Smile Fitness Dental Center Blog

Have you ever felt like the room is spinning around you? This type of dizziness, known as vertigo, affects up to 40% of adults at some point in their lives. While it can have a range of causes, in some instances it is related to TMJ disorder (TMD). What exactly is the connection between these conditions, and is there anything you can do to find relief? This blog post provides valuable information.

Millions of people have TMJ disorder (TMD). Sadly, though, this condition often remains undiagnosed, possibly because some people hesitate to seek medical care. In other instances, misdiagnoses can arise due to misunderstandings about TMD and what it does. How can you find out if you have this condition? Visiting a qualified dentist would be the best course of action. In the meantime, though, there is a simple test you can do at home that may reveal if you have a problem in your TMJs (your temporomandibular joints, also called your jaw joints).

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is one of the most complex joints in the entire body. Because of this, there is a lot that can go wrong. When the TMJ isn’t functioning as it should, this is called TMJ disorder, or TMD. This can result in various uncomfortable symptoms, like headaches, earaches, lockjaw, jaw pain, and tinnitus. You may be wondering why seeing a dentist is recommended for TMD? Continue reading to find out!

Does your jaw feel stiff or sore, or have you noticed a clicking sound when you bite down to chew? If so, you might have developed a TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorder. This can happen if you’ve developed a dental misalignment that keeps your teeth from touching together properly when you bite down. This forces your jaw to overcompensate, triggering a painful joint inflammation that limits your mouth’s range of motion.

You might think of it as more frustrating than problematic, but if left unaddressed, your condition could worsen. Continue reading to learn 3 reasons to call your dentist sooner rather than later!

Your new dental crown may look and feel just like a real tooth, but you may be wondering if it will last as long as your natural teeth. Here’s everything you need to know about giving your mouth the royal treatment with your dazzling new crown!

Here in the (new) year of 2025, it’s easy to take modern dental crowns for granted. These caps have been making teeth stronger and prettier for a while now! Still, you shouldn’t assume the treatment came out of nowhere; dental crowns took a lot of time to reach their current form. Your local Phoenix dentist can even prove that fact with crucial evidence. To that end, just keep reading to learn a brief history of dental crowns.

With proper care, a dental crown can last you for 10 years or more. But they’re not immortal – at some point, you’ll likely have to replace it with a fresh, new restoration. How will you know when it’s time, though?

Read through this post, and you’ll learn four good reasons to replace your crown!  

Sometimes, the anticipation of discomfort is worse than the actual source of anxiety – and other times, it’s not! If you have a dental phobia that simplistic breathing exercises can’t solve, nitrous oxide sedation could significantly improve your in-office experience. But what does “sedation” mean, exactly? Will you be “put under” as if you were receiving anesthesia?

Find the answer to this question and more as you scroll through this post.

If you have any upcoming dental visit scheduled for anything from an exam and cleaning to a major procedure, you may be feeling a little bit anxious about it. Thankfully, your dentist offers sedation dentistry to help patients like you relax comfortably during their appointments. But while this option is great for most people, there are still a few instances where you may not be a good candidate for it. Here are a few reasons why you may not qualify for sedation dentistry.

While quality dental care is essential to maintaining one’s good health, many people experience severe anxiety or nervousness at the thought of seeing their dentist. Thankfully, sedation dentistry can make it much easier for these individuals to sit calmly and comfortably through their oral care appointments, and it can also help people with strong gag reflexes or difficulty sitting still. Here’s a brief guide to a few forms of sedation dentistry and how much they can cost.