Start the Summer with Clean and Bright Teeth in Celina, TX

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White Teeth CoupleIf you are planning a big summer full of travel, swimming, barbecues, and plenty of fun in the sun, looking good in a bathing suit may not be your only physical concern. A happy, healthy, bright, and confident smile is a sure-fire way to make a great impression to others, no matter what season is upon us. The best time to embark upon teeth whitening is after a dental checkup and cleaning. You want to be sure that you have a clean bill of dental healthy before exposing your teeth and gums to bleaching chemicals. Your Celina, TX cosmetic dentist, Dr. Newton, will tell you more.

Foundation for Successful Teeth Whitening

Before embarking upon any cosmetic dental procedures, it’s essential that you have a healthy and strong foundation.  This starts with you and your dental hygiene routine. Self-care should include brushing your teeth at least twice a day with a soft-bristled toothbrush approved by the American Dental Association (ADA). Toothpaste should be fluoridated. Be sure to floss at least once each day. If you are doing all of these things, you are half way there. Don’t forget to keep up with dental checkups every six months.  A dental checkup and cleaning will ensure that gum disease and tooth decay are kept at bay. If treatment is necessary, Dr. Newton can let you know how long you should wait before exposing your teeth to any cosmetic dental procedures. Otherwise, you’re ready for teeth whitening.

A Whiter, Brighter Smile

Many patients complain of stained teeth when they come in for a checkup. Some staining is natural over time. Habits such as tobacco, coffee drinking, and consuming a lot of red wine (more…)

Scared of Dental Work? Celina Family Dentist Can Help

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NervousWomanIf you have a fear of the dentist, you are far from alone. You are one of approximately 75% of people in the United States that have some level of dental anxiety. These feelings can range from light nerves to a full-blown phobia. For patients that are petrified about something as simple as a dental cleaning and checkup, their preventive care often gets put off for years upon years. When something like a cavity, infected root, chipped or cracked tooth, or any dental condition occurs, things can get much worse if you put off seeing your dentist. There was a time when you had two choices: fight through your fear, or put off going to the dentist long enough that you may actually lose teeth. Thankfully, your Celina family dentist, Dr. Newton, has some modern day solutions for helping fearful or anxious patients.

Something to Laugh About

The very first dentist to use nitrous oxide (also known as laughing gas) was Horace Wells. That was 1844, and since that time, millions of patients have been made much calmer by this soothing compound. Nitrous oxide is given to patients through the use of a mask which is put over your nose.  In spite of the name, very few people actually laugh when exposed to nitrous oxide, but feelings of giddiness, happiness, calmness, and euphoria are often reported. Laughing gas is even safe enough to give to children, and wears off so quickly that you’ll be back to normal by the time you leave the dentist’s chair.

Oral Conscious Sedation

If your procedure is more invasive such as a root canal therapy or cosmetic dental treatment, oral conscious sedation can offer you even deeper relaxation. You will be given a simple pill which contains anti-anxiety medication, along with instructions to take the medication an hour before your appointment. This way, you’ll have a much easier time getting through the (more…)

Celina Dentist Helps Decide if Oral Fractures are Emergencies

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Pain in the jawFractures. They can be vary in depth, placement, and severity, but however you slice it, a fracture is basically a break. Breaking a tooth can be upsetting, scary, and embarrassing. Fractures are sometimes not as easy to spot. However, they can fester, deepen, or even cause cosmetic issues on your most visible teeth. Is a fracture a dental emergency? The best thing to do is to call your Celina dentist, Dr. Newton, if you have suffered from a crack or fracture in any part of your mouth and jaw, and let our team help you decide if you should come in to the office right away.

Do Cracked Teeth Always Require Dental Attention?

Any injury to your tooth that causes pain or even just feels odd should elicit quick action on your part. Fractures and cracks can’t always be seen or felt. Early identification can help you save your tooth from needing a full extraction. It is very important that the crack not reach the pulp chamber where your roots (more…)

Prosper Dentist Can Restore Missing Teeth with Dental Implants

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TrueFalseBlackboxWalking around with even one missing tooth can be inconvenient at best and downright embarrassing at worst. When you are missing entire arches, or even your entire mouth of teeth, you will look nothing like the person you’re used to. Teeth are important for both appearance and function. The inability to smile will decrease your quality of life. You also need your teeth to chew and speak properly. Teeth even keep your jawbone at a healthy density. So what should you do if you lose your teeth? Prosper dentist, Dr. Newton, wants to find out if you already have the answers by challenging you to this quiz on dental implants.

Questions

Q1. True or false – Dental implants include the root replacement rod and a tooth-like dental crown.

Q2. True or false – The only advantage of dental implants is that they don’t slip like dentures sometimes can.

Q3. True or false – Dental implants can be cleaned just like regular teeth.

Answers (more…)

Prosper Dentist Discusses How Gum Disease Affects Women

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Dr. Newton, your  Prosper family dentist, takes pride in having a special understanding of her female patients. Hormone fluctuations during certain times in a woman’s life can put the female members of our species at a much higher risk for periodontal disease. Gum disease is the primary cause of tooth loss in the United States, afflicting approximately 80% of the population, so we already have the odds against us.

Gum Disease Symptoms

Gum disease has been linked to many other systemic health issues: strokes, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and even pre-term labor. Early gum disease is marked by such mild symptoms that it may go unnoticed until it’s more severe. If there are symptoms, the main ones generally seep to be:

  • Tender/Swollen Gums
  • Pink/Red/Purple/Gum Tissue
  • Bleeding Gums

Hormone Related Gum Disease

At the various times of life that generally come along with major hormonal fluctuations for women, there can be a greater chance of gum disease incidence. Puberty, pregnancy, middle-age, and menopause would be examples of times when hormonal related gum disease would most likely be seen. When gum disease starts, it cannot be stopped completely, but it can certainly be controlled.

Preventing Gum Disease

Gum disease is an inflammatory issue. Infection of gingival tissues usually results from plaque and tartar buildup at the gumline. Brushing and flossing twice a day can reduce plaque and bacteria from breeding by the thousands in your mouth. Plaque that is not cleaned off by brushing and flossing will harden into tartar (also known as calculus) in about 48 hours. Tartar will have to be removed by a professional dental hygienist for your safety. Depending on the health of your gums, your hygienist or dentist may recommend a special oral hygiene regimen or a deep cleaning to control gum disease.

 Consult with Prosper Family Dentist

If you are a woman of any age that is due for a dental checkup, your Prosper family dentist would love to see you. Call (214) 851-0130 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Newton at our 75009 dentist office. We welcome patients from Celina, Prosper, Gunter, Frisco, Anna, Pilot Point, McKinney, and other nearby communities.

Gorgeous Smiles in a Snap from Prosper, TX Cosmetic Dentist

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SmilingThere are several ways to deal with cosmetic flaws on your teeth. Some of them are very time consuming and costly. Others might not give you the desired results. If you’re hoping to improve the appearance of your smile in one of the easiest and most efficient ways, consider the Snap-On Smile. Dr. Newton, your Prosper, TX cosmetic dentist is one of the area’s first dentists to ever have been trained in this amazing technology. Read on to learn more about the Snap-On Smile.

Snap-On Smile Defined

Picture an oral appliance that fits over your natural teeth, actually snapping into place for an instant, secure, and gorgeous new smile. Snap-On Smile is a non-invasive cosmetic procedure that doesn’t alter your teeth in any way. This means the process is reversible, removable, and customizable. If your mouth structure should change in any way over time, or if you decide that you want another look you can easily change things up. The Snap-On Smile appliance is great for gapped, crooked, stained, or missing teeth, and can cover up imperfections on both your upper and lower teeth.

The Snap-On Procedure: What to Expect

At your first visit with your Prosper, TX cosmetic dentist, an impression of your teeth will be taken so that we can customize the size and fit of your new smile. You will consult with Dr. Newton regarding the style and shade you want for the apparatus. You’ll get to see an image of what your new smile will look like before the procedure even (more…)

Celina Dentist Explains Obstructive Sleep Apnea

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People who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may have to deal with a daily struggle of all-day exhaustion. OSA is not just an annoying condition, but a potentially life threatening one. Driving while exhausted, for example, is thought of as being equally as dangerous as driving while intoxicated. Your sharpness while working, desire to exercise and eat healthy, ability to rear children in a consistent and patient manner – all of these daily tasks can be completely challenging when you are sleep deprived. Since pervasive snoring and OSA often go hand-in-hand, and OSA can be a dangerous (even life threatening) condition, Celina dentist, Dr. Newton, will relate the two conditions.

Explanation of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

OSA occurs because the tissues in the throat area collapse and block your airways while you sleep. This can be a result of the structure and size of your tonsils or adenoids. OSA can also be caused by your bone structure in your head and neck. People who are overweight or obese often tend to be at higher risk of OSA because of an excess of fat tissues. When those tissues cause the blockage, you stop breathing until (more…)

Celina Dentist Asks: Do You Need Dentures?

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If you’ve lost most or all of your teeth on one or both of your dental ridges, then the answer is yes, you do need dentures. Replacing lost teeth is a choice, but choosing not to is never preferable, especially if your tooth loss is significant. After all, you need your teeth, or effective replacements, to eat and consume the proper amount of nutrients for your body to function properly. A full set of teeth also helps support your facial features and keep your appearance young and healthy-looking. If you’re debating whether you should opt for dentures after losing numerous teeth, your Celina dentist, Dr. Newton, explains why the choice shouldn’t be a difficult one.

Enjoy a Fully-Functional Smile Again

Dentures are a set of prosthetic teeth, often crafted from tooth-like dental porcelain, that rest on a gum-colored base and are secured to your dental ridge using a special strong adhesive. Full dentures replace all of your teeth on your upper and/or lower ridge, while partial dentures are custom-designed to fill the spaces between remaining healthy teeth. Completing your dental ridge can allow you to once again effectively chew and process your food for digestion, as well as enunciate clearly when you speak. The less-obvious benefits of replacing your teeth involve retaining your surrounding facial structure, which they perform more effectively when coupled with a series of dental implants. (more…)

Celina Dentist on the Complexities of TMJ Disorder

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The wellbeing of your smile involves more than how brightly it shines when you show it off. A truly healthy human mouth functions as perfectly as it looks. For instance, even if your teeth are flawless and shine as bright as a movie star’s, their beauty would be little solace if they didn’t work well enough for you to eat and speak properly. As the hinges upon which your jaws move, your temporomandibular joints (TMJs) are subject to damage and misalignment, which leads to TMJ dysfunction and chronic discomfort throughout your craniofacial region. As part of our dedication to the optimal beauty and function of your smile, Celina dentist, Dr. Newton, explains the complexities of TMJ disorder and why it’s often difficult to escape its uncomfortable grasp.

A Different Kind of Joint

Although they are joints, your TMJs are not typical. Instead of the ball-and-socket construction that allows your knees and shoulders to rotate, your jaw’s joints slide to allow for a more diverse range of movement with a disc of cartilage like those between the bones of your spine. Sliding TMJs distribute the pressure of your bite throughout the entire jaw joint instead of focusing it on a single area, which helps accommodate the up-to-200 pounds of pressure that your jaw can exert. (more…)

What Does it Take to Enjoy a Brighter Smile in Celina?

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If you’re a stickler for brushing and flossing your teeth every day, then you may be surprised (and more than a little frustrated) to find one or more stains adorning the fronts of your teeth. If so, then don’t fret; tooth stains are by no means a testament to your dental hygiene skills. Every time you eat a meal, your food and drink can potentially leave a lasting mark on your smile. Luckily, while tooth stains can appear regardless of your efforts to prevent them, they can also be dealt with in a relatively simple manner. To help you keep your smile as bright and beautiful as it is healthy, Celina cosmetic dentist, Dr. Newton, offers a couple of professional teeth whitening options designed to fit your schedule and needs.

A Smile You Can Be Proud Of

Because of their natural development, tooth stains are among the most commonly-complained about dental blemishes today. Your smile is one of your face’s most dominating features, and along with the eyes, it is one of the first things people notice about your appearance. Being ashamed of your smile, then, can diminish your social confidence and the quality of your interactions. Luckily, addressing most tooth stains is fairly simple and doesn’t even have to affect your hectic daily schedule. (more…)