Special Concerns for Senior Dental Care

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happy senior couple smilingDental care often means different things to different people, and age can influence your specific dental needs. For instance, as you grow older, the dynamic of your dental health can change along with the rest of your body. Teeth may become more susceptible to disease, your gums may loosen and separate from your teeth, and a host of other factors can impact your ability to properly care for your smile. Livonia family dentist, Dr. James Stewart, is skilled at caring for patients of all ages, and provides expert senior dental care to help patients protect their healthy smiles as they grow older.

As Teeth and Gums Age

Over time, eating, drinking, brushing your teeth too roughly once in a while, and wear and tear from a lifetime of use can weaken the enamel surrounding your teeth. This highly mineralized substance is your teeth’s main defense against cavity-causing germ, which can infect your tooth’s dentin underneath the enamel once the outer layer is compromised. While everyone should practice good hygiene and healthy eating habits at all times to help keep enamel strong, older patients may experience an increased risk of weak or damaged enamel.

After years of absorbing the repeated pressures of biting and chewing, the connective tissue between your gums and teeth can grow weak, causing your gums to become loose and separate from your teeth (gum recession). The pockets formed by gum recession can house unhealthy amounts of bacteria and significantly increase your risk of aggressive gum disease and possible tooth loss.

General Health and Dental Care for Seniors

If you have arthritis, or another medical condition that can impede your movement, then you may have trouble effectively brushing and flossing your teeth every day—a necessity in keeping your mouth healthy. Certain medical disorders and some medications can lead to dry mouth (reduced or halted saliva production), which can increase your risks of tooth decay and gum disease. Maintaining your healthy smile relies more and more on professional care as you grow older, and Dr. Stewart is specially equipped and experienced to address the specific concerns of our older patients.

About James Stewart, DDS:

Our philosophy is that excellent dental begins with developing a relationship with the patient. James Steward, DDS, and our compassionate 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: Oral Health, Senior Dental Care

Livonia Dentist Explains How Dental Software Improves Your Treatment

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Dental SoftwareThanks to advanced dental technology, your treatment has become more personalized and accurate than ever before. Digital imaging systems and computer software allow your dentist to make more accurate diagnoses and thoroughly explain recommended procedures while you are still in the exam room. In this post, your Livonia dentist explains how using Orasphere® dental software can benefit you and your dental treatment.   (more…)

filed under: Dental Advancements, Dental Technology, Patient Education

Livonia General Dentist: The Stages of Tooth Decay

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cavity detectionNot all patients who exhibit tooth decay require a dental filling or root canal therapy. When caught and treated in its early stages, tooth decay can often be reversed before a cavity has the chance to develop. Tooth decay begins when oral bacteria produce acid to destroy your teeth’s protective layer of enamel. Once compromised, enamel becomes ineffective, and bacteria can slip past it to infect the tooth’s main structure. Left untreated, tooth decay and cavities can consume your tooth, rendering it useless. With years of experience as a dedicated Livonia general dentist, Dr. Stewart can expertly restore your afflicted tooth, whether it’s just beginning to show signs of decay, or the infection is severe enough to require a tooth extraction.   (more…)

filed under: Restorative Dentistry

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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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