Swollen ankles. Nausea that strikes randomly. And wildly-fluctuating hormone changes that could make a saint swear.
Ahh, the glow of pregnancy.
Your body is changing and growing so rapidly, it is easy to overlook your teeth during the nine (let’s be honest, it’s more like ten) months of growing your little peanut. Here are some dental health situations you may face and how to address them, as recommended by the American Dental Association. (more…)
Teeth whitening is commonly used to reduce or eliminate stains on tooth enamel. Discolored teeth can negatively affect your confidence and, according to a poll by the AACD, stained teeth can make you appear less intelligent, successful, and friendly than someone with a bright white smile. Kelton Research published a study that indicated, after teeth whitening, job candidates were more likely to receive a job offer and a higher pay rate than interviewees who did not whiten their teeth.
Most people feel confident and less inhibited in connecting with others by smiling if our teeth have a bright, white appearance. Perhaps this is a primary reason one visit teeth whitening is a popular option for people who want a brighter smile and/or want to remove unsightly stains from their teeth. (more…)
woman relaxing
Before undergoing any dental procedure that may require anesthesia or sedation, it is helpful to have a general understanding about the most common options and how they work to relieve stress and fear prior to dental procedures. One of the most popular sedatives in dentistry, which has been used for many decades, is a substance called nitrous oxide.
You’ll learn some of the most critical things you should know about this sedative and how it may provide a more pleasant experience during procedures. (more…)
When your tooth hurts, it’s called a toothache, and as such, it’s most likely a dental issue. When your head hurts, it’s called a headache, but unlike a toothache, its origin isn’t always obvious. Headaches and migraines are among the most common forms of discomfort, and can indicate excessive stress and anxiety, a pinched nerve, a lack of oxygenated-blood to the brain, or a host of other possible conditions. In some cases, patients can endure their frequent headaches for years before finally learning that the problem stems from a dental-related issue. With a visit to our Livonia dentist’s office, Dr. Stewart can perform a comprehensive examination to determine if your chronic aches and pains can be resolved with an appropriate dental treatment.
Obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, is a condition that involves constant, repetitive cycles during which you stop breathing in your sleep. The issue arises when oral tissues in your mouth and throat clog your airway, restricting your breath and resulting in the sound of snoring. The noise grows louder the more your airway is obstructed, until finally, your airway is completely blocked and you stop breathing. Your mind will panic and force your body awake to start breathing, but not enough to fully wake you up. The decreased sleep and oxygen can eventually affect your quality of life, leading to chronic headaches and migraines, symptoms of sleep deprivation, and an increased risk of cardiovascular problems.
TMJ stands for your temporomandibular joint, which is one of two joints that connect your lower jaw to your skull. TMJs allow your jaw to open and close as needed when you bite, chew, and speak. Normally, these joints move smoothly in tandem, allowing the pressure of your bite to be distributed evenly. When your bite is imbalanced, or when you habitually grind your teeth (bruxism), your TMJs can become damaged, misaligned, or inflamed, aggravating the trigeminal nerve that innervates the majority of your head, neck, and face. Besides painful, sore jaw muscles, TMJ disorder can also lead to severe migraines, frequent earaches, popping/clicking noises in your jaw, and a host of other craniofacial pains.
Because both OSA and TMJ disorder originate with your oral structures, Dr. Stewart often helps patients find relief by custom-designing specialized dental appliances. In the case of OSA, a sleep guard can hold your lower jaw in a forward position to prevent tissues from collapsing into your airway. TMJ disorder can often be alleviated with a mouthguard designed to prevent teeth from grinding together to give your jaw’s joints time to heal. After a comprehensive examination, Dr. Stewart will consult with you to determine what’s causing your headaches, and whether or not a custom dental appliance can help you find relief.
James Steward, DDS, and our compassionate staff proudly serve patients of all ages from Livonia, Farmington Hills, Plymouth, Northville, Dearborn Heights, Garden City, and all surrounding communities. To schedule a cosmetic consultation, call our office today at (734) 425-4400.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, more than 18 million American adults have obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA. The cause of this condition is the brief and repeated interruption of your breathing while you sleep. Muscles in the back of the throat fail to keep over-relaxed or large oral tissues from collapsing into your airway, which interrupts your breathing for up to ten seconds or more. This pause can cause low blood oxygen levels and irregular sleep intervals, leading to the possible development of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and fragmented memory loss over time. If you’ve been diagnosed with OSA, then Dr. Stewart can help you treat your condition and help you avoid the resulting health risks. (more…)
The US National Library of Medicine mentions in an article that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common problem affecting 24% of middle-aged males and 9% of middle-aged females. Among these adults, snoring is a common trait. The prevalence of snoring could indicate the presence of obstructive sleep apnea, and a trained professional like Dr. Stewart can determine your specific needs when it comes to treating your condition. (more…)
One of the greatest joys of being a dentist is seeing a patient’s face light up at the sight of their new smiles. Besides routine checkups and dental restorations, like fillings and root canals, Dr. Stewart also offers a variety of cosmetic dentistry services to improve your smile’s appearance. A smile makeover describes a combination of such procedures designed to produce dramatic results with the most conservative methods possible. Whether your teeth are stained, chipped, uneven, or are less-than-perfect for any number of reasons, Dr. Stewart can device a customized makeover plan tailored to your specific smile’s needs. (more…)
Choices are what make modern dentistry so customizable to each patient’s situation. Regardless of your schedule and particular dental needs, Dr. Stewart can help you achieve the healthy, beautiful smile you deserve with a conservative treatment plan tailored specifically for you. Teeth-whitening, for instance, is the most popular cosmetic dental treatment around, designed to erase teeth stains that, in many cases, are unavoidable. Professional teeth-whitening is the most effective method to brighten your smile, but some patients prefer the convenience of an over-the-counter product they can take home. With the choices we offer at our Livonia cosmetic dentist’s office, you can enjoy the best of both worlds—professional results delivered with optimal convenience.
Though they aren’t always easy to differentiate to the untrained eye, there are several different kinds of teeth stains and discoloration. The purpose of teeth-whitening is to provide a quick and easy solution to the most common stains, which occur on or within the outer layers of enamel surrounding your teeth (extrinsic teeth stains). The active ingredient in teeth whitening, usually hydrogen peroxide, can eradicate most extrinsic stains, and the main difference between take-home and in-office procedures is the method and frequency of application.
When your time is limited, quick and easy is about more than convenience; it’s a necessary pace. Since extrinsic teeth stains don’t typically indicate an emergency situation (other than where confidence is concerned), treating them shouldn’t take up too much of your time. During an in-office whitening appointment, Dr. Stewart will carefully apply a prescription-strength whitening gel to your teeth, then activate it with a curing light to stimulate the whitening agents. Your visit will last just over an hour, and you can leave our office with a smile that’s up to 10 shades brighter than when you walked in.
Even if you prefer the freedom of brightening your smile on your own time, you don’t have to settle for a mediocre over-the-counter product. Our take-home whitening kit consists of a professional-strength bleaching agent and a set of custom-made trays that fit snugly over your teeth. The trays allow you to apply the gel evenly over your teeth’s surfaces, and when applied as directed, you may see noticeable results within the first few days. On average, take-home whitening requires 10-14 days to reach optimal results.
James Steward, DDS, and our compassionate staff proudly serve patients of all ages from Livonia, Farmington Hills, Plymouth, Northville, Dearborn Heights, Garden City, and all surrounding communities. To schedule an appointment, call our office today at (734) 425-4400.
Dental veneers have contributed to the “Hollywood Smile” concept since the 1930s, when they were first created to improve the smiles of actors with poorly cared-for teeth. Since then, the construction and application of dental veneers have improved vastly, and they’ve helped countless people outside of Hollywood achieve the smiles they’ve always wanted. Even if you have more than one issue to contend with, today’s porcelain veneers can completely reinvent your smile in a single procedure, and without disturbing much of your healthy tooth structure. (more…)
If asked to describe root canal therapy to someone who had never heard of it, how would you portray it? Would you describe a safe, effective, and often-necessary procedure designed to save infected teeth? Or would your narrative sound more like a frightened retelling of a traumatic dental experience? How you describe something reflects your understanding of it, and for many people, the understanding of root canal therapy can be clouded by secondhand-myths and long-debunked research.
Before the advent of anesthesia, nearly everything hurt, and the myth about root canal treatment causing discomfort likely originated before local anesthesia was a routine part of dental treatment. Before the procedure begins, Dr. Stewart will numb the tooth and surrounding tissues with a local anesthetic. After the infected tissues inside your tooth are removed, and the rest of your tooth is restored, the pain you felt before treatment will finally dissipate.
In the 1920s, when most mechanisms behind dental health were not yet understood, Dr. Weston A. Price postulated that endodontic treatment, or root canal therapy, led to diseases in the body. Despite Dr. Price’s theories being thoroughly debunked by more modern research in the 1950s, this belief is still widely spread. The truth, though, is that removing a tooth’s infected pulp, which is connected to roots that extend into the jawbone, helps stop the spread of bacterial infection. If you grow sick or feverish, it may be because an abscess has formed on the tooth, or on the jawbone surrounding it.
Because he believed that endodontics caused illness, Dr. Price heavily advocated tooth extraction as an alternative. Today, many patients still think extraction would be better, since it typically costs less up front. When you extract a tooth, the bacteria in your mouth have a greater chance of entering your bloodstream while the tissues heal. To preserve the integrity of the rest of your teeth and your jawbone, you’ll eventually have to replace the extracted tooth, preferably sooner rather than later. However, if you hesitate too long, then a tooth extraction may be the only option left by the time you seek treatment.
James Steward, DDS, and our compassionate staff proudly serve patients of all ages from Livonia, Farmington Hills, Plymouth, Northville, Dearborn Heights, Garden City, and all surrounding communities. To schedule an appointment, call our office today at (734) 425-4400.