The visual effects of damaged teeth are obvious, but did you know issues like chips, gaps and roughness can also impede your dental health and hygiene? Dental problems can make it difficult to properly brush and floss, leaving your teeth more susceptible to bacterial growth and decay.

Veneers offer the dual benefits of improving the appearance and health of your teeth for a winning smile. Dr. Michael Pugh of Artistic Dentistry in Huntsville, AL, can fit you with veneers that look and feel natural.

What are veneers?

Dental veneers are slim coverings affixed to the front of your teeth to conceal damage and flaws. Veneers are a long-lasting and durable way to improve the look and health of your teeth.

What are the benefits of veneers?

Veneers offer a quick makeover for your smile. Whether you have deeply stained teeth, chips, cracks, gaps, jaggedness, or rough teeth, veneers fully cover the damage. Veneers from our Huntsville, AL, office are sized and shaped to fit your mouth so they look like natural teeth. 

Dental hygiene and dental health go hand in hand. If you have damaged teeth, it can be difficult to maneuver your toothbrush and floss to reach every space and surface. Exposed damage can become infiltrated with bacteria, which can lead to plaque and cavities. Veneers can also help protect your gums from if your original teeth are worn down along the gum line.

With brushing and flossing simplified, you will be better able to keep your smile shiny and clean. Veneers offer the added benefit of repelling stains from foods and beverages, so your teeth will stay whiter longer.

Discover the benefits of veneers from the Huntsville, AL, office of Dr. Pugh. Call Artistic Dentistry at (256) 536-3386.

Artistic Dentistry with Dr. Michael Pugh as your cosmetic dentist in Huntsville, AL. We can help you get to your brightest, whitest smile with teeth whitening treatments, but you need to keep up good habits if you want your teeth to stay free of stains. Keep reading for tips for protecting your teeth from stains, and come see us in Huntsville, AL, if you're unhappy with the shade of your smile.

Hygiene routine

You need to take great care of your teeth to keep them at their brightest and whitest. Your dentist will recommend brushing for two minutes twice a day and flossing at least once a day. If you have a history of cavities you may want to add a fluoride rinse to your routine. Daily brushing and flossing keep plaque from building up on your teeth, preventing tooth decay and gum disease, and keeping your teeth free from stains.

Smart choices

Smoking can lead to heavy staining on your teeth, and your dentist will always recommend quitting smoking to prevent oral cancer. Most people can't quit on their own or on their first try, so don't get discouraged! Make the change for the health of your mouth, and to maintain a beautiful smile.

Certain drinks like coffee, tea, soda, and wine can lead to staining on the teeth. Enjoy these beverages occasionally and with water so your teeth get rinsed at the same time. You can also use a straw to limit your teeth' exposure to the drinks.

Regular appointments

When you want to keep your teeth white, it's important to keep up with regular teeth cleaning appointments at your cosmetic dentist in Huntsville, AL, twice a year. At a professional teeth cleaning appointment, all plaque and tartar are removed from the surfaces of the teeth. This also helps prevent tooth decay and gum disease.

If you're unhappy with the shade of your smile, Artistic Dentistry by Dr. Michael Pugh can help give you a boost of brightness. Keep taking great care of your teeth to protect them from stains! Contact us for an appointment in Huntsville, AL, at (256) 536-3386.

When you have missing or broken teeth, you don't need to hide your smile. Dr. Michael Pugh is a dentist at Artistic Dentistry, located in Huntsville, AL, and a dentist like him can close the gaps in your smile with a dental bridge.

What Are Dental Bridges?

Dental bridges are literal bridges for any gaps in your teeth created by a missing tooth or teeth. A bridge consists of two teeth working as an anchor with a false tooth or teeth in between them. The anchor teeth are known as abutment teeth, with the false teeth known as pontics. A dentist will offer pontics made from gold, porcelain, alloy, or a combination of materials. Your natural teeth or dental implants support the dental bridge.

Dental bridges are permanent appliances and can be made up of several pieces fused to fill open spaces in your mouth and provide a better alternative to partial dentures.

Types of Dental Bridges

There are four main types of dental bridges offered by your dentist:

1. Traditional fixed bridge: most common and consists of a crown on either side of the pontic or false teeth.
2. Maryland dental bridge: used to replace the front teeth and uses porcelain instead of crowns bonded to the back of your teeth. Also known as a resin-bonded bridge.
3. Implant-support bridge: the dentist will place a dental implant for any missing teeth and then apply this bridge over them in a later procedure.
4. Cantilever bridge: When one side of the gap contains a single crown, the dentist will anchor a natural tooth and the pontic onto the natural tooth.

Advantages of Dental Bridges

When you come in for your consultation appointment with Dr. Pugh in Huntsville, AL, the dentist will perform an exam and determine if you are a candidate for a dental bridge. The advantages that come after receiving a dental bridge are many, and they include:

• Restoring your natural smile
• Maintaining a typical facial structure because you are preventing jaw bone loss from the previously missing tooth or teeth
• You are restoring your ability to chew food properly
• Maintain normal speech function
• You prevent any further dental problems, such as nearby teeth moving into the space of your missing teeth, leading to further complications.

Not everyone is a good candidate for a dental bridge, but you and your dentist can discuss this and other ways to get your smile back today. Call Dr. Pugh at Artistic Dentistry today. He is the dentist you need, located in the Huntsville, AL, area at phone (256) 536-3386.

Teeth are strong and built to withstand biting, chewing, and constant use, but they aren't impervious to damage, whether due to injury, decay, or accidents.

Chips, cracks, and cavities can leave your teeth in disrepair, but a dental crown can fix the damage and restore the health and appearance of your teeth. Your dentist, Dr. Michael Pugh of Artistic Dentistry in Huntsville, AL, can fix your teeth in no time so your smile is beautiful and healthy.

What are dental crowns?

Dental crowns are caps that conceal and protect the damaged portion of a tooth. Crowns can repair chips, cracks, rough surfaces, the void from a cavity that can't be filled, jagged teeth, or severe discoloration.

What are the benefits of dental crowns?

Dental crowns improve the health of your teeth by protecting the damaged portion from bacterial growth and infection, which could spread to the surrounding teeth and cause decay.

Because crowns are colored and sized to match your tooth, they are undetectable, looking natural, and attractive.

Your tooth will also function better, restoring your ability to bite and chew properly and comfortably.

How is a dental crown applied?

Your Huntsville, AL, dentist, Dr.  Pugh, will begin by lightly scuffing the surface of the damaged tooth to accommodate a crown, which will be custom-made to fit snugly. The crown will be cemented to your tooth and cured so it becomes permanent. Your dentist will make any necessary adjustments so the crown is the same shape and hue as the rest of your teeth.

How do I care for a dental crown?

Your crown can be brushed like a normal tooth. Avoid especially hard or sticky foods, which could damage your crown.

Make your damaged tooth look and feel its best with dental crowns from your dentist, Dr. Pugh of Artistic Dentistry in Huntsville, AL. Call us at (256) 536-3386 to schedule an appointment.

Your Huntsville, AL, dentist, Dr. Michael Pugh offers the services and treatments you need to keep your smile healthy and attractive. Do you know when you need to visit the dentist? If you experience any of these five dental issues, it's a good idea to schedule an appointment.

Your tooth hurts

A toothache is a very good reason to call the Huntsville dental office. Tooth pain can be caused by a variety of oral health problems, including cavities, sensitive gums, cracked teeth or fillings, dying nerves, and abscesses. Prompt treatment will end your pain and prevent the issue from worsening.

Your gums are red and hurt

Painful, swollen, red gums can be a sign of gum disease. The disease can destroy gum tissue, bones, and ligaments and may even cause you to lose teeth. Call the office if you notice pain, swelling, and redness in your gums.

Do your gums bleed when you brush and floss your teeth? Bleeding can be a sign of gingivitis, the early form of gum disease. A dental cleaning and better oral hygiene may improve your gum health if you have gingivitis.

The bottoms of your teeth are covered in a hard brown substance

Do you have a brown coating on the bottoms of your teeth that won't budge no matter how often you brush? The substance may be tartar, a hard deposit that forms when plaque remains on your teeth for as little as 10 days. Tartar isn't just unattractive but can irritate your gums and increase your risk of gum disease.

Fortunately, the dental hygienists at the Huntsville office have special tools that can chip away tartar without harming your teeth. When you schedule checkups every six months, you'll receive a thorough cleaning that will remove plaque and tartar.

You're concerned about the appearance of your smile

There's no reason to live with a smile you don't like. Your dentist can improve your appearance with these and other treatments:

• Crowns to restore broken or damaged teeth or improve tooth appearance
• Veneers to hide flaws and imperfections in the fronts of teeth
• Teeth whitening to brighten your smile
• Invisalign to correct orthodontic problems discreetly
• Bonding to repair damage and enhance tooth appearance
• Bridges, dentures, and dental implants to replace missing teeth

You're worried about a lump or spot

Your dentist can also diagnose strange lumps or patches in your mouth. As these symptoms may be signs of oral cancer, it's important to get them checked out as soon as possible. Your dentist also performs an oral cancer screening during every dental checkup.

Protect your dental health with regular visits to your dentist in Huntsville, AL, Dr. Michael Pugh. Call Dr. Pugh at (256) 536-3386 to schedule your appointment.