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It’s Never too Late to Straighten Your Smile

Braces as an adult? No way. At least, that was what I thought when my dentist told me that I was going to have to see an orthodontist about my crooked teeth. But my teeth were so misaligned that they were causing me pain when I chewed, so I decided to at least look into it. Turns out braces today are nothing like the ones my friends had when I was a kid. Mine were practically invisible, and I didn't need to wear them that long. I started this blog to encourage other people like me who are nervous about the prospect of wearing braces as an adult. My straight smile is so worth the trips to the orthodontist, and wearing braces was nowhere near as bad as I thought. Read on to find out more about how you can straighten your smile.

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It’s Never too Late to Straighten Your Smile

2015

When Is A Dental Problem An Emergency?
If you're having a new dental issue, you may be wondering if it requires immediate care. How do you know what's an emergency and what can wait for an appointment? Here are issues that require emergency dental care:  1. Filling or crown falls out If you have a filling or a crown that falls out you will know almost immediately. You will experience sensitivity to temperature and the tooth will throb when you bite or clench your jaws.

Options For Dealing With Damage From Grinding Your Teeth
If you have the habit of grinding your teeth, some of your teeth may be damaged. When you grind your teeth, you wear down the enamel. This changes the shape of some of your teeth. Your front teeth may become flat across the top, like they've been filed down. Your teeth could also develop chips and sharp points. This damage can be repaired, but you should also address your grinding habit so further damage is prevented.

3 Things You Should Do To Properly Care For Your Toothbrush
Many people know how important it is to brush and floss their teeth daily. They do what they can to keep their teeth clean without realizing that the toothbrush that they are using is not as effective as it could be. Toothbrushes can carry bacteria, become damaged or just become overall ineffective with improper care. This is why it is important that everyone understand how to care for their toothbrush so that they can get the cleanest brush possible.

Sedation Dentistry 101 : A Guide For First-Time Patients
Even though going to the dentist is not always a dreadful event, there are many people who feel their heart skip a few beats at the whole idea of even simple procedures, such as having a cavity filled or a bad tooth extracted. As many as one in five patients have a sincere fear of the dentist, and if you consider yourself fearful, sedation dentistry is likely to be a form of treatment you have considered.

FAQs About Dental Implants
You have many options available to replace your missing teeth, including dental implants. Implants can be pricey, but they come with a lot of advantages that other teeth replacement options do not. If you are considering implants, here is what you need to know. What Are the Advantages of Implants? The most obvious advantage of dental implants is that they replace any missing teeth that you have. As a result, you are able to eat and speak better.

If You Break A Fang Right Before Halloween, A Cosmetic Dentist Can Help
If you're a vampire, breaking a fang this close to Halloween could be a nightmare physically and socially. No self-respecting creature of the night wants to be seen without his or her fangs intact. Fortunately, cosmetic dentistry's come a long way over the centuries, so here's what you can do to fix the problem in a hurry: Get Dental Bonding For A Fast Solution. Dental bonding offers the quickest and easiest way to cover a broken fang.

3 Diseases Affected By The Condition Of Your Teeth And Gums
If you are wondering how to lessen your chance of developing a serious disease, you may only need to reach for your toothbrush and dental floss. Although the way that you care for your teeth directly affects your oral health, it also affects your overall health. Dental health has been linked to diseases that, on the surface, don't appear to be tooth-related at all. Here are a few diseases that are impacted by the condition of your teeth and gums:

4 Tips For Getting Used To Dentures
If you are going to be getting dentures, you want to become educated on the things you can do to get used to them faster. The sooner you are able to get used to the dentures, the sooner you can put an end to the irritation and sore spots. You will also find it easier to eat, talk and even laugh with them in once you get adjusted to them. These 4 tips will help you through the process of getting comfortable with your new dentures.

Teaching Your Child to Enjoy Brushing
If you have a small child, teaching them the importance of brushing their teeth will be one of the many life lessons you will be responsible to teach them. There are several ways to instill positive tooth cleaning practices into your child's daily routine. Here are some ideas you can use to help your child learn that brushing their teeth is an act to take seriously while putting some fun into the procedure.

The Reasons For Using A Dental Implant To Replace Teeth
Whether due to a sudden blow to your mouth or a lack of dental hygiene, you can lose a tooth. Most people will want to replace teeth at the front of their mouth simply to avoid the negative social stigma that comes with a gap-filled smile. On the other hand, if you have a missing tooth in the back of your mouth, you should be able to get away without replacement, right?

Smile Makeover Vs. Full Mouth Restoration - Which Is Right For Right For You?
Although a smile makeover and a full mouth restoration involve many of the same dental procedures, such as dental implants, veneers, gum bleaching, crowns and more, full mouth restorations go much further. Furthermore, smile makeovers are typically elective because these patients only need dental procedures to improve the appearance of their smiles. In contrast, full mouth restorations are something patients need in order to improve the quality of their lives. This is because full restoration candidates may find it hard to eat certain foods because of missing teeth, painful gum disease, jaw pain, loose teeth and more.

Setting Up Dental Appointing For A Child With Special Needs
Children sometimes fear a visit to the dentist. Such fear could make it difficult for adults to make sure young ones go on that all-important yearly trip for a dental cleaning. Parents and guardians of young ones with special needs might discover bringing a child to an annual checkup is even more difficult. Thankfully, new innovations in approaches to dental care are making checkup visits better accessible to children with special needs.

What You Need To Know About Cleft Lip And Palates
Cleft lips and palates probably aren't a sight common to your everyday life, but this condition is actually shockingly common in the United States -- about 1 in every 1000 births, making it one of the most common birth defects in the United States. But, like most developmental disturbances, cleft lips and palates aren't one-size-fits-all and each case comes with its own unique challenges and conditions. If you're curious exactly what having a cleft lip and palate could mean for your future child, then here's what you need to know.

3 Reasons To Consider Invisalign
Invisalign is a great alternative to braces, mostly because of the many advantages that they can provide. The fact that aligners are removable, almost invisible, and made out of plastic are all great reasons to consider Invisalign instead of traditional braces. Removable One of the biggest disadvantages to wearing traditional braces is that they are not removable without an orthodontist's help. This means that if the braces ever get uncomfortable, and they will, you will not be able to do anything about it without making an appointment and asking the orthodontist if he or she can do anything to alleviate the discomfort by adjusting the braces.

Black Or Brown Growth On The Teeth: What Is Happening In My Mouth?
Over the normal course of time, your teeth start building up a layer of plaque. This occurs despite your best efforts to brush after every meal, floss and visit the dentist twice yearly. As you eat, drink, talk, sleep, and breath the normal bacteria in your mouth feed on the carbohydrate particles that are frequently left on your teeth, despite your best efforts. As the bacteria feed on these particles, an acid starts to build up, and plaque is formed.

Replacing Your Missing Or Damaged Teeth: Exploring Your Options
Whether your teeth were damaged as the result of trauma or decay, the ability to replace your missing and damaged teeth can play a huge role in restoring both beauty and function to your smile. Thankfully, there are two highly effective tooth-replacement options available to help you accomplish this goal. These options are the use of dentures or dental implants. While both of these options will offer some rather impressive benefits, it is important to note that not all patients will be good candidates for both of these options.

What Are The Possible Complications Associated With Dental Implants?
For many years now, people have been relying on dental implants as a solution for their missing teeth. What exactly are dental implants, you may ask. Well, dental implants, also known as teeth implants, are artificial anchors that are usually fixed into a person's jaw bone to permanently support dentures or crowns. As with any surgical procedure, dental implants come with their share of complications and other problems. The following are the most common complications associated with dental implants.

2 Things Your Dentist Wants You To Stop Doing
As you politely chit-chat with your dentist, you might wonder how they really feel about your teeth. Are your teeth worse than your husband's? Why are your gums so sensitive? Although your dentist might answer your questions with the finesse of a professional, he or she might wish that you would quit your bad habits. Here are two things your dentist wants you to stop doing, and how they could affect your teeth:

2 Reasons To Stop Delaying That Root Canal Appointment
Root canals are a common dental procedure in which the dentist opens up a tooth to clean out an infected section inside. The procedure usually becomes necessary when a tooth becomes painful or when a widespread dental infection can be traced back to a single tooth source. Cost and misconceptions about the procedure might have you procrastinating on making a root canal appointment. Here are two reasons you might want to make that dental appointment today.

Loose Or Fractured Dental Implant? 3 Causes And Treatments For Failed Dental Implants
Although problems are rare with dental implants, they have been known to pop up from time to time. As someone who has dental implants, you should be able to recognize the signs of failure so that you can have your implant evaluated by your dentist as soon as possible. As with most things, failing dental implants are better treated if they are dealt with early. Therefore, it's vital that you understand common causes for implant failures and how to recognize them.

Don't Leave Out Your Tongue From Your Dental Hygiene Routine
Ask many people about their dental care habits and few will mention doing anything with their tongue. Good dental hygiene consists of taking care of all of the structures in the mouth: teeth, gums and tongue. Learn why leaving your tongue out of your routine means that you're not doing the best dental hygiene you can. What Your Tongue Does For You Your tongue is essentially a large muscle that is used to move food around in your mouth and for speaking.

Answers For A Couple Of Common Dental Care Questions
Dental care is is one of the medical areas that many people make the critical mistake of overlooking. However, this can result in major damage to the teeth, and these damages can cause your smile to lose some of its aesthetic appeal. While your dentist can help keep your smile beautiful, there may be a couple of questions you need answered.  Why Do Teeth Develop Sensitivity? Sensitivity to temperature extremes is a very routine problem that many dental patients will encounter.