HomeConditions We Treat

Even the small things matter.

Ten everyday complaints, what each one usually turns out to be, and what is actually done about it. Bring the small thing in before it becomes the large one.

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Your Oral Health

Do you cover your mouth when you smile?

Some people keep their lips closed in photographs. Some put a hand up. Far too many live with a condition they have quietly decided is not worth mentioning, and go on not smiling rather than raise it.

Most of what follows is straightforward to treat. Some of it is not merely cosmetic: bleeding gums and persistent bad breath are early gum disease, and untreated gum disease is linked to tooth loss, jawbone recession and a list of systemic problems that has no business being on a page about smiling.

So mention it. During a visit the practice wants to hear whatever you have been putting up with, whether that is wanting whiter teeth or a gum that has started to bleed. Everything counts.

Conditions

Ten things people come in with.

Open the one that sounds like yours.

Loose dentures
Wear and jawbone recession let a denture come loose, and a loose denture rubs — painful friction against the gum. The fix is anchorage. Implant-supported dentures, or full-arch implants, are fixed firmly into the jaw and strong enough to eat normally with. Rebuilding lost jawbone where it is needed is part of the same treatment. Fixed vs. removable
Bad breath
Occasional bad breath after a garlicky meal or on waking is normal and a toothbrush handles it. Constant bad breath is different, particularly alongside gums that bleed easily, a bad taste, sensitive or loose teeth and gum recession. That combination is gum disease. Untreated it can cause tooth loss, compromise the immune system and aggravate diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Treatment is customized gum disease therapy to clear the bacteria and infection.
Bleeding gums
The most common early sign of gum disease. Plaque hardens into tartar, the tartar releases bacteria, the bacteria irritate the gums — and they bleed, redden and swell. Left alone the gums recede and pull away from the teeth, opening more space for bacteria to collect, and advanced gum disease eventually stops being curable. Both surgical and non-surgical treatments exist; which you need is settled after an evaluation. Seek treatment at the first sign rather than the worst one.
Cracked teeth
A cracked tooth makes eating difficult and makes people self-conscious, and those are the least of it. If the tooth is broken open, bacteria get inside and cause a painful infection that may end up needing root canal therapy. Treatment options run from fillings and bonding to inlays, onlays and crowns, depending on how much of the tooth is involved. Crowns & bridges
Crooked teeth
Misaligned teeth are not only a cosmetic problem. They are harder to clean, so plaque and tartar collect where a brush does not reach and decay follows. They also skew the bite, which means the teeth do not meet as they should — and that shows up as functional trouble and jaw discomfort rather than as an aesthetic complaint.
Gum disease
Red, receding or tender gums, sensitive teeth, and pockets forming between gum and tooth. Brushing and flossing twice daily plus regular checkups and professional cleanings are what keep the bacteria down. Untreated, gum disease leads to tooth loss and jawbone recession, and has been linked to respiratory disease, diabetes, pregnancy complications, heart disease, stroke and cancer. Given that list, the first sign is the right time to come in.
A gummy smile
Gums are not only a protective barrier; they frame the teeth, and the proportion between the two is most of what makes a smile look right. If the gum dominates, or makes the teeth look short, precise gum recontouring rebalances the gumline — typically in a single office visit.
Missing or failing teeth
Beyond soft foods and unclear speech and the sunken look the face can take on, tooth loss starts a chain reaction. Without a root stimulating it, the bone under the empty socket deteriorates, and that spreads — which is how one lost tooth becomes the neighboring ones. Bridges and implants both restore function and appearance; only implants protect the jaw. Dental implants
Toothache
The tooth is examined and X-rayed so what is happening inside the enamel is visible, not guessed at, and the aim is always to eliminate the pain and keep the natural tooth. Sometimes a severely infected or damaged tooth has to come out. With the exception of wisdom teeth, an extracted tooth should generally be replaced — eating and speaking get awkward, and the jawbone recedes where there is a gap. If it is urgent
Yellow or discolored teeth
A full set of healthy teeth can still be a smile someone hides. Professional whitening handles it, and the shade is chosen with you rather than applied at one setting — matched to your skin tone or to whatever you had in mind. Teeth whitening
Why It Matters Here

Several of these are the same problem.

Read the ten together and a pattern shows up. Bad breath, bleeding gums and gum disease are one condition at three stages. Missing teeth, loose dentures and a good deal of the toothache list are one consequence of another.

A general practice treats each of them as it arrives. A prosthodontist's training is specifically in seeing the whole mouth as one system — which is why the useful question at the first visit is not what do I do about this tooth but what is actually going on here.

Second opinions are free, so asking that question costs nothing.

Why this practice

Where to go next.

Unhappy with your smile?

Bring in whatever you have been putting up with. It is very often smaller than you have been assuming.

McLean · (571) 619-9442Alexandria · (571) 410-3430