Tag: frisco dental

Why Myofunctional Therapy?

Posted on by MillenSmiles_aDmEEN

Struggling with TMJD, sleep apnea, tooth clenching or tooth grinding or other uncomfortable dental condition? You may be a candidate for myofunctional therapy at Millennium Smiles. During myofunctional therapy, we work to retrain the tongue and other muscles that may be impacting your teeth, jaws and the health of your mouth.

Why Choose Myofunctional Therapy?

  • It’s noninvasive. Myofunctional therapy requires exercises and appliances – no surgery!
  • Appliances are removable versus fixed appliances used for orthodontic treatment.
  • It can be combined with other treatments for better results.
  • It is not just cosmetic treatment; it improves how your whole mouth functions for chewing, biting, speaking and swallowing.
  • It helps you breathe through your nose, which helps eliminate the negative consequences of mouth breathing.
  • Speaking of mouth breathing, myofunctional therapy can cure sleep apnea in some cases. How? Myofunctional therapy can retrain your tongue, face, and throat muscles to relax in a way that does not blog your airway.
  • Anyone can do it. While myofunctional therapy works best when patients are younger, it can still work for adults.

Who Does Myofunctional Therapy Help?

  • Individuals living with TMJD
  • Individuals who clench and grind their teeth
  • Individuals undergoing orthodontic treatment
  • Individuals experiencing orthodontic relapses, such as crowding, shifting, open bite, and crossbite
  • Individuals who breathe through their mouth
  • Individuals with tongue ties/tongue restriction and those who have had a frenectomy (tongue tie release surgery)
  • Individuals with bad oral habits such as thumb sucking and nail-biting
  • Individuals living with allergies
  • Individuals living with sleep apnea and other sleep breathing disorders
  • Individuals living with ADD/ADHD

Are you an individual with a condition we mentioned? Do you want to learn more about how myofunctional therapy from Millennium smiles can help you? Call us at 972-987-4899 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Korous today!

Don’t Put Off Seeing the Dentist

Posted on by MillenSmiles_aDmEEN

So, the American Dental Association suggests that individuals visit their dentists at least twice per year, but while twice a year is great for some, others may need to make more frequent appointments for things such as periodontal maintenance, extra cleanings, or because they have a condition, such as sleep apnea or TMJD that requires extra attention. But, when else should you visit Millennium Smiles?

If you’re experiencing any of these situations, call today to schedule an appointment:

Pain. Many things can be the source of tooth pain, but all of the reasons mean you need to see a dentist. The most common reasons include cavities, tooth sensitivity, an abscess, or injury, but also pain caused by tooth clenching and tooth grinding. Pain can also be caused by gum disease or heavy-handed brushing. If you’re experiencing tooth pain or discomfort, do not delay. We repeat: do not delay. Call us to schedule an appointment as soon as possible.

Sensitivity. Are you living with tooth sensitivity? Does it hurt when you drink hot coffee or iced tea? Do you ask for “water without ice” when out to eat? If you’re avoiding your favorite food and drinks because your teeth hurt, you don’t have to live with pain. Call Millennium Smiles today and get seen by Dr. Korous. Sensitive teeth can be caused by tooth decay, enamel loss, gum disease, injury, an exposed tooth root, injury, or heavy-handed brushing. Dr. Korous will be able to help get you out of pain and back to eating ice cream in no time.

Damage. Do you have a tooth or teeth that are chipped, cracked, or fractured? If so, schedule an appointment as soon as possible to get checked. During your appointment, Dr. Korous will be able to assess the damage and see if your tooth can be saved. If your tooth cannot be saved, Millennium Smiles offers a wide range of cosmetic dental solutions to restore your smile.

Dry Mouth. Did you know that chronic dry mouth is a problem? If you are living with long-term dry mouth, no matter how much you drink or rinse, you may have an underlying health condition that can negatively impact your oral health. Call now to set up an appointment to discuss your dry mouth concerns.

Bad Breath. Bad breath happens to everyone at some point, but bad breath that won’t go away no matter how much you brush could mean that you are living with tooth decay or gum disease. Talk to Dr. Korous about what you’re experiencing and get a solution for chronic bad breath.

If you’re experiencing any of these conditions, call us today at 972-987-4899 to get an appointment.

Brushing Correctly? Make Sure With These Tips From Dr. Korous!

Posted on by MillenSmiles_aDmEEN

Do you think you’re a pro at brushing your teeth? You probably have been doing it many years now, and really, is there a wrong way to do it? It turns out, there actually is. Improper brushing can lead to cavities, tooth decay, and gum disease. Find out how to make sure you take care of your teeth the right way with these teeth brushing tips from Millennium Smiles

1. Check Your Form. Are you holding your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle when you brush? This is the angle recommended by the American Dental Association to clean your teeth effectively. Why? Because brushing your teeth at a 45-degree angle allows the bristles of your toothbrush to reach all surfaces of your teeth. Brushing with your toothbrush at this angle is especially important when brushing your molars because the curves of these teeth make cleaning them properly critical. While we are talking about brushing, be sure not to put too much force on your teeth because you could wear away enamel. 

2. Check Your Brush. While a manual toothbrush can get your teeth clean, its cleaning capabilities are nothing compared to those of a soft-bristled electric toothbrush. Using an electric toothbrush means a more efficient and thorough cleaning. Dr. Korous offers patients several different electric toothbrush options. Ask her what toothbrush she recommends for you when you are in for your next appointment.

3. Check Your Time. Did you know that it takes two full minutes of brushing to make sure all the surfaces of your teeth are clean? The ADA and Dr. Korous recommend that you brush two full minutes every time you brush to ensure you removing sticky dental plaque. Time yourself next time you brush to see if you’re brushing for a full two minutes.

4. Check Your Tongue. One of the most common mistakes people make when brushing their teeth is that they forget to brush their tongue. The tongue collects the same bacteria as the teeth and gums, so brushing is key to keeping your mouth healthy. It also keeps your breath fresh, too!

5. Take Time to Floss. Did you know that flossing does 40 percent of the work of your toothbrush? Flossing helps to remove food particles that get stuck between your teeth and can’t be removed by your brush. Getting these particles out of your teeth takes the food source away from the bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease.

Now that you know how if you’re brushing correctly, it’s time to schedule a cleaning with us! Call Millennium Smiles, your Frisco dental experts, today at 972-987-4899.

What Is Tongue Thrust?

Posted on by MillenSmiles_aDmEEN

Usually when a person swallows food or liquid the tongue pushes on the area behind the upper front teeth. However, a person with tongue thrust routinely pushes the tongue between the top and bottom front teeth when swallowing.

This habit, which is also known as reverse swallowing, might sound harmless, but it can lead to various health problems. If left untreated, teeth can become misaligned, jaw development can be negatively impacted, a lisp might develop, and swallowing patterns can become abnormal. With those complications in mind, it’s best to try to identify the problem as soon as possible.

Signs and Causes of Tongue Thrust

Some commons signs of tongue thrust include:

  • Lips rest in open position

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  • Tongue rests against or between teeth
  • Difficulty breathing through the nose
  • Speech production issues
  • Messy or noisy eating
  • Snoring

The causes of tongue thrust range from hereditary factors to daily habits. For example, tongue-tie, an enlarged tongue, or enlarged tonsils can lead a child to thrust his or her tongue forward while swallowing.

Children who continue to suck on their thumbs or on a bottle beyond the usual timeframe can also develop tongue thrust. It’s normal for an infant to have tongue thrust while breastfeeding or bottle-feeding, but the baby’s swallowing patterns need to eventually change as he or she grows.

Obstructed breathing, whether in the form of nasal congestion or allergies, can also cause tongue thrust, as the tongue is forced into a new position to make mouth breathing easier.

Treatment

It’s possible to correct tongue thrust with the help of Dr. Korous and some cooperation from the patient. Myofunctional therapy, a series of oral exercises, can retrain the tongue to move and rest in healthier ways. In some cases, a Myrobrace appliance is also used to correct the problem, but it is often still accompanied by the therapy exercises.

If you think your child may have tongue thrust or want to learn more about Myobrace and myofunctional therapy, call to schedule a consultation by calling our Frisco dental office today.

Video

Watch the video below to see how tongue thrust impacts jaw development and tooth alignment.

Orthodontic Relapse and Myofunctional Disorders

Posted on by MillenSmiles_aDmEEN

Imagine this situation: A teenager spends several months wearing braces or Invisalign to correct misaligned teeth. Roughly a year after the orthodontic treatment ends, the teeth begin to shift back into their problematic spaces.

This sort of relapse often occurs when the underlying causes of the original misalignment are never fully addressed. Under constant pressure from a myofunctional disorder, the teeth will become crooked again, and the patient is back to where he or she started.

Cause of Relapse

Many people believe that orthodontic relapse is the result of tongue thrust – routinely thrusting the tongue between the top and bottom front teeth when swallowing. However, the shift in teeth can be also related to the tongue’s resting position, rather than its movements. The same applies to the resting positions of the mandible and the lips.

Unresolved myofunctional conditions, such as tongue-tie, lip-tie, airway obstruction, and unusual swallowing patterns, can all indicate that the tongue, lips, and mandible aren’t resting properly. In addition to reversing the effects of previous orthodontic treatments, these disorders also come with other unpleasant symptoms that a patient might want to reduce. For example, obstructed airways often lead to sleep apnea, which is characterized by difficulty breathing when sleeping. So the patient will find multiple health benefits to resolving the issue.

Dr. Korous recently met with a teen who was experiencing orthodontic relapse. The spacing returned to his upper teeth, and on the bottom his front teeth shifted forward creating spaces behind the canines on either side. Dr. Korous recognized this was due to an unresolved myofunctional disorder. His tongue was pushing his teeth forward.

He also experienced snoring and teeth grinding – signs of a breathing obstruction. Another indication was that when he was younger, his tonsils and adenoids were removed. Many children have their tonsils and adenoids removed, but no one asks why they got enlarged to being with and what is the underlying cause? A breathing issue, most often an obstruction in airway, can lead to the enlargement.

Dr. Korous confirmed an airway blockage by observing a Mallampati score of 4 in the patient.

Treatment

Myofunctional therapy is typically the key to changing the resting position of the tongue and other parts of the mouth. In some cases, such as with tongue-tie, minor surgery is required, but even that step should be followed up with therapy. The exercises a patient performs during myofunctional therapy will train the structures of the oral cavity to not only move correctly, but to rest properly when not in use.

For the teen mentioned above, Dr, Korous will propose a multi-step treatment plan that could include:

  • Sleep test to diagnose sleep apnea,
  • Myofunctional therapy with Myobrace
  • Laser tongue-tie procedure
  • Myofunctional therapy after the procedure
  • Second-phase orthodontic treatment to realign teeth.

A patient should only consider braces, Invisalign, or other orthodontic treatment after all underlying conditions have been corrected. Otherwise, he or she risks having to spend more time and money trying to fix the orthodontic relapse.

If you are living in Frisco or Little Elm, and think you’re experiencing orthodontic relapse or may have an myofunctional disorder, call Millennium Smiles today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Korous.

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