5 Popular Cosmetic Dentistry Treatments

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5 Popular Cosmetic Dentistry Treatments

A person’s smile is one of the first things that people notice. Your smile, and the way you perceive it, can also have a big impact on your confidence and the way you feel about yourself. Since the appearance of a person’s smile can make a difference in life, there’s a whole branch of dentistry dedicated to improving smile aesthetics – cosmetic dentistry. There are countless different ways cosmetic dentistry treatments can be used to improve and enhance smile aesthetics, and the following are some of the most popular treatments.

5 Popular Cosmetic Dentistry Treatments to Enhance Your Smile

1. Teeth Whitening

Teeth whitening is one of the quickest and simplest ways to revitalize the look of your smile. You can use at-home, over-the-counter teeth whitening products such as whitening toothpaste. However, professional teeth whitening treatments work more quickly and are much more effective. Plus, you can work with our dentist to customize your results to achieve the level of whitening you desire.

2. Dental Bonding

Dental bonding is another easy way to improve the appearance of a smile. Dental bonding is a special material that can be used to cover stubborn stains or cracks, fill in tooth gaps, cover cracks, repair minor chips, or improve symmetry by reshaping a misshapen or improperly sized tooth.

3. Dental Veneers

Dental veneers require a bit more preparation and work than dental bonding, but they can be used to completely and permanently makeover the look of a smile. Veneers can be applied to all of a patient’s visible teeth for a completely new look or applied to one or two teeth to improve symmetry or mask imperfections.

4. Dental Crowns

Dental crowns offer both restorative and cosmetic benefits, as they strengthen and protect compromised teeth while also completely covering a tooth for an improved look.

5. Invisalign

Crooked or misaligned teeth are not only a cosmetic concern but can also be harmful to a person’s oral health. Teeth straightening with Invisalign is an effective and discreet orthodontic treatment.

Smile Makeover Consultations With Our Dentist in Kenmore

At Kenmore Smiles Family Dentistry, we offer a variety of cosmetic and restorative dentistry treatments that can be used together or individually to improve and enhance a smile’s form, function, and appearance. To learn more about cosmetic dentistry and how our dentist can help you achieve your smile goals, we welcome you to schedule a smile restoration or smile makeover consultation in Kenmore today.

What Is TMJ Disorder and How Can Your Dentist Help?

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What Is TMJ Disorder and How Can Your Dentist Help?

November is National TMJ Awareness Month. At Kenmore Smiles Family Dentistry, we use the opportunity to educate our patients about the temporomandibular joints and TMJ disorder in addition to what we can do to help provide relief.

What Is TMJ?

TMJ is the abbreviation for temporomandibular joint. Each person has two on either side of their face. The temporomandibular joints are the joints responsible for moving your jaw in all directions. They make it possible for you to open and close your mouth, move your jaw from side to side, chew, and speak.

What Is TMJ Disorder?

Also sometimes referred to as TMD or as just “TMJ,” TMJ disorder refers to several different conditions (underlying causes) that affect the proper, pain-free movement and positioning of the temporomandibular joints.

Signs and Symptoms of TMJ Disorder

TMJ disorder can cause several signs and symptoms including:
  • Jaw pain
  • Clicking or popping sounds in the TMJs
  • Grinding sensation with movement of the TMJs
  • Face, neck, and shoulder pain
  • Ear aches
  • Frequent headaches and/or migraines
  • Stiffness in the jaw
  • Lockjaw
  • Numbness or tingling in the face
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How TMJ Disorder Is Treated

The first step in treating TMJ disorder is to determine what’s causing the problem with the jaw’s movement or position. There are countless underlying conditions that can result in TMJ disorder. Some of the most common include:
  • Malocclusion (improper bite)
  • Bruxism (teeth clenching and/or grinding)
  • Genetics
  • Arthritis
  • Injuries
In addition to physically examining a patient’s TMJs and bite patterns, dentists can use a variety of diagnostic tools to help them determine the underlying cause of a patient’s symptoms. This might include a variety of diagnostic imaging tests such as x-rays and even CBCT scanning.
Once we have determined the underlying cause, we can recommend a treatment plan designed to help your specific case of TMJ disorder. Treatments for TMJ disorder can include mouthguards, nightguards, braces or other orthodontics, Botox injections, and corrective surgery.

TMJ Disorder Treatment and Relief in Kenmore, WA

At Kenmore Smiles Family Dentistry, we work closely with patients to get to the bottom of their TMJ-related symptoms to determine the type of TMJ disorder they are dealing with. We can then recommend a personalized treatment plan designed to address the patient’s specific needs while alleviating symptoms and helping to correct the underlying issue.
To learn more about TMJ disorder and treatment or to schedule a consultation with Dr. Mott, we welcome you to contact our office today.
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What Is a Dental Hygienist and Why Is Their Role So Important?

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What Is a Dental Hygienist and Why Is Their Role So Important?

At Kenmore Smiles Family Dentistry, we’re always celebrating the importance of oral hygiene, but we choose to pay special attention to dental hygiene during October because it’s National Dental Hygiene Month. To celebrate this year, we’re highlighting our team of dental hygienists so that they know how much we appreciate them and so that our patients understand how integral a dental hygienist’s role is to their dental care and oral health.

What Is a Dental Hygienist?

Dental hygienists are licensed oral health professionals that are responsible for much of a patient’s professional preventive dental care routine. During their time with their patients, they manage both preventive care and the treatment of several oral diseases.

What Do Dental Hygienists Do?

The specific responsibilities of dental hygienists vary between states. However, generally, they are responsible for the following:

  • Scale and polish the teeth (above and below the gum line) by using special tools to remove tartar (calculus)
  • Apply professional fluoride treatments and dental sealants
  • Assess oral health by reviewing health history, charting dental issues and gum pocket depths, screening for oral cancer, and evaluating gum disease
  • Take, process, and interpret dental x-rays
  • Administer local anesthetic and/or nitrous oxide (laughing gas)
  • Provide patient education to improve at-home oral hygiene
  • Talk with patients about tobacco use cessation and administer programs
By providing all of these essential services and treatments to patients, dental hygienists help to free up the dentists in their offices so that they can focus on more complex patient care and treatments.
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How Often Should Your Teeth Be Professionally Cleaned?

While some adults can get away with a single professional dental cleaning per year, most adults and children need to visit the dentist at least once every six months for proper maintenance of their teeth.

These bi-annual dental cleanings help prevent too much tartar from building up on the surface of your teeth, and this helps to prevent serious oral health problems like periodontal disease (gum disease) and cavities from developing. The prevention of these concerns is paramount because past the earliest stages (softening enamel and gingivitis) neither tooth decay nor periodontal disease can be completely reversed.

Schedule Your Next Dental Cleaning in Kenmore

If it’s been a while since a dental hygienist has scaled and polished your teeth and since a dentist has examined your teeth and gums, we strongly encourage you to schedule a dental checkup at Kenmore Smiles Family Dentistry, and we welcome you to contact our office today.

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Get Healthier Gums During National Gum Care Month

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Get Healthier Gums During National Gum Care Month

In honor of National Gum Care Month in September, our team at Kenmore Smile Family Dentistry is doing everything we can to help our patients take better care of their gums.

Why Is Gum Health So Important?

The health of your gums is important for several reasons. Primarily, the gum tissues support and help to hold your teeth in place. Unhealthy gums can lead to oral health problems such as sensitive teeth, receding gums, loose teeth, tooth loss, and bone degeneration.
Additionally, when gums are not properly cared for, they can develop periodontal disease (gum disease). This is a bacterial infection of the gum tissues, and it can result in several serious systemic health concerns such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, dementia, certain types of cancer, and reproductive health problems.

5 Ways to Get Healthier Gums

1. Floss and Brush Regularly

Flossing and brushing help to remove plaque, bacteria, and other debris from your teeth and gum tissues. You should be brushing twice a day and flossing at least once a day (before you brush your teeth).

2. Use a Water Flosser

If you still have inflammation in your gums, consider using a water flosser which can do a better job of rinsing harmful bacteria from the little pockets between your gum tissues and teeth.

3. Rinse With Mouthwash

Use an alcohol-free antibacterial mouthwash to further combat oral bacterial growth.

4. Eat a Healthy Diet

Eating a balanced diet that’s rich in vitamins and minerals will help to support your immune system and your oral health. Additionally, avoid eating and drinking large amounts of sugar or acid in your foods and beverages.

5. Don't Use Tobacco or Alcohol

Limit your alcohol intake, and if you use tobacco of any kind, quit.
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Schedule a Dental Checkup and Cleaning in Kenmore

One of the most important things you can do to keep your gums healthy is to schedule regular appointments for professional dental cleanings and examinations. During these appointments, we ensure your teeth are free from the plaque and tartar buildup that can lead to the development of gingivitis and gum disease. Additionally, we take a close look at your gum tissues to determine whether any further treatments or therapies are needed to restore your gum health.
To learn more or schedule an appointment, we welcome you to contact Kenmore Smiles Family Dentistry today.

How Oral Health Affects Overall Health

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How Oral Health Affects Overall Health

Did you know that there’s a strong link between oral health and the general health of your body? If you didn’t, you’re not alone. Most people assume that the primary purpose of oral care is preserving their natural teeth. While good oral hygiene and routine dental care do protect your teeth and gums, these healthcare practices also protect the rest of your body.

The Connection Between Oral Health and General Health

There is a strong connection between your oral health and your general health. The primary connection between oral health and general health is related to periodontal disease.

What Is Periodontal Disease?

Periodontal disease (also called gum disease) is a bacterial infection of the gums. Periodontal disease most commonly develops as a result of poor oral hygiene where plaque and tartar are allowed to accumulate on the surfaces of the teeth. This then pushes the gums away from the teeth, creating pockets where harmful bacteria can thrive. This leads to the subsequent bacterial infection of the gum tissues.
Yes, periodontal disease has local symptoms such as gum recession, bleeding gums, swollen gums, red gums, painful gums, tooth sensitivity, pus in the gums, loose teeth, bone degeneration, and eventual tooth loss.
Left unaddressed, periodontal disease can also affect the health of the rest of a person’s body. Bacteria from periodontal disease can enter the bloodstream and travel throughout the body. This leads to generalized inflammation all around the body and can even cause sepsis.
Gum disease has also been connected to several very serious systemic health problems such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia, certain types of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, reproductive problems, and more. Additionally, periodontal disease can increase a person’s risk of developing a variety of respiratory infections.
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Preventive Dental Care in Kenmore for a Healthy Mouth and Body

One of the best ways to safeguard your general health from poor oral health is to achieve and maintain good oral health with professional preventive dental care used in conjunction with at-home oral hygiene. At Kenmore Smiles Family Dentistry, we help our patients stay healthy with patient education routine dental examinations, oral cancer screenings, prophylactic cleanings, professional fluoride treatments, sealants, and a comprehensive menu of restorative dentistry treatments in addition to periodontal disease treatment.
To learn more or schedule your next dental checkup, we welcome you to contact our dental office in Kenmore.

Speed Your Recovery: Post-Op Care for Dental Procedures

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Speed Your Recovery: Post-Op Care for Dental Procedures

Although no one wants to undergo dental surgery or other more invasive dental procedures, it is sometimes necessary to preserve your health and your natural teeth. Your specific post-operative care instructions will vary depending on the type of procedure you had performed and your own medical history. However, the following general guidelines can help you enjoy a safe, speedy, and smooth recovery.

Recover Safely and Smoothly From Your Dental Surgery With These 7 Tips

1. Elevate Your Head

Keeping your head elevated will prevent fluids from pooling in your treatment area and worsening post-operative swelling.

2. Avoid Vigorous Activities

Depending on the procedure, you should avoid vigorous or strenuous physical activities for 24 hours to a full week after your procedure.

3. Don't Use a Straw

Sucking through a straw can dislodge blood clots that have formed at your incision site or in the place where you had a tooth extracted, and this can cause serious complications during your recovery.
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4. Eat Soft Foods

Avoid hard or overly chewy foods for 24 hours to a week after your procedure. Instead, enjoy soft foods that don’t require much chewing and won’t inadvertently damage the soft tissues around your incision site.

5. Avoid Hot or Spicy Foods

Overly hot foods and even spicy foods can irritate the soft tissues inside your mouth. As a result, you can experience discomfort at your incision site and increased inflammation.

6. Avoid Tobacco and Alcohol

Tobacco products of any kind and alcohol should be avoided while you heal and recover. Both can increase inflammation and slow the healing process.

7. Use Over-the-Counter Anti-Inflammatories

If you experience pain or swelling, we recommend taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen. If these do not resolve your pain or your swelling is extreme, contact our office right away.

Oral Surgery and Your Recovery With Kenmore Smiles Family Dentistry

No matter the type of procedure you have had completed, it is important to carefully all of the post-operative care instructions provided to you when you leave our office. These instructions will help ensure that your treatment site heals properly without any complications, like an infection. If you have any questions or concerns during your post-operative recovery period, we always welcome you to contact our office.
To learn more about recovering from dental surgery or to schedule a consultation with Dr. Mott, we welcome you to contact our dental clinic in Kenmore today.
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When Should You Get Your Wisdom Teeth Out?

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When Should You Get Your Wisdom Teeth Out?

Although wisdom teeth removal is common, some patients do not need to have their wisdom teeth extracted. There are, however, several reasons why you might need to have your wisdom teeth removed. If you have any of the following, we might recommend extraction in order to prevent serious oral health problems from developing in the future.

5 Reasons to Have Your Wisdom Teeth Removed

1. Not Fully Erupted

Wisdom teeth do not always fully erupt through the gums. Sometimes, they only erupt partially. Other times, they do not erupt at all. In these cases, wisdom teeth typically need to be removed.

2. Growing at Odd Angles

Wisdom teeth commonly come in at odd angles, rather than growing straight up from the jawbone. In these cases, the wisdom teeth can damage the neighboring teeth if they are not extracted.

3. Crowding Other Teeth

Wisdom teeth were highly useful in times before dentistry and dental care when people would often lose their primary molars to decay by the time they reached their teens or twenties. Today, most patients have all of their teeth and simply do not have room left in their mouths to accommodate a third set of molars.
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4. Other Oral Health Issues

Since wisdom teeth are so far back in the mouth, pushed in against jawbones and muscles, they can be difficult to clean thoroughly with brushing and flossing. As a result, they are prone to decay, and the gums around them are at risk of developing periodontal disease. When these kinds of problems arise, extraction is often the best option for eliminating oral health issues.

5. Preventative Extraction

Since wisdom teeth most commonly need to be removed, it is not uncommon for a dentist to recommend removal before a teen’s wisdom teeth have fully formed because they are much simpler to extract before their roots have embedded fully in the jawbone. For this reason, a preemptive extraction is often recommended for teens and young adults.

Wisdom Teeth Consultations With Our Kenmore Dentist

Whether you still have your wisdom teeth or are the parent of a teenager whose wisdom teeth are developing, we recommend scheduling a consultation with our dentist at Kenmore Smiles Family Dentistry. We can take diagnostic images of your jaw and developing wisdom teeth to determine whether or not extraction will be necessary for you. To learn more about wisdom teeth and their removal, we welcome you to contact our office today.
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What Is a Root Canal?

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What Is a Root Canal?

A root canal is the canal-shaped interior of a tooth’s roots. The term root canal also refers to a tooth-saving treatment that is also commonly called root canal therapy.

Is Root Canal Therapy Painful?

Although root canal procedures have a bad reputation for being painful, Dr. Mott takes steps to ensure our patients experience no pain or discomfort during their procedures. In fact, the first step of a root canal procedure is to administer local anesthesia to completely numb the treatment area.
This anesthetic also helps reduce pain for some time after the procedure is complete. Once the anesthetic has worn off, patients can effectively treat any resulting pain and inflammation with over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications and a cold compress.
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What to Expect During a Root Canal Procedure

Once anesthetics have been administered, a root canal begins with the dentist drilling into the tooth to access the tooth’s interior pulp and root canal system. We then remove all the soft tissues from inside the tooth and smooth the walls of the root canals before filling the canals and interior of the tooth with a material called gutta-percha. The tooth is then covered with a temporary filling until a permanent crown can be manufactured to fit permanently over the tooth.

Why Do You Need a Root Canal?

Treatment with a root canal is necessary when a tooth’s structure becomes compromised or weakened due to injury or disease, exposing the interior pulp of the tooth to bacteria. After being exposed to bacteria, the inside of the tooth can become infected. As a result, root canal therapy is often the last treatment available to save a patient’s natural tooth while avoiding the need for extraction.
Our dentist might recommend treatment with root canal therapy in the following circumstances:
  • The patient has a severely broken or chipped tooth.
  • An old amalgam filling has popped loose.
  • Significant tooth decay is present.
  • An injury resulted in the exposure of the tooth's interior pulp.
While most patients cringe at the idea of needing a root canal, the treatment is actually highly effective for saving a patient’s natural teeth. A root canal is usually only recommended when it is the only treatment available to save a natural tooth.
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Root Canal Therapy and Restorative Dentistry in Kenmore

At Kenmore Smiles Family Dentistry, we’re pleased to provide our patients with comprehensive dental care, including root canal treatments and a variety of restorative dentistry services. To learn more or schedule a consultation, we welcome you to contact our office today.

5 Signs That You Might Eventually Need Dentures

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5 Signs That You Might Eventually Need Dentures

If you are already missing all or most of your teeth, then you probably know that you are a candidate for dentures. However, most people are not aware of the earlier signs that can indicate that a person might eventually have many of their teeth compromised and eventually lost. If you experience any of the following signs or symptoms, we recommend scheduling a dental checkup as soon as possible to begin treatment interventions right away.

5 Signs You Might Need Dentures Someday

1. You Have Frequent Tooth Pain That You Ignore

Pain isn’t just an annoyance, it’s a signal from your body that something is wrong. When you experience oral pain, like a toothache, sensitivity, or gum tenderness, these are all indications of oral health problems that need to be addressed by a dentist. If you ignore oral pain and go undiagnosed and untreated, then you put the health and strength of your teeth at risk.

2. You Don't Visit the Dentist Regularly

Neglecting your oral health by foregoing routine dental exams and cleanings put you at risk of developing severe tooth decay and periodontal disease – both of which can lead to lost teeth.
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3. You Have Untreated, Advanced Periodontal Disease

When the bacteria from periodontal disease reach the periodontal ligaments (the tissues that hold the teeth in place), the bacteria begin to deteriorate these ligaments and the jawbone, which can result in tooth loss.

4. You Have Already Lost Several Teeth

If you are already missing several teeth, you might find it difficult to eat, drink, and speak normally. Getting dentures can help correct these issues.

5. You Feel Self-Conscious About Your Smile

If you don’t like the way your smile looks, dentures (in addition to a variety of alternative cosmetic treatments) can be an option for improving the look of your smile.

Comprehensive Restorative Dentistry and Tooth-Replacement Options in Kenmore

At Kenmore Smiles Family Dentistry, we offer our patients full and partial dentures in addition to a variety of other tooth-replacement and smile restoration services. Whether you are missing one tooth, several teeth, or all of your teeth, we can help you determine the type of smile restoration treatment plan that can best meet your needs within your dental care budget. To learn more about smile restoration or schedule an appointment with Dr. Mott, we welcome you to contact our dental office in Kenmore today.
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