Oral Conscious Sedation
Simple And Easy Sedation For Your Next Dental Visit At Every Enamel Dentistry Studio In Texas
Take The Edge Off During Your Dental Appointment
Oral conscious sedation is one of the most commonly used types of sedation. You take a sedative pill or liquid 30 minutes to an hour before your appointment, and the calming effects will last throughout your treatment. It's an easy, cost-effective way to help you stay calm during any dental appointment that makes you nervous, whatever that might be, a routine cleaning, filling, or another type of oral surgery.
The Benefits Of Oral Conscious Sedation For Dental Procedures
Completely Relax
You may even fall asleep. Oral sedation is ideal for mild to moderate dental anxiety and for patients who want to fully relax.
Amnesic Effect
Forget the pain. Although you're awake and aware of what's happening, you will forget any pain or discomfort.
Easy and Safe
Worry free. There are no needles involved and the risk of adverse reactions is relatively low.
Fast Recovery
Resume your day. You shouldn't drive with oral sedation, but you can continue your day as normal.
Come In And See Us
We'll Have You Grinning From The Chin Up
We're changing the way patients experience the dentist. Our primary concern is your oral health and making sure you feel comfortable coming to see us. We know it can be scary visiting the dentist. But our philosophy of providing an easy and fun experience combined with our use of advanced AI tools, we know you'll feel different about coming to see us.
We offer:
AI Technology That Doesn't Miss A Thing
We've invested in top-of-the-line tools and the latest technology to improve efficiency and patient care. No more goopy impressions! From AI and 3D printers to iTero for digital and diagnostic impressions, we're equipped with proven equipment to ensure that every procedure is comfortable, convenient and ensures an accurate fit. Combining technology and innovations with our highly professional and knowledgeable dental team enables us to deliver the best treatment outcomes consistently.
Don't Let Finances Come Between You And A Beautiful Healthy Smile
We understand the frustration of needing dental care while feeling it may not be affordable. You shouldn't have to worry about paying for your oral health. That's why we have several options to help you easily finance your dental treatment.
Enamel Dentistry Patients Are The Best
The More You Know,
The Better Your Oral Health Will Be
Celebrate National Wine Day By Keeping Your Smile Bright!
National Wine Day falls on Saturday, May 25th this year and is a great time to celebrate with a glass of wine (or two, we won’t tell)! But wine is also one of the most common causes of tooth staining, along with tea and coffee.
How to Keep Your Smile Bright When Drinking Wine
Drinking wine won’t hurt your teeth, but it can stain them and make you feel self-conscious about your smile. Here are a few tips to keep your smile bright and avoid purple tinted teeth:
See your dentist regularly for teeth cleanings
Seeing a dentist for six-month oral exams and teeth cleanings will ensure that your teeth are free of plaque and tartar. Your teeth will be buffed and polished, which can help remove minor stains and discoloration.
Consider a white wine
White wine is free of the tannins and pigments that can stain your teeth, so think about switching to Riesling or pinot grigio
Brush before you drink wine
Since wine is acidic, it’s actually not a great idea to brush right after drinking it. Brushing immediately after drinking wine can cause premature wear to the teeth. Instead, brush your teeth before you drink. This will help remove plaque and prevent stains.
Rinse your mouth after drinking wine
Drinking a glass of water or gargling with a bit of mouthwash can help prevent wine from lingering on your teeth.
Have a salad with your wine
High-fiber foods help your mouth produce more saliva and “scrub” wine away from your teeth. Pair your wine with a salad and minimize your risk of a stained smile!
Treating Stains – Teeth Whitening And Veneers
If your teeth have become stained due to a wine habit, don’t despair! You have options. Teeth whitening from Enamel Dentistry is an ideal way to reverse and remove wine stains. We offer both in-office and take-home kits. When the powerful peroxide is applied to your teeth, it breaks up the chemical bonds that hold the stains onto your enamel and bleaches them away.
If you have very dark or severe wine stains, or your teeth are stained due to tobacco use, veneers may be a better option. Porcelain veneers can be used to cover up the front surfaces of your teeth and replace them with a bright, white, completely non-stainable surface that permanently restores your smile!
Contact Us to Learn More About Cosmetic Dentistry in Austin!
If you’re interested in cosmetic dentistry in Austin, Enamel Dentistry is where you want to be. Our dentists have years of experience treating teeth stains with whitening and veneers. Come in for a consultation today and see what treatment may be right for you. We hope to see you soon!
5 Dental Tips for New Parents
Whether you’re expecting a child or are a brand new parent, there are so many questions and new routines to develop—including those surrounding oral health. Your baby may not have teeth for a while, but it’s never too early to get prepared for when they do! Although they’ll eventually fall out, baby teeth essentially lay the foundation for adult teeth. When baby teeth are decayed, broken, or missing, it can cause changes to the structure of your child’s mouth and affect the development of their adult teeth and their speech.
With that in mind, here are a few helpful tips to give your child a head start on a healthy smile!
- Introduce brushing and flossing early.
Brushing should begin as early as possible; in fact, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry advises new parents to start cleaning or brushing their baby’s gums from day one. This should be done after every meal using an infant toothbrush or a soft washcloth soaked in cool, clean water. Flossing should start as soon as your child has two teeth that touch. Making brushing and flossing a part of their routine early gets them used to it and makes it easier for them to establish it as a daily habit later on.
- Wipe or rinse your child’s mouth after giving them medication.
Baby medicine is very sugary and can contribute to tooth decay if it’s allowed to sit on the surface of your child’s teeth. After each dose of medication, make sure to rinse their mouth out with water or wipe their teeth with a wet washcloth.
- Introduce hard foods early on.
Giving your child hard foods will help aid their facial development and give added support for their jaw once their teeth come in.
- Follow bottles of milk with water.
Baby bottle tooth decay is very common among infants. It’s generally caused by drinking milk or sugary beverages in a bottle without cleaning their mouth afterward. To avoid this, give your child some water in a bottle after they’ve had milk, and avoid giving them bottles with sugary beverages.
- Find a pediatric dentist by age one.
Children should start seeing the dentist at a year old or at the eruption of their first tooth—whichever comes first. Like brushing and flossing, the younger children start visiting the dentist, the sooner they’ll get used to it! Early dental visits are also a great way to ensure your child doesn’t develop dental anxiety—plus, they give our dentists a chance to develop a relationship with your child and understand their unique oral health challenges.
Set Your Child Up for a Lifetime of Healthy Smiles
Maintaining excellent oral health is a lifelong journey and Enamel Dentistry is proud to offer quality pediatric care in Austin and Dallas TX. Whether you’re bringing your infant or toddler in for their first appointment or you have an older child who needs routine or restorative care, you can rely on us to help your family have strong, healthy smiles. To get your child established at our practice, contact the closest Enamel Dentistry location near you or request an appointment online.
How Can My Dentist Help Me Sleep Better?
Do you snore when you sleep? Wake up in the middle of the night out of breath? Feel tired all the time? If you answered yes to these questions, you may have sleep apnea.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that affects an estimated 18 million adults in the United States. With sleep apnea, your breathing stops while you’re sleeping, then starts up again. The pause in between breaths can be 10 seconds or longer, and it can happen as often as 30 times or more each hour you sleep. Unsurprisingly, this can wreak havoc on getting a good night’s sleep. It’s not uncommon for patients with sleep apnea to wake up many times throughout the night.
There are three types of sleep apnea; the most common type is called obstructive sleep apnea. With obstructive sleep apnea, the tissues of the throat and palate relax while you sleep, which causes the tissues to sag and obstruct the airway. Although the daytime fatigue that comes with sleep apnea can make it difficult to go about your daily tasks, sleep apnea can have more serious consequences. It’s been linked to numerous health conditions, including:
- High blood pressure and heart problems
- Type 2 diabetes
- Metabolic syndrome
- Complications with certain medications or general anesthesia
- Liver issues
In addition, a lack of sleep can affect your overall well-being. You may find you have memory issues, moodiness, and difficulty concentrating. Fortunately, your dentist can help diagnose and treat sleep apnea!
How’s Your Sleep Quality?
This might not be a question you expect to hear from your dentist, but believe it or not, we have ways of spotting patients who might have sleep apnea. One of the first signs is bruxism, more commonly known as teeth grinding. Teeth grinding causes worn surfaces on your teeth, as well as cracks, broken teeth, and inflamed or receding gums. A sudden increase in cavities can also be a sign of teeth grinding because the force of grinding your teeth can cause damage that makes them more vulnerable to cavity-causing bacteria.
TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorders are often closely associated with sleep apnea, although the relationship between the two isn’t completely understood. A study published in the Journal of Dental Research found that people with obstructive sleep apnea are twice as likely to have TMJ disorders than people without sleep apnea. Other signs of sleep apnea are a tongue with “scalloped” edges, a small jaw, redness in the throat, or unusually large throat tissues.
Dentistry to the Rescue!
There are several ways to treat sleep apnea; in the case of obstructive sleep apnea, you may only need to make some lifestyle changes. These include:
- Losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight
- Avoiding alcohol or drugs that relax your central nervous system
- Quitting smoking
- Taking antihistamines or other medications that help with nasal allergies
One of the most common ways to treat sleep apnea is with a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine. CPAP machines provide a gentle flow of air through a small mask that you wear at night, which helps prevent your tissues from obstructing your airway. Although they’re very effective, they can be bulky, and some patients have trouble sleeping with them.
Nightguards or other oral appliances can also be very effective for patients with mild-to-moderate cases of obstructive sleep apnea. They work by moving your jaw and throat into a position that prevents tissue obstruction while you sleep. Although rare, surgery is also an option for severe sleep apnea.
Get the Quality Sleep You Deserve
It might be easy to push aside sleep apnea symptoms as “just a snore” but poor sleep quality can have a serious impact on your well-being and ability to function throughout the day. However, the long-term effects are more concerning. Since sleep apnea affects the oxygenation of your blood and the way your heart and lungs function, it can increase your risk of heart attacks, stroke, and other serious health problems. Sleep is also very important for the body’s immune system and ability to heal!
If you have signs of sleep apnea, don’t ignore them! Schedule an appointment at Enamel Dentistry so we can evaluate your symptoms and create a custom treatment plan.
Tooth troubles? Here are some common FAQ's
In most cases, the answer is no. Gum health issues like gingivitis are very rare in toddlers. If your toddler’s gums are swollen and tender, this is likely due to the natural teething process. As the teeth begin to move beneath the surface of the gums, the gums may look swollen or red, and seem inflamed. Your toddler may also be cranky or complain of pain in their mouth if they’re old enough to do so. However, this is completely normal. As their tooth erupts, their gums will stop swelling and will become less inflamed. Once the tooth has fully erupted, you will no longer notice any serious inflammation or swelling around the area.
If your gums start bleeding while you’re flossing, should you keep flossing? Absolutely! Bleeding while flossing is often a sign that you need to be flossing your gums more thoroughly or frequently—not that they should be left alone. It might sound counterintuitive, but the more you floss, the less your gums will bleed, unless the bleeding is related to physical damage to your gum tissue or a systemic issue. Many patients will stop flossing an area that bleeds, but the best thing to do is to give that area more attention!
Just about all kinds of toothpaste contain some sort of mild abrasive, as this helps remove plaque and polish your teeth. However, whitening toothpastes usually have a higher level of abrasive particles. Baking soda is often used, as is silica, dicalcium phosphate, and a number of other abrasives. These abrasives are usually formulated specifically to be softer than your enamel. This ensures that they do not wear down your teeth, but they can still be used to buff away surface stains caused by plaque buildup, and keep your teeth looking bright and beautiful.
If you have a persistent or severe toothache, this may indicate that you have an infected tooth. If this is the case, it’s critical to come in for an emergency appointment to get a root canal and restore your tooth. Enamel Dentistry offers emergency care and expert root canal therapy, and we want to make sure that our patients are informed about the signs and symptoms of infected teeth. Here are a few things to keep in mind about emergency dental care and root canal therapy in Austin: