Redwood Dental Smiles: Blog

New parents naturally want to know what they need to do to care for their child’s oral health. Maintaining hygiene is indeed important from a very early age, and at Dr. Vijay Munagala’s Castro Valley office, we want parents to understand why Baby Bottle Tooth Decay is of particular concern. Tooth decay occurs when bacteria eat food debris and secrete acid, which gets stuck to our teeth. This can happen from the moment the first teeth push through a baby’s gum line. Typically, the incisors, or front teeth, erupt first. As babies drink from bottles, sugar gets stuck to the fronts of their incisors, resulting in a distinctive pattern of decay. What makes the use of bottles particularly risky is that babies are often left to drink from them for hours at a time. This means that their saliva never has an opportunity to remove sugar from their teeth for long before new sugar is applied. To lessen the likelihood of decay, don’t let babies have bottles for longer than about twenty minutes, give...

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...

You may think you have your oral care routine down pat. You brush your teeth for at least two minutes twice a day, floss at least once a day, and rinse with mouthwash to prevent bad breath. However, there is always room for improvement. After you’ve given your teeth a good brushing, Dr. Vijay Munagala of Redwood Dental Smiles suggests focusing on your tongue. The tongue should always be a healthy pink in color. If you notice a white film harboring on the tongue, this is dental plaque that accumulated from the carbohydrates you’ve been eating. You can choose to brush it away with a toothbrush, but your best bet is investing in a tongue scraper that will eliminate all of the bacteria. A tongue scraper is a device that can be purchased at your local drug store. It will keep the breath fresh and leave your mouth feeling extra clean. If you have questions or concerns regarding preventive dentistry, please give us a call. To learn about the services we provide at our practice, visit  www.red...

At Redwood Dental Smiles, Dr. Vijay Munagala offers several restorative options to replace missing teeth and in this blog post, we are going to discuss dental implants. Dental implants are replacement tooth roots that provide a strong foundation and are designed to look like your natural teeth. Regardless if teeth are missing from trauma or decay, dental implants are a safe and effective way to restore your smile for more than 10 years. Dental implants restore a lost tooth so that it looks, feels, fits, and functions like a natural tooth. Dental implants will also help you retain your shape of the face, as missing teeth can make the facial features sag, leaving a person looking older than they actually are. Dental implants are built to last and withstand the forces of chewing. They will also improve the way you speak, and allow you to enjoy the foods you love without any pain. If you have questions or concerns regarding dental implants or restorative dentistry, please give us a call. T...