My Blog
Posts for: August, 2018
Investing in the health of your gums will go a long way in maintaining a healthy smile.
Approximately half of American adults are dealing with some form of gum disease, and many of them don’t even know it. Along with causing bleeding, inflamed and receding gums, gum disease is one of the most common causes of tooth loss in adults. Luckily, gum disease is preventable and our Bethesda, MD, dentist Dr. John Kelly is here to provide you with valuable tips on how to keep your gums healthy.
Brush and Floss
The two most important things you can do for your smile day in and day out is to brush and floss. You should brush once in the morning and then again at night right before bedtime. While brushing is the best way to remove plaque buildup from teeth and gums, don’t forget that flossing is the only way to thoroughly remove food and plaque from between teeth and the gum line, where your toothbrush can’t reach. Floss once a day, preferably at night, to prevent plaque from hardening into tartar.
Quit Smoking
Did you know that smoking is one of the most common causes of severe periodontal disease in the US? In fact, the CDC reports that smokers are twice as likely to develop gum disease as nonsmokers. The longer you smoke and how much you smoke will also increase your risk. If you want to prevent gum disease then it’s time to quit smoking for good.
Visit the Dentist Regularly
No matter if you are at risk for gum disease or not, it’s important that everyone from children to older adults come in twice a year for routine cleanings and checkups. Since gum disease often doesn’t cause symptoms, you may not even know you have it; however, we can screen for and detect gum disease during your next cleaning.
As you might imagine, the sooner we detect gum disease the better. In fact, gum disease in its earliest stages can actually be reversed. Treating gum disease early on is truly the best way to prevent complications such as tooth loss.
Know the Warning Signs
It’s time to visit your Bethesda, MD, family dentist as soon as possible if you experience any of these symptoms:
- Bleeding gums
- Swollen or inflamed gums
- Receding gums (teeth will appear longer)
- Persistent bad breath
- Sensitivity in the gums
- An abscess (a pimple-like growth)
Are you dealing with bleeding gums or other symptoms of gum disease? If so, it’s important that you turn to Bethesda, MD, dentist Dr. Kelly that can diagnose the issue and treat the problem right away. Call Bethesda Row Dental to schedule an appointment with us, and protect the health of your gums.

Some people are lucky — they never seem to have a mishap, dental or otherwise. But for the rest of us, accidents just happen sometimes. Take actor Jamie Foxx, for example. A few years ago, he actually had a dentist intentionally chip one of his teeth so he could portray a homeless man more realistically. But recently, he got a chipped tooth in the more conventional way… well, conventional in Hollywood, anyway. It happened while he was shooting the movie Sleepless with co-star Michelle Monaghan.
“Yeah, we were doing a scene and somehow the action cue got thrown off or I wasn't looking,” he told an interviewer. “But boom! She comes down the pike. And I could tell because all this right here [my teeth] are fake. So as soon as that hit, I could taste the little chalkiness, but we kept rolling.” Ouch! So what's the best way to repair a chipped tooth? The answer it: it all depends…
For natural teeth that have only a small chip or minor crack, cosmetic bonding is a quick and relatively easy solution. In this procedure, a tooth-colored composite resin, made of a plastic matrix with inorganic glass fillers, is applied directly to the tooth's surface and then hardened or “cured” by a special light. Bonding offers a good color match, but isn't recommended if a large portion of the tooth structure is missing. It's also less permanent than other types of restoration, but may last up to 10 years.
When more of the tooth is missing, a crown or dental veneer may be a better answer. Veneers are super strong, wafer-thin coverings that are placed over the entire front surface of the tooth. They are made in a lab from a model of your teeth, and applied in a separate procedure that may involve removal of some natural tooth material. They can cover moderate chips or cracks, and even correct problems with tooth color or spacing.
A crown is the next step up: It's a replacement for the entire visible portion of the tooth, and may be needed when there's extensive damage. Like veneers, crowns (or caps) are made from models of your bite, and require more than one office visit to place; sometimes a root canal may also be needed to save the natural tooth. However, crowns are strong, natural looking, and can last many years.
But what about teeth like Jamie's, which have already been restored? That's a little more complicated than repairing a natural tooth. If the chip is small, it may be possible to smooth it off with standard dental tools. Sometimes, bonding material can be applied, but it may not bond as well with a restoration as it will with a natural tooth; plus, the repaired restoration may not last as long as it should. That's why, in many cases, we will advise that the entire restoration be replaced — it's often the most predictable and long-lasting solution.
Oh, and one more piece of advice: Get a custom-made mouthguard — and use it! This relatively inexpensive device, made in our office from a model of your own teeth, can save you from a serious mishap… whether you're doing Hollywood action scenes, playing sports or just riding a bike. It's the best way to protect your smile from whatever's coming at it!
If you have questions about repairing chipped teeth, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more by reading the Dear Doctor magazine articles “Artistic Repair of Chipped Teeth With Composite Resin” and “Porcelain Veneers.”

We’ve come a long way in our ability to restore missing teeth. Today’s top choice is dental implants, prized not only for their close resemblance to real teeth but also their durability.
The rise of implants, though, hasn’t put older restorative methods out to pasture—many continue to offer patients a viable and affordable choice for tooth replacement. One example is the removable partial denture (RPD).
Once quite common, RPDs’ popularity has only slightly diminished with the advent of implants. They’re a fair option in terms of dental function and appearance, and much less expensive than implants or fixed bridges.
Similar to a full denture—a removable appliance that replaces all the teeth on a dental arch—a RPD can replace multiple missing teeth in a variety of configurations. A traditional RPD is usually constructed of vitallium, a lightweight but strong metal alloy, which allows for a very thin and comfortable frame. It’s covered in a gum-colored resin or plastic with prosthetic (false) teeth precisely set at the missing teeth’s locations. The appliance stays in place through a series of clasps that attach to the remaining teeth.
Each RPD is custom-made to fit a patient’s mouth contours and the locations and patterns of the missing teeth. The top design goal for each individual RPD is to minimize any rocking movement during chewing; achieving that goal will depend not only on how many teeth are missing and where, but also what type of teeth are being replaced. For example, teeth missing from the back would require a different support design than teeth missing from the side or front.
RPDs’ biggest benefits are comfortable fit, effective dental function and good appearance. However, their means of attachment can create difficulties keeping remaining teeth clean of disease-causing bacterial plaque. Furthermore, an ill-fitting or unstable RPD could damage or even loosen natural teeth. It’s therefore essential for wearers to diligently practice daily hygiene (including cleaning the RPD) and undergo regular fit monitoring with their dentist.
Even with these constraints, a RPD can do an acceptable job providing dental function. What’s more, it can definitely improve your smile.
If you would like more information on options for dental restoration, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Removable Partial Dentures: Still a Viable Tooth-Replacement Alternative.”

Is there a link between periodontal (gum) disease and cardiovascular disease? Medical researchers are endeavoring to answer this intriguing question, but early findings seem to say yes. If it bears true, the findings could advance treatment for both diseases.
There is one thing that can be said for certain: inflammation is a factor in both diseases’ progression. Gum disease begins as an infection caused by bacteria growing in plaque, which is made up of bacteria and a thin film of food remnant that adheres to tooth surfaces. The body responds to this infection through tissue inflammation, an attempt to prevent the infection from spreading. Likewise, inflammation appears to be a similar response to changes in blood vessels afflicted by cardiovascular disease.
While inflammation is part of the body’s mechanism to heal traumatized tissue, if it becomes chronic it can actually have a damaging effect on the tissues intended to benefit. For patients with gum disease, chronic inflammation causes connective tissues to detach from teeth, leading eventually to tooth and bone loss. Similarly, inflammation damages the linings of blood vessels in cardiovascular disease patients.
Researchers want to know what role bacteria may also play in the progression of cardiovascular disease. Initial studies seem to indicate that proactively treating the gum disease by removing all plaque from oral surfaces in patients with both conditions does appear to improve the health of diseased blood vessel linings. Whether this could ultimately reduce the occurrence of heart attack or stroke still needs to be ascertained.
As we learn more about the possible connections between these two diseases, there’s hope it will lead to new advancements that could improve health outcomes for both. It may prove to be the case, then, that maintaining a healthy mouth promotes a healthy heart, and vice-versa.
If you would like more information on the connection between gum disease and heart disease, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Periodontal Inflammation and Heart Disease.”