Canker Sores

Canker sores are small, shallow ulcers that appear in your mouth and make it difficult for you to eat and talk. The cause of canker sores isn't known although stress is thought to trigger the ulcers. When possible, we encourage our patients at Family Dental Care of Chicago to avoid foods that have citric or other acids. The foods to avoid when you have an ulcer include lemons, oranges, apples, and tomatoes.

There are signs that you may have canker sores including include pain on your tongue or the inside of your cheeks and a burning sensation in your mouth. Canker sores are generally oval shape and are usually white or gray with a red edge.

While there is no extract treatment for canker sores, we encourage you to rinse your mouth with hot salt water a couple of times a day to help with recovery. If you still have a canker sore after 1-2 weeks we advise you to make an appointment with us. 

To schedule an appointment, call 212-988-1089 or visit Joseph Dallessandro DDS.

Night Guard Maintenance

For people who suffer from bruxism, a night guard can be essential to oral comfort. Bruxism, or night time teeth grinding, puts strain on the temporomandibular joint and can erode or crack enamel. A custom-fitted oral appliance can keep the patient’s jaws parted, sparing them dental trauma and helping to keep their airways open if they have obstructive sleep apnea. But night guards need to be kept clean, and we at Dr. Joseph Dallessandro’s Midtown dental practice want to make sure patients are doing it right.

The specifics of how to clean an oral appliance will depend on its design and may be found on a manufacturer’s website. But the biggest variance is whether it should be kept wet or dry when not in use. After being removed in the morning, a night guard should be brushed with a soft-bristled toothbrush. Patients should not use toothpaste, as the fluoride could scratch plastic. Many manufacturers also sell cleaning solution which can improve a night guard’s smell and help kill lingering bacteria. But patients also need to remember to clean the container out daily, which can be done with antibacterial soap and water.

Patients should be careful to keep the night guard at room temperature and not subject it to hot water or prolonged sunlight. Like a denture, the oral appliance’s shape could become distorted in excessive heat. Patients should not attempt to fix a broken night guard on their own or wear one that is no longer fitting well.

Joseph S. Dallessandro, DDS, and Jiah Choi, DDS, operate at 360 E 72nd St, Ste B, New York, New York, 10021. To set up an appointment, call 212-988-1089, or visit Joseph Dallessandro DDS and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Smoking and Pulpitis

Smoking is harmful to a patient’s immune system. There are also several reasons why it is harmful to oral health, including that it causes oral cancer and bad breath, but recently, scientists found evidence of a new way in which its interactions with the immune system are harmful to teeth, specifically. We at the Midtown dental practice of Dr. Joseph Dallessandro want our patients to be fully aware of the health hazards they’re facing, so we thought we’d take a moment to talk about dental pulp infections.

Pulpitis is the condition in which the sensitive pulp of a tooth is swollen, resulting in soreness. Like other forms of inflammation, it is an immune system response that traps disease-spreading bacteria and concentrates white blood cells and antimicrobial peptides. The latter are acids which latch onto bacteria, allowing them to be killed, and they’re one of the body’s most important defenses against infection. But according to a new study, smokers lack antimicrobial peptides in their dental pulp, putting them at risk for longer, more severe, and recurring infections.

Dental pulp infections are a serious concern. If they progress, they can cause facial abscesses and blood poisoning. Root canal therapy, in which dental pulp is extracted and replaced with a sealant, can be effective at treating them. But patients who wish to avoid severe pulp infections would do well to abandon smoking. The study also found that after a patient quits, peptides can sometimes return.

Joseph S. Dallessandro, DDS, and Jiah Choi, DDS, operate at 360 E 72nd St, Ste B, New York, New York, 10021. To set up an appointment, call 212-988-1089, or visit Joseph Dallessandro DDS and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Digital X-Ray's

At Joseph Dallesandro, DDS we use digital radiography to take x-rays instead of traditional photographic film. Digital x-rays are more efficient, bypassing chemical processing and allowing us to transfer and view the photos of your mouth faster. Soon after we take your x-ray’s we will look for any potential uses that need to be fixed with your teeth. 

Digital radiography uses 80% less radiation than traditional films. At our practice, your health is the most important thing for us.

Digital x-ray allows us to detect bone loss, tumors, infections in the tooth nerve, tooth decay, and other abnormalities. Digital radiography provides you with the best care possible by being convenient, safer, and faster.

Remember to make an appointment with us so we can diagnose the source of your pain and treat it. The health of your teeth is our number one priority!

To learn more about the best toothbrush for your teeth and to learn about all of the services provided at our practice, visit www.josephdallessandrodds.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Joseph S Dallessandro in our New York, NY office, call 212-988-1089.

Crooked Teeth

Many people have crooked teeth, and at Dr. Joseph Dallessandro, DDS we want you to understand why crooked teeth and crowding occur along with your treatment options. As your permanent teeth begin to develop, they can start to shift and overlap.

When your mouth is too small for your teeth, crowding can occur and leads to your teeth shifting. In some cases, overbites can form when your upper and lower jaws aren’t the same size, which extends your bottom teeth and jaw outward. While crooked teeth can be hereditary, losing your baby teeth early can also cause misalignment of the jaw and your teeth to shift.

If you have difficulty chewing while eating, you may need a tooth extraction or braces. Crooked teeth can make it difficult to clean your teeth that can lead to cavities and gum disease. For most of our patients, braces are required to fix crowding and crooked teeth.

We encourage our patients with crooked teeth to get braces at a younger age when their mouth is still developing. The younger you get braces, the easier it is for your teeth to be realigned because you are still growing and there is room for your teeth to be adjusted.

Joseph S. Dallessandro, DDS, and Jiah Choi, DDS, operate at 360 E 72nd St, Ste B, New York, New York, 10021. To set up an appointment, call 212-988-1089, or visit Joseph Dallessandro DDS and fill out a contact sheet.

Causes of Bad Breath

Bad breath is no fun, and we at Dr. Joseph Dallesandro’s Midtown dental office don’t want you to suffer from it either. That’s not just because we’re the ones who clean your mouth; halitosis could also be a sign of an oral health problem.

When bacteria build up inside the mouth, it produces a foul odor. You doubtlessly knew that any food in your mouth that doesn’t become food for you becomes food for bacteria, but you may not have known that bacteria lurk on the tongue, as well as the teeth. There, they can eat nasal discharge when the patient has a stuffed or runny nose. They may also grow on oral appliances such as night guards, or in between an implanted denture and the gum line if the patient can’t clean properly.

Sometimes, food doesn’t have to be in the mouth to cause bad breath. Garlic and onions cause halitosis by releasing chemicals into the patient’s bloodstream that eventually wind up in the lungs. They, as well as red meat, alcohol, and caffeine can also trigger acid reflux, which allows acidic gas into the mouth. People with diabetes have elevated levels of sugar in their saliva, which could fuel bacteria growth. Any food or drink that causes dry mouth will also cause bad breath, since ordinary saliva is crucial to removing food debris. For that reason, one of the best defenses against halitosis is to drink lots of water.

Joseph S. Dallessandro, DDS, and Jiah Choi, DDS, operate at 360 E 72nd St, Ste B, New York, New York, 10021. To set up an appointment, call 212-988-1089, or visit Joseph Dallessandro DDS and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Bite Checks

One of the most important parts of a dental examination is a bite check. Particularly in children, bite checks are a way of monitoring whether a patient is likely to develop misalignments or enamel wear. We at Dr. Joseph Dallessandro’s Midtown dental office hope that if our patients understand why these examinations are important, they’ll be motivated to maintain regular appointments.

For a bite check, we’ll need patients to demonstrate how they close their teeth together. Often in children, new permanent teeth pushing into the gum line push others out of place. The molars, which are mainly used for chewing, come in last, which can cause the front teeth to get jumbled and rub together the wrong way. Adults who have never undergone orthodontic treatment may have this problem, too, and experience pain from temporomandibular joint disorder as a result. For this reason, the bite check also includes a tactile examination of the jaw joints.

It’s never too late for minor orthodontic therapy, and adults frequently get it for cosmetic reasons or to spare slightly overcrowded teeth from grinding. But because children’s jaws are softer, they can receive major corrections. They usually get their first orthodontic assessment when they’re about seven years old, when it is possible to use x-rays to predict the future location of their permanent teeth. We also use x-rays to determine whether adults’ teeth are being displaced by bony growths in the jaw, which are usually benign.

Joseph S. Dallessandro, DDS, and Jiah Choi, DDS, operate at 360 E 72nd St, Ste B, New York, New York, 10021. To set up an appointment, call 212-988-1089, or visit Joseph Dallessandro DDS and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Flossing

One thing that dentists and hygienists stress to patients that are often ignored is the art of flossing. Flossing is a little bit time consuming but is so important when it comes to good oral health. Flossing is responsible for removing about 40% of bacteria and plaque from your teeth. Plaque generates acid, which can cause cavities, irritate the gums, and lead to gum disease. There is no substitute to eliminate bacteria stuck in between your teeth, flossing is the only way.

If conventional flossing is challenging for patients, floss picks are a great alternative and easy to use. A dental floss pick is a small plastic tool with a curved end that holds a piece of dental floss and makes it easy to get in between your teeth effortlessly. It doesn’t matter how you floss, as long as you are flossing.

Incorporating water picks into your oral care routine is also helpful as it rinses out chunks of food that are stuck and stimulates your gums. Dr. Joseph S. Dallessandro knows it’s easy to skip flossing but stresses the importance of it for healthy teeth and healthy gums.

Joseph S. Dallessandro, DDS, operate at 360 E 72^nd St, Ste B, New York, New York 10021. To set up an appointment, call 212-988-1089 or visit Joseph S. Dallessandro and fill out a contact sheet.

Retreatment

The long-term success of a root canal is around 95% and in most cases the root canal lasts as long as natural teeth. When the root canal isn’t successful, the tooth might become diseased or painful and need retreatment. When root canals reach that point, an endodontist (root canal specialist) will need to do a new root canal.

When the root canal doesn’t heal successfully, there are a variety of cases why the tooth failed to heal properly. The placement of the crown might not have been done in a timely manner following endodontic treatment, narrow canals weren’t treated properly, and in some cases canal anatomy went undetected and therefore went untreated during the procedure.

Two visits are needed with an endodontist, the first one visit is to take x-rays and diagnose the problem, then the crown is removed and the canal is cleaned and filled with a temporary filling. After your endodontist completes retreatment, you will need to return to your for a second visit  as soon as possible to have a new crown or other restoration placed on the tooth to protect and restore it to full function.

Joseph S. Dallessandro, DDS, operate at 360 E 72^nd St, Ste B, New York, New York 10021. To set up an appointment, call 212-988-1089 or visit Joseph S. Dallessandro and fill out a contact sheet.

Arestin To Treat Periodontitis

When the body develops a bacterial infection, an antibiotic is used to treat it. The same applies to infections that start in the gums.  Dr. Joseph S Dallessandro and his staff utilize arestin for patients with periodontitis who need a scaling and root planing procedure performed. Periodontitis is a chronic bacterial infection, caused by plaque, which has settled underneath the tooth’s surface below the gum line.

Arestin has the ability to reduce the severity of periodontal disease.  After a scaling and root planning procedure, the medicine in powder form is applied to the gums.  In a clinical study, when used in addition to scaling and root planing, arestin reduced harmful bacteria by nearly 2 times as much as scaling and root planing alone. This is because adding arestin to the mix disrupts the progression of periodontitis by specifically targeting the active infection.

If you have questions or concerns about the status of your periodontal health, please give us a call. To learn about all the treatments provided at the practice, visit www.josephdallessandrodds.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Joseph S Dallessandro in our New York, NY office, call 212-988-1089.

A Whiter Smile This Year

Everyone likes to make a great impression with a nice bright smile.  At the dental practice of Dr. Joseph S Dallessandro, we provide an at-home whitening system to patients that you can use to whiten and brighten your smile gradually at home.  Patients with serious and minor stains can both see great results from this whitening treatment.  A consultation can help you determine how severe your stains are and what kind of results you can expect from a whitening treatment.  Come visit us about teeth whitening and start the New Year with your best smile!

To whiten your teeth at home, we outfit patients with whitening gel and a set of custom trays for application.  A dentist takes an impression of your teeth, and from this impression two custom trays are made for your top and bottom teeth.  The trays are made for you to take home and use by applying gel to the trays and then fitting them over your teeth. The dentist’s recommendation of how often to treat and how long each treatment should last may vary.  When following the dentist’s recommendations, most patients see results of teeth whitening 4-8 shades.

To learn more about teeth whitening and all the services provided at the practice, visit www.josephdallessandrodds.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Joseph S Dallessandro in our New York, NY office, call 212-988-1089.

Post-Extraction Swelling

Dental extractions are generally simple affairs at the Midtown office of Dr. Joseph Dallessandro. When patients follow their instructions, they are likely to have easy recoveries, and we’re available to help if something goes wrong. But we want patients to be able to recognize if they need additional attention, so we thought we’d provide some instructions about post-extraction swelling.

The body recognizes the removal of a tooth as an injury and triggers its inflammatory response. The swelling is usually proportionate to the “injury,” so non-surgical extractions trigger less of it. Nonetheless, the patient will experience sensitivity and swelling for a few days. During the first forty-eight hours after an extraction, the patient should try to limit swelling by holding a cold pack against their face. They should be careful to use it for no more than fifteen minutes at a time and to take fifteen-minute breaks between applications.

Swelling should peak after three days. After seventy-two hours, patients can try to reduce it by applying heat packs, again for fifteen minutes at a time with fifteen-minute breaks. Patients should seek emergency care if they are in extreme pain or notice the surgical site turning black or white, but swelling should disappear within a week.

Joseph S. Dallessandro, DDS, and Jiah Choi, DDS, operate at 360 E 72nd St, Ste B, New York, New York, 10021. To set up an appointment, call 212-988-1089, or visit Joseph Dallessandro DDS and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Gum Disease and Diabetes

We’ve helped a lot of people deal with complicated oral health situations at the Midtown dental office of Dr. Joseph Dallessandro. Diabetes is one of the most common conditions that make people particularly vulnerable to gum disease. We want to assure our patients that they will receive compassionate, comprehensive care here and that we want to help raise awareness about the implications diabetes and oral health have for each other.

People with uncontrolled diabetes have weakened immune systems. Gum disease is common in the general population, but it is even more common in people with diabetes, and therefore, so are inflammation symptoms such as bleeding gums. Inflammation is not a bad thing in itself—it is the immune system’s way of providing molecular resources to white blood cells and of isolating bacteria. But people with uncontrolled diabetes suffer chronic inflammation because their bodies struggle to defeat infections, and there is increasing evidence that gum disease bacteria contribute to rises in blood sugar.

Luckily, there is also evidence that gum disease treatment can help to bring blood sugar levels back under control. People with uncontrolled diabetes may need additional consideration for major procedures because they will take longer to recover from surgery, but they are usually eligible for simple gum cleanings. Regular brushing and flossing can also help them to prevent gum disease from returning.

Joseph S. Dallessandro, DDS, and Jiah Choi, DDS, operate at 360 E 72nd St, Ste B, New York, New York, 10021. To set up an appointment, call 212-988-1089, or visit Joseph Dallessandro DDS and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Reasons for Extractions

Tooth extractions at the Upper East Side office of Dr. Joseph Dallessandro are usually a simple affair. But because we work so hard to save teeth, if we’ve recommended an extraction, it means there’s a major issue. To help patients understand what they’re facing, we’re dedicating this week’s post to reasons for tooth extractions.

If a tooth’s pulp is infected, root canals are usually an effective means of treatment. Sometimes root canals can fail due to abnormalities in the tooth’s structure, but even then, a specialist would retreat it while replacing the tip of the tooth root. But if an infection has progressed too far, it poses a danger to the patient’s overall health. A tooth may also need to be extracted if it is badly cracked along the root or if the surrounding gum tissue is too compromised to support it.

What’s much more common is for teeth to be extracted due to overcrowding or difficulty erupting. The wisdom teeth, which are the largest teeth and the last to emerge, often get trapped, requiring them to be extracted. Premolars may also be removed to allow the remaining teeth to form an arch, and baby teeth may be removed if they do not fall out naturally while the adult tooth is pushing through.

Joseph S. Dallessandro, DDS, and Jiah Choi, DDS, operate at 360 E 72nd St, Ste B, New York, New York, 10021. To set up an appointment, call 212-988-1089, or visit Joseph Dallessandro DDS and fill out a contact sheet.

Back to School Check-Up

As kids go back to school, potential problems with their oral health become even more important. At Dr. Joseph Dallessandro’s Upper East Side dental practice, we believe nobody should have to endure a toothache, which is why if a child has missed a dental appointment, we want parents to know why now’s a good time for one.

While healthy teeth may be sensitive when they first erupt, children’s toothaches are still cause for concern. Children get dental infections at higher rates than adults, usually as a result of bad brushing. We can show them better brushing techniques and recommend slide-on handles for toothbrushes if they’re having trouble with motor control. It’s also possible that they’re brushing too hard, which could cause their gums to bleed. Children also have high rates of sinus infections, which could result in pain being deferred into the upper teeth.

Dental visits provide us with a chance to provide sealants to reinforce the teeth’s enamel and eliminate crevices in the molars where food gets stuck. They also allow us to plan for extractions or referrals to orthodontists if the adult teeth aren’t coming in straight. Toothaches cause children to miss meals and sleep and to have delayed speech development, so don’t let them disrupt your child’s education.

Joseph S. Dallessandro, DDS, and Jiah Choi, DDS, operate at 360 E 72nd St, Ste B, New York, New York, 10021. To set up an appointment, call 212-988-1089, or visit Joseph Dallessandro DDS and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Is an Electric Toothbrush Right for You?

We want patients at Dr. Joseph Dallessandro’s Midtown dental office to feel confident in their oral hygiene products. There is a vast array of toothbrushes out there, so we’ve provided this guide to help our patients with one of the most difficult decisions: whether or not to go electric.

A manual toothbrush must be used for two minutes during each session to be effective. Electric toothbrushes make tens of thousands of strokes per minute, which cuts down on time. While studies have not shown manual toothbrushes to be any less effective when used properly, people with problems moving their hands or maintaining focus benefit from saved labor.

An electric toothbrush still has to be used on every tooth surface, but many now come with apps and Bluetooth technology that make that easier. Besides alerting users of when they miss a spot, toothbrushes can also be programmed to send warnings if the user is brushing too hard and to provide feedback on improved technique. Some also come with games for mobile devices that encourage better brushing habits in children.

Joseph S. Dallessandro, DDS, and Jiah Choi, DDS, operate at 360 E 72nd St, Ste B, New York, New York, 10021. To set up an appointment, call 212-988-1089, or visit Joseph Dallessandro DDS and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Dental Instruments

The Midtown office of Dr. Joseph Dallessandro is fully equipped to meet all of our patients’ general dentistry needs. There are a number of specialized tools we use to conduct diagnostics and fight decay, and in order to get patients more comfortable with oral care, we wanted to explain how some of them work.

The explorer, or probe, is the tool the patient will see us use the most often, along with the mouth mirror. The explorer has a hook at the end and is used to scrape small amounts of tartar. We use it to determine whether spots with decay still have active infections and whether tartar has accumulated beneath the gum line. Scalers are also hooked instruments that are used to scrape tartar out of the gum pockets. Hooked instruments come in a variety of shapes for different kinds of teeth.

If a tooth has decay, a drill is used to remove the damaged part. A dentist may also mix material for the filling on a tiny spatula and shape it onto the tooth with a placement instrument, which is a metal hook that flattens out at the end. When a tooth needs to be replaced, dentists use a spoon-like instrument called an elevator to loosen it and forceps to pull it the rest of the way out. The socket is then scraped clean of debris.

Joseph S. Dallessandro, DDS, and Jiah Choi, DDS, operate at 360 E 72nd St, Ste B, New York, New York, 10021. To set up an appointment, call 212-988-1089, or visit Joseph Dallessandro DDS and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Gum Disease and Rheumatoid Arthritis

When people are suffering from autoimmune disorders, their dentist becomes a much more important part of their care team. At Dr. Joseph Dallessandro’s Upper East Side practice, we want to help patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) understand why they are at risk for periodontal disease.

A recent study found that 70% of people with RA have gum disease, twice the rate of the general population. This could be partly due to people with RA having difficulty brushing and flossing their teeth, but gum disease is also common in people whose RA had not progressed that far. Instead, scientists think it is because of the structure of the gingival tissue. RA occurs when the body’s immune system attacks a joint lining called synovium, and gum tissue shares some crucial DNA markers with synovium.

RA is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Patients can reduce their risk for it and gum disease by not smoking. If they are having difficulty with their oral hygiene, they may want to consider an electric toothbrush and floss picks. They may also find themselves in need of throat moisturizers if RA affects their salivary glands.

Joseph S. Dallessandro, DDS, and Jiah Choi, DDS, operate at 360 E 72nd St, Ste B, New York, New York, 10021. To set up an appointment, call 212-988-1089, or visit Joseph Dallessandro DDS and fill out a contact sheet.

 

White Spot Lesions

We hope none of our patients at the Upper East Side dental practice of Dr. Joseph Dallessandro experience tooth decay, but if they do, we want them to recognize it. Contrary to what people might think, incipient lesions in tooth enamel don’t usually start off painful or dark-colored. They look chalky and white.

Decaying enamel’s unusual texture and whiteness are due to acid exposure. This is one of the ways in which a dentist can identify if a patient is suffering from acid reflux or if they aren’t brushing enough. As bacteria eat and multiply, they secrete acid, which gets stuck to the thin layer of plaque near the gum line. White spots also develop in other places that are hard to brush, such as around traditional braces.

It only takes about thirty days of acid exposure for a white spot to form. The good news is that if the infection’s progress is stopped, the body can remineralize enamel. The bad news is that if enamel material is lost outright, it cannot regrow and must be replaced artificially. Patients should think of white spots as an early warning system and come see us if they need help.

Joseph S. Dallessandro, DDS, and Jiah Choi, DDS, operate at 360 E 72nd St, Ste B, New York, New York, 10021. To set up an appointment, call 212-988-1089, or visit Joseph Dallessandro DDS and fill out a contact sheet.