How to Handle Halitosis

Bad breath is embarrassing, especially when others take notice. Halitosis is the medical term for chronic, persistent bad breath and at times, may be a sign of an underlying medical condition. To ensure the optimal oral health and keep your mouth as clean as possible, it’s important to visit our doctors at Riverwalk Dental twice a year for oral checkups. If mints and gum are only covering up the problem, but not solving it, give us a call so we can help.

If a daily dental routine of brushing and flossing isn’t reducing the odor in your mouth, you may be a victim of periodontal disease, cavities, and/or dry mouth. If you’re a smoker, tobacco can dry out the mouth leaving you with oral discomfort and bad breath. By drinking plenty of water, and cutting down on caffeine and cigarettes, you’re not only doing your breath a favor, but you’re making a wise decision for your oral health and periodontal health as well. Treatment for halitosis will depend on the cause.

If you have questions or concerns about dental health, please give us a call. To learn about the services we provide at the practice, visit www.riverwalkdental.ca for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Riverwalk Dental located in Canada, Alberta, T1B 4Y2, Medicine Hat, 101-7 Strachan Bay, SE, 403-456-4994.

Crowns Save Teeth

At Riverwalk Dental our dentists place crowns to restore patient smiles.  Crowns are a common restorative option for teeth with cracks, chips or a significant amount of decay. The routine and non-invasive procedure can save a tooth before it reaches the point of needing to be extracted or replaced with an implant. 

Fitting a patient with a new crown can be completed in as little as two visits. This process begins with preparing the tooth by removing any decay begins by removing any decay from the damaged tooth.  A crown fits over the tooth like a little cap, and to ensure a great fit for the crown, your dentist may need to contour the tooth that remains.  When the tooth has been prepared, an impression of the mouth is taken and sent to a dental laboratory for the custom product to be fabricated.  We can provide a temporary crown to wear while your new crown is being made.  Once your custom crown is made, the crown will be cemented into place by your dentist at a second appointment. 

To learn more about crowns and all the services we provide, visit www.riverwalkdental.ca for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Riverwalk Dental located at Canada, Alberta, T1B 4Y2, Medicine Hat, 101-7 Strachan Bay, SE, call 403-456-4994.

Apicoectomy

The doctors of Riverwalk Dental perform many root canals to save and repair teeth that are badly damaged or infected.  During a root canal, any inflamed or infected tissue is removed and the root canal system is thoroughly cleaned.  In most cases, a root canal will clear an infection and heal the tooth.  When an infection won’t go away or the canals become re-infected, our doctors can perform an apicoectomy.

An apicoectomy is the process of removing damaged tissue and sealing off a tooth’s root from any further infections.  The procedure involves a small incision in the gums, followed by removal of any infected tissue and finally the end of the root tip itself.  A root-end filling is placed there to act as a seal, preventing reinfection. The gum is sutured, and most patients only feel slight discomfort or swelling during healing.  If you have a tooth infection lingering after a root canal gone wrong, please contact us to discuss your treatment options.

To learn more about the apicoectomy procedure and all the services we provide, visit www.riverwalkdental.ca for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Riverwalk Dental located at Canada, Alberta, T1B 4Y2, Medicine Hat, 101-7 Strachan Bay, SE, call 403-456-4994.

Wisdom Teeth Extraction

There’s a debate on whether or not we actually need to keep our wisdom teeth, but our doctors at Riverwalk Dental suggest removal with good reason. Wisdom teeth are the third molars located in the back of the mouth and typically there isn’t enough room for them to grow. When wisdom teeth erupt, they tend to push against the surrounding teeth causing pain. When they are impacted (under the gum) they can lead to infection.

Extracting wisdom teeth is best because they usually do more harm than good.  They’re useful for chomping on food faster but otherwise, serve no actual purpose. Once wisdom teeth are extracted, recovery takes about seven days. During this time you will need to follow post-op instructions to ensure that the stitches don’t come undone.

If you have questions or concerns regarding wisdom teeth extraction, please give us a call. To learn about the services we provide at the practice, visit www.riverwalkdental.ca for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Riverwalk Dental located at Canada, Alberta, T1B 4Y2, Medicine Hat, 101-7 Strachan Bay, SE, 403-456-4994.

Oral Cancer Treatment

The oral cavity includes the lips, cheek lining, gums, the tongue, the hard palate, and the throat. Oral cancer is divided into two categories, one in the back of the throat, and the other in these oral extremities. It’s important to understand how serious oral cancer is and why you should visit us twice a year for an oral cancer screening.

If you notice a sore or irritation in the mouth that won’t go away, pain or tenderness in the mouth or lips, and/or difficulty chewing, consider an oral cancer screening. The goal of oral cancer screening is to identify mouth cancer early when there is a greater chance for a cure. Smokers and heavy alcohol users increase their risk of oral cancer and may benefit from screening, the most.

If you have questions or concerns about oral cancer, please give us a call. To learn about the services we provide at the practice, visit www.riverwalkdental.ca for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Riverwalk Dental located at Canada, Alberta, T1B 4Y2, Medicine Hat, 101-7 Strachan Bay, SE, 403-456-4994.

Dental Sealants

Dental sealants act as a barrier to prevent cavities caused by sugar, plaque, or lack of proper oral hygiene. Because of the likelihood of developing decay in the depressions of grooves of the premolars and molars, children and teenagers are prime candidates for dental sealants. Here at Riverwalk Dental, our doctors offer this as a service to protect teeth from decay.

Dental sealant is a thin, plastic coating painted on the chewing surfaces of teeth – usually the back teeth (premolars and molars) to prevent tooth decay. Thorough brushing and flossing help remove food particles and plaque from smooth surfaces of the teeth, but toothbrush bristles cannot reach all the way into the grooves to extract food and plaque. Sealants protect these vulnerable areas by “sealing out” plaque and food. Because Children have newly erupted, permanent teeth, they receive the greatest benefit from sealants.

If you have questions or concerns about dental sealants, please give us a call. To learn about the services we provide at the practice, visit www.riverwalkdental.ca for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Riverwalk Dental located at Canada, Alberta, T1B 4Y2, Medicine Hat, 101-7 Strachan Bay, SE, 403-456-4994.

Digital X-rays

Dental X-rays are often part of a regular dental checkup. Dental X-rays allow our doctors at Riverwalk Dental to closely monitor the health of your teeth and gums, so that the changes and problems can be detected early, when treatment is most effective.

With this digital imaging technology, there are a number of tools that will allow our doctors to take a very close look at the teeth and surrounding structures with efficient accuracy. As a benefit to the patient, the digital x-ray also provides nearly 80% less radiation than a standard X-ray. This is because digital X-rays are designed with the patient in mind.

If you have questions or concerns about digital X-rays, please give us a call. To learn about the services we provide at the practice, visit www.riverwalkdental.ca for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Riverwalk Dental located at Canada, Alberta, T1B 4Y2, Medicine Hat, 101-7 Strachan Bay, SE, 403-456-4994.