Incipient Lesions

If you see strange white spots lingering on your teeth, that’s not just a cosmetic issue. It’s the sign of an incipient lesion, meaning a developing cavity. We at The Oyster Bay Family Dentists specialize in replacing damaged teeth, but we want our patients to be able to exercise preventive care and see us early in the tooth decay process. To that end, we thought it would be a good idea to discuss the development of white spots.

When enamel is being chemically eroded, it takes on a glazed appearance. This can be observed on the upper back teeth of people with chronic acid reflux, but is more often seen in people experiencing the early stage of tooth decay. As bacteria consume sugar, they produce acid as a by-product of their metabolization process. The acid gets stuck in the biofilm covering teeth, causing breakdown of the nearby enamel’s mineral structure and recession in gum tissue. If the demineralization goes on for as few as thirty days, a cavity will develop.

Incipient lesions are likely to appear in places where patients have difficulty brushing, such as the sides of teeth and around orthodontic brackets. Doing a better job of brushing can usually kill the infection, although the demineralized tooth may still look chalky afterward. We can help patients by assessing whether the infection is still active and by covering up the scar with bonding or a veneer. Our hygienists can also demonstrate brushing techniques to patients during regular check-ups, so that lesions will be less likely to develop.

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.

 

Cosmetic Care after Pulp Infections

We take care at the Oyster Bay Family Dentists that our patients will be pleased with the appearance of their smiles. When providing prosthetic teeth, we match their color to the teeth the patient already has, and we provide whitening services to remove external stains. But what do we do about intrinsic stains? Those could require a different approach because of their implication about a patient’s health.

Some intrinsic stains are harmless. Teeth may appear brown if a patient consumed too much fluoride during their childhood or black if they were exposed to tetracycline antibiotics. But those are rare cases. More often, intrinsic stains are due to an injury to the dental pulp. Besides causing a tooth to be black, red, or purple in color, pulp injuries and infections usually cause pain and a bad smell. If left untreated, an infection can spread, causing an abscess in the gum.

Root canal therapy is the normal way of removing infected pulp. Once the infected material is out and the patient is in less danger, their tooth may be filled with whitening gel and then sealed. After a week, the whitening agent can be removed and the tooth may be filled in normally. If the patient is still displeased with the color of their tooth, it may be covered with a veneer.

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.

 

White Spots on Teeth

Everybody wants whiter teeth. But when white spots with a chalky character develop, they’re a warning sign of infection. We of the Oyster Bay Family Dentists don’t want our patients to let tooth decay take them by surprise, which is why this week we’re talking about white spot lesions.

Tooth decay is caused by an infection on the enamel. Bacteria produce acid, which sticks to tartar and plaque. When enamel is eroded by acid, it first takes on a glazed, white appearance as it loses minerals. (This can also be seen in people who suffer from acid reflux.) White spots don’t usually hurt, but if the infection is not stopped, it will create a cavity and remove the protection from the nerve in the tooth.

A white spot can form in as few as thirty days. They are particularly prone to appearing on the upper front teeth at the part where the crown meets the gum line and in the area surrounding orthodontic brackets. Although enamel cannot be regrown, it can be remineralized, so patients should not give up on fighting incipient lesions. We also offer Invisalign as an alternative to fixed braces at our office, which creates less of a risk for white spot development.

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.

 

Intrinsic Staining

The Oyster Bay Family Dentists provide technologically advanced services for removing dental stains, but there is an important distinction to be made between stains that are extrinsic to the tooth and those that are intrinsic. Extrinsic stains caused by things such as smoking and drinking dark fluids and only affect the outermost layers of the teeth. They can be removed through bleaching. But intrinsic stains are caused by overexposure to fluoride, use of tetracycline antibiotics, or pulp inflammation, and sometimes require a different approach.

Of course, an intrinsic stain can still be masked with a veneer or bonding. But pulp inflammation indicates that a tooth is injured or infected. We will use the advanced imaging devices in our office to detect whether there is an infection within the tooth or at its root. A root canal may be necessary to remove the inflamed tissues, after which the crown may be either filled and sealed or replaced entirely. Our doctors are highly skilled prosthodontists, so if a crown does need to be replaced, patients may rest assured the new one will be cosmetically pleasing.

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 OysterBayDentists.com and fill out a contact sheet.