Focus on Smiles Blog

Monday, April 15, 2013

Can Dental Implants be Affected by Tooth Decay or Gum Disease?

Because dental implants are capped with porcelain dental crowns that act as substitutes for your natural teeth, they do not develop cavities like real teeth. However, dental implants can be adversely affected by decay of your remaining natural teeth and gum disease.

Alberta dentist Dr. Christine Fialka-Eshenko will discuss your dental implants care guidelines with you in detail prior to your initial procedure. Although dental implants are durable and are designed to look, feel and function like your natural teeth, they require care with a good oral hygiene routine.

After your dental implants process is complete, your implants will require similar care to your natural teeth. You should brush your teeth at least twice daily with a soft, or nonabrasive, toothbrush followed by flossing at least once a day. Regular checkups and teeth cleanings as recommended are also important to maintaining your dental implants.

Without good dental hygiene, plaque can accumulate on your remaining natural teeth, causing decay that can spread into the roots of teeth adjacent to your dental implants. This can result in shifting of your dental implants and other surrounding teeth.

Likewise, gum disease that is allowed to progress can eventually weaken the structure needed to support both your natural teeth and your dental implants. For additional information about dental implants, please see our Dental Implant Questions page.

If you have missing teeth and would like to learn if you’re a candidate for dental implants, please contact Focus on Smiles. Dr. Christine Fialka-Eshenko welcomes patients from the greater Edmonton, Alberta, area.

posted by Megan P at 8:48 PM 0 comments

Sunday, March 31, 2013

General Oral Hygiene

Good oral hygiene is a critical component of your general dentistry routine, and it is instrumental in helping you maintain both good dental health and overall health.

Alberta dentist Dr. Christine Fialka-Eshenko understands that your oral health is directly linked to your systemic health. At Focus on Smiles, we emphasize preventive dental care for the benefit of your dental health and your general well-being.

A quality oral hygiene routine should consist of brushing your teeth at least twice every day using a soft-bristled toothbrush. The regular use of a hard-bristled toothbrush can cause premature teeth enamel wear and should be avoided unless directed by your dentist.

At least once a day after brushing, the use of dental floss is recommended. Flossing thoroughly between your teeth can help remove food particles that become trapped and that brushing alone cannot eliminate.

After brushing and flossing, you should rinse your mouth with water. Or, you may wish to use an antiseptic, anticavity mouthwash; when used in conjunction with regular brushing and flossing, mouthwash can help kill additional bacteria that contribute to plaque accumulation and leave you with pleasant breath.

Regular dental checkups are also part of a good oral hygiene routine. Twice-yearly dental exams allow Dr. Fialka-Eshenko to assess your dental health and to detect and treat potential problems early.

If you would like to learn more about establishing a good oral hygiene routine or schedule your dental checkup, please contact Focus on Smiles. Dr. Christine Fialka-Eshenko welcomes patients from the greater Edmonton, Alberta, area.

posted by Megan P at 3:29 PM 0 comments

Friday, March 29, 2013

How to Choose a Dentist

There are many dentists in Edmonton vying for your business. It can be tough to choose the right one for you. Dr. Christine Fialka-Eshenko understands how important your choice of dentist is. After all, this is the person who is going to be responsible for helping you maintain your dental health for several years. You want to make the right choice.

Fortunately, there are a few simple elements you can keep in mind that will help you make an informed decision:

Experience: You want a dentist who has been working for decades. This experience ensures that the dentist has seen a wide variety of conditions and knows how to handle anything that she might see. Dr. Fialka-Eshenko has been serving the people of Edmonton for more than 30 years.
Procedures: When choosing a dentist, make sure they have experience with the procedures you need. Dr. Fialka-Eshenko offers a wide range of both general dentistry and cosmetic dentistry procedures, which means she can meet all of your dental needs in one office.
Recommendations: Ask around with your friends and family. This serves two purposes. First, it’s a great way to start your search by giving you some names of dentists you can look up. Your friends and family will be able to tell you if their dentists are truly excellent. Second, it allows you to get a sense of what the routine interactions in the dentist’s office are like. Search for testimonials from past patients.

If you’re an Edmonton, Alberta patient looking for an experienced dentist, please contact Dr. Christine Fialka-Eshenko, DDS, to arrange a consultation.

posted by Megan P at 3:29 PM 0 comments

Friday, January 11, 2013

Good Dental Hygiene Tips

Dental hygiene is crucial to maintaining a healthy and attractive smile. Here are the basics: Brush your teeth twice a day. Floss once a day. Make your semi-annual dental cleanings.

But if you want to become a dental hygiene ninja, here are some more advanced techniques on the path to oral purity.

First, examine your dental grip. Make sure you are holding the brush at a 45-degree angle for the outside of your teeth, a horizontal grip for the chewing surfaces, and a vertical hold for brushing the inside of your teeth.
Don’t skimp on your brushing time. Take at least two minutes, twice a day.

Don’t forget to brush your tongue or use a tongue scraper—this can be a haven for bacteria and food particles. Remember to brush/scrape from the back of your tongue to the front.

Rinse your teeth with water after consuming acidic foods and beverages. Wait half an hour after rinsing before you brush—this will allow your dental enamel to rebound from the acid, which softens it, and will reduce dental erosion.

When flossing, make sure to curve the dental floss around the teeth on either side of the gap.
For more dental hygiene tips or to make a regular cleaning appointment, please contact Dr. Christine Fialka-Eshenko at Focus on Smiles in Edmonton, Alberta.

posted by Megan P at 9:12 AM 0 comments

Thursday, December 20, 2012

What are the types of sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea is a potentially deadly condition that affects thousands of Canadians, the majority of whom have no idea they are sufferers. Although their breathing may stop hundreds of times during the night, forcing them to awaken partially to restore breathing after their brain suffers oxygen deprivation, they may wake in the morning knowing nothing more than that they have a dry mouth, a headache, and don’t feel rested.

There are two main types of sleep apnea: central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea. In central sleep apnea, your brain simply “forgets” to send breathing signals, and breathing stops. In obstructive sleep apnea, on the other hand, the tissues of your airway collapse, closing the airway and, again, forcing your brain to awaken enough to reopen the airway.

These two types are not mutually exclusive, and some scientists recognize a third type of sleep apnea, which they call “mixed” sleep apnea.

Snoring is often associated with obstructive sleep apnea, but there is often no audible cue to central sleep apnea, other than the cessation of breathing. Oral appliances are an effective treatment for snoring as well as mild to moderate sleep apnea.

To learn more about the treatment of snoring with a sleep appliance, please contact Dr. Christine Fialka-Eshenko at Focus on Smiles in Edmonton, Alberta for a consultation today.

posted by Megan P at 8:58 AM 0 comments

Friday, November 16, 2012

How Your Dentist Can Stop Your Snoring

Snoring and other types of sleep disordered breathing, such as sleep apnea, are due to changes in your airway during sleep.

During the day, your airway stays open with a combination of gravity and the action of your muscles, but at night gravity works to pull your airway closed, especially if you are overweight, and your muscles relax during sleep, especially if you drink alcohol in the evening or use sleeping pills. This combination can cause your airway to narrow, which creates turbulent airflow that vibrates the tissues of the airway, vibrations that can be heard as snoring.

Your dentist can help treat snoring by giving you an oral appliance that helps keep your airways open. When you wear the oral appliance at night, it will reposition your jaw, typically moving it forward. The tissues in your airway are attached to your jaw, and sometimes repositioning your jaw will open your airway enough to eliminate snoring.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition that results when the airway doesn’t just narrow during sleep, but collapses completely. This will cause your breathing to stop—your own tissues are literally choking you! To open your airways again, your brain must partially awaken. You might not be aware of it, but this may occur hundreds of times a night, preventing you from getting rejuvenating sleep.

The Canadian Thoracic Society’s guidelines for the treatment of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) note that “Oral appliances are an appropriate first-line therapy for patients with mild-moderate [sleep apnea] with minimal daytime symptoms” and that “Oral appliances should be fitted by qualified dental practitioners who have undertaken special training in SDB.”

To learn more about snoring treatment, please contact Dr. Christine Fialka-Eshenko at Focus on Smiles in Edmonton, Alberta for an appointment.

posted by Megan P at 9:11 AM 0 comments

Monday, October 22, 2012

White Fillings versus Metal Fillings

If you have tooth decay, you have an option about how to fill that decay. You can choose between white or tooth-colored fillings and metal fillings. White fillings are a kind of composite plastic material with ceramic strengtheners added to improve durability. Metal fillings are also known as amalgam fillings because they are an amalgamation of many different kinds of metal, including silver and zinc, but also mercury.

Most dentists are moving away from metal amalgam fillings because of the superior properties of the white fillings.

An important benefit is that white filling material creates a better seal with the tooth because the composite material bonds directly to the tooth. White filling may also reduce thermal problems associated with metal fillings. Metal conducts heat and cold better than the composite, so it may cause more tooth sensitivity. It also tends to expand and contract more with temperature changes and therefore may be more likely to create thermal stress in the dental enamel. Composite fillings have about the same thermal variability as dental enamel.

Another distinction between white fillings and metal fillings is the potential toxicity of the mercury in dental amalgam. Mercury is a known neurotoxin, but the evidence about the potential effects of dental mercury is not conclusive. Mercury is known to migrate through dental enamel into areas where there are blood vessels, and it is a bioaccumulant—it builds up in the body--so metal fillings may be more risky for people who are exposed to other sources of mercury, such as people who eat a great deal of fish.

The most obvious and indisputable benefit of white fillings is that they are so much more aesthetic than metal fillings. Metal fillings are not only highly visible from the beginning, but they also can blacken with oxidation, making them look even less attractive.

Because of all the benefits, we only offer white fillings at Focus on Smiles. To learn more about this type of filling, please contact Dr. Christine Fialka-Eshenko at Focus on Smiles in Edmonton, Alberta for a consultation today.

posted by Megan P at 10:01 AM 0 comments

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