200 N. SOONER RD., BLDG. B, EDMOND, OK 73034
The most important service that we can provide is a complete, thorough dental examination including a thorough written and oral dental-medical history. Your general physical condition and medical history are noted and regularly updated. This information is invaluable.
You intial appointment will last approximately two hours.
Do you notice yourself consistently having headaches or jaw joint pain? Have you broken one or more teeth or chipped the edges off of your front teeth or crowns? These could be signs that you might be grinding your teeth while you sleep at night. Doing so can cause significant dental concerns and health problems.
Total mouth harmony means that the entire oral system (nerves, muscles, bones,and teeth) work together to provide comfortable oral function. When the jaw joints, or temporomandibular joints (TMJ), are misaligned, nerves and muscles can become fatigued. They may react at night, which causes grinding teeth, a condition known as bruxism.
A night guard is a custom-fitted appliance that you wear over your teeth to protect them from night time grinding. During sleep, we have no control over grinding or clenching, and unfortunately this can cause jaw pain, muscle soreness, cracked teeth, broken crowns and severe wear on your teeth. To create a custom-fitted night guard, impressions are taken of the teeth and from those models our lab makes a night guard to fit comfortably around your teeth. Having a “cushion” between your teeth at night is a great way to preserve your natural teeth, as well as any dental work you have undergone.
TMJ dysfunction also results in headaches, earaches, jaw/face/neck/shoulder pain, popping jaw joints, and/or tingling hands and feet. By correcting your bite with a customized oral appliance or building up worn teeth with white restorations, we may alleviate your TMJ dysfunction symptoms and prevent future tooth wear.
Periodontal disease, injury and tooth decay can all cause a loss off your natural teeth. However, we can bring back the smile on your face with dentures to restore your missing teeth. With improved technology and updated materials, we can now make them appear more natural and more comfortable for the patient.
There are two types of dentures: complete and partial. Complete dentures cover the patient's entire jaw while partial dentures, replace multiple missing teeth. Ask our doctors to see which type would be right for you.
It may take some time to adjust to your dentures. Speaking and eating may feel different at first, but these regular activites will resume normally once you are accustomed to your dentures.
Snoring affects millions of people of all ages, both male and female. Oral appliance therapy is the most common treatment for the most severe snoring problems. Treatment procedures range from changing your sleep patterns to utilizing orthodontic-related appliances that help open the airways during sleep.
Snoring is caused by the vibrations of your soft palate. These vibrations can occur because of increasingly narrow air passages. When air passes through these passages, a "flapping" sound occurs because the tissue is soft in nature. Surgery to alleviate the snoring is not always successful, however, because the sound may not originate from the soft palate; the snoring sometimes originates from tissues in the upper airway.
Common causes for snoring:
Loud snorers may have a more serious case of blocked air passages, known as obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). In these cases, the blockage of air is so great that no air can get through, causing repeated awakenings throughout the night. Obstructive sleep apnea can contribute or lead to many other conditions, such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack and depression. It is important to be diagnosed by a medical professional if you experience any sleep related problems.
The "Temporomandibular Joint," more commonly referred to as the "jaw joint," assists in the basic opening and closing movements of the jaw. Unfortunately, this joint is a common area for recurring pain. Popping sounds in the jaw is one of the indicators of TMJ dysfunction.
Our TMJ exam will evaluate possible problems including swelling, deterioration of the joint tissue or damaged joint tissue, which cushions the jaw bones during the opening and closing movement of the mouth. Common pain relievers and cold compresses can provide temporary relief for most cases of TMJ.
Often in cases of TMJ dysfunction, we will recommend additional treatments. We may suggest using an appliance to relieve teeth grinding and muscle hyperactiviity. Every effort is made, even in the most severe cases, to minimize invasive procedures.
