Livonia Dentist Explains Teeth Stains and Whitening

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beautiful bright young smileAre your teeth marred by one or more stains? Has the overall color of your teeth faded until they’re no longer pearly white? Teeth stains and discoloration are among the most common cosmetic dental blemishes, making teeth whitening one of the most sought-after dental treatments today. Unfortunately, even professional whitening treatments aren’t always effective at brightening a patient’s smile. Livonia dentist, Dr. James Stewart, is experienced at improving and restoring patients’ smiles, and can determine the cause of your discolored smile before prescribing an appropriate treatment.

Why Your Teeth Change Color

Teeth stains are classified as external (extrinsic) or internal (intrinsic). Extrinsic stains occur on the surfaces of your teeth and affect the semi-translucent enamel that covers and protects them. Outer stains are typically caused by darkly-pigmented food and beverages, poor hygiene, or smoking/chewing tobacco. Intrinsic stains describe the discoloration of your tooth’s inner tissues. Dentin, which is directly underneath enamel, and the nerves and blood vessels that make up the tooth’s pulp can change color when damaged by cracks and fractures or infected with tooth decay. Some illnesses and certain medications can also lead to intrinsic discoloration, which won’t respond to chemical teeth whitening.

Teeth Whitening for Extrinsic Stains

Dr. Steward offers a choice of in-office and take-home teeth whitening procedures, each designed to accommodate patients’ specific needs and preferences. In-office whitening can be completed in just over an hour, and our take-home kits allow you brighten your smile over the course of 10-14 days. Both treatments involve a bleaching agent that is applied to the surfaces of your teeth and penetrates underneath tooth enamel to eradicate stains and brighten the tooth’s appearance. Even seemingly severe external stains may be eliminated with professional teeth whitening.

Dealing with Intrinsic Discoloration

If your smile is discolored from within, then Dr. Stewart may recommend a cosmetic dental bonding, porcelain veneers, or a porcelain dental crown to rejuvenate its look. Bonding consists of placing, sculpting, and polishing tooth-colored composite resin over a tooth’s blemish to conceal the imperfection. Veneers are wafer-thin shells of dental porcelain that are bonded to the tooth’s front surface, creating a new, stain-free face for one or more teeth. A dental crown is a replica of your tooth’s visible portion, and can be placed over the tooth to completely conceal it. If a dental disease is the cause of your tooth discoloration, then Dr. Stewart will prescribe an appropriate treatment to restore the tooth’s health before addressing its appearance.

About James Stewart, DDS:

Our philosophy is that excellent dental begins with developing a relationship with the patient. James Steward, DDS, and our experienced staff proudly serve patients 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.

filed under: Cosmetic Dentistry, Oral Health

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A Closer Look at Gum Disease and Its Treatment

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gum disease sequenceMany people think of gingivitis (the inflammation of the gums) when they hear about gum disease. Unfortunately, gingivitis may only be the tip of the iceberg if gum disease is allowed to develop. You see, gingivitis has a habit of lingering in the body, allowing it to progress into a more damaging form of gum disease called periodontitis. Your Livonia dentist, Dr. James Stewart, therefore, encourages his patients to do all that they can to prevent gum disease from developing, as periodontitis can wreak havoc on the mouth, eventually causing tooth loss. (more…)

filed under: Gum Health

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Why You Need to Attend Dental Checkups

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man smiling 3If you have the propensity to let your dental checkups slide back a few months or even to skip them altogether, you could be putting your oral health at unnecessary risk. Attending dental checkups allows your Livonia dentist, Dr. James Stewart, to examine your teeth on a regular basis. These frequent examinations enable Dr. Stewart to monitor your teeth for any troubling symptoms that could develop into significant oral health problems and intercede if necessary. For example, if Dr. Stewart were to notice signs of wear on your teeth from bruxism (teeth grinding), he could provide you with a dental night guard to wear when you sleep. The night guard would prevent your teeth from rubbing against one another, protecting them from enamel loss and structural damage. It would also reduce the bite force generated by bruxism, thus lowering the stress experienced by the temporomandibular joints (jaw joints), which may develop a disorder as a result of continual strain. (more…)

filed under: Family Dentistry, Patient Education

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Why Dental Implants Are So Popular

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Have you ever wondered what makes dental implants so popular? Well, imagine having a prosthetic toothdental implant parts in your mouth that is held stable thanks to the support of the surrounding teeth. Biting down on this tooth would feel strange, and each time you chewed, you would be reminded of the fact that the tooth was not real. Now imagine a prosthetic tooth with a root in the jawbone just like a natural tooth. Pretty soon you might forget that the tooth was a prosthetic at all. As the dental implant acts like a tooth’s root, creating the second scenario, you can see why dental implants garner a lot of interest from victims of tooth loss. However, choosing a dental implant to replace a missing tooth has still more benefits. As your Livonia dentist, Dr. James Stewart, notes, dental implants do more than stabilize prosthetic teeth. They also transmit bite force to the jawbone. By picking up this task where the root of the lost tooth left off, the dental implant can help stimulate the bone cells in the jaw, encouraging a healthier bone density. As other tooth-replacement options cannot perform this task, patients who choose dental implants for their replacement teeth often enjoy better jawbone health than patients who rely on prosthetic teeth that are not supported by dental implants. (more…)

filed under: Dental Implants, Restorative Dentistry

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Livonia Children’s Dentist Discusses Developing Good Brushing Habits

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colorful toothbrushes 3Teaching children to brush their teeth can be an exercise in maintaining patience. Many children completely refuse to brush their teeth, and finding a way to encourage brushing without having nightly battles can be very difficult. Thankfully, your Livonia children’s dentist, Dr. James Stewart, has a trick up his sleeve that may help resolve this difficult situation. It is called a tooth brushing chart, and if you integrate it strategically into your child’s oral health regimen, you may no longer have to remind your little one to pick up a toothbrush. (more…)

filed under: Children's Dentistry, Preventive Dentistry

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Livonia Family Dentist Discusses Bruxism in Children

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sleeping child 2Have you ever come across your child grinding his or her teeth during sleep? If so, you may be worried that your little one is damaging the smile you have come to adore. You may be interested to learn, then, that a shocking 38% of children grind their teeth, yet very few of them receive treatment for their bruxism (teeth grinding). The reason for this disconnect is not neglect, either. According to your Livonia family dentist, Dr. James Stewart, bruxism is a habit that children may outgrow around age six, and because there is little threat of teeth sustaining significant damage from the force inflicted upon them at this age, treatment is generally unnecessary. (more…)

filed under: Children's Dentistry, Patient Education

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When Do Teeth Need a Root Canal?

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toothache 6Have you ever wondered what happens if a cavity does not receive a dental filling? The short answer is that the bacteria responsible for the decay are left to cause further damage. The longer answer is that these bacteria may gain access to the tooth’s pulp, where they can cause a dangerous infection. If the infection is not removed, the tooth can become very painful and may even be lost or require an extraction. However, before resorting to extraction, your Livonia dentist, Dr. James Stewart, will seek to preserve the tooth by performing root canal therapy. This procedure, while well-known, is often misrepresented as excruciatingly painful or even dangerous. The truth of the matter, however, is that root canal therapy is performed to eliminate pain rather than cause it and that it can remove a dangerous infection that, if left unchecked, may spread throughout the mouth and into the body, potentially causing an illness. (more…)

filed under: Restorative Dentistry

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Livonia Dentist Examines the Effect of Diet on Oral Health

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fruitWe are all very familiar with the fact that our diets can impact the health of our bodies. But have you ever stopped to consider how certain foods can influence your oral health? According to your Livonia dentist, Dr. James Stewart, the foods and drinks you consume can have a dramatic effect on your teeth. Perhaps the best-known foods that should be avoided for the health of your teeth are sugar-filled snacks. Harmful oral bacteria feed on sugar, causing them to produce an acid byproduct that can rob teeth of their enamel, and if sugary snacks are consumed with regularity, these bacteria may have a chance to do real damage to your teeth, creating cavities. (more…)

filed under: Family Dentistry, General

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Livonia Dentist Improves Hygiene with Dental Checkups & Cleanings

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When Was Your Last Dental Checkup?

toothbrushMaintaining a clean and healthy smile is a continuous process. When done correctly, brushing and flossing your teeth can keep teeth safe for a short while; however, if you wait long enough until your next session, or if you’re careless with how well you clean your teeth, then brushing and flossing may not be adequate to protect your smile from danger. Even if you’re diligent with your toothbrush and floss, excessive plaque and tartar (calcified plaque) can still slip past your defenses in certain spots. Aside from daily home care, routine professional dental checkups and cleanings with your Livonia dentist are also a vital part of good oral health, and are necessary to ensure consistently healthy teeth and gums. (more…)

filed under: Oral Health, Preventive Dentistry

Dr. Stewart Attends Advanced Dental Sleep Medicine Seminar

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Keyboard button that says continuing educationDental technology, treatment options, and materials never stop advancing. It makes sense then that a dentist who wants to stay at the top of his game should never stop learning. Dr. Stewart actively pursues continuing education courses every year and he’s especially excited about his most recent training in Advanced Dental Sleep Medicine topics with Dr. Barry Glassman. Held in September, this three-day intensive seminar provided Dr. Stewart with the opportunity to work closely with other dentists and industry experts in an accelerated academic environment. Thanks to this training, Dr. Stewart can provide more accurate treatment options for sleep apnea sufferers in Livonia.

Brief Overview of Dental Sleep Medicine

Dental sleep medicine refers to a field of general dentistry concerned with using oral appliances to reduce the severity of symptoms in people with obstructive sleep apnea. This serious sleep disorder can lead to chronic daytime fatigue, emotional instability, decreased cognitive function, and an increased risk for problems such as high blood pressure, strokes, and heart attack. CPAP machines provide relief for those with moderate to severe sleep apnea, but many patients find wearing the CPAP mask uncomfortable and disruptive. People with mild to moderate sleep apnea might benefit more from a customized oral appliance that resembles a mouth guard. Only a dentist trained in dental sleep medicine can prescribe this type of oral appliance.

Advanced Topics in Dental Sleep Medicine

Dr. Stewart has been helping his patients enjoy better, more restful sleep using oral appliance therapy for years. However, the Glassman advanced training seminar allows Dr. Stewart to provide a higher level of care, even for patients with complex cases. Every dentist in attendance brought along case studies (firsthand experiences with patients) to inspire discussion in a real world context. Highlights of the seminar included:

  • Emphasizing the use of current research to guide treatment planning.
  • Developing more accurate treatment plans that address the patient’s current health as well as trying to predict any potential side effects of wearing an oral appliance for sleep apnea.
  • Learning about challenging cases involving patients who have both sleep apnea and TMJ disorder or sleep apnea and degenerative joint disease.

Dr. Stewart feels that one of the best benefits of receiving this advanced training is that it allows him to help patients who qualify for oral appliance therapy but who may have not considered it due to other preexisting conditions.

If you think you may be living with sleep apnea or if your sleep partner has reported that you snore loudly throughout the night,contact our Livonia dental office today at (734) 425-4400 to schedule a consultation. We proudly serve patients from Livonia, Novi, Farmington Hills, Plymouth, Dearborn, and the surrounding areas.

filed under: About Sleep, Dental Advancements, Dr. Stewart, Sleep Apnea

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