Avoid Dental Emergencies

Nothing is worse than having a cracked or broken tooth interrupt your holiday plans. This year you can take care of problems ahead of time to decrease the risk of having problems when you want to be with family. Here are 5 tips to helping you stay out of the dentist's office with an emergency this Holiday Season.

1. Get problems taken care of. If you have a tooth that is bothering you or is cracked or broken schedules your appointment now.
2. Brush and floss regularly. This is a great way not only to keep your smile healthy but also to cut down on problems.
3. Don’t use your teeth as tools. If you are opening packages or using your teeth as tools you run a higher risk of damaging the structure of your teeth.
4. Don’t chew on ice. Cracked and broken teeth can happen when the enamel on your teeth is weakened. Chewing on ice can cause problems you don’t need.
5. Use a mouthguard. If you and your family get together over the holidays and play a little ball, street hockey or football, protect your smile with a mouthguard.

• more information on avoiding dental catastrophes over the holiday break, contact Dr. Judy Strutz and her team.

The Impact On Your Body With An Unhealthy Smile

You may believe that your smile has nothing to do with how you feel day to day, but research shows if you have cracked or broken teeth or impacted by severe decay that it could be impacting your overall health. There is a direct link between the health of your smile and the health of your body.

Dr. Judy Strutz utilizes state of the art techniques in order to ensure that your smile is as healthy as possible. By fixing cracked or broken teeth you can be confident that your smile and health are at optimal levels so that you can live the life you want. An unhealthy smile can bog down your energy levels, decrease your desire to go after what you want and cause you to just not feel like yourself.

But a healthy smile doesn’t just impact your oral health it can also impact your overall self-confidence which can then lead to depression or feelings of sadness. Your smile is the first thing you share with a friend or a loved one, but if you are embarrassed by your smile, you are robbing yourself from a life you deserve.

For more information on options to improve your smile, contact Dr. Judy Strutz and her team today!

Don’t Live With A Smile You Don’t Love

People think they have to live with a smile that is not beautiful and healthy. But now  there are  a number of new  technologies that your cosmetic dentist can do to improve your smile. This may include All-on-4 dentures, a restorative procedure, or veneers. Depending on your smile it may not cost as much as you think.

By taking precautions and improving your smile you can actually decrease the cost of future problems. Leaving your smile unhealthy, or having cracked or broken teeth can eventually lead to more problems including decay, cracked or broken teeth. This is not the smile you have to have.

Veneers  cover your  teeth, but improve the look so you want to share your smile with the world. All-on-4 dentures replace missing arches of teeth in a day and gum graft surgeries can replace gums that have receded in order to cover up roots and to help rebuild  your gums around a tooth.

Broken teeth, depending on the extent of the damage, may be fixed with a crown, veneer, or a dental composite (white) filling. Don’t let dental neglect keep you from enjoying life, especially when you can walk out from Dr. Strutz’s office with a smile you love.

For more information on your options, contact Dr. Judy Strutz and her team.

3 Reasons To Chose Cosmetic Procedures

Many of us go about our daily schedule not really giving much thought to our smile. We may abuse our teeth and gums by consuming soda, not flossing regularly and forgetting to schedule that regular dental cleaning. Dr. Strutz states, "you don’t want to keep not giving your smile the attention it deserves." The sooner you take care of any problems, the sooner you can save your smile and your pocketbook. Here are five reasons why cosmetic procedures are great for your smile and your health.

1.     Fixing broken or cracked teeth can help you to appear younger. When you have missing teeth, the other ones tend to shift into the position where the teeth are missing. This can cause your mouth to sink in and your cheeks to look more hallow.

2.     Improving your smile can allow you to consume food that may hurt sensitive teeth.  While fixing broken teeth, helps to improve your overall smile, it can also save you from a lot of pain in the future.

3.     Research shows, individuals who have a healthy smile have a higher rate of being offered promotions.  When you have a smile to show off, you are more likely to share it with the world. People love other happy people and want to be a part of whatever they have going on. Happier people tend to get what they need and deserve in life because they are more likely to go after promotions and other advancements they desire.  

Dr. Strutz advises patients to come in for an initial exam in order to determine which cosmetic procedures are right for them.

4 Ways A Crown Can Improve Your Smile

Crowns are a great cosmetic solution to fix your smile. While you may have teeth that have been impacted by an accident, dental disease or decay, crowns can restore the tooth to its original shape and improve the overall look of your smile.

Dr. Judith Strutz suggests, "Crowns look and feel like your regular teeth." They can come in multiple colors, depending on your preference, and be made of different materials. If you are covering a tooth in the front of your mouth your dentist may recommend a ceramic colored crown that better matches the color of your other teeth. If the tooth is further back in the mouth, a gold or stainless steel crown may be recommended.

Crowns improve your bite, which can decrease stress that is placed on the jawbone. If you have a cracked or weak tooth you may naturally move food to a different location in the mouth. While this eases up the stress on one part of the jaw, it causes more stress on other parts, as you are unevenly utilizing one side of the jawbone.

Crowns can cover a tooth that is cracked or broken. Cracked and broken teeth can cause you to feel very self-conscious when smiling. Crowns allow for the teeth to be covered up and return your smile to a more natural look while protecting the broken or chipped tooth from being damaged further.

For more options with your smile contact Dr. Strutz & her team today.

3 Reasons Why Restoring Your Smile Shouldn’t Wait

Cosmetic dentistry may not seem important, but your smile can negatively impact your life beyond affecting your positive relationships with others and business opportunities. Dr. Judy Strutz, a prosthodontist practicing in San Bernardino, suggests, “Don’t wait to restore your smile until you have multiple problems that need to be fixed.” 

Your smile can be your greatest asset, but an unhealthy smile can decrease your energy level and overall health. Bacteria have been linked to negative health problems including heart disease, gum infection, bone loss and pain. The bad bacteria enter the blood stream through the gum tissue and have been recognized as having an impact on your other organs. 

 Time is precious. You don’t want to waste it not feeling at your best. Self-confidence can impact which jobs you apply for or the opportunities that come your way in business. You have less than seven seconds to make a great impression. If you cover your smile, or don’t smile, you may appear to potential employers as not having the winning attitude they want for their business. Happiness and confidence attract others with those same qualities. 

 The longer you wait the more money it may cost you. Once you lose one tooth it is common to lose several more within a few months. Dr. Strutz says, “Your jawbone is stimulated through chewing, if there are not teeth in a particular area, the jawbone may not have the same strength it had before.” Teeth may also shift into the location of the missing teeth. As this problem occurs, you may experience pain in the jaw that causes you problems when eating certain foods. 

Waiting can increase the pain, time and money you need to invest in order to restore your smile to the healthy, white one you once had.  

Drug Abuse & Your Smile

Dr. Strutz and her team believe in supporting you to rebuild your life and your smile. A history of drug abuse & dental neglect may have impacted your smile.  Drug abuse can leave you with stained, chipped, cracked, decayed and damaged teeth causing you an extreme amount of pain. But Dr. Strutz and her team can fix the dental issues you are experiencing and she and her team will help you restore your smile.

 Decay that has been left untreated can go below the gum line and cause inflammation, infection, bleeding and tooth loss. As the decay continues to spread to other teeth your smile you can be further impacted. Dr. Strutz will work quickly and efficiently to get your smile back to where it was and to get you out of pain.

The team at Judith Strutz & Associates is not there to judge you or embarrass you. They are there to help you rebuild your life starting with a smile you can be proud to show off. Putting your life back together after drug abuse can take time, but having a gorgeous smile can help improve your chances of finding a job and worthwhile relationships, and the health of your smile can improve the health of your body. Call Dr. Strutz and her team today & let them restore your smile.

What Is A Prosthodontist?

Dr. JudyStrutz is not just a dentist; she’s also a prosthodontist. A prosthodontist receives an extra three years of specialized instruction that allow them to be certified in restoring beautiful smiles to create a youthful look.  If you have experienced trauma, the loss of your teeth due to periodontal disease or cancer, or you have cracked or broken teeth Dr. Strutz and her team of professionals can help create the smile you are looking for.

 Prosthodontists have specialized training to work with complex cases. Many times these cases are ones your general dentist, or even a dentist who says they specialize in cosmetics, may not have the same or possibly adequate experience to handle.  Dr. Strutz and her team will complete a comprehensive exam that assesses the health of your mouth, your current needs, and then develop a plan that will give you the smile you’re missing.

Prosthodontists have extensive training in esthetic dental work.  Millions of Americans are unhappy with their smile due to discoloration, cracked teeth, or misshapen teeth.  While some dentists take only a few courses on how to handle this situation, a prosthodontist is one of only nine American Dental Association recognized specialties and were truly the first cosmetic dentists. 

In order to provide the best possible outcome, it is important for the dental lab that a prosthodontist works with to be a high quality one. Dr. Strutz prides herself on working with labs that use the top techniques and advanced technology to correctly shape dentures to provide the best fit for you, or crowns and bridges that match existing teeth and restorations.  This lab work is critical to the fit and success of implants as well as other restorations and what helps make Dr. Strutz’s smile makeovers stand out.

Don’t delay, call today for your consultation.