Did you know: Dental crowns have been used for thousands of years! There is evidence that ancient Etruscans used rudimentary gold tooth coverings to restore the shape and function of teeth - which is effectively still the purpose of dental crowns today. Crowns have evolved quite a bit since ancient times however, from placement and crafting techniques and technologies, to dental crown materials. How Does a Crown Restore A Tooth? Today, a dental crown is a tooth-shaped “cap” t

When a tooth is severely damaged or decayed, it sometimes must be removed in order to protect the health of a person’s surrounding teeth and overall oral health. Unfortunately, dental issues will not end simply because the problematic tooth is gone, unless the tooth is also soon replaced! A single missing tooth leads to a multitude of negative consequences throughout the mouth and body. Ability to Speak and Eat Properly Missing a tooth (or several) will affect our ability to

Approximately 5 million wisdom teeth are removed in the U.S. every year! Because our jaws have evolved to be too small to fit third molars (aka wisdom teeth), they often grow in incorrectly - pushing against other teeth, erupting at an angle, sometimes even getting stuck in the jaw bone. Some lucky people have wisdom teeth that grow in correctly and do not need to get them removed, and an even smaller number of lucky people do not grow wisdom teeth at all! However, chances ar

Wisdom teeth removal can be a major rite of passage for teens and young adults, with approximately 80% of the US population getting them extracted! But why do most people need to get these third molars taken out, anyway? There are several serious oral health issues that can develop if impacted wisdom teeth are not removed - that is, wisdom teeth that are not growing in or positioned correctly. Check out the common complications caused by impacted wisdom teeth that are not ext

Root canal therapy (abbreviated as RCT, also called endodontic treatment or therapy) is highly effective at saving teeth that would otherwise die and have to be removed. As with all dental procedures, it’s best to get a tooth in need of an RCT treated quickly so that the situation doesn’t worsen. That said, how do you know if you need a root canal? When Root Canal Therapy Is Needed First, let’s begin with why RCT may be needed. When the pulp of a tooth (the soft tissue inside