What Is an Avulsed Tooth?

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An avulsed tooth is the scientific name for a tooth that’s been entirely removed from the socket. Usually, this occurs from trauma, such as a fight, fall, or car accident, but it can also refer to a child losing a baby tooth. Here, we’ll look at exactly what it means and what you can do if it happens to you.

What to Know About an Avulsed Tooth

An avulsed tooth has been entirely dislodged from its original position, as opposed to a chipped or cracked tooth. Usually, the tooth will be outside the mouth, though it is possible to knock it out and still have it stay in the socket.

Is an Avulsed Tooth an Emergency?

It depends on the person who lost it. If it’s an adult, it’s considered a dental emergency, so you’ll want to contact an urgent care dentist in Fargo for help. This is especially true if the avulsed tooth is accompanied by bleeding or swelling. If it’s a child who’s lost a baby tooth and they don’t have any other troublesome symptoms, such as pain or swelling, then it’s not necessarily an emergency (even if it was knocked out by a traumatic event).

Find an Emergency Dentist in Fargo

It might surprise you to learn that it is possible to reattach a permanent tooth in some cases. If you can find the tooth, keep it clean, and place it back in the socket by the roots, a skilled dentist in Fargo may be able to help you reattach it. If you’ve lost a tooth, contact Melinda Harr Dental to take immediate action. You may be able to avoid a permanent gap or an artificial replacement!

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6 Benefits of Diagnodent for Cavity Protection 

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Do you suspect that you might have cavities? Finding them earlier rather than later helps stop them from getting worse and putting your teeth at risk of being extracted. At Melinda Harr Dental, our dentist in Fargo, ND, uses Diagnodent laser technology to check for signs of tooth decay due to the benefits it offers.

More Accurate Diagnoses

Diagnodent offers a high degree of accuracy without the need to open teeth up to look for cavities. It uses laser technology to diagnose tooth decay, even in the earliest stages.

No X-Ray Exposure

Instead of taking X-rays, our dentist can use this diagnostic tool to check for cavities. This helps lower your exposure to these rays.

Safe and Effective

Diagnodent is considered safe for use as a diagnostic tool for tooth decay. It also provides an effective way to detect tooth decay as early as possible.

Pain-Free Cavity Detection

In some cases, dentists have to open up teeth to examine them for cavities, rather than relying on X-rays. But Diagnodent eliminates the need to do this, providing a diagnostic method that doesn’t cause discomfort.

Non-Invasive

Diagnodent uses laser technology, making it a non-invasive form of diagnosing cavities. We don’t have to cut into your gums or use a drill to open a tooth to check it.

Early Detection and Treatment

Using Diagnodent means we can find tooth decay early and treat it as soon as possible, reducing the risk of advanced decay.

Schedule a Dental Visit for Cavity Protection!

Worried that you might have cavities? Our dentist at Melinda Harr Dental offers Diagnodent in Fargo, ND, to accurately detect and diagnose tooth decay. If you do have cavities, we can find and treat them early to prevent more advanced decay!

What Are the Benefits of Single-Tooth Anesthesia?

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If you’re having a dental procedure that could be painful or uncomfortable, your dentist may use anesthesia to help you stay comfortable throughout the procedure. If you’re visiting your dentist in Fargo, ND, you may be given single-tooth anesthesia. This important form of anesthesia offers many benefits. Do you want to know more about what single-tooth anesthesia is? We’re here to answer your questions!

What Is Single-Tooth Anesthesia?

Single-tooth anesthesia is a form of anesthesia wherein only one tooth is affected at a time. Traditional anesthesia is administered via an injection and affects a larger area. Single-tooth anesthesia is administered via a computerized probe that can direct the anesthesia to only one tooth and no other teeth in the mouth.

Who Benefits from Single-Tooth Anesthesia?

You can benefit from single-tooth anesthesia if you’re about to undergo an uncomfortable procedure that affects only one tooth. Your dentist will let you know if you’re a good candidate for single-tooth anesthesia.

What Are the Benefits of Single-Tooth Anesthesia?

There are many benefits of single-tooth anesthesia.

  • Precision. Single-tooth anesthesia is precise and only numbs the area that needs it.
  • No injections. Some people are afraid of the injection that comes from getting local anesthesia. With single-tooth anesthesia, there is no injection.
  • Fast-acting. Single-tooth anesthesia starts working almost right away.
  • Less likely to bite the inside of your mouth. With traditional anesthesia, patients sometimes bite the inside of their mouth. Single-tooth anesthesia prevents this from happening.

Are you interested in single-tooth anesthesia in Fargo, ND? We offer single-tooth anesthesia. If you’re about to undergo an uncomfortable procedure, we can make it better with single-tooth anesthesia. Call today.

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Why Dentists Ask About Your Overall Health

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You may have noticed that when you visit your dentist, they ask several questions before commencing treatment. While yourdentist in S. Fargo, ND does like to get to know you a little bit when you first visit, these questions aren’t so much about establishing a relationship as learning about your health history. For many people, there’s a clear demarcation between oral health and bodily health. For example, you know that your dentist doesn’t need to know that you sprained your ankle two years ago. But there’s a stronger connection between dental health and your bodily health than you may realize. This is why you shouldn’t be surprised when your dentist asks about your overall health.

An Established Connection

The connection between oral and overall health is well-documented. Conditions like diabetes, for example, can increase the risk of gum disease, while untreated gum disease can worsen diabetes control. Cardiovascular health is also linked to oral health, as inflammation from gum infections can contribute to heart disease and stroke. And, certain medications or illnesses can cause dry mouth or increase the risk of tooth decay, so sharing this information helps your dentist take these things into consideration during care.

Dental Anesthesia Safety

Dental anesthesia S. Fargo, SD, whether local or general, requires careful consideration of your medical history to avoid complications. Conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease, or respiratory issues may influence the type or dosage of anesthesia used. Any medications, allergies, or a history of adverse reactions can affect how your body responds to anesthesia.

Open communication with your dentist fosters more than just a healthy smile. It allows them to detect potential systemic health issues, provide personalized treatment, and prevent complications during procedures. Remember, your mouth is a window to your overall health, and keeping your dentist informed is a vital step in maintaining your well-being.

 

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How We Fix a Gummy Smile

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At Melinda Harr Dental, we often have patients who come to us for treatment for a gummy smile. A gummy smile is when an inordinately large part of the gums show when a person smiles. This can take away from the beauty of a smile, and many people find that they have more confidence when this is remedied. For treating a gummy smile, we use theSolea laser in Fargo, ND.

What is the Solea Laser?

The Solea laser is a dental tool that utilizes a special kind of light called isotopic, low-energy CO2 light. Solea laser is approved by the FDA to treat dental issues concerning bone, enamel and soft tissue, such as excess gums.

With Solea laser, there is no need for surgery or dental drills, which greatly minimizes the necessary recovery time after treatment, as well as patient anxiety during the treatment. This is considered to be a huge benefit to both dentist and patient.

Treating a Gummy Smile with Solea Laser

To treat a gummy smile with Solea laser, we first determine how much gum tissue might be removed to improve appearance. At this time, you and your dentist will converse, so that you know what to expect with the results. The dentist will then apply a local anesthetic. This will help to ensure your comfort and numb the area. If you need mild sedation, you can ask for that, too. However, most people find the experience of Solea laser to be so low-key, that no sedation is necessary.

Using the digital controls on Solea laser, the dentist will precisely trim and contour the gums so they are more aesthetically-pleasing. Solea laser seals blood vessels as it works, so there is minimal bleeding and swelling.

If you have a gummy smile, talk to your Fargo, ND dentist about treatment with Solea laser. A better smile is waiting for you!

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How Diagnodent Cavity Protection Detects Cavities

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At Melinda Harr Dental, we invest in technology so that we can offer our current and future patients the best possible dental services and treatments. One of the ways your Fargo, ND dentist helps to preserve your dental health is with Diagnodent®, a cavity protection tool.

What is Diagnodent®?

Diagnodent® is a state-of-the-art device that is specifically designed to detect cavities. This is now the go-to tool at Melinda Harr Dental due to how effective it is at diagnosing and managing tooth decay from cavities. Using modern laser fluorescence technology, this tool offers a very accurate and simple way to detect cavities, even small ones that may not be evident to the patient. In particular, Diagnodent® excels at detecting hidden cavities, such as ones that are developing below the gum line, which traditional methods of cavity detection are more apt to miss.

How Does Diagnodent® Work?

Diagnodent® works by emitting a certain wavelength of laser light onto the surface of each tooth as the dentist works. The reflection of a healthy tooth varies from the reflection of a tooth that has a cavity. When the dentist sees a different reflection of light, they can measure it against readings on the Diagnodent® scale. The reason that the color of the light is different from that of teeth that have cavities is that the cavities absorb the laser light differently. This results in higher fluorescence and higher numerical readings on the device.

What are the Advantages of the Diagnodent® tool?

Both patients and dentists benefit from Diagnodent® in the following ways:

  • Improved cavity detection – The Diagnodent® tool enables the dentist to find cavities that would have been easy to overlook previously.
  • Non-invasive – The Diagnodent® cavity detection tool is painless and non-invasive.
  • Accurate – Once the Diagnodent® tool detects a cavity, the variation in light reflection is impossible to miss.

For cavity detection with Diagnodent® in Fargo, ND, visit Melinda Harr Dental. Contact us today to book your appointment!

3 Modern Ways to Treat Your Cavities

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When cavities popped up in the past, there were only so many ways to treat them. (If you ran across a dentist who happened to favor extraction, you might have even found yourself losing a few more teeth than necessary.) Today, treatment options are more sophisticated, allowing patients to not only save the integrity of the tooth but also feel more comfortable from start to finish.

3 Modern Types of Cavity Treatments 

If you visit a dentist to fill acavity in Fargo, ND, they may recommend one or more of the following:

  • SDF: Also known as silver diamine fluoride, SDF is a liquid that can fill up a cavity without drilling. While the cavity will need to be relatively small for it to work properly, it’s a painless way to treat early-stage holes in a tooth.
  • Lasers: Laser treatment for cavities works by targeting the decaying part of the tooth and cleaning it out with these modern tools. Because it’s so precise, the treatment tends to be shorter than its more traditional counterparts, which is great news for anyone who wants to get in and out of the dentist’s office as quickly as possible.
  • Composites: Composite fillings are made from resin and can be custom-shaped to match the rest of your teeth. Not only are these an excellent way to protect the tooth, but they’re also known to last.

Find a Dentist in Fargo, ND 

The right dentist in Fargo, ND, will invest in the products and services that help their patients preserve their oral health, regardless of where they’re starting. At Melinda Harr Dental, you’ll meet a staff member who can tell you more about how different kinds of preventative services and treatments work and whether they’re right for you.