373 Ford Avenue
Fords, NJ 08863
Fords area cosmetic dentist Steven Puma, D.D.S. has extensive experience creating beautiful smiles. They're one of the first things people notice about you.
Our professional team will be happy to discuss your aesthetic dentistry options. The attractive results you'll get from Steven A. Puma, D.D.S can change your life!
For comfortable dental hygiene treatment in the Fords, New Jersey area, Dr. Steven Puma is known for having a gentle touch. The friendly team at Steven A. Puma, D.D.S provides teeth cleaning for a whiter smile.
Maintaining good dental hygiene is the foundation for healthy teeth and gums. We're committed to helping you have a lifetime of oral health.
Fords area restorative dentistry at Steven A. Puma, D.D.S can produce natural-looking results. If you have a damaged or missing tooth, we can help.
Our highly skilled team will assess your need for a crown, bridge, implant or other procedure to restore or improve your smile. Our goal is to provide quality dental care for your life-long oral health.
Steven A. Puma, D.D.S practices the highest infection control standards to protect our patients and ourselves. In the Fords, NJ area, Dr. Steven Puma and his staff strictly observe all Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines. All instruments are cleaned, disinfected and routinely sterilized as recommended by the American Dental Association and the Centers for Disease Control. Whenever possible, disposable, single-use items are used to ensure your safety.
For comfortable tooth cleaning in the Fords, New Jersey area, Dr. Steven Puma is known for having a gentle touch. The friendly team at Steven A. Puma, D.D.S provides dental hygiene treatments for a whiter smile.
Maintaining good dental hygiene is the foundation for healthy teeth and gums. We're committed to helping you have a lifetime of oral health.
1411 W Street Rd
Warminster, PA 18974
David Valen, D.M.D. is proud to be a popular Warminster area Lumineers® dentist. If you have sensitive teeth and want pain-free dental veneers, we can help.
Our highly trained team has extensive experience with this quick and easy procedure. We'll help you transform from feeling self-conscious to feeling confident about your bright new smile.
Signature Dental of Bucks County is a trusted Warminster area dental implants practice providing natural-looking, comfortable tooth replacement. We make it our mission to use a gentle touch during the process.
We hold ourselves to the highest standards to replace missing teeth and provide you with natural-looking results. Our goal is to restore your confidence and your bright, healthy smile.
Dr. David Valen at his Warminster dentistry practice is pleased to offer you a free smile analysis if you are 18 years old or older. Our friendly and professional team will make you feel comfortable and welcome.
We'll answer your questions and assess your dental needs to achieve long term oral health. Our goal is to make your visit enjoyable, and to give you the smile you deserve.
Signature Dental of Bucks County is a trusted Warminster area provider of Invisalign® for teens provider. We know that as a parent, the oral health and happiness of your teenager is important.
We're here to serve your family's needs, and ensure that your teens get the best results from their Invisalign® clear braces. You'll be thrilled with your teenager's straight teeth and confident smile.
David Valen, D.M.D. is proud to be a trusted Warminster area Zoom!® teeth whitening dentist. Our patients love the short amount of time the tooth whitening treatment takes as much as they love the results.
You'll be able to relax in our comfortable surroundings. In just about an hour, you'll have a sparkling white smile!
Eckel, David D.D.S.
25 Jackson Rd # A
Medford, NJ, 08055-9220
Spagnola, John R D.D.S.
103 Old Marlton Pike # 200
Medford, NJ, 08055-8702
Jones, Richard D.D.S.
332 Stokes Rd
Medford, NJ, 08055-8477
Mutch, Samuel J D.D.S.
308 Tuckerton Rd
Medford, NJ, 08055-8666
The first symptom you may notice is that you can't eat a Big Mac anymore; it's just too big for your mouth.
Or you have a headache and your shoulders are stiff; the pain fluctuates from bothersome to excruciating.
Or chewing gum becomes torture, and you find yourself ordering soup and yogurt.
These are some of the signs of a TMJ disorder.
The term is a catchall for a variety of disorders relating to the temporomandibular joint-or TMJ-of the jaw.
The TMJ, which lies just in front of the ears, is a complex system of bone, cartilage, muscle and nerve that when working properly gives the jaw tremendous versatility and strength.
When the joint is abused by teeth grinding, injured by a blow to the jaw or head, or weakened by age, jaw pain can result. Stress, trauma, a bad bite, or arthritis can strain the jaw beyond design.
Dentists are more familiar today than in previous generations with the symptoms: jaw clicking, jaw popping, migraine, headache and the causes and treatments for the complex disorders.
A more stressful society is also taking its physical toll. The most dramatic research shows one in five Americans suffer from some degree of TMJ disorder. More conservative estimates put the number at one in 10.
However, many of those cases only may reveal themselves through a rather benign clicking or popping in the jaw.
In turn, the treatments prescribed by TMJ treatment clinics range from counseling and psychological therapy to splints and, in severe cases, surgery.
+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.
The term malocclusion literally means "bad bite." It is a generalized term that refers to many different types of mal-relationships of the lower teeth to the upper teeth. In popular usage, any arrangement of the teeth that is at variance with a prescribed ideal is considered to be a malocclusion. But that is an oversimplification because some occlusions that appear to be ideal may be in disharmony with the jaw joints (the TMJs).
Such disharmony can be a source of many different problems with the teeth, the TMJs, or the jaw muscles. Even minute disharmonies of the bite can be a major factor in loosening the teeth, wearing away of the enamel, or fracturing off cusps. Other malocclusions can cause headaches or cause the teeth to be sore or sensitive to cold. Some malocclusions may be most noticeable because they result in an unattractive smile. Some severe malocclusions cause no discomfort whatsoever, while some minor bite problems can be a major source of pain.
Perhaps the best way to understand malocclusion is to understand what an ideal occlusion is. This understanding starts with a basic appreciation for how the jaw joints (the TMJs) function. The TMJs are important because they form the hinge for opening or closing the jaw. During closure in an ideal occlusion, the teeth should all contact simultaneously and with equal pressure when the jaw joints are fully seated up in their sockets. This harmony between the TMJs and the teeth is the most important requirement for a comfortable, stable bite. Any disharmony between the TMJs and the teeth requires the jaw muscles to hold the jaw joint out of its socket in order to completely close the teeth together. This type of malocclusion can cause many different problems but unfortunately the disharmony is easily missed unless the dentist is very careful in examining for it. It is commonly missed because the occlusion is examined visually without first verifying that the jaw joints are completely seated when the bite relationship is examined.
Depending on the type of malocclusion, correction of a bite disharmony requires careful selection from a variety of different treatment procedures. Even though principles of bite correction have been established with enough clarity to permit highly predictable results of comfort and stability, some dental educators claim that occlusal harmony is unimportant because the body can adapt. This viewpoint has resulted from a profuse amount of misinformation that has found its way into the literature. Patients with bite problems should feel free to ask the dentist to show them the problems that are resulting from the bad bite such as loose teeth, excessive tooth wear, or other visible signs, in addition to an understandable explanation of why the recommended treatment was selected.
The most common, and also the most practical methods for correcting most minor occlusal disharmonies is called occlusal equilibration. It involves direct reshaping of the biting surfaces by grinding and polishing selected tooth surfaces that interfere with comfortable jaw movements. When correctly done on properly selected patients, it is a conservative and effective treatment.
Some malocclusions may require more extensive treatment such as orthodontics. Teeth that are badly worn or that need the biting surfaces re-shaped may need crowns or other types of restorations. Surgical correction may be needed in some severe jaw misalignments to achieve the best result and appearance.
Most malocclusions can be corrected in a reversible trial approach by making a plastic appliance that fits over the teeth to change the biting surfaces so the jaw can close with even tooth contacts. These appliances are referred to as occlusal splints. A fancier name for them is "orthosis" but it means the same thing.
The important thing to understand about your bite is that you should be able to close your teeth together and squeeze very hard without causing any sign of tenderness or pain in any tooth or in the jaw joint. If you can't do this you probably have a malocclusion. You should know that the discomfort is almost always correctable with the right selection of treatment. Your dentist must also examine for other possible causes of pain that may exist in combination with your bite disorder. Nothing takes the place of a carefully made examination to determine the specific cause (or causes) for your discomfort.
By Peter E. Dawson, DDS
+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.
