Palm Beach and Boca Raton Dental Bridges and TMJ Treatment
Dental problems such as cracked, badly worn, or missing teeth can affect not only your appearance, but also your oral and overall health. Fortunately, at Glaser Dental's Boca Raton and Palm Beach-area practice, we place dental bridges, perform TMJ treatment, repair cracked and broken teeth, and offer a host of other general and restorative dentistry treatments designed to restore proper mouth function and oral health as well as create attractive, appealing smiles.
Dental Bridges
Missing teeth can detract from the appearance of even the most otherwise attractive smiles as well as cause dental health issues such as difficulties chewing, speaking, and brushing normally; an increased risk of periodontal disease; and movement of the surrounding teeth as they shift towards the gap in an attempt to fill it, causing misalignments and bite problems. If you have a gap in your smile, we can bring back the appearance of a healthy smile as well as restore proper chewing function via placement of an aesthetic dental bridge at our Boca Raton and Palm Beach-area practice. Dental bridges are comprised of an attractive, natural-looking replacement tooth which is anchored to the teeth on either side of the missing tooth, bridging the gap and creating a natural-looking, appealing smile. Thanks to the advanced CEREC® system in our office, we can even create and place your dental bridge in a single appointment, saving you time and hassle. When you come into our office for an evaluation, Dr. Glaser will take the state of your entire mouth into consideration and discuss your dental goals with you before recommending a course of treatment. If the surrounding teeth are not sufficiently healthy to support a dental bridge, Dr. Glaser may recommend placement of replacement teeth anchored to dental implants instead.
TMJ Treatment
The complex movements of the temporomandibular joints (TMJ) located below the ear on each side of the face allow people to talk, swallow, and chew properly. Each joint consists of a ball and socket with a disc in between which separates the ball and socket and cushions the joint from the translocational and rotational forces that act upon it when in use. However, when this complex system of muscles, ligaments, bones, disc, and teeth does not work together harmoniously, it can lead to painful TMJ disorders. Over 15 percent of adult Americans suffer from chronic facial pain due to disorders of the temporomandibular joint; common symptoms include soreness in the jaw, popping or clicking when opening or closing the mouth, pain in or around the ears, headaches, and tenderness in the neck.
If you've been suffering from any of these symptoms, we recommend scheduling an appointment at Glaser Dental's Lake Worth, Palm Beach, and Boca Raton-area practice for a TMJ evaluation. Temporomandibular cases can be caused by dislocation, trauma, arthritis, or even an improperly aligned bite. Whatever the situation in your case, Dr. Jon Glaser can find out the reason for the pain via a clinical examination involving palpation of muscles in the head, neck, and face along with X-rays of your facial joints and jaw. If you are diagnosed with TMJ disorder, we will outline a course of treatment which may involve wearing a bite splint, prescription of muscle relaxants, grinding one or more teeth, or decreasing stress factors in your life.
Cracked Teeth
It may surprise you to find that the principal culprits causing cracks in teeth are old-fashioned metal amalgam fillings. These large amalgam or silver fillings merely fill holes in teeth and do not reinforce them in the same way as modern tooth-colored fillings, so as a patient with a metal amalgam filling chews, his or her teeth can eventually begin to exhibit signs of cracks and fractures. In fact, studies show that teeth with metal amalgam fillings are thirty percent more likely to develop cracks over time.
Teeth which have been compromised by cracks may or may not display noticeable symptoms and may not even require immediate treatment; for example, craze lines, or microfractures which can be seen in the front teeth, normally do not require care other than for cosmetic reasons so long as the cracks do not cross the occlusal biting surface of the tooth. However, if the crack crosses the biting surface or extends across the entire surface of the tooth, then treatment is necessary to ensure that the tooth does not deteriorate further.
If you are currently suffering due to cracks in your teeth or think you may develop cracks due to old-fashioned metallic fillings, Dr. Jon Glaser can help. The type of restoration used to repair your cracked tooth will be determined by the size and location of the crack, the existence and size of the prior filling, and whether or not you are currently displaying painful symptoms. Depending on your current state of oral health, treatment for cracked teeth can range from placement of a tooth-colored dental bonding filling along with minor adjustment of the biting surface to placement of a porcelain dental crown to cover and protect the tooth. In certain cases where the nerve in the tooth has been infected, a root canal procedure may be required.
Contact Dr. Jon Glaser at Glaser Dental
Schedule an appointment at Glaser Dental's Boca Raton and Palm Beach-area practice to learn more about dental bridges, TMJ treatment, solutions for cracked teeth, or any of our other general and restorative dentistry treatments.
Contact Dr. Jon Glaser's Boca Raton and Palm Beach-area practice to find out whether you are a candidate for dental bridges, TMJ treatment, or other general and restorative dentistry treatments.
1700 West Woolbright Road., Suite 2
Boynton Beach, Florida 33426
Phone: (561) 327-4727
