Tender Teeth Habits

If you avoid eating cold foods or drinking hot beverages because your teeth are tender to the touch, it may be time to get treatment. If you have sensitive teeth, our doctors at Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center may recommend dental sealants or fluoride treatments to decrease sensitivity. Sometimes the solution is simply breaking bad habits. If you catch yourself performing any of the following tasks, do your best to stop yourself in your tracks.

• You’re brushing too hard – over time, if you brush with too much force, you can wear down the protective layers of your teeth and expose the microscopic hollow tubes or canals that lead to your dental nerves. When these tubules are exposed, tooth sensitivity is a result.


• You’re eating too many acidic foods – If the pathways to your nerves are exposed, acidic foods will leave you in pain.


• You have tooth decay – If you have tooth decay, it’s easy for bacteria to accumulate in these tiny crevices, which causes acid build-up and enamel breakdown.


• You’re a tooth grinder – Grinding your teeth can wear down your enamel. This exposes the dentin and causes sensitive teeth.

If you need assistance breaking your bad oral habits, please give us a call. To learn more about the services we provide at the practice, visit www.nicholascosmeticdentalcenter.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center in Philadelphia, PA, call 215-279-1193.

Different Stages of Gum Disease

If you want to keep your permanent teeth for a lifetime, then you need to brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss at least once a day. If you don’t practice a proper oral hygiene routine on a daily basis, then you’re already headed down the road toward gum disease. Gum disease is an inflammation of the gums that can progress to affect the bone that surrounds and supports your teeth and there are three stages that you need to be aware of. You should always schedule professional cleanings and oral exams at Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center twice a year to keep your gums healthy.  

• Gingivitis – This is the earliest stage of gum disease, an inflammation of the gums caused by plaque buildup at the gum line. If daily brushing and flossing do not remove the plaque, it produces toxins that can irritate the gum tissue, causing gingivitis. This is when you’ll notice blood in the sink after you complete your brushing routine. However, at this early stage, damage can be reversed, since the bone and connective tissue that hold the teeth in place are not yet affected.


• Periodontitis – This is the second stage of gum disease. By this point, the supporting bone and fibers that hold your teeth in place are irreversibly damaged. Your gums may even begin to form a pocket below the gum line, which traps food and plaque.


• Advanced Periodontitis – This is the final stage of gum disease, and the fibers and bone supporting your teeth are officially destroyed. In this case, your teeth may begin to shift or loosen and your bite may also be affected. If aggressive treatment can’t save them, the teeth will need to be extracted.

If you experience gum inflammation, please give us a call to discuss your treatment options. To learn more about the services we provide at the practice, visit www.nicholascosmeticdentalcenter.com for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center in Philadelphia, PA, call 215-279-1193.

Foods to Avoid with TMJ Pain

When dealing with TMJ pain, you will have to become aware of what causes your pain. For many, simply chewing their food can cause irritation. At Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center in Philadelphia, PA, we want to give our patients a heads up on the foods that can irritate the jaw.

Very chewy foods are a type of food that should be avoided when you have TMJ dysfunction. Sticky candies like caramel and gum, tougher meats and chewy shellfish should be avoided. Choose tender cuts of meat and cook it accordingly. If you still have a taste for seafood, choose a more tender option like fish.

Crunchy and hard foods can also be very aggravating to the TMJs. Crunchy chips and popcorn take a lot of force to chew through. Raw carrots are another likely culprit. Carrots and other hard veggies may be irritating raw, but they are still important for your nutrition, so just cook them until they are softer and easier to chew.

In addition to irritating foods, overextending your mouth can also cause TMJ irritation. Cut your food into smaller pieces.

TMJ dysfunction can be painful. Here at Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center, we are able to treat our patients with TMD in our Philadelphia, PA office. To schedule with us, call (215) 279-1193 or visit our website, www.nicholascosmeticdentalcenter.com. 

Sleep Apnea Treatment

Sleep apnea is a dangerous condition that should not be ignored. In order to help our patients breathe easy at night, at Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center in Philadelphia, PA, we treat sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is dangerous because a patient can stop breathing throughout the night ten times or a hundred times. It leads to increase risk of heart failure, stroke, liver problems, are more. It also leads to daily daytime fatigue.

In our Philadelphia, PA office, we have several surgical options to solve sleep apnea. An uvulopalatopharyngoplasty is a procedure we perform that removes excess tissue from the soft palate and the throat. Another option is maxillomandibular advancement, which moves the whole jaw forward and creates more room in the back of the throat. When these procedures do not work, we can perform a tracheostomy. In this procedure, we insert a tube in the throat that is open for breathing during sleep and closed during the day.

Sleep apnea is a problem that needs to be addressed. If you are suffering, schedule an appointment at Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center in Philadelphia, PA. To schedule, call our office at (215) 279-1193 or visit our website, www.nicholascosmeticdentalcenter.com.