Glossary

Teeth that have been affected by tooth decay (caries or cavities) require a filling. A tooth filling is a very common procedure and is used to fill up the cavities in the teeth. There are generally 3 types of tooth filling: amalgam or alloy mixed with mercury composite or white filling wit ...Continue Reading

Teeth darken over time for a variety of reasons: coffee tea or tobacco consumption antibiotic use excessive fluoride or simply age. Should you find yourself unsatisfied with the colour of yours but do not what porcelain veneers or implants several options are available to whiten your smi ...Continue Reading

Tooth abrasion can be defined as the permanent loss of tooth structure that can occur on various tooth surfaces including the cutting surface outer enamel layer and even exposed root surfaces. Tooth abrasion is not caused by one method alone but by numerous different activities. The mai ...Continue Reading

Preventative care is the biggest part of dental care. With proper oral hygiene techniques many dental problems can be avoided ahead of time reducing or eliminating the need for complicated and expensive treatment later on. An important part of preventative dental care is visiting your de ...Continue Reading

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are disorders of the jaw muscles temporomandibular joints and/or the nerves associated with constant facial pain. Any problem that prevents the muscles bones and joints from working together in harmony may result in TMD with the primary cause of TMD being e ...Continue Reading

The temporomandibular joint or TMJis the joint that opens and closes your mouth. The TMJ connects the mandible or lower jaw to the temporal bones of the skullﾗthe bones on the side of the skull. There are two TMJ jointsﾗone on the left side of the jaw and one on the right. Muscles at ...Continue Reading

Tartar also known as calculus is a hard crusty deposit that forms on the teeth. It is a yellow or brownish a mixture of minerals in the saliva food particles and dead plaque bacterial cells. Plaque is a soft sticky substance that acuumulates on the teeth and forms from food particles sus ...Continue Reading

A space maintainer can save a child's dental health. Typically children lose a baby tooth when a permanent tooth is ready to erupt. The pressure from the permanent tooth pushes out the baby tooth. Sometimes however children lose baby teeth too early due to decay or injury. When this happ ...Continue Reading

A supernumary tooth is an extra tooth that develops in addition to the normal 32. Supernumary teeth can cause crowding leading to poor oral hygiene and a need for orthodontic treatment. Dentists can spot their development using x-rays. Extra teeth are nearly always extracted as early as ...Continue Reading

Apnea is Greek for �without breath.� Sleep apnea is exactly what it sounds like�sleeping without breathing. Sufferers stop breathing repeatedly in their sleep. This can occur hundreds of times in one sleep session and can last for a minute or more at a time. Sleep apnea occurs in ...Continue Reading