dental diseases

Conditions and Diseases
Bad Breath (Halitosis): Bad breath, otherwise known as halitosis, is a very common oral health issue. People of most any age may suffer from halitosis. Researchers have determined that bad breath typically originates during open-air interaction with bacteria in the mouth, the nose or the stomach.

Burning Mouth Syndrome: Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a chronic, painful condition characterized by burning sensations in the tongue, lips, palate (roof of the mouth), gums, inside of the cheeks and the back of the mouth or throat. Burning mouth syndrome may also be called burning tongue syndrome, burning lips syndrome, glossodynia, stomatodynia and scalded mouth syndrome.

Canker Sores: Canker sores (known by dentists and medical professionals as aphthous ulcers) are one of the most common oral conditions affecting people everywhere. Up to 25 percent of the population has these small, painful, persistent sores, with recurrence rates of up to 50 percent. Simply stated, their cause is unknown; however, there are a number of common canker sore triggers.

Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate: In the United States, an estimated one in 700 babies each year — and possibly as many as one in 500 — are born with one or both of the birth defects known as cleft lip and cleft palate. Meaning “split” or “opening,” clefts are among the most common major birth defects.

Dental Plaque: Dental plaque is a sticky, colorless film that continually forms in between and on the surface of the teeth. If dental plaque accumulates and is not removed, it can harden and turn into calculus or tartar. Continued plaque accumulation can contribute to structural damage to your teeth and the bone supporting the teeth and gums, as well as other health complications.

Dry Mouth Syndrome: Dry mouth syndrome, also known as xerostomia, is a dry, uncomfortable feeling in your mouth that results from a decrease in the amount of your saliva. Dry mouth syndrome can be temporary or a chronic problem. A number of symptoms are commonly attributed to dry mouth syndrome, each of which can be classified as mild, moderate or severe. If you experience any of the following symptoms on an ongoing basis, you should talk to your dentist about xerostomia.

Gingivitis: Gingivitis is a chronic inflammation of the gum tissue (gingiva). Typically associated with poor oral hygiene, gingivitis is the early stage of gum disease (also called periodontal disease and periodontitis). Many people are not even be aware that they have gingivitis, because it is usually not painful.

Gum Disease: Gum disease (also known as periodontal disease and periodontitis) is an inflammatory condition affecting the tissues surrounding a tooth, and is the leading cause of tooth loss. There are a number of causes of gum disease, each of which can be corrected and controlled.

Gummy Smile: Gummy smile can have a negative affect on the esthetics of your smile. The optimal smile line appearance should reveal the least amount of gum tissue possible. Gum tissue visible in the smile line should have balanced, even contours that are in harmony with the upper lip. It is for this reason that many people with a gummy smile or excessive gingival display feel their smile to be unattractive, oftentimes feeling reluctant to smile at all.

Medication Side Effects: Dentists have learned that certain medications may negatively impact oral health. The good news is that the dental community has developed some tips aimed at helping you avoid medication-induced oral side effects.

Oral Cancer: More than 28,000 cases of oral cancer are diagnosed annually, with more than 7,000 of these cases resulting in death. Since oral cancer often begins with an asymptomatic stage during which symptoms may not be obvious, it is often painless initially and therefore difficult to detect.

Oral Herpes: Oral herpes is a common and generally benign viral condition that produces painful and frequently unsightly sores on the lips or adjacent skin. The virus may also cause sores on the bone-bearing tissues such as the gums and the roof of the mouth. In the U.S., up to 60 percent of children are exposed to the virus by late puberty and nearly 90 percent of adults carry the virus by age sixty.

Oral Thrush: Oral thrush — or oral candidiasis — is a fungal infection of the mouth common among denture wearers, infants and people with weakened or compromised immune systems. Oral thrush is caused primarily when there is an overgrowth of Candida albicans, a yeast normally present in the mouth in small quantities and kept in balance by helpful bacteria in the body. This allows an unhealthy overgrowth of Candida to occur that results in oral thrush.

Sleep Apnea: Sleep apnea is a common problem that affects both adults and children. The National Institutes of Health estimate that more than 12 million Americans have sleep apnea, most often undetected or misdiagnosed. Sleep apnea may contribute to high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and erectile dysfunction, as well as to memory and concentration impairment.

Toothaches: Studies have demonstrated that heart attacks may be signaled by the sensation of pain on the left side of the jaw. Soreness in the jaw and cheekbones or difficulty in chewing may also be the first sign of temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD), a serious maxillofacial condition. You should consult your dentist if you have a chronic or extremely painful toothache.

Tooth Decay: Tooth decay is a degenerative oral health condition that results from the breakdown of tooth enamel. If decay is detected before it reaches the nerve of the tooth, a dentist can restore the tooth by removing the decay and replacing it with a dental filling.

Tooth Pain & Sinuses: Studies have indicated that in many cases, a correlation exists between sinus infections and caries (cavities), impacted wisdom teeth, incomplete dental work, and tooth or crown fracture. Untreated sinus infections may make it difficult to maintain dental hygiene.

Tooth Sensitivity: Roughly 45 million Americans experience tooth sensitivity, a condition characterized by a tingly feeling or a flash pinch of pain affecting all teeth, certain areas of certain teeth or all of one or more teeth. It is best to see a dentist about sensitive teeth to determine the true nature of the sensitivity.

Wisdom Teeth: Wisdom teeth molars typically develop at age 10 and may begin to surface any time during adolescence or in a person’s twenties. Impacted wisdom teeth may become painful and problematic, at which point they are often extracted through minor oral surgery.

Dental Advances
CAD/CAM technology: In dentistry, CAD/CAM technology helps dentists and dental lab technicians specify precise shapes and sizes for the fabrication of dental restorations, including inlays, onlays, crowns and bridges. Dentists use CAD/CAM technology to provide you with durable, well-fitted single and multiple tooth restorations more efficiently than with traditional lab-fabricated restorations.

New dental technologies: Advancements in dental technology can offer you modern solutions to traditional dental problems. There are many new dental technologies for your dentist to choose from, to provide more comfort during treatment, faster treatment and potentially greater accuracy in creating tooth restorations.

Laser dentistry: Some view laser dentistry as a precise and effective way to perform many dental procedures. Those who want extreme safety and comfort may choose a laser dentistry option. The potential for laser dentistry to improve dental treatment comes from the precision with which lasers can treat a specific area, the control that laser dentists have over power output and the duration of exposure on oral tissues.

Sedation dentistry: As the name implies, sedation dentistry is a technique of providing a relaxing, anxiety-free experience for people receiving dental treatment. Many dentists now offer sedation dentistry; however, the level of experience among dentists in sedation dentistry varies.

Dental Advances
CAD/CAM technology: In dentistry, CAD/CAM technology helps dentists and dental lab technicians specify precise shapes and sizes for the fabrication of dental restorations, including inlays, onlays, crowns and bridges. Dentists use CAD/CAM technology to provide you with durable, well-fitted single and multiple tooth restorations more efficiently than with traditional lab-fabricated restorations.

New dental technologies: Advancements in dental technology can offer you modern solutions to traditional dental problems. There are many new dental technologies for your dentist to choose from, to provide more comfort during treatment, faster treatment and potentially greater accuracy in creating tooth restorations.

Laser dentistry: Some view laser dentistry as a precise and effective way to perform many dental procedures. Those who want extreme safety and comfort may choose a laser dentistry option. The potential for laser dentistry to improve dental treatment comes from the precision with which lasers can treat a specific area, the control that laser dentists have over power output and the duration of exposure on oral tissues.

Sedation dentistry: As the name implies, sedation dentistry is a technique of providing a relaxing, anxiety-free experience for people receiving dental treatment. Many dentists now offer sedation dentistry; however, the level of experience among dentists in sedation dentistry varies.

Dental procedures may soon be performed quicker, more effectively and more comfortably thanks to the growing popularity of laser dentistry. Laser (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) technology has been used in various types of medical procedures for years. An increasing number of dental offices around the world will use dental lasers as the technology continues to improve and its cost decreases.

Dentists may use dental lasers during a professional dental cleaning to remove tartar and as a replacement for the traditional root planing procedure, which is currently performed using a surgical instrument called a curette that can damage surrounding tissue. Eventually, dental lasers could make it possible for dentists to access any part of a tooth, replacing the need for the traditional dental drill . This may help to relieve the fear and anxiety many people experience when they go to the dentist.


Types of Dental Lasers
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved of a variety of hard and soft tissue lasers for use in the dental treatment of adults and children. Because dental lasers boast unique absorption characteristics, they are used to perform specific dental procedures.

Hard Tissue Lasers: Hard tissue lasers have a wavelength that is highly absorbable by hydroxyapatite (calcium phosphate salt found in bone and teeth) and water, making them more effective for cutting through tooth structure. Hard tissue lasers include the Erbium YAG and the Erbium chromium YSGG.

The primary use of hard tissue lasers is to cut into bone and teeth with extreme precision. Hard tissue lasers are often used in the “prepping” or “shaping” of teeth for composite bonding, the removal of small amounts of tooth structure and the repair of certain worn down dental fillings.

Soft Tissue Lasers: Soft tissue lasers boast a wavelength that is highly absorbable by water and hemoglobin (oxygenating protein in red blood cells), making them more effective for soft tissue management. Commonly used soft tissue lasers include Neodymium YAG (Nd:YAG) and diode lasers, which may be used as a component of periodontal treatment and have the ability to kill bacteria and activate the re-growth of tissues. The carbon-dioxide laser minimizes damage to surrounding tissue and removes tissue faster than the fiber optic method.

Soft tissue lasers penetrate soft tissue while sealing blood vessels and nerve endings. This is the primary reason why many people experience virtually no postoperative pain following the use of a laser. Also, soft tissue lasers allow tissues to heal faster. It is for this reason that a growing number of cosmetic dental practices are incorporating the use of soft tissue lasers for gingival sculpting procedures.

Some dental laser technology has been developed that can be used to generate both hard and soft tissue laser energy, depending upon the patient’s needs.

In addition to the lasers used for cutting and shaping hard and soft tissues, other laser types are specifically designed for viewing the insides of teeth and cells using Optical Coherence Tomography, a non-invasive imaging technique. Other lasers provide energy and specific proteins that help move messages between cells to match the body's natural ability to use light spectrums to heal damaged cells.

Consult the Academy of Laser Dentistry for more information about the types and benefits of procedures performed in laser dentistry.



Laser Dentistry Basics
• Dental Technologies
• Cosmetic Dentistry
• Sleep Apnea and Dentistry • Dental Fillings
• How to Choose a Dentist
[Updated May 2009]
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