Dental News & Blog

We’ve found ourselves wondering lately: Before our modern Texas dentists’ offices, what was dentistry in Texas like during the days of the Wild West?

Dentistry in the Wild West was much less the exact science it is today and more about creative solutions and educated guessing. It’s not only that people did not know as much about teeth as they do today, but many difficult challenges came with dental work on the frontier, due to poor dental hygiene, lack of tools and facilities, and a scarcity of properly educated dentists.

Some Facts about Dental Insurance and Payments

• • Please note that if you have any dental PPO coverage, you still may have services completed within our office.

A dental cleaning in Dallas is a very important part of a healthy mouth and a great smile.  Clean teeth are healthier teeth.  A person’s teeth and smile are very important for chewing and appearance.  Usually, an examination including X-rays may be completed at the same appointment.  It is important to have a complete dental examination by a dentist to check for any problems, along with a dental cleaning.  X-rays may also be taken so that the dentist may be able to check out and diagnose any underlying problems accurately.

A smile is one of a person’s greatest assets.  Tooth enamel is one of nature’s most beautiful substances.  Plaque, stain, and calculus can form on the surface of the teeth within a very short amount of time. Although regular brushing and flossing are both important on a daily basis, that is not a substitute for a professional teeth cleaning by a dental office.  Dental cleaning frequency recommendations will vary from patient to patient.  In general, the range could be from once time annually to every three months. Many different factors come into consideration when selecting the correct frequency of cleaning for a person.

Tooth extractions are a dental service widely used in dentistry.  A tooth extraction is a definitive solution for a problem related to a broken or infected tooth.  When a tooth is extracted and removed from the mouth, typically the tooth-related problem has been solved.  Extractions many times can often be avoided altogether.  A dental exam by a dentist must be completed first to establish a diagnosis.  There may be other options available, such as a root canal, crown, or filling. After a dental extraction, a dental implant may be placed, or possibly a bridge or a denture.

Extractions can be performed by a general dentist or by an oral surgeon.  Local anesthetic can be used, or at times, a patient may be sedated for an extraction.  Cost can vary and will depend on the type of extraction category a tooth may be in. Front teeth are usually less complicated than back molars because molars have more root structure.  Molars, as well as premolars or bicuspid teeth,h typically have at least two roots.  Some molars may have three or even four or more roots.

Reasons for a tooth extraction are many and varied.  Many times, an extraction is the only treatment choice due to the fact that the tooth is too badly infected or of limited remaining tooth structure.  After an extraction, the healing period is usually uneventful, and within several weeks, the area is healed. At that time, the patient may want to discuss replacement of the missing teeth.  Several options are available to replace missing teeth. Implants, bridges, and partial dentures are several options.

The dental office of William H. Miller, D.M.D., is more than happy to help with your tooth problem.

Contact our office for more information.

Dallas Dental Office News Update, By Dallas, Texas Dentist, William H. Miller
Woodhill Medical Park, 8305 Walnut Hill Lane, Suite 235, Dallas, Texas, 75231
Phone: (214) 692-1050

Root canals are a very useful service and procedure provided by a dentist.  They are an alternative to tooth extraction.  Many times, a tooth may be saved by completing a root canal procedure.  Front and back teeth may have canals.  Baby teeth may have a variation of a procedure completed as well.  Although adult teeth typically will have most endodontic or root canal procedures completed.

General dentists or endodontists may complete root canals.  Briefly, the infected nerve of a tooth is removed in a root canal.  The very small root canals are then shaped, cleaned, and filled with a material to seal up the canals.  After that, a cap or crown is needed on the tooth for strength.  After a root canal, a tooth may be weakened and become “brittle” and will need further strengthening that a dental crown may offer.  If a tooth already has a crown, the root canal may be completed by the dentist drilling through the crown to the root of the tooth.

Root canal procedures can vary in time and cost in Dallas, Texas, the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex, and across the United States.  Many factors may be considered when discussing cost.  Just one factor may be whether the tooth has one, two, three, or four roots in the anatomy.  A tooth with multiple roots will require more time and expertise than a one or two-rooted tooth.  Most anterior or front teeth will have a single canal.  Back teeth will have three or four or more canals in their anatomy.  Please remember that there are variations possible as well.  Some dentists may complete the procedure in one appointment or take as many as three appointments to complete.  Although it will cost more than an extraction, it is far better to attempt to keep a natural tooth in place.

Root canals are a great option as opposed to tooth extraction.  If a tooth doesn’t feel the same as it did before or if you have a toothache or discomfort with it, a root canal may be the service you need.  Our dental office in Dallas, Texas, would be happy to help you with your tooth discomfort.  Dallas, Texas dentist, William H. Miller, D.M.D., would be happy to assist you with your dental concerns.

For more information on our site, go to our Root Canal Page.

Dallas Dental Office News Update, By Dallas, Texas Dentist, William H. Miller
Woodhill Medical Park, 8305 Walnut Hill Lane, Suite 235, Dallas, Texas, 75231
Phone: (214) 692-1050

“Dental Implant” and “Implant” are terms in dentistry, but what do they mean?  Dentists use these words daily in their offices, but what do these terms mean? This page will give you good information on dental implants.

Basically, in layman’s terms, the typical dental implant is a piece of titanium that is placed in the jawbone to serve as a “root” or foundation for a tooth or multiple teeth.  Therefore, when we hear the word implant, one can think of a “root” for a tooth replacement.  Implants may be placed in the upper or lower jawbone.  Implants may be used to replace a single tooth, or several implants may be used to replace multiple missing teeth.

The process of placing an implant is precise.  Measurements are made, and instruments/tools are used to prepare the socket for the implant placement.   Implants can be placed by general dentists, but most often are placed by specialists.  The specialists may include oral surgeons and periodontists.  Local anesthetic may be used, or patients can be sedated for implant placement.  Typically, there is little pain or discomfort following the surgery.  An implant must stay immobile within the bone for a period of time.  Usually, three months is an acceptable time, although some implants may need to stay a few weeks longer to integrate or “fuse” with the bone

After the implant has integrated with the bone, it is now ready for placement of the abutment and crown.  The abutment is also an attachment made of titanium that is attached to the implant and serves as the “tooth”.  After the abutment is placed, a crown can be fabricated to be placed on top of the abutment.  Therefore, an “implant tooth” is actually three parts:  implant (root), abutment (tooth), and crown.

Contact our office for more information.

Dallas Dental Office News Update, By Dallas, Texas Dentist, William H. Miller
Woodhill Medical Park, 8305 Walnut Hill Lane, Suite 235, Dallas, Texas, 75231
Phone: (214) 692-1050

Full dentures are a prosthetic replacement of a person’s missing teeth.  Many people in the United States and throughout the world have full upper and lower dentures.  Dentures may have the “look” of natural teeth, but they don’t function the same as one’s natural teeth.

Natural teeth are secured within the bone of the patient’s mouth and can be considered as “fixed” within the oral cavity.  Dentures are totally removable by the patient and therefore are always subject to movement when in the mouth and chewing.  Teeth are also anatomically made and suited for chewing food. They have processed “plastic” teeth and have a much flatter look to them than naturally occurring teeth, and are made to chew much differently.

When someone with natural teeth chews food, it is moved around the oral cavity and easily digested. Chewing is very dynamic, with the jaw moving in multiple directions with various pressures exerted while chewing.  One can exert great amounts of pressure with natural teeth while chewing without any issues.

Dentures are not anything like natural teeth in regard to chewing.  With dentures, food is basically “mashed” while eating.  Chewing is accomplished by the jaws moving in more of an up-and-down motion as the food is mashed between the upper and lower dentures.  There is much less dynamic movement of the jaws when chewing with dentures.  The pressure exerted by dentures is far less than that of natural teeth.  If one attempted to exert too much pressure, the dentures would move dramatically.

Therefore, chewing with dentures is not anything like natural teeth, and this should be a major consideration when thinking about tooth replacement choices.  Another option would be that of something more secure within the mouth as a fixed bridge(s) or an implant-related treatment plan.

Please feel free to view our page on dentures for more information.

Contact our office for more information.

Dallas Dental Office News Update, By Dallas, Texas Dentist, William H. Miller
Woodhill Medical Park, 8305 Walnut Hill Lane, Suite 235, Dallas, Texas, 75231
Phone: (214) 692-1050

When missing a tooth, which would you choose: a dental implant or a dental bridge?  For many years, fixed or permanent bridges were used to replace missing anterior or posterior teeth.  Today, dental implants are the first choice when discussing tooth replacement.  By using implants, the adjacent teeth on either side of the space are not affected.  “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it” applies very well in this situation.  When using a bridge, typically the adjacent teeth must be “cut” or prepared so that they may be used as abutments or “anchor” teeth for the missing tooth.  Many times, the adjacent teeth may be totally healthy and therefore no dental reason why they would be included in the facilitation of making the bridge.

Implant procedures for single teeth would not include the adjacent teeth at all.  Basically, the area of the missing tooth is the only consideration.  An implant is placed in the area where the tooth is needed without touching the adjacent teeth.  An abutment and crown are then placed on the implant, and the procedure is complete.

Implants work very well within the mouth and serve as excellent solutions to replacing missing teeth.  Implants have a longevity when planned and completed by competent dental professionals.  Bridges may have worked well in the past, but today dental implants are one’s first choice when discussing choices for tooth replacement.  If a patient has a failing dental bridge, an alternate treatment option may be discussed.  A patient can replace a dental bridge with two single crowns on the retaining teeth and an implant placed.  The implant would replace the missing tooth.

Check another recent article on dental implants.

Contact our office for more information.

Dallas Dental Office News Update, By Dallas, Texas Dentist, William H. Miller
Woodhill Medical Park, 8305 Walnut Hill Lane, Suite 235, Dallas, Texas, 75231
Phone: (214) 692-1050

Many times, people will say that they would like an “Implant”.   After a further discussion, patients will assume that saying that will allow them to start chewing on that “implant” when the procedure is complete. That’s not the case.

Several steps must take place to achieve acceptable results with the placement of a dental implant.  When we speak of an implant procedure, there are three basic items to consider.  I like to compare these basic items to the following: root, tooth, and crown.

The first comparison or analogy to make is that of a natural tooth.  Many times, I will state that we are going to “build” a new tooth where we are missing a tooth.

First, we need to have a foundation or “root” to start with, similar to the base or root of a natural tooth.  I compare the implant to the root of a tooth. So when it is placed in the bone, one has the “root” similar to that of a natural tooth root.  One can’t see the root of their natural tooth, and therefore, a patient can’t visualize the implant either when in place within the socket of bone.  So if we now have a root, we need a “tooth” to go above the gumline on the implant (root).

The “tooth” would be called an abutment.  An abutment is a prosthetic attachment that is placed immediately on the top of the implant and will be seen within the mouth, much like a natural tooth.  That will be the second of the three parts needed to complete the entire procedure.

The third and final part is that of the crown that goes on the abutment or “tooth”.  The crown or cap on an implant is very similar to a crown that is attached to a natural tooth.   The crown on an implant can be secured with a screw into the abutment or cemented.

So, in summary, we have three items to consider when discussing an “implant” procedure within the mouth.  First is the “root”, second is the “tooth/abutment”, and the third is the crown or cap.

Usually, a surgeon will place the implant, and a general dentist will place the abutment and crown.  Although a single dentist may complete the entire procedure.  So remember when we speak of an implant, that one considers all three portions and not just the “root” or implant that is placed into the bone of the patient.

Contact our office for more information.

Dallas Dental Office News Update, By Dallas, Texas Dentist, William H. Miller
Woodhill Medical Park, 8305 Walnut Hill Lane, Suite 235, Dallas, Texas, 75231
Phone: (214) 692-1050

Tooth discoloration is a common issue that all dental offices encounter.  Typically, patients will present with questions about their smile and will ask, “Why are my teeth darker in color?.  Most of the time, people will be inquiring about their anterior or front teeth as they are the most visible when smiling. Professional teeth whitening is a simple and painless process that can resolve this predicament.  There are several reasons why a tooth may discolor.  Decay may change the color of a tooth.  Trauma may have the same effect on a tooth as well.  There may be internal changes to the nerve of a tooth, which would cause tooth discoloration.

There are many different reasons why teeth may discolor.  Reasons may either be intrinsic, or “within” the tooth structure, or extrinsic, “outside staining” of the enamel of the tooth.  A dentist can usually determine which type of discoloration a person may have after an examination of the teeth.  There are many and varied causes of discoloration, both intrinsic and extrinsic.  Many of these issues can be eliminated or at least reduced after visiting a dentist. Our Dallas, TX Dental Office is proud to offer a full selection of Cosmetic Dental services to help combat any cosmetic issue.

Tooth discoloration issues may be treated with a tooth colored filling, crown, or veneer.  There are advantages and disadvantages to each choice.  Veneers and crowns are more aggressive than a traditional filling.  Altho

More resources on the topic:

• Check out this link from WebMD for more information about tooth discoloration.
• The National Institute of Health also has an article about issues with tooth discoloration.

Contact our office for more information.

Dallas Dental Office News Update, By Dallas, Texas Dentist, William H. Miller
Woodhill Medical Park, 8305 Walnut Hill Lane, Suite 235, Dallas, Texas, 75231
Phone: (214) 692-1050