10 other things crooked teeth cause

You may only think of crooked teeth as a physical embarrasment, but this is just the tip of the dental iceburg!

1. Increased tooth wear chipping and abfractions
2. Gum disease and gum recession from food and bacteria trapping
3. Cavities from food and bacteria trapping in inaccessable areas
4. Bad breath from food and bacteria trapping
5. Clenching and grinding of teeth from your nervous system tryig to find a comfortable tooth position
6. TMJ  (jaw joint) issues and pain form an unbalanced bite
7. Facial and Jaw Muscle fatigue and pain from poor positioning of teeth
8. Loss of support to the face from worn, missing or broken teeth 
9. Tooth breakage and loss from excess wear
10. Much higher dental expenses to repair al of the damage caused by all of the above

When your dentist recommends straightening yuor teeth,it is not just for the cosmetic benefit, it is for all of thehealth benefits thatcome from a well balanced set of teeth.

Call for an appointment 815 459 2292

Dr Neal answers all of your questions regarding your dental health at Crystal Lake Dental Associates.

https://www.crystallakedentalassociates.com

Feel free to add comments.

Top 10 reasons Americans avoid the dentist (and what we at Crystal Lake Dental Associates do to improve your experience)

• Fear of painful treatment
• We treat every person with the same care we would treat a family member using every comfort available like blankets, pillows a soft touch, spa hand treatments, in room TV,  special comfortable anesthetics, advanced numbing procedures,topical pre-anesthetics, a gentle touch in all procedures, nitrous oxide (laughing Gas), oral premedication, and sedation medications, pain management prescriptions as needed.
• Fear of pain after treatment
• We routinely give pain management instructions for procedures where there might be discomfort afterwords. In addition we routinely prescribe additional medication if it is needed for pain and infection prevention as well as special antibiotics rinses.
• Noise of the dental drill
• Dr Neal uses special advanced low noise drills because they provide a superior result.
• Negative past experiences
• We see this a lot and we have seen thousands of patients who once had an extreme fear of the dentist and have overcome it after their positive experiences with our great team who understand how fear can devastate a person.
• That the anesthetic won’t work
• Dr Neal and his team have been able to to numb patients who claim they either cannot get numb or that they still feel some pain. Dr Neal has many tricks that other dentists have not figured out. He uses a special pre-anesthetic that takes the sting away and a special machine called (The Wand) to deliver anesthetic with virtually no feeling. Many patients claim they did not even know that he had been numbing them.
• Dental instruments
• Our treatment rooms are designed with a pleasant view of the area with a large screen TV to watch. Yes we have dental instruments, but Dr Neal and his team are trained to use loupes magnification and a gentle touch as well as liberal amounts of topical anesthetic and regular anesthetic to insure a comfortable visit. We also have Nitrous Oxide and sedation medications for the more fearful patient which can be used for any visit including a professional cleaning appointment.
• Gag easily
• Yes we see gaggers and we have successfully cared for them. We can use topical and other medications to eliminate the gag reflex. We have ways to alter our care to make gaggers very comfortable. we h use nitrous oxide and sedation for severe gaggers who require more extensive care with great success.
• Afraid of being poked with a sharp object
• We are all afraid of being poked with a sharp object. Our team is very aware of this and makes every effort to always insure that we will NEVER carelessly poke someone. We take all of the above mentioned precautions and take it to a higher level with a patient who has been hurt and has a HIGH fear of being hurt again.
• Feelings of helplessness
• We understand this fear and assure every patient that they are in charge of the visit. all patients are encouraged to raise their hand if at any time they want to stop, need to swallow, go to the bathroom, want to be more numb or for any other reason. The patient is in charge.
• Embarrassment due to oral hygiene
• We get this and we have so many patients who are so embarrassed by the condition of their teeth. We have seen just about anything you could imagine, and we will help you from where ever your are to the level of health you want and deserve.

Top five excuses Americans make to avoid or delay the dentist

• It’s too expensive
• We have many financial options and ways to help reduce your costs. Remember dentistry is not expensive.... neglect is.
• Nothing hurts so there’s no need to go
• Waiting till you have pain or swelling may seem to be smart, but often the damage done will be much more involved, time consuming and expensive.
• My insurance may not cover it
• Dental Insurance is a misnomer. It is a benefit that usually only covers a few basic procedures ( and less of them all the time). Every person's dental needs are unique to them and the solutions your dentist offers are the best for your situation. The dental insurance industry has a contract with your employer for a level of coverage based on how much you and  your employer are willing to invest. Your insurance should never dictate the care need for your circumstance as they have no real interest in your dental health individually.Their first interest is in their shareholders and being as profitable as possible. 
• I can’t take time out of work
• We are very aware that families have limited times that they can be available for dental care. Whether is because of work, school, after school activities, or other things, we get it. Because of this,  we offer extended and evening hours. to 
• I have more important things to do
•  If you have a car, you know that regular oil changes, and inspections of tires, fluids and the like will insure that your car will not suffer a major very expensive, and inconvenient breakdown.  The same goes in dentistry. We understand that today's pace of life is crazy. That is why we are committed to lifetime dentistry. The best dentistry is no dentistry at all. How do we do that? By being thorough and handling problems when they are small and less costly, as well as having regular maintenance to keep things in good order.

Why We Take X-Rays

Why We Take X-Rays

1) Look for Decay Between Teeth
     sometimes it is not visible to the naked eye

2) Check for Bone Loss
     an x-ray will show the degree of bone loss associated with bone       loss

3) Check for Decay Under Fillings
     an x-ray is the only way to see this type of decay

4) Look for Infection at the tip of the Root
     if you have an infection near the bone, an x-ray will confirm this

5) Examine the Area Before Procedures
     gives denstis a full view of teeth and bone

Call for an appointment 815 459 2292

Dr Neal answers all of your questions regarding your dental health at Crystal Lake Dental Associates.

https://www.crystallakedentalassociates.com

Feel free to add comments.

Children's Dental Health Month

February is National Children's Dental Health Month.

Here area few tips to remember about your chldren's teeth

1) Brush and floss twice a day 

If your child is under age 8, you should be asssting the child in this.

Infants should be using a very small amount of a non fluoridated children's toothpaste. At about age 2 you can use a fluoridated toothpase with a RICE sized amount of paste on the brush.when a child is able to spt, you can go to a PEA sized amount of toothpaste.

2) Watch the intakeof sweets especially between meals.

3) Never put a baby down witha bottle of liquid other than water.

4) Encourage children to develop other security methods than finger sucking and pacifiers when possible.

These objects in themouth for long periods of time will alter thes hape of the mouth considerably leading to malocclusions whtich can be very hard to correct.

5) As soon as the first tooth arrives, begin taking the child to the dentist to help cement a positive relationship and encourage proper nutrition and hygiene habits.

6) Children should see the dentist twice a year.

Call for an appointment 815 459 2292

Dr Neal answers all of your questions regarding your children's dental health at Crystal Lake Dental Associates.

https://www.crystallakedentalassociates.com

Feel free to add comments.

6200 Children Will Die Today

Childhood hunger related illnesses kill a child every 1 1/2 seconds around the world!

This tragedy is preventable.

This past weekend, our office served at a food packaging and distribution site called "Feed My Starving Children"

We at Crystal Lake Dental Associates are dedicated to serving our local community as well as the larger world community . As such, we have participated in a Free Dental Service day at our office, collecting for the Crystal Lake Food Bank Bank, and collecting Toys for Tots. We were looking for other ways to serve and one of our team members suggested doing a shift at Feed My Starving Children. I had never heard of this organization before, but we decided to get involved. 

As I researched the organization, I became convinced that it was a great cause.

Last Friday, we served at a scheduled shift making up food packs and boxing them for shipment to Iraq. The entire shift was very well organized and our seven person team was able to box up almost seven hundred meals in a very short time. The time went very fast and the teamwork and enthusiasm was fantastic. 

Feed My Starving Children is a wornderful organization. They are very good at being efficient and cost conscious. Their meals are designed for maximum nutrition for children. This organization ships food all over the world partnering with other humanitarian organizations.

 If tis sounds like something you individually or with a group would like to get involved with, you can go to their website at WWW,fmsc.org and get details on either working a shift of food packing, or donating funds for the purchase and shipping of food wrldwide. you will be a blessing to starving childrel and will feel quite blessed for the opportunity to serve.

Have a wonderful day!

Call for an appointment 815 459 2292

Dr Neal answers all of your questions regarding your dental health at Crystal Lake Dental Associates.

https://www.crystallakedentalassociates.com

Feel free to add comments.

5 ways to ruin your teeth (besides not brushing and flossing)

 1) problem: Chipped, worn, broken, and loose teeth.

Causes: if you biteing on or chew hard objects like finger nails, ice, hard candy, bones, pens, pencils tongue and lip rings, or any metal object. In addition picking your teeth and gums with hard objects, as well as clenching or grinding your teeth. Trauma to teeth from sports and not wearing mouth guard.

Soution: Obviously do not put hard objects in your mouth (that is what dental professionals are for), also wear a mouthguard or biteplane if you are a clencher/grinder or are playing sports where you may be hit in the mouth.

2) problem: Cavities and abscessed teeth.

Causes:  Eating or sucking on lots of sticky sweet items like jelly beans, raisins, taffy, any     hard candies, sugar cough drops fro long periods.
Solution: These items should be eaten in small quantities and never parked in the cheek. Eating them at meal time can also be helpful. frequent brushing and flossing with fluoride will help.

3) Problem: Cavities and gum disease 

Causes:  A dry mouth from any medication that dries out your mouth, habitually breathing through your mouth due to nasal obstructions.
Solution:  If your airway is restricted, chronically, a consultation with an ENT specialist is needed to correct that problem. If your are taking medications that dry the mouth (over 3,000 medications are known to do this), frequent drinking and rinsing with water of a hydrationg mouth rinse will help.

4) Problem: Acid eroding your enamel (dissolving your teeth)

Cause: Eating and drinking having high acid content like citrus, vinegar, soda pop, also untreated acid reflux, or excessive vomiting
Solution: Restricting high acid content foods and rinsing with water or milk after consuming will help. It is advisable not to brush right away as your teeth need time to remineralize. If you have Acid reflux (GERD), treatment and medication can help with a reduction in stomach acid. Also acid reflux may be a symptom of sleep apnea.

5) Problem: Discolored teeth 

Causes:  from eating and drinking darkly stained foods like red wine, grape juice, coffee, tea, cola, stain from smoking.
Solution: Refraining from these food choices or going smokeless can help prevent staining. S
ome tooth whitening toothpastes or applications can help greatly as well as a good cleaning from your dentist.

Call for an appointment 815 459 2292

Dr Neal answers all of your questions regarding your dental health at Crystal Lake Dental Associates.

https://www.crystallakedentalassociates.com

Feel free to add comments.