Grand Rapids Dentist: Calming Root Canal Fears

Categories: Root Canals

Your Grand Rapids Dentist Calms Root Canal Fears In the Grand Rapids area, a dentist’s office is sometimes seen as a painful and scary place. Stewart & Hull, located at 769 York Creek Dr NW Comstock Park, Michigan 49321, tries to discourage that image with a very friendly and thorough staff and qualified dentists. However, endodontic therapy, a dental procedure commonly known as a root canal, still carries a strong association with pain that sometimes keeps people from regularly visiting the dentist and tending optimally to their dental health.

When a tooth becomes badly infected or decayed, a qualified family dentist in Grand Rapids or the surrounding areas, can clean the inside of the tooth by removing the bacteria, soft tissue (called pulp), decayed nerve tissue, and any debris that may be causing the tooth infection from the inside of the tooth. Your dentist will then seal the tooth to prevent further decay and finish by applying a dental crown or filling. This is the process and purpose of a root canal. The process can be completed, typically, in one or two visits to our cosmetic dental and general dental practice. In many cases, a root canal procedure is a better option than removing the infected tooth since it allows you to keep your natural tooth. Your natural tooth supports the surrounding teeth and bone density.

Teeth that are more prone to requiring a root canal procedure are cracked or chipped, have received repeated dental procedures, have been damaged by trauma to the face, or are suffering from deep tooth decay. Wearing a mouth guard can help prevent damage sustained to teeth and practicing good oral hygiene habits, such as daily flossing and brushing, coupled with regular dental visits, can reduce the possibility of needing a root canal.

Though a root canal can be intimidating or scary, educating yourself and talking to Dr. Bruce Stewart or Dr. Eric Hull can relieve much of your anxiety. Our patients rarely experience pain during a root canal procedure; their pain comes from the infection experienced before their treatment and is relieved once the treatment is complete.

If you are in the Grand Rapids area, you can give Stewart & Hull a call at 616-827-7019 to see what we can do for your oral health.

Lighting Up Rooms One Smile At A Time

Don’t forget to visit us at our dentistry website at: https://www.greatmismiles.com/.

Cosmetic Dental Solutions in Comstock Park

Categories: Cosmetic Dentistry

Cosmetic Dental Solutions in Comstock Park Comstock Park cosmetic dentists use dental crowns to solve a number of dental dilemmas. A dental crown is a strong, natural-looking permanent tooth restoration that covers the top of the damaged tooth.

Grand Rapids area family dentistry practices recommend crowns to remedy the following problems:

  • A broken tooth with decay
  • An ill-fitting existing crown
  • A decayed tooth that has lost significant tooth structure
  • A tooth that has had a root canal
  • A tooth that is too small or misshapen
  • A tooth that causes a bite problem

Before your Grand Rapids area dentist can attach the crown to your tooth, we must prepare the tooth. Family dentists often apply a local anesthetic so you won’t feel pain during the prepping. Dr. Bruce Stewart or Dr. Eric Hull will remove decay, if any, and shape the tooth to receive the crown. Then a mold is taken of the prepped tooth and surrounding teeth.

A temporary crown is then placed on the tooth to protect it until you return to your cosmetic dentistry office to receive the permanent restoration. The patient needs to be careful while wearing the temporary crown. Vigorous brushing or flossing can displace the crown or damage the exposed soft tissue. The Grand Rapids dental crown patient should also refrain from eating extremely hard foods like nuts or sticky candy.

The mold of your teeth is sent to a local dental lab where your crown is built. Dental crowns are fabricated in three varieties: tooth colored crowns made of resin or porcelain, porcelain-fused-to-metal, and solid metal crowns. Each type has its pros and cons. Your Comstock Park cosmetic dentists at Stewart & Hull will choose the best crown material for your particular tooth.

What if you need a permanent dental restoration for both the top and root of your tooth? Dental implants are your answer.

For more information about complete dental restorations and other cosmetic dental solutions, call Stewart & Hull at 616-827-7019 today.

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.

What, exactly, is a root canal?

Categories: Dentistry

At Dr. Bruce Stewart’s office we know one thing no patient likes hearing when visiting our office is “root canal.” But what, exactly, is a root canal, and when might you need one? A root canal is a treatment Dr. Stewart uses to repair and save a tooth that is infected or badly decayed to the point where the nerve is involved. In the past, if a patient had a tooth with a diseased nerve, dentists in most cases would recommend an extraction. Today, however, with a procedure called root canal therapy, available at our office, you may save that tooth—and your beautiful smile—after all!

Here are some symptoms that indicate a decayed or infected tooth, courtesy of WebMD:

• Severe toothache pain upon chewing, biting or application of pressure
• One tooth consistently more sensitive to hot or cold than other teeth
• Pain that hurts without any stimulus, keeps you awake or wakes you up at night
• A tooth that feels loose
• Discoloration (a darkening) of the tooth
• Pain that persists weeks following a filling or replacement of a filling
• Chronic pain and/or pressure that may extend to the ear, eye or neck

If any of these symptoms apply to you, we recommend you schedule an appointment with Dr. Stewart.

The best way to avoid a root canal is to practice good oral hygiene at home, and that includes brushing at least twice a day and flossing to reduce plaque and bacteria. For more tips on how to avoid root canal therapy or for general questions about your dental treatment, we invite you to ask Dr. Stewart during your next visit at our convenient Comstock Park office! We also invite you to ask us on Facebook!