Dentures & Dental Implants Dentistry

Tired of Dentures Slipping? 
We can design and fit natural-looking dentures that won’t slip! This breakthrough involves anchoring the denture plate so securely that you no longer have to worry about the foods you eat or that your dentures might shift or slip. If you are a denture wearer, be sure to ask us about this. It will make your life so much easier.

Dental Implant Restoration for a Perfect Smile 
Missing teeth can cause difficulties in chewing and make you self-conscious about your smile. We have an excellent solution – dental implant restorations! After an oral surgeon places a titanium post, Dr. Shearer will custom-create natural-looking restorations. These will match the rest of your teeth, function just like the originals, and be impossible for anyone to detect! Get the smile you deserve – permanently!


Dentist North Little Rock ARSpringhill Dental, PLLC3401 Springhill Drive, Suite 285North Little Rock, AR 72117Telephone: (501) 955-0155

Diet and Oral Health

Cut the sugar, grab the milk!

Each time you eat a snack containing sugar or starch (carbohydrates), the resulting acid attack on your teeth can last up to 20 minutes, and a lot of snacks and drinks contain sugar. How much sugar? A single can of pop contains up to 10 teaspoons of sugar, and if you think that natural sugar (like the sugar in raisins or other fruit) is better for your teeth it’s not. Sugar is sugar, and the average Canadian consumes over 40 kilograms of sugar each year! Click here for a list of how much sugar your favorite snack might contain.

How can you defeat the sugar bug?


Beat the Clock - foods that are eaten during a meal usually pose less of a threat to teeth because of the additional saliva produced during mealtime eating. Saliva helps to wash food particles from your mouth and lessen the damage from acid.


Brush & floss those teeth - toothbrushing is important, and you should brush twice a day. Did you know that if you don’t floss, you miss cleaning up to 35% of each tooth? If you’re not sure how to floss, just ask your dentist.

Stock up on Dairy Products - yogurt and cheese, milk and milk products contain things that are good for your teeth. Everything that’s made from milk is a good source of calcium - an essential nutrient for the development of bones and teeth. Some scientific studies have shown that eating cheese might actually help to protect your teeth from cavities by preventing something called demineralization (the loss of important calcium in your teeth).


Above article from HealthTeeth.org

Dentist North Little Rock AR

Springhill Dental, PLLC

3401 Springhill Drive, Suite 285

North Little Rock, AR 72117

Telephone: (501) 955-0155

White Dental Fillings Dentist

No Mercury! No Metals! No Kidding! 

 For years, the silver-mercury amalgam was the standard filling material used in dental practices, and many practices still use it. While they are a reasonable restoration, amalgams have certain shortcomings. Metal does not bond well to teeth, so decay can and does eventually leak into the tooth. But the biggest reason many of our patients are choosing the white bonded fillings has to do with the way they look. Many people just don’t want an ugly black plug in their teeth. We offer modern restorations that are a natural-looking white, contain no metals, and can actually strengthen your teeth. They also bond very tightly with the healthy part of the tooth so there is much less chance of decay in the future.

Dentist North Little Rock AR

Springhill Dental, PLLC

3401 Springhill Drive, Suite 285

North Little Rock, AR 72117

Telephone: (501) 955-0155

Learn more about toothpaste

What is toothpaste

• Abrasives Detergent (1-2 per cent)
• Binding agents (1 per cent)
• Humectants (10-30 per cent)
• Flavouring, sweetening and colouring agents (1-5 per cent)
• Preservatives (0.05-0.5 per cent)
• Water

Toothpastes are the most widely used oral health care product and there is considerable choice available to the consumer. Toothpaste types range from family anti-decay/anti-plaque types to the specific formulations for smokers, for sensitive teeth, special children's formulations and the recently introduced tooth whitening pastes which are the fastest growing sector of the toothpaste market.

Toothpaste ingredients are usually shown on packs w/w' - that is weight for weight, or grams per 100 grams. Under new European cosmetics legislation, toothpastes are required to list all ingredients. In addition to water and therapeutic agents such as fluoride, antibacterial, desensitising and anti-tartar agents, toothpaste will normally contain the following basic ingredients:

• Abrasives
  These cleaning and polishing agents account for about a third of toothpaste by weight. Most of the abrasives used are chalk or silica based. Examples are dicalcium phosphate, sodium metaphosphate, calcium carbonate, silica, zirconium silicate or calcium pyrophosphate. Abrasives differ; an international standard defines a test paste against which toothpaste abrasivity can be assessed, but there is no system for ensuring that all toothpastes sold in the Republic of Ireland are at or below this abrasivity level.
• Detergent (1-2 per cent)
  This makes toothpaste foam, as well as helping to distribute it round the mouth to lower surface tension and loosen plaque and other debris from the tooth surface. Examples are Sodium Lauryl Sulphate and Sodium M Lauryl Sarcosinate
• Binding agents (1 per cent)
  These agents prevent separation of solid and liquid ingredients during storage. These are usually derived from cellulose, sodium carboxy-methyl cellulose being the most commonly used. Carrageenans (seaweed derived), xantham gums and alginates are also used.
• Humectants (10-30 per cent)
  These agents retain moisture and prevent the toothpaste hardening on exposure to air. Glycerol, sorbitol and propylene glycol are commonly used, glycerol and sorbitol also sweeten the toothpaste, though this is not their main function.
• Flavouring, sweetening and colouring agents (1-5 per cent)
  Peppermint, spearmint, cinnamon, wintergreen and menthol are among many, flavourings used. Mucosal irritations from toothpaste are rare and are usually linked to flavourings or preservatives. They can take the form of ulceration, gingivitis, angular cheilitis or perioral dermatitis. Flavourless toothpastes are not available commercially so the only solution is to change brand. For people who react to mint, some children's formulations are mint free - for example homeopathic toothpastes tend to avoid mint because of interactions with other homeopathic remedies, but they may also leave out fluoride.
• Preservatives (0.05-0.5 per cent)
  Alcohols, benzoates, formaldehyde and dichlorinated phenols are added to prevent bacterial growth on the organic binders and humectants.

Above article from DentalHealth.ie

Dentist North Little Rock AR

Springhill Dental, PLLC

3401 Springhill Drive, Suite 285

North Little Rock, AR 72117

Telephone: (501) 955-0155

Teeth Whitening – Dazzling Results! 

It’s natural to want brighter teeth! Whiter teeth are healthier looking, and easier to achieve than most people think. The only way to get your teeth their whitest is by using a professionally supervised bleaching process. Dr. Shearer offers custom whitening trays, made in his own lab. You will receive supplies and instructions and you finish the procedure at home. This technique is safe and effective. Results occur within 1 - 14 days.

Dentist North Little Rock AR

Springhill Dental, PLLC

3401 Springhill Drive, Suite 285

North Little Rock, AR 72117

Telephone: (501) 955-0155

Learn more about ‘bad breath’

Halitosis

Halitosis or bad breath or oral malodour is socially unacceptable but self-diagnosis is difficult, as it is not possible to easily detect an odour from ones' own breath. Those who have halitosis are often unaware of it and often may be informed by friends or relatives. Yet those people who have been told that they suffer from bad breath can continuously worry if an offensive smell can be detected from their breath.

Halitosis is mainly caused by excessive amount of volatile sulphur compounds being produced by bacteria in the mouth. Studies have shown that up to 50 per cent of adults suffer from objectionable mouth odour in early morning before breakfast or toothbrushing. The reason for this is that saliva incubates bacteria in the mouth during sleep (reduced saliva flow). People with periodontal disease exhibit raised odour intensity due to incubation of saliva and micro-organisms in periodontal pockets.

Prevention

The plaque control and oral hygiene products aimed at controlling dental caries and periodontal disease will also help prevent halitosis. Also, treatment of periodontal disease in which periodontal pocketing is reduced will minimize halitosis. A number of systemic diseases and conditions such as diabetes mellitus, chronic renal failure and cirrhosis of the liver can give rise to particular bad odours.

There is increasing interest in the development of a reliable system that will measure the level of volatile sulphur compounds in one's breath. This technology is making rapid progress though the cost of a reliable system remains problematical.

Reduction of halitosis is achieved in several ways. The amount of volatile sulphur compounds in the breath can vary greatly during the day in a single subject and is influenced by factors such as eating, drinking, oral hygiene and sleep and the effect these activities have on saliva flow and the washing of the oral cavity. The majority of studies done on volatile sulphur compounds concentrate on the effects which commercially available mouthwashes have on the reduction of halitosis. The reduction in mouth odour is caused by the anti-microbial influence of the mouthwash.

Some products however, mask halitosis rather than dealing with the cause of the problem. Toothbrushing, eating, chewing gum and tongue brushing usually reduce the levels of oral halitosis to acceptable levels as well but the effect is not as long lasting as antimicrobial mouthwashes. There are now tongue cleaning devices which can be effective in controlling halitosis.

Above article from DentalHealth.ie

Dentist North Little Rock AR

Springhill Dental, PLLC

3401 Springhill Drive, Suite 285

North Little Rock, AR 72117

Telephone: (501) 955-0155

Smile Makeovers - Cosmetic Dentistry

Don’t Hide Your Smile – Remake It! 

We emphasize the aesthetic aspect in ALL our work because we know that when your smile looks good, you feel good! We use the best combination of preventive care, tooth-colored fillings, and restorative techniques for optimum dental health. Modern smile makeovers are so easy (and affordable!) that there’s simply no reason why you can’t have the perfectly beautiful, natural-looking smile you’ve always wanted. Ask us what veneers, crowns, bonding, and whitening can do for YOUR smile!

Dentist North Little Rock AR

Springhill Dental, PLLC

3401 Springhill Drive, Suite 285

North Little Rock, AR 72117

Telephone: (501) 955-0155