Month: January 2016

Honest Answers To Your Teeth Whitening Questions

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The weather has been getting a lot nicer and warmer, and you know what that means – wedding and event season. Prepare yourselves for picnics, promotions, parks, passion and, of course, photography. During this momentous time of year, people come out of winter hibernation and seek teeth whitening to attempt to forget all of that coffee they were drinking to survive when it was ten below zero.

What should you expect from teeth whitening? There are many best practices and things you should know—not every dentist or service will share them with you, because it results in you buying less teeth whitening services from them. We want to be crystal clear transparent though, and we’d like to offer some realistic advice on what you should expect during and after your teeth whitening procedure.

Where does the whitening in teeth whitening treatments come from? Typically, dentists are using a chemical called Hydrogen Peroxide. Many people already know what this is—it’s that stuff used to clean wounds and reduce infections. The peroxide permeates the dentin – the outer enamel that protects your teeth and absorbs discoloration. After it goes through, it then denatures and removes the coloring agents that have permeated the dentin over time. Through this gradual process, teeth are whitened and get back the vibrant look they deserve.

When you get a whitening treatment at our facility, we use a proven method that takes a bit of time, but provides great results, especially if you have somewhere to be in the days immediately following the procedure, when your teeth at their whitest. However, there are many things to be expected with a teeth whitening procedure that many will not tell you.

First off, we recommend that after you receive a teeth whitening procedure, or even if you decide to buy one at the drugstore and attempt it yourself, you should stay away from any kind of drink or food that could potentially stain your teeth. That means eating candies with strong dye in them or veggies like beets, or drinking dark red wine and coffee, will contribute to more staining, as your teeth will be in a porous and semi-vulnerable state after going through teeth whitening procedures.

Your teeth will be slightly sensitive as well, especially if you had to undergo a thorough whitening treatment and spend a few days with the bleach tray or whitening strips on your teeth. The peroxide does penetrate the crystalline structure of your teeth, leaving it slightly exposed. This means your teeth will be sensitive to temperatures, both hot and cold. It’s not unusual to have difficulty drinking cold water or hot coffee after having your teeth whitened, whether you had it done professionally or did it at home.

Every dental whitening product will come with recommendations from the American Dental Association. We recommend that you listen to these recommendations, following them closely. Failure to follow their recommendations will result in your teeth becoming discolored again before they ever get a chance to shine.  You should also expect that your teeth will gain a few shades of discoloration regardless of what you do. Teeth are naturally off-white and using whitening products over and over again will result in sensitivity of the teeth time and time again.

If you have any other questions, call us and schedule an appointment for a teeth whitening consultation where we can answer all of your questions and give you proper guidance and suggestions. Call us during our office hours at 215.254.6679 or schedule an appointment with us online!

Benefits of Routine Tooth Cleanings

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So many people are urged to go to the dentist as children and adolescents and have the concept hammered into their heads as young adults. However, as we become older, we slip in our dental diligence. Why do you think that is? It’s easy to say that cleaning your teeth is good, just like cleaning your house is good. However, what are the real benefits? Let’s touch upon the actual benefits that our patients are reaping through getting their teeth regularly checked and cleaned.

Better Smile – This is first and foremost, the most obvious benefit of them all. Regular teeth cleanings will clear up your smile and get rid of unsightly stains from whatever it is you’re consuming on a regular basis. Even if you’re great at keeping your teeth white, you should be getting your teeth cleaned. Your teeth are whitened in a normal cleaning, but that’s not all; we also clean the gums and reduce any swelling we find, and remove anything foreign from the mouth, which improves the smile in many ways.

Better Breath – As your teeth are cleaned, we do a lot more than just scrub the enamel. We’re going into your gums and the areas between your teeth and catching everything that brushing and daily flossing might miss. Small pieces of food and dead mouth cells congregate in the tough-to-reach crannies of your teeth and gums, and it takes a professional touch to remove it all. These areas are a party for bacteria, and eliminating them regularly will work towards giving you better breath, all the time.

Fights Against Infections – Serious infections like gingivitis or halitosis can take quite a while to gain a foundation and become serious problems. By having regular cleanings, we’re able to get deep inside the cracks and crevasses of your mouth and eliminate bacterial colonies and potential threats before they become a real problem. Having a regular cleaning will help to prevent many infections that would otherwise stew in your mouth, waiting for the right time to strike.

Don’t Miss a Beat with Your Teeth – If you have something seriously wrong with your mouth, like an infected root, you’d want to know sooner than later. The worse infections get, the more invasive and intricate the dental work must become. Through regular cleanings, you can detect cavities and fill them before it becomes an all-out extraction. Find infections before they spread and, if there’s absolutely anything else wrong with you, we’ll be able to find it before the problem gets out of hand.

Save Money in the Long Run – This might be one of the most overlooked benefits of regular teeth cleanings. If you nip your problems before they become catastrophes, you’ll never have to worry about paying for major dental work for yourself. By having a regular cleaning, you’re keeping yourself from having larger, more expensive procedures in the future.

We hope these were some food for thought. If you have more questions about our full-service dental treatment and state-of-the-art facilities, contact us today at 215.254.6679 throughout Philly.

Preventing Bone Loss Can Help You Avoid Needing An Emergency Dentist in Philadelphia

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When you’re getting a check-up at a general dentist, ”bone loss” can be two of the scariest words you hear. We want you to help you do everything we can to make sure you never get there.

How can it be avoided? How can you avoid having pains associated with loose teeth and  needing an emergency dentist at 2 a.m.? Like most dental issues, it’s a partnership between you and your dentist that can avoid the road to gum disease.

Stage 1: Gingivitis – As you probably know, our mouths are full of bacteria. It comes from the food we eat, the people we kiss, and the times we put our hands to our mouth. Some of this bacteria love to eat at the enamel of teeth, and some like to dine on the food you leave in your mouth. The gummy stuff that forms on your teeth, mostly where the teeth meet the gums, is called plaque. This is what you have to remove daily with brushing and flossing. If it’s left too long, it becomes tartar and can only be removed by a dental professional.

Gingivitis can cause red, swollen, bleeding gum, and it’s important that you and your dentist treat it before it moves on to…

Stage 2: Periodontitis – While gingivitis is technically a form of periodontitis, it can be reversed and isn’t destructive like other forms of periodontitis. This is when the gums begin to pull away from the teeth and the bacteria are able to get deeper, and a constant infection occurs as your body fights the invaders. When it reaches this stage it’s often called “chronic periodontitis.” While all is not lost and a dentist can help you manage it, bone loss has started and you’ll want to stay on top of the situation so that it doesn’t get worse.

Stage 3: Tooth Loss – Go for too long without seeing a dentist and this may be unavoidable. Too much bone loss has occurred and the bone can no longer hang onto the tooth. If the tooth is loose it might have to be extracted. Tooth implants will then be necessary to put the needed pressure on your jaw so that the bone in our jaw doesn’t deteriorate.

Here’s the best part…catch it at the gingivitis stage and there’s a good chance you’ll avoid stages 2 and 3 altogether. With proper brushing and flossing (and regular dental visits), some people can reverse the process of gingivitis in as little as a month. Visit us as your general dentist and you might be able to avoid us as your emergency dentist!

Learn More About Insurance Accepted by Our Emergency Dentist in Philadelphia

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Our emergency dentist in Philadelphia accepts many major insurance plans so you can get the care that you need. We accept over 150 different insurance plans from companies such as Cigna, Metlife, Delta Dental, and more. However, we do not accept plans from any state-funded insurance plans, HMOs, DMOs, Keystone Mercy or Keystone First. If you have an insurance plan that we don’t accept, does that mean you’ll have to get your emergency dental care somewhere else? Not at all–we’re happy to help you regardless of your insurance.

You can still come to Center City Emergency Dentists even if you don’t have insurance or have a plan that we don’t accept! We offer financing so you can afford to get the treatment and dental care that you need. Our financing is guaranteed no matter what your financial status is or the state of your credit. We believe that everyone should have access to terrific dental care, no matter what your insurance is like or what your financial status is currently. We want to help you get the care you need, and we’ll help you create an affordable monthly payment plan in order to afford it.

So don’t hesitate to come to our emergency dentists the next time you need help. We offer more than just services from our emergency dentist, too. Our guaranteed financing is available for all of our dental services, including cosmetic dentistry, dental implants, extractions, and more. Just give us a call and let’s look into your insurance together. We’ll verify whether or not we accept your plan, and if we don’t, we’ll work with you on an affordable payment option. Give us a call at 215-315-7691 today.

What to Do When You’ve Knocked Out Your Tooth

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Knocking out a tooth is both painful and worrisome. If you don’t end up caring for your knocked out tooth correctly, you could lose it permanently. That is not something you want, and it’s something that you can help avoid. Our urgent dental care facility in Philadelphia offers tips on what to do when you’ve knocked out a tooth:

  • Find the tooth. It can’t be replaced if you can’t find it, so priority number one is locating the tooth.
  • Keep it clean. Gently rinse the tooth off, but don’t remove any tissues that are still attached (they may be helpful in reattaching the tooth).
  • Put the tooth back in the socket, if at all possible.
  • If you can’t get the tooth back in, place it in a glass of milk. If you don’t have milk, tap water with table salt is the next best thing.
  • Call our urgent dental care as soon as possible.

The sooner you come to our urgent dental care facility in Philadelphia the better the chances are that we’ll be able to save your tooth. Minutes matter, so don’t waste anytime. Thankfully, we’re here 24 hour a day, 7 days a week, so no matter what time of the day or night you’ve knocked out a tooth, we will be here to help.

We’re located on south 16th street in the heart of Philly so we’re convenient to reach from nearly any location in the area. You can give us a call at 267-421-5379 or contact us through our website for your urgent dental care appointment today!

Why People Come to a 24 Hour Emergency Dentist

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Our 24-hour emergency dentist sees a lot of people during the week. Because we’re open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, we never know what’s going to be coming through our door. There are, however, many things that are commonly treated by our 24-hour emergency dentist. If you are currently suffering from one of these or do in the future, come to us:

Pain in the Teeth or Gums
Tooth pain is no fun, and there is only so long most people can tolerate it before they need the help of our 24-hour emergency dentist. Toothaches are commonly caused by infections in the tooth or gums and may require an extraction or other dental procedure to get the infection and the pain under control.

Chipped, Broken, or Knocked Out Tooth
This is an important one to come to our 24-hour emergency dentist right away. Damage to your teeth can result in losing those teeth permanently if you don’t come into our office right away. If your tooth has been damaged, try to save as much of it as you can and bring it into our office.

Damage to Dental Work
A missing crown or lost filling can be painful. Our 24-hour emergency dentist can restore your dental work along with your smile and get you on your way again!

A visit to the 24-hour emergency dentist is no fun, but knowing that there is a dental team you can trust is a great thing. If you are in need of urgent dental care, call Center City Emergency Dentists today!