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Mar29

The Dangers of Oral Piercing

If you live in Rockford MI or the surrounding areas and are considering puncturing your lip or tongue, read this:

Infection
Your mouth is full of bacteria. Any opening in the tissue carries the risk of infection. The germs from your tongue and mouth can easily get into your bloodstream. Dentists and doctors in the Rockford MI, Comstock Park and Grand Rapids areas are continually treating serious infections caused by oral piercings. Oral infections can be a real problem, and should be a major consideration before getting an oral piercing.

Tooth Damage
It should come as no surprise that having a piece of metal bang around in your mouth can easily chip tooth enamel. Though tooth enamel is amazingly strong, once it’s chipped or cracked, it can only be restored with artificial material. Fortunately, Stewart & Hull in Comstock Park offers many tooth restoration options such as dental crowns and fillings, but our advice is to avoid the problem if you can.

Prolonged Bleeding and Swelling
The blood vessels in the tongue are often damaged when the tongue is pierced, causing prolonged bleeding and possible build-up of scar tissue. In some cases, the tongue swells up enough to block the airway.

Gum Recession
A number of periodontal disease studies have shown that wearing oral jewelry is linked to periodontal disease which can result in tooth loss. Periodontal disease, or ‘gum disease‘, can cause gum recession and expose the roots of your teeth, potentially causing hyper sensitivity and pain. Again, our advice is to avoid the problem right from the start.

These are just a few of the dangers. Dr. Bruce Stewart and Dr. Eric Hull can give you more information about the risks of oral piercings. If you already have damage, call 616-827-7019 to schedule a cosmetic dental consultation.

Are you on following us on Facebook? View our post from March 22nd or click this link to win 2 tickets to hear University of Michigan Football Coach Brady Hoke speak in Grand Rapids on May 13th!

You can be one of four lucky patients to be our guest to have lunch, listen to Coach Hoke and get fired up for the coming football season! This contest ends April 30th, 2013.

Mar15

Tooth Brushing Basics For Healthy Smiles In Grand Rapids

Why should everyone brush at least twice a day? Let’s take a look at why this is so important.

Brushing and flossing is the best way to prevent decay.

Brushing with fluoride toothpaste and carefully flossing removes the food from our teeth and inhibits the build up of plaque. If we let food stay on our teeth, the starches in the food will mix with the plaque. This nasty mixture forms an acid which immediately starts drilling into the enamel to form cavities. Brushing can’t get all the spaces between your teeth, so you need to floss also.

Brushing and flossing keeps gums and bone healthy. Talk to your Grand Rapids area cosmetic dentist about how to keep your teeth healthy and strong.

If you let gum disease go untreated, you can lose teeth that are cavity-free!

The progression of gum disease (gingivitis) goes like this:

Plaque build-up irritates gums
Irritated gums pull away from teeth
Bacteria multiplies in the spaces between the gum and tooth
The bone holding the tooth is eaten by the bacteria
Say goodbye to the tooth

The good news is that gingivitis can be reversed if detected early.

Call Stewart & Hull at 616-827-7019 to schedule a dental health evaluation at our office in Comstock Park. We proudly serve Grand Rapids, Comstock Park, Rockford MI and the surrounding communities.

Mar8

Teeth: What Have They Done For You Lately?

Welcome to the Comstock Park area dental blog! Today we are going to look at the secret life of our teeth.

The shape of each tooth gives a clue to what it does. The incisors, or your front teeth, are sharp. They need to be because they are there to cut food and their curvature helps move food inside the mouth.

Behind the incisors, you find the canine teeth. Their roots go far into the jaw bone because they are designed to hold onto food and tear through it.

Premolars, found just behind the canines, are flat on the surface. This allows them to crush your food as you chew. And, finally, in the very back are the molars. They are large and have nice, flat chewing surfaces that help them to grind food down into smaller, more digestible pieces.

We’re Dr. Bruce Stewart and Dr. Eric Hull, local Comstock Park dentists, and we hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little more about the different teeth in your mouth. If you are in the Grand Rapids, Comstock Park, or Rockford MI area and would like to make a dental health appointment at our practice, Stewart & Hull, please give Dr. Stewart or Dr. Hull a call at 616-827-7019. We can schedule an appointment and tell you about cosmetic dentistry procedures such as teeth whitening or laser dentistry.

If you’ve ever been interested in a smile makeover, come in and we’ll discuss the possibilities. We want all our dental patients including those in the Grand Rapids, Comstock Park and Rockford MI area to have healthy mouths and beautiful smiles. At Stewart & Hull, we offer comprehensive dental services including:

cosmetic dentistry
restorative dentistry
Invisalign

Feb22

What Is Lurking Under Your Gumline?

Hello Grand Rapids residents! Your overall dental health depends not only on healthy teeth but also healthy gums. Proper oral hygiene helps keep both your teeth and gums in good shape.

When brushing, hold your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle with the bristle tips aimed at the line where the tooth and gum meet. The bristles of a soft toothbrush can clean the food particles in the pockets in front and in back of the tooth, but you need floss to clean between the teeth. Make sure you get the floss into the pocket between the teeth and scrape food particles up and out of the pocket.

Back to toothbrushing: if the toothbrush is not held at the correct angle, the bristles can’t get in the pockets to clean out the bacteria before it turns into enamel-damaging plaque. If plaque multiplies in the pockets around the teeth, the gum will start pulling away. Eventually, the pockets will become too deep for your toothbrush bristles to reach. Unfortunately, the tooth structure below the gumline is more susceptible to decay than the enamel above the gumline.

There is more than one way to damage your teeth – even if the visible parts of your teeth are cavity-free, gum disease can cause problems with the parts you can’t see.

We are Dr. Bruce Stewart and Dr. Eric Hull. We, along with our friendly staff, promote preventative dentistry by working with our patients of all ages to establish essential oral hygiene habits.

If you haven’t had a check-up in a while, or are experiencing gum soreness or recession, call our Grand Rapids area dental practice today at 616-827-7019 to schedule a thorough tooth and gum examination in Comstock Park. During your exam, Dr. Bruce Stewart or Dr. Eric Hull will measure the depth of the pockets around each tooth. If you already have gum disease, we will help you restore gum health.

At Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry in Comstock Park, we provide full general and cosmetic dental services including dental veneers and restorative dentistry. If you have healthy teeth and gums but want to brighten your smile, ask us about tooth bleaching procedures we perform in-office.

Bruce A. Stewart, DDS, FAGD
Eric D. Hull, DDS
769 York Creek Dr NW
Comstock Park, Michigan 49321
https://www.greatmismiles.com/

Feb15

Tooth Restoration in Comstock Park

At Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry in Comstock Park, we use a variety of techniques to restore damaged teeth. Most family dentistry patients in the Comstock Park and Rockford MI area are familiar with fillings. Traditional fillings are also called ‘direct restorations’ because they are applied to the tooth, shaped and polished in one visit.

Another type of filling is called an ‘indirect restorations’ and is fabricated in a dental lab. There are two types: inlays and onlays.

When a tooth needs more extensive dental restoration, a dental crown is often used. Dr. Stewart and Dr. Hull create strong, natural-looking crowns from a variety of materials.

What if the tooth is damaged beyond repair? There are a number of functional replacements for missing teeth. Dentures are not the only option. Talk to us about dental implants.

Call 616-827-7019 to learn about the restoration options available. We have been improving smiles for Rockford MI and Grand Rapids area patients since 1974.

Whether the damage is caused by decay, injury, bite problems, or natural wear; Dr. Bruce Stewart and Dr. Eric Hull will choose the best cosmetic dental treatment plan for your tooth restoration needs. Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry is conveniently located at 769 York Creek Dr NW in Comstock Park. We provide quality dental care for Grand Rapids and Comstock Park families.

Bruce A. Stewart, DDS, FAGD
Eric D. Hull, DDS
616-827-7019
https://www.greatmismiles.com/
Lighting Up Rooms One Smile At A Time

Feb8

Soft, Medium, or Buzz Lightyear?

At Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry, Dr. Bruce Stewart is often asked how to choose the most basic tool of dental hygiene, the toothbrush. Picking a toothbrush in Rockford MI can be as difficult as choosing a paint color, and there seems to be just as many choices.

If you have visited the dental section of your local Grand Rapids grocery store or Rockford MI Walmart lately, you know what I am talking about. There are brushes with bristles of varying lengths, brushes that massage your gums, and brushes that change color when they are used up. (If I had to rate them purely on their fun factor, I would choose the Spiderman brush.)

Some toothbrush manufacturers claim their brushes freshen your breath or remove stains from your teeth. How do you choose?

One key factor is the firmness of the bristles. Hard bristles may be more effective for cleaning burnt steak off a grill or hard water deposits off a shower floor. However, this does not hold true for your teeth. Medium and firm brushes can damage your gums. Soft and extra-soft bristles are plenty stiff enough to clean plaque, food particles, and surface stains from your teeth. Soft bristles also offer more flexibility for hard-to-reach nooks and crannies.

After having cosmetic dental work or oral surgery in Rockford MI, especially anything involving soft tissue grafts, make sure you use an extra-soft brush and be careful!

When buying a toothbrush for a child in Comstock Park, make sure the brush feels comfortable in their hand. If the size and angle feels awkward, the child will be less likely to use it long enough to clean all areas of the mouth. Children do not necessarily need a child-sized tooth brush. Some Rockford MI kids can manage an adult size brush better than a short, narrow child size brush. If you are unsure, ask your Comstock Park family dentist at Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry.

What about the electric types and water-shooters? Some Comstock Park folks like the feeling of vibrating bristles or a mini-squirt gun blasting away at the plaque. Rockford MI people with arthritis or other movement-inhibiting conditions can benefit from powered brushes which take some strain off hands and arm muscles.

Is your toothbrush doing the job? Schedule an exam with your Comstock Park dentist at Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry.

At Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry, our very friendly and thorough dental hygienists instruct our pediatric clients and adult patients alike on proper brushing and flossing. If you haven’t experienced a dental deep cleaning at Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry, you don’t know how clean your teeth and gums can feel.

Schedule a thorough dental cleaning today by calling Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry at 616-827-7019. An outstanding feature of Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry is our wide selection of dental technology. We offer cosmetic dentistry and a full spectrum of restorative dental procedures.

Jan25

Have A Large Cavity In Your Tooth?

When Dr. Bruce Stewart of Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry in Comstock Park repairs a tooth that has decay or damage, the procedure chosen often depends on the location of the problem. (We’re talking tooth-specific locale here; it doesn’t matter whether you live in Grand Rapids, Comstock Park, or Rockford MI.) If there is a chip, crack or cavity on the biting surface of a tooth, an onlay or inlay is often used to restore the tooth.

Inlays and onlays are a type of tooth restoration used successfully at Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry. They are usually bigger than a conventional filling yet smaller than a complete dental crown. An inlay is used to fill an area inside the cusp tips or bumps of a tooth. An onlay covers an area that includes more than one cusp.

At Stewart & Hull Aesthetic & General Dentistry, the inlays and onlays we place for our Grand Rapids area general dentistry clients are indistinguishable from their natural teeth. Dr. Bruce Stewart has the finely-honed eye for detail and complete mastery of dental aesthetics to create an exact match.

Bruce A. Stewart, DDS, FAGD inlays and onlays:

Are stain resistant
Do not cause tooth sensitivity
Are beautifully matched to natural teeth
When bonded to the tooth, they strengthen the tooth and prevent further decay or damage

Call 616-784-2377 to book a cosmetic dental consultation today.

We’ll help you keep your smile happy and healthy!

General Dentistry