloped enamel." A disorder that causes the teeth to develop with thin, deficient enamel, it sometimes manifests as a pit in the tooth ñ or even a hole. In advanced cases, there is no enamel at all, leaving the more sensitive dentin exposed. Under normal conditions, per the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), special cells in the teeth called ameloblasts form the cells of the tooth enamel. If these ameloblasts are damaged or do not fully develop, the enamel can't develop normally either. What Causes It Many factors can cause enamel hypoplasia. These include:
Poor nutrition during pregnancy or infancy.
Infection during pregnancy or infancy.
Genetic disorders.
Trauma to the teeth or jaw.
Exposure to certain substances during pregnancy or infancy.
Nonetheless, it's often difficult to determine exactly what caused the teeth to develop abnormally. To read the entire article visit Colgate.com. The remainder of the article details the following:
With age comes wisdom. Specifically, wisdom teeth.
Your mouth goes through many changes in your lifetime. One major dental milestone that usually takes place between the ages of 17 and 21 is the appearance of your third molars. Historically, these teeth have been called wisdom teeth because they come through at a more mature age.
When they come through correctly, healthy wisdom teeth can help you chew. Itís normal to feel a little discomfort when your wisdom teeth appear, but if you have pain, see your dentist immediately.
Room to Grow? Wisdom teeth can lead to problems if there isnít enough space for them to surface or they come through in the wrong position. If your dentist says your wisdom teeth are impacted, he or she means they are trapped in your jaw or under your gums.
As your wisdom teeth make their way through your gums, your dentist will be monitoring your mouth for signs of the following:
Wisdom teeth that arenít in the right position can allow food to become trapped. That gives cavity-causing bacteria a place to grow.
Wisdom teeth that havenít come in properly, which can make it difficult to floss between the wisdom teeth and the molars next to them.
Wisdom teeth that have partially come through can give bacteria a place to enter the gums and create a place for infection to occur. This may also lead to pain, swelling and stiffness in your jaw.
Wisdom teeth that donít have room to come through are thought by some to crowd or damage neighboring teeth.
A wisdom tooth that is impacted can form a cyst on or near the impacted tooth. This could damage the roots of nearby teeth or destroy the bone that supports your teeth.
Root canal treatment is necessary when the pulp (soft tissue inside your teeth containing blood vessels, nerves and connective tissue) becomes inflamed or diseased. During root canal treatment, your dentist or endodontist (a dentist who specializes in treating the insides of teeth) removes the diseased pulp. The pulp chamber and root canal(s) of the tooth are then cleaned and sealed. If the infected pulp is not removed, pain and swelling can result, and your tooth may have to be removed.
Causes of an infected pulp could include:
a deep cavity
repeated dental procedures
a cracked or broken tooth
injury to the tooth (even if thereís not a visible crack or chip)
If you continue to care for your teeth and gums your restored tooth could last a lifetime. However, regular checkups are necessary; a tooth without its nerve can still develop cavities or gum disease. Most of the time, a root canal is a relatively simple procedure with little or no discomfort involving one to three visits. Best of all, it can save your tooth and your smile.
The American Dental Association has created informative videos called Ask the Dentist. Here is their video on: 'Baby Teeth Are Going to Fall Out, So Why Take Care of Them?'
Below is an excerpt from an article found on Colgate.com that was written by Katriena Knights