While your teeth are remarkably strong, many people experience a chipped tooth. New Wave Dental Smiles wants you to be prepared if you chip a tooth, including understanding the causes, first aid, and the treatment options to fix the chipped tooth. Regardless of the severity, you should see a dentist as soon as possible to treat the tooth before it becomes a bigger problem, and if the chip is severe, you should see a dentist immediately for treatment.

Causes of Chipped Teeth

The most common causes of chipped teeth include hitting your mouth when falling, biting into hard objects, trauma from an accident, and sports injuries, but it can also be the result of a tooth that is weak from a cavity, grinding or clenching your teeth and even poor nutrition.

The size of the chip is the determining factor of the type of dental procedure you will need to fix the chip. A small chip may be an aesthetic issue that can easily be treated with a polishing instrument to smooth out the rough edges. A large chip may expose the pulp or the nerve and can become a breeding ground for infection. When this happens, you will most likely be in severe pain and need to seek immediate care, but even a smaller chip that is not treated can result in tooth sensitivity, enamel damage, pain, infection, abscess, and even tooth loss.

First Aid for a Chipped Tooth

If you chip a tooth, following are first aid tips before seeing the dentist:

• Rinse your mouth with warm water to keep irritants away from the tooth, to clear away any blood and to sooth the pain. Make sure the water is warm because hot or cold water can produce pain from sensitivity
• Apply gentle pressure with clean gauze to stop any bleeding. You can rinse your mouth and apply new gauze as needed.
• Use an ice pack to your face in the area where the tooth is to reduce any swelling.
• Relieve pain by taking an over-the-counter pain reliever. If you are having a hard time stopping the bleeding, do not take aspirin as it may cause more bleeding.
• If possible, try to save the chip because the dentist may be able to reattach it to the tooth. You should preserve the chip in milk. If you can’t save the chip, don’t worry as there are other treatment options.

Treatment Options for Chipped Teeth

When you visit New Wave Dental Smiles, your Burien cosmetic dentistry, Dr. Bajwa will examine the chipped tooth and will discuss the best treatment option to repair the tooth. Depending on the extent of the damage, there are several treatment options available for a chipped tooth:

• A composite resin may be used to create a seamless barrier that will protect your tooth while keeping the tooth looking good.
• If the root or pulp are exposed, a root canal and crown may be the best option to repair the tooth. With a root canal, the root and infection will be removed and replaced with a special filling. After a root canal, a dental crown will be placed over your tooth to protect the damaged tooth.
• Enamel shaping may be used on smaller chips with no underlying damage. This procedure involves reshaping the tooth with a polishing instrument to return it to a smooth surface.
• Veneers are a cosmetic solution to fix a chipped tooth by bonding a thin layer of porcelain or composite resin to the surface of the tooth which hides the chip.
• A tooth extraction may be necessary if the chip falls below the surface of your gums. If the tooth has to be removed, a dental implant can replace the missing tooth. The implant is a small metal post with a custom replacement tooth that will match your existing teeth.

Contact Burien Cosmetic Dentistry Today

Dr. Bajwa is a highly respected dentist that can help with everything from general dentistry to cosmetic dentistry. The dental team is committed to providing you with the best possible dental care and providing you with information on various dental issues. Schedule an appointment with us by calling (206) 242-8080 or use our online appointment booking.

At New Wave Dental Smiles, we’re proud to be the preferred West Seattle dentist, providing exceptional care to patients of all ages. Our passion for healthy smiles is the reason we strive to educate our patients on all things oral health, to ensure that they are well informed and equipped to have a beautiful smile for life. Gingivitis is a dental concern that we take seriously. Keep reading to learn what it is, why it’s serious, & how it can be avoided.

What Is Gingivitis?

So, what is gingivitis? Gingivitis is a mild form of periodontal disease that causes inflammation of the gingiva, which is the part of your gums that surround the base of your teeth. This inflammation causes symptoms of swelling, redness and irritation around these areas. Gums may be tender, receding, and bleed easily. They may also be puffy and swollen, or cause bad breath.

Risks Of Gingivitis

If left untreated, gingivitis can lead to serious gum disease known as periodontitis, and tooth loss. Gum disease has been linked to other serious health complications, including diabetes, stroke, respiratory disease, infertility, and more. Your oral health is closely tied to your overall health. That’s why good oral hygiene habits are so important.

Avoiding Gingivitis

Poor dental hygiene is the most common reason for gingivitis. Aside from daily, thorough brushing and flossing, the best way to avoid and prevent gingivitis is to keep up with regular visits to your West Seattle dentist. It is recommended that you should have a West Seattle dental exam every six months to stay on top of your oral health, and catch any signs of gingivitis early—before they develop into a more serious complication.

Schedule Your West Seattle Dental Exam Today

If it’s been a while since you’ve had a West Seattle dental exam and teeth cleaning, don’t wait. Caring for your smile is more important than you think. Schedule a dental exam in West Seattle today so that we can ensure your smile is in top shape. If you have any questions on dental health, please reach out to us at our contact page today. We can’t wait to provide you with a healthy smile!

Most people brush their teeth diligently, taking care to brush both after breakfast and before bed. Unfortunately, though, flossing is often another story. After a long day, it’s all too easy to simply skip the step of flossing your teeth – but that can have serious consequences. As your dedicated Burien dentist, our mission is to help keep your teeth and smile as clean, healthy, and strong as possible, so we’d like to take this opportunity to explain why flossing matters so much to oral health.

The Importance of Flossing Your Teeth

We all know we’re supposed to floss. But why is flossing so important, anyways? The answer, as we’ll see, is two-fold.

First of all, the combination of brushing and flossing is the only way to fully clean the teeth at home. Brushing is great for removing plaque and bacteria from the exposed tooth surface, but a toothbrush misses the spaces between the teeth – about 30% of tooth surface overall. Flossing scrapes away food, plaque, and bacteria from these hidden tooth surfaces, helping to fully clean the teeth and prevent cavities from forming between the teeth.

But that’s not the full story. Flossing is also vital for the health of the gums. The act of flossing stimulates the gums, promoting blood flow to the critical upper section of the gums. This increased blood flow brings more oxygen, helping to bolster the gum tissue’s natural immune response, while also carrying away waste, toxins, and bacteria. In this way, flossing also helps prevent gingivitis and gum disease, which is vital to oral health.

Contact Your Burien Family Dentist

On their own, both brushing and flossing are insufficient to fully protect the smile – but together, they form a comprehensive routine to prevent cavities and dental decay. Remember, though, at-home oral hygiene is only one part of caring for your smile, and regular visits to our office for dental exams and teeth cleanings are just as important. Feel free to contact us if you have more questions about your oral health or if you’d like to schedule your next dental check-up. We can’t wait to hear from you, and we wish you luck in protecting your smile with daily brushing and flossing!

The popular saying of “you are what you eat” is really true when it comes to the health of your teeth. In order to maintain good oral health and prevent cavities, what you eat and how often you eat are very important components. Sugary foods can lead to tooth decay because the bacteria in your mouth change sugars and carbohydrates into acids which will begin to attack the enamel on your teeth. Your Burien dentist Dr. Kamal Bajwa from New Wave Dental Smiles has some advice on the best foods to eat to keep your teeth healthy and avoid needing teeth whitening treatments!

According to Dr. Bajwa, the more often you drink and snack, the more frequently you are exposing your teeth to the cycle of enamel decay. Check out Dr. Bajwa’s list of healthy foods to improve your diet and the health of your mouth.

Eat Foods High In Calcium

Foods that are high in calcium and phosphorus will help to protect your tooth enamel by remineralizing your teeth. As you eat and drink, minerals from your teeth will be stripped away by acids. The foods listed below will help to redeposit minerals into your tooth enamel. Healthy tooth enamel can help keep your teeth white.

• Cheeses
• Chicken
• Almonds
• Nuts
• Broccoli
• Spinach
• Yogurt
• Kale
• Milk, soy milk, almond milk
• Sweet potatoes
• Oranges

Eat Foods With High Water Content

Eating foods that are high in water content will dilute the effects of the sugars contained within the foods. This will then stimulate saliva flow. The saliva flow will help to protect against tooth decay by washing away food particles and defending against acids. Below is a list of some foods that are high in water content.

• Tomatoes
• Watermelon
• Celery
• Peaches
• Eggs
• Cottage Cheese
• Bell Peppers
• Lettuce
• Cucumbers
• Lemons and citrus fruits also contain a high water content but should be eaten as a side to a larger meal in order to minimize the acids from them.

Drink These Best Beverages For Healthy Teeth

We’ve covered the best foods to eat to maintain a healthy smile, so now Dr. Bajwa has a list of the best beverages for maintaining healthy teeth. As a general rule, he recommends that you limit your consumption of very sugary drinks like soda, lemonade, and coffee or tea with a lot of added sugar or sweet creamer. If you can’t give up these drinks, avoid sipping on them for day-long periods of time. Each time you take a drink, your teeth are re-exposed to the sugar, which wears down your enamel so your teeth are in a constant state of decay. Below is a list of beverages that are low in sugar and best to drink for a healthy smile.

• Unsweetened tea
• Milk
• Water
• Real fruit juice

See The Best Burien Dentist Now!

Dr. Kamal Bajwa at New Wave Dental Smiles is dedicated to his patients and their overall health. Dr. Bajwa has been practicing dentistry for over 11 years, offering the best possible experiences for any kind of dental needs. From dental cleanings to teeth whitening, Dr. Bajwa is the experienced professional you can count on to care for your teeth. Set up an appointment to see Dr. Bajwa by calling New Wave Dental Smiles at (206) 242-8080!