Here in San Juan Dental Center, our dentists are highly trained in the practice of orthodontics, the branch of dentistry that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of dental and facial irregularities. Our professionals are particularly skilled in the design, application and control of corrective appliances, such as braces, to bring teeth, lips and jaws into proper alignment and to achieve facial balance. All orthodontists are dentists, but only about 6 percent of dentists are orthodontists.
Many people have crowded or crooked teeth, protruding upper front teeth, or their upper and lower jaws don’t meet in the correct position. Orthodontic treatment is often the answer to correcting these and many other problems. Orthodontic treatment will straighten the teeth or move them into a better position. This not only improves your appearance but also the way your teeth bite together, all the while making your teeth easier to clean. Looking good and feeling good are important components in building self esteem. It is not uncommon for us to hear that a patient is feeling more self-confident even before their treatment is completed.
When your teeth don’t meet correctly, a strain is placed on the muscles of the jaw, causing jaw and joint problems and in some cases headaches. Orthodontic treatment can help reduce the strain by correcting your bite.
Braces today are less noticeable than those of the past. Now, the front teeth typically have a bracket bonded directly to the tooth. Brackets can be metal, clear or colored, depending on the patient’s preference. In some cases, brackets may be bonded behind the teeth. Modern wires are often made of "space age" materials that exert a steady, gentle pressure on the teeth, so that the tooth-moving process may be faster and more comfortable for patients.
Improve your smile, self-esteem, and overall appearance with cosmetic dentistry!
Let us develop a personalized cosmetic dentistry plan for smile enhancement with sensitivity to your needs and budget.
By definition, cosmetic dentistry is the side of dental care that focuses on the overall appearance of your teeth and mouth. Instead of making repairs for medical reasons, almost all cosmetic procedures are done as elective treatment, meaning it is not required in order to live a regular, healthy life. However, this definition doesn't make cosmetic dentistry any less important by medical and dental standards. In fact, many kinds of cosmetic dental treatment can actually enhance the overall function of your teeth.
Most cosmetic dental procedures involve a combination of services unique to your situation and desired outcome. Depending on your smile, you may need to consider veneers, bonding, bridges, implants, tooth whitening, and/or orthodontics.
Dr. Diaz provides custom-made dental crowns made of high-quality, durable ceramic material that is similar in structure to the material of your natural teeth. Your crown will also have the same color as your other teeth, blending in seamlessly with your smile.
A crown (dental cap) is a tooth-like covering placed over a carefully prepared, existing tooth. This procedure strengthens, restores and improves the appearance of your natural tooth.
Crowns are a type of dental restoration which, when cemented into place, fully covers the tooth and gives the tooth added strength. In comparison, a filling is a dental restoration that fills in or covers over just a portion of a tooth. Other terms that are used to refer to dental crowns are "dental caps" and "tooth caps".
Dr. Diaz is an expert in dental implants, using state-of-the-art technology and the best quality materials. If you are missing teeth or need extraction, he can evaluate your situation and give you an honest assessment of what solution would work best for you. You can be confident that he will get your mouth and teeth to full health and provide the best treatment plan.
A dental implant is a tooth that feels and functions like a natural tooth. It is used where there are missing teeth. It is commonly composed of a titanium post and a ceramic crown. Dental implants are anchored to the jawbone and topped with individual replacement teeth, a bridge or dentures that screw, snap or are cemented onto the posts. Not only does a dental implant fill unsightly gaps in a smile, they are also important to deter bone loss.
Advantages of Dental Implants over Dentures or a Bridge
1. Your mouth will be restored as closely as possible to its natural state
2. Permanently fixed and won't loosen
3. Long-lasting
4. Keeps you looking younger by preventing shrinkage of jaw bone
5. Deter further tooth loss
6. No nightly care & adhesives
7. Allow you to eat all foods
8. Don't need to cut down adjacent teeth as in bridges
Fixed bridges and removable dentures are not the perfect solution to missing teeth and often bring with them a number of other problems. Removable dentures may slip or cause embarrassing clicking sounds while eating or speaking. Of even greater concern, fixed bridges often require the cutting down of adjacent healthy teeth, and removable dentures may lead to bone loss in the area where the tooth or teeth are missing. Recurrent decay, periodontal (gum) disease and other factors often doom fixed bridgework to early failure.
For these reasons, fixed bridges and removable dentures usually need to be replaced every seven to 15 years, compared to an up to 25-year life span for dental implants.
What Are Wisdom Teeth?
Wisdom teeth, officially referred to as third molars, are usually the last teeth to develop. They are located in the very back of your mouth, next to your second (or twelve year) molars and near the entrance to your throat. Third molars are usually completely developed between the ages of 15 and 18, a time traditionally associated with the onset of maturity and the attainment of "wisdom."
By the age of eighteen, the average adult has 32 teeth; 16 teeth in the upper jaw and 16 teeth in the lower jaw. Unfortunately, the average adult mouth is only large enough to accommodate 28 teeth. It can be painful when 32 teeth try to fit in a mouth that holds only 28 teeth.
Why Should I Have My Wisdom Teeth Removed?
Wisdom teeth commonly do not have enough room to properly erupt into our mouth where they can become fully functional and cleansable teeth. This lack of space can result in a number of harmful effects on your overall dental health. When a tooth cannot erupt into proper alignment, we call it impacted, which simply means “stuck” in an improper position.
There are several types, or degrees, of impaction:
Soft Tissue Impactions – There is adequate jaw bone to allow the wisdom tooth to erupt, but not enough room to allow the gum tissue to be properly positioned and attached to the tooth. This causes tremendous problems because it is not possible to keep the area clean. Infection commonly occurs, resulting in swelling and pain.
Partial Bony Impactions – There is enough space to allow the wisdom tooth to partially erupt, but it cannot function in the chewing process. The tooth remains partially covered by bone and soft tissue. Once again, keeping the area clean is impossible and problems commonly develop.
Complete Bony Impactions – There is no space for the tooth to erupt. The tooth is completely covered by bone, or if it is partially exposed through the bone, it requires complex removal techniques.
Unusually Difficult Complete Bony Impactions – The impacted wisdom tooth is in an unusual and difficult position to remove.
If you do not have enough room in your mouth for your wisdom teeth to erupt into proper position they can cause a multitude of problems, such as:
Infection – Without enough room for total eruption, the gum tissue around the wisdom tooth can become irritated and inflamed, resulting in recurrent pain, swelling and problems with chewing and swallowing.
Damage to Adjacent Teeth – If there is inadequate room to clean around the wisdom tooth, the tooth directly in front of the wisdom tooth, the second molar, can be adversely affected resulting in gum disease (bone loss) or cavities (caries or decay).
Disease – Non-infectious diseases also can arise in association with an impacted wisdom tooth. Cysts are fluid-filled “balloons” inside the jawbone which are associated with impacted wisdom teeth and slowly expand, destroying adjacent jawbone and occasionally adjacent teeth. Although rare, certain tumors can be associated with impacted teeth. Both of these conditions can be very difficult to treat.
Crowding – Although controversial, many feel that impacted wisdom teeth directly contribute to crowding, or shifting, of your teeth. This crowding is usually most noticeable in the lower front teeth. This is most commonly seen after a patient has had braces. There are most likely a number of factors that cause our teeth to shift and impacted wisdom teeth may play a contributory role. Although wisdom tooth removal cannot be recommended solely to avoid crowding, it can be recommended in order to absolutely eliminate any possible role in future crowding and other bite changes.
Periodontal (gum) diseases attack the soft tissues and bone that surround and support your teeth. There are several forms of gum disease. Gingivitis, an early reversible stage, causes the gums to become red, swollen and bleed easily. It can usually be eliminated by daily brushing and flossing.
Periodintitis, a more advanced stage, causes destruction of the soft tissues and bone that surround and support your teeth. It is the major cause of tooth loss amount adults and affects three out of four adults age 35 or older. Only your dentist can treat the more advanced damage caused by periodontitis. Because it is often painless, it may go unnoticed. That is why daily hygiene and dental checkups are important.
What Causes Gum Disease
Gum disease, simply put, is an infection of the gums. It is caused by plaque, a sticky, colorless film of bacteria that constantly forms on the teeth. These bacteria create toxins that irritate the gums, causing them to become imflamed and to bleed easily. Over a period of time, if the irritation persists, the gums pull away from the teeth, forming pockets. Plaque then forms in these pockets. Eventually the infection starts destroying the gum tissue and the underlying bone. The teeth may then become loose and fall out or need to be removed.
What Happens During An Exam?
During an exam, your dentist will check the color and firmness of your gums, make sure your teeth are not loose and make sure your teeth fit together properly when you bite. An instrument called a probe is inserted between your tooth and gum to determine if the gum has detached from the teeth. X-rays also help determine if any bone has been destroyed.
The Road To Healthy Gums Is Paved With Good Oral Hygiene You don't have to lose your teeth because of gum disease. Remember to brush and floss daily, eat a balanced diet and see
*Gums that bleed during toothbrushing
* Red, swollen or tender gums
* Gums that have pulled away from your teeth
* Persistent bad breath
* Plus between the teeth and gums
* Loose or separating teeth
* A change in the way your teeth fit together when you bite
* A change in the fit of partial dentures
A root canal is a dental procedure that repairs an inflamed or infected nerve. During this procedure, the nerve or pulpal tissue is cleaned out and then the pulp chamber is filled and sealed with a biocompatible material, allowing a tooth to be saved.
Treatment
In the past, if you had a tooth with a diseased nerve, you'd probably lose that tooth. Today, with a special dental procedure called root canal treatment, you may save that tooth.
Inside each tooth is the pulp and the nerve. The nerve is the vestige of the tissue that originally formed the tooth. Once the tooth has been in the mouth for a time, the functioning of the nerve is no longer necessary.
When a tooth is cracked or has a deep cavity, bacteria can enter the pulp. Germs can cause an infection inside the tooth. Left without treatment, pus builds up at the root tip, in the jawbone, forming a "pus-pocket" called an abscess. An abscess can cause the pulp tissue to die. When the infected pulp is not removed, pain and swelling can result. Certain byproducts of the infection can injure your jawbones and your overall health. Without treatment, your tooth may have to be removed.
Treatment often involves from one to three visits. During treatment, your general dentist or endodontist (a dentist who specializes in problems of the pulp) removes the diseased pulp. Next the pulp chamber and root canal(s) of the tooth are cleaned and sealed. Often posterior teeth that have endodontic treatment should have a cast crown placed in order to strengthen the remaining structure. Then as long as you to continue to care for your teeth and gums with regular brushing, flossing, and checkups so that the root(s) of the restored tooth are nourished by the surrounding tissues, your restored tooth can last a lifetime.
Most of the time, a root canal is a relatively simple procedure with little or no discomfort involving one to three visits. Best of all, it can save your tooth and your smile!
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