Little Rock Family Dental Care Blog

What is an Abscessed Tooth?

July 10, 2017

An abscessed tooth occurs when bacteria causes an infection in your gums and even inside your teeth. This creates a pocket of pus that is unable to drain, therefore becoming swollen and painful. This is known as an abscess and it acts as a barrier around the infection to stop its spread. However, if left untreated, the bacterial infection can escalate to other parts of the mouth and affect your overall health.

There are two different kinds of abscesses, including:

Periodontal abscess — An infection between the tooth and gum usually caused by food getting trapped there and poor cleaning of the teeth to get that food debris out. In severe cases, the bacteria can build up and affect the bone.
Periapical abscess — An infection inside the tooth pulp. The pulp is the soft tissue and nerves inside of the root canal, and it can succumb to an infection and begin to die. This type of abscess can also spread to the surrounding bone.

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What to Do if You Have a Chipped or Cracked Tooth

June 10, 2017

The first thing to do if your tooth has a visible chip or if you suspect a crack is to make an appointment to see your dental care professional as soon as possible. As with any oral problem, if you leave it untreated, it can get worse and result in severe complications down the line.

Immediate Care After a Chipped or Cracked Tooth Occurs

For both chips and cracks, you always first want to protect the tooth from further damage before you are able to get into an appointment with a dentist.

Rinse your mouth with warm salt water and cover the tooth with either a fresh piece of gauze or dental cement (found at most drugstores). Avoid eating or drinking as much as you can. However, if this is not possible, then try to avoid food and beverages that have extreme temperatures, are high in sugar or acid, or are hard. Also, chew on the opposite side of the mouth that isn’t affected. (more…)

Tips For a Whiter Smile

May 31, 2017

When you look your best, you feel your best, and that all starts with a vibrant smile! Many people feel insecure about their teeth yellowing, especially as they grow older. The friendly associates at Little Rock Family Dental have compiled a list of tips to help you naturally maintain a whiter smile. If you would like a more significant solution to your yellowing problems, contact us for teeth whitening services!

Tips to Maintain a Whiter Smile

Limit (or try to avoid entirely) these foods and drinks that yellow your teeth:

Cigarettes
Coffee
Other dark-pigmented food and drinks like wine, tea, and certain berries
Processed food
Drinks high in acid like soda and energy drinks
Citrusy food like lemons

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Reasons to Choose Sedation Dentistry

May 24, 2017

Sedation dentistry, which involves the use of sedation to ease along a dental treatment, is used by many different people of different ages and for a variety of reasons.

Sedation dentistry can range from the use of nitrous oxide in which patients are awake and able to respond but are in a deep state of relaxation, to general anesthetics used to put patients fully to sleep. Procedures like fillings, bridges, crowns, extractions, root canals, and cosmetic procedures often require the use of some sort of sedation. It is a very common method of dentistry, and there are many reasons to ask your dentist about whether it is right for you. (more…)

Is Flossing Effective?

March 24, 2017

For years and years, we and other dentists have been drilling into not only your teeth, but your heads, that flossing is one of the most important steps of your morning or nightly routines. That flossing is crucial in the prevention of gingivitis and gum disease. That if you don’t floss every single day of your life, all of your teeth will fall out by the age of 30!!! Whatever you heard, one thing was certain: flossing was just as important as brushing your teeth… which might not be as true as we once believed.

You may have heard about all the hubbub late last year: flossing might be ineffective. It started out when the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services did not mention flossing in one of their reports on dietary guidelines for Americans. A short time after that, the Associated Press released an article called, “Medical benefits of dental floss unproven” in which it suggested that there is only weak evidence for flossing’s effectiveness. (more…)