Keeping up with a bright, healthy smile takes more effort than a simple brushing routine. No doubt—brushing is very important, but there are other factors that can negatively impact treatment results. Often times these factors can have such a serious impact that dental intervention is required. Having a better understanding of these factors and how they impact your dental health will help you keep your smile beautiful and bright for a very long time.
One of the best ways to maintain healthy teeth and gums is to make yourself aware of the common risk factors and the dental treatments that can improve and protect your smile. When choosing a dentist in San Antonio it’s important that you make them aware of some of these factors may apply to you.
Factors That Impact The Success Of Dental Treatments
Just as certain lifestyle choices can have an impact on our general health, specific behaviors can also negatively impact the success of our oral health and dental treatments. When receiving treatments at any dentist in San Antonio they will ask you routinely ask you about your family health history, if you smoke, and if you drink. There is a reason for asking these questions so read further to find out.
Smoking
Cavities, as you might now are also known as tooth decay and are permanently damaged spots of the tooth that create small holes. The symptoms of a cavity are varied and depend on the location of the cavity, the severity, and the depth. These symptoms can include but are not limited to:
- Sharp, acute pain in the affected and neighboring teeth or a toothache that seems random
- The sensitivity of the tooth
- Pain in the tooth when consuming very hot or cold foods and also sweets.
- Visible pitting of the tooth
- White, brown or black staining on the tooth surface
- Pain when biting or chewing
A study published in a well–respected medical journal found that smoking is a major contributing factor to the failure of dental fillings. When visiting a dentist in San Antonio for a filling, finding out if a patient smokes or not, will impact the dentist’s course of action. The reasoning is because smoking not only impedes the success of dental fillings, but it forces the use of more expensive and advanced filling materials in order to have a better chance of success.
Drinking Alcohol
Alcohol consumption is another major habit that often can negatively impact the success of dental treatments. When visiting a dentist in San Antonio for dental implants for example— one of the other key questions regards the consumption of alcohol. Alcohol consumption after a dental implant procedure can trigger a condition known as avascular necrosis. In laymen’s terms, it means the death of the bone tissue due to sufficient blood supply to the area. This cause the dental implant to fail at the root of the anchor itself.
It is important to plan your life around your dental implant procedure and be prepared to give up alcohol consumption before and after the surgery until fully bonded and healed. Dental implants installed by a qualified dentist in San Antonio have a high success rate if all precautions are taken seriously. Patient with healthy gum and bone tissue are the most qualified for dental implants, so abstaining from alcohol for the time necessary increases your chances of success.
Genetics
Unfortunately, even if you’ve never taken a puff from a cigarette or had a drop of alcohol—your genetics can also lead to poor dental health and impede the success of dental treatments. Periodontal disease, soft teeth, gingivitis and a propensity for cavities or periodontal disease can all be partially due to genetic pre-dispositions.
While you can’t change your genes you can combat the risk factors they bring with them in relation to your dental health and treatment outcomes. The best way to combat is to receive the most advanced treatments from a dentist in San Antonio as opposed to less advanced basic treatments. For example, when dealing with chipped or cracked teeth; skip the basic treatment and go with advanced porcelain veneers instead.
Porcelain veneers, also referred to as dental laminates are a great way to help regain strength and durability of a chipped tooth with results that look very natural. Veneers if done correctly with attention to detail offer many great benefits:
- Porcelain veneers are made custom for each patient’s mouth
- Veneers are resistant to staining
- There is minimal tooth surface removal required
- Veneers look natural as your existing teeth
- Veneers are a long-term solution lasting between 10 and 20 years.
Finding The Right Dentist In San Antonio Is Important
Regardless of whether you drink, smoke or weren’t blessed with the best of genes—your oral health is nothing to neglect. Finding the right dentist that takes all of your lifestyle factors and habits into consideration when choosing treatment is very important. Dentistry is not a one size fits all practice. So the more information you can provide your dentist the better your treatment path will be suited to compensate.
It’s not just about the treatment choice though, you also need to be proactive and maintain a regular oral health regiment that includes smoking and drinking cessation when necessary as well as regular check-ups.
Call Stone Ridge Dental For The Right Treatment For You
With our in-depth comprehensive exam at Stone Ridge Dental, Dr. Monarres can mitigate the risks that your lifestyle may pose in the success of your dental health and treatments. We offer the most advanced dental treatments for all issues including full mouth reconstruction. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.
