For most teenagers two words strike abject terror into their hearts: acne and braces! It’s not like wearing braces is a rarity — over two thirds of U.S. teens have some sort of orthodontic treatment — but that doesn’t make it any easier. In fact, few things other than extreme acne can be as embarrassing and uncomfortable as having traditional metal braces put on their teeth.
EMA Dental Blog
Making Metal Mouths a Thing of the Past — Invisalign
July 15, 2016
This Enamel Isn’t Right for Your Kid’s Wagon
June 30, 2016
Alex, I’ll take human tissue for $300.
Answer: The hardest tissue in the human body. Please form your response in the form of a question.
If you’re down around the Cape this summer some muscleheads might think they know the answer to that Jeopardy question. And they’ll flex to show you. But they would be wrong.
Ceramics Aren’t Just for Your Mixing Bowls!
June 15, 2016
When you were in college you may have sought out an easy class to fill a requirement. Maybe it was Ceramics 101, and that Christmas you presented every family member with a mostly symmetrical hand-thrown bowl or vase that was one of your class projects.
Giving You a Beautiful Smile with a Smile Makeover
May 30, 2016
These days there seem to be many “makeovers.” Everything from homes to relationships to Moms seem to be in need of a makeover. But at EMA Dental, we can give you a makeover that you’ll be proud of every day — a smile makeover. Led by Dr. Emirzian, we’ll develop a treatment plan customized just for your needs, and then we’ll get to work making the cosmetic and aesthetic changes to give you a smile to, well, smile about!
Bonding — It’s Not Just for Thanksgiving
May 15, 2016
Bonding. The word may bring to mind the family “bonding” of Thanksgiving, with Uncle Bert, after one too many Sam Adams, loudly comparing the merits of the Bruins vs. the Patriots.
At EMA, we prefer a more useful sort of bonding, the dental variety. Dr. Emirzian is an expert in esthetic dentistry, of which dental bonding is a part. Dental bonding can be a good solution for certain dental problems. Dental bonding uses resin, a plastic-like material, to cover or fill dental problems. Bonding is an alternative to more expensive porcelain veneers.
Prosthodontics to the Rescue!
April 30, 2016
When a person is missing a few or many teeth, it can really impact their quality of life. Chewing can be next to impossible, requiring the person to miss out on a wide assortment of foods. Speech can be difficult, particularly if front teeth are missing. Smiling can be embarrassing.
Porcelain Veneers. IKEA Would Be Proud.
April 15, 2016
You know veneers. Sure, they’re the actually wood that overlays lower quality wood underneath in dressers and stuff you buy at IKEA, right?
True, but these aren’t the veneers we’re interested in at EMA Dental. We’re interested in porcelain veneers as a great way to cover up imperfections in your teeth, and show the world a perfect smile.
Trust the Prosthodontic Specialists at EMA Dental
March 30, 2016
Do you have plans for National Prosthodontics Awareness Week yet? Come on, it’s coming right up, April 3-9, 2016!
OK, so Prosthodontics Awareness Week isn’t on the tip of everyone’s consciousness, but maybe it should be. After all, you don’t have your general practitioner do knee surgery, so why would you have just any dentist place dental implants, bridges, and the other items that a prosthodontist specializes in?
Titanium is Your Friend — Implants 101
March 15, 2016
For many people, there is the impression that dental implants are a relatively new advancement in dentistry. Not so. Implants have been used for tooth restoration for over 50 years. They’ve actually been around longer than that, just not the modern types made of titanium.
Archeological digs have unearthed implanted seashells and ivory in the jawbone of ancient Mayans and Egyptians. Even for our most ardent Cape Cod patients, at EMA we won’t do seashell implants!
Uh Oh. You Knocked Out a Tooth. Now What?
February 28, 2016
Just like a broken water pipe in the winter or power failure, they rarely happen during normal business hours. Dental emergencies are usually the same. At EMA, we have one of our dentists on call to handle your emergencies.
Here are some typical dental emergencies and what to do
Knocked out teeth
You were playing a little pond hockey and someone didn’t get the memo about no lifting of the puck. Now you have a knocked-out tooth. First thing, find it. Then rinse if off with water. Don’t scrub it or remove any tissue fragments; they may help save your tooth. Try and put the tooth back in place, but if you can’t, put it in a glass of milk or water with a pinch of salt. The tooth has a better chance of being saved if you see us within the first few hours, so call us because we always have a dentist on call.
Chipped or broken teeth
Were you zealously diving into that sandwich only to find there was more than just chicken in that chicken salad? Crack! The key is to save the chipped part, if possible, or the pieces if it’s broken. Just as with a knocked-out tooth, rinse your mouth out with warm water and rinse the tooth pieces. Gauze will stop the bleeding, and a cold compress held outside your mouth or cheek will help with pain. Again, call us immediately.
Loose fillings or lost crowns
If that caramel you were chewing pulled out a filling or a crown, call us immediately. In the meantime, you can fill the gap temporarily with sugarless gum or dental cement. Don’t use sugared gum; it will cause pain. If a crown is off, find it and bring it with you. Reattach it is possible and you can keep it in place with over-the-counter dental cement or denture adhesive. Clove oil (in the drug store or spice aisle in the grocery) can alleviate the pain and sensitivity in the area.
Toothaches
Toothaches really don’t qualify as “emergencies,” but they are still out of the ordinary. If you have a really bad toothache, rinse your mouth with warm water to make sure it’s clean. There are brush-on over-the-counter toothache relievers, but don’t get the substance on your gums. That will burn the gum tissue. If the toothache lasts more than a day or two, call us.
Objects stuck between your teeth
If you get something lodged between your teeth, so if you can first floss it out. Don’t use a sharp object to try and force it free. You can damage the enamel on your teeth and your gums.
At EMA Dental, we’re all about the finest care for your teeth, whether it’s during business hours or in the middle of the night during an emergency. Call us at either our Longmeadow or Northhampton offices for your next appointment.