Not Just for Kids: Dental Sealants for Adults Improve Oral Health

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Understanding the Purpose and Benefits of Dental Sealants

Dental sealants are a common preventive treatment used to protect teeth from the risk of cavities and tooth decay. These thin, plastic coatings are applied to the chewing surfaces of molars and premolars, where the majority of dental decay occurs. The purpose of dental sealants is to create a protective barrier that prevents bacteria and food particles from settling into the deep crevices of the teeth.

One of the main benefits of dental sealants is their ability to significantly reduce the risk of cavities. By creating a smooth surface on the tooth, sealants make it easier to maintain good oral hygiene practices like brushing and flossing. Sealants are particularly recommended for individuals who have deep grooves on their teeth or are prone to cavities.

The Process and Procedure of Applying Dental Sealants

The process of applying dental sealants is quick, painless, and typically completed in one dental visit. It is typically done by a general dentist or dental hygienist. The first step involves a thorough cleaning and drying of the teeth to ensure proper adhesion of the sealant.

Once the teeth are ready, an acidic solution is applied to the chewing surfaces of the teeth. This solution helps roughen the surface of the teeth, making it easier for the sealant to bond securely. After rinsing and drying the teeth again, the dental sealant is carefully brushed onto the targeted areas. To ensure proper sealing, a special curing light may be used to harden and set the sealant.

After the sealant application, it is essential to check the bite to ensure that the sealant hasn’t altered the natural alignment of the teeth. If any adjustments are needed, your dentist can make them at this stage.

Maintaining and Caring for Dental Sealants: Tips and Advice

Caring for dental sealants is relatively easy, requiring only regular oral hygiene practices. It’s important to continue brushing your teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste and flossing daily to remove any food particles or plaque buildup. Additionally, you should schedule regular dental check-ups to ensure the sealants are intact and functioning correctly.

While dental sealants can offer long-lasting protection, they are not invincible. Over time, they may wear off or chip due to the constant forces of chewing and biting. Therefore, it is crucial to avoid habits like chewing ice, using teeth as tools, or biting on hard objects. By being mindful of these habits and maintaining proper oral hygiene, you can ensure that your dental sealants provide optimal protection for many years to come.

In conclusion, dental sealants are a valuable preventive treatment that can significantly reduce the risk of cavities. Understanding their purpose, benefits, application process, and proper care is essential in maintaining good oral health. If you’re considering dental sealants, consult with your general dentist who can provide personalized recommendations and answer any questions you may have.

Dental Veneers: You Get What You Pay For

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Originally developed for Hollywood starlets, dental veneers have become one of the most popular ways to restore damaged or discolored teeth. However, with veneers costs ranging in the thousands of dollars, many people try to cut costs by ordering veneers online, or traveling out of the country to receive cheap dental work. In today’s post, our Apex dentist explains why cheap veneers can have very negative consequences for your smile, and why you should only receive veneers from an experienced, licensed dentist.

Risk 1: Too Much Enamel is Removed   

To apply veneers, the tooth’s enamel must be filed down, much in the same way fingernails need to be buffed before artificial nails can be applied. Inexperienced or unlicensed dentists might grind away too much enamel, preventing the veneers from fully adhering and causing them to eventually fall off. In addition, having over-filed enamel will make biting and chewing very uncomfortable, if not downright painful.

Risk 2: Not Enough Enamel is Removed

Problems can also arise when the dentist doesn’t grind away enough enamel. Since veneers are about as thick as a plastic credit card, they easily can make the teeth look and feel too bulky. Too much thickness can also impede your speech, making it difficult to pronounce words with certain syllables. Finally, if the veneers are extended too far past the natural teeth, they will crack very easily.

Risk 3: The Color Does Not Match 

High-quality veneers should be slightly translucent, so that they reflect light just like natural teeth. Making veneers the right color and opacity actually requires some artistry on the part of the laboratory that mixes the porcelain, and can’t be easily accomplished by unlicensed technicians. Overly-white, opaque veneers can look extremely fake and garish. 

Veneers Are Not Reversible

The most important thing to know about veneers is that once they have adhered, they cannot be easily replaced. Since they adhere to your ground-down tooth enamel, every new veneer placement takes more enamel and threatens to cause you more sensitivity. Most veneers will need to be redone every 10 or 20 years as they crack or weaken, but redoing them immediately after placement is very risky. 

Get Quality Veneers from Our Apex Dental Boutique!

Veneers are an extremely popular treatment which can help restore your teeth to their natural size, shape, and color—as long as they are created by a licensed professional! If you want your veneers to be matched to the exact color of your teeth, adhere correctly, and last the next few decades without any issues, visit our Apex cosmetic dentist office. To schedule an appointment with us, click here!

Apex NC Dentist Explains Post Surgery Care for Dental Implants

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Dental Implants Procedure & What You Need to Know

It is natural and normal to experience discomfort after getting a dental implant. You might experience minor swelling, bruising, pain, or bleeding at the site of the implant surgery. If any of these symptoms are extremely painful, or worsening over time, they may indicate larger issues that need to be addressed immediately. However, if they only occur for a day after treatment, the following tips can help you find relief.

Be Careful While Eating

About an hour after surgery, you may remove the gauze sponges that have been placed in your mouth and have something to eat. Be sure to eat foods that are soft for the first 24 hours after surgery. Avoid hot foods and drinks, and do not drink from a straw for at least 24 hours.

Minimize Swelling

Swelling often occurs as part of the natural healing process, especially after bone grafting procedures. You can help minimize the amount of swelling by applying an ice pack to your face over the area where surgery was done for the first 24 hours. If you had surgery on both sides, switch the ice pack from one side to the other every 30 minutes. Instead of using ice cubes or medical ice packs, many of our patients prefer bags of frozen corn or peas.

Take Antibiotics as Prescribed

Antibiotics are used to prevent infection on or around the dental implant or bone graft. It is important that you follow the dosage directions on the bottle and continue taking the medication until it’s finished. If you should develop a reaction to the medication, such as skin rash, stop taking the medication and call our office. Note that some antibiotics can interfere with birth control pills, so you should use other methods to prevent pregnancy during this time.

Continue to Brush and Floss

Although the surgery site may be painful, it is still important to practice proper oral hygiene after oral surgery. After 24 hours, you can resume tooth brushing. It may also help to gently rinse your mouth every so often with a mild salt water rinse (1/4 teaspoon of salt in a glass of water). DO NOT use mouth wash or hydrogen peroxide rinses for 14 days.

 Avoid Tobacco Products

Smoking of any kind after oral surgery interferes with the normal healing process and can increase your chances of developing an infection, as well as failure of the implant and or bone grafts. Smokers have a higher risk of implant failure, so avoid smoking until you have fully healed. 

Need a Dental Implant in Apex?

If you think you may be a candidate for dental implants, talk to one of our Apex oral surgeons today about dental implant surgery. Request an appointment here!

Our Apex NC Cosmetic Dentist Shares 6 Benefits of Dental Veneers

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If you want to improve the way that your smile looks, then you should talk to our cosmetic dentist about getting veneers. A veneer is a thin, small shell that is placed over your tooth. There are several benefits that you can reap from getting veneers.

6. Look Natural

One of the reasons that our general dentist in Apex may recommend veneers is because they look natural. The color and contour of the veneers will match your natural teeth. That is why no one will be able to tell that you are wearing veneers.

5. Simple Process

The dental veneers process is simple. Our dentist will have to drill away a small amount of enamel. After that, they will take an impression and send it to the lab. They will then place your veneers.

4. Solve Several Cosmetic Issues

There are many issues that can be corrected with dental veneers. This includes things such as stained teeth, misshapen teeth and gaps. They can also correct slightly crooked teeth.

3. Long Lasting Solution

Another reason that our general dentist in Apex may recommend veneers is because they last a long time. If you take the proper care of them, then they can potentially last for 10 years or longer. However, there are a few things that you can do in order to make them last longer.

You will have to make sure that you brush and floss on a regular basis. You will also need to avoid biting on hard foods because that can damage your veneers.

2. Easy to Maintain

Our cosmetic dentist can tell you how to take care of your veneers. However, you do not have to do anything special to care for them. In addition to caring or them at home, you will need to see a dentist on a regular basis.

1. Less Invasive

If you get a crown, then a dentist will have to remove a large portion of the tooth. Our cosmetic dentist will only remove a small part of your enamel to place the veneers. It is a minimally invasive procedure.

Request an appointment with our local cosmetic dentist today and get your confident smile back!

Enjoy a White Christmas with Our Teeth Whitening Solutions!

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Teeth Whitening Brings Smiles to the Holidays

This holiday season, treat yourself to something that will give you fresh confidence for the new year—tooth whitening services! Hansen Dentistry’s in-office whitening services work faster and last longer than over-the-counter options. If professional tooth whitening just isn’t in your budget, here are some other ways to keep your smile merry and bright this season.

Cut back on teeth-staining foods

Cutting back on stain-inducing foods like wine, coffee, cherries, and tomatoes will help keep your smile whiter, longer. Curry, balsamic vinegar, soda, and sports drinks are also common culprits of teeth staining, as their acidity can erode enamel and cause discoloration. If you can’t imagine cutting out coffee and wine forever, you might try to limit them to weekends-only or, if you don’t mind public ridicule, drink them through the straw.

Use at-home bleaching trays

Although professional whitening provides the best results, it can be pretty expensive. One less-effective, but more affordable option are at-home bleaching trays. Our Apex NC dentist can create custom-fitted bleaching trays which will gradually whiten your teeth over the course of 10 days. The bleach solution we use is weaker than in-office whitening gel, but is still stronger than over-the-counter whitening kits.

What about whitening strips?

Many popular toothpaste brands offer tooth whitening strips, which usually cost around $20 a box. This may seem like a great deal, but remember that when it comes to whitening, the cheapest solution is also usually the least effective. Whitening strips generally only make a noticeable difference in individuals who already have very light teeth. Professional whitening treatments use higher levels of peroxide than over-the-counter products, meaning results will be more dramatic and long-lasting.

Schedule Professional Tooth Whitening in Apex

Since our Apex dentists are able to monitor treatment in-office and adjust it to your needs, we are able to administer much stronger bleaching ages than those that patients can take home. That’s why professional tooth whitening is your best bet for a radiant smile that lasts for up to three years! 

If you’d like to request a tooth whitening appointment in our Apex dentist office, click here to fill out our easy contact form. From all of us at Hansen Dentistry, have a merry Christmas and a happy new year!

6 Foods to Avoid to Save Your Teeth and Why?

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Our local dentist in Apex, NC will recommend that you follow a healthy diet. Not only will this keep you healthy, but it will also keep your teeth and gums healthy. There are several foods that you will need to limit or avoid.

1. Candy

It shouldn’t be a surprise that candy is bad for your teeth. The sugar from the candy clings to your teeth and mixes with the bacteria to create a cavity-causing acid. That is why a Apex, NC general dentist will recommend that you limit your intake of sugar.

2. Acidic Fruits And Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are healthy, but they may be bad for your teeth. Acidic fruits and vegetables, such as lemons, tomatoes and grapefruits, can damage your enamel. You do not have to completely give up fruits and vegetables. However, it is best for you to eat them along with a meal.

3. Starches

Potato chips and bread are examples of starchy foods. They are bad for your oral health as well as your overall health. Starches are broken down into sugar.

4. Alcohol

Alcohol can dry out your mouth. Saliva is needed to keep your mouth clean. If your mouth does not produce enough saliva, then you will be more likely to develop cavities and gum disease.

5. Hard Foods

I knew that I needed to find a dentist near me when I found out how bad hard foods were for your teeth. Hard foods require that you put in more effort to chew. They can cause your teeth to break.

6. Dried Fruits

Our local dentist in Apex, NC will recommend that you eat fresh fruit instead of dried fruit. Dried fruit is much higher in sugar. It can also stick to your teeth.

Request an appointment with our local general dentist today and get your confident smile back!

Lose the Yellow Teeth! Get New Dental Veneers with Our Apex Cosmetic Dentist

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Over time our teeth do get yellow and many of us do not know why this is happening. However one thing we know is, we want to get rid of that yellow color and get the white back! Our Apex NC cosmetic dentist fortunately can help with that as we are a leader for new dental veneers in Apex.

The first thing we need to do is to explore why our teeth get yellow. Below the enamel is a dark color dentin. As the enamel wears thinner over time, this darker dentin is more exposed giving you that off white color. We have all heard that once the enamel is gone it is gone. You can’t get it back. There are no other procedures to hide the darker dentin which has not come through. The other problem is the foods that we eat can contribute to this. The foods that we eat can also stain the enamel, making it a yellow color. For this process the enamel does not even have to wear thin, as the foods stain the actual enamel.

Our cosmetic dentist can give you a whiter smile that you have always wanted. We provide the best dentist for veneers in Apex, which can make your teeth white again. This procedure of veneers can make your teeth white again, even if you have stains on your enamel that cannot be removed. The dental veneers can also work if your enamel is gone and the darker dentin has started to show through. Whichever your situation is veneers can give you a whiter smile.

The process of getting veneers is a simple one and is offered by our Apex NC cosmetic dentist. The veneer is a thin tooth like material that is placed on the outside of your front teeth and works as a shell. These dental veneers will also protect your teeth from further stains. A mold is done, which serves as a foundation for the veneers. The veneers are then made and placed on your teeth. It is a very simple procedure and there is no pain involved.

Getting veneers is a long term solution if your teeth are corroded or stained. A whiter smile can give you the confidence that you did not have before with your current teeth. Veneers provide a long term solution and can give you a whiter smile for years to come.

Understand Why Our Apex NC Cosmetic Dentist LOVES Dental Implants

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Cosmetic dentists prefer to use dental implants for their patients because of the benefits that these appliances can have. A dental implant is a small titanium rod that is put into the jaw bone, acting like a real tooth root. The titanium rod of dental implants actually bond with the jaw bone over the course of about three months. This ensures that the rod is completely secure and can hold a crown, or cap, on top of it once the procedure has been completed and healed.

The reason your dentist in Apex prefers dental implants is because they are a lot less invasive to your teeth than a bridge. A dental bridge uses surrounding teeth to anchor a crown on top of a missing tooth. Because of this, the surrounding teeth have to be filed down to fit the bridge. This is very invasive to teeth that might be in perfectly good condition. When your dentist in Apex uses a dental implant, they are simply adding the crown to the area that is missing the tooth. None of the surrounding teeth will be touched during the procedure and this can ultimately save you a lot of headache and money.

If you are missing a tooth and want to know what your options are for replacing it, be sure to visit cosmetic dentists to see about getting an implant put into your mouth. More and more people are opting for an implant because it is relatively noninvasive and does not destroy the structure of surrounding teeth like a dental bridge might. This is a wonderful option for anyone who is missing a few teeth and who does not want to compromise the rest of their teeth just to have a bridge put in. Be sure to speak with our Apex NC dentist to learn more about this procedure.

Apex Cosmetic Dentist Shares Expectations for Dental Implants Appointment

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Proven Dental Implant Process

Technological advances in treatments and tools used by cosmetic dentists in Apex, NC have improved both the process and the outcome of today’s dental procedures. The focus on minimizing discomfort has derived the tools and devices responsible for reducing the amount of time needed for far superior results. Many of the most complex procedures, such as dental implant surgery, have been reduced to a process so simplified even the recovery time puts past experiences into distant memory.

There is no need for apprehension with modern dental implants. Made from commercially pure titanium or titanium alloys designed to fuse naturally to bone, it all comes down to applying the science of engineering this kind of fit. This is where the ingenuity of improved procedures and materials has completely transformed dental implant surgery.

Modern Dental Implants in Apex NC

Modern dental implants rely on a precision fit for stability and to hasten healing. As with all invasive procedures, the more the body is allowed to maintain homeostasis, the body’s natural ability to maintain its internal stability, the less complications and pain are associated with the outcome. By preparing a precision surgical guide with the aid of X-rays and CT scanning, the osteotomy is performed to create the channel or hole that receives the threaded titanium post and abutment.

Creating this space to receive the post is a process of graduated drilling to perfect the size of the opening and allows the implant to “take” naturally. In addition, therapeutic treatment of water-cooling the tissue during drilling prevents trauma for more natural fusion. This is critical in preserving bone integrity where it is most needed to support dental implants. Depending on each individual case, the crown, bridge or dentures are fitted the same day or soon thereafter.

With this “site preparation” and pre-planning to line-up the existing bite, or occlusion, there is nothing left to chance. Applying this method of gentle tissue management, cosmetic dentists in Apex, NC are able to prescribe mild medication post surgery as the only relief necessary to manage pain and swelling. With this level of expert care, dental implant surgery has become a thankfully uneventful experience.

Seeking a Consultation with Our Cosmetic Dentist in Apex NC?

If you’re wanting to keep a big bright smile, come see Dr. Hansen and the rest of our team at Hansen Dentistry. Our cosmetic dentist in Apex can’t wait to improve your smile and your confidence! To schedule an appointment, click here.

What Forensic Investigators Can Learn From Teeth! | Apex Dentist

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If you watch a lot of crime shows like CSI: Miami, you may already know that teeth are often the only body parts that can survive severe types of destruction, like burning. Because of this, forensic scientists often have only teeth to work with when it comes to identifying a victim of a crime or natural/manmade disaster. In today’s post, our Apex dentist explains some of the things forensics investigators (and anthropologists!) can determine by examining dental fragments.

Age at the Time of Death

Teeth can help indicate how old an unknown victim was when he or she died. This is especially easy to do when the victim is a child or adolescent, since baby teeth erupt on a generally universal schedule. The first baby teeth start to emerge during the first two years of life; the first two permanent incisors and the first permanent molar emerge between 6 and 8 years of age; and the majority of the remaining permanent teeth erupt between the ages of 10 and 12 years of age. Wisdom teeth tend to erupt around 18 years of age.

Using dentition to age adult victims is a bit more challenging. Once the wisdom teeth have erupted, age can only be estimated by only morphological changes within the teeth. These changes include tooth root translucency, which increases with age; dental wear on the teeth; and the ratio of amino acids in the teeth (D-aspartic acids convert to L-aspartic acids with age).

Racial Determination

There are very slight differences in the skull structure of different races, which can help assist forensic investigators in identifying victims. People of Asian or Native American descent often have incisors which are shovel-shaped, with ridges on the rear surface of the tooth. People of Caucasian descent tend to have pointier incisors, and smaller teeth overall, often with significant crowding and impacted third molars. Those of African descent rarely have crowding, and the upper teeth often project outwards due to the angled shape of the maxilla. However, these differences are becoming less prevalent, and therefore less useful in identification, as our species becomes less geographically isolated.

Lifestyle & Diet

Teeth hold many clues about an individual’s health issues, even issues that did not originate in the mouth. Tooth loss and erosion of the tooth enamel can be a sign of an eating disorder, or a chronic condition like osteoporosis. Heart disease, skin conditions, blood conditions, and kidney disease can all be identified by examining the teeth. The wear on teeth can also show evidence of what the individual ate and chewed, a detail that is more useful to historic and prehistoric anthropologists.

Individual Dental Characteristics

Forensic dentists can often match victims with specific dental characteristics, like cavity fillings, crown or implant restorations, and orthodontic treatments. If the teeth are damaged by fire, the enamel is often burned off, but post-mortem root canals can still provide clues.

Providing Understanding and Closure

In mass casualty disasters, such as floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, or plane crashes, forensic dentists are enlisted to view the most badly damaged or decomposed remains. Dentists are often be the only ones able to identify the dead, giving them back their names and allowing their families much-needed closure. That’s why, even though it’s unfortunate that these types of situations occur, we should be very grateful for this incredible specialization of dentistry.

Hansen Dentistry is a dentist office in Apex, NC, serving residents of Apex, Cary, and Morrisville. To schedule an appointment with our office, please click here.