How much do you know your teeth?

Most people take their teeth for granted till something bad happens. Our teeth play a big role in helping us digest and chew food, as well as speak. According to dentist Baltimore, by brushing up on your knowledge of your pearly whites, you’ll be taking the first step toward giving your oral cavity the attention it deserves.

Teeth development:

Humans develop two sets of teeth in their life time, primary teeth and permanent teeth that grow in stages. Even though the timing is different, development of every set of teeth is the same:

1. Similar teeth erupt in parallel, i.e., the top molar on the left side and the top molar on the right will grow at the same time.
   
2. Development of your tooth begins long before the first tooth becomes visible. For example, an infant’s tooth first appears when he or she reaches six months of age, but the development of the teeth starts during the second trimester of pregnancy.
   
3. The tooth’s crown forms first and roots keep developing even after the tooth has come out.

The various parts of the tooth:

There are two basic parts of a tooth: the crown, which is the white, noticeable part, and the root, which is the invisible part. The root spreads below the gum line and secures the tooth with the jaw bone. Your teeth comprise of four different types of tissues, each performing a different function. 

1. Enamel. The visible substance covering the tooth crown is the enamel. Tougher than bone, enamel helps in protecting the tooth from any decay. Enamel is a mix of calcium and phosphorous.
   
2. Dentin. You will find dentin under enamel, which is calcified and looks like the bone. Dentin is softer than enamel, so it is prone to decay in case the enamel wears off.
   
3. Cementum. Cementum covers the root of the tooth and helps in anchoring it into the bone. It is softer than dentin and enamel. One of the best ways of protecting this softer tissue from any decay is by taking proper care of the gums. Cementum has a yellow color and is normally protected by the gums. However, with improper dental care, gums shrink and become diseased, exposing the cementum to destructive bacteria and plaque.
   
4. Pulp. You will find pulp at the tooth’s center containing the nerves, blood vessels, and other soft tissues that deliver nutrition and signals to the teeth.

Your mouth is important. Do not take your teeth or oral health for granted. For keeping good dental health, brush and floss your teeth regularly, don't smoke, eat a healthy diet

Simple Tips that can help you find a great dentist

It is not easy to find a good dentist. Here are a few tips that can help you in the process:

Always start by asking people

One of the best ways to find a good dental expert is to ask trustworthy people. Talk to your friends, family and work colleagues. Often they may have good recommendations. Make sure you ask them about the dentist’s qualitative factors- whether the expert is friendly, has a great staff, and the like.

When you are new to the city:

When you are new to a particular area, you may not know anyone. So in such situations, you must ask credible people such as, hospitals and other health care facilities for recommendations. These organizations are in the right position to know the best dentists.

Local dental school:

Dental schools can recommend you the best dentists in your area. Moreover, they may even offer cheaper rates than your regular dental clinics for dental care. While you may have students working on your teeth, but they are supervised by experienced dentists.

Utilize the Internet

Everything is on the internet these days. Look for websites that list dental experts within your area along with reviews. Search for a dental clinic that is convenient. Read the reviews carefully and go through customer testimonials. In case a dentist has several negative reviews, avoid them.

You can also look through the dentist's website. There is a lot to learn by checking out the kind of services they offer. Does the clinic provide all of the treatments to satisfy your needs? The website also says a lot about the dentist's personality. Make sure you go through the before and after videos and videos.

Special oral needs

When looking for a dentist, you must consider your oral needs. In case you have healthy teeth, you will find it easy to choose a dentist as all dental experts are capable of performing the basics such as, taking x-rays and cleaning. However, if you have teeth that are crooked you may want a dental expert that is a specialist in orthodontics. Moreover, if you want to enhance your smile, you may want to look for a cosmetic dentist.

Call the Dentist

After narrowing down to a few potential dentists, make sure to call them. Observe how they treat you on phone. Find out about their business hours and their policy on dental emergencies.

Remember there is no need to go with the very first dentist you come across. Keep looking till you find someone suitable. You will eventually find the best dentist Baltimore for your smile.

Does a root canal treatment actually work?

Do root canals really work? While the failure of a root canal treatment is a reality, there are also ways to solve the problem through root canal retreatment. This blog highlights the three reasons when root canals fail, and how getting initial root canal treatment from a good dentist Baltimore can decrease the chances of a failure.

The biggest reason behind the failure of a root canal treatment is bacteria. If we had sterile mouths there would be no problem of infection or decay, and injured teeth would repair themselves. Consequently we can attribute almost all root canal failure to bacteria, here are three common reasons why the treatment fails.

Missed canals

Untreated anatomy such as missed canal are a big reason for the failure of the treatment. For instance, teeth have two canals almost 94% of the times, which means if just one canal is found the Baltimore dentist should search carefully to find the other canal. Not treating the second canal can lead to failure.

Incompletely Treated Canal

Another common reason is incompletely treated canals. This normally happens in the form of "being short", when a canal is let’s say 24 millimeters long and the practitioner only treats 21 millimeters of it. Leaving a gap can lead to failure because it means that the unfilled or untreated space is ready for bacteria and infection.

Tissue

The third reason is the tissue that is left remaining in the tooth during the time of the root canal. This tissue becomes the source of nutrition for bacteria that have the potential of infecting the root canal. Root canals normally have uneven shapes that round instruments cannot easily clean.

One of the best ways for patients to prevent root canal failure is to seek dental care from an expert such as an endodontist that has the skill, experience, and proper equipment to perform such treatments. One of the best ways to find out about dentist in  Maryland  that offer root canal treatment is to search online.