Setting Priorities for Good Dental Health

Many people have bleeding gums, and they don’t think twice about it. They view it as a minor inconvenience. If you were bleeding from any other part of your body, you wouldn’t hesitate to see a physician. If you lost a body part you wouldn’t hesitate to have it replaced. We have 32 teeth - they are all body parts.

While we may not need our teeth to live like one needs a heart, we need our mouth to be pain-free and functional to enjoy a good quality of life.
This is our passion. Make it yours and the rest will fall into place. Call and ask us how we may help you achieve your oral hygiene and health goals and ensure a greater quality of life.

But like exercising, dieting or anything that requires a routine, many of us fall short of a sustained effort to accomplishing long-term results. Why do we run out of toothpaste, floss, toothbrushes vitamins, etc. when we know their importance? Why do we have problems maintaining an oral hygiene regimen? Perhaps, we don’t make the answers priorities.

Call (757) 229-1224 today to schedule an appointment with one of our hygienists.

Give the Gift of Whitening!

Whitening Your Smile

How we look and how we perceive ourselves has much to do with our self-esteem. When the color of our teeth makes us embarrassed to smile, it’s probably time to get our teeth whitened [bleached].

As one ages, teeth may darken from coffee, tea, smoking, berries and other substances that get into microcracks in the enamel causing discoloration. Some people have gray or brown bands on their teeth caused by an early childhood fever or tetracycline medication taken when the tooth enamel was forming. In some parts of the country where fluoride is found in natural high concentrations in the drinking water, individuals have developed teeth with bright white patches or dark brown blotches [mottled enamel or fluorosis]. 

Everyone is not a candidate for bleaching. Teeth discolored from aging have the best results. If you have tooth colored resin or composite fillings in your front teeth, they will not change color from bleaching and will “stick out like a sore thumb” after the procedure. If you would like to have your teeth whitened, call it to our attention at your next check-up visit. If you are not a good candidate, we can suggest alternatives such as bonding or porcelain veneers. 

There are various options to whitening your teeth. Bleaching can be an in-office procedure [chairside]. It may involve several appointments of 30-60 minutes each. The bleaching agent is applied to your teeth and activated with a special light. There is also an at-home procedure wherein you will wear a custom-made mouthguard, filled with a bleaching gel, as per instructions from your dentist. Some toothpastes have added whitening agents and can be used as an adjunct to the other two procedures. In any case, there is no reason to ever again suffer the embarrassment of discolored teeth.

 This is the Best Holiday gift idea!  Call our office today to get your friend or family members Whitening Gift Certificate. 

Carbonated Beverages are Bubble Trouble

The single biggest source of calories [7%] in the American diet is from carbonated soft drinks. A carbonated beverage is one that releases carbon dioxide in normal atmospheric pressure. Artificial carbonation was first introduced in 1767 and after 1830, the sweetened and flavored lemon-lime, grape and orange carbonated drinks became very popular. Today, heavily sweetened, carbonated drinks or sodas are among the most popular beverages in the world. Consumption of carbonated soft drinks peaked in 1998 when consumption was 56.1 gallons per person per year. Soft drinks provide large amounts of sugar [mostly high-fructose corn syrup] to many individual's diets. The empty calories of soft drinks contribute to health problems, particularly obesity and tooth decay [caries]. A study from Harvard shows that soft drinks may be responsible for the doubling of obesity in children over the last 15 years.

Carbonated soft drinks not only have a high sugar content that contributes to tooth decay but also have a very acidic pH that can erode tooth enamel. Some of these drinks, especially the colas have as much caffeine as a cup of coffee and can disrupt children's or adult's sleep and leave them feeling tired during the day.

These carbonated soft drinks are also related to gastric distension, which can trigger reflux. Studies show the consumption of one can of soda a day corresponds to 53.5 minutes of elevated acid levels in the stomach.

The best approach is to cut down or avoid carbonated drinks. Many schools have removed the soft drink vending machines in their halls and cafeterias. If not, it's best to drink through a straw so the soda is swallowed from the back of the mouth and does not come in contact with the teeth causing decay. Substitute other beverages such as water and more nutritious beverages like milk and juices.

Preventive Dentistry: Toothbrushing

Toothbrushing is an effective way of removing plaque [sticky mixture of bacteria, food & debris] from your teeth. Daily removal of plaque can prevent tooth decay and periodontal [gum] disease. Select a toothbrush that will provide easy access to all areas of your mouth; this includes one with a small head [1 inch by ½ inch] and a flexible head or handle. The brush should have soft nylon bristles with round heads and a wide handle for a firm grip. There are also a variety of electric or sonic brushes that work well. Call our office for a recommendation.

Establishing a daily pattern and a consistent approach to your brushing technique is important to ensure that you have accomplished adequate cleaning. One easy technique involves placing the toothbrush at a 45° angle to your teeth and gently brushing in an elliptical motion. Start on the same quadrant [same side, lower or upper] each time. Brush the outside of the teeth, the inside and the biting surface. Repeat this action with the other three quadrants. When you are finished, brush you tongue. Adequate brushing should take 3-4 minutes.

There are other effective brushing methods that may be appropriate for you, depending on the condition of your teeth and gums. Bring your brush to your next check-up visit and have our hygienist review your technique.

Toothbrushing is most effective if done right after eating. It would be a wise idea to keep an extra brush at work for after lunch or snacks. Toothpaste is not necessary if you are using fluoride toothpaste at home 1-2 times a day. Just rinse with water when you are finished.

Effective toothbrushing starts with habit and routine and ends with time, diligence and good technique.

What Are Dental Implants?

Dental implants offer people an alternative to the traditional ways of replacing missing teeth. The actual implant is an artificial root [anchor] made from synthetic material, usually titanium metal. There are three phases to the implant process.

First, the dental implant is surgically placed into the jawbone. It takes 3-6 months to fuse with the bone [called osseointegration]. An abutment [post] is attached to the implant and protrudes above the gum tissue. A replacement restoration is cemented or screwed to the implant abutment. Depending on the situation, dental implants can support a fixed crown or bridge or act as a stabilizing base for a full denture. The procedure can take up to 9-12 months for completion and has a high degree of success.

Some individuals have had so much bone resorption [loss] that the remaining bony ridge is too thin to hold an implant. In many cases, synthetic or natural bone can be grafted [added] or grown to allow for dental implants as an alternative treatment.

Implants have a great advantage for people already wearing full dentures since they can support and stabilize the denture while minimizing further bone loss of the denture ridge.

Not everyone is a good candidate for dental implants. There are certain risk factors that may limit success including smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, chronic bruxism [grinding teeth], systemic problems such as diabetes and individuals with poor oral hygiene.

Dental implants offer a “second chance” to those who have lost all of their teeth. For people missing only one or several teeth, dental implants provide benefits as an alternative way to restore your mouth. To determine if implants are for you, a clinical examination, x-rays, study casts and other appropriate records and measurements will be necessary. Call our office at (757) 229-1224 if you have questions or would like to schedule a complimentary consultation.

New Teeth While You Wait

Between work and family obligations, most individuals have very hectic and tight schedules. Often dental treatment is put off because of actual or perceived time commitments on the part of a patient. This office has invested in a hi-tech system called CEREC that allows us to fabricate a permanent all ceramic crown [cap], onlay or veneer in one single office visit. This means fewer injections, less drilling and less time taken away from your daily activities. This computerized system allows us to use strong, tooth-colored ceramic materials to restore your teeth to their natural strength, beauty and function. These materials closely match the composition of natural tooth structure. The significance of this fact means when you eat hot food and drink something cold, the restoration and tooth expand and contract at almost equal rates, minimizing the chance of your tooth cracking. Also, the ceramic restorations are chemically bonded to your teeth, so we can preserve as much healthy tooth structure as possible.

First, we examine the tooth or teeth to determine the appropriate treatment. It could be a simple filling, or a full crown, depending on how much healthy tooth structure is remaining in our clinical judgment. Next, we administer an anesthetic and prepare your tooth for the restoration, removing decayed and weakened tooth tissue. This preparation is just like we would do for many other restorative techniques.

Then, we take an Optical Impression of the prepared tooth. Instead of filling a tray with impression "goop" that you must bite into and hold in your mouth until it hardens, we coat the tooth with a non-toxic, tasteless powder. A camera is used to take a digital picture of your tooth. This whole Optical Impression process only takes a minute or two.

Next, the CEREC machine helps us create the restoration for your tooth. The CEREC 3D software takes the digital picture and converts it into a 3-dimensional virtual model on the computer screen. We use our dental expertise to design the restoration using the CEREC 3D computer program. Within a few minutes, with the click of a button, the restoration design data is sent to a separate milling machine in the office. A ceramic block that matches your tooth shade is placed in the milling machine. About 10 - 20 minutes later, your all-ceramic, tooth-colored restoration is finished and ready to bond in place. Finally, we try the restoration in your mouth to ensure proper fit and bite. The restoration is then polished and bonded to the prepared tooth. Your tooth is restored with no "temporary" or return trip necessary. Please call our office to see if you are a candidate for this procedure.

Use it or Lose it!

Did you know that if you don't use all of your dental insurance benefits or money in your flexible spending account (FSA) this year, you lose them forever? That's right - no dental benefit plan or FSA we know of allows you to carry unused benefits over to the following year. If you don't use them, you lose them!

You may have benefits remaining this year. Waiting until next year means that not only will you lose any unused benefits for this year, but also that you may have to first satisfy a new year's deductible before any benefits will be paid.

If you have been postponing dental treatment, call our office at (757) 229-1224 to see if you have benefits remaining this year. We also have various financing options to help with any portion not covered by dental insurance.