A wooden shelf of toothbrushes in assorted colors by a faucet

No one likes having increased sensitivity and discomfort in their mouth. Luckily, getting rid of itchy gums is usually a quick and easy process with the help of your dentist. If you’re looking for itchy gums relief, you can schedule a professional cleaning at Definitive Dental. Find out about our itchy gums treatment in Grand Prairie, Texas. 

Why Do My Gums Itch? 

Gums can itch due to several factors. Lots of times, gums start itching because of bacteria buildup in the mouth. Itchy discomfort is the body’s reminder or sign to you that you need to change something about how you care for your gums. Hormonal changes, including those related to puberty, pregnancy, and menopause, can lead to increased gum sensitivity, but you shouldn’t assume that’s why your gums are itching. Getting a dental consultation is the best way to confirm the cause and create an itchy gums treatment plan. 

Also, sometimes gums will itch due to a person’s allergic reactions or sensitivities, although allergy-related itchiness often occurs not just on the gums but also on the roof of the mouth and/or even the tongue. Even something as simple as an overly dry mouth can result in sensitive gums protesting. So, there are a variety of reasons that gums may itch. If your gums are itchy, you’ll want to find out why as soon as possible. That way, you can get itchy gum relief by targeting the problem so you don’t have to keep feeling the discomfort in your mouth. 

Is Having Itchy Gums a Recurring Condition?

If your gums are causing you discomfort, you’ll be looking for immediate itchy gums relief. Then, with your completed itchy gums treatment, you’ll want to know if this source of discomfort is likely to happen to you again soon. While it’s impossible to completely predict the causes of discomfort in your mouth, you can minimize your risk of getting itchy gums by paying attention to how you take care of your oral health. Itchy gums are usually associated with gingivitis and periodontal disease. The most common causes for this type of irritation in the mouth are insufficient brushing and flossing and not routinely seeing a dentist. Proper oral hygiene is important for everyone, especially those who have an increased risk of gingivitis, or gum disease. 

Even though no one wants to have this type of discomfort in their mouth, temporary gum irritation happens to many adults for a variety of reasons. The good news is that, no matter what’s causing your gum discomfort, it’s probably something that can be addressed through better dental hygiene and proper professional support. Usually, having itchy gums doesn’t have to be a recurring condition, unless you cause it to come back through neglect of your oral hygiene.

What Is the Typical Itchy Gums Treatment?

Since gums are delicate tissues that act as seals around each tooth, healthy gums are crucial for protecting your teeth. This means that itchy gums are typically signals of extra germs or bacteria buildup in the mouth. So, most of the time, itchy gums relief comes down to prevention through proper dental hygiene supplemented by itchy gums treatment through professional dental care.

Whether your gums are itchy because of plaque buildup or gum disease, you don’t have to wait out the discomfort. Getting itchy gums treatment is possible and usually simple, but you’ll need a specific examination and follow-up support from a dentist. That way, you can secure itchy gums relief and work towards healthier gums in the long-term. 

A Targeted Treatment Plan

Don’t assume that you can self-diagnose the cause of your itchy gums or attempt to come up with your itchy gums treatment plan, because you may not target the real source of the problem. It’s important to recognize that inflamed or exceptionally irritated gums can be a signal of early gum disease or gingivitis. On the other hand, extra severe pains, aches, or swells can point to an internal mouth injury or tooth abscess. In these cases, securing itchy gums relief may also mean addressing other problems in the mouth.

These more serious sources of discomfort can still be treated fairly quickly and easily, but you’ll want your dentist to examine your mouth and create a treatment plan for your itchy gums. The most common sign of itchy gums is that your gums bleed while brushing or flossing. However, daily bleeding might be a clue of a basic concern a dentist should check. In any case, a dentist can help you determine the source of your itchiness and develop a solution for itchy gums relief, which can range from a good professional cleaning to a more targeted care plan. 

Schedule Your Support

Itchy gums relief, treatment, and avoidance come down to scheduling support from your dentist, to supplement your regular oral health routine. Whether you want to get your gums to stop itching right now, or would like to prevent the same problem from recurring in a few months, we recommend scheduling an appointment for proper dental care. Of course, you can’t control if you have an allergic reaction or an oversensitivity to a medication that makes you have a dry mouth, resulting in temporarily itchy gums. But you can regularly schedule dentistry appointments, brush and floss teeth daily, and properly care for your gums, reducing your risk of having to deal with itchy gums more. 

Although it may sometimes seem like you can prevent and treat gum discomfort at home, you should schedule an appointment with your dentist. Regular professional dental cleanings can prevent pain and discomfort in the mouth, including gums itching unnecessarily. 

A black woman with short hair and a gummy smile on a bright yellow background

A Regular Routine

While it is always important to prioritize your oral health habits at home, there’s no substitute for the professional level of cleaning and care received at the dentist. A trained hygienist can help you not only identify the cause of any discomfort or pain in your mouth but can also provide targeted, professional solutions to move beyond itchy gums.

Regular dental cleanings are one of the most routine methods of relief for itchy gums. Making a priority on the oral health part of your routine will help you get itchy gums relief that lasts. There’s no need to suffer from itchy gums, so don’t delay in coming in for professional support. Dental health means taking care of not just your teeth, but also your gums. Schedule an appointment with Definitive Dental to get the help you need! Call our office at (972) 646-0660 or submit a form online.

Want to learn more about our dental experience? See what our patients are saying.

A man holding a crying child with tooth pain

Children are often more susceptible to injuries. They tend to be a bit careless and accident-prone, and sometimes injuries occur in their mouths.

Your child can fall when playing or bite on something hard and break a tooth. Children’s dental emergencies can happen quickly. It’s easy to panic in these situations, so it’s best to know what to do in a dental emergency in advance. Here is everything you need to know to deal with dental emergencies in kids. 

Common Dental Emergencies in Kids

During playtime, when children fall on the ground, their mouths usually take the maximum jerk. High-impact falls can result in an internal injury such as a broken tooth or a deep cut on the walls of the mouth or gums. These dental emergencies in children can look severe as mouths bleed more than many other body parts.

While minor mouth injuries will heal on their own, as a parent, you must determine whether your child is experiencing a dental emergency. Firstly, you need to rinse your child’s mouth with warm water to drain the blood. This will allow you to see the extent of the injury. Then, you can follow a few tips for dealing with such situations before scheduling a kids’ emergency dental visit in Grand Prairie with Dr. Peter Guirguis. Here are the most common children’s dental emergencies. 

Severe Tooth Pain

Severe toothache in children can be due to a piece of food stuck between their teeth or an underlying issue like cavities or gum disease. To help with your children’s tooth pain, first, have them wash their mouths with warm water to loosen any piece of food. Then floss between their teeth to remove anything that is stuck.

If their pain doesn’t go away, they could have a cavity, an abscess, or another dental issue. This persistent pain is your cue to contact your emergency dentist and make an appointment. 

Chipped or Broken Tooth

Contact your dentist immediately if your child has a chipped or broken tooth. This situation is a children’s dental emergency that needs quick action to prevent infection and save the tooth. Have your child rinse the injured area and hold a cold compress over it to reduce swelling. 

Find the broken piece of the tooth if you can and keep it in a container with milk. Bring the tooth to your kid’s emergency dental visit in Grand Prairie. The dentist might be able to restore the tooth by smoothing it or using some appropriate material to rebuild it. Dentists use dental bonding to reattach a tooth.

If a baby tooth chips before it is naturally ready to fall out, it is still important to see your child’s dentist as soon as possible. A damaged tooth can lead to other oral health complications.

Knocked-Out Tooth

If it was already loose, a knocked-out baby tooth is not necessarily a children’s dental emergency. Never try to adjust the tooth back in the cavity. Doing this could cause damage to the permanent tooth lying beneath it. You can give your child painkillers like ibuprofen or paracetamol. Also, to stop the bleeding, you can apply pressure using gauze. 

A knocked-out permanent tooth is an emergency. Find the dislodged tooth and gently wash it with room-temperature water. Try placing it back in your child’s socket while holding it from the crown. If you can’t do this, keep the tooth moist by putting it in a container with milk. So call your dentist in Grand Prairie immediately for a kid’s emergency dental visit.

Dental Abscess

A dental abscess will look like an inflamed, swollen little pocket of skin in your child’s mouth. It may be a sign of gum disease or infection. Left untreated, it can lead to other problems like severe toothache, fever, and difficulty breathing. Your child might even need to visit the ER. 

Call your emergency dentist if you notice your child’s face swelling. Meanwhile, place a cold compress on their face to control the swelling.

Loose Dental Fillings

A kid having a dental checkup

A prevalent dental emergency in older children with composite fillings is dislodgement. If your child’s dental filling becomes loose or lost, it will expose the unprotected tooth beneath it to bacteria. These bacteria can lead to cavities and make the tooth sensitive to hot or cold foods. 

It’s crucial to visit a dentist immediately and replace the filling. The longer you delay this visit, the more serious the problem will become.

Tooth Sensitivity

Minor tooth sensitivity to hot or cold foods and beverages is normal. However, sudden sensitivity or too much of it can indicate an underlying issue and a children’s dental emergency.

If your child is complaining about tooth sensitivity, the reason might be a cavity or a dental injury. A kids’ emergency dental visit to Definitive Dental in Grand Prairie can determine the cause of this sensitivity and rid your child of the pain.

Dental Trauma

Children can easily experience dental traumas while playing and running around. If trauma occurs, their teeth may start losing color and become darker. There may also be tenderness and swelling. Even worse, your child may fracture their jaw. 

If this children’s dental emergency happens, apply a cold compress over the injured area to reduce swelling. Tell your child to avoid moving their jaw and call the dentist for an emergency appointment. 

Broken Braces and Stuck Objects

Another form of emergency is when your children’s braces break or something gets stuck between their teeth. With broken braces and appliances, you can cover the sharp ends with cotton balls as you try to remove them. If removing them is painful, you must schedule a kids’ emergency dental visit in Grand Prairie.

You can use floss for a children’s dental emergency involving a stuck object between their teeth. Gently lower the floss between the teeth in a back-and-forth motion and try to dislodge the object. Avoid using sharp tools like tweezers to remove it, and call the dentist if you can’t get it out with floss. 

Mouth Injuries 

Biting down on the lips, inside the cheeks, and tongue is not uncommon, especially among children. You can help your child by having them rinse their mouth. If the area is bleeding, apply pressure with clean gauze and use a cold compress to control the swelling. 

Most injuries of this type are insignificant and don’t count as children’s dental emergencies. If the bleeding doesn’t stop after 10-15 minutes, you can call for an emergency appointment. 

FAQs

How can I prevent kids’ dental emergencies at home?

Sometimes accidents happen, but there are things you can do to lower their chances:

  • Don’t give young children hard candy, or — if you do — require them to sit while they eat it.
  • Don’t let children run around with objects in their mouths.
  • Ensure your children are wearing mouthguards when playing sports.
  • Teach your kids good oral hygiene to keep their teeth healthy. 
  • Visit a dentist every six months to prevent dental emergencies in your children.

How do you treat dental emergencies in your office?

We will prioritize your kids’ emergency dental visits in our Grand Prairie family dentistry practice. When you bring your kids to the office, our friendly staff will make them feel comfortable. The dentist will then ask about the symptoms and thoroughly examine their teeth before determining the appropriate course of action. For instance, he will prescribe antibiotics for infections and drain the abscess in the office. Whatever your children’s dental emergencies are, we take every step to ensure they will experience pain-free treatment.

Treat Your Kids’ Dental Emergencies at Definitive Dental

A girl with a lost tooth smiling

Definitive Dental is where dentistry is done right, and we are ready to treat your dental emergencies. Whether you or your children are experiencing these emergencies, call our office at (972) 646-0660 or fill out our contact form to make an appointment. We’ll do everything we can on the same day to ease your discomfort. 

Creative Professional Dentist Giving Her Little Patient A High Five
What Is The Right Age To Start With Oral Hygiene

Teeth are an important part of our body. In this post, we show you what is the right age to start with oral hygiene.

The right age to start with oral hygiene

First six months

Although it is from the first 6 months of being born, that the baby’s teething begins, starting with oral hygiene from birth is important.

 This prevents the appearance of bacteria in the mouth of the newborn. According to the dentist and dental surgeon, Dr. Felipe Guzmán, “Establishing proper oral hygiene is of paramount importance, even before the eruption of the first teeth.”

Buccal cleaning tips for newborns

  • Clean the gums with gauze or clean cloths, soaked in boiled water.
  • Do not use any chemical as it could cause a reaction in the baby’s gums or tongue.
  • Cleaning the tongue continuously will prevent breast milk from sticking and creating a layer of waste.

The first teeth

It is estimated that the first two teeth, the lower front, appear at 6 months of age. Therefore, it is necessary to continue cleaning them, with special brushes for this age. Alongside the teeth, it is also important to clean the gum area, the tongue and the inner side of the cheeks. It is advisable to do this procedure at least twice a day. This will prevent the formation of cavities in the future.

Source of caries after food consumption

According to a baby’s nutritional plan, the intake of complementary foods begins at 6 months of age. Therefore, they are exposed to the appearance of decay or spots on the first teeth. If you don’t want fungus and bacteria to appear on the teeth, it is better to start with proper oral hygiene. Do it once the child starts with complementary feeding. Breast milk is the best source of nutrients and vitamins for the little ones. However, this can also bring a lot of fat and sugars. That is why if your baby is one of those who falls asleep while feeding, at dawn you should apply a dental cleaning routine.

Baby’s first brush

For the first teeth, there are specialized brushes. They consist of soft, rubber bristles, which do not cause damage to the baby’s delicate gums. These brushes should be used without toothpastes. In addition to the fact that the baby does not have the ability to expel toothpaste, it is not recommended because it is irritating. Therefore, when using it, wash it with water and store it in a container where it is not exposed to pollutants.

Starting to use toothpaste

Toothpaste, once your baby starts using it, should be fluoridated. And it must be applied in small quantities (such as the size of a pea). Although it should not be used at an early age, starting at 3 years of age is the right time. The brush should be made of fine bristles and, as in babies, school-age children should clean their teeth twice a day. It is essential to remind children that toothpaste should not be swallowed. 

Phases Of Orthodontic Treatment

The Phases of Orthodontic Treatment

The orthodontic process is a set of dental movements that are performed to improve the aesthetics, function, and chewing of your teeth. It is divided into several stages until you achieve your desired smile.

What are the steps of orthodontic treatment, and how long do braces take to work? In total, orthodontics has seven phases: a “zero phase,” in which a study is conducted, and another six phases of active orthodontics.

Zero Phase: The Orthodontic Study   

This step of orthodontic treatment has a few parts.

Case evaluation: The orthodontist determines the oral problems that the patient may have by observing different aspects, such as the bite, jaw, midline, X-rays of the sides of the skull, and a panoramic. This panoramic X-ray allows the orthodontist to check for infections, see the state of the roots, look for the absence of molars, and evaluate other aspects of the teeth.

X Rays
Extraoral And Intraoral Photographs

Extraoral and intraoral photographs: Pictures allow the orthodontist to analyze facial symmetry and dental malpositions, among other things. These images also help the patient to obtain a comparison between his or her dental aesthetics before and after treatment.

Study models: How long do braces take to work? The answer varies for each patient, but orthodontists will use samples to determine a plan of action.

Study Models

Active Phases

  1. Alignment and Leveling

The objective of this phase is to modify vertical discrepancies and dental crowding, for which light forces are used.

Alignment And Leveling

Likewise, in this phase, the actions are also carried out with the aim of correcting the dental crossbite and pulling the teeth that have not erupted in case the person needs it.

Bite Correction And Molar Relationship

  1. Bite Correction and Molar Relationship

In this step, the occlusion (bite) is corrected, and the teeth begin to fit in their correct positions in the anteroposterior and vertical directions. In some cases, orthodontists use external forces, like elastic or rubber bands, for bite correction.

  1. Closing Spaces

In this phase, orthodontists focus on closing all of the gaps and spaces between the teeth once everything is aligned.

Closing Spaces
Finishing And Finishing

  1. Finishing

In this phase, the orthodontist will make small adjustments to improve the dental position. These adjustments include:

  • Match the roots and check that all are parallel
  • Adapt individual dental positions (small modifications or rotations that may remain)
  • Correct possible midline discrepancies so that the upper and lower match
  • Perform the final settlement of the denture
  1. Removal of Devices

Once the orthodontist considers that all of the objectives have been achieved, the apparatus is removed from the patient’s mouth, and the patient proceeds to the retention phase. At this point, the teeth are aligned, there are no spaces between them, the bite is correct, and the aesthetic is ideal.

Removal Of Devices
Retention Stage

  1. Retention Stage

As you explore the question “How long do braces take to work,” note that this is a very important phase because thanks to this step, we will maintain the results achieved. The teeth have “memory” and will tend to return to their previous positions if the patient does not retain the work of the orthodontist.

So that this does not happen, the orthodontist will put retainers in the upper and lower arches, in addition to transparent covers (splints) that the person should use as long as the orthodontist deems necessary.

Schedule an Orthodontic Appointment with Definitive Dental

If you’re wondering how long braces take to work, we can show you firsthand how we at Definitive Dental would tackle your orthodontic treatment and how long it should take for you to see the results you want. Contact us today for a consultation!

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Are you tired of braces? Want to get rid of them? Do not! These tips will help you on your way to a beautiful smile! 

1)  Do not rush. When the braces were first set up for you, perhaps this is not what you expected or wanted. But after a while, when the teeth begin to align, you will notice how good the teeth begin to look. Aligning the teeth with braces can be accompanied by painful sensations for approximately a week. 

2)  Stop worrying about how your teeth look in braces and don’t be afraid to smile. In the end, you will realize that it was worth it! You can also ask the orthodontist to periodically flush the braces.

3)  Follow the rules. In the long run, this advice will help you achieve incredible results! It may be difficult to resist some foods, but still, how great it will be when you eat these foods with straight teeth! Here are the things that you should not eat during the correction of teeth with braces:

  • Caramel in any form or very sticky or lumpy peanut butter
  • Chewing gum
  • Chocolate bars
  • Do not eat popcorn
  • Do not take a lot of carbonated sweet drinks
  • Jelly candies
  • Lollipops or nuts
  • Toffee

4)  Eat fruit with vitamin C, as this will help your gums.

5)  Decorate them! Wear colored straps, don’t be afraid to turn your braces into a unique accessory.

6)  Brush your teeth 3-5 times a day. Well, if you have a small handbag and you can put a toothbrush there for travel and with a small volume of toothpaste. If you don’t like brushing your teeth, think about how good your teeth will look when the braces are removed.

 7)  Do not worry. Many dentists advise you to refrain from foods with a high amount of sugar, such as ice cream and sugary sodas, but do not worry – just limit the use of such foods. However, too much sugar contributes to tooth decay.

8)  Be demanding on brushing your teeth. The remnants of food that are in your braces look simply ugly. A good electric toothbrush or irrigator will clean them.

9)  It is allowed to chew gum, just make sure that it is sugar free.

10)  Do not panic if the wire in the braces is torn. Just grab a pair of nail clippers and cut the wire where you feel comfortable. If the wire is sharp, you can bend it down with a nail file or use orthodontic wax. Also, be sure to contact your orthodontist as soon as possible. A wire break can significantly increase the wearing time of braces.

11)  If your orthodontist recommends, use a device called a “bite plate” and use it strictly as directed by your doctor, otherwise it can also increase the period of wearing braces.

12)  Sometimes the discomfort from braces varies from discomfort during the bite to toothache. To relieve pain, the following actions are possible:

  • Eat soft foods such as yogurt, pudding, and applesauce
  • Place a heating pad or rag on your jaw.
  • Rinse your mouth with warm, salt water.
  • Use an over-the-counter pain medication, not aspirin.

13)  At the end of treatment, you will receive a retainer that will hold the teeth in their new position. It is very important to wear it! Otherwise, the teeth return to their original position.

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