White Spot Lesions

Have you ever noticed glazed, unusually white patches developing on your teeth? They may be the first sign of decay. At Evans Dental Care in Williamsburg, we want our patients to be aware of when their body is signaling that it needs more help fighting incipient dental lesions, also known as white spots.

Acid is a by-product of bacteria eating food debris. It gets stuck in plaque, the sticky film covering teeth. As enamel is exposed to acid, it begins losing minerals. This causes it to look discolored and chalky in texture, as can also be seen in people with acid reflux. But while acid reflux mainly appears on the upper back teeth, erosion from decay can usually be found in places that are hard to brush, such as near the gum line and around orthodontic brackets.

White spots develop in as little as a month, but patients can halt their progress by improving their brushing. Teeth cannot regrow lost enamel mass, but they can remineralize. If a white spot does not disappear after the infection has been killed, we can discuss options such as masking it with a veneer.

Dr. Peter Evans operates Evans Dental Care at 103 Bulifants Blvd., Suite B, Williamsburg, Virginia, 23188. To schedule an appointment, visit Evans Dental Care or call 757-349-8877.

 

Electric Toothbrushes

At the holistic practice of Evans Dental Care in Williamsburg, we encourage our patients to develop the oral hygiene routine that meets their unique needs. In the face of the wide variety of products on the market today, we want to help our patients to make one of their biggest choices: whether to use an electric toothbrush.

An electric toothbrush is not cheap. Moreover, studies have shown that electric toothbrushes are not better than correct use of manual toothbrushes for preventing tooth decay and gingivitis. But correct use of a manual toothbrush requires it to be used for two full minutes per session and on every tooth surface. Some people have a lot of trouble doing this.

An electric toothbrush is obviously a less stressful option for people with motor neuron disorders or who otherwise have difficulty using their hands. Many electric toothbrushes also come with apps that inform the patient of which tooth surfaces they’re skipping over and whether they’re brushing too hard or for long enough. Some are also compatible with mobile device games for children that reward them for improving their brushing. Ultimately, it comes down to whether the price of the electric option is less than whatever cost a particular patient is likely to incur if they continue to be unable to use a manual toothbrush.

Dr. Peter Evans operates Evans Dental Care at 103 Bulifants Blvd., Suite B, Williamsburg, Virginia, 23188. To schedule an appointment, visit Evans Dental Care or call 757-349-8877.

 

How to Care for Dentures

We provide patients with comfortable, safe prosthetic teeth at Evans Dental Care in Williamsburg. Our philosophy of personalized care ensures each patient’s dentures will be a good fit and will be supported as needed. But in order to prevent infection and further oral problems, patients need to understand how caring for dentures differs from normal oral hygiene.

Dentures need to be kept wet. When the patient removes them at night, the dentures should be placed in room temperature water. While there is nothing wrong with using a dissolvable product to clean them, the dentures should still be brushed each morning and night. This should be done by scrubbing them all over with a soft-bristled toothbrush. If patients have some remaining natural teeth, they may use separate toothbrushes, because dentures cannot be cleaned with ordinary toothpaste. Minerals in toothpaste which are beneficial to enamel can scratch plastic dentures. Patients should also brush their gums in the morning in order to restore blood flow and to clean in between any abutments of mini-implants they may have.

It is important to not put a denture in hot water, or else the plastic may bend and warp. If a denture does become misshapen, it should be only be repaired by professionals.

Dr. Peter Evans operates Evans Dental Care at 103 Bulifants Blvd., Suite B, Williamsburg, Virginia, 23188. To schedule an appointment, visit Evans Dental Care or call 757-349-8877.