Ted Steczko, DDS

Make Dental Visits a Priority. Each year, millions of people avoid seeing the dentist, often because they don’t like dental visits or they don’t think it matters. Your dental health not only impacts your smile, but it affects your total body health. If you haven’t made dental care part of your health care routine, maybe this information will change your mind: Preventive care is less expensive. Scheduling a dental check up twice a year allows your dentist to examine your m...outh and make sure everything is in good shape. Certain problems, like cavities and gum disease, may develop with few symptoms, but they can cause big problems. You have only one set of teeth. Many people may not realize that even one lost tooth can cause some problems. When you have missing teeth, your remaining teeth shift and cause alignment issues, bite problems, and bone degeneration. Your dentist can replace lost teeth and revive your smile with options such as dentures and dental implants. Poor oral health can hurt your overall wellness - did you know that gum disease has been linked to serious health issues like Alzheimer’s, diabetes complications, and osteoporosis? At your checkup, the dentist will look for signs of gum disease and recommend treatment to restore your oral health, if necessary. It could save your life. Routine exams allow your dentist to detect anything unusual in your mouth early. See more

Bruxism is a medical condition in which an individual subconsciously grinds or clenches her/his teeth. Very often it occurs during sleep. Over time, bruxism will result in complete wearing down of your natural teeth (as shown on the photo below). To prevent teeth attrition and cracking, a nightguard can be made.

Health Problems that can be detected during oral exam: White patches on your tongue or inner cheek. This could mean you may have a weakened immune system. Oral thrush or overgrowth of the candida in the mouth, can lead to creamy white patches on your tongue or inner cheeks. We all have some candida in our mouths, but it's kept in check in healthy immune system. People are much more likely to develop thrush if they're undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatment for canc...er or have serious immunosuppression, but sometimes a cold, a course of antibiotics, or using corticosteroids for conditions like asthma can make someone more vulnerable too. An antifungal medication can help clear away the patches. Worn-down teeth and jaw pain. You're more stressed than you realize. Stress can manifest as teeth grinding, wearing down teeth. Your personality type may predispose you to grinding, too. A study found that nervous people were also more likely to report that they grinded their teeth. Research in the International Journal of Oral Science in 2014 reported that sustained jaw clenching can lead to severe damage of the tissue in the joint that connects your jaw to the rest of your skull. Your dentist can fit you for a bite-protecting device like an acrylic mouth guard to wear at night to minimize the damage.