Healthy Smiles Family Dental

  Sugar negatively impacts your teeth in a big way. We at Healthy Smiles Family Dental in Salem, OR, take pride in educating our patients about the importance of restricting sugary foods and drinks. It would be ideal to cut these out of your diet completely, but we understand that sometimes there’s nothing better than a crisp soda on a hot day. More attention should be paid to, say, how many sugary beverages you drink in a day or week. Is it really adding up? If so, consider restricting your intake for the sake of your teeth.   Sugar easily coats the surface of your teeth and attracts the “bad bacteria,” such as Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus . These destructive bacteria feed on the sugar and disturb the natural pH of your mouth, to the point where the acidity is too much for your teeth. Over time, the enamel on your teeth is broken down little by little. This isn’t ideal since tooth enamel cannot be replaced. Once that natural barrier is gone, it’s gone for good. Ha...

At Healthy Smiles Family Dental, we advise our patients who are experiencing a toothache to visit us for a consultation straightaway. Some causes of toothaches include tooth decay, infected gums, teeth grinding, and a tooth fracture. More often than not you can prevent toothaches by practicing good oral hygiene. Our patients that grind their teeth at night are encouraged to get a mouth guard to prevent damage to their teeth and jaws. If you are experiencing sharp or throbbing pain when you eat for more than two days, you should see one of our doctors for further examination. Any swelling around a tooth could be a sign of a more serious issue that needs to be fixed. Treatment for toothaches is usually a filling for a decay-related cavity. In more serious cases where you have an infected tooth, extraction may be necessary, but many teeth can be saved by root canal therapy. For any questions about toothaches, give us a call. To learn about our services provided at our practice, visit  www...

If you had an early-stage dental infection, would you be able to recognize it? We’re committed to preventive care at Healthy Smiles Family Dental in Salem. As part of our effort, we want each of our patients to understand what a white spot lesion signifies and what they need to do if they develop one. As the first sign of tooth decay, white spot lesions are also known as “incipient lesions.” They are spots on the surfaces of teeth that appear unnaturally white and chalky and are usually found near the gum line or the sides of teeth. White spots are caused by enamel having lost minerals, but not enough to form a cavity. The teeth naturally produce a film which sugar and the bacteria that feed on it get trapped in. As bacteria eat, they excrete acid, which erodes the enamel. The more food is available, the more bacteria multiply, and the more acid is produced. It only takes about a month for white spots to develop. Patients should take them as a sign they need to improve their brushing, ...

Composite resins, also known as tooth-colored fillings or white fillings, provide solid durability and resistance to fracture. These types of filling could be used to enhance the aesthetics of your smile or to fill a cavity that’s been caused by decay. White fillings are typically more appealing than the alternative fillings to most patients, especially when the filling is in the front of the mouth. This is because they provide the most natural-looking tooth appearance. Depending on the size of the space that needs to be filled, one of our doctors at Healthy Smiles Family Dental can discuss if white fillings are the best option for you.  The main advantage most patients enjoy the most is that the fillings match the original color of their tooth. Additionally, white fillings are non-invasive, as only a small portion of your healthy tooth is removed prior to the composite filling, which means there is a lower chance of chipping or fracturing the teeth. This also ensures that the tooth wi...