Dr. Jennifer Vitarelli

7 Best Home Remedies for Managing Root Canal Pain

Many consider root canal a very uncomfortable procedure, but at some point in their life, people will have to deal with it. The pain and swelling from an infected tooth can render your daily life difficult, so a root canal is the only option for long-term relief.

However, some people will go through intense pain even after the procedure has been completed by the dentist. We sat down with Vitarelli Dental in Saddle River to discuss how you can manage root canal pain at home. They gave us a list of home remedies that you can use to find immediate relief from post-root canal pain.

Use Garlic to Sooth Root Canal Pain

  • Garlic is often used to provide relief from everyday toothache. It is widely known for its medical and antibiotic properties and has been used throughout history to treat various common illnesses. 

To soothe the pain of root canal, simply slice a piece of garlic and place it next to the affected tooth. You can also chew the garlic to find immediate relief from pain.

Salt And Pepper

  • Mixing salt and pepper together can help you relieve sensitivity in your teeth. Combining these two provides antibacterial, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory properties. For the best results, mix salt and pepper in equal amounts with a few drops of water and turn it into a paste.

Apply the salt and pepper paste directly to the affected tooth and leave it there for a few minutes. Keep on doing this for a few days and you’ll be free from pain.

Ice Pack

  • An ice pack is a very effective remedy for immediate pain relief. Simply apply the ice pack topically on your jaw nearest to the affected tooth. It will not only help reduce the root canal pain but will also control any inflammation you have on your gums.

Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is also a good remedy for root canal pain. You can add a few drops of this tea into lukewarm water and rinse your mouth thoroughly with the solution. Repeat this couple of times daily and you’ll be free from pain.

Salt Water

  • A tablespoon of salt mixed with a glass of warm water can also help you with pain. Gargle the mixture thrice a day and try to hold the liquid in your mouth for a couple of minutes before spitting. Saltwater gradually decreases the pain so you will have to keep on repeating this.

Cucumbers

  • A freshly cut piece of cucumber placed on the affected area in your mouth can effectively beat toothache and any other pain such as post-root canal pain. Try it today, it’s really easy!

Olive Oil

  • You can also apply olive oil over the affected area with the help of a cotton bud or ball. It will gradually soothe the area and the pain will reduce. You can use clove oil for treating the pain as well.

Visit Your Dentist

  • If the pain persists even after a few days have passed, you may need to visit your dentist for a quick checkup. Some times the root canal procedure can result in a failure and may need to be checked again.

Vitarelli Dental will gladly look at your mouth for suspected problems after a root canal procedure. Book an appointment and come for general dentistry and we’ll get to the bottom of this together.

The Long-Term Benefits of Dental Sealants You Need to Know

Brushing and flossing your teeth is important but if you have kids, then dental sealants are the best way to protect their teeth from cavities. For those of you who don’t know what they are – dental sealants are thin coatings that are painted on the teeth to protect them from cavities.

It is a pain-free procedure and is extremely easy for children to go through. At Vitarreli Dental, we have a welcoming environment where children feel safe and our dentists are friendly natured and always willing to work with children.

  • Dental sealants are safe and effective contradicting what people usually think about them. They’ve been used for over 40 years to protect teeth from cavities and there is nothing wrong with having a sealant on the teeth.

According to dental research, sealants are capable of preventing 80 percent of cavities for at least two years after the first application. They continue to protect the teeth against 50 percent of cavities for up to four years.

  • The sealants can be on the teeth for up to nine years before going completely bad and needing replacement. Dental sealants are extremely good for children because there are a lot of children in the United States who miss their school time due to tooth decay. This condition which is very common in children can often interfere with their sleep, eating, and other regular activities. 

Moreover, sealants can help protect the teeth stay intact for as long as they are there. 

The only few drawbacks of dental sealants are that they require reapplication if they fall out, wear away, or chip. During replacement, the excess material often has to be drilled down or removed using a scaler which is scary for some children.

  • At Vitarreli Dental in Saddle River, we make sure the procedure of replacing a dental sealant is as smooth as possible for your child so that they can easily have it replaced without being frightened. We have created a friendly environment where children feel safe and welcomed, thus they don’t panic when the procedure is being done by one of our dentists.

Long-Term Benefits of Dental Sealants

  • Depending on the application technique, dental sealants can stay on the teeth for a lifetime. This is why it is important to work with an expert dentist with years of experience. If you are not careful and don’t work with a dentist who has considerable experience and uses advanced technology to apply sealants, you could be looking at frequent replacements.

That being said, here are some of the long-term benefits of dental sealants.

  • When children start getting new teeth in, they have a condition known as fissure or pits that are like morals and premolars. These can be sealed as soon as they erupt. This usually happens when a child reaches age 6, 12, or 18. 

Toddler teeth can also be sealed but the child should be old enough to tolerate this procedure. Toddlers are hard because the dentist and their assistant have to hold their mouth open and make sure they don’t move while the procedure is underway. The sealants are only applied to babies who are at a high risk of tooth decay. Talk to your dentist today about your baby’s teeth health to find out if they require sealants or not.

  • Adults also gain benefit from sealants because as people age, their teeth are exposed to decay and the protective quality of their saliva changes over time. This is why adults can opt for dental sealants to prevent decay. 

If you have more questions about dental sealants, don’t forget to come to one of our dental offices in Saddle River. Vitarreli Dental is accepting new patients for 2020. 

7 Tips to Protect Your Children’s Teeth on Halloween

Holloween is just around the corner and for most kids, it means free bags of Halloween candy and a way to stockpile on candies for the entire winter. For parents, it also brings the fear that their children will suffer from various oral problems. 

Although it is completely fine for the kids to eat candy on Holloween, there should be a solid plan in place so you can control when and how much they are eating it. 

Here are some tips to help you set a plan and an oral hygiene routine to protect your children’s teeth on Halloween.

Limit the Use of Candy

  • Snacking too much on sugary stuff can easily increase the risk of cavities, and if your children are eating candy all day, the risk is tripled. You need to limit the use of candy on a daily basis.

Set a plan where you allow your kids to eat candy only at certain times. For example, limit candy consumption before going to bed.

  • You can even go for sugar-free sweet snacks. These snacks are not as bad as sugary snacks for oral health. 

Avoid Sticky Stuff

  • Candies pose a significant threat to teeth health, but if they are sticky in nature, the risks are doubled. The stickier the candy is, the harder it is to get rid of the mouth of food particles. Moreover, the saliva cannot wash away sticky candy as easily as it would on other types of sugary snacks.

If you see your children snacking too much on sticky candies like caramel chocolates, taffy, or gummy bears, try to tell them why it is important to avoid them.

Drink a Lot of Water

  • Most neighborhoods in the U.S get fluoridated water supply. Water that is rich in fluoride helps prevent tooth decay. Make sure your children are drinking plenty of fluoridated water. 

If you do not drink tap water at home, choose bottled water that is fluoridated. 

Avoid Soda and other Sweet Beverages

  • Flavored drinks, soda, and sports drinks all have a lot of sugar in them. When the children’s teeth come in contact with drinks that contain a high content of sugar, the risk of tooth decay is significantly increased.

Combined with candy, the risk is tripled and by the end of the holiday, your children may have already developed oral problems.

Brush Teeth Every Day

  • This is important for you and your family throughout the year. During Halloween, you must make sure your children are not skipping on brushing their teeth. Invest in a fluoride toothpaste and have them brush their teeth twice a day.

It is very important to brush the teeth if sticky candy is involved. Brush once in the morning, and once before going to bed. Change the toothbrush after every three months to make sure that the bristles have not frayed.

Timing is Critical

  • Eating Halloween candy with other sugary food or beverages is a bad idea. Ensure that children are eating candy only after their meals because when you finish a meal, the saliva production is high. 

This will help the mouth wash down any excess candy and it will also prevent tooth damaging bacteria from forming in the mouth. If sticky candy is involved, make your kids brush their teeth immediately after to prevent cavities. 

Visit the Dentist

  • Regular visits to the dentist are very important for healthy teeth. If your children haven’t been to a pediatric dentist in the past six months, make sure you visit a dentist before Halloween.

A child may already have plaque and other dental situations that a dentist can fix before Halloween begins. If these problems are not fixed before Halloween begins, the candy could accelerate the process and tooth decay may be apparent. Don’t ruin the Halloween experience for you and your kids and visit the dentist today. 

Vitarelli Dental is always welcoming parents and children alike. We strive hard to make sure you and your family’s dental health is looked after. We may even give you a plan to help you stay away from common oral problems during Halloween. 

Why You Should Get Dental Implants – What to Know

Losing a tooth can pose a huge problem for any person no matter how old they are. Missing even one of their pearly whites can greatly affect their self-esteem, speech, oral health, and ability to chew. However, while losing a tooth might seem like the end of the world, there’s actually one thing that can make one’s smile good as new: dental implants.  

Dental implants can make a huge impact on your life, especially when a bright, toothy smile is one of your defining traits. Unlike other alternatives (such as removable dentures), dental implants feel and work just like natural teeth, making them the perfect option in case disaster strikes and you lose a tooth.  

However, before going for a dental implant or any other replacement teeth option, there are several things that you should know: 

Dental Implants have many benefits
Dental Implants have many benefits

The Versatile Nature of Dental Implants

Compared to standard bridge treatments and dentures that only restore a certain portion of a broken tooth, dental implants go the extra mile. They can replace missing roots, which allows for a level of stimulation in the jawbone that’s strikingly akin to what natural teeth can provide.  

Also, aside from looking great and feeling even better, dental implants can help preserve copious amounts of healthy gum tissue, which results in the reduction of potential bone degradation. Thanks to the more modern procedures used in installing dental implants, they can easily be fused with the jawbone to stimulate normal functions as much. They can also be restored aesthetically with bridges, crowns, and dentures.

Implants Protect Your Other Healthy Teeth

Losing a tooth due to periodontal disease or any other reason is devastating. To replace the missing tooth, the most widely used teeth replacement option is a dental bridge. But this method often involves cutting some parts of the adjacent teeth to make sure that the dentures sit comfortably.  

The procedure is also painful for some and may require pain medications under a treatment plan. However, thanks to dental implants, dentists are now able to position a crown or a bridge on the implant. This means that your other healthy teeth will never need to suffer. 

Dental Implants Improve your Facial Features

Dental Implants are installed in such a way that they tend to preserve bone and significantly reduce bone resorption. Dental Implants make sure that all of your teeth stay healthy by leaving them alone. The implants are strong enough to stay in place on the jawbone. When bone resorption and deterioration is reduced, it results in better jawbone height. 

Implants also help restore your jawbone structure by reducing the load on oral structures and help preserve natural tooth tissue.

Dental Implants Help Improve Dental Function

With the seamless integration of dental implants, performing regular daily functions that heavily involve the use of the mouth can be made much easier compared to other methods. By adding a fully-functional replacement, dental implants can make things such as eating, speaking, and chewing feels the way they should even if tooth or teeth are missing.

Implants Last Longer Than Anything Else

Typically, the standard tooth replacement option will last anywhere from seven to 20 years. In all honesty, that makes such options quite inferior compared to the lifetime guarantee of a dental implant. With the right amount of care and maintenance, a dental implant can last for the rest of your life without needing any kind of drastic overhaul. It is a long term solution that provides that makes dental care and good oral hygiene possible. 

Every Type of Dental Implant Looks Just like the Real Thing

One of the biggest concerns people have when asking their dentist about tooth replacement solutions is that the common alternatives tend to look quite fake (or even cartoonish). However, every type of implant looks natural simply because the construction of every kind and variation mimics a tooth’s natural roots in order to provide a really lifelike and true-to-spec finish.  

Extra details, such as an additional enamel coating, extra coloring, and other details help make a tooth replacement function on the same level as the rest of the teeth in a wearer’s mouth. When you smile with a dental implant, your smile will look far more natural than anything else. That’s the whole point of getting one.

High Success Rate

Thanks to modern implant dentistry, the success rate of dental implants is up to 95%. The surgical procedure used to place an implant at Vitarelli dental is actually quite minor and routine work. In most cases, the procedure requires only local anesthesia. 

After a short healing period, the implant is topped with a lifelike crown to support the implant. This crown is made by matching your existing natural teeth.

Need More Advice?

We understand getting dental implants is a tough decision to make, that is why at Vitarelli Dental we are eager to answer all your questions so you can make an informed decision. You can request an appointment online or walk to our dentist offices in Madison or Saddle River.

What to Expect – Dental Visits

What Happens During a Dental Visit?

Firstly, it is important to look for a dentist that will make you feel comfortable. Once you’ve found a dentist you like, your next step is to schedule for a check-up before a dental issue occurs.

When you visit a dentist for the first time, they will collect your health history. On future appointments, if your health status has changed make sure to tell them specifically what has changed, so that they can evaluate you again if needed.

Most dental appointments are having a checkup. Regular checkups (ideally every six months), helps your teeth stay cleaner, stronger and prevents painful problems from occurring.

 

A thorough cleaning

A complete cleansing is always included in a checkup, either from your dentist or a dental hygienist. Using special instruments, a dental hygienist will scrape below the gum line, removing built-up plaque and tartar that causes gum disease, cavities, and bad breath. Your dentist or hygienist may also floss and make your teeth shine!

 

A full examination

Your dentist will undergo a complete examination of your teeth, gums and mouth to look for signs of disease or other emerging issues. They will aim to help maintain your good oral health, and to avoid problems before they become serious.

 

X-rays

Depending on your age, there are chances that potential diseases and symptoms will come up on your routine checkup, your dentist may recommend X-rays. X-rays can determine problems such as damage to jawbones, impacted teeth, abscesses, cysts, tumors, and decay between the teeth. A high-tech dental clinic that uses machines will release no radiation. For assurance, you should always wear a lead apron when having an X-ray. If you are pregnant, tell your dentist, as X-rays should only be performed in an emergency situation.

Your dentist may request for a panoramic x-ray, or panorex. This type of film gives a complete view of your upper and lower jaw in a single picture, this helps the dentist examine your entire mouth and see where the issues specifically are.

 

How Long Should I Visit?

If your teeth and gums are in good condition, you don’t need to return for three to six months. If additional treatments are required, as an example, to treat a cavity, remove a wisdom tooth, or repair a broken crown, you should make an appointment before leaving the office. Don’t forget to ask your dentist any questions, this is your opportunity to get knowledge on your dental hygiene.

New Things For 2018

We want to welcome you to our new website! We currently have two locations in Saddle River & Madison New Jersey.

As Dr. Vitarelli has taking over new ownership of Saddle River Dental Care it is sure to be an exciting year for everyone!

Please call or use our contact form to get in touch!