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Bruxism & TMJ: Solutions for Teeth Grinding

By Really Smile on August 10, 2022

Knowing whether you have a sleeping disorder or not can be difficult since most of us really don’t know what we do when we sleep.

But there are signs and symptoms that you may be grinding your teeth at night.

One of the most common sleeping disorders is bruxism, which is excessive grinding of the teeth or clenching of the jaw.

While people in Carmel, IN, who have have bruxism may not be able to identify it themselves, at Really Smile, Dr. Smith can easily identify it and offer solution options.

The Problem with Bruxism

What’s the big deal with grinding teeth at night? There are several factors to think about, as your oral health impacts your overall health. But here are a two of the biggest issues caused by bruxism:

It wears down the enamel on your teeth. Since it’s almost impossible to grow back enamel, this can have ramifications that affect you for the rest of your life, such as cracking a tooth or a crown.
It can lead to temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) and, eventually, the possibility of your face collapsing due to poor bone structure and facial support deterioration over time.

While clenching your teeth doesn’t do as much damage as grinding, both can negatively affect you can cause pain.

Bruxism Signs & Symptoms

About 10-15 percent of people in Carmel, Indiana, and the surrounding areas experience sleep bruxism. But, again, it’s a difficult disorder to diagnose since many people may not be aware that they have it. While a visit to a dental practice like Really Smile is the best option for determining whether you grind your teeth, there are signs and symptoms of bruxism that anyone can identify. Here are some of them:

Tenderness while eating, speaking or moving your jaw.
Flattened teeth or a worn-down biting surface.
Frequent headaches or pain in the temples, especially during the morning.
Pain while drinking a cold liquid or eating hot food.
A grinding or a tapping noise at night and a popping jaw noise during the day.

Once you know that you have bruxism, you can decide how you want to address it.

Solutions for Bruxism in Carmel, IN

If you catch bruxism early in its development, you can actually prevent most of the damage it causes. The best solution for grinding teeth is a nightguard. It’s important to get a custom nightguard from the dentist like Dr. Smith so it matches your teeth perfectly and doesn’t have any negative side effects.

While some insurance companies cover part of the cost of nightguards, they are usually several hundred dollars. That’s a small investment considering an absence of a nightguard can lead to thousands of dollars in repair down the road.

If you live in the Carmel, IN, area and think you may grind your teeth at night and would like to know more about solutions, schedule a consultation with Dr. Smith at Really Smile today!

How Headaches and Dental Stress Are Related

By Really Smile on May 23, 2022

It’s a pretty well-known fact that headaches are one of the most common pain-causing issues for residents of Carmel, IN, and beyond.

But did you know that a dentist may be the best person to address your headaches? Specifically, Dr. Smith has a life-changing vision for dentistry that includes addressing headaches.

If your bite isn’t perfect, it can cause dental stress, which leads to pain. That’s why dentists have been researching and perfecting headache-reducing solutions for years and they’re now available for anyone who needs them.

What Causes Headaches?

According to the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain (AACP), “one in eight Americans suffer from recurring headaches that are so severe they cannot carry out normal living.” Furthermore, the AACP points out that “an estimated 80% of all headaches occur from muscle tension.”

Specifically, the cause for headaches deals with muscle tension in the mouth. If your teeth don’t come together in a normal way via your bite, it can cause the muscles in your mouth to compensate. This extra tension can lead to headaches on the sides of your head (or it can feel like the headaches are “wrapping around it”). At the end of the day, headaches aren’t the only negative effect of dental stress.

Dental Stress Side Effects

An improper or misaligned bite does more than just cause headaches. It can lead to other problems like tiredness, pain, muscle imbalance and even possibly lead to temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder. Here are some other specific negative effects of dental stress, according to the AACP:

Clicking or popping jaw joints
Head and/or scalp painful to the touch
Pain behind the eyes
Teeth grinding
Sore jaw muscles or “tired” muscles upon awakening

Fortunately, there are a variety of solutions for fixing headaches caused by dental stress.

Dental Solutions for Headaches

Visiting Really Smile is the first step for people in Carmel, IN, who think their headaches may be caused by dental stress. Dr. Smith will evaluate your bite, the muscles in your mouth and jaw joints for any signs of muscle tension or dental stress. If needed, he will advise you on dental treatment needed to correct your bite so you don’t have any tension. The ultimate goal? To improve your quality of life!

Dr. Smith may also advise other stress-relieving techniques like physical therapy, counseling or relaxation training to ensure you eliminate tension and headaches. If you’d like to learn more about solutions for headaches and dental stress in Carmel, IN, contact us to schedule a consultation today.

A Better Way To Treat Cavities In Carmel, IN!

By on June 29, 2016

Hello and welcome to another June edition of the Really Smile blog!

If you have ever had a cavity, and based on the numbers you probably have, you will likely have had that decay treated with an age-old remedy: amalgam fillings.

One major complaint about silver amalgam fillings is that they are unattractive and draw unwanted attention. All that metal just looks out of place on the top of your otherwise pearly whites.

That was not the only problem with amalgam fillings.

It sounds counterintuitive but old-school fillings can actually weaken your tooth and cause damage to your smile. Plus, if you are allergic to metal or mercury in particular you may have a bad reaction to what is supposed to be a healing procedure.

But we have listened to your concerns, and we’ve made some changes at our Carmel, Indiana dental office. We are here to tell you that now is the time to come in and replace any old and damaged fillings with a more attractive and natural-looking alternative: tooth colored fillings!

Forward-Looking Treatments For Tooth Decay

Tooth-colored fillings are a modern dental solution that can enhance both the health and appearance of your smile. To place your tooth colored fillings, we simply remove any decayed portions of the tooth or teeth in question and apply a bonding agent. The filling is then sculpted into the right shape and light cured to bond with the tooth surface.

Tooth-colored fillings are increasingly popular around here and it is not surprising when you consider the improvements they have facilitated for restorative dentistry.

No More Metal Mouth

As we pointed out, the amalgam fillings that were relied on in earlier eras of dentistry have a silver color, while a composite filling can be made to blend in with your tooth color.

Safer Supplies

Mercury is not something that most folks want to put in their mouth. Fortunately, the new and improved composite material is made from safer materials, and relies on a strong resin to restore your smile.

Better Bonding

Amalgam fillings are very strong, in a certain sense.

However, that kind of filling won’t actually bond with your tooth. This results in weakened teeth eventually.

By contrast, tooth-colored fillings are made from bonding material, so your filling will bond to the inside of your tooth, making for a longer-lasting restoration that won’t cause trouble later on.

Take The Next Step!

We hope that you have been inspired by today’s post!

To determine if your teeth need fillings or if old fillings ought to be replaced, your best bet is to schedule a checkup and consultation. That way Dr. Smith and the rest of our team can assess your unique situation and create a personalized plan of action.

To get started, contact us online or call our Carmel, Indiana dental office at 317-597-8748!

Improve The Health Of Your Smile With Invisalign

By on June 25, 2016

Hello and welcome back to the Really Smile blog!

Today we want to talk about the benefits of Invisalign metal-free “braces.” Generally we associate braces with young people.

The image that most readily springs to mind is of teenagers who want to improve the aesthetics of their smile. This is certainly an important role of Invisalign, but it is not our primary focus for you.

At Really Smile we utilize Invisalign to help us improve the oral health of adult patients who would prefer to enjoy their natural teeth for the rest of your life.

Maybe you can relate!

Read on to hear all about the possibilities of Invisalign, and then make sure you follow up with us to schedule your adult orthodontic consultation in our Carmel, Indiana office.

The Big Benefits Of Invisalign

Invisalign helps you achieve the same smile goals that classic metal braces would have delivered. That said, it goes about it in a much different way.

For one thing, Invisalign does away with the awkward metal brackets and wires that used to be part and parcel of the process.

Rather than subjecting you to that, this technique makes the magic happen through a series of clear plastic aligner trays.

These aligners are switched out by you every two weeks or so until treatment wraps up in only about 12 months. No painful in-office adjustments for you. And no waiting 2-3 years for your transformation to happen.

What’s more, your aligners won’t be noticed by anyone and they are way more comfortable to wear than old-school metal braces.

They aren’t permanently attached so you can pop them out whenever it makes sense. That makes meals more fun. And cleaning your equipment will be a snap. No food restrictions or weird tools will be part of the plan.

Invisalign is a pleasant and painless way to improve your smile as a grown-up. We are fond of pointing out to our adult patients that Invisalign also boosts your oral health by eliminating some serious obstacles.

A Bad Bite

If you have an overbite, that will detract from your smile. But worse than that, it can place additional stress on your teeth and lead to worn-down or cracked teeth that will need to be repaired.

Invisalign addresses your bite issues thereby doing away with the need for cosmetic treatments later.

A Crowded Smile

Crowded teeth aren’t good for your look, but they pose more than a purely cosmetic problem. This can actually increase your chances for gingivitis and full-blown periodontal disease.

That’s because teeth that are that close together are difficult to keep clean. Bacteria is better able to hide from your brush and floss.

Plus, plaque can build up and cause inflammation and infection once it slips below the gumline. Tooth loss and other health issues can follow.

Lucky for you, Invisalign can repair your crowded condition.

A Spacey Situation

If your teeth are gapped it can affect your speech. What’s more, your individual teeth will not be protected by the surrounding teeth. This increases the risk of your tooth loss and more. Close the gaps with Invisalign and save your natural smile!

You Make The Call!

To learn more about the benefits of Invisalign and to find out if you are a suitable candidate for this treatment, call our Carmel, IN office today at 317-597-8748. Or feel free to contact us online instead!

Get A Whiter Smile In Indiana This Summer

By on June 20, 2016

Hello and welcome to the Really Smile blog!

It is hard to believe that we are most of the way through June already! What a great time to live in Indiana!

It can be a rough season, however, if your yellow or stained teeth are giving you the summertime blues. Trust us, we know how embarrassing that can be. But before you cancel your backyard BBQ, or skip out on the family reunion, let us see what we can do to brighten your outlook!

If your dark or discolored teeth are making you feel self-conscious and hesitant to smile, in all likelihood, our team can help you. We want you to have whiter, brighter teeth for all your summer special occasions. And we can make it happen through our professional teeth whitening program.

Keep reading today’s post to hear all about the possibilities, and then be sure to follow up to arrange for your teeth whitening appointment in our Carmel-area office!

Fast, Safe And Effective Teeth Whitening

The bad news is that just getting older can have an adverse effect on your smile. So too can all that coffee, tea, soda, tobacco, red wine, chocolate, etc. that is consumed by millions of Hoosiers each year. It seems as though you just can’t escape the inevitable decline of your formerly pearly whites.

But don’t let it bring you down. You aren’t alone. And there is a way out of it that doesn’t require you to give up on life’s simple pleasures.

The good news is that no matter how bad your situation has become, we can make it better fast with a professional teeth whitening treatment. That is where you come into our office, let us assess the extent of your problems, and figure out the best solution.

It should be noted that you may need more than one visit, depending on the current condition of your teeth and the kind of stains or discoloration that need to be addressed. One way or another, a good action plan will be put into place.

You will be in good hands, too, since Dr. Smith will be personally guiding the procedure all the way through. You see, unlike those anonymously mass produced DIY kits they sell at the grocery, when you let the dentist handle your whitening, you will get a personalized treatment plan, professional-grade materials, trays that are designed to fit YOUR mouth, and the years of experience that makes it a safe and effective enough procedure to produce the results you are hoping for without damaging your gums and soft tissues. Plus, there is a certain amount of accountability that does not come with those store-bought kits. Your smile is too important to trust to a non-professional (including yourself)!

Get Started Today!

If you want to salvage your summer social life, you might want to get started today. To take the next step towards a better smile, all you have to do is contact us online or call the Really Smile office at 317-597-8748. We can’t wait to get you smiling again!

Relax, Sedation Dentistry Will Wash Away Your Fears!

By on June 19, 2016

Welcome back to the Really Smile blog!

We are your trusted source for gentle dental care in the Carmel, Indiana area.

If you live in the region and feel ill at ease about visiting the dentist, you should know that we can help make it easy for you to get the kind of care you deserve.

Without regular cleanings and exams, you won’t be able to keep up with your oral health needs, and worse yet, you will have no idea what is going on in your mouth. You could be walking around with cancer or periodontal disease and you would never know until it is too late for conservative treatments. Plus, you would probably offend most people you meet with your breath. And your smile would not look as good as it should.

But don’t feel bad. We aren’t trying to bring you down. Obviously, you aren’t the only person in the Hoosier State afflicted by this problem. Fear of the dentist (dental phobia) is quite commonplace all across the country. While from an outside perspective it can seem irrational, there are reasons enough why it takes hold. It can more often than not be the direct result of prior bad experiences at the dentist’s office, the sort that leave an indelible scar. Regardless of how these fears enter your life, the obstacles they create can be difficult to overcome. But unless you want to set yourself up for real trouble later, it is a good idea to try to work through your anxiety now.

Like we said, we aren’t like everyone else around here. For over 30 years, under the leadership of Dr. Smith, the Really Smile crew has been changing lives in this community through comprehensive dentistry services and personal care. Our genuine relationships with our patients are what set us apart from the other dentists in the area. If you give us a chance to change your life for the better, you will quickly see that our compassionate team and comfortable office environment are disarming. What’s more, we will go the extra mile to help you relax when you are here.

Sedation Dentistry Alleviates Fear

Besides treating you kindly, we have other ways of sidestepping your dental anxiety. We can actually provide you with sedation dentistry in conjunction with all of our procedures, if that would help. Oral sedation is completely safe and easy to take. You will only need to swallow a pill a little while before the scheduled procedure. With oral conscious sedation, you will be sedated but still awake and able respond as necessary. But you will have little to no memory of the treatment or why you were ever afraid in the first place.

Let Us Get The Job Done!

In addition to calming anxiety, there are other reasons why sedation dentistry might be good for you. If you have an uncontrollable gag reflex, shaky legs, or who are coming in for multiple procedures, sedation makes a lot of sense.

To schedule your gentle dental appointment in Carmel, Indiana, contact us today! We can’t wait to see your smiling face.

Blog

The Problem with Bruxism

Bruxism Signs & Symptoms

Solutions for Bruxism in Carmel, IN

What Causes Headaches?

Dental Stress Side Effects

Dental Solutions for Headaches

Meet the Doctor

Business Hours

Contact us

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