Dentist-Approved Holiday Gift Ideas

Happy Holidays!

Have you made your holiday gift list and checked it twice? If you’re still on the hunt for good ideas, why not give your loved ones something to make their smiles merry and bright?

Whether you’re looking for stocking stuffers or a much grander present, dental health gifts can fit the bill at any price range. Here are just a few ideas:

• For everyone’s stockings:  floss or soft pics, travel-sized toothpaste and/or mouthwash
• For friends and co-workers: sugar-free chocolates, candies, and desserts
• For a special family member: an electric toothbrush
• For your spouse or yourself: cosmetic dental work such as teeth whitening, implants, etc.

Who wouldn’t love to give their teeth the royal treatment after a sugar-laden holiday diet?  If you choose to gift yourself or a loved one with professional dental care, we are at your service.

For more information about the dental services we offer, visit our website. To schedule an appointment, call 302-736-1423

Sincerely,
B. James Rogge, DDS

Have you used all your dental benefits for this year?

The end of the year is fast approaching. Have you made the most of your dental benefits?  If you have any benefits remaining, there’s still time to use them before you lose them!

From cleanings to cavity fillings, or even getting started on more complicated dental work, we can help you maximize the dental care you are still eligible to receive based on your coverage.

Don’t wait until it’s too late—call us today at 302-736-1423 to schedule an appointment before the holidays. For information on all the services we provide, please visit our website.

Sincerely,

B. James Rogge, DDS

How to get ready for cold & flu season

It’s almost that time again: cold and flu season. With all the coughing, sneezing, aches and fever to fight off, many parents may unknowingly leave their child’s oral health exposed to a number of hazards.

To keep the cold and flu from sabotaging your child’s smile this year, steer clear of these dental pitfalls:

• Dry mouth due to oral breathing and a stuffy nose
• Sugar-laden cough drops and medicine that can harm teeth
• Forgetting to brush and floss
• Using the same toothbrush after being sick
• Missing a routine dental check-up

For any questions or help with your child’s dental needs between check-ups, don’t hesitate to call us at 302-736-1423.

Sincerely,
B. James Rogge, DDS

Dentistry for Seniors

Specialized Dental Care for Seniors

Senior dental patients have unique oral health goals and concerns. Many struggle with loose-fitting prosthetics, diminished oral function, and other health issues that impact their smiles. At Walker Square Dental, we help our senior patients maintain smiles they can feel good about, while working to improve oral health, function, aesthetics, and comfort. We believe everyone, regardless of their age, deserves a beautiful, healthy and comfortable smile.

Dr. Jim Rogge and his team help their senior patients find economical solutions to common oral health issues among seniors that can cause discomfort, including:

•     periodontal disease
•     tooth decay
•     older, damaged restorations
•     ill-fitting dentures.

In addition, if you are dealing with non-dental health problems that tie into oral health issues, like dry mouth caused by some medications, or digestive issues related to inability to bite and chew properly, Dr. Rogge can create an oral health regimen or treatment plan that will help correct, or minimize, these common, age-related oral health issues.

For patients dealing with tooth loss and uncomfortable dental prosthetics, our dental team works with you to create new restorations – like full dentures, bridges, crown and implants –  that fit comfortably, look natural, and allow you to enjoy much improved oral function. No one, regardless of age, should have to deal with loose dentures, chipped crowns, or yellowing prosthetics.

Maintaining Excellent Oral Health as You Age

Visiting the dentist twice a good year is a good general rule of thumb. However, many senior patients, such as those with gum disease, need more attention to protect their oral health. In these cases, it’s important to visit our office more frequently so that Dr. Rogge can ensure your teeth are as healthy as possible, and that there are no oral health problems looming.

We Are Here to Help Protect the Oral Health of our Senior Patients

Quality oral health routines for senior patients can include special dental tools to brush hard-to-reach places, or to clean around dental appliances, or even mouth washes and rinses to fight decay and gum disease.

If you, or a family member, are in need of dental care for senior dentistry issues, please call our Dover, DE office for assistance. We can schedule your next hygiene appointment, or discuss options for fixing decayed teeth, correcting loose-fitting prosthetics, or talk about whatever dental issues are affecting you.

Whatever your age, we are here to help. Please call us today to schedule your first, or next, appointment.

Why Choose Dental Implants?

There are many options to fill in the gaps in your smile, but dental implants are a great way to aesthetically and functionally mimic natural teeth. Implants look and function like natural teeth and can support crowns, bridges, and full dentures. At Walker Square Dental, we provide implant dentistry to offer the most dependable teeth replacement option.

What Makes Implants Different?

Implants are a fixture that replaces a missing tooth. Unlike bridges and dentures that rest on top of teeth or gum tissue, implants form an attachment to the jaw bone. The base of an implant is a small screw that is surgically placed at the site of a missing tooth. The restoration that is attached will look and feel like a natural tooth. Implants do not move around and are able to work as naturally as real teeth.

Implant placement and restoration procedures can be simple, and with the help of our qualified dental team, our patients can enjoy the entire implant planning, placement and restoration process. Once tissues have healed from the implant surgery, our doctors look over the implant to ensure it meets your expectations and we are available to answer questions you have about upkeep.

Caring for your New, Implant-Supported Teeth

Patients are advised to care for implant as though they were natural teeth to ensure the longevity of their restorations. All aftercare of implants, including regular cleaning and maintenance procedures, will be discussed at the post-surgery visit. This is done to ensure the longevity of your investment in a more beautiful smile.

Implant Questions? Contact our Dental Office!

Our talented dental team can perform implant restorations to suit your needs, no matter how many teeth you may be missing. Any type of pre-implant treatment, such as bone grafting or sinus lift, is discussed at the preliminary implant consultation. We ensure the best treatment plan for you to provide you with a healthy and beautiful smile that lasts a life time.  Please stop in at our Dover office for any questions about implant surgery and restoration.

Non-Surgical Solution to TMJ Pain

We make it our mission at Walker Square Dental Associates to seek out dental procedures that are the least intrusive and provide the most effective results for our patients.  The temporomandibular joints (TMJ) can have a variety of conditions that affect the jaw muscles and facial nerves.  Dr. B. James Rogge often recommends occlusal splint therapy as an initial treatment for temporomandibular disorders (TMD).

What is Splint Therapy?

You probably already know what a splint is but typically don’t think of anything but sports when you hear it. Other words for oral splints that you may have heard of are mouth guard, night guard and bite plate.  These are typically made of hard or soft plastic and can be worn on the upper or bottom teeth, depending on your circumstances.

Types of Splints

There are many types of splints, including stabilization splints and repositioning splints.  Stabilization splints are used to prevent clenching.  Repositioning splints are used to realign by pulling the lower jaw forward.  These are typically worn 24 hours a day.

Why Dr. Rogge Believes Splint Therapy Works

• Again, just like a traditional splint for a broken leg, the splint is used to allow the muscles and ligaments in your jaw to relax.  The splint helps relieve tension in the muscles caused by clenching, bruxism or other jaw problems.
• If you happen to be a patient that grinds your teeth, splints may protect your teeth from further wear and damage which can prevent pain and sensitivity.
• If your bite is off, the splint will help adjust the bite for a more optimal position and relax your muscles, allowing them to rest.

There are many people who clench their teeth, whether they know it or not.  Sometimes this happens in the middle of the night when they are sleeping and they don’t even realize it but still wake with soreness or pain.  It’s always good to have Dr. Rogge and his staff take a look at your bite and the wear on your teeth to determine if you are a good candidate for splint therapy in Dover.  For current patients, feel free to ask about this at your next cleaning and check-up.  For new patients, call us today to set up a consultation.  Our goal is to make sure you are pain-free and splint therapy is just one simple solution we can look into for you.

Treating Gum Disease

At Walker Square Dental Associates in Dover, we take gum disease very seriously.  If we aren’t in a position to help you avoid gum disease, then we need to act quickly to stop gum disease and reverse the damage it is causing. The earliest stage of gum disease is called gingivitis. This is when the tissue is red or swollen. When you have passed the gingivitis stage gum disease becomes periodontitis. During periodontitis bone loss occurs, and the tooth may become loose and eventually fall out. Bone loss can become permanent at a certain stage and can even prevent a person from being a candidate for dental implants.

How to Tell if You Have Gum Disease

• Gums are red, swollen, and tender and bleed easily
• Gums have pulled away from teeth
• Persistent bad breath or bad taste
• Loose or separating teeth
• Change in your bite or in the fit of partial dentures

Treatment of Gum Disease with Lasers

Dr. Rogge and his team are well-versed in the treatment of gum disease.  Traditional treatment includes scaling and root planing, which is non-surgical and removes tartar, plaque and bacteria from the gum surrounding the root of the tooth.  Another alternative is gum flap surgery where the gum tissue is cut to allow for an even deeper cleaning around the root underneath.  This requires the stitches and the healing time that nobody wants to deal with, but is sometimes necessary.  At Walker Square Dental Associates in Dover, we prefer laser therapy that removes inflamed gum tissue around the root of the tooth.  We scale the root and smooth the root with instruments to remove any rough patches that might attract bacteria for future infections.  No sutures are required and the healing process begins.  Other benefits include:

• No general anesthesia is required
• The laser is more precise and accurate than with gum flap surgery
• The bleeding, pain and swelling are limited because laser therapy is less invasive
• Recovery time is shorter

Treatment of Gum Disease with Antibiotics

In our Dover office, we use antibiotics to kill specific bacteria.  It can be placed under the gums or we can provide it to our patients in pill form to treat the disease.  There are also some forms of medicated toothpastes that can be used.  As you may know, antibiotics are used to kill bacteria.  Plaque contains bacteria so antibiotics will reduce the amount of bacteria in your mouth. With proper oral hygiene this method can actually reverse gum disease and allow your gums to heal.

The Bottom Line

There are many options for treating gingivitis and gum disease.  If you are in Dover, it is critical that Dr. Rogge and his staff see you to tailor your oral health plan to best suit your circumstances.  Whether you have questions about specific procedures or questions about the health of your gums, we would love for you to contact us today and schedule a consultation. We care about your oral health and want to do everything possible to make you comfortable and bring a smile back to your face.