Crowns

If the structure of your tooth has been compromised due to a severe decay, a chip or fracture, it harms the esthetics of your smile and puts your mouth at risk for bacterial infection, further decay and even bit misalignment.  Here at Lewelling Dental Care, we help our patients avoid such complications and restore the beauty and function of their smiles with reliable dental crowns. 

 

Crowns work to protect the structure of your tooth like a small suit of armor, while appearing as natural as normal, healthy tooth enamel.  The crowns we provide are custom crafted and securely bonded to your tooth’s structure, ensuring long lasting and reliable functionality. When you restore your smile with a crown, you will not need to make any long term dietary modifications or perform any additional oral health maintenance beyond daily hygiene measures, regular dental exams and cleanings, and crown replacement approximately every fifteen years.

 

We have a full explanation of the crown placement process and other details right on our website, but we are happy to answer all of your questions directly - simply schedule a full consultation with Dr. Shital Kazi by calling (510) 276-6040.

TMJ

TMJ issues affect many Americans daily. This disorder causes pain in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) that connects your lower jaw to your skull at the temporal bone. This joint controls many jaw functions and any pain in this area may cause jaw joint muscle problems, known as temporamandibular disorder (TMD). At Lewelling Dental Care, Dr. Shital Kazi and her team have trained extensively in the diagnosis and treatment of TMJ and offer various treatment options to new and existing patients.

 

Symptoms of TMJ are wide-ranging. Patients will often feel pain when opening or closing their mouth, trouble chewing food, their jaw will become stuck, headaches are quite common and they will often hear a clicking or popping noise when opening or closing their mouth. These symptoms can be associated with a lot of other health problems so if you are feeling any of these symptoms, make sure to ask during your next appointment.

 

Treatment for TMJ can go many different ways. Pain relievers and hot/cold compresses are short term methods and often do not solve the problems. Another possible treatment for TMJ would be wearing a night mouth guard, this will lessen the effects of teeth grinding that can cause TMJ. More permanent solutions include possible surgery in severe cases, but behavioral treatments to change the way the jaw muscles are used can be enough to solve the problem permanently. 

Clicking / Locking Jaw Joint

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is responsible for clicking and locking of the jaw joint. Usually, this is due to a disorder of this joint, which not only causes locking of the joint, but can also cause pain and problems chewing as well.

Here at Lewelling Dental Care, we provide diagnosis and treatment of disorders relating to a clicking and locking jaw joint. Treatments include dental procedures and orthodontic appliances that help prevent some of the side effects of TMJ disorder.

TMJ disorders cause more than just clicking and locking of the jaw joints, though this is one of the most common signs. Other symptoms include problems chewing, grinding the teeth at night, pain when opening or closing the mouth, ear pain, jaw pain and headaches, and hearing popping sounds when opening the mouth. Clicking and locking of the jaw joint often causes teeth grinding, which can be damaging to the teeth enamel and tooth structure. Patients with this condition often wake up with a sore jaw from clenching or grinding.
Dr. Shital Kazi provides oral appliances, such as mouth guards, to help keep the pain to a minimum. It is not always possible to prevent TMJ disorder, but the teeth can be protected and the pain minimized through treating the different side effects.

Call us at 510-276-6040 to find out more about treatments for clicking and locking jaw joints.