Night Guards

Bruxism, commonly referred to as teeth grinding, is a dental concern our staff at the Oyster Bay Family Dentists encounters often. The solution: Night Guards. An appointment with Dr. Robert G. West and Dr. Denise VeyVoda can help you get started on your dental recovery.

The majority of teeth grinding occurs at night while you’re sleeping. You most likely don’t even realize that you’re doing it. Regardless, your mouth and jaw will still be reaping the consequences during the day. Grinding damages enamel wears down your teeth, causes jaw pain, and irritates your gums. Damaging the enamel will expose dentin, making your mouth vulnerable to bacteria. Your temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, connects your jaw to your skull. This joint is used for eating and speaking. With prolonged exposure to bruxism, your TMJ can end up with lasting damage. A night guard is the only way to bring your teeth grinding to a grinding halt.

At your appointment, Drs. West or VeyVoda will take an impression of your teeth. This mold is then sent to a dental lab to create your custom fit night guard. Similar to mouthguards worn by athletes, the night guard will create a barrier between your bottom and top teeth. Doing so stops your teeth from grinding together. Night guards are very durable and can last for up to ten years.

There are a few other tips to help you stop grinding. Make a conscious effort to realize when you're grinding and stop. Refrain from chewing on gum or objects like pens. Try to cut back on caffeine and alcohol, which increase your likelihood of grinding.

The Oyster Bay Family Dentists is located in Oyster Bay, NY. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Robert G. West or Dr. Denise VeyVoda, visit our website or call us at 516-922-5730.

 

Invisalign and Braces

Dr. Robert G. West, D.D.S. and Dr. Denise VeyVoda D.D.S. of the Oyster Bay Family Dentists are running a promotion for new patients that gives $100 towards your first Invisalign treatment (with the printed certificate). Invisalign is a new method of correcting your teeth without the use of traditional braces. Dubbed “Invisible Braces,” they are virtually unnoticeable, along with being comfortable to wear.  

If you qualify for Invisalign, a series of clear plastic aligners are used to create tooth movement. Through a computer program, a mold is intricately designed to match your mouth. This allows your teeth to move perfectly into place. This treatment is recommended to patients experiencing mild to moderate spacing or crowding.

Once you receive your Invisalign, it is kept in place 24-hours a day. Exceptions are for brushing, flossing, and eating. Every two or three weeks you must come in to get your aligner replaced. Because the shape of your teeth will shift, so will your Invisalign. Compared to conventional braces, this method of orthodontics is praised for its efficiency. Not every tooth is shifted, just the ones that are needed. Because of this, many patients praise Invisalign for their comfort.

If you are interested in Invisalign and our orthodontic services, contact us today. Located at our office in Oyster Bay, NY, our staff can help you pick out at an Invisalign treatment that works for you. Dr. Robert G. West and Dr. Denise VeyVoda can meet with you to discuss your needs. To set up an appointment, contact us through our website, or by calling 516-922-5730.

 

Causes of Bad Breath

Bad breath isn’t always caused by something as benign as eating pungent food. We at the Oyster Bay Family Dentists have restored a lot of teeth, and we know that a lot of health problems can reveal themselves through a foul odor. To help our patients protect themselves, we wanted to discuss some of the causes of halitosis and what can be done about them.

The most common cause of halitosis is odor from bacterial build-up. Bacteria eat the food debris that gets trapped between teeth, and if they are allowed to fester enough, the acid they produce may damage gum tissue. But bacteria also commonly live on the tongue, where they may have another food source in the form of nasal drip when the patient is sick. This is why we encourage patients to brush their tongues and use a scraper on them every day.

Certain conditions increase a patient’s risk of oral bacterial build-up. Dry mouth makes it harder to swallow food debris and changes the mouth’s pH level to make it more hospitable to pathogens. Diabetes causes saliva to contain more sugar, which could fuel bacteria. Onions and garlic, besides being acid reflux triggers, contain chemicals that pass from the bloodstream into the lungs and cause bad breath to originate there. We recommend that patients suffering from dry mouth use artificial throat moisturizers. Patients should also remember that chewing sugar-free gum, besides masking halitosis, can also stimulate new saliva production and remove food debris.

Drs. Denise VeyVoda and Robert G. West operate The Oyster Bay Family Dentists at 123 South Street, Oyster Bay, New York, 11771. To schedule an appointment, call 516-922-5730 or visit Oyster Bay Dentists and fill out a contact sheet.

 

What Is Arestin?

When the body develops a bacterial infection, we use an antibiotic to treat it. The same applies to infections in the mouth.  The Oyster Bay Family Dentists utilize arestin for patients with periodontitis who need a scaling and root planing procedure performed. Periodontitis is a chronic bacterial infection, caused by plaque, which has settled underneath the tooth’s surface below the gum line.

Arestin has the ability to reduce the severity of periodontal disease.  After a scaling and root planning procedure, the medicine is applied to the gum in powder form.  In a clinical study, when used in addition to scaling and root planing, arestin reduced harmful bacteria by nearly 2 times as much as scaling and root planing alone. This is because adding arestin to the mix disrupts the progression of periodontitis by specifically targeting the active infection.

If you have questions or concerns about the status of your periodontal health, please give us a call. To learn about the treatments we offer, visit www.oysterbaydentists.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at The Oyster Bay Family Dentists in Oyster Bay, NY, call 516-922-5730.