As people know, many items can stain teeth and cause a patient to look older than their years. Coffee, red wine, fruit juices, and tea are at the top of the list for liquids that stain teeth as they contain chromogens that bond to the enamel. Tobacco is another culprit with tar and nicotine that stain a smoker's teeth. Age will wear down the enamel, allowing the yellowish dentin to show through, and both medications and trauma can darken teeth. A lot of whitening methods are available, but a professional whitening treatment is one of the safest methods to quickly whiten and rejuvenate a patient's smile.
Dr. Fritz at New Health Dental in Mesa offers several options to whiten teeth. A take-home treatment kit will include gel and trays that can be molded at home. The whitening trays are worn for an hour or two every day for one to two weeks, with results showing within a few days.
An in-office visit will show more immediate results. Dr. Fritz offers the Sapphire whitening system, which takes approximately thirty minutes in the dentist's chair. He prefers this because it does not use an ultraviolet light to activate the whitening agents. The gel, containing 35% hydrogen peroxide and a desensitizing agent to stop sensitive teeth after treatment, is carefully brushed on each tooth. The Sapphire plasma light is then applied, activating the gel, and working to lift deep stains.
Patients are often advised to wait at least 48 hours to drink staining beverages or foods. Staining foods are those that would also stain a white T-shirt. The teeth have pores that are open after treatment, and refraining will allow those pores to close. To keep the teeth from discoloring later, patients are advised to drink staining liquids through a straw and rinse with water afterward.
If you are dissatisfied with the color of your teeth and how many years it adds to your appearance, contact Dr. Edward Fritz at 877-943-3703 to schedule your consultation.
Root canal therapy is a procedure that is often done as a way of saving a natural tooth. Dr. Edward Fritz of New Health Dental in Mesa is a holistic dentist who understands the importance of keeping natural teeth in place as long as possible. Unfortunately, there are conditions that can occur that can negatively affect the smile. This may include an abscess, large area of decay, periodontal disease, or infection of the dental pulp inside of the tooth. When these issues occur, they can cause patients extreme pain or discomfort. There are two options at this point: root canal therapy or extraction.
Root canal therapy often called endodontic therapy, can help save a tooth. It requires the dentist to go into the tooth to access the dental pulp for removal using specialized instruments. The canals of the tooth are cleaned and disinfected and then filled with a material called gutta percha. This material is like a special rubber that seals the tooth to ensure no bacteria can re-enter the tooth. Then the tooth is sealed on the top with a composite resin filling.
Sometimes, root canal therapy can leave a tooth weak and brittle because it removes the blood supply that keeps it alive. This means that patients should have another layer of protection over their tooth to keep it from breaking. For this, a crown or a veneer may be used. This will all depend on the location of the tooth in the mouth. Teeth near the front of the mouth that have less chewing forces can be improved with a veneer while molars and teeth near the back of the mouth may need a crown for better protection. Dr. Edward Fritz will evaluate the smile after the procedure to determine which restoration is most appropriate.
If you live in or around the area of Mesa and you are interested in learning about the process of root canal therapy, contact Dr. Edward Fritz, and the team at New Health Dental. We work closely with patients to help them determine which procedures are most appropriate for their smiles and can help them achieve better dental health and wellness.
