Dental Emergencies

Dental Emergencies

Dental emergencies can happen to anyone at any time. At Bishop & Bishop Dental, we understand dental emergencies may not only be painful, but also stressful. Our office facilitates emergency calls to ease your concerns and get you the help you need.

 

It is important to understand what constitutes a dental emergency in order for you to seek help as soon as possible. Dental emergencies may involve trauma to the teeth or gums including an injury, which results in a tooth knocked out. Another dental emergency is tooth pain, which is accompanied by swelling in the mouth and face. A seriously fractured tooth and dental pain, which lasts for hours or is not relieved by over the counter medication, is also considered a dental emergency.

 

If you think you have a dental emergency, don’t ignore it. Not being treating for a dental emergency can lead to additional problems and complications. For example, some dental emergencies may damage blood vessels and nerves if they are not treated promptly. Additionally, if a tooth has been knocked out, the sooner you are treated the higher the chances of tooth survival.

 

Our dentists and staff at Bishop & Bishop Dental take your dental health seriously. If you think you have a dental emergency, don’t hesitate to call our office. For more information on our practice or to schedule an appointment please call our office at 301-608-9270.

TMD and TMJ

TMD and TMJ

Temporomandibular joints, also known as TMJ, provide a connection between the skull and the lower jaw. Most people don’t realize it exists until they start experiencing ear pain or headaches.

Here at Bishop & Bishop Dental, we see many patients who complain of unexplained pain in their jaw and determine they have TMD and TMJ. Dr. David Bishop offers treatment options to help reduce the pain and discomfort of this condition.

 

Treatments for TMD and TMJ include the following options:

 

1. Muscle relaxants and medications

2. Mouth guards

3. TMJ surgery

 

We offer mouth guards as the first option aside from pain relief medications, because many of our patients experience less pain when waking up from grinding their teeth at night. This helps them get through the day much more comfortably. TMD and TMJ surgery is typically only needed in more severe cases or when other treatments don’t work.

 

Visit our clinic in Silver Spring, MD to discuss the different options we offer for TMD and TMJ.

 

Benefits of Electric Toothbrushes

Benefits of Electric Toothbrushes

Here at Bishop & Bishop Dental, we want to help our patients prevent oral health problems as much as possible so they don’t deal with extensive procedures later on. Dr. David Bishop encourages the use of power toothbrushes, showing the many benefits of electric toothbrushes in terms of dental hygiene and periodontal health our patients can achieve. While brushing manually with a traditional toothbrush twice a day get the teeth and gums clean, electric toothbrushes go even further and have other advantages as well.

 

Our patients benefit in a number of ways by using electric toothbrushes, including:

• Getting cleaner teeth
• Not brushing too hard
• Brushing their teeth for the recommended time
• Brushing thoroughly with dexterity problems
• Being more environmentally friendly

Electric toothbrushes are easy to use and come with multiple attachments for every family member. To use it properly, angle it at a 45-degree angle and place it on the tooth where the gum line is. The bristled gently turn and vibrate, cleaning more plaque in the same amount of time. Many electric toothbrushes contain a timer that lets you know how long you should brush your teeth. By using an electric toothbrush, our patients come to our office less frequently with dental problems.

Contact us at 301-608-9270 for any questions or concerns about the benefits of electric toothbrushes.

Snoring & Snoring Devices

Snoring & Snoring Devices

Bishop & Bishop Dental provides dental care for all types of oral health issues, including snoring and snoring devices. We offer a variety of oral appliances and devices that help our patients stop snoring whether it is related to sleep apnea or due to the tissues in their throat.

 

These devices are custom made to be comfortable and secure while patients sleep, reducing snoring and helping them get better sleep. Dr. David Bishop also provides oral appliances specifically for patients struggling with sleep apnea, which is a common cause of snoring.

 

Snoring and snoring devices available here in our dental practice help position the jaw and tongue while sleeping, increase the tongue’s muscle tone so it is more relaxed during sleep, and stabilize the tongue and jaw.

 

Tongue retaining appliances, CPAP machines for sleep apnea, and mandibular repositioning appliances that keep the lower jaw in a protruded position are just a few of the various appliances available to help with snoring.

 

Please call us at 301-608-9270 to learn more about snoring and snoring devices we provide and how they can help you stop snoring at night.