So, you're about to have a tooth capped with a crown. Do you know what you need to know before you undergo this common dental procedure?

Here's a short true or false quiz to test your knowledge of dental crowns.

All crowns are the same. False — while all crowns have the same basic design — a life-like prosthetic tooth fitted over and bonded or cemented to a natural tooth — their compositions can vary greatly. Early metal crowns consisted mainly of gold or silver and are still used today. Porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) crowns — a metal interior for strength overlaid by a porcelain exterior for appearance — became popular in the latter 20th Century. Although still widely used, PFMs have been largely surpassed by newer all-ceramic materials that are stronger than past versions.

Crowns can differ in their artistic quality. True — all crowns are designed to replicate a natural tooth's function — in other words, enable the tooth to effectively chew again. But a crown's appearance can be a different story, depending on how much attention to detail and artistry goes into it. The higher the individual craftsmanship, the more lifelike it will appear — and the more expensive it can be.

With digital milling equipment, dental labs are obsolete. False — although technology exists that allows dentists to produce their own crowns, the equipment is not yet in widespread use.  The vast majority of crowns are still produced by a trained technician in a dental laboratory. And just as you base your choice of a dentist on your confidence in and respect for them, dentists look for the same thing in a dental lab — good, reliable and consistent results.

Your insurance may not cover what your dentist recommends. True — dental insurance will typically pay for a basic, functional crown. Aesthetics — how it will look — is a secondary consideration. As a result, your policy may not cover the crown your dentist recommends to function properly and look attractive. A new crown, however, is a long-term investment in both your dental function and your smile. It may be well worth supplementing out of pocket your insurance benefit to get the crown that suits you on both counts.

If you would like more information on crown restorations, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation.

Dentures can be an effective and affordable solution for people who've lost all their teeth. With them a person can once again eat nutritiously, speak clearly and smile confidently — and with regular care they can last for years.

As part of that ongoing care, be sure you consider one important thing with your dentures: you may want to take them out at night while you sleep. If you do you'll lessen your chances of developing these 4 health problems.

Accelerated bone loss. Traditional dentures are fitted to rest securely on the gums. This, however, creates pressure on the gums and the bony ridges beneath them that can contribute to bone loss. Wearing dentures around the clock usually accelerates this process, which could eventually lead to among other problems looser denture fit and discomfort.

Bacterial and fungal growth. Microorganisms that cause oral diseases find conducive breeding spots on the underside of dentures while they're worn in the mouth. Studies have found that people who continuously wear their dentures are more likely to have bacterial plaque and oral yeast than those that don't.

Potentially dangerous infections. Bacterial and fungal growth increases your risk of oral infections that could affect more than your mouth. A recent study of elderly nursing home residents found those who wore their dentures during sleep were over twice as likely to develop serious cases of pneumonia requiring hospitalization. It's believed bacteria harbored on the dentures can pass from the mouth to the lungs as a person breathes over them while they sleep.

Blocked salivary flow. During the night our salivary flow naturally ebbs; wearing dentures while we sleep could cause denture stomatitis, in which the tissues covered by a denture (particularly along the roof of the mouth) become inflamed and infected with yeast. It's often accompanied by angular cheilitis or cracking at the corners of the mouth that becomes infected by the same yeast.

Wearing your dentures while you sleep contributes to conditions ranging from irritating to life-threatening. To prevent such problems clean your dentures as well as the rest of your mouth regularly — and talk to your dentist whether you should leave them out when you go to bed.

If you would like more information on denture care, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Sleeping in Dentures.”

Teeth grinding is one childhood habit that sounds worse than it usually is: often the most harm done is to your night’s sleep. That said, though, it’s still a habit to keep your eye on.

Also known as bruxism, teeth grinding is so common among children that it’s considered normal behavior by many healthcare professionals. As for causes, some suggest a child’s immature neuromuscular chewing control may trigger it, while others point to the change from deeper sleep to a lighter stage as a possible cause. Problems like airway obstruction, medications or stress also seem to contribute to the habit.

For most children, teeth grinding usually fades by age 11 with no adverse effect on their teeth. If the habit extends into adolescence, however, there’s an increased risk for damage, mainly tooth wear.

This can happen because grinding often produces chewing forces 20-30 times greater than normal. Over time this can cause the biting surfaces of the teeth to wear and reduces the size of the teeth. While teeth normally wear over a lifetime, accelerated wear can pose a significant health risk to your teeth. Any sign of tooth wear in a child or adolescent is definitely cause for concern.

If your child’s tooth grinding habit appears to be developing into a problem, your dentist may recommend a few treatment options. The most common is a thin, plastic night guard worn in the mouth during sleep that prevents the upper and lower teeth from making contact. If the suspected cause is airway obstruction, they may refer you to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist to seek treatment for that, as well as other professionals to help with managing stress or medications.

Like thumb sucking, the habit of teeth grinding usually ends with no permanent ill effects. But if you notice it continuing late into childhood or your dentist finds tooth wear or other problems, take action to avoid problems long-term.

If you would like more information on childhood bruxism, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “When Children Grind their Teeth.”

Even after losing a tooth in an on-court collision with an opposing player, Isaiah Thomas didn’t slow down. The Boston Celtics point guard completed the play…and the rest of the game. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of his dental problems — it was just the beginning.

Over the next few days, Thomas had a total of ten hours of oral surgery to treat problems with multiple teeth. He got a temporary bridge, and will receive a permanent one at a later date. He also got fitted for a custom-made mouthguard to prevent re-injury.

We’re pleased to see that Thomas is getting appropriate dental treatment. But it’s unfortunate that he didn’t get the mouthguard sooner; this one piece of inexpensive safety gear could have saved him a lot of pain and trouble. If you think mouthguards are strictly for full-contact sports, Thomas’ troubles should make you think again. In fact, according to a 2015 study in the journal Sports Health, the five sports with the highest overall risk of tooth loss are basketball, football, hockey, martial arts, and boxing. Plenty of other also involve the risk of dental injury.

The study also notes that some 5 million teeth are avulsed (knocked out) each year in the U.S. alone. Countless others are loosened, fractured or chipped. What’s more, it is estimated that the lifetime cost of treating an avulsed tooth is between $5,000 and $20,000. The cost of a custom-made mouthguard is just a small fraction of that.

Where can you or your child get a custom-made mouthguard? Right here at the dental office! These high-quality items are professionally fabricated from a model of your actual teeth, so they fit much better than an off-the-shelf one ever could. They offer superior protection, durability and comfort — because, after all, no mouthguard can protect you if it’s too uncomfortable to wear.

Thomas’ season is now over due to a hip injury, but at least he will now have time to rest and get his dental problems taken care of. Let’s hope his story will inspire more athletes — both professional and amateur — to prevent similar problems by wearing custom-made mouthguards. Whether you compete on a school team, enjoy a pick-up game after work, or play in the big leagues, a dental injury is one problem that you don’t need.

If you have questions about custom-made mouthguards, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation.

For over three decades, veneers have helped mask dental imperfections like chipping, staining or gaps and improve the appearance of millions of teeth. As the name implies, this thin layer of porcelain covers a tooth's visible surface and accurately mimics the texture, color and translucence of natural teeth.

Veneers could be just the solution you need for a more attractive smile. But before you begin treatment, be sure you have these 3 essentials in place to ensure a successful outcome.

True expectations. While the transformation of a tooth's appearance with a veneer can be astounding, veneers in general do have their limitations. You need an adequate amount of the tooth's structure present for a veneer to properly adhere — if not, you may need to consider a porcelain crown instead. Likewise, gaps and other misalignments may be too great for a veneer to cover: in that case, you should consider orthodontics. A thorough examination beforehand will determine if veneers are the best option for you.

An artisan team. Every veneer is custom made to match an individual patient's tooth shape and color, handcrafted by a skilled dental technician. There's also an art to the dentist preparing the tooth beforehand and then properly positioning the veneer for bonding to achieve the most attractive result. Be sure, then, that your veneer "team" comes highly recommended by others.

The best materials. The first porcelains were powdered glass ceramics mixed with water to form a paste. Technicians shaped the paste in successive layers and as it oven-cured it took on the beautiful translucence of natural teeth. Unfortunately, this type of porcelain could be brittle and prone to shattering when subjected to heavy biting forces. In recent years, though, we've begun to use ceramics reinforced with other materials like Leucite for added strength. Today, the materials dentists use have much better durability.

If you would like more information on porcelain veneers, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Porcelain Veneers.”