Become A Patient

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We would be honored to have you as a new patient. Please call our San Marcos dentist office and we can the send you the forms you need. We can mail you or email you new patient forms if you’d like to expedite the process. Of course, you’re welcome to come in and fill out the forms in-person at our dental offices in San Marcos Tx.

The Larry D. Molenda D.D.S. dentistry in San Marcos, offers our clients a wide range of basic and advanced dental procedures from simple cleanings to dental implants and TMJ Treatments. Stop by our San Marcos family dental offices to get started as a new patient!

Phone: 512–392–5845

How Acidic Foods Affect Your Teeth

Your teeth are very strong; but, if you eat certain foods or drink certain beverages, your teeth might become overly sensitive. Learn how acidic foods affect your teeth. And, we will also include a list of foods, which you might want to avoid. Healthy Teeth Increase Quality of Life Teeth are tools that allow you to chew, masticate and chop large pieces of food into smaller morsels. These smaller morsels are easier for your body to digest. Babies start without teeth and can’t handle tougher foods. Adults have a variety of different teeth types to process their food. Your incisors have a small, sharp penetrating surface for grabbing food. Canines can tear large pieces of food from the back of your mouth. The molars and premolars have a flatter surface that is used to crush and grind. Healthy teeth allow you to enjoy a healthier quality of life. You can eat what you want and grind it properly. You won’t have debilitating toothaches. Acid Erodes Tooth Enamel Scientists have created a Power of Hydrogen (pH) standard to measure whether something is an acid or base. This pH scale runs from a low pH 0 (stomach acid) to a high pH […]

How Bruxism Can Impact TMJ Disorder

Do you grind your teeth? The medical community calls excessive jaw clenching or teeth grinding “bruxism.” Here we’ll look at the relationship between bruxism and TMJ Disorder (also known as temporomandibular joint disorder). Grinding Teeth Many people grind their teeth when they are frustrated. Unfortunately, if you grind your teeth constantly, it could wear down your tooth enamel or cause jaw problems. Doctors believe that bruxism may afflict anywhere from 8% to 31% of the population. Experts have divided bruxism into two categories: 1. Sleeping or 2. Awake. Each instance can be caused by stress, genetics, or Parkinson’s disease. Here are some of the most common symptoms of bruxism: Headaches Ear Aches Tooth Wear Crenated Tongue Hypersensitive Teeth Aching Jaw Muscles TMJ Disorder Tooth wear (also known as attrition) can remove the protective enamel on your teeth, revealing the softer dentin layer below. Eventually, the tooth could fracture due to bruxism. Sleeping Bruxism Sleep studies have shown that 86% of sleep bruxism is during sleep arousal, which is a sudden change in the sleep stage depth. Increased heart rates, respiratory rates, and leg spasms might be associated with nocturnal teeth grinding. The central nervous system may be using dreams to […]

Treating and Handling Broken, Chipped, and Lost Teeth

When someone breaks, chips, or loses a tooth it is important to know how to render the proper first aid. Dental or Medical Emergency? Damaging a tooth by biting something hard is a dental emergency. Bruising, swelling and bleeding of the face or head is a medical emergency. If the victim exhibits symptoms of a possible brain injury like loss of consciousness, bleeding from the mouth of ears, or disorientation it is a medical emergency that supersedes the dental emergency. Broken And Chipped Tooth First Aid After someone breaks or chips a tooth their mouth should be rinsed out with warm water to remove debris from the tooth fragment. Bleeding can be staunched using a piece of moist gauze. A cold compress can be applied to ease pain and swelling. Be careful not to touch the tooth fragment with the cold compress. An over the counter pain reliever can also be taken. Transporting Tooth Fragments Whether the tooth is chipped or broken a dentist should be contacted immediately. Any fragment or fragments of the tooth should be taken to the dentist. The pieces of the tooth must be kept in milk during transport. Treating a Chipped Tooth Minor chipping can […]