Gum Disease

Gum Disease: Symptoms and Risk Factors

Excellent oral care is important in preventing dental issues. If you don't brush well or often enough, your gums could become inflamed and cause gum disease. Minor gum disease is called gingivitis. If this disease progresses, it leads to periodontitis, which affects the bone and can cause your teeth to fall out. If you're noticing a bit of blood in the sink while brushing your teeth, it’s time to schedule an appointment with Dr. Robert Truzzolino & Dr. Besa Marisenoj at Staten Island Smile Dental, PLLC to prevent this condition from getting worse.

Symptoms

You may have gum disease if you notice the following signs:

• Red, swollen or bleeding gums
• Pain when chewing
• Loose or sensitive teeth
• Receding gums
• Bad breath

Risk Factors

If the following apply to you, you have an increased risk of developing gum disease:

• Hormone changes: When girls start puberty or when women enter menopause, hormone levels change, making gums more sensitive.
• Serious illnesses and treatments: Diabetes, cancer, and AIDS - as well as treatments for these diseases - can increase the risk of gum disease.
• Certain medications: Many prescriptions reduce saliva flow, and this can be detrimental since saliva protects your mouth.
• Smoking: Smoking not only increases the risk of gum disease but makes treatment less successful as well.
• Genes: Some people are genetically predisposed to gum disease.
• Age: Those in their 30s and older are more likely to develop gum disease.

Don't Overlook the Symptoms

If you think you may have gum disease, seek dental help right away. If you wait too long, you could end up losing a tooth, which can be a traumatic experience. To learn about services we provide at our practice, visit www.sismilecenter.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Robert Truzzolino & Dr. Besa Marisenoj at Staten Island Smile Dental, PLLCl in Staten Island, NY, call 718-948-4000.

Dental Bridges

Patients at Staten Island Smile Dental, PLLC have more options than ever for fixing damaged teeth, and bridges remain an important treatment for widespread damage. While bridges have fallen out of favor as a means of replacing only a single tooth, they are still commonly used when several teeth in a row need replacements and new technologies continue to be developed with them.

Teeth can be thought of in two parts; the crown, which is the part above the gum line, and the root, which is below it. When a person loses a tooth, a bridge can be used to fill in the gap with an artificial crown called a pontic tooth. The pontic is attached to the teeth on the side of the gap and has no implant to provide it with an artificial root. This means that a bridge restores bite and speaking function and the appearance of the patient’s mouth, but will not restore the strength of the jaw bone that was lost when the root was removed.

Dentists have come to prefer implants to bridges for replacing a single tooth not only because bridges don’t restore roots, but because they require the reshaping of teeth adjacent to the gap into anchors. Dr. Robert Truzzolino & Dr. Besa Marisenoj will file the teeth into cylindrical abutments, and then take a mold of the patient’s mouth to use as the basis for the new crowns. The artificial crowns will be manufactured linked together, with the outer, anchoring crowns being cemented over the reshaped teeth. During the weeks it takes to manufacture the permanent bridge, patients will wear a temporary bridge.

While dentists are reluctant to reshape healthy teeth, they may be more willing to reshape teeth which have a large number of old fillings, had root canals, or which need new crowns anyway for other reasons. The bridge does not strengthen the jaw, but it does help keep the other teeth in alignment. Our hygienists can teach patients how to thread floss under the bridge to keep it clean, and with proper care, bridgework can last for over a decade. Bridges are also cheaper than implants, don’t require surgery, and don’t require nearly as much recovery time. 

For more information or to make an appointment at Staten Island Smile Dental, please give us a call at 718-948-4000 or visit us at www.sismilecenter.com

Patients at Staten Island Smile Dental, PLLC have more options than ever for fixing damaged teeth, and bridges remain an important treatment for widespread damage. While bridges have fallen out of favor as a means of replacing only a single tooth, they are still commonly used when several teeth in a row need replacements and new technologies continue to be developed with them.

Teeth can be thought of in two parts; the crown, which is the part above the gum line, and the root, which is below it. When a person loses a tooth, a bridge can be used to fill in the gap with an artificial crown called a pontic tooth. The pontic is attached to the teeth on the side of the gap and has no implant to provide it with an artificial root. This means that a bridge restores bite and speaking function and the appearance of the patient’s mouth, but will not restore the strength of the jaw bone that was lost when the root was removed.

Dentists have come to prefer implants to bridges for replacing a single tooth not only because bridges don’t restore roots, but because they require the reshaping of teeth adjacent to the gap into anchors. Dr. Robert Truzzolino & Dr. Besa Marisenoj will file the teeth into cylindrical abutments, and then take a mold of the patient’s mouth to use as the basis for the new crowns. The artificial crowns will be manufactured linked together, with the outer, anchoring crowns being cemented over the reshaped teeth. During the weeks it takes to manufacture the permanent bridge, patients will wear a temporary bridge.

While dentists are reluctant to reshape healthy teeth, they may be more willing to reshape teeth which have a large number of old fillings, had root canals, or which need new crowns anyway for other reasons. The bridge does not strengthen the jaw, but it does help keep the other teeth in alignment. Our hygienists can teach patients how to thread floss under the bridge to keep it clean, and with proper care, bridgework can last for over a decade. Bridges are also cheaper than implants, don’t require surgery, and don’t require nearly as much recovery time. 

For more information or to make an appointment at Staten Island Smile Dental, please give us a call at 718-948-4000 or visit us at www.sismilecenter.com