OakBrook Dental Blog

The wisdom teeth typically emerge between the ages of seventeen and twenty-five. These third molars are quite large, and modern humans often do not have enough room to accommodate them. This can make the emergence of the wisdom teeth quite painful, and leaving them in in these cases can lead to infections as well as misalignment of the bite. While they are usually removed in the late teens or early twenties, they can be extracted at any stage of a patient’s life. Here’s a brief guide to wisdom tooth removal for those who have waited a while before deciding on extraction.

The wisdom teeth usually begin to erupt when a person is in their late teens or early twenties, and the mouth isn’t always ready to receive them. Many people report constant pain in their wisdom teeth, and because of this and the other oral health problems they can cause, these molars are often surgically removed to help people stay healthy and live more comfortably. Here’s a brief outline of why wisdom teeth can cause pain, a few home remedies to give you some quick relief, and how your dentist can address the issue.

Repairing damaged teeth is one of the key services dentists provide, and sometimes an injured or infected tooth needs more than a normal filling to be fixed. Dental crowns serve to restore damaged teeth to their original size, shape, and function after they are compromised by trauma, decay, or dental treatments like root canals, and they are usually placed in two appointments. If you’ve never had one before, you may wonder what getting a dental crown is like. Here’s a quick overview of what you can expect when getting a dental crown and how to keep yourself comfortable afterward.

Nearly 75% of all children will need orthodontic treatment at some point in their lives, meaning that wearing braces is an incredibly common experience. You may first wonder if your child will need braces when their adult teeth start coming in. Thankfully, advances in the field have made orthodontic treatments more comfortable and effective than they ever have been before. Here are a few signs to help you determine whether your child needs braces or not.

A child’s oral health begins developing long before their first tooth erupts. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that children first see a dentist by their first birthday or within six months of that first tooth coming in. These infant oral health visits provide a wealth of benefits for a child’s current and future oral health. Here’s why early detection of oral health issues is so important for children’s oral health.

As your semi-annual dental checkup approaches, it’s natural to feel some apprehension. However, there’s no need to worry because sedation dentistry can significantly enhance your experience, ensuring your comfort and relaxation during your dental visit. One option available to you is nitrous oxide sedation, commonly known as “laughing gas.” Here are four crucial details to understand how it facilitates patients in receiving necessary dental care in a more serene and pleasant environment.

A dental implant is a great way to replace your missing tooth because it offers unique advantages that other methods don’t. It includes a rod that is inserted into your jawbone, which eventually fuses around it. Then it’s capped with a tooth-shaped cover customized to look like your other pearly whites. The result is a replacement that looks and feels just like the one you lost with no one the wiser! Not only that, but this also provides the necessary stimulation for your jawbone to stay strong and healthy once your tooth goes missing.

Despite this, many patients opt for other methods, like dentures or dental bridges, which seem like more affordable choices. You might not spend as much in the moment if you decide on one of these alternatives, but in the long run, you may actually end up spending more! Keep reading to learn 3 ways dental implants save money down the road.

If you’ve never had oral surgery before, you’re likely wondering about what life will look like after your wisdom tooth extraction, like the healing time, what you’ll be able to eat, and whether your stitches will dissolve on their own. Although sometimes, answers for these concerns can depend on your individual dentist’s recommendations and practices, there are some baseline expectations you can set for recovery. Read on to learn more about wisdom tooth stitches and your recovery period.

If you sometimes bite the inside of your cheek, you’re not alone. Many people worldwide indulge in this seemingly harmless tic. However, you’d actually do well to avoid it – cheek biting harms your oral health. In other words, maintaining the habit will damage your mouth. Thankfully, though, it’s possible to resist cheek-biting behavior. Your McKinney dentist can even show you how. To that end, here’s a summary of cheek biting, how it affects oral health, and tips on how to stop it.

Root canals have an unfair reputation! Despite what you’ve maybe heard through the grapevine or seen on television about the procedure, root canal therapy isn’t scary or incredibly painful at all. In fact, it actually gives your compromised tooth the best possible odds of remaining inside of your mouth, where it belongs. That said, many patients who are set to undergo the procedure still have concerns about pain afterward. Here’s what your dentist wants you to know about this process and some of the possible causes for discomfort following it, as well as when you seek professional assistance.