You’re brushing your teeth as usual and rinse out. But instead of just clear water and foamy toothpaste going down the drain, you see bright red blood. It’s an unnerving sight, but what does it mean? Can you do something to treat your bleeding gums yourself, or do you need to see your dentist as…
It’s time for a pop quiz! What’s the hardest substance in the human body? If you answered “bones,” sorry! The correct answer is enamel! Because tooth enamel is 96% mineral, it’s stronger than bones, which are composed of living, soft tissue. But although enamel is tougher than bone, it isn’t indestructible — and it can’t…
Hearing your dentist tell you that you have a cavity is never good news! Although getting a filling is a painless procedure — assuming your dentist is skilled and conscientious — the fact that dental caries (decay) has taken hold in a tooth can be unsettling, and lead you to question your oral hygiene routine….
Root canal treatment is perhaps the dental procedure that people dread the most. However, when performed by an experienced, skilled dentist or endodontist, a root canal is painless, and can typically be performed during a single visit. While root canal procedures are overwhelmingly successful, a previously treated tooth can become reinfected days, weeks, months, or…
Everybody wants a dazzling smile, and whitening toothpastes have long advertised themselves as an easy, economical means of achieving this goal. But are they ultimately bad for your tooth enamel? Recently, there’s been some debate — even among dentists — as to whether long-term use of whitening toothpaste is detrimental to the integrity of your…
Your dentist is an important member of your healthcare team. Because our team at NK Family Dental always emphasizes that dental health is part of overall health, we want you to know that your patient experience should meet certain standards to ensure the best possible treatment, care and outcome. As our blog post — “How…
You probably don’t think much about your tongue, other than the role it plays in tasting and swallowing. But it also provides an important window into your oral and overall health. By paying attention to the signs and symptoms your tongue exhibits, you can potentially catch dental or health problems early on and schedule an…
Because you’re taking the time to read this blog post on the NK Family Dental blog, we assume you care about your oral health. If we’re right (as we hope we are), you schedule a dental check-up and cleaning at regular six-month intervals. Under typical circumstances, the professional cleaning procedure you’re accustomed to will go…
If you’re conscientious about your oral health, you get regular dental examinations and cleanings, and take care to prevent cavities and periodontal disease. But there are other dangers to your teeth to be aware of – for example, bruising a tooth. It may sound odd, but teeth can be bruised or sprained. How so? Each…
You may think that you’re doing all you can to maintain good oral health, but some habits are detrimental to your efforts. Like most bad habits, they tend to be performed “on automatic” without you even being aware of them. The ability to identify such behaviors is the first step in stopping them and preventing…
