Bite Checks

We provide general dental services to whole families at Bayberry Dental Care in Tinley Park and carefully monitor the oral development of our pediatric patients. This National Children’s Dental Health Month, we thought it would be a good idea to discuss one of the less appreciated aspects of the biannual dental check-up: the bite check.

Bite checks consist of visual and tactile examinations. Using our office’s panoramic x-ray machine, we’ll determine whether a child’s teeth are at risk of coming in jumbled or impacted. We’ll also examine their teeth for unusual signs of wear on the enamel. Certain wear patterns could be caused by nighttime teeth grinding or clenching, also known as bruxism, and could be related to jaw pain, obstructive sleep apnea, or temporomandibular joint disorder. We will also feel the child’s temporomandibular joints (the ones connecting the lower jaw to the skull) and ask them to demonstrate closing their teeth together.

If we find evidence of a bite problem, there are a few solutions. A customized night guard can be used to protect teeth from bruxism and keep the child’s airways open at night. Typically, children get their first orthodontic assessment when they’re about eight. Treatment would usually not begin until they’re about eleven, but it could begin earlier if a dental misalignment is already causing problems. A bite check could also reveal whether we’ll need to extract wisdom teeth or a set of premolars to prevent overcrowding.

Kathleen M. Falsey, D.D.S., operates Bayberry Dental Care at 8014 West 171^st St, Tinley Park, Illinois, 60477. To schedule an appointment, call 708-802-8300 or visit Bayberry Dental Care and fill out a contact sheet.

 

New Patient Information

At Bayberry Dental Care, we want our patients to know what to expect during your first visit with us. It is our goal that you feel comfortable with us and allowing us to take care of your teeth.

During your first visit, we ask that you call our office to make an appointment. New patients will have to fill out one-time registration paperwork. The information you will need is your insurance information, dental history, medical history, and authorization for us to use the information you provided. We ask that if you have recently had x-rays taken that they are forwarded to us, if not we will take x-rays during your visit.

When possible, we encourage our patients to use our website as a resource to answer any questions that you may have prior to your first visit. No matter if its implants, cosmetics, or extractions, we offer a lot of different dental care services.

All patients under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Be sure to schedule your first appointment with us so we can help make sure your teeth are healthy!

Kathleen M. Falsey, D.D.S., operates Bayberry Dental Care at 8014 West 171^st St, Tinley Park, Illinois, 60477. To schedule an appointment, call 708-802-8300 or visit Bayberry Dental Care and fill out a contact sheet.

Cracked Teeth

Breaking a tooth is painful and scary, but at Bayberry Dental Care in Tinley Park, help is available. We encourage our patients to wear mouthguards whenever they do something dangerous and to avoid habits such as chewing on ice that could cause a tooth to crack. But accidents do happen, and we hope our patients will remember our advice when they need it.

Teeth are subjected to tremendous force when we bite down. Our molars have wide surfaces to distribute the force and strong ligaments anchoring them, but they can split and their cusps can break off. Smaller teeth are much more vulnerable to breaking or tilting when used for chewing, and they can break from the force of nighttime teeth grinding. If a patient does break a tooth, they should rinse their mouth with salt water and cover the broken section with orthodontic wax or sugar-free gum. (If they have face lacerations, they should go to the emergency room before seeing a dentist.)

If a tooth is only slightly chipped or cracked, we may be able to repair it with bonding. But if a fissure goes deep, we will want to do a root canal procedure to prevent the pulp from becoming infected. When a molar splits, we may want to drill away a bit more material to make room for a partial crown. Full crowns may be necessary for teeth that are severely chipped or cracked, and if a tooth root is cracked, the tooth may need to be replaced. However, we try to save teeth as often as possible, and long-term restorations can be planned after a patient’s immediate needs are cared for.

Kathleen M. Falsey, D.D.S., operates Bayberry Dental Care at 8014 West 171^st St, Tinley Park, Illinois, 60477. To schedule an appointment, call 708-802-8300 or visit Bayberry Dental Care and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Children's Oral Health Care

To have a lifetime of good oral health, it starts with practicing good cleaning habits at a young age. This February is National Children’s Dental Health month that is sponsored by the American Dental Association to promote good oral hygiene for children. At Bayberry Dental Care, we advise our patients to begin cleaning their children’s teeth the day that they develop.

Your children’s baby teeth act as placeholders for their permanent teeth. Tooth decay in baby teeth can create spacing problems for their adult teeth and affect how they talk. When possible, we encourage you to brush your children’s teeth with a soft-bristled toothbrush and a dab of toothpaste. If your child is too young to allow you to brush their teeth and gums, use a washcloth on their teeth to get rid of any particles and bacteria.

Don’t forget to teach your children how to brush and floss their teeth when they are old enough. The cleaning habits you install in your children increases the chance for years of good oral health.

Kathleen M. Falsey, D.D.S., operates Bayberry Dental Care at 8014 West 171^st St, Tinley Park, Illinois, 60477. To schedule an appointment, call 708-802-8300 or visit Bayberry Dental Care and fill out a contact sheet.

Post-Extraction Swelling

Are you anticipating getting a tooth removed? There’s probably nothing to worry about. Here at Bayberry Dental Care, we routinely perform simple extractions that leave patients more comfortable and in a better position to care for their oral health in the future. We provide patients with instructions to stay safe and minimize discomfort while recuperating, but we thought it would be a good idea to teach people how to deal with swelling ahead of time.

Swelling prevents harmful pathogens from entering through the socket and makes membranes more permeable to peptides the immune system uses. But normally, the blood will quickly clot, sealing off the empty socket. In the first forty-eight hours after an extraction, the patient may try to minimize swelling by holding a cold pack against their mouth. The pack should be dry and they should use it for no more than fifteen minutes at a time. They should also allow fifteen minutes to pass before putting the cold pack back on.

Usually, swelling peaks within three days of an extraction. After that, a patient may try to speed its reduction by applying hot packs, again using the fifteen on/fifteen off rule. It will take a few days for the swelling to go down completely. Black or white discoloration around an extraction site requires urgent attention, but red discoloration is expected and will fade with the swelling.

Kathleen M. Falsey, D.D.S., operates Bayberry Dental Care at 8014 West 171^st St, Tinley Park, Illinois, 60477. To schedule an appointment, call 708-802-8300 or visit Bayberry Dental Care and fill out a contact sheet.