Look Ma’ No Cavities!
Posted on August 25, 2008 | Filed Under Dentistry, General, Health, St. Louis, Teeth Tips
For Boomers who grew up with this famous toothpaste commercial, I have a news flash: At your age, it’s no longer just about cavities!
If you’ve passed the age of forty, you really should have a mid-life diagnosis to evaluate the overall state of your oral health AND to plan a proper course of treatment that will enable you to keep your teeth for the remainder of your lifetime.
Patients over forty have often shortchanged their dental health or just barely maintained their teeth and gums. With the expense of family taking precedence through the previous two decades, Boomer-aged patients coming to me for the first time are often prepared to play catch-up with their own dental health.
Today you can plan a course of treatment that will ensure you’ve got your own teeth to chew with well into your senior years. In addition, nothing is more youthful than a natural-looking white smile. Unlike your parents, if you take care now you can have both.
Tags: aging, allergies, appearance, breath, brushing, cavities, cavity, dental care, dental health, dental treatment, dental work, Dentistry, dentists, dentures, extraction, fillings, gums, implants, insurance, oral health, overall health, pain, root canal, smile, teeth, tooth
Why I Favor Minimally-Invasive Dentistry
Posted on June 5, 2008 | Filed Under Dentistry
I usually recommend milder treatments to alleviate conditions before resorting to treatment like extractions, surgery or root canals. For example if your tooth had a 3 surface cavity, many dentists would give you a crown and build up (a $900 procedure). I might start with a 3 surface filling to see if that alleviates your problem. If the filling doesn’t hold up, you may need the crown in 6 months, but often times the less invasive procedure will suffice.
