Redwood Dental Smiles: Blog

If you’ve ever suffered from tooth decay, you know that fillings give you a second chance to have a healthy, comfortable bite. At Redwood Dental Smiles in Castro Valley, we use materials that are safe for the body and blend in with the patient’s natural teeth. When properly cared for, fillings can last for ten years. But patients should be aware of when something goes wrong and why it matters. Patients are numbed when their decayed enamel is drilled away, but it is normal for them to feel a bit sore for a few days after a filling is placed. However, if a filling seems to be leaking, what is really happening is that it was not contoured correctly and saliva is getting trapped. This means that decay-causing bacteria could also get trapped, so the filling would need to be redone. The filling would also need to be re-contoured if the patient is unable to close their teeth together fully. When a filling is near the end of its expected ten-year lifespan, the bonding holding it in may begin t...

Do you know the details of good oral hygiene maintenance? We provide deep cleanings at Redwood Dental Smiles in Castro Valley, but good hygiene will prevent most dental problems. If the details of brushing and flossing get a bit hazy there’s no better time than National Oral Hygiene Month for a brush-up. Toothbrushes should either be electric or have soft bristles. If using a non-electric toothbrush, brush your teeth for two minutes per session, twice a day. People with dentures will need to use specialized toothpaste on them, but ordinary toothpaste should meet the average person’s needs. Don’t forget to brush close to the gum line. Horizontal rotations are a good brushing motion to use on the outward-facing sides of the teeth, but you’ll need to move the toothbrush vertically to reach the inward-facing sides. Floss and Waterpiks are both approved by the American Dental Association, but you should never try to pick your teeth with anything that wasn’t specifically made for that purpos...

With all of the environmental factors that stain our teeth on a daily basis, tea, coffee, cigarettes, etc., it’s easy for them to appear a little lackluster. Fortunately, with dental bonding, Dr. Vijay Munagala of Redwood Dental Smiles can revitalize the shade of your tooth (or teeth) and bring your smile back to life. Dental bonding is among one of the easiest and least expensive cosmetic dental procedures that allow you to have the smile that you’ve always dreamed of. Bonding is a simple procedure and takes about 30 minutes to an hour to complete. Once the doctor chooses a shade that matches the one on your tooth, the tooth will be prepared for bonding. This putty-like resin is applied to the teeth and hardened using a special light. If you’re having more than one tooth done, the appointment may be a little longer, but the results will be a brand new beautiful smile. If you have questions or concerns regarding dental bonding, please give us a call. To learn about the services we prov...

Cold and flu season is upon us, therefore if you’ve been unlucky enough to catch a bug you may want to be safe and replace your toothbrush. Once you’ve been infected with a particular strain of a virus, germs can hide in toothbrush bristles and lead to reinfection. Dr. Vijay Munagala of Redwood Dental Smiles hopes you stay healthy this season, and here are a couple of ways to prevent your toothbrush from making you sick. We advise that you keep your toothbrush away from others because airborne bacteria can be shared between toothbrushes stored near each other in warm, moist environments like the bathroom. Let’s say you have family members and all of their toothbrushes sit in the same holder. Even if you don’t put their toothbrushes in your mouth, the infected item might contaminate yours. When toothbrushes are stored in the same cup, their bristles can come into contact with one another, spreading germs in the process. To completely sterilize your toothbrush if you don’t want to replac...

If you have a dental implant and your gums bleed, that’s a sign there’s something wrong. Peri-implantitis is the inflammation of gum tissue surrounding an implant. We provide high-quality implants at Redwood Dental Smiles in Castro Valley, allowing patients to regain their bite function, the stability of their jaw, and the beauty of their smile. But patients should be aware of the importance of taking care of their new teeth, which is why peri-implantitis is the subject of this week’s blog post. Gingivitis literally means “gum inflammation.” It is usually the immune system’s response to an infection in the pocket surrounding the lower part of a tooth. Gum pockets are a good place for bacteria to evade brushing and flossing. As the bacteria feed, they produce acid, which sticks to the tooth and causes erosion. If the infection is allowed to persist, gingivitis can develop into periodontal disease, which causes the loss of gum and jaw bone tissue. When people first get implants, there is...

Do you know about the connection between sleep apnea and teeth grinding? At Redwood Dental Smiles in Castro Valley, we want all of our patients to know how to avoid jaw pain and cracked teeth. This month the American Sleep Apnea Association runs its Sleeptember campaign, and part of raising awareness of sleep apnea includes understanding oral health. Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a condition in which a person’s throat tissue disrupts their airflow while lying down. As a result, they are pulled out of deep sleep throughout the night, leaving them fatigued when they wake up. Sometimes, the body attempts to keep the airways open by moving the jaw during sleep, resulting in teeth grinding (also called bruxism). Teeth grinding can lead to misaligned teeth, jaw pain, and in the most severe cases, broken crowns. One of the most important points of the Sleeptember campaign is that OSA is common but severely underdiagnosed, and consequently, undertreated. People can get tested for OSA at a s...

We want our patients at Redwood Dental Smiles to feel fully included in their care decisions. Patients tend to have better compliance when they understand their dentist’s reasons for making certain requests of them, which is why we want people to know why they should take seriously their post-operative instructions after undergoing tooth extractions. Dry sockets are an uncommon reaction, but a serious one. After a tooth is extracted, the jaw bone at the end of the empty socket is briefly exposed, but a blood clot usually forms and seals it off. In cases of simple extractions, the socket will close within a few days. However, if a patient is in severe pain for longer than two days after the extraction, they should make an emergency appointment. We can disinfect a dry socket, remoisturize it, and keep a closer eye on the patient while they recover. However, this is usually avoidable if the patient does not dislodge the blood clot by sipping through straws or eating sticky foods. Smoking ...