Diabetes and Dental Health

Maintaining proper oral hygiene is important for anyone who wants to prevent gum disease. However, people with diabetes need to be especially diligent. According to the American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes are at an increased risk of gum disease.

Our staff at Cadena Dentistry offers a full array of dental services including dental hygiene and periodontal health services in order to help you maintain good oral health. Gum disease and diabetes appear to be connected in a few ways. Fluctuating blood glucose levels are believed to make problems with the gums more likely. In addition, research has indicated gum disease may affect blood sugar levels and even contribute to the progression of diabetes.

At Cadena Dentistry, our experienced staff will help you learn ways to reduce your risk of gum disease. We offer services including periodontal cleanings and individualized treatment plans. Gum disease is a preventable complication of diabetes. For those who already have signs of periodontal disease, the condition is treatable and further progression can be prevented.

Root Canals

Root canals are performed when there is an infection deep within the nerves and root of a tooth. Our dentists Dr. Louis Cadena and Dr. Valerie Cadena Vargas will start by numbing the area with a local anesthetic, and then drills a hole into the tooth to reach the canal. Your doctor will then clean out the infection and infected tissue, and fills up the hole with a material called gutta percha. It is not a difficult or long procedure, but one that is necessary to get rid of the infection and save the tooth.

The root canal procedure is over in about an hour, after which Dr. Cadena recommends the following aftercare instructions:

1) The patient should avoid eating on the tooth for several days as it can be sensitive.

2) After one week, the patient should return to our office to get an impression of the tooth for a permanent crown. We will fit them with a temporary crown.

3) In 1-2 weeks, the patient should return to our office a final time to get the permanent crown bonded to their tooth.

4) Patients must reach us immediately if they notice excessive bleeding, severe pain or a high fever.

5) Patients should take all prescribed medications, including any antibiotics.

To find out more about root canals and how they are performed, call us here Cadena Dentistry at 830-775-3322 to schedule your appointment!

Full Mouth Rehabilitation

Here at Cadena Dentistry in Del Rio, TX, we keep our patients’ needs in mind when deciding what treatments and dental services we provide. This includes full mouth rehabilitation, as many of our patients have not one, but multiple problems with their dental health.

With full mouth reconstruction, patients choose from a variety of procedures performed in succession — ranging from dentures or implants to crowns and inlays — to give them a brand new smile.

Some of the common procedures our patients choose for their full mouth reconstruction include:

1. Dental fillings

2. Inlays and onlays

3. Dental bridges

4. Dental crowns

5. Dental implants

6. Dentures and partials

7. Root canals

8. Treatment for gum disease

9. Treatment for TMJ disorders

There are many reasons someone might choose a full mouth reconstruction. Examples include having had a trauma that caused loss or damage to several teeth, having severe decay or gum disease, or experiencing loss of tooth structure from extensive clenching and grinding of the teeth.

After consultation with our dentist Dr. Louis Cadena, patients choose what procedures to receive for full mouth rehabilitation and reconstruction. Call 830-775-3322 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Louis Cadena. You can also visit www.cadenadentistry.com to learn more about your full mouth rehabilitation options!

Periodontics: Caring for your gums

Caring for your teeth is an essential part of maintaining good oral health, but your gums also play an important role in your health, and proper care is crucial. Gum disease can be a serious detriment to your oral health and overall wellness, and Dr. Louis H. Cadena of Cadena Dentistry provides the regular periodontal and checkups you need to maintain peak periodontal health and prevent gum disease.

With periodontal disease responsible for 75 percent of all adult tooth loss cases in the United States, it is critical to check for and treat periodontal issues when they first arise. Periodontal disease is an infection of the gums that starts when a build-up of plaque on your teeth hardens into tartar. As the tartar accumulates, bacteria collect and attack the soft tissue in the surrounding gums. In its early stages, this gum disease is gingivitis, but if it is left untreated, it becomes periodontis. Periodontis can destroy your gum tissue and lead to tooth loss. Periodontis can even result in a loss of bone mass in your jaw bone, and heart disease, diabetes and stroke have also been linked to poor periodontal health.

The state of your gums affects the health of your entire body, so come to our office for periodontal cleanings and treatment. We will make sure your gums are well cared for. Call 830-775-3322 to schedule an appointment. For more information about our practice, visit www.cadenadentistry.com.

ZOOM! Whitening

Teeth whitening is one of many cosmetic dental services we provide here in our Del Rio, TX clinic. Patients come to us with discoloration or staining of their teeth, and can choose from a variety of whitening products. ZOOM! whitening is one of our more popular types of teeth whitening due to the fast results and that it is done in about an hour.

 

ZOOM! whitening works by first applying a whitening gel, then using a low intensity lamp to shine directly onto the teeth. The light helps activate the whitening gel, which then causes it to seep deep into the tooth enamel. It is a safe and effective process that only takes about an hour in our practice. Many patients get it done during their lunch break, and can go right back to work.

 

Patients often prefer ZOOM! whitening not just for the quick results, but because it doesn’t leave sensitivity or soreness of the gums — not to mention that it is long-lasting.

 

If you want to get your teeth whitened through our chair side procedure, schedule a ZOOM! whitening appointment today with our team here at Cadena Dentistry.

Rotary Endodontics

If you’ve had a root canal to save an infected tooth, it probably didn’t occur to you to ask what types of tools your dentist used. However, if your dentist used the old, manual file for removing the infection, the procedure may have been more nerve racking than if rotary endodontics technology was used. That’s why our team here at Cadena Dentistry uses these tools in our office in Del Rio, TX.

 

Providing a smoother, more comfortable experience during root canals, rotary endodontics technology gives your doctor the ability to remove the infected pulp in the inner root canal more quickly, more smoothly and with less chance of complications. These electric instruments prove superior to the traditional, stainless steel files. They are made of nickel titanium, which is much more flexible than stainless steel, so it can be inserted into the curved root canal without damaging the passageway.

 

In addition, the tools are much quieter, without the grinding noise that other tools produce, which can help with your nerves during the procedure. This is why both the doctor and patients prefer this technology. While the manual method works adequately at saving teeth during root canals, rotary endodontics tools are much less scary and are easier to use.

 

We prefer to use this technology at our office in Del Rio, TX because we always put our patients’ first and the tools are smoother, quicker and more consistent than the traditional method. To schedule an appointment, call our office in Del Rio, TX at (830) 775-3322. For more information, visitwww.cadenadentistry.com. 

Bone Grafting

In some cases, our patients do not have the proper amount of bone mass in their jaw to allow for the placement of dental implants. However, thanks to recent developments in bone grafting, people who would not have qualified a few years ago can now receive dental implants. In Del Rio, TX office, Dr. Louis Cadena, Dr. Valerie Cadena Vargas and Dr. Jerome Gibson perform bone grafting to increase the amount of bone in his patients’ jaw to allow for future implants.

 

There are several bone grafting techniques, but they can all be grouped into two types. The first type of bone grafting is the most extensive type and is performed only by an oral surgeon. Always done as a surgery separate from dental implant placement, this first type of grafting makes large changes to the shape and size of the dental ridge for the sake of implants, which are usually not implanted until several months later.

 

The second type of bone grafting is usually performed if the jaw has enough bone for implant placement but not enough to completely cover the sides of the implant. These grafts are usually small and performed when dental implants are placed.

 

Whether you need bone grafting or not, if you’re looking to receive dental implants, we can make it happen. To schedule an appointment, call our office in Del Rio, TX at (830) 775-3322. For more information, visit www.cadenadentistry.com.