Healthy Smiles Family Dental

Cold weather means bad news for peoples’ lips. We at Salem’s Healthy Smiles Dental want our patients to know how to maintain good oral health, so we thought it would be a good idea to go over some ways of preventing the soft tissues of the mouth from chapping, particularly for our patients who will be experiencing drier weather. Lip balm is certainly helpful for sealing in moisture. But users should be aware that products with fragrances or that contain menthol can be an irritant. Licking the lips will prove counterproductive because as saliva evaporates, it will take more moisture with it. Long, hot showers will also make the chapping problem worse. Another bad way of dealing with chapped lips is to tuck them under the teeth, which will further bruise them and could cause them to swell. Few people would hold their lips under their teeth long enough to develop an open bite, but it could become a habit and interfere with orthodontic therapy. For better results, try using humidifiers to ...

Teeth erupt in stages and wisdom teeth are the third and final set of molars we receive around the ages of 17-21. Not everyone accrues wisdom teeth, which means not everyone needs them extracted. Wisdom teeth that only partially emerge or come in crooked can lead to painful crowding and oral infection. If you are experiencing facial discomfort and still have your wisdom teeth intact, it may be time to discuss extraction with our doctors at Healthy Smiles Family Dentistry. When wisdom teeth are misaligned, they may position themselves horizontally, or at an inward/outward angle. Poor alignment of wisdom teeth can crowd the mouth or damage adjacent teeth. Wisdom teeth are often unnecessary because we don’t require them to chew our food. Also, people who keep them are more prone to tooth decay and periodontal disease because they are hard to reach, therefore, difficult to clean. If wisdom teeth are causing you oral discomfort, we can discuss treatment options. If you have questions or con...

Root canals have a bad reputation, but they are necessary to save a tooth from becoming badly decayed or infected. A root canal procedure is performed when the nerve of the tooth becomes infected or the pulp becomes damaged. During a root canal procedure, the nerve and pulp are removed, and the inside of the tooth is cleaned and sealed. Here at the Healthy Smiles Family Dental, each of our dental professionals take great pride in their profession and will make your root canal treatment as painless as possible.  During the first visit, you will be given a local anesthetic to numb the area. A rubber sheet may be placed around the tooth to isolate it. Next, access is drilled from the crown into the pulp chamber, which, along with any infected root canal, is cleaned of all diseased pulp and reshaped. Medication may be inserted into the area to kill bacteria and prevent additional infection. Depending on your tooth’s condition, the crown may be inserted into the area to kill bacteria and pr...