Dentist in St. Ann, MO

Going to the dentist is important at any age. If regular dental visits haven’t been one of your top priorities for the last few years, they should be. Regular dental visits will get you on the road to good oral health. Pristine Dental and Orthodontics, which is located in St. Louis, MO, offers a full range of dental services. Here the top five reasons why you should see your dentist regularly.

During your checkup, your dentist will check for cavities by examining your teeth and looking at X-rays, which can show the extent of tooth decay and cavities. Dental fillings are used to treat cavities. Dental fillings are strong, durable and resistant to wear and can last for many years.

If your gums are puffy or bleed when you floss or brush, or you have a family history of periodontal disease, it’s time to make an appointment with your dentist. During your exam, your dentist will examine your gums for signs of periodontal disease. Periodontal disease can wreak havoc on your oral health. In your mouth, it can erode your jawbone, destroy your gums, and lead to tooth loss.

Over 30,000 American adults suffer from oral cancer each year, according to The National Institutes of Health. The good news is that early diagnosis of oral cancer can help save your life. Your St Ann, MO dentist will conduct an oral cancer screening during your dental checkup.

Your teeth are covered with a soft, sticky film called dental plaque that can contribute to gum disease and decay. When plaque builds up it becomes difficult to remove, hardening and turning into tartar. Tartar is porous and rough and can lead to gum recession and periodontal disease. The only way to remove tartar is to see a dentist for a dental cleaning. Most dentists recommend having your teeth professionally cleaned twice a year.

Unfortunately, you may be risking your health if you don’t visit your dentist regularly. A healthy mouth and healthy body go hand in hand. Research shows that oral health can have an impact on your overall health.

Advanced dental technology known as Computer-Aided Design/Computer-Aided Manufacturing, or CAD/CAM, makes it possible to fabricate laboratory-grade crowns and other dental restorations in minutes. It’s an amazing innovation when you consider that traditionally, crowns take two or three visits and just as many weeks of waiting. Now you can have a restored tooth without the wait.

Best of all, studies have shown that CAD/CAM tooth restorations are just as successful as crowns made with traditional materials and techniques. And the amazingly lifelike appearance of a same-day crown means that no one will know your tooth has been restored.

The process of crowning a tooth starts out the same way, whether it’s a same-day crown or traditional crown: with “preparation” of the tooth. This involves removing any decay that’s present, and shaping the tooth with a dental drill so that it will fit perfectly inside the crown. But the similarities end there.

If you were getting a traditional crown, the next step would be to take an impression (mold) of your teeth with a putty-like material, and use it to construct a model on which to create the crown. With a same-day crown, your teeth are simply given a light dusting of reflective powder and then a small scanning wand attached to a computer is used to take digital pictures inside your mouth. In seconds, the computer will generate a highly accurate 3D model of your teeth. But it gets even better.

Once the crown’s fit has been verified, and any necessary aesthetic enhancements have been made to the crown’s surface (staining and glazing, for example), the crown will be bonded to your tooth. With a traditional crown, you would have to wear a temporary restoration for several weeks while the permanent crown was being fabricated at the lab. With a same-day crown, you walk out with the real thing.

Crowned teeth require the same conscientious care as your natural teeth. Be sure to brush and floss between all of your teeth — restored and natural — every day to reduce the build-up of dental plaque. When you have crowns, it is even more important to maintain your regular schedule of professional cleanings at the dental office. Avoid using your teeth as tools (to open packages, for example). If you have a grinding habit, wearing a nightguard would be a good idea to protect your teeth and your investment. A well-cared-for same-day crown will last for years to come.

Of all the ways modern dentistry has to replace missing teeth, dental implants are by far the best. There is no tooth-replacement option that will give you a longer-lasting result. Dental Implants also help preserve tooth-supporting bone that naturally deteriorates when a tooth is lost. Loss of bone is one of the major hidden consequences of losing teeth.

A dental implant most often takes the form of a small, screw-shaped titanium post that replaces the root-part of a missing tooth. The surgical procedure used to place an implant is actually quite minor and routine, requiring only local anesthesia in most cases. After a healing period, the implant is topped with a lifelike crown custom-made to match your existing natural teeth. Implants have a documented success rate of over 95%, which is significantly higher than any other tooth-replacement option.

During a minor surgical procedure at our St Ann office, your dental implant is inserted directly into the jawbone in the space vacated by the missing tooth. It will then be left to heal for a period of months before the final crown is attached. During this healing period, the implant actually fuses to the bone surrounding it.

Dental Implants can replace missing teeth in a variety of ways.
They can be used to:

Replace All Teeth Permanently — Implants can support an entire arch of upper or lower replacement teeth that are fixed into the mouth and are never removed. Sometimes the new teeth can be supported by as few as 4 implants. It’s comparable to the structure of a table, which only needs 4 legs to hold it up. In cases where jawbone density and volume have deteriorated, 5 or 6 implants might be needed to support a row of 10 to 12 teeth. Dental implant replacement teeth protect your jawbone, won’t slip, and should last a lifetime.

Support Removable Dentures — Implants can even make removable dentures more comfortable, effective and healthier to wear. Traditional dentures rest on the gums and put pressure on the underlying bone. This accelerates bone loss so that the jaw shrinks and the dentures slip, particularly on the bottom. But today dentists can attach a removable denture onto implants, transferring that pressure into the bone structure rather than the bone surface. This prevents the dentures from slipping while you eat and speak, and preserves the bone directly beneath them.

There are only two ways an implant can lose attachment to the bone and fail once it has successfully fused: poor oral hygiene or excessive biting forces. Poor oral hygiene and/or a lack of regular cleanings can lead to a destructive bacterial infection called peri-implantitis. Flossing and brushing your teeth on a daily basis, along with regular professional cleanings, can prevent this. Excessive biting forces can come from either a habit of clenching or grinding your teeth, or an insufficient number of implants to handle the forces generated by your bite. You should receive the correct number of implants so this does not happen. And if you have a habit of grinding or clenching your teeth, a nightguard will be recommended to protect your implants. After all, implants are a long-term investment in your smile, your health and your well-being, so it’s best to protect your investment.

We want our patients in St Ann, MO to know that at our office we utilize restorative dentistry techniques. Restorative dentistry is focused on the integrated management of treatment, prevention, and diagnoses of your oral health. Both natural teeth and teeth with restorations survive best in an oral environment that is clean and where the intake of harmful foods is controlled.

Our program is designed to help prevent new cavities, preserve teeth that have been restored and manage periodontal disease. At the initial visit oral hygiene instructions are reviewed and are reinforced at subsequent recall visits. The following are helpful recommendations:

• Brush your teeth twice a day in a circular motion with a soft bristled toothbrush aimed at the gum.
• Floss every night in an up-and-down motion while keeping the floss in a U-shape and against the tooth surface.
• Avoid smoking.
• Avoid sticky sugary foods.
• Eat a balanced diet.
• Use antiseptic and fluoride rinses as directed.
• Have sealants placed on young permanent teeth.

Tooth extractions are sometimes necessary to protect your overall oral health, especially when a tooth is severely decayed, damaged, or causing crowding. At Pristine Dental and Orthodontics in St Ann, MO, our experienced dental team ensures that every extraction is as comfortable and stress-free as possible. Whether it’s a simple extraction or a more complex procedure like wisdom tooth removal, we use gentle techniques and modern technology to promote faster healing and minimal discomfort.

Our priority is to preserve your natural teeth whenever possible, but when extraction is the best option, you can trust us to guide you through the process with care and clarity. After the procedure, we’ll provide detailed aftercare instructions and discuss tooth replacement options, such as dental implants or bridges, to help restore your smile. At Pristine Dental and Orthodontics.

The soft tissues of your mouth — including the gums, tongue, and inner cheek — are delicate and can be easily injured by accidental bites, sports impacts, or hot liquids. If you experience a soft tissue injury, rinse your mouth with warm salt water, gently remove any visible debris, and control bleeding by pressing a clean, damp cloth or gauze on the area for 10–15 minutes. Some situations require immediate attention, such as a gum abscess (a pus-filled pocket caused by infection), an object lodged in the gums that cannot be safely removed, or bleeding that does not stop after 10–15 minutes, which should be treated as an emergency.

IIf you experience severe pain or a problem with your orthodontic equipment that cannot be fixed at home, you will need to contact your orthodontist immediately to get it resolved. Leaving your tooth in pain or your equipment damaged for a long period of time will ultimately set back your treatment plan. Thankfully, you can temporarily resolve most orthodontic emergencies yourself, at home.

Pain is a signal that something is wrong. Any tooth pain should be taken seriously because ignoring this symptom can lead to more serious dental and medical consequences. Among the common causes of tooth pain are decay, erosion, infection, and trauma.

Traumatic dental injuries occur most often in children and teenagers, although people of all ages can experience them as well. Sports accidents, car accidents, and falls or trips are all examples of how someone can experience a traumatic dental injury. If you have experienced this type of injury, it’s important to visit your dentist as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more severe the injury could become. Only through a dental exam can the extent of the damage and the surrounding damage be assessed properly.