Riverwalk Dental

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Tooth Extraction

If a tooth has been broken or damaged by decay, one of our doctors at Riverwalk Dental will first try to fix it with a filling, crown or other dental treatment. However, when there’s too much damage for the tooth to be repaired, the tooth may need to be removed from its socket in the bone. Here at Riverwalk Dental, we offer tooth extractions to eliminate your oral discomfort.


A simple extraction is performed on a tooth that can be seen in the mouth. In a simple extraction, the dentist will loosen the tooth with an instrument called an elevator. Then, the dentist uses forceps to remove the tooth. A surgical extraction is a more complex procedure. It is used if a tooth may have broken off at the gum line or has not come into the mouth yet, such as wisdom teeth. During a surgical extraction, the doctor will make a small incision into your gum. Sometimes it’s necessary to remove some of the bone around the tooth or to cut the tooth in half in order to extract it.


If you have questions or concerns about tooth extraction, please give us a call. Riverwalk Dental is located at 540 6th Avenue SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2G 1K5, Canada. To schedule an appointment, call 1-403-456-4994 or visit riverwalkdental.ca.

Saturday, August 25, 2018

Oral Cancer Risks

Oral cancer is a malignant growth that affects any part of the oral cavity, including the lips, upper or lower jaw, tongue, gums, cheeks, and throat. Anyone can get oral cancer, but the risk is higher if you are male, over age 40, use tobacco or alcohol or have a history of head or neck cancer. Understanding the causative factors of oral cancer will contribute to the prevention of the disease. Your health is important to us and you should schedule regular dental checkups with our doctors at Riverwalk Dental to detect oral cancer early when it is the easiest to treat.


If you smoke, drink excessive amounts of alcohol or have a poor diet, changing these habits can decrease the chances of developing oral cancer. Also, if you’ve had oral cancer before, you may be more likely to develop it again, so keeping up with regular dental visits is important. If you notice mouth ulcers that do not heal, pain when swallowing, a sensation that something is stuck in the throat, or pain in the neck or ears that isn’t going away, schedule a consultation with one of our doctors at Riverwalk Dental to treat the problem.


If you have questions or concerns about oral cancer, please give us a call. Riverwalk Dental is located at 540 6th Avenue SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2G 1K5, Canada. To schedule an appointment, call 1-403-456-4994 or visit riverwalkdental.ca.

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Sleep Apnea and Floppy Eyelids

When people are aware that they suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), dentists such as our team at Riverwalk Dental in Calgary can make night guards for them that will help keep their airways open. But people often do not know why they are fatigued unless there is someone who can tell them whether they snore. Now, scientists have found a new indicator of sleep apnea: floppy eyelids.


The study was small in size, but it found that 53% of people with sleep apnea also had eyelids that were rubbery or misshapen. These people’s eyelids flipped inside-out more easily, putting them at greater risk for dryness and corneal abrasions.


Scientists are unsure of why OSA is linked to floppy eyelids, although they hypothesize that inflammation is damaging the proteins that allow skin to regain its shape after stretching. For people with lax eyelids, a night guard may be a better option than a CPAP machine, since the dry air it emits can further harm their eyes. People who suspect they have sleep apnea should get assessed in a sleep center so they can determine if it is the kind a dentist can assist with.


Dr. Jared Palmer and his team operate Riverwalk Dental at 540 6th Avenue SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2G 1K5, Canada. To schedule an appointment, call 1-403-456-4994 or visit Riverwalk Dental.


 

Thursday, August 9, 2018

Common Dental Instruments

We want patients to feel comfortable in our Riverwalk Dental office. The instruments used by dentists and hygienists can be pretty cool, but for some people, they are a source of anxiety. To help accustom patients to our tools, we decided to describe the ones we most often use.


The explorer, also known as a probe, is a metal hook at the end of a handle. We use it to test the depth and cleanliness of gum pockets, as well as the sturdiness of dental enamel, and to break off plaque and tartar. There are a number of slightly-differently shaped probes we use for testing and cleaning different parts of different teeth. A handheld mirror allows us to see places in a patient’s mouth that aren’t normally visible and can be used to lift the inside of the cheek away from the teeth.


If we find decay, we remove it with a drill that releases water, preventing the mouth form suffering heat damage. (Patients are always numbed, first.) When preparing white composite filling materials, we’ll mix them on a small spatula. We apply resin to the teeth using a blunt instrument called a burnisher, which we also use to contour the new filling. When whole teeth need to be removed, we use an elevator, which is a narrow spoon, to rock them back and forth at the root until they are loose enough to pull with reverse-action forceps.


Dr. Jared Palmer and his team operate Riverwalk Dental at 540 6th Avenue SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2G 1K5, Canada. To schedule an appointment, call 1-403-456-4994 or visit Riverwalk Dental.