Bernstein Dental Care: Blog

Most of us can’t live without coffee in the morning or wind down with a glass of wine at night. Both of these beverages, however, can leave unsightly stains on tooth enamel. This is because beverages like coffee, wine, and tea contain pigments that turn the teeth yellow to dark brown in color. Fortunately, these extrinsic stains can be removed by Dr. Paul Bernstein of Bernstein Dental Care through a professional cleaning or whitening treatment. Extrinsic is a term for tooth stains that develop on the outside of the tooth (enamel). Unlike intrinsic stains which sit underneath the enamel in the dentin, extrinsic stains are easier to remove. Through a simple whitening process, Dr. Bernstein can restore the natural color of your teeth or even make them whiter than your natural color if you so desire. If you have questions or concerns about teeth whitening, please give us a call. To learn about the services we provide, visit  www.bernsteindentalcare.com  for more information. To schedule an...

You’re having a meal with your friends when suddenly a piece of pesky steak gets stuck between your back molars. Neither of you has floss and now are you stuck with leftover food particles in your teeth. Floss does more than removing leftovers, it prevents against periodontal disease by keeping the gums healthy. Next time you break out that fabulous floss, Dr. Paul Bernstein of Bernstein Dental Care recommends using this technique. Break off about 18 inches of floss and wind most of it around one of your middle fingers. Wind the remaining floss around the same finger of the opposite hand. This finger will take up the floss as it becomes dirty. Hold the floss tightly between your thumbs and forefingers. Guide the floss between your teeth using a gentle rubbing motion. Never snap the floss into the gums. When the floss reaches the gum line, curve it into a “C” shape against one tooth. Gently slide it into the space between the gum and the tooth. Hold the floss tightly against the tooth. ...

At Bernstein Dental Care, patients are assured of high-quality dental reconstructions, including white fillings. However, fillings are not meant to last forever, and while they are sometimes sensitive immediately after placement, they should not be painful for long. People experiencing problems with their fillings should come to us for help. A filling is said to be “high” if it interferes with the patient biting their teeth together comfortably. This should never happen and high fillings need to be removed and replaced. Some of the materials used for fillings also change shape after placement, leaving a gap between the filling and the sealant and allowing bacteria a place in which they can continue to cause decay. Even the best filling usually only lasts for about ten years. After that time, the seal holding it in place could crack, providing bacteria with a hiding spot. It will also become easier for the filling to be knocked loose during normal use of the jaw. By maintaining regular ...

Although kids are back in school now, don’t think it’s too late for them to have a biannual check-up. Tooth decay is a major problem in children, and it only gets worse if it’s not treated professionally. At Bernstein Dental Care, we provide the thorough treatments your family needs to avoid needing extensive work later. The Centers for Disease Control’s latest data shows that 20% of children under 12 and 13% of children between 12 and 19 had untreated tooth decay. Sadly, children are the demographic most likely to suffer from caries, and the pain of this condition interferes with their sleeping and eating habits, their speech development, their moods, and their ability to stay focused. It’s much better to remove decay and fill in caries now than to force children to endure tooth aches during the academic year until they need root canals. Biannual check-ups also have an important preventive aspect. They are a chance to provide children with sealants, which reduce decay in the future a...

Patients at Bernstein Dental Care can rely on us for treating stains normal whitening methods won’t get rid of. Although our office offers bleaching, which is effective against the vast majority of dental stains, there are situations in which the stain may be too deep to be reached with surface treatments. These are called intrinsic stains, and they potentially represent a threat to the patient’s health. Intrinsic stains are harmless when they are caused by the tooth being exposed to dark-colored molecules during its formation. This can be caused by excessive amounts of fluoride or tetracycline antibiotics, and stains like these can be covered with a veneer. But intrinsic stains can also be caused by inflammation of the dental pulp. The body may not be able to fight off a tooth infection on its own, and if the infection spreads, the patient will be at risk for tooth aches, a facial abscess, and death. Root canals are the standard treatment for removing inflamed dental pulp. The advance...

What happens when tooth decay is too extensive for a filling but not severe enough to justify a new crown? At Bernstein Dental Care, we provide patients with durable, custom-fitted inlays and onlays to restore their bite function and protect their teeth from further cracking. Inlays and onlays are partial crowns which are distinguished by their size. The grinding surfaces of the back teeth are made up of cusps separated by indentations. The indentations are where food commonly gets trapped and decay occurs, which is why sealants are used to make them easier to clean. An inlay nestles into an indentation like a permanent sealant, while on onlay replaces damaged cusps as well as indentations. Making a partial crown requires an impression to be taken of the patient’s mouth. The patient is then given a temporary crown while the partial crown is made at a dental laboratory. Once the completed partial crown is delivered, it can be cemented into the patient’s mouth during a return appointment...

If you grind, clench, or gnash your teeth at any point during the day, you may have a case of bruxism. Mild bruxism may not require treatment but if it causes chipped teeth or painful jaw problems, Dr. Paul Bernstein of Bernstein Dental Care may suggest a night guard. Though bruxism usually occurs during sleep, you may subconsciously clench your teeth while awake. Regardless of the cause, Dr. Bernstein can treat the problem. People who grind their teeth may be unaware of the problem because bruxism typically occurs during sleep. Bruxism can develop as a coping mechanism for stress and anxiety or it may be the result of a misaligned bite or missing teeth. This condition can have many consequences because the grinding may wear down tooth enamel or lead to painfully broken fillings. If you wake up with pain in your jaw or suspect that you are a victim of bruxism, please give us a call to discuss your treatment options. If you have questions or concerns related to bruxism, please give us a...