Gnathology
The temporomandibular joint, known as the TMJ, connects the jaw to the skull. This joint is critical for daily functions such as speaking, chewing, swallowing, yawning, and clenching. When pain is experienced in these areas, it is called temporomandibular disorder, a condition that can be both annoying and limiting.
- Typical symptoms of TMJ disorder include:
- Pain in the jaw area
- Discomfort or ringing in the ears. Muffled or plugged ear
- Frequent headaches or neck pain
- Clicking or popping during opening and/or closing jaw movement
- Muscle spasms in the jaw region
- Changes in the alignment of upper and lower teeth
- Locking of the jaw or difficulty opening the mouth
If you experience any of these symptoms, please contact us. We will analyze your situation and create a personalized treatment plan to alleviate your discomfort. If you occasionally experience jaw pain, here are some tips to reduce discomfort and prevent recurrence:
- Relax your facial muscles by keeping your lips closed and your teeth apart
- Avoid grinding your teeth
- Chew evenly on both sides of the mouth
- Avoid resting your chin on your hand
- Maintain correct posture with head up and shoulders back
Many people suffer from TMJ disorders even without ever having received orthodontic treatment. Symptoms may occur intermittently, regardless of the use of orthodontic appliances. If you have concerns about the need for treatment for a TMJ disorder, please do not hesitate to contact us for a consultation.
A splint is a plate made of acrylic resin designed to address problems related to mandibular dislocation by reversibly changing the contact between the teeth. It is used to relieve symptoms associated with bruxism, such as joint pain, muscle tension, headaches and tinnitus.
TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint, the joint that connects the temporal bone of the skull with the jaw. It is easily palpable: just place your index finger near your ear during the opening and closing of your mouth to feel its movement. This joint is among the most delicate in our body.
A gnathologist is a professional who specializes in temporomandibular joint disorders and issues related to chewing, swallowing, and jaw-skull relationships. Through detailed evaluations, the gnathologist is able to diagnose problems such as TMJ dysfunction, bruxism, and malocclusion.
Oral Surgery
If you decide to keep your wisdom teeth, practicing good oral hygiene is essential. Regular professional visits and annual x-rays are essential to monitor the health of your teeth and gums, ensuring that issues do not develop over time.
After surgery, it is normal to have some swelling and mild discomfort. Cold compresses can help reduce swelling, while prescribed medications will relieve pain. It is advisable to modify the diet temporarily, gradually replenishing normal foods during the healing process.
Before the surgery, we will discuss the procedure and answer any questions you may have. It is important to communicate any medical conditions and medications you are taking, as these factors can affect the complexity of the extraction. Most extractions can be performed with local anesthesia or conscious sedation as needed.
If left untreated, impacted wisdom teeth can cause a variety of problems, including:
- Damage to Neighboring Teeth: They can damage adjacent molars.
- Infections: The area is difficult to clean, making it susceptible to bacteria and gum disease.
- Systemic Problems: Bacteria can enter the bloodstream, causing infections that could cause damage that extends beyond the oral cavity.
- Cysts or Tumors: They can form around untreated teeth, causing bone and nerve damage.
A tooth is considered impacted when it fails to erupt fully into the mouth, often because of insufficient space. It is estimated that about 90% of people have at least one impacted wisdom tooth.
Removing wisdom teeth is generally easier in younger patients because the roots are not fully developed and the bone is softer. With age, the procedure can become more complex due to root formation and ossification of the jawbone.
It is often thought that if asymptomatic, wisdom teeth are not a problem. However, the absence of symptoms does not necessarily mean that there are no ongoing complications. Regular evaluation of third molars to identify any issues is very important.
Common indications for extraction include:
- Infections or gum disease
- Unrepairable caries
- Presence of cysts or tumors
- Damage to neighboring teeth
Wisdom teeth that are fully erupted, without decay, and surrounded by healthy gums may not require extraction, but need regular professional checkups and cleanings.
Dental Emergencies
It is not uncommon for a child to suffer a tooth injury, either by playing, playing sports or in an accident. In any case we are always available to see small patients or adults, call us and we will try to arrange a same-day visit. In the meantime, wash the wound with running water. Generally the trauma also affects the soft tissue, so the lips and gums should also be washed carefully. Try to stop any bleeding by compressing the traumatized area with gauze. Check if the teeth are intact or if they broke. In the second case, look for the fragment and place it in saline, saliva or milk and bring it with you to the appointment. It may be possible to reattach the fractured tooth fragment. Should the trauma have resulted in the loss of the entire tooth, it is important to try to reach the dentist as soon as possible. In the meantime keep the tooth in a moist environment, saliva, milk or saline.
Pediatric Dentistry
Parents often report to us their concerns about whether or not to care for deciduous (baby) teeth since they will then be replaced by permanent teeth from the child’s age of six. In reality, baby teeth should be preserved as much as possible! These act as a guide for the proper placement of the permanent teeth and serve to maintain space in the arch to prevent future crowding of the permanents.
Tooth fissure sealing is a key preventive procedure to reduce the risk of tooth decay in children, particularly in their first permanent teeth, such as their first molars (which generally erupt around age 6). This technique involves applying a special resin to the chewing surfaces of the teeth, which closes the small natural grooves where cavities can easily occur.
The good news is that sealing does not require anesthesia or cause pain, making it a simple and safe option. The recommended age for performing this procedure varies depending on when molars emerge. Typically, it is recommended to seal first molars around age 6 and second molars around age 11-13.
Importantly, sealing is recommended as part of primary prevention, particularly for permanent sixths. At age six, children do not yet have the manual dexterity to effectively clean the grooves, so sealing becomes crucial to prevent caries formation. However, it is crucial to accompany this procedure with proper daily brushing to achieve the best results in dental health.
In conclusion, groove sealing is a preventive measure that can make a difference in children’s oral health by helping them maintain healthy and strong teeth over time.
Oral hygiene care in babies begins even before the first baby tooth appears. Mothers can start by cleaning the baby’s gums with moist gauze, thus setting the stage for proper hygiene. When the first baby teeth emerge, it is important to use appropriate toothbrushes recommended by the dentist or hygienist, initially with parental assistance and later independently. The first visit to the dentist should be between the ages of 2 and 3 years, to check the eruption of baby teeth.
At Anestident Specialized Dentistry, we offer key information on preserving children’s oral health from their earliest months of life. We discuss the importance of fluoroprophylaxis, the benefits of breastfeeding, how to correct bad habits, food hygiene, and sealants. This information helps moms understand how to keep one of the most valuable assets healthy: their children’s mouths.
Establishing good oral hygiene habits from an early age is crucial to ensuring healthy teeth throughout life. It is essential not to wait for a visit to the dentist just in case of tooth decay or trauma; bringing children to the office before age 3-4 allows them to become familiar with the environment, develop trust in the practitioners, and allow the dentist to detect any problems early. The operators’ playful and positive approach helps create a peaceful experience, thus encouraging healthy habits.
Implant Dentistry
Implant dentistry is a branch of dentistry that has undergone significant technological developments over the past few years. Today it offers advanced solutions to replace missing teeth and restore oral health. The time required for these therapies can be relatively short (a few weeks) or last many months, sometimes fitting within a course of treatment that can last for years. No wonder, then, that in the face of such variability in duration many patients feel bewildered and wonder why an acquaintance of theirs underwent a dental extraction and put in a new tooth immediately, while they were presented with significantly longer times. This short article aims to illustrate the different aspects that influence the timing of implant dentistry, while also answering the most common questions about the concept of “fixed teeth in a day.”
The most conservative solution to replacing a missing tooth is to place a dental implant. This is a screw, (usually made of titanium), that replaces the root of the lost tooth, onto which the prosthesis (the new tooth) is installed after healing is complete. The implant becomes fixed in the bone through a delicate healing process called osseointegration. This begins from the moment the implant is placed and continues for several months. Traditional protocols call for healing times of about six months; the development of new implant shapes and highly biocompatible surfaces that promote osseointegration have reduced these times in many cases to about 12 weeks.
Immediate Loading:
Immediate loading is an approach that allows the new tooth or teeth to be connected to the implant on the same day or days immediately following placement. This protocol is adopted when the dental implant has sufficient stability and there is certainty of its immobility during the healing process. However, this is not always possible because of the patient’s oral health condition and variations in the quality of the bone and surrounding tissues.
Factors Affecting Immediate Loading:
- Quantity and Quality of Bone: There must be an adequate amount of bone to stabilize the implant. The bone must be healthy, dense, and free of infection.
- Gingival conditions: The health of the gums and surrounding soft tissues is critical. If gingival inflammation is present this must be brought under control before any implant therapy.
- Case complexity: Situations with bone defects may require additional procedures, such as bone reconstruction before implant placement.
- Degree of cooperation and chewing habits of the patient: In cases where it is possible to place a tooth immediately, the patient should take care not to chew on it at least in the initial stages of healing. If there is any doubt that the patient is unable to provide masticatory stress-free healing to the new implant, it may be more appropriate to adopt a traditional approach.
In light of these observations, it follows that not all clinical situations and not all patients can receive fixed teeth immediately after placement of a dental implant. The decision depends on the patient’s general health condition, periodontal health (of the gums and bone), and the amount and quality of bone tissue in the area that will receive the new tooth.
In conclusion, the timing of implant dentistry is subject to multiple variables. Significant advances in the field of implant dentistry now make it possible to perform minimally invasive procedures and in some cases replace missing teeth with a new tooth immediately. This is a source of great satisfaction for the clinician and especially for patients who are able to restore aesthetics in a short period of time. For this to occur, a number of conditions must exist to ensure that the treatment is successful in the best possible way and without taking any risks. Some clinical situations make it impossible to install a new tooth immediately or even require waiting a long time before implant placement because periodontal disease will need to be brought under control first to ensure lasting results.
A tooth lost due to decay, trauma, or gum disease can be replaced with either a removable option or a fixed new tooth. The solution of choice, the least invasive one, to give you back a fixed tooth, is the placement of a dental implant. In fact, in this way, the missing tooth can be replaced with an esthetic outcome that is very similar to that of the natural tooth without touching the adjacent teeth, which would be necessary in case of opting for a traditional bridge.
Technically, the term “dental implant” refers to the artificial tooth root that is placed in the maxillary or mandibular bone to support a new prosthetic tooth or bridge. However, very often when lay people talk about “implant,” they are referring to the combination of the implant proper (the artificial root) and the prosthetic crown (the new tooth).
There are different types of dental implants, let’s try to provide some clarity:
First, it is good to distinguish between two main types:
- Endosseous (implants placed in bone): the most common dental implants. They can have various shapes: cylindrical, conical, or bladed. They are surgically placed inside the bone. Through a healing process called osseointegration over the course of a few weeks the adjacent bone “attaches to the implant” and is thus ready to support the chewing loads of the new tooth. Each implant supports one or more prosthetic teeth.
- Sub-periosteal (above-bone implants): this type of implant is placed under the gum but above the bone (not within it) with a metal skeleton that has portions protruding from the gum to allow placement of the new tooth or fixed prosthesis. Sub-periosteal implants are used in patients who are unable to wear conventional dentures and do not have enough bone for an endobony implant.
The most commonly used implants are endosseous implants because they are the ones supported by the strongest scientific evidence and for this reason they are the only type of implant we use at Anestident Specialized Dentistry.
A new tooth on an implant consists of three components: the implant proper (the screw in the bone), the abutment (usually made of metal, it connects the implant to the oral environment by passing through the gum), and the crown (the prosthetic tooth that restores function and aesthetics).
Implants differ from each other in macroscopic anatomy (the shape of the screw), microscopic anatomy (the roughness of the surface), size (there are different lengths and diameters), the shape of the connection between implant and abutment, and the material from which they are made. Most are made of titanium or titanium-zirconium alloys but there are also ceramic implants.
There are dozens of companies on the Italian market that produce dental implants and hundreds of different types of implants. While for one patient one implant may be equivalent to another, in reality there are also important differences in terms of the quality of the scientific research behind the product.
There are implants supported by excellent scientific research and others that although legally available commercially do not have the same solid research behind them.
Interesting in this regard are the data collected in a Gotheborg University study a few years ago (Derks 2015) in which analyzing nearly 600 patients with dental implants it was noted that the risk of the implants becoming diseased over time was also correlated with the presence of periodontal disease, the number of implants placed, whether they were made by a general dentist or a specialist, and finally also with the brand name.
It is for this reason, that based on scientific knowledge, we select the most suitable implant for the individual patient based on the specific clinical situation and use only implants that meet the highest quality standards and supported by validated scientific studies of the highest standard.
The loss of a tooth due to trauma, caries or excessive mobility constitutes an unpleasant event that confronts us with the dilemma of how to replace it. For several years now, we are no longer forced to file down the two adjacent teeth to receive a bridge; in fact, dental implants are now the less invasive solution of choice to predictably and effectively restore function and aesthetics of a lost tooth.
A patient who is a candidate to receive a dental implant often comes to our attention with a number of doubts and uncertainties. One wonders, among other things, what the duration of the surgery will be, whether it will be painful, whether stitches will be used, whether a fixed tooth can be placed immediately, or whether there is a risk of “rejection.”
The increased availability of information has helped, even in the dental field, on the one hand to make the population more aware of treatment options, but on the other hand it might create even more confusion, especially where one is unable to distinguish the authority of sources. One may find oneself reasoning with terms that are not easily understood by the layman such as “immediate loading,” “all on four,” “guided surgery,” “flapless implants,” and “bone regeneration.”
Actually when losing a tooth one should dwell on the causes that led to its loss and what are the pros and cons in the long and in the short term. Sometimes there is a notion that replacing a lost tooth with a dental implant is a solution for life, however, implants just like natural teeth can also become diseased over time. This is why it is very important that every patient with implants is then placed within a course of maintenance therapy.
Dental implants have very high success rates, recent studies show that osseointegration, the process by which an implant “anchors” into the bone, occurs without complications in more than 95 percent of cases. However, there are factors such as untreated periodontitis, poor oral hygiene, uncontrolled diabetes or smoking, which we know negatively affect the health of the gums both around the teeth and around the implants.
For this reason, it is important to assess the general health status, health of the oral cavity, gums, and bone volume (through two- or three-dimensional radiographs), and to determine accordingly the most appropriate time and manner for each patient’s rehabilitation. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. In some cases, for some patients, it will be possible to place a dental implant with a fixed tooth on the same day as the extraction; in others, in patients with periodontitis or limited availability of bone, it may be necessary to defer implant placement only after treating periodontitis or regenerating the bone with therapies that can take up to several months.
Replacing a missing tooth with a dental implant is a highly predictable process that must, however, be experienced as a step in the journey of taking care of the health of one’s oral cavity and thus one’s body and cannot be thought of as the purchase of an item such as a car or a new smartphone.
To regain and maintain a healthy smile over the years, the replacement of a tooth with a new tooth on an implant must be part of a journey of care that begins with the first visit and continues well beyond the placement of the new tooth, through maintenance therapy and prevention.
At Anestident Specialized Dentistry, implantology is performed by highly qualified dentists who have completed advanced training programs. The timeline for placing dental implants varies depending on several factors, including the need for preparatory procedures and the number of teeth to be replaced. Typical steps in the treatment are outlined below:
Initial evaluation
During the initial consultation, a detailed examination of the teeth, gums, and jawbone is performed, making use of the latest technology such as 3D intraoral scanners and CBCT three-dimensional radiography. This evaluation allows for the determination of whether preliminary procedures, such as tooth extractions, are necessary and the creation of an individualized treatment plan. CBCT also facilitates guided surgery planning, ensuring precise and safe implant placement. We will provide detailed explanations of the procedure and answer any questions.
Preparatory Procedures
For patients who require preparatory procedures, a follow-up visit will be scheduled. During this phase, we will perform any dental extractions and bone grafting if necessary. Post-extraction healing generally takes two to three weeks. If bone grafting is required, recovery may take three to six months.
Implant Placement Surgery
The implant placement phase is completely painless because it is performed under local anesthesia (the same anesthetic used for a filling or root canal therapy) and varies in duration depending on the number of implants to be placed, which can range from just over half an hour to about 3 to 4 hours.
Osseointegration
After surgery, the implants begin a process of integration with the jawbone, known as osseointegration. This phase, which is crucial to the success of the treatment, usually lasts two to six months. During this period, we will monitor progress through follow-up visits to ensure there are no complications. In some situations, immediate loading can also be performed, which allows the crown or provisional prosthesis to be placed on the same day of surgery.
Placement of the Restoration
Upon completion of the osseointegration process, we will proceed to take digital impressions of the smile, which will be used by the dental laboratory to fabricate the customized restoration. Once the crown, bridge or implant prosthesis is completed, we will secure the restoration and verify that it fits properly. At this point you will once again be able to chew and smile comfortably having restored a functional and aesthetically pleasing smile.
Endodontics
The most frequent cause of pathology associated with endodontic treatment is caries. Today, carious lesions can be prevented through proper diet, scrupulous home hygiene, periodic professional oral hygiene sessions, follow-up visits by experienced practitioners, targeted radiographic examinations, and performance of small fillings of initial caries preventing greater future damage. New adhesive restorative techniques also play a crucial role in preventing endodontic treatment. In fact, today it is possible to remove only carious tooth tissue and restore the tooth with adhesive materials, limiting the removal of healthy tooth substance that was previously necessary to ensure the mechanical seal of the restoration.
The rubber dam is a simple sheet of colored rubber that is placed at the beginning of the dental session to isolate the teeth that need treatment from the rest of the mouth, allowing the dentist to work in a clean, dry field and the patient to feel protected. With the rubber dam, it is impossible for irritating liquids and instruments to be accidentally swallowed. It also reduces the risk of accidental damage to cheeks and tongue by burs or sharp instruments as a result of sudden movements. Thanks to the dam, once isolated, the teeth to be treated appear more visible and therefore are also more easily treated by the dentist. In fact, the dam has a retracting action on the cheeks, lips, tongue and gums, allowing to have better visibility on the tooth.
Could the dam be uncomfortable? No, the dam allows one to breathe well through the nose and swallow saliva. In addition, it does not force the placement of bothersome saliva aspirators in the mouth or even retracting the cheeks with mirrors in order to get a good look.
Endodontic treatments are not painful. Contemporary anesthesiological techniques ensure absolutely painless sessions, and any postoperative symptoms are controlled with common dental anti-inflammatory drugs. In the presence of more extensive infections, antibiotics may be used.
Endodontic treatment or root canal therapy, is a procedure by which a tooth affected by disease of the pulp (“nerve”) and/or root apex (“granulomas”) due to deep caries, injury to the tooth from trauma or other causes is preserved. Endodontic treatment removes inflamed or infected pulp tissue contained within the crown of the tooth and root canals, maintaining the healthy portion of the tooth and its chewing function, after adequate restoration of the portion of the tooth lost to decay or trauma.
Periodontology
Periodontitis is a disease that affects about one in two adults over the age of 35. In the over-65 age group, more than 70% of the population suffers from it. Of these about 15% are affected by a severe form that can lead more or less rapidly to the loss of their teeth. This disease in its early stages is essentially painless, and the first signs may be bleeding gums or bad breath. In the past, for some people uninitiated, a diagnosis of periodontitis (commonly called gum disease) might have sounded like a death sentence, resigning us to having to wear dentures sooner or later.
Thanks to the advancement of research, this has not been the case for decades now. Periodontitis, especially when diagnosed at a stage that is not yet severe, can be treated with predictable therapies that allow one to maintain one’s teeth for a lifetime.
Periodontal therapy generally consists of two active phases: a first, the quality of the patient’s daily oral hygiene is improved and plaque and tartar are removed by the dentist or dental hygienist bringing infection and inflammation under control. In more advanced stages of disease, a second, so-called surgical, phase may be necessary, where through surgeries the damage caused by the disease to the deep tissues that support the tooth is corrected. The bone is reshaped or regenerated.
The word surgery can instill a certain fear in the collective imagination, this is because perhaps there is a lack of knowledge of modalities, healing time and postoperative course. In reality, the advancement of research in the field of periodontal surgery, the development of new techniques and new instruments make it possible to intervene in an increasingly targeted and less invasive manner.
Periodontal surgery is performed under local anesthesia, that is, with the same anesthesia that is also used for other dental care such as fillings or root canal treatments.
In most cases today when people talk about periodontal surgery, they are talking about minimally invasive procedures that require incisions of only a few millimeters on one side of the tooth thanks to which it is often possible to regenerate the bone and gum tissues that support the teeth in a virtually painless manner. Even when the clinical situation requires working in larger areas of the mouth because of the involvement of multiple teeth, new techniques such as fiber preservation have been shown to give less discomfort to patients in the weeks following surgery than more traditional approaches. In fact, recent studies on the subject conducted by research groups at the University of Turin and the University of Florence have verified that modern approaches to periodontal surgery result in a significant reduction in sensitivity, pain, and pain medication use after surgery.
Although periodontal surgery is becoming less invasive and painful, it should be emphasized that prevention and early diagnosis remain the best weapons. It is important not to underestimate early signs of gingival inflammation such as bleeding and not to wait for pain as a symptom of periodontitis. In fact, nonsurgical therapies of the less severe stages of the disease are much less painful and less expensive than more invasive, corrective ones.
Bone grafting refers to the placement of a regenerative material within a defect (area of bone resorption in the upper or lower jaw) performed to increase volume or to regenerate the amount of bone that has been lost. Graft material can be taken from the patient (autologous), can be of animal origin (xenograft), or synthetic. The use of these materials has been studied for decades, and numerous studies have shown that it is a safe and predictable way to reconstruct lost bone.
Typically, a person may need a bone graft following:
- Dental extraction
- Trauma
- Bone resorption caused by periodontitis
- Replacement of a missing tooth with a dental implant
Bone regeneration procedures are performed every day in our dental clinic. After thorough local anesthesia (the same as when a filling is performed), a small incision is made at the gum level, and after cleaning and disinfecting the area with the bone deficit, graft material is inserted to fill the defect. In many cases, the graft is covered with a membrane (resorbable collagen or nonresorbable, to be removed at a second stage) to provide more protection and prevent the proliferation of gingival tissue in the area where bone tissue is to be regenerated instead. To provide stability and protection to the bone graft, custom titanium meshes can be used. These are meshes that are custom-made for each individual defect following the anatomy analyzed after a 3D radiographic examination (CBCT). Unlike nonabsorbable membranes, these types of devices by adapting with great precision to the anatomy of the defect reduce operative time and promote healing.
There are also molecules that are used to promote graft regeneration. These are gels containing proteins derived from the dental enamel matrix or more recently polynucleotides and hyaluronic acid, which can stimulate and promote cell viability potentially speeding graft maturation.
Finally, the flaps are repositioned and the small incision is closed with resorbable stitches.
Most of these surgeries have a fairly simple postoperative course although minimal swelling and pain controllable with common analgesics can be expected. These side effects generally last a few days.
Usually after bone regeneration surgery, the patient is able to resume normal work and social life activities after a few days. However, the bone healing process takes several months. If bone regeneration was done for the purpose of subsequent placement of a dental implant, the implant may be placed after a healing period of four up to even twelve months. The required time depends on several factors such as the type of bone graft, the area in which the graft was placed, the size of the defect, and the individual healing ability.
The development of surgical techniques in periodontics has now led to a minimally invasive approach where incisions can be only a few millimeters in size. In some cases it is possible to regenerate periodontal defects and reconstruct lost bone tissue without the insertion of grafting materials as long as the stability of the clot, which will then be transformed into new bone, is ensured.
On the other hand, when the graft is placed to regenerate bone volume in preparation for the placement of a dental implant, (after tooth loss), the clot alone will not be sufficient, so it will be necessary to use graft biomaterials that will act as a scaffold and maintain the space so that the body can regenerate the lost tissue.
The potential for oral tissue regeneration is very big, and there are many techniques and materials available.
Periodontitis is a very common disease in the adult population and if left untreated can lead to alveolar bone resorption and tooth loss. The goal of periodontal therapy is to maintain the patient’s teeth by controlling infection and correcting areas of bone resorption caused by the disease.
Surgical periodontal therapies allow regeneration of periodontal tissues (bone, periodontal ligament, and gingiva) that have been lost. The biological potential for periodontal regeneration is very high and can be further exploited through the use of various biomaterials to optimize the results of corrective therapy.
Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease involving the deep tissues surrounding the tooth: bone, gingiva, and periodontal ligament. Its generally slow and gradual progression leads to the loss of the bone surrounding the root of your teeth, the gingiva recedes, and your teeth appear longer.
Healthy gums do not bleed! Bleeding is the manifestation of an inflammatory state that can involve tissue to a greater or lesser degree. The main causes of inflammation are related to the presence of bacterial plaque, but this is not the only factor that causes inflammation. Certain systemic diseases and other individual factors may predispose some patients to periodontal disease. Healthy gums have a pink color, when you see bleeding gums it is very important to brush more carefully involving the gum margins, use interproximal cleaning devices (wire and brush), and visit a periodontist to receive a thorough examination and make early diagnosis. If left untreated, gum disease can spread to the supporting tissues, evolving into periodontitis. More advanced stages of the disease can lead to progressive tooth loss.
Restorative Dentistry
If we see a darker groove on the surface of a tooth, we may suspect that we have a cavity at an early stage, even if it is asymptomatic or simply a pigmentation. The most common symptom related to dental caries is increased sensitivity or pain in the teeth. However, it should be remembered that a carious lesion does not cause pain in its early stages; pain is brought about by the involvement of deeper tissues such as dentin and dental pulp (the nerve) and is characteristic of a caries that is already at an advanced stage.
This is why it is important to undergo periodic checkups and adhere to professional oral hygiene sessions.
A myth to be debunked is the one that the absence of pain also indicates the absence of pathology. Cavities give symptoms when they are deep enough to affect the dentin, while they remain completely asymptomatic initially when still superficial. For this reason, it is important to undergo regular examinations during which any problems can be intercepted. It is good to remember that one must take care of one’s teeth even when everything seems fine.
First, dental enamel begins to weaken due to acids, manifesting as white spots. At this stage, the damage is still reversible with fluoride treatments that promote remineralization of the enamel.
If the process continues, the white spots may darken and turn into caries, requiring removal of the decayed tissue and subsequent application of a restoration or filling.
If left untreated, caries can reach dentin, the layer beneath the enamel that is more vulnerable to acids. At this stage, you may experience sensitivity to cold, heat or sweets. The tooth can be repaired with a restoration, but if the remaining tooth structure is insufficient, you may need to apply a crown to protect it.
Moving on, bacteria can infiltrate the dental pulp, the deep layer that contains blood vessels and nerves, causing pain and pressure. At this point, root canal therapy is needed to remove the infected pulp, fill the space and protect the tooth with a crown.
Finally, if the infection progresses, an abscess may form under the tooth. In these cases, if root canal therapy is not feasible, it may be necessary to extract the tooth and thoroughly clean the infected area. Early intervention is essential to prevent complications and maintain good oral health.
Dental cavities form when carbohydrate-rich foods, such as fruit, candy, bread and milk, stick to the surface of the teeth. If not removed properly, bacteria in the mouth digest these food debris and produce acids. These bacteria aggregate to form a sticky film known as plaque, which, if not removed, causes demineralization of tooth enamel. The acid generated by plaque dissolves the enamel, creating cavities. Over time, plaque can mineralize and harden, turning into tartar, which can only be removed through professional cleaning.
Guided Surgery – Computer Guided Implantology
Computer-guided surgery is especially recommended for:
- Patients who require multiple implants.
- Those with complex bone anatomies.
- People who require immediate implants after extraction.
Intraoral Scanner
Intraoral scanners represent a significant advance among the technologies available in the dental field. These portable devices create digital impressions of your teeth and gums quickly and comfortably, eliminating the need for traditional impression materials that can be unpleasant and uncomfortable.
- Better Comfort: We put your comfort first during dental procedures. Intraoral scanning is faster and more pleasant than traditional methods, which often require bulky trays and unpleasant-tasting materials. With digital scans, you can relax while we create an accurate 3D model of your mouth, allowing us to discuss treatment options in an easy-to-view manner.
- Greater Accuracy: Digital impressions obtained with intraoral scanners offer greater accuracy than traditional methods. This results in restorations, crowns and dentures that fit better, reducing the number of appointments and discomfort for you.
- Time Saving: Our digital scanning process is efficient and saves you valuable time. There is no need to wait for impression materials to dry or worry about cleaning messy trays. This streamlined process allows us to focus more on your care and less on other things.
- Easy Integration: Our intraoral scanners integrate easily into our existing workflows, allowing us to collaborate effectively with digital dental laboratories. This ensures that your treatment is coordinated and efficient from A to Z.
Dental Radiology
Only the area crossed by the beam is directly affected, and the margins of the dental X-ray’s field of action are very clear and by law periodically checked by qualified experts, like all the rest of the X-ray equipment, to protect patients and operators. As an example, the exposure for a periapical film is equivalent to an hour spent outdoors for radiation coming from the sun, which is less filtered by the atmosphere at high altitude. The use of radiographic images at in our practice is always performed according to the ALARA (“as low as reasonably achievable”) principle, that is, every single radiographic examination must be justified. The dose administered to the patient is always taken into account according to the diagnostic information that needs to be obtained. Maximum radiation savings for the patient are provided by systematic rationality in prescribing the most appropriate radiographic examination, adjustment of equipment, appropriate protections applied: radiographs only when needed, done well, stored well.
It is a type of radiograph that can detect the presence of caries, damage to the hard tissues of the tooth such as endodontic lesions, apical granulomas, cysts, or new formations. It is the radiograph that gives an overall image of the teeth and the maxillary and mandibular bones.
It is a radiographic technique that allows visualization of the bone ridge, crowns of upper and lower teeth, and interdental areas (areas between teeth) in order to be able to intercept carious lesions between teeth.
