If hot, cold, sweet, or acidic foods and drinks, makes your teeth sensitive or painful, you may have sensitive teeth. Tooth sensitivity (dentin hypersensitivity or root sensitivity) is very common. It can come and go over time. Tooth sensitivity is usually caused by dentin on root areas exposed due to receded gums or periodontal disease. You can reduce your chances of getting tooth sensitivity by keeping your mouth healthy with good oral hygiene to prevent receding gums and periodontal disease. Be sure to tell your periodontist about your symptoms in case the cause is not dentin sensitivity, and tooth sensitive is due to a more serious problem. The use of a desensitizing toothpaste is one treatment option.

During maintenance visit, we review medical and dental histories and discuss any dental problems. This is followed by an oral cancer screening, cleaning of your teeth to remove plaque, tartar and stains. Measurements of gum pocket depth were performed annually to monitor stability of improvement.

Orthodontic tooth movement in the presence of active periodontal disease has been shown to aggravate further gum recession and bone destruction, leading to potential tooth loss. Before orthodontic treatment is initiated, especially in adult, it is important to ensure gum and bone tissues are healthy and remain healthy for the duration of orthodontic treatment.

The need for pocket reduction surgery is dependent on the severity of disease. Symptoms of periodontitis may include swollen and bleeding gums, loose teeth, receding gums, and tooth sensitivity. The need for surgery may be assessed using a periodontal probe, which measures the depth of space between teeth and gum. If the depth is deeper than the normal range of 1- 3 mm, surgeries may be recommended. Pocket reduction surgery is performed by anesthetizing the surgical area. Gum tissue can be flapped open to reveal underlying bone. Dr. Yang can then assess the extend of bone loss. Tartar around teeth is thoroughly removed and bone defect cleansed. High- speed instrument may be used to reshape the bone to eliminate defects in bones. Finally tissue flap is repositioned back and sutured closed. The entire procedure usually takes one and a half hour. Patients may leave the office by themselves and are expect to return to work the following day.

On occasion, a tooth fractures or have an existing restoration extends below the gum line. A restorative dentist can not place a protective crown without a clear access to sound tooth structures. A crown lengthening procedure is then performed to trim away a small amount of gum tissue and surrounding bone to expose adequate tooth length to make a crown.

After tooth loss, gum disease or trauma, dental bone grafting procedures are frequently done to restore your bone to previous form. During the body's normal maintenance cycle, specialized cells in the blood constantly enter your tissues to remove damaged cells and replace them with new and healthy cells. Grafting procedure place a framework of materials in the areas of missing bone, into which these cells can enter and start the rebuilding process. Ideally over time your cells will remodel the graft material into your own functioning bone. Bone grafting materials come from several sources. Autograft bone is material taken from another areas in the patient's own body and transplanted to the desired sites. It is a good graft material since it contains the patient's own cells, and carries no risk of disease transmission. Allograft bone is material that is taken from an organ donor and is processed to ensure its safety with improved handling characteristics. The advantages of allograft bone are that is readily available. Allograft bone has been well documented in clinical trials and has an excellent safety record. Xenograft is defined as a tissue graft between two different species (i.e. bone of bovine origin). Tissue banks usually choose these graft materials because it is possible to extract larger amounts of bone with a specific microstructure for optimal bone growth. Alloplast usually includes any synthetically derived graft material not coming from animal or human origins. This may includes hydroxyapatites, bioactive glass, calcium carbonate and other naturally occurring biocompatible substances. Each of the bone graft materials is usually developed with a specific purpose and advantage in mind. Most bone grafts are expected to be reabsorbed and replaced as the natural bone heals over a few months. The main reason of using allograft, xenograft and alloplast is to avoid a second surgery site for harvesting autogenous bone. Dr. Yang will make a decision with respect to the bone graft materials, based on your individual need.

Your gum tissue and lips are like a frame that provides form and shape around your teeth. A less- than-attractive smiles may result when the integrity of the gum tissue is compromised due to gum disease, certain medications, and inherited excessive gum tissues. Cosmetic gum surgery is usually part of an overall strategy to improve your smile. Aesthetic plastic gum surgery can be used to correct a "gummy smiles". In gummy smiles, a significant portion of your gum is exposed when you smile and your teeth appear to be too short. Cosmetic gum surgery is a procedure of lengthening your tooth from the neck of the tooth apically towards root. So your teeth then appear to be longer and much less gum is seen when you smile. A more attractive smile is achieved.

With time, tooth loss may become an issue. A dental implant could provide an appropriate solution to replace missing teeth. Titanium dental implants themselves are artificial tooth roots, which are inserted into the jawbone during a surgical procedure. After 4-6 months, bone cells integrated and hold onto implant firmly to allow placement of crowns on top.