Beck Dental Care of Columbia Blog

Sleep apnea is known to cause loud snoring and excessive tiredness during the day, but unfortunately, the problems don’t stop there. If the disorder is left untreated for too long, it can contribute to various health complications – including potentially life-threatening cardiovascular issues. How can sleep apnea affect your heart health? Your dentist is here with the facts.

Sleep apnea is an unpleasant medical condition that can cause a person to wake up more than a hundred times in a single night, which can greatly reduce the quality of their sleep and lead to a wide variety of health problems and quality-of-issues. Unfortunately, sleep apnea diagnoses have become more common in recent years, but there are a number of measures you can take to reduce your risk of developing this condition or mitigate its symptoms. Here are a few risk factors to look out for and how you can address them.

Did you know that an estimated 20% of people who experience anxiety around dental appointments are so afraid that they avoid scheduling visits? To make matters worse, approximately 9% to 15% have a fear so intense that they’ve never seen a dentist.

Fortunately, many providers offer medications, like nitrous oxide and oral conscious sedation, to help you feel calm and comfortable throughout your appointment. If you’re unsure which method is right for you, continue reading to learn more about them both!

One of the first things people notice about you is the quality of your smile, and if yours is riddled with imperfections, you might not make a good impression. Issues like stubborn stains, chips, cracks, slight gaps, or mild overcrowding can leave you feeling self-conscious about your appearance.

Your dentist in Columbia can boost your confidence with porcelain veneers, but many patients have questions about what to expect from this treatment. One common inquiry is whether there are dietary restrictions once these restorations are in place. Continue reading to learn more about it!

February is Children’s Dental Health Month, and around here that’s certainly reason to celebrate! In that spirit, here are five fascinating facts about children’s oral health that you may not have known.

Scheduling a routine checkup and cleaning prevents common issues like cavities and gum disease. Regularly seeing your dentist allows them to monitor your condition so they can spot and treat areas of concern, like bleeding gums or weakening enamel, before they progress.

However, did you know that your provider also screens your mouth for oral cancer during standard visits? If it’s been a while since your last dental appointment, keep reading to learn 3 things about this harmful condition that might motivate you to book your next visit!

Thanks to the All-on-4 procedure, you can have an entire row of teeth replaced with a lifelike full denture in as little as one appointment. This can obviously be an attractive option for many patients who have experienced extensive tooth loss – but is it truly the best choice for you? Before you decide whether to pursue All-on-4, it’s worth taking the time to consider the pros and cons of the treatment.

While 2024 isn’t quite over yet, it’ll wrap up before you know it. January is only a few short weeks away from bringing a new year and many new changes! With that said, you should consider making a trip to your local dental practice sooner rather than later. When you schedule a dental checkup early in the year, that timely session offers a slew of unique benefits. Learn more in this helpful primer from your local Columbia dentist and their team!

Sedation dentistry is commonly used in dental offices throughout the U.S. to help anxious individuals not only feel calmer while in the treatment chair but also receive necessary oral healthcare. There are multiple options available for patients, each designed to curb fears and nerves while effectively replacing them with a comfortable, more positive experience. As you prepare for your next appointment, you may be thinking about how you might benefit from this helpful add-on, but which method of sedation is right for you? Keep reading to find out.

Thanks to their ability to act as artificial tooth roots, dental implants have become a popular option for restoring incomplete smiles. But if you’re a smoker, you need to be careful; using cigarettes could have a less-than-positive impact on your chances for a successful treatment. Below is a quick look at how smoking can affect dental implants – and whether they’ll stop you from undergoing the procedure.