We all have some imperfections so, what bad habits do you have? Did you suck you’re thumb as a child or maybe nail biting? Do you think these habits lead to dental problems as we age?

According to an article at dental.net, “Bad Oral Habits”

“We all know that dental care is expensive. Although some of what happens to our teeth is out of our control, bad oral habits are one thing we can prevent. As a part of your oral health plan, not biting your nails, smoking or grinding your teeth may save you from dental crowns, dental caps or dental veneers.

A Lifelong Habit:

A majority of our bad habits start when we are children, or sometimes even when we are still infants. For example, many parents put their young children to sleep using a bottle of milk or juice. The sugars in this seemingly innocent bedtime drink can damage a child’s mouth, resulting in the phenomenon known as “bottle mouth.” (If you have started this bad habit with your children, there is an easy solution: gradually add water to the bottle each night, until eventually you are giving the child a bottle of pure water at bedtime.)

Another common bad habit in children is thumb sucking. Over time, this can cause a child’s jaw bones to reshape – pushing their teeth out of alignment. It can also cause the child to hold his or her tongue in the wrong place, which causes the entire mouth to shape itself incorrectly. Many children who were thumb suckers end up wearing dental braces later on. The damage caused by thumb sucking can even lead to overbites and snoring.

Breaking the habit of thumb sucking can be difficult as a child uses their thumb as a form of comfort. Be careful not to use drastic solutions such as putting cayenne pepper on the child’s thumb; this can cause great harm to your children. Instead, contact a pediatrician for gentle and safe alternatives.

Grown-Ups Do It, Too:

It’s important to catch problems when children are young, because bad oral habits often continue well into adulthood. Infants who drink fruit juice before bed may turn into adults who rot their teeth with too many sweets. Children who suck their thumbs may grow up to smoke or chew their pencils.

Some of the most common bad habits in adults include:

Nail biting: This is bad for your nails and hard on your teeth. Of course, it can also contribute to the spread of disease.

Smoking: In addition to the damage it does to the rest of your body, smoking leads to yellow teeth, bad breath, receding gums, bone loss, mouth lesions and oral cancer. Switching to chewing tobacco, pipes or cigars will not reduce the symptoms. The only way to avoid damage from tobacco products is to stop using them.

Biting hard objects: If you chew your pens, pencils, eyeglasses and so on, you could be causing irreparable damage to your teeth. In addition to causing stress fractures on your teeth, you could be irritating your joints and chewing muscles. To help you break this habit, you can chew gum instead, but beware: dental studies have shown that excessive gum-chewing can also cause damage to your chewing muscles. Don’t try to break your habit by chewing ice or hard candy! These are just as damaging as chewing pencils.

Bruxism: This is the technical dental term for clenching or grinding your teeth. If you clench your teeth unconsciously from stress, or if you grind your teeth hard at night, you could be causing irreparable damage to the muscles and joints. This damage is usually far worse than damage caused by chewing pens or pencils. In fact, it can lead to a disease called TMJ, in which the joints of the mouth are in chronic pain.”

Need help in correcting your bad oral habits, Dr. McElhinney of RenoLaserDentistry.com will go over possible treatments that pertain to your situation. Click here to contact Dr. McElhinney for more information.

Are you a new mom and wondering why your baby is irritable, crying, and  has swollen gums? Your baby is going through a common dental problem, teething. Want a couple of tips of what to look for and how to handle this common oral care problem?

According to an article at aquafresh.com, “Common Children’s Oral Care-Teething”

"Let’s be honest — it’s not an easy time for either of you. As the baby teeth start to push their way through the gum line, they can cause your baby some discomfort — commonly known as teething. Some children suffer more than others. The good news is that the pain from each tooth should stop as soon as it’s visible.

You’ll notice the symptoms even before the teeth come through those little gums.

Here are some of the things to look for:

• Even more of a desire to chew on things than usual!
• Swollen gums
• Hot red cheeks
• More dribbling than usual
• Irritability

If your child has other symptoms, such as a fever, it’s probably not due to teething. Consult your doctor as usual.

There are several things you can do to help your children cope with teething:

• Extra cuddles and TLC are the best place to start.
• Giving them a chilled (but not frozen hard) teething ring to chew on may help to soothe the gums.
• Ask your doctor or dentist to recommend a sugar-free infant teething gel. You should always consult a doctor before giving your children any kind of medication —particularly when they are young.
• Never rub alcohol on your children’s gums or place an aspirin against the tooth or gum.”

Are you looking for a dentist to care for your child’s dental needs? Dr. McElhinney of Reno Laser Dentistry has more than 30 years of experience, click here to learn more about Dr. McElhinney dental practice at renolaserdentsitry.com.

Dental emergencies are no fun and when it happens it’s always at the wrong time. That’s just how life is! So, what should you do, or do you just ignore it? Here’s a little piece of advice no dental pain should be ignored make sure you consult your dentist.

According to an article at colgate.com, “an introduction on dental emergency”

“Pain is one of the reasons people go to the dentist. A painful tooth can be triggered by hot or cold foods and drinks. Heavy biting or grinding may break a tooth and cause it to hurt when you chew. Sometimes, when a filling falls out, you may have a throbbing ache.

Any injury to teeth or gums should not be ignored. Nerves or blood vessels could be damaged. There is also a risk of getting an infection. If an infection is not treated it can spread to other parts of the head and neck and cause serious health problems. In rare cases it can even become life threatening. It is very important to always seek treatment for a dental injury. Getting injured teeth repaired and treated as soon as possible after an injury is the best thing to do.

Today, dentists have many options for dealing with dental emergencies. There are advances in pain management and ways to restore teeth. Teeth can be repaired with synthetic materials that are strong and look as good as your natural teeth. Your dentist has the training and skills to identify what the problem is and how serious it is. He or she almost always can reduce or get rid of your pain within a few minutes.

When to Call Your Dentist

If you’re not sure if a dental problem is an emergency, dentists offer this advice: If it hurts, it’s an emergency. This is because even injuries that seem small can affect the living tissues inside the teeth. Quick treatment improves the odds of saving injured or damaged teeth.

Any obvious damage to a tooth should be treated as soon as possible. Chips or fractures can affect the living tissue inside the tooth, causing more problems in the future. Your dentist can prevent the damage from getting worse.

The same is true of a lost filling or crown. Even if you don’t have any symptoms, the tooth has lost its support and it could easily become damaged. Pieces could break off or crumble, and you would need more extensive treatment. If you see your dentist right away, there’s a good chance he or she will be able to repair the damage more easily.”

Have a dental emergency, Click here to contact Dr. McElhinney of Reno Laser Dentistry for more information. If you want the best than you’ve found it in Dr. McElhinney.

Do you ever have rapid sharp pain in your teeth? Is it when you ingest hot or cold fluids or food? Want to understand the histology of dentin hypersensitivity?

According to an article at dentistrytoday.com, “understanding dentin hypersensitivity”

“Clinical Features of Dentin Hypersensitivity

The histology of dentin helps us to further understand dentin hypersensitivity. Dentin is naturally sensitive owing to its close structural and functional relationship with the dental pulp. Normally the dentin is well protected so sensitivity does not present an issue. It is a calcified tissue of the body usually covered by enamel on the crown and cementum on the root surface. By weight, 70% of dentin consists of hydroxyapatite, with 20% being organic material and 10% water.7 Dentin consists of microscopic channels called dentinal tubules which radiate outward through the dentin from the pulp to the exterior cementum or enamel border. As a result dentin has a degree of permeability which can increase the sensation of pain. Dentin is thought to be covered by a smear layer, consisting of a combination of both inorganic and organic elements, which occludes the dentinal tubule orifices forming a smear plug and natural “bandage” that blocks stimuli. Conversely, removal of these occluding materials can also frequently occur as a result of physical or chemical agents that open the den­tinal tubules.

If the hydrodynamic theory is to be accepted as the mechanism involved for inducing dentin hypersensitivity, then lesions must have open dentin tubules at the surface. Through the use of scanning electron microscopy as well as dye penetration, studies have demonstrated the presence of a greater number (up to 8x) and wider tubules with average diameter being 2 xs greater on hypersensitive dentin compared to non-sensitive dentin. Depending on the depth of the sample, about 30,000 tubules can be found in a 1-mm2 cross-section of dentin.

There is also evidence that tubule numbers and diameters increase from the outer dentin toward the pulp. The difference in tubule diameter is an important variable as the fluid flow is proportional to the fourth power of the radius, resulting in a 16-fold increase in fluid flow. Being it is the fluid flow that excites the pulpal receptors, there is conclusive evidence that tubule diameter plays an important part and that greater fluid flow plays a predominant role in dictating the intensity of hypersensitivity experienced.

The majority of studies report that gingival recession occurs in descending order of canines and premolars followed by incisors and second premolars and finally molars with the majority of sites being buccal and cervical. In comparison, the majority of studies show a similar preference of distribution for gingival recession and both conditions have been shown to be more common on the left than on the right sides of the mouth and also possess an inverse relationship with plaque scores. This provides some interesting conclusive evidence to support that the majority of the population are right-handed and most likely exhibit a heavier brushing force on the opposite side of the mouth. The other factor to note is that there is an inverse relationship with the plaque score again supporting that the brushing force may be heavier on the opposing side."

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Do you suffer from hypersensitivity, looking for a dental specialist to help you with your dental concerns? Dr. McElhinney of Reno Laser Dentistry is the best dentist in town. Click here to contact Dr. McElhinney’s office for more information.

Many parents have had their own dental horror stories, now parents we don’t want that for our kids. New generation new experiences! Doesn’t every parent want their child to have a great dental experience? Well those great experiences all start with us.

According to an article at 1dental.com, “helping your child to enjoy going to the dentist”

“If you are a parent, have you had a bad experience taking your young child to the dentist? Such a difficult visit can make any mother or father skeptical about if dentistry appointments are truly necessary at an early age. However, the earlier your child’s dentistry care begins, and the more affordable it may be if you have a discount plan, the easier appointments will be for you and your child later on. Simply follow 3 steps to make your child’s next visit with affordable dental care an enjoyable one.

1. Start At Home.

It is important to start training your child in oral hygiene even before they have teeth. After every meal, clean your baby’s mouth with a soft cloth or towel. This will get your baby used to the feeling of someone cleaning their mouth. Once your child begins growing teeth, continue to set a good example of oral hygiene yourself. This is one of the best ways to train your young child – let them see you brushing frequently so that they know it is both normal and necessary. Then clean your child’s teeth, and make “brushing time” as fun as possible with a special song or game, or offer them a non-food reward afterward. Your example and excitement may even spark their curiosity to try brushing themselves!

2. Pick your Dentist.

Before you make an appointment for your child, stop and think for a second. Your child’s first few dentist visits can be their most memorable. So, before you pick just any dental care office, think about how the dentist’s office you choose will shape your child’s perspective on going to the dentist.

Perhaps the best way you can make visiting the dentist an enjoyable memory is to take them to a pediatric dentist, or “periodontics,” who offers dental care. These dentists specialize in treating children, and are trained to handle them with more care and concern than a normal dentist might. Even their offices are set up to be kid-friendly, including colored walls and even toys to play with. Such an office environment can give your child a positive outlook on attending the dentist, and they may even look forward to it!

3. Comfort and Familiarize.

Before you actually take your child to the dentist, you can do some things to familiarize them with what they will encounter. A simple way to do this, in a way that kids like, is to do role play. Have your child be the patient and you the dentist. You can make it simple or as complex as you want. It can be as easy as having them lay in a chair while you brush their teeth. Then switch the roles and allow your child to be the dentist. This will affiliate having fun with going to the dentist in your child’s mind.”

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Dr. McElhinney’s dental practice located in Reno specializes in treating children and adults. No need to have bad dental visits anymore click here to contact Dr. McElhinney to make an appointment or visit our website renolaserdentistry.com for more information.