Bernstein Dental Care: Blog

Tooth extractions are a simple matter at Bernstein Dental Care in Bay Ridge. We provide patients with easy-to-understand instructions about how to care for themselves afterward and we respond quickly in the rare cases when people experience complications. But swelling immediately after an operation is normal, so patients should know what to expect and whether there is cause for concern. When a tooth is extracted, the bone at the base of the socket will briefly be exposed before the socket scabs over. Inflammation, like clotting, helps to prevent outside pathogens from traveling through the body. Extractions which required surgical incisions into the gum tend to cause a lot more inflammation than ones in which the tooth is simply rocked until it can be lifted out. Swelling will usually peak thirty-six hours after the extraction, so patients should try to minimize it until then by applying cold packs. The cold packs should be held against the skin for fifteen minutes at a time, with fift...

Dental implants have given a lot of people a second chance at oral health, but they don’t make people immune from gum disease. At Bernstein Dental Care in Bay Ridge, we urge patients to maintain vigilant oral hygiene practices. If they notice signs of inflammation around an implant (“peri-implantitis”), it may be time to call us for help. Inflammation is the immune system’s initial response to an infection. It isolates disease-causing agents and makes cells more permeable to resources white blood cells need for eliminating bacteria. But it also causes swelling, discoloration, and pain, and it can weaken cells permanently if it is prolonged. Not all gingivitis is caused by gum disease. There may be a foreign object, such as leaking cement from an implanted crown, irritating the gum tissue.  A patient may also have an autoimmune disorder. But gum inflammation is usually caused by infections below the gum line, which require professional attention to clean. Bleeding gums are never a good ...