A young child with light brown hair wearing a white shirt stands near a white crib, looking at the camera while sucking their thumb.

How Thumb Sucking Can Lead to a Dental Disaster

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Most kids suck their thumbs from time to time. But at what point does it become a problem? The answer might surprise you. Your dentist in Jacksonville, FL, will be the first to tell you what can happen if you don’t get a handle on it sooner rather than later.

How Long Is Thumb Sucking OK?

Babies and toddlers suck their thumbs as a self-soothing mechanism. However, if it continues for too long it can cause long-term damage to their mouth and teeth (more about that in a moment).

After six months of age, a child’s thumb-sucking urge should decrease. However, 30% or so continue through their preschool years. A child will usually wean themselves off thumb-sucking around age three. Anything past that could turn into a dental disaster.

How Thumb Sucking Will Affect Your Child’s Teeth

These are some of the dental disasters that could happen if your child continues to suck their thumb past the age of three.

  • Overbite
  • Open bite
  • Misaligned teeth
  • Speech impediments
  • Social impacts (due to being the only one still sucking their thumb)

How to Stop Thumb Sucking

Your family dentist in Jacksonville, FL, has a foolproof solution to stop your child’s thumb-sucking issue quickly. Who would have thought a dentist could help? But they can!

Your dentist can fit your child with a special oral appliance called a palatal crib. A tongue crib (palatal crib) is cemented behind your child’s teeth. It prevents the thumb from reaching the roof of the mouth, reducing the gratification of thumb-sucking.

Do You Need a Dentist in Jacksonville, FL?

If you have a thumb-sucking child past the age of three, don’t wait to talk with your dentist about your options. Contact Dr. Matt Henry today. Our terrific staff understands how to deal with children and their dental issues properly. And we would love to help you fix your child’s thumb-sucking issues before they become a bigger problem.

A healthcare worker wearing a mask and stethoscope holds a syringe, preparing for an injection.

PRP and PRF Therapy

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As newfound knowledge regarding how the human body works as it is healing comes to light, scientists and researchers develop all kinds of ways to use that knowledge to make medical care more practical and safe for patients. Perhaps there is no greater treatment that exemplifies this fact like PRP therapy. At the office  Dr. Matt Henry in Jacksonville, FL, we are always working hard to tweak our dental services to include the latest in treatment technology. Therefore, we do offer PRP and PRF therapy to our patients who could benefit from the procedure.

PRP Injection Therapy Explained

PRP injection therapy is a method used in modern-day medicine that utilizes blood platelets from a patient’s own blood supply to create a rich, supportive atmosphere for healing at a site where faster healing is important. To perform PRP therapy, a practitioner will collect a blood sample from the patient, and put that harvested blood through a coagulation process in a centrifugal system to separate the rich platelets from the other matter. Certain additives are used to encourage a clot of platelets to form, and that collected clot is then placed in the area where the work has been performed. The advantages of PRP therapy include:

  • Potentially faster healing times for patients
  • Lowered risks of infection after serious dental procedures due to faster healing times
  • The therapy utilizes the body’s own platelets to encourage healing in a more natural way

While many patients can reap the benefits of PRP therapy, certain individuals do benefit the most. For example, elderly patients who may have slower healing rates after something like a bone grafting procedure can usually see healing times reduced. Another advantage worth mentioning with PRP therapy is that the amount of blood that has to be taken from the patient initially is very small, so the therapy is not considered in any way invasive or uncomfortable for the patient. In fact, the majority of patients know little more about what is taking place, where the pain is concerned, other than having to give a small blood sample before the procedure.

The Role of PRP Injections in Modern-Day Dental Treatments

PRP can actually prove to be advantageous in a lot of different types of clinical dentistry treatment, and some of the most well-qualified dentists are now using this treatment as a form of adjunctive therapy for certain procedures. Medical practitioners have relied on PRP therapy for several types of serious treatment and surgical procedures for a while, but PRP is only more recently making its way into dental medicine. Some of the most common procedures in which PRP injections can be helpful are described below.

Bone Grafting – Bone grafting is a procedure a patient will undergo before obtaining dental implants if they do not have a substantial amount of bone in their jawline to anchor an implant to. While bone grafting is considered a highly effective solution, this procedure alone can involve a long healing time, especially for older patients. PRP injections may be used to help aid and quicken the healing process after bone grafting is performed as a precursor to dental implant procedures.

Extractions – Extractions, especially when they involve several teeth or larger teeth, can cause damage to the underlying bone structures in the jawline. The best practitioner will work to correct any deviations in bone structure due to the extraction from the time they pull the tooth. In some cases, PRP injections may be used to help with the healing process if an extraction was more intrusive.

Bone Repair – Bone repair can be a necessary part of maxillofacial surgery after trauma caused by an accident or due to a defect. For example, if a patient has sustained a blow to the side of their jaw and it has caused damage to the jawbones, bone repair may be necessary. PRP injections can be used on some patients to help promote the healing process and shorten recovery times after bone correction surgery in these instances.

The Difference Between PRP and PRF Therapy

PRP and PRF (platelet-rich fibrin) are actually two forms of platelet-rich plasma treatment that involve some of the same processes and are quite similar in nature, but PRF is a bit more simplified in form. Without getting into the real specifics and complexities of medical science, PRF is performed without the use of added coagulants to cause a fibrin clot to form and does not involve utilizing the same additives that are used with PRP harvesting processes. While both PRP and PRF injections are used in dental settings, PRF is often the most preferable form of treatment due to the simplicity of the procedure. Both PRP and PRF therapy offer the same lists of advantages for patients, including potential faster healing times and a lowered risk of infection.

Let’s Talk About PRP Injections in Jacksonville, FL

Overall, both PRP injection therapy and PRF therapy can be a valuable part of your oral health care routine, but not every dentist offers this relatively modern form of adjunctive therapy with treatment. If you are interested in learning more about PRP or PRF therapy or feel you could be a good candidate for PRP with a certain procedure, please reach out to us at the office of Dr. Matt Henry in Jacksonville, FL to learn more about what we have to offer.

 

Woman with long dark hair in a yellow sleeveless top smiles and rests her hand on her chin against a plain white background.

3 Ways Tooth Crowding Can Affect Your Smile

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When it comes to alignment issues, tooth crowding tends to be one of the most common. Tooth crowding occurs when permanent teeth do not have enough space in the jawline to grow, so the teeth can overlap or protrude in such a way that the teeth are not in a straight line. A general dentist in Las Cruces, NM can help you keep your smile healthy in spite of alignment problems, but crowding can come along with several risks for your oral health. Let’s take a closer look.

1. You may be more prone to tooth decay

When the teeth are crowded, you may have a harder time reaching between them when you brush and floss. Food particles and bacteria can get trapped in the tight spaces where teeth overlap, which can lead to damage to the tooth’s enamel and eventual decay. For this reason, being extra vigilant about your dental hygiene appointments will be especially important if you have issues with dental crowding.

2. You may have issues with an uneven gum line

An uneven gum line means that the gum tissue does not consistently cover the base of your teeth in a uniform way. You may have some areas where the gum tissue is especially thin; you may have points where the gum tissue does not cover a lot of the tooth’s root. While some of these issues can be corrected with the help of an orthodontist or a cosmetic dentist, you will have to be more attentive to gum health than usual if you choose not to have the problem corrected.

3. You may see problems with halitosis

Because food particles can be more likely to get wedged between crowded teeth, some people can be more prone to bad breath. Using an extra-strength mouthwash, flossing as thoroughly as possible, and having your teeth cleaned at the dentist regularly may thwart the issues.

Find Out What Can Be Done About Crowding with a Jacksonville Dentist

Even though tooth crowding is a common alignment issue, it is not an issue that should go unaddressed. If you have crowding issues, it will be important that you work closely with a Las Cruces dentist to keep your oral health in check. Reach out to us at the office of University Family Dental to schedule an appointment.

A person in a white bathrobe and towel on their head smiles at their reflection in the bathroom mirror while holding a toothbrush.

4 Easy Things You Can Do to Prevent Cavities

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Cavities can cause pain and decay, leading to overall poor dental health. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to prevent cavities. By taking the following steps, you can maintain good oral hygiene. Here’s what you need to know.

1. Brush and Rinse with Fluoride

Most people know that you’re supposed to brush your teeth twice per day: once in the morning and once at night before bedtime. While many people have made this a normal part of their oral hygiene routine, they often use poor brushing habits. For example, many people skip teeth that are hard to reach, which can lead to cavities in the back of the mouth.

Have your dentist show you how to brush your teeth properly to ensure that you’re reaching the molars in the very back, and the insides of the teeth where they meet your gums.

Your dentist may also recommend using a fluoride mouthwash to strengthen your teeth and prevent cavities. Get instructions from your dentist in Jacksonville FL to find out whether a fluoride mouthwash could help you.

2. Drink Tap Water

Most communities add fluoride to their tap water to help their populations avoid cavities. Drinking the water from your kitchen, instead of bottled water or soda, can help keep your teeth in good condition. Stay hydrated! Drink tap water on a regular basis. If possible, keep a pitcher of cold tap water in your refrigerator and drink it at every meal.

3. Get Fluoride Treatments

The next time you go to the dentist for a dental check-up in Jacksonville FL, ask if you’ll be getting a fluoride treatment. Your dentist will likely provide you with fluoride treatments regularly. Find out what your fluoride treatment schedule is.

4. Eat Healthy Foods

Sugary foods are bad for your teeth. They cause cavities! Avoid eating candy and sugary baked goods. If it’s your habit to sip soda, make the effort to cut back.

5. See the Dentist Regularly

See your dentist every six months, or as often as your dentist recommends. Not sure how often your dentist would recommend coming in for regular cleanings? Ask them the next time you’re in. If you can’t remember the last time you went for a dental check-up, it’s probably time! Contact Dr. Matt Henry to make your next dental appointment.