Tooth loss isn’t always expected, although it’s sometimes a necessity when patients neglect necessary dental treatment for long enough. Though tooth extraction is frequently necessary, Dr. Cain doesn’t typically recommend it unless the tooth can no longer serve its function, or poses a threat to your continued good oral health. Depending on the reason for the extraction, a tooth may also require a durable replacement, such as with a dental implant, or its removal may make way for orthodontic treatment to rearrange crowded teeth into more effective positions. While preserving your natural smile is often a focal point of excellent dental care, there are some unfortunate circumstances that may require a tooth extraction for the benefit of your oral health. (more…)
Can Cleaning Teeth Keep You Healthy?
A lot of what goes on in your mouth affects more than the confines of your teeth and gums. A toothache isn’t always confined to the tooth, jaw pain often translates into chronic headaches, and oral bacteria aren’t fond of respecting your mouth’s boundaries. Given the connections between your oral health and your physical wellbeing, it may come as no surprise that keeping your smile clean can also have a positive impact on your systemic health. By keeping the bacteria in your mouth under control, regular teeth cleaning appointments can help you prevent the circumstances that place your mouth and body at risk. (more…)
What Does Fluoride Prevent?
If your home is connected to a municipal water supply, then you probably have a healthy supply of fluoride flowing from your faucets. Many toothpaste and mouthrinse brands contain the mineral, and your Gary, IN dentist can directly apply fluoride to weakened teeth to improve their protection. As a preventive dentistry measure, fluoride is a valuable tool in good dental hygiene, but what, exactly, does the mineral prevent?
Fluoride and Your Tooth Enamel
Your teeth may require your constant attention to remain strong and healthy, but they aren’t completely defenseless on their own. The semi-translucent layer of minerals surrounding your teeth, known as tooth enamel, is the most resilient substance your body produces. In fact, tooth enamel is stronger than almost all other substances on earth, second only to diamonds in terms of toughness. Although enamel is made mostly of calcium and phosphate, fluoride can bind to its surface to reduce the risk of oral bacteria reaching your tooth’s main structure (dentin). Fluoride also helps inhibit bacteria’s ability to form dental plaque and stick to your teeth, which limits their influence on your dental health.
How Else Can You Prevent Cavities?
Tooth enamel grows weak when certain bacteria (Streptococcus mutans) consume sugar and other carbohydrates, and then convert them into acids that sap minerals from your teeth. Every time you eat, your teeth may be subjected to these acids, and if acid erosion outpaces enamel’s ability to recover, then bacteria can reach the underlying structure and lead to tooth decay. Fluoride helps strengthen enamel, but the most effective method of preventing cavities is to brush your teeth at least twice a day, floss at least once, and limit the amount of times you snack throughout the day. Help ensure your teeth stay cavity-free by attending a dental checkup and cleaning every six months. Our hygienists can expertly remove bacteria and the dental plaque that protects them, as well as tartar (calcified plaque) that your toothbrush can’t handle. Dr. Cain may recommend a fluoride treatment if he notices signs of weak tooth enamel, or an appropriate restorative treatment if a cavity has already developed.
About Your Gary, IN Dentist:
As a native of northwest Indiana, Nicholas Cain, DDS, is dedicated to providing excellent cosmetic, preventive, and restorative dentistry to the community that raised him. To schedule your family’s next dental appointment, call Healthy Smiles today at 219-938-2637.
Crooked Teeth and Orthodontics
Orthodontic treatment is a form of professional dentistry that focuses on how well your teeth fit together, and improving their balance if they’re crooked. Known as malocclusion, crooked teeth can take many forms affect patients of all ages, and when not treated, the condition can lead to a host of subsequent dental issues resulting from an imbalanced bite. By straightening teeth with the right orthodontic treatment, your Gary, IN dentist, Dr. Nicholas Cain, can restore your bite’s cosmetic appearance as well as its function.
Learning About Malocclusion
Ideally, teeth should erupt vertically (straight up and down) from your jawbone and gum line. Any variation of this path, and a tooth won’t meet its opposite comfortably, complicating your mouth’s ability to distribute pressure. Some of the more common forms of malocclusion include;
- Overbite—the upper front teeth reach further in front of your lower teeth than they should. In a straight bite, the upper front teeth should extend slightly in front of their lower counterparts, but if they reach too far, than they’re considered misaligned.
- Underbite—the opposite of an underbite; when lower front teeth extend in front of your upper front teeth. Since your lower teeth should naturally rest behind those on top, an underbite is often more noticeable than an overbite.
- Crossbite—can affect one, several, or all of your teeth. A crossbite describes when one or more teeth are angled diagonally, toward the tongue or cheek, rather than vertically.
- Crowding/spacing problems—too little or too much room between your teeth. Aside from crooked growth, teeth can also erupt with an improper amount of space between them. Too much space can lead to tooth mobility (loose teeth), and crowding can prevent still-growing teeth from erupting properly or at all (impaction).
Patience is a Virtue…And a Necessity
The idea of orthodontics is to move teeth into a more desirable position, and to accomplish this, time is of the essence—specifically, taking enough time for the bone and ligaments supporting your teeth to reform around your teeth’s roots as they move. Orthodontic braces are designed to slowly and methodically force teeth toward their goals, allowing their supportive structures to shift with them.
About Your Gary, IN Dentist:
As a native of northwest Indiana, Nicholas Cain, DDS, is dedicated to providing excellent cosmetic, preventive, and restorative dentistry to the community that raised him. To schedule your family’s next dental appointment, call Healthy Smiles today at 219-938-2637.
Why Do We Lose Adult Teeth?
Do you remember losing your first tooth as a child? It’s ok if you don’t; some children begin losing their teeth at age four or five, younger than many adults can remember. The good thing about losing baby teeth is that their adult replacements are sturdier, stronger, and supposed to last. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Although they’re often called “permanent,” adult teeth can still be lost without proper care and maintenance, or if accidental trauma damages them severely enough. Gary, IN dentist, Dr. Nicholas Cain, explains why some patients lose one or more of their adult teeth, even though they’re meant to last a lifetime.
Tooth Infection
Cavities are the most common chronic dental disease, and are caused by an infection known as tooth decay. The infection begins when poor hygiene allows dental plaque to accumulate excessively. When you eat or drink, the bacteria in plaque turn sugar into acid that dissolves your teeth’s protective layer of enamel. Once enamel is destroyed, bacteria can slip past it to infect your tooth. Left untreated, the decay can consume the tooth’s structure, and in severe cases, the infection can destroy the tooth.
Periodontal Disease
Although periodontal disease, or gum disease, attacks your gums instead of your teeth, it remains the leading cause of adult tooth loss in the United States. Periodontal disease also begins with the excessive buildup of bacterial plaque. Rather than attacking your teeth, however, periodontal disease destroys the gums and jawbone that support your teeth. Red, swollen, and bleeding gums can warn you of early gum disease, but many patients ignore these signs and don’t seek treatment until the disease has become severe. If gum disease isn’t brought under control promptly, it can erode the foundation that supports your smile. If you opt to replace your lost teeth, then untreated gum disease can also impact the success of your dental prosthesis.
Extensive Damage
Sometimes, you can’t avoid losing a tooth. For instance, accidental trauma can knock your tooth out of its socket within your jawbone, or can damage the tooth beyond repair. If you suffer from a dental emergency, then call our office as soon as possible for an emergency dental visit. With prompt care and attention, Dr. Cain may be able to save the tooth from complete destruction or the need for an extraction.
About Nicholas Cain, DDS:
As a native of northwest Indiana, Dr. Nicholas Cain is dedicated to providing excellent cosmetic, preventive, and restorative dentistry to the community that raised him. To schedule your family’s next dental appointment, call Healthy Smiles today at 219-938-2637.
A Full Range of Service with Your General Dentist
Why do you most often visit the dentist? Some people need treatment to address a cavity, or developing gum disease, while others simply wish to improve the appearance of their smiles. Even if your smile is beautiful and healthy, however, visiting your dentist regularly is still mandatory to keep it that way. With a wide range of services designed to restore and maintain healthy smiles of all ages, your Gary, IN general dentist, Dr. Nicholas Cain, can help you ensure that your smile remains one you can be proud to show, even if your oral health suffers from dental damage or disease.
Preventive Measures
Your most frequent reason for visiting the dentist should be for your six-month dental checkups and cleanings. Routine visits allow Dr. Cain to thoroughly clean your teeth and gums of harmful plaque and tartar, which are rampant with infectious bacteria. He’ll also inspect your oral cavity for enamel erosion, gum recession, or other abnormalities that can indicate the beginnings of tooth decay, gum disease, oral cancer, and other potentially serious issues.
The Right Restoration for Everyone
Ideally, routine maintenance would be the only reason you visit the dentist. Unfortunately, dental diseases are common, and patients frequently have to seek professional treatment to restore and protect their smiles from infection and extensive injury. For instance, if your tooth exhibits a cavity, then Dr. Cain may recommend a tooth-colored dental filling or a minimally-invasive root canal procedure, depending on the severity of your tooth’s infection. Placing a dental crown over the tooth after the procedure will restore the tooth’s appearance as well as protect it from the pressures of biting and chewing.
Custom-Designed Smile Improvement
Although your teeth and gums are in excellent health, your smile can still be marred by one or more cosmetic issues, such as teeth stains, chips, minor misalignment, or odd spacing that creates holes between your teeth. To help your smile look its best, Dr. Cain offers a variety of cosmetic dentistry procedures, including teeth whitening, porcelain veneers, and lifelike porcelain dental crowns. If you want to reinvent your smile’s look, then Dr. Cain can customize a smile makeover plan consisting of one or more conservative procedures designed specifically for your smile’s enhancement.
About Nicholas Cain, DDS:
As a native of northwest Indiana, Dr. Nicholas Cain is dedicated to providing excellent cosmetic, preventive, and restorative dentistry to the community that raised him. To schedule your family’s next dental appointment, call Healthy Smiles today at 219-938-2637.
How Dental Fillings Work
According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), cavities affect 92% of adults in the United States ages 20-64. If you’re among them, there’s a chance you may have had your cavity treated with a metal (silver) filling. Also known as amalgam, metal fillings are a mixture of liquid mercury and a powdered alloy containing silver, tin, copper, zinc, and other trace metals. Since the late 1800s, amalgam has been a popular dental filling material for its durability. Today, metal fillings are no longer the optimal treatment for cavities, and tooth-colored dental fillings from your Miller, IN dentist, Dr. Nicholas Cain, provide a more effective and more natural-looking solution.
Stop the Cavity!
Tooth decay is the disease that causes cavities to form in your teeth. As an internal tooth infection, tooth decay begins with the excessive buildup of dental plaque, and as it progresses, it eats away your tooth’s structure, causing cavities to develop. Since tooth decay is progressive, the infection will continue and the cavity will grow larger until your dentist stops it. Dr. Cain will remove the infected tooth structure and thoroughly clean the cavity of any lingering bacteria to prevent the spread of infection. To reinforce the weakened tooth, Dr. Cain will fill the cavity with a manmade material, or a dental filling.
Metal vs. Resin—Benefits of Tooth-Colored Fillings
Aside from its conspicuous appearance, metal amalgam possesses a few other faults that can hinder its effectiveness as a dental filling. Metal tends to change shape in extreme temperature changes, expanding with heat and contracting in the cold. By contrast, your tooth is inflexible, and the changing shape of a metal filling can damage it, or create spaces between the filling and tooth that can allow bacteria into the tooth’s interior. Composite resin, which is tinted to match your tooth’s color, can be bonded to your tooth’s surface, more effectively sealing and reinforcing your tooth.
About Nicholas Cain, DDS:
Dr. Nicholas Cain has been fascinated with the art and science of dentistry since an early age after long talks with his uncle, who was a practicing dentist in Tennessee. After earning his dental degree from the Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Dr. Cain served at his family’s practice in Tennessee, learning from his childhood mentors and further honing his skills. Recently, Dr. Cain returned to his native northwest Indiana to open his own practice, and continues to provide excellent cosmetic, preventive, and restorative dentistry to the community that raised him. To schedule your family’s next dental appointment, call Healthy Smiles today at 219-938-2637.
Teeth Grinding—Stress’ Effect on Your Dental Health
Aside from taxing your body and increasing your risk of certain systemic diseases (i.e., heart disease, stroke, etc.), stress can also take a serious toll on your dental health. Teeth grinding is a common result of stress, and bruxism (the habit of grinding your teeth) can lead to excessive tooth wear or chipped/broken teeth, throwing your bite out of balance as the landscape of your teeth changes. To help you limit stressful damage to your teeth and gums, as well as improve your overall health, Miller, IN dentist, Dr. Nicholas Cain, offers advice for reducing excessive stress levels.
Relieve Stress, Protect Teeth
- Exercise—You don’t have to be a world-class athlete to enjoy the stress-relieving benefits of exercise. In fact, any physical activity can achieve this goal. The point is to get your body moving, so that your mind can focus more on the movements than on the irritations that cause stress. Exercise also promotes the release of your brain’s feel-good chemicals, like endorphins, to further help melt away stress.
- Meditate—Your mind is a powerful thing, and thinking about the source of your stress will not allow you to let it go. Try meditating to refocus your attention and eliminating unwanted thoughts. Meditation can help you redirect your train of thoughts while bringing calm, peace, and balance to your mind.
- Go to Sleep—Sleep deprivation is a common cause of moodiness and agitation. It is also a side effect of stress, as you may often find it difficult to fall asleep while contemplating stressful subjects. If you have difficulty falling asleep at night, try to create a bedtime routine, such as a warm bath and reading a book in low light. The routine will serve to tell your body that it’s time to sleep, and will help your mind and body make the transition smoother.
- Smile—Even when you have to force it, studies have shown that smiling can help improve your mood as well as lift the spirits of those around you. Try smiling when you feel like grinding your teeth, and see the difference it creates for your demeanor and your oral health.
About Nicholas Cain, DDS:
Dr. Nicholas Cain has been fascinated with the art and science of dentistry since an early age after long talks with his uncle, who was a practicing dentist in Tennessee. After earning his dental degree from the Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Dr. Cain served at his family’s practice in Tennessee, learning from his childhood mentors and further honing his skills. Recently, Dr. Cain returned to his native northwest Indiana to open his own practice, and continues to provide excellent cosmetic, preventive, and restorative dentistry to the community that raised him. To schedule your family’s next dental appointment, call Healthy Smiles today at 219-938-2637.
Miller Dentist Looks at Tooth Decay
Simply having teeth means that your smile is subject to dental diseases, including the most widespread one—tooth decay (the infection that causes cavities). Even if none of your teeth exhibit cavities yet, the disease can be quietly working to undermine your teeth’s defenses and destroy their structures. To help you protect your smile from infectious tooth decay and the damage it causes, your Miller, IN dentist, Dr. Nicholas Cain, explains how the disease develops, and better yet, how to defeat the issue before it gains a foothold on your teeth.
Introducing Oral Bacteria
Although many people agree that dental plaque (the sticky substance that occasionally defaces your teeth’s surfaces) is worth removing, they don’t always realize the danger it poses if it remains. Aside from being uncomfortable, plaque contains over 600 different kinds of oral bacteria. Some of these germs are benign, maybe even necessary, to continuing good oral health. However, the most destructive dental issues (including tooth decay) stem from the malicious bacteria that contribute to plaque formation. In particular, the bacterium Streptococcus mutans produces acid that destroys tooth enamel, making teeth vulnerable to decay-causing germs. (more…)
FAQs About Family Smile Care
A beautiful smile looks great and helps improve overall health. Keeping your teeth and gums healthy requires regular dental care. At Healthy Smiles, we offer the latest in quality dentistry for the entire family. Your Gary, IN dentist, Dr. Nicholas Cain, can help boost the health and appearance of your smile.