Do you bite your nails when you’re nervous? While this is a common habit, it can have negative effects on your oral health and general wellbeing.

From damaging teeth to breaking restorations, the consequences of nail biting on oral health are varied. Moreover, chewing on your fingernails can harm gums and expose the oral cavity to harmful bacteria. Biting your nails presents risks to your general health, too by cross contamination along with increased risks for skin infections, the flu, and common cold.

These reasons are why oral health professionals, including our Lafayette, LA dentist encourages patients to break this harmful habit.

What Biting Your Nails Does to Your Teeth

Teeth are incredibly strong but they are not immune to damage. Nail biting can cause permanent damage to our teeth, restorations, and prosthetics. In fact, chewing or biting on anything other than food can increase your risks for developing damaged dental structures.

Tooth Enamel Damage

Tooth enamel is a mineralized layer that surrounds teeth above the gum line. It serves as a barrier that protects the dentin structure of teeth from cavity-causing bacteria and strong acids. Nail biting, especially when this action is habitual, creates microscopic cracks in tooth enamel. Once these cracks form, the softer structures of teeth under tooth enamel are exposed to debris, bacteria, and acid. Worn tooth enamel increases a person’s risk for developing dental caries (cavities) and damage like chips and cracks.

Worn Dentition

The structure under tooth enamel can become worn, too—especially with repetitive actions like nail biting. The general wear and tear on teeth is accelerated when tooth enamel is worn because it’s easier for acid and harmful bacteria to attack teeth.

When nail biting leads to worn dentition, restorations like fillings, crowns, inlays, and onlays may be required to rebuild a patient’s bite and protect biological tooth structure from incurring more damage in the future.

Broken Restorations and Prosthetics

Biting down and chewing on your nails could affect expensive restorations and prosthetics. First, chewing and biting on inedible objects will weaken the materials that bond restorations to teeth. Weakening these bonding compounds can cause restorations and prosthetics to come loose or fall out.

Additionally, chewing and biting on non-food items like your nails can crack and chip the materials, such as porcelain, used to fabricate dental crowns and bridges.

How Biting Your Nails Affects Your Gums

Beyond harming teeth, restorations, and prosthetics, chewing on the sharp edges of your fingernails could lacerate the gingiva (gums) and other soft oral tissue like the lining of the lips. Any lacerations on soft oral tissue increase a person’s risks for developing oral infections. This fact is especially concerning considering that fingernails can harbor dangerous bacteria.

What Nail Biting Can Do to Your Health

As for your general wellbeing, it is important to consider the effects of nail biting on your overall health. Our hands and fingernails can harbor a multitude of germs, including pathogens for viruses like the cold or flu along with bacteria that could make you sick.

Raised Risks for Contracting the Common Cold, Flu, and Food-Borne Illnesses

Consider that our hands contact dozens of bacteria-filled surfaces each day, including as food preparation areas, bathrooms, and door handles. Placing our hands and/or fingernails in our mouth could lead to cross contamination that increases the risks for contracting the common cold and flu along with bacteria, like salmonella and e. coli, that contribute to food-borne illnesses.

Increased Risk for Skin Infections

Nail biting also raises one’s risks for developing skin infections, particularly around the cuticles and underneath nail beds. The sharp edges of our teeth can easily tear the delicate skin around fingernails. Any time there is a laceration of soft tissue, it increases a person’s risks for developing an infection because bacteria take advantage of open sores.

How to Break the Habit of Nail Biting

Most dental professionals, including our Lafayette, LA dentist, encourage patients to break the habit of nail biting. Breaking this habit could save you time and money spent on dental treatments caused by broken teeth and restorations, or treatments for oral infections.

Since nail biting commonly occurs as a response to anxiety and stressful situations, it is helpful to identify and avoid triggering circumstances that might fuel one’s compulsion to bite their nails.

Consider occupying your hands or mouth to break the habit. For example, chewing on sugar-free gum can help you fight the urge to chew on your nails. Playing instruments and engaging in physical activity can help combat stress while keeping your hands occupied, too.

Keeping your nails clean and trimmed along with properly washing your hands will help reduce your risks for skin infections, food borne illnesses, the cold, and the flu.

If it’s time for a dental checkup or cleaning, call our practice to reserve an appointment with our gentle Lafayette dentist.

 

No matter how well you take care of your teeth, there are certain dental problems that are caused by genetics and there’s nothing you can do to prevent them. An underbite is one of those issues.

However, just because you can’t prevent an underbite does not mean that you need to live with it for the rest of your life or let your lifestyle suffer as a result.

 

What is an underbite?

An underbite occurs when a person’s lower jaw extends farther out than the upper jaw, creating an overly pronounced and protruding lower jaw. The level of misalignment ranges from barely noticeable to severe.

Even though an underbite is usually caused by genetics, other natural causes include:

• poor eating and chewing habits
• mouth breathing as a result of constant congestion or habit
• thumb sucking
• an abnormal jaw bone

In many of the cases above, it can be the individual’s tongue resting against the lower jaw and lower front teeth that causes the jaw to move forward over time.

 

What happens when you have an underbite?

• Appearance: Because underbites are so much less common than overbites, people who have them tend to be noticed more and become self-conscious as a result. A protruding chin adds to this and can lead to people with underbites being ridiculed as children.
• Articulation Errors. Clear speech is a common problem. Any sound that depends on the teeth could be problematic, such as “s” and “f.”
• Tough to Smile. A bad underbite could make it impossible to smile with confidence. Lips tend to take on a droopy appearance, and a dominant upper lip hides the upper teeth when smiling. With a more severe underbite it becomes difficult to keep the lips together, causing lip incompetence, changes in your facial profile, breathing and swallowing problems.
• Chewing Problems. Due to misaligned teeth it could become very difficult to chew your food. One of our patients with a severe underbite problem reported gagging and ended up in the emergency room. Further side effect of chewing with misaligned teeth are excessive enamel wear, tooth chipping, tooth decay, infections and gum disease.
• Chronic Jaw Pain. As the upper teeth push in under the lower teeth, the pressure on the jaw joint intensifies, which could trigger a TMJ disorder. This in turn could lead to headaches, neck pain, spinal misalignment, and even limping.

As you can see, underbites impact everything from daily activities like chewing and smiling to longer-term physical and mental health. Luckily, there are several treatment options available to bring the upper and lower jaw into alignment.

 

How do you correct an underbite?

• Upper jaw expander: A device called a Palatal Expander is placed on the roof of the mouth and widened each night as treatment progresses. Over time, this increases the size of the dental arch and brings the upper and lower jaws into alignment.
• Reverse Pull Face Mask: This resembles the headgear you may have seen on people with braces. It wraps around the head and attaches to metal bands on the back of the upper teeth to pull the upper jaw forward so it’s in line with the lower jaw.
• Chin Cap: This device wraps around the chin and lower jaw to prevent it from growing and expanding out even further. This is a good option for children or teens whose jaws are still being formed.
• Braces and veneers: Traditional braces may be used to correct mild underbites. Veneers may also be placed on the upper teeth so that top and bottom teeth align. Again, this is only recommended for non-severe underbites.

 

If none of those options are feasible, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon can perform underbite correction surgery to manually bring your upper and lower jaws into alignment. Braces are typically required after surgery to keep the teeth in alignment while your mouth adjusts to its new configuration. Children are more likely candidates for non-surgical intervention because their jaws are still developing. Once the jaw becomes fully formed in adulthood, it becomes more difficult to correct bite issues.

 

Let Chauvin Dental Help

If you have an underbite, no matter how severe, our team at Chauvin Dental in Lafayette, Louisiana, can help develop a treatment plan that will improve your quality of life and lead to a healthier mouth in the long run.

 

If you’ve never heard of this innovative type of dental care, now is the time to learn. Laser dentistry is a minimally invasive option when you’re facing gum surgery, cavity treatment, or other oral issues. Discuss your laser surgery options with one of our dentists today.

Laser Dentistry: An Overview

Medical professionals use lasers, which are extremely focused light beams, to alter or remove tissue in small amounts. Laser surgery is not limited to dentistry, but many people have never heard of laser dentistry before having it done. Dentists use lasers in a variety of procedures involving the inside of the mouth, be it to remove overgrown tissue, to reshape the gums, or to whiten teeth. Sometimes, laser dentistry is ideal for children who become anxious or afraid when having dental work done.

What Laser Dentistry Can Treat

Most issues laser dentistry treats are related to the gums. Some of these include:

• Canker sore and cold sore pain treatments.
• Treating root canal infections.
• Treating gum disease.
• Removing gum inflammation.
• Gum reshaping.
• Biopsies.
• Exposing wisdom teeth.
• Removing throat tissue that causes sleep apnea.
• Regenerating damaged nerves.
• Removing benign oral tumours.

Benefits of Laser Dentistry

Dentists choose laser dentistry because of distinct benefits that make the procedures go more smoothly, and also reduce discomfort and healing time for patients.

• Patients are less likely to require sutures
• Anesthesia may not be necessary
• The laser will sterilize the gums, making infection less likely
• Less damage to gums shortens the healing time
• Patients lose less blood than traditional surgery

What Happens During Laser Gum Surgery or Other Dentistry?

When you come for your laser dentistry appointment, you might be surprised to discover that the process is very similar to other dentistry appointments, like tooth fillings. You receive anesthesia, though it might not be as much as you’re used to receiving. Some patients who experience anxiety might receive a sedative, too.

During the procedure, you won’t feel any vibrations or discomfort from the laser like you do from the drill. Any bleeding that occurs gets wiped away, just like before. Your mouth will be propped open as the dentist works with the laser to treat your issues.

Post-Operative Expectations

If you’ve ever had gum surgery done without a laser, you can expect that your post-operative experience after laser dentistry will likely be smoother. Because a laser causes far less bleeding than a scalpel, don’t expect the site of your surgery to bleed very much when you get home. You won’t have an open, bleeding wound the way you would with a scalpel procedure.

While you should still follow cleaning and care instructions to the letter, you’re less likely to get an infection. You also won’t typically experience the pain and discomfort associated with scalpel surgery because your post-op irritation is likely to be minor.

The Types of Lasers Used in Dentistry

The two main types of lasers dentists use during laser procedures are hard tissue and soft tissue lasers. Each laser uses a different wavelength that makes it appropriate for cutting into that specific type of tissue. This works because each kind of tissue absorbs wavelengths of light in different ways. By altering the light’s wavelength (and sometimes pulse) scientists have figured out how to craft lasers with light wavelengths compatible with the tissues in your mouth.

Hard Tissue Lasers

A hard tissue laser is used primarily for your teeth. The wavelength of one of these lasers cuts through both water and bone, specifically the calcium phosphate that’s in your bones and your teeth. These lasers can very accurately cut into your teeth, removing small amounts for shaping purposes or in preparation for procedures. Hard tissue lasers are used for:

• Detecting cavities.
• Dealing with tooth sensitivity.
• Preparing teeth for dental fillings.

Soft Tissue Lasers

The soft tissue lasers use a light wavelength that hemoglobin and water absorb easily. Hemoglobin is the molecule found in blood, which makes soft tissue lasers ideal for gum work. Some soft tissue lasers are diode lasers, which is a type of continuous-wave laser.

These lasers are ideal for cutting into soft tissue and sealing the exposed blood vessels at the same time. This is the reason you don’t bleed very much during laser dentistry and why healing is quicker after laser dentistry. Soft tissue lasers are great for cosmetic procedures because you can begin to see results right away. Soft tissue lasers are used for:

• Lengthening crowns.
• Dealing with restricted tongue movement.
• Reshaping the gums to create a more pleasing smile.
• Removing folds in oral soft tissues caused by dentures.

Whether you’re having laser gum surgery or hard tissue work, expect an easier procedure and a shorter recovery time. Laser dentistry is a convenient solution to many oral and dental problems, whether serious in nature or simply cosmetic. Ask your dentist about laser dentistry the next time you need dental work completed.

Prosthodontics is the dental specialty primarily concerned with the restoration and replacement of lost or damaged teeth. Sometimes called the “architects of the smile,” prosthodontists are highly trained specialists with a unique understanding of all the elements that go into a beautiful, functional and natural-looking smile—not just the teeth, but also the gums, lips, and facial features. When it comes to planning and carrying out a full-scale smile makeover, a team of dental professionals is often required; many times, that team is captained by a prosthodontist.

What qualifies a prosthodontist to take on this role? After graduating from college and completing the regular four years of dental school, prosthodontists receive an additional three years of advanced training at a graduate program accredited by the American Dental Association (ADA). Prosthodontists combine this specialized education with countless hours of clinical experience, and can bring their skills to bear on simple or complex restorations. They are one of the nine ADA-recognized dental specialties.

What Do Prosthodontists Do?

As their name implies (“prosthesis” = addition or attachment, “odont” = tooth), these specialists plan and carry out procedures related to the replacement of natural teeth, in part or in full, with biocompatible substitutes. Some of these treatments include:

• Porcelain Veneers — wafer-thin shells of ceramic material that cover the front surfaces of teeth, providing a dramatic change in appearance. These are bonded to teeth that have been prepared by having a small amount of enamel removed, so they don’t appear too bulky. Long-lasting veneers can change the size, shape or color of teeth, and even close small gaps between.
• Crowns — artificial covers (sometimes called “caps”) that replace the entire visible surface of a tooth above the gum line. Fabricated of metal, porcelain fused to metal, or all-ceramic (porcelain), crowns are cemented to a prepared tooth with intact roots. They are often needed after a root canal procedure, or to repair fractured, broken or misshapen teeth.
• Dental Implants — when it’s necessary to replace an entire tooth (both roots and crown), this method is considered today’s gold standard. Implants consist of a titanium metal post which is implanted in the jaw in a minor surgical procedure. This screw-like post becomes fused with the jaw bone, providing a solid anchorage for a lifelike crown. Implants can be used to replace single or multiple teeth, or to support other types of dental restorations, such as bridges or dentures. While implant surgery is usually performed by other specialists, prosthodontists often design and place the implant crowns. Implants are initially the most costly tooth replacement method, but may prove an excellent value in the long run, as they can last a lifetime.
• Fixed Bridges — this tooth-replacement method uses the existing, healthy teeth (called abutment teeth) on either side of a gap to support one or more artificial teeth. A series of linked crowns is fabricated as a single unit, which is then attached to the prepared abutment teeth. These work like a roadway-bridge foundation to hold up the crowns for the missing teeth in between. Bridges are a time-tested tooth-replacement method, but require special attention to cleaning, and potentially compromise the structure of the otherwise healthy abutment teeth.
• Dentures — are available in many different types, including full, partial, and implant-supported varieties. They can improve the aesthetics and functionality of an individual who is missing teeth—particularly when the dentures are manufactured to a high standard of workmanship and fitted correctly in the mouth. However, wearing dentures typically requires an adjustment period, and some find them uncomfortable in certain situations.

Reconstructive Dentistry

Carrying out specialized procedures is one part of a prosthodontist’s job; another is designing and detailing each step of a dental restoration, and making sure the work is performed to plan. Whether it’s a “smile makeover” designed to enhance your appearance, or a restoration after trauma or surgery, a prosthodontist can play an important role in treatment. Among the other services they offer, prosthodontists can also perform screenings for oral cancer, and diagnose and treat temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Prosthodontists often work closely with dental laboratories, where highly skilled technicians create lifelike restorations from durable, high-tech materials. They can help ensure that you get well-crafted replacement teeth that will blend into a perfect smile. Their expertise allows them to treat the most difficult and challenging dental problems; that’s the reason why general dentists often refer patients to them for treatment.