To treat cavities or replace old small fillings, ME Dental always uses a white tooth fillings material. We are an amalgam and mercury-free practice. The ME Dental team matches the filling material to the same shade as your tooth and shape it to have the same anatomy as your natural teeth. Our goal is to remove the cavity and restore your teeth to healthy function and aesthetics.
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Cavities: Cavities form when bacteria starts to eat way on the tooth structure and causes decay in the tooth. As soon as a cavity forms, we have to treat it right away to remove the decayed tooth structure and prevent it from getting bigger. The smaller the cavity, the easier it is for us to treat and the longer the filling material will last. To treat a cavity, we remove the decayed tooth structure and fill it with white tooth filling material.
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Removing Silver Fillings: Many of our patients from around the Bay Area and San Francisco come to us with old silver fillings. If the silver filling is still functionally okay, we continue to monitor it. Sometimes it can last forever, sometimes it can break down. We constantly monitor it because over time, silver fillings expands and create cracks in your teeth. If this happens we either replace the silver filling with a filling or a crown. We also cater to patients who want us to remove all silver fillings in their mouth due to esthetics or personal preference. We make sure to use a high speed vacuum to when removing all silver fillings to ensure minimal exposure to mercury.
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Why do I need to floss?Brushing cleans all surfaces of your teeth EXCEPT the surfaces in between your teeth. The only thing that cleans between your teeth is flossing. If you don’t floss at least once a day, plaque and bacteria build up between your teeth and into your gums, causing a higher risk for you to get cavities in between your teeth and gum disease.
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How often should you floss your teeth?Everyday! We only ask for you to floss once a day. It takes just 2 extra minutes of your day. It doesn’t matter when or where you floss as long as you floss once a day.
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How do I know if my gums are healthy?Just remember that healthy gums don’t bleed. If your’re asking yourself why your gums bleed a lot, this indicates the presence of gingivitis. When you have gingivitis, your gums bleed when you brush or floss your teeth, this means that you’re gums are inflamed. If you brush twice a day, floss once a day, and see us at least every 6 months, it gives you a better chance of having healthy gums.
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Which toothbrush is better, electric or manual toothbrushes?"Both are good. We do however, recommend an electric toothbrush as the vibrating and rotating bristles allow for a more thorough cleaning without extra scrubbing motions. Sonicare and Oral B are both the leading brands in electric toothbrushes.
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What can cause my gums to recede?There are many factors that can cause gum recession, including brushing too hard, your bite (malocclusion), misalignment of your teeth, chronic inflammation of your gums, and a genetic susceptibility to gum recession. We will help you do whatever it takes to treat your gum recession by having our specialist perform gum grafts and/or prevent further recession by determining and eliminating factors that is causing the recession.