Your average consumer has a tendency to assume that only adults need crowns, but dentists know better.

In certain circumstances, a child may experience severe tooth trauma. A strip crown may be required to maintain the integrity of the tooth. And when you make your recommendation, you may get pushback from a parent…something akin to “Isn’t the tooth going to fall out anyway?”

It is important for you as a dentist to make clear that even primary teeth need to be protected for as long as possible. A damaged tooth could cause structural problems, make chewing difficult, and impede speech. These factors could have long-ranging effects in the child’s life.

Despite the fact that temporomandibular disorders (TMD, also known popularly as TMJ) are extremely common, there is still a lot of debate about the best treatment. TMD/TMJ can be caused by a whole host things, including:

• Grinding and clenching teeth
• Trauma to the jaw (such as whiplash or a fall)
• Arthritis
• Stress
• Misaligned teeth
• Movement of the disc in the temporomandibular joint   

Do patients tell you that the muscles that open and close your jaw often feel tight or painful? Upwards of 10 million Americans are estimated to suffer from temporomandibular joint and muscle disorders, (TMJD). The pain of TMJD has been known to cause lingering pain in the face, neck, and shoulders and to even trigger debilitating migraines.

While researchers are still struggling to understand exactly what causes TMJD, your dentist may be able to help relieve your pain. If your patient's TMJD is the result of misaligned teeth, the solution may be as simple as prescribing an oral device that can help shift the teeth back into alignment.

Orthodontic problems usually start when a child’s permanent teeth begin to erupt. Many emerging issues can be handled effectively by an orthodontist -- the earlier the better.

A child’s regular dentist is responsible for observing the progress of permanent dentition -- and also for making a referral to an orthodontist at the first sign of malocclusions, poor arch development, crowding, or spacing.

Even if the permanent dentition emerges smoothly, a dentist must pay particular attention to erupting molars. When the molars begin to move, they can cause new problems -- and when issues arise due to an erupting molar, a dentist needs to consider referring the patient out to an orthodontist who can address the issue immediately.

To Raise Awareness Of Airway Centered Disorder (ACD), The Foundation For Airway Health, With Partners Including Health Practitioners And Concerned Corporations, 
Have Declared October 2nd As “Global Airway Health Day.”

One of the most convenient benefits of investing in a digital scanner is that you can automatically send your digital impressions to your dental lab of choice – which can allow you to communicate with them immediately increasing the overall accuracy of the work.

If your current digital lab cannot accept your digital impressions, it might be time to consider working with a lab that can.

At SML Global, we are equipped to accept dental impressions from the most common digital scanners on the market: .STL files, ITERO, 3M, 3SHAPE, CARESTREAM, SIRONA, and the new Condor Intra-Oral Scanner.

There are a couple of uses for the “Essix” retainer. The Essix Retainer is a popular retainer for the extremely appearance-conscious patient and is most commonly used in orthodontic treatment as a final retainer to prevent teeth from shifting. 

When you have patient’s that won’t leave your dental office with missing teeth, another use for an essix retainer is to esthetically hold the place for the missing teeth that will eventually be replaced with dental implant supported crowns. This is especially effective during the healing process when you don’t want the teeth shifting. 

SML is currently open with an on-site staff that allows us to maintain social distancing and a safe environment for our employees. We are now open from 7:30am to 4:30pm Pacific Standard Time. Although we continue to improve our turnaround time, you may still experience a longer in lab time than you may be used to.  This is occurring because of the new protocols that have been put in place to insure the health and safety of our workers, you, your staff and the patients who will use our products.

If you have concerns about getting a case and you need something on an emergent basis, PLEASE CALL us!  We will assign a technician to fulfill your order as rapidly as possible.

Our Products department is fully functional. All product orders can be placed by accessing our products division online or, if you prefer, by calling us directly. Although there is still a significant disruption of our supply chain, we are fulfilling orders as quickly as we can.