A: Really, any jaw pain is concerning. We tend to see jaw pain related to either a tooth, the gums or soft tissue in the mouth, or the joints of our jaws. There’s different reasons and different aspects why jaw pain can occur. So, anytime jaw pain is being experienced we want to know how…
A: TMJ dysfunction and pain can actually cause problems with the joint itself. We have these discs, kind of like our kneecaps. So, those can get deteriorated over time, and then the joint ends up just rubbing on bone in the jaw. It can get really bad to the point of actual surgery, kind of…
A: Dental problems can absolutely be related to snoring. So, snoring itself can be related to sleep apnea. Really, that can be the underlying condition overall. Some dental problems like excess bone on the lower jaw can basically push back the tongue. Sometimes, things like people who clench or grind—also snore and the root cause…
A: So, you know, we take wisdom teeth out all the time and nothing happens. But it’s different with one of our front teeth or some of our back teeth. If we remove them for any number of reasons, usually infection, fracture, or what have you, if we don’t replace them we see teeth start…
A: Absolutely dental implants can be covered by insurance. Many insurances set a limitation as to what they will cover. What we do see is insurance will cover sometimes upwards of $500 to maybe $1000 of dental implants. Dental implants themselves, along with a single tooth, can run close to 3-5 thousand dollars sometimes. So,…
A: Absolutely a general dentist can do cosmetic dentistry. You’ve got to trust them, you’ve got to know them. I think it’s important that they show you cases that they’ve taken care of before and have a database of patients that have been happy with them. Cosmetic dentistry encompasses any number of solutions—it really depends…
A: Absolutely not! If you have a cracked tooth, really what you’re going to experience first is some sensitivity— basically, the tooth opens up. As it opens up, it’s going to let water and sugar in and it’s going to be sensitive. Many times that sensitivity occurs when biting and often it’s fixable with a…
A: A root canal is really our only means of saving a tooth that’s infected— if it’s not completely fractured. Usually, a tooth has a large cavity or a small break and it starts to hurt—a toothache. So, a root canal, what that does it allows us to hold on to the tooth. We go…
A: Bone grafting is basically the replacing of bone where either a tooth was or where an implant needs to be. So, what we do is we basically trick the body into fixing itself and creating more bone where there wasn’t. Anytime you remove or lose a tooth the bone starts to shrink. A bone…
A: A tooth extraction is simply the removal of a tooth. Many times, it can be done using a local anesthetic. If we have to do a lot, we might recommend some form of sedation. We do wisdom teeth, which can cause problems with the gums, cause cysts and infections. So, many times we recommend…
A: Dental implants require some form of surgery. Now, in dentistry, the word surgery is loosely used— it’s in office, outpatient surgery. We generally only need regular anesthetic. However, some people choose to do sedation or some form of sedation where you go actually to sleep. Rarely do we need to go to the operating…
A: So, a dental emergency is basically when there’s significant swelling or pain. If the swelling is actually closing the throat, we recommend going to the emergency room. But generally, a dental emergency where we would see you soon involves pain, something you don’t know what’s going on. You want us to take a…
A: So, orthodontics in general, is using some sort of braces—either aligners or traditional brackets. Comprehensive ortho treatment basically means we’re correcting things in the back as well as things in the front. So, the teeth in the back sometimes need to be moved, as well the teeth in the front to align the teeth…
A: We’re using different equipment basically for filtering the air. We use HEPA and ionized filtration systems that circulate the air—getting what is called “surgically clean air.” We isolate our patients in our operatories so there’s not a lot of people coming back and forth. We’ve also decreased the number of people that come through the…
A: Cosmetic dentistry really spans a range of options that one can have. Cosmetic dentistry can start with simple whitening of teeth or contouring of teeth to things like covering teeth with veneers or crowns. Many times, cosmetic dentistry is not necessary, it’s simply to improve your smile. What we specialize in is handling cosmetic…
A: Braces are devices that move teeth. Small metal brackets— either white or traditional metal, move teeth into the proper position and corrects bites and smiles. Have you noticed your teeth have begun to shift out of place or perhaps you have issues with bite alignment? Have you wished your teeth were a bit straighter…
A: A bridge is a fixed solution to replace, one, two─ sometimes upwards of four or six teeth using your teeth as anchors. What we do is we cover those teeth and they’re connected in the middle, it’s cemented on and can last upwards of 10-20 years. Even though dental bridges in Corpus are a…
Orthodontic treatment in Corpus has seen quite an advancement in treatment options over the last 10 years or so. In the past your only option for getting straight teeth was with intrusive and high-maintenance metal braces. Given that metal braces have been around for decades without much change, patients have been begging for alternatives. Over…
A: Well, veneers in Corpus can last 10-20 years because they’re bonded on and have some of the strongest bonds in dentistry. One of the big issues with veneers in general is discoloration and what we call “de-bonding.” A lot of times if that’s an issue, a patient can come in and get either a…
A: Fillings can last your entire life if everything goes great. So, these days it’s now more about home care, regular visits, and keeping up more than anything else. If we have a great patient with great home care and regular visits, the fillings we placed ten years ago can still be in there. There’s…
A: Dental Implants can last upwards of 20, 30—40 years. Really, we generally look at the implant’s success rate. So, comparatively, in all of dentistry, dental implants have some of the highest success rates out there. Usually at 95-98% success after about 10 years. What does that mean? That means 98 out of 100 of…
A: A crown is a full covering of a tooth—basically, it’s what we know as caps. It’s essentially like a cast for a broken arm. What it does is prevent the tooth itself from breaking and actually getting worse. Crowns are generally made of a zirconia or porcelain product. They’re very strong, very hard, and…
A: Veneers are basically just a front covering for a tooth—Veneers in Corpus Christi can be used in many different aspects. It’s a porcelain covering for a tooth, so it’s a fake piece that’s usually laid on to the front part of a tooth. We love Veneers if there’s no decay and there are no…
A: Full mouth reconstruction can vary in different kinds of processes. Generally speaking, we’ll talk about full mouth reconstruction as using our teeth as the foundation to improve a smile. Many times we’re taking care of decay, broken teeth, and missing teeth all at the same time. Sometimes, we need to mix and match methods—we…
A: Fillings are basically our first line of defense against cavities. Usually, we use them for small cavities—a cavity is basically the breaking down of the tooth. Many times, if we catch them early enough, we can place a small amount of paste inside the tooth that cures and hardens. It’s almost as strong as…
A: All-on-Four® is using dental implants as a foundation for a set of teeth. Many times, people are in a position where most or all of their teeth are out or need to come out. So, the All-on-Four® solution provides what we call a permanent option. Something that stays in, so a set of teeth…
Have you noticed that your teeth have shifted, a misaligned bite or other chewing issues? You may have a dental issue that can be corrected with braces. As the dentist Corpus Christi residents trust for corrective dental procedures, we get a lot of questions about braces. Braces 101 From The Dentist Corpus Christi Relies On…
If you’re a fan of YouTube—and let’s face it who isn’t, you’ve probably seen your fair share of how-to videos and product reviews of activated charcoal. On that little sidebar to the right that shows trending videos, you’ve probably seen some strange images of people with a mouth full of what looks like black ink…
Are you looking for the best dental practice in Corpus Christi and feeling overwhelmed by the pages of choices when you search, “dentist near me?” You aren’t alone. In fact, finding the best dentist is a very serious thing when dealing with something as precious as your oral health. Think about it—your oral health…
“Diet sodas are okay because they don’t have sugar.” “Flossing causes your teeth to develop gaps.” “Baby teeth don’t matter.” “My tooth has no pain, so I must be fine.” How many of you reading this are too proud to admit you’ve believed one of the above lies about dental health before? If you have,…
By now you’ve already received your W-2 and if you’re an early bird type of person, you’ve probably already prepared your taxes and filed. Now, with the IRS catching up from the government shutdown—you play the waiting game for your tax refund. Well, let’s make use of that time and think about how you can…
How many resolutions did you make NYE 2018? We here at Vela Dental sure made a lot and this year we plan on keeping them. Sadly, that is most people’s intentions, but less than halfway through the year, most of those resolutions are already broken. If you are like most people, your resolutions probably centered…
About this time of year, people are looking forward to three things—Christmas, New Years and…those glorious W-2’s at the end of January! Yes, that means your tax refund is right around the corner when that comes in the mail. After every tax season, we see an uptick in people scheduling for dental implant specialist in…
Getting dental implants in Corpus Christi is not a procedure you go about casually. It is a very serious dental procedure that requires precision in a part of the body that is quite delicate. Dental implant surgery should always be completed by a prosthodontist, not just a general dentist. Because so many issues can arise…
Have you ever been to a dentist in Corpus Christi for a wisdom tooth removal or any other tooth extraction and suffered excruciating pain a few days later? You might have suffered what is known as dry sockets—a problematic condition that is quite painful and occurs in a minor percentage of extraction procedures. Any good…