Why Your Exam Is So Critical
Posted on February 23, 2009 | Filed Under Dentistry
If you wanted to remodel your home you’d hire a general contractor. If you hired an electrician or a carpenter, their knowledge would be sufficiently limited to provide you with the desired outcome.
Similarly, the scope of your dental exam is based on a practitioner’s knowledge of dentistry. Usually, a dentist doesn’t see much beyond what he or she can treat. At Artistic Dentistry, we treat nearly any dental situation — from root canals to orthodontics to cosmetics to identifying the “mysterious” reason for a tooth problem.
Your teeth and mouth tell a story. Your mouth, gums and jaws indicate much about your overall health. Aside from your dental condition — I can sometimes detect conditions like osteoporosis, leukemia, cancer and even bulimia.
So, the next time my staff calls to get you scheduled for your cleaning and exam, you should know that this is one of the most important visits you can make.
3 Reasons To Get Rid Of Those Old Silver Fillings
Posted on February 18, 2009 | Filed Under Dentistry
First, they’re ugly. Even if you have a great smile, as soon as you open your mouth to laugh and expose those visible mounds of silver, you’ve compromised the view of your dental landscape. Tooth colored fillings blend in with your natural teeth and don’t detract from your smile.
Second, they mask the condition of your teeth underneath. So, if you’ve had mercury fillings in your molars for 30 years, you have no idea what condition that tooth is in underneath. Mercury expands and contracts with heat and cold and decades of that in your teeth exposes cracking underneath. In replacing these on patients, I’ve often removed the old fillings in time to restore the cracked tooth underneath. When it can’t be
restored, it’s more costly.
Third, old fillings can leak which simply means that over time it can start to let bacteria into the tooth. When this occurs, we say it is “leaking.” That’s when it is no longer protecting your tooth.
Are Same Day Implants For Everyone?
Posted on February 10, 2009 | Filed Under Dentistry
I get asked a lot about same day implants. Implants are the best dental treatment for missing teeth. A titanium post is inserted into the bone where the tooth was and capped off with a crown. Since dental implants integrate into the structure of your bone, they prevent bone loss and gum recession that are common with bridgework and dentures. The stability is returned to the jaw and they look, feel and are maintained like your own teeth. For those who don’t want an unsightly gaping hole or for someone who doesn’t want to have to contend with dentures, implants are the most innovative dental alternative available.
That said, for about 80% of the patients who come into my office, dental implants can’t be done in a day. One reason is that bone erosion often accompanies a missing tooth. For proper placement of the implant there has to be enough bone, often requiring a bone graft. This means that the implant is going to take more than one visit.
