How A Small Piece of Plastic Can Save Your Smile

Your teeth endure constant pressure from the ordinary forces of chewing, but add grinding, clenching, and other parafunctional habits into the mix, and damage may be dramatically accelerated. Most people don’t realize how much these unconscious behaviors impact their dental health.

The consequences can be significant. Excessive force from the jaw muscles can create indentations along the gum line, wear through protective enamel to expose sensitive dentin, chip tooth edges and cusps, and can even cause fractures that may lead to infections. Beyond visible damage, these habits could trigger hypersensitivity, neuromuscular pain, tenderness, and muscle fatigue.

The muscles of mastication – those responsible for chewing – often become hyperactive due to stress, anxiety, or ingrained habits. When overworked, they generate excessive forces that teeth simply weren’t designed to withstand, accelerating deterioration over time.

The good news? A remarkably effective remedy exists: a simple dental appliance that protects your teeth from further damage. Dental splints are custom fabricated for your mouth and are typically worn overnight to prevent you from being able to clench or grind your teeth and provide nociceptive feedback to break the cycle.

We have treated many patients who required dental splints, and the response is overwhelmingly positive. If you notice signs of wear, sensitivity, chipping, or experience jaw pain and muscle tenderness, discuss them with your dentist or give us a call at 630.420.0013 to book a complimentary consultation. By addressing muscle control issues now, you preserve your natural teeth and avoid complications from untreated grinding and clenching.

Learn more about our office and team by following us on social media (@napervilledentistry), visiting us online at napervilledentist.com, or giving us a call at 630.420.0013.

With an annual average of 1.9 million emergency department visits being attributed to tooth pain*, we can safely say toothaches are a big deal. In fact, many say dental pain is right up there with the pain of childbirth! But what if your toothache isn’t really a toothache?

When you experience dental pain, the first step is to get in to see your dentist – not an emergency department! If you go to the emergency department, they will see you and tell you it’s probably dental. You’ll still have to go to a dental office to have your pain resolved permanently. If your pain is sharp, is a result of dental trauma, or you notice swollen gums, it should be treated as an emergency. Several local dentists (me included) offer 24-hour emergency care to get your problem resolved right away.

What’s interesting about dental pain is that it is that you may feel as though you have a toothache and the source of the pain is something different. The close proximity of the nerves in your sinuses, nasal cavity, and jaws can occasionally cause referred pain from something like a sinus infection or radiated pain in which the pain from an irritated nerve may be felt in a different part of the jaw.

In most cases, oral pain is caused by tooth decay, gum disease, infections, sensitive tooth surfaces, worn enamel, grinding, muscle tension, joint issues, and/or dental trauma. By visiting a dentist for an evaluation, he or she will be able to determine the source of the pain and how best to treat it. Waiting to see if the pain resolves is usually not effective long term. Likely the situation will only get worse, making it more challenging or sometimes impossible to treat. Sometimes patients are convinced an antibiotic is a permanent cure, but an antibiotic only resolves an infection temporarily. Sometimes the pain isn’t even due to an infection

No one should have to live with dental pain. We are always here to help, offering hours that are convenient to our patients’ lifestyles. Learn more about our office and team by following us on social media (@napervilledentistry), visiting us online at napervilledentist.com, or giving us a call at 630.420.0013.
* NCHS Data Brief No. 531, June 2025

As much as we try to preserve someone’s natural teeth, there are times that is just not possible, and some – or even all – of them need to be extracted. It can be costly to replace them, which may lead someone to think, “how important are teeth, really?”

Teeth are very important for reasons you may not even realize. The structure of your teeth prevents bone loss and other jaw issues, which is why a dental implant is the best option if a natural tooth is no longer viable. Even if several or all teeth need to be extracted, implants are typically still the recommended treatment rather than removable full or partial dentures. If possible, I recommend avoiding removable dentures – they cause bone loss in many cases, can be a challenge for long-term maintenance, and are usually not adequate for stabilization of the jaws and nutrition (since chewing can be problematic with dentures).

What can happen if you choose not to replace a tooth? The surrounding teeth will shift due to the new gap and may cause your bite to become misaligned, potentially resulting in TMJ (temporomandibular) disorder. The opposing tooth on the opposite jaw no longer has the pressure pushing against it, and that can cause it to drift toward the empty space, often taking the surrounding bone with it.

The importance of teeth for proper nutrition cannot be underestimated, either. Being able to chew effectively and efficiently supports being able to eat a variety of foods that provide the nutritional density that meets your body’s daily needs.

Fortunately, modern dentistry gives us the ability to replace teeth that need to be removed so you can continue enjoying foods you love and have a smile you enjoy showing off. Learn more about our office and team by following us on social media (@napervilledentistry), visiting us online at napervilledentist.com, or giving us a call at 630.420.0013.

Each February, our staff heads to McCormick Place in Chicago for Chicago Dental Society’s Midwinter Meeting. As the largest dental meeting in the United States and one of the largest in the world, more than 30,000 dental professionals attend the conference annually. We were thrilled to have our entire staff in attendance, as for the last several years, Yogi was in dental hygiene school and could not join us.

As with so many other industries right now, the topic that kept coming up during the conference was AI. Dental offices and companies that provide dental products are looking at ways AI can be used in the field, and I’ll be honest – some of the ideas give me pause. AI works best in repetitive, robotic actions, and I don’t know about you, but I am not ready to let a robot work on my mouth.

AI removes the “individual touch” that is important in dentistry, not just in patient experience and overall office culture, but also (and most importantly) in clinical application. There are many individualized clinical choices that need to be made and can only be reliably based on experience. Automation does not translate well to unique situations, so we need to be careful how we are applying it in dentistry.

I don’t have any doubt that someday AI will make a valuable contribution to efficiency, but trying to force it too fast removes that individual touch. There is no replacement for human connection, knowledge, and expertise – all of which are part of the patient experience at our office. Learn more about our office and team by following us on social media (@napervilledentistry), visiting us online at napervilledentist.com, or giving us a call at 630.420.0013.

Lots of dental and medical professionals claim to be “patient first” with the way they run their practices, but what does that really mean? Here at JA Haselhorst, DDS, it means responding to our patients’ needs in every aspect of how we do business.

Last year, we upgraded our waiting room to include 3 power lift recliners that are both functional and comfortable. One of our patients mentioned she was having a hard time getting up when seated in our waiting area, so we quickly responded by purchasing three power lift chairs. Not only do the chairs have wide arms to make it easier to push up to standing, but if a little boost is needed, it is available. They are also very comfortable, as was demonstrated by the teenage daughter of one of our patients. While waiting for her mom during an evening appointment, she fell asleep, cozy in one of the new chairs.

Our most recent addition is a permanent ramp leading from the parking lot to our main door. This ensures our office is accessible for everyone to safely and comfortably enter our office. And when patients come in the door, they are greeted warmly and promptly, with very little wait time before their appointment – because we value our patients’ time.

We pride ourselves on offering a comfortable, home-like environment to help lessen the normal anxieties that may accompany a visit to the dentist. Many of our patients have been with us for years, and we are honored to be part of their lives and watch their families grow. Learn more about our office and team by following us on social media (@napervilledentistry), visiting us online at napervilledentist.com, or giving us a call at 630.420.0013.

What is it about a nice smile that affects people in the way that it does? For men and women alike, having good oral hygiene can be a very significant quality. Smiles are the most immediate way to make an impression – it shows you’re having a good time, that you like a person, and that you have confidence. Confidence is key to both interpersonal and professional relationships.

Fortunately, there are a variety of options when it comes to giving you a smile you are proud to show off. If you’re not thrilled with the shade of your teeth, professional whitening can make a big difference in a short amount of time. Some people find success with whitening strips and other over-the-counter products, but seeing results can take several months and treatment often needs to be repeated sooner than you’d like.

If both the position and the hue of your teeth are concerning, veneers may be the way to go. Many patients initially tell me they do not want veneers because they don’t want to end up with their teeth looking unnatural or overly large. Once I show them before and after photos of patients who have decided to get veneers, they usually change their tune and realize that when done well, veneers can help you have the perfect smile you’ve always wanted.

Aligners are best for those who have misaligned teeth but don’t want to go the route of braces. I often find that patients who are interested in aligners are those who had braces in childhood but their teeth have shifted in adulthood (a good reminder to make your kids wear their retainers once their braces come off!).

Whatever is preventing you from giving a big, toothy smile, it is usually fixable. Look at it as in investment rather than an expense – the confidence boost alone makes cosmetic dental treatments worth it. If you’re interested in restoring your smile this year, give us a call at 630.420.0013 or visit us at napervilledentist.com to schedule your free consultation!

Yes, it’s a trick question—they are the same thing in the dental kingdom. But most people are confused about the what, when, how and whys of a crown, so here’s the Reader’s Digest version.

A crown is a laboratory-fabricated custom restoration that completely covers the remaining tooth above the gumline. It can be either tooth-colored (i.e. porcelain) or all- metal, depending on individual circumstances and preferences. It usually takes a dental lab 2-3 weeks to make, depending on difficulty, and two visits in the dental office if all goes well.

A crown is required when the remaining tooth is insufficient to support a regular filling or has a problematic crack in the tooth, or has recently had the nerve tissue removed (root canal). A root canal is not required before crowning a tooth if the nerve responds normally to basic vitality tests. That does not, however, mean that a tooth might not need a root canal sometime after a crown is placed. Usually a crowned tooth has been subjected to a lot of trauma from previous decay and restoration and the nerve is more likely to fail in the future. The good news is that the root canal can be done through a crown and then repaired without significantly compromising the crown.

If you take care of a crown—brushing, flossing, regular cleanings—it can last a lifetime. Sometimes the porcelain can fracture on a tooth-colored crown and might require repair or replacement. Sometimes you can get decay around the edge of a crown, where the crown meets the tooth, and the crown will need to be replaced. Both of these problems are fairly rare if you are conscientious about care of your teeth. Sometimes a crown can come off, but if it was done properly it can usually be recemented and expected to function as well as before.

If your dentist is recommending a crown and you do not understand why you need one, you should get a second opinion. We are happy to help. If you’d like to schedule a consultation, please give us a call at 630.420.0013.

I wanted to do something a little lighter this month—man bites dog myth, discovery of toothpaste, flavorings for your floss, etc. But then I came across another article announcing that the ADA has given its “seal of approval “ to chewing gum.

Not just any chewing gum, however, just the ones made by Wrigley. As pointed out in the article, this did not come via the Nobel Prize committee, although I’m sure Wrigley will reap a nice “prize” from the label. No, they had to pay the ADA to get this seal of approval, almost $40,000. This sets the bar a little high for those companies that cannot afford to buy the label.

My problem is that the public tends to believe that if the ADA approves of it, it must be the best. In this case, that is not true. The seal of approval should have been given to xylitol, which has been shown in several studies over the last few years that you can lower your caries (decay) rate when a gum containing xylitol is chewed regularly. Any gum containing xylitol will work. I am a little disappointed that the ADA did not make that clear.

But enough of the cynicism, the good news is that chewing the right kind of gum is healthy for your teeth, and eventually we will probably also find it helpful for certain types of periodontal disease as well. So enjoy your gum, just please stop throwing it on the Walgreens sidewalk.

Apparently the price of teeth rises faster than a barrel of oil. I remember being thrilled with a quarter (though that was over 40 years ago). Now it seems the average bounty is up to five dollars. It still doesn’t seem fair, though. You should be able to put five bucks under your pillow and get a tooth back when you need one.

So much for fairy tales. I was looking for a survey I heard sometime back about the value of a tooth. I did not find the exact survey, but a similar one. I remember that the chemical-materials value of a tooth was about 75 cents…but what dollar value did people put on their own teeth (these are 1995 dollars)?

In a survey of 1000 men and women, the average person values their smile at $321,000. Forty percent of all respondents said their teeth were worth more than $500,000. Women said that their smiles were worth an average of $353,000, while men only valued their pearly whites at $286,000. Generation Xers, maybe taking their dental health for granted, placed the smallest value on their smiles, $266,000. Respondents age 65+, no doubt eager to keep the healthy teeth they have remaining, placed the highest value on their teeth of any age group ($358,000).

Forty-five percent of women chose a person’s smile over the eyes (30%) and a good physique (14%). Thirty-five percent of men are initially attracted to the smile, 33% to a good physique and 25% to
the eyes.

Floss, brush, and visit your dentist…because putting money under your pillow won’t work.

We are conveniently located in downtown Naperville, IL and offer the perfect combination of experience and innovation in dentistry.

507 S. Main Street, Naperville, IL 60540 │ 630.420.0013

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