Redwood Dental Smiles: Blog

It’s no fun to have a broken or decayed molar. But at Redwood Dental Smiles in Castro Valley, our staff has the experience and technology to set things right. When a tooth gets damaged, we can mill a replacement crown for it. In cases where only a portion of a large tooth has been lost or needs to be removed, we can mill a partial crown to fill it in. Partial crowns are known as inlays or onlays, depending on their size. We’ve discussed on our blog before how the crowns of molars are made up of pointy cusps separated by indentations. An inlay would be used as a damaged indentation’s substitute. It can be thought of as being like a more permanent version of the sealants that are used to smooth indentations over and create less space for food debris to get trapped in. An onlay is a larger partial crown and would replace at least one missing cusp. Once the dentist has drilled away decayed material, we’ll have a better idea of how large a partial crown the patient needs. Normally, this pro...

Everyone deserves to show off his or her smile, no matter how crooked or lackluster it may be. If your smile is hindered due to lack of self-esteem, Dr. Vijay Munagala of Redwood Dental Smiles has a variety of cosmetic options to create the one you’ve always dreamed of. Tooth whitening is an excellent way to boost confidence and enhance your appearance, without breaking the bank. Teeth become discolored over time due to the food and beverages we consume on a daily basis. No one wants yellow teeth, and people who have whiter and cleaner smiles will not only improve their mood but will lessen their risk of developing periodontal disease and other oral diseases such as tooth decay or infection. During a consultation, Dr. Munagala will assess you to determine whether or not you are a tooth-whitening candidate. If so, you can choose between in-office whitening or whitening from the comfort of your own home using take-home trays. If you have questions or concerns regarding teeth whitening or...

Each of us has two temporomandibular joints that act as a hinge which connects the jawbone to the skull. Because these joints control chewing, yawning, and speaking, it’s normal for them to leave a person feeling pain or discomfort. Problems in this area can cause head and neck pain, facial pain, ear pain, headaches, or make the jaw difficult to open. This is called temporomandibular joint disorder and Dr. Vijay Munagala of Redwood Dental Smiles can treat this condition. TMJ can develop from an injury to the face, wear and tear due to aging, or oral habits such as grinding the teeth. Individuals with TMJ syndrome may notice clicking or popping sounds when chewing or speaking, frequent headaches, dizziness, or a locked jaw.  If these symptoms sound too familiar, discuss your symptoms with Dr. Vijay Munagala. Treatment for TMJ disorder usually requires a night guard to wear during sleep. If you have questions or concerns regarding TMJ disorder, please give us a call. To learn about the s...

At Redwood Dental Smiles in Castro Valley, we do our best to save our patients’ teeth. But when it comes to the wisdom teeth, extractions are often necessary. Patients may naturally wonder why that is, which is why we wanted them to understand the particular challenges of wisdom teeth. Modern humans, who eat a diet of soft foods, don’t usually develop as large jaw bones as our ancestors did. As a result, there often is not enough room in the arch of the teeth to accommodate the wisdom teeth, which are the largest. To makes matters worse, the wisdom teeth often do not begin to erupt until a person is in their late teens, after their other teeth have undergone orthodontic correction. (Extensive orthodontic correction can only be done on children and adolescents, whose skull bones have not fully fused together). Therefore, the wisdom teeth often either get trapped under the gum line, which creates a cavity hazard, or are able to push through by knocking other teeth out of alignment. Denti...