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Emergency Dentistry is a Pain – Don’t Wait ‘Till It Hurts

September 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

emergency-dental-painLike death and taxes, there’s no avoiding neglected dental conditions. An untreated cavity will eventually get larger and possibly become that emergency visit in the middle of your vacation or work day. If left untreated long enough, it will require a root canal and crown — all costlier in terms of time and money than the simpler treatments when the condition is just starting to get bad.

A tooth that’s had a root canal needs a crown. Some put this off but in fact the tooth is frail and cannot withstand the burden of chewing without the crown. If it cracks (it’s dried out because the nerve is gone) it will need to be extracted. That means getting a dental implant and crown or some other tooth replacement.

Then there’s replacing missing teeth. When this is neglected, the burden of chewing is shifted to remaining teeth. Just recently, a patient with missing teeth on one side of the mouth cracked a tooth holding a bridge on the opposite side of the mouth, which was overused for chewing.

The moral is: the sooner dental conditions are treated, the less time and money you’ll spend.

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Filed Under: Dentistry, General Dental, General Health Tagged With: , , , , ,

A Simpler Lifestyle is Healthier and Lowers Dental Costs

March 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

After treating patients for thirty-five years, I’ve noticed a definite connection between dental health and lifestyle. Dental health affects overall health and vice-versa.

Interested in saving on dental costs in the long run? Simplify your lifestyle by eating more meals prepared with unprocessed ingredients. It will have a profound effect on your overall health as well.

Americans today consume far more of their daily calories from carbohydrates than they did 30 years ago. In fact, soft drinks have now replaced white bread as the leading source of calorie consumption in America.

A 64 oz “Big Gulp” has an average of 800 calories and zero, none, nada nutritional value. That’s right…empty calories. The average adult requires 1600 to 2400 calories a day and a large soda averages 800 of these…supplying nothing to the body that it needs.

Your consumption of carbohydrates, whether in the form of high fructose corn syrup, grain or sugars, will determine whether or not you’re able to manage your weight and maintain optimal health.

If you’re overweight or your health is suffering, make a U-turn in your health by eliminating grains, sugars and foods containing high fructose corn syrup. If you rely on restaurant food for most of your meals, you’re likely slashing decades from your lifespan and increasing the likelihood of having to rely on expensive and potentially toxic drugs to treat the symptoms that will result from not eating healthy.

What to do?

Return to your kitchen and embrace good old-fashioned home cooking.

Return to a diet of simple foods. Restrict your grocery shopping to the perimeter of the grocery store, which gives you produce, dairy and meats. The processed foods are in the middle.

Restrict your intake of processed food to only 10% and get the rest from simple ingredients.

Purchase only meats and fowl raised without hormones, or antibiotics. These additives get into your system and affect your overall health. When you select your own ingredients, you control the calories.

The benefits of making the changes mentioned above include:

  • More energy
  • Added years to your lifespan
  • Reducing risks of cancer, heart disease and arthritis.

Much of the information for this articles was taken from Dr. Mercola’s site.

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Filed Under: General Health Tagged With: , ,

The Secret to Saving Thousands on Implants, Veneers and Crowns

February 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Are All Crowns, Implants and Veneers the Same?

There IS a secret to getting your cosmetic work done for less. And it’s simple. It’s getting it done right the first time.

Even high quality crowns, veneers and dental implants can fail in your mouth. They can feel unnatural and make it uncomfortable to chew. Done incorrectly, they can lead to popping and clicking in your jaw or head, neck and back pain.

The secret to saving thousands on your crowns, porcelain veneers and dental implants is to ensure that the cosmetic dentistry actually “fits” your head, neck and jaw. Consider that dentistry is engineering on a very tiny scale. Everything must fit together to function correctly. Often, patients come to me with a jaw joint imbalance that has led to a deteriorated dental condition. Once this imbalance is corrected, cosmetic dental work can be placed on a sound structure.

This is called orthopedic cosmetic dentistry . This is not a recognized specialty in dentistry, but a protocol I’ve followed based on thirty-five years of experience, training and research into the best ways to ensure that cosmetic dental work lasts, does not interfere with natural chewing function, or create a structural imbalance leading to pain.

If you’re over the age of forty and have considered getting veneers, implants or crowns, I apply the principles of orthopedic cosmetic dentistry to Midlife Dentistry. That’s a sequence of treatment to restore the health of your teeth and gums and enhance your smile and usually entails some procedures that are common in the midlife mouth, such as:

* Your head, neck and jaw are balanced so that your cosmetic dental work is sitting on a sound structure. This ensures that your cosmetic work will last and save you from redoing procedures.
* As you age your teeth wear down, often causing an uneven bite. This can lead to unexplained pain in the head and neck area. If not addressed, you may have to redo cosmetic dental work. Worse, you may seek medical treatment for pain that has been caused by your cosmetic work.

But whether you’re midlife or not, your teeth and gums are part of the interrelated structure of your head, neck and jaw. A comprehensive program ensures the outcome of natural chewing as well as the expected aesthetic outcome. If your primary concern is just looks, then you may not get the work done correctly the first time.

I regularly have patients come to me to correct cosmetic work that was done over misalignment of the head, neck or jaw. This often leads to unexplained headaches due to a basic malfunction that was only made worse by veneers or crowns.

Some signs you may be ready for orthopedic dentistry are:
1. Thinning of your lips.
2. Wrinkles or sagging around your mouth and jaw.
3. A wearing down of your teeth causing your chin to get closer to your nose.
4. You avoid chewing on one side of your mouth.
5. You have missing or cracked teeth.
6. You don’t smile for pictures anymore.
7. You noticed facial pain with increased pressure in your head and sinuses.
8. You put your hand over your mouth when you smile.
9. You notice your smile is getting crooked as teeth wear down unevenly.
10. You’ve had an increase in root canals, especially on one side of your mouth.
11. You have neck and low back pain that creates inactivity.

The primary role of dentistry is chewing. Whether you are getting simple fillings or implants and crowns, your dental work needs to function naturally. With this approach to your cosmetic dentistry, your work is performed so that it’s in alignment with your structure. It is also done in the correct sequence, since all procedures are done in my office. This leads to work that doesn’t have to be redone. And that’s the secret to saving thousands on your cosmetic work.

You can learn more in my free downloadable ebook: Lifetime Smile.

If you are interested in a Consultation for Implants, Veneers, Crowns or Bridges,
call our St Louis dentist office 314 576 3000.

Midlife Dentistry is a service mark owned by Dr. Peter J. Pagano, DDS PC

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Filed Under: Dental Implants Tagged With: , , , ,

Are You Making These Mistakes With Your Dental Health?

January 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Here’s $197 To Correct Them.

1. Ignoring bleeding or swollen gums.
2. Skipping scheduled cleanings and exams.
3. Putting off getting an ache or pain in your tooth checked out.
4. Allowing impacted wisdom teeth or decayed teeth to remain.
5. Keeping old mercury fillings (these often have cracked teeth underneath).
6. Ignoring the fact that you have bad breath and not knowing why.
7. Tolerating neck or back pain that leads to inactivity.
8. Going through life with missing or cracked teeth.
9. Putting up with sensitivity to hot or cold food and drink.
10. Avoiding one side of your mouth while chewing.

Hi. I’m St Louis dentist Dr. Pete Pagano and once we treat any pre-existing dental conditions and get your teeth healthy (and believe me, this is so much easier than you might think), we can then give you the beautiful smile you’ve always wanted.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE WEALTHY TO GET A BEAUTIFUL SMILE.

My patients who have had smile makeovers not only include other dentists and professionals, but teachers, retirees and union workers. Today, cosmetic dentistry is affordable for nearly anyone.

TO CLAIM YOUR $197 TOWARD A CLEANING, X-RAYS AND
5 POINT DENTAL EXAM, CALL 314 576 3000.
MENTION THIS WEBSITE OFFER.

OFFER EXPIRES December 31st.

PS. I hope you take me up on my $197.00 offer. Frankly, an exam and x-rays are too costly for me to give away for very long. I can only extend the offer until May 31st.th.

PPS. Oh … one more thing. When you explore my website you’ll find out I’m also known for accurate diagnosis. That’s why I’m the “Second Opinion Dentist.”

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Filed Under: General Health Tagged With: , , , , ,

Free Dental Care Not Shown to Influence Childhood Cavities

October 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Researchers evaluated the dental history and dental health of more than 1,200 first-graders in Nova Scotia. The province has provided free, universal dental care since 1975, so all the children in the study had access to care since birth. Although more than 90% of the children had their first visit to the dentist by age 2 and annual checkups, some had fewer cavities and better dental health. It was discovered that two other factors contributed to the childrens’ dental health: home dental practices and parental educational level.

Source: Journal of the American Dental Association March 2001

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Filed Under: Dentistry, General Health, Teeth and Gums Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Are White Fillings Safer Than Silver Fillings?

October 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Are White Fillings Safer Than
Silver Fillings?
The practice of replacing silver fillings with white, tooth-colored material for health
reasons has been promoted by “biological” dentists who believe silver fillings are
detrimental to your health. You may have heard these referred to as “silver”,
“mercury”, or “amalgam.” These three terms are used to refer to the silver material
which contains more mercury than silver, along with other metals.
If you’re confused about whether mercury fillings are safe or not, you’re not alone:
even the FDA has seemingly changed their opinion. On June 4, 2008, the agency
issued this statement on their website:
“Dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have
neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing
children and fetuses.” And: “When amalgam fillings are
placed in teeth or removed from teeth, they release
mercury vapor. Mercury vapor is also released during
chewing.”
The FDA also agreed to release a new ruling in July 2009,
and alert consumers about potential related hazards.
Instead, on July 28, 2009 the FDA issued the following
statement, as reported by Reuter’s:
“While elemental mercury has been associated with
Compare the appearance
adverse health effects at high exposures, the levels
released by dental amalgam fillings are not high enough of teeth with white and
with silver fillings.
to cause harm in patients,’’ the FDA said, citing an
agency review of roughly 200 scientific studies.
The American Dental Association stands behind mercury filling safety, stating:
“Dental amalgam has been studied and reviewed extensively, and has
established a record of safety and effectiveness.”
For cosmetic reasons 90% of our patients prefer the white, tooth-colored
material. If you’re among those of us who grew up when mercury fillings were
the only option and you haven’t had these replaced, you can whiten and update
your smile by replacing these with this new tooth-colored material.
I don’t see enough hard science confirming claims that mercury fillings are linked to
such conditions as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Alzheimer’s. However, I’ve been
using the white, tooth-colored non-metallic filling material since 1987, thereby
eliminating the issue for my patients. That said, some people are allergic to this
non-metal material.
(continued on page 3)

The practice of replacing silver fillings with white, tooth-colored material for health reasons has been promoted by “biological” dentists who believe silver fillings are detrimental to your health. You may have heard these referred to as “silver”, “mercury”, or “amalgam.” These three terms are used to refer to the silver material which contains more mercury than silver, along with other metals.

If you’re confused about whether mercury fillings are safe or not, you’re not alone: even the FDA has seemingly changed their opinion. On June 4, 2008, the agency issued this statement on their website:

“Dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses.” And: “When amalgam fillings are placed in teeth or removed from teeth, they release mercury vapor. Mercury vapor is also released during chewing.”

The FDA also agreed to release a new ruling in July 2009, and alert consumers about potential related hazards.

Instead, on July 28, 2009 the FDA issued the following statement, as reported by Reuter’s:

“While elemental mercury has been associated with adverse health effects at high exposures, the levels released by dental amalgam fillings are not high enough to cause harm in patients,’’ the FDA said, citing an agency review of roughly 200 scientific studies.

The American Dental Association stands behind mercury filling safety, stating:

“Dental amalgam has been studied and reviewed extensively, and has established a record of safety and effectiveness.”

For cosmetic reasons 90% of our patients prefer the white, tooth-colored material. If you’re among those of us who grew up when mercury fillings were the only option and you haven’t had these replaced, you can whiten and update your smile by replacing these with this new tooth-colored material.

I don’t see enough hard science confirming claims that mercury fillings are linked to such conditions as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Alzheimer’s. However, I’ve been using the white, tooth-colored non-metallic filling material since 1987, thereby eliminating the issue for my patients. That said, some people are allergic to this non-metal material.

A “biological dentist” would recommend you remove these fillings for health reasons, believing that the longer you leave these in your mouth, the longer you are exposing yourself to metal toxicity.

I recommend replacing decades-old mercury fillings for two reasons: one is cosmetic and the second is tooth preservation. You see, as a dentist, my primary role is to enable you to chew. Since mercury expands and contracts with temperature changes, over time the teeth underneath can crack, which has been the case with some patients. Sometimes, the tooth can crack so deeply it must be removed and replaced with an implant and crown.

Ok, let’s address some common questions.

1. Are white fillings weaker than amalgams?

Yes, however, if you take the total result—the filling plus the tooth—the composites are stronger

because they bond to the tooth, making the tooth more resistant to fracture.

2. Why don’t all dentists offer white fillings?

Many dentists don’t feel comfortable using white filling material on back teeth—it requires special

training to do so. The experience and training ensures the filling isn’t vulnerable to leakage and

new decay. The material has been around since the 70’s, but it wasn’t until the mid-80’s that technology was developed to bond it to your tooth.

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Filed Under: Dentistry, General Health, Teeth and Gums Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What Is a Deep Cleaning?

October 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

An type of gum puffiness, redness or bleeding means that your gums aren’t completely attached to your teeth. These areas that aren’t attached are called pockets and once they develop they provide an opening for bacteria to get under the gum line. Once it gets in there, it festers. Even if your gums reattach at the surface, if bacteria is trapped inside, it gets to work on your bone.

With a deep cleaning …called a “scaling and root planing” you get all of that trapped bacteria, plaque and calcification cleaned out. The result is your gum tissue can reattach to the bone. A deep cleaning, when necessary, is one of the most therapeutic health treatments you can get. Good gum health is a foundation of good overall health.

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Filed Under: Dentistry, General Health, St. Louis, Teeth and Gums, Teeth Tips Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why I Favor Minimally-Invasive Dentistry

October 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment

I usually recommend milder treatments to alleviate conditions before resorting to extractions, surgery or root canals.

For example if your tooth had a three surface cavity, many dentists would do a crown and build up. I might start with a three surface filling to see if that alleviates your problem. If the filling doesn’t hold up, you may need the crown in six months, but often times the less invasive — and less expensive –dental procedure will suffice.

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Want a Movie Star Smile?

October 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Julia Roberts Movie Star Smile

Julia looks like one of those lucky ones with a naturally gorgeous smile. But consider if she’d be as successful if that smile weren’t stunning.

You can transform your appearance from ordinary to extraordinary with the use of porcelain crowns (caps) and veneers. These dental procedures are called “cosmetic dentistry.”

Before you invest in this treatment, let me point out that you’re not just interior decorating. There’s two major areas of outcome you need to be concerned with: Do your teeth look natural? and do they chew comfortably?

Often when someone has extensive work done in their mouth, it’s noticeable. Sometimes the teeth seem to be out-of-proportion to the mouth. Or, they don’t look natural. With the technology available today, there’s no reason crowns and veneers can’t look like your own teeth and not like dental work, even to the most discerning eye.

An experienced dentist utilizing the latest technological advancements can give you a complete cosmetic makeover that is dazzling, and yet entirely natural looking and feels comfortable.

The hallmark of good dental work is it enhances your smile without being obvious. It’s beautiful, but natural looking and natural feeling. Let me give you some examples of what I consider dental work that is far too obvious. Dick Van Dyke and Carol Burnett had smiles that looked fake – their bite planes are off and their teeth don’t look natural. 

For those of you too young to remember those famous TV stars, just start looking at the smiles of stars in the magazines you see at the supermarket checkout counters. You’ll notice there are those that simply don’t look right to you. The teeth can seem out of proportion to the mouth or seem fake looking. Once you start looking, you’ll see what I mean.

When someone has had good dental work, you’d never guess they’ve had any work at all.

The three keys to a successful cosmetic makeover:

1. Correct the Structure First. You don’t want to do interior decorating of the teeth until the foundation tissues of the mouth and teeth are stable and balanced. The foundation of your mouth includes balanced jaw joints and healthy bone and ligaments surrounding the teeth.

2. Function Must Go Hand in Hand With Appearance.No matter how good the dental work looks, it has to be able to function in a way that facilitates chewing. If it impedes chewing or restricts jaw movements a person makes, the treatment will not hold up. Improper chewing can lead to muscle spasms, jaw joint dislocations, with mild to severe muscle pain, creating headaches, neck aches and back pain.

3. A natural look is not necessarily the whitest look. A tooth’s shade varies from the area at the gum line through the biting edge of the tooth. That’s why monochromatic tooth colors appear very unnatural.

Also know that if you’re just getting a single crown or veneer, the hardest thing to do is match that tooth color to its neighboring teeth. Therefore, if you’re crowning or veneering just one tooth, it’s vital your practitioner matches the shade exactly. Otherwise, that one tooth will shout to all its presence. If you’re interested in rejuvenating your smile, use the coupon above for an introductory consultation with me.

I look forward to seeing you at our St Louis office!

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Filed Under: Blog, Cosmetic Dentistry, Dentistry, Orthopedic Dentistry Tagged With: , , , , , ,

In Uncertain Economic Times What Is Your Safest Investment?

September 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Your Smile. It Increases Earning Power.

Research and polls done in the last few decades repeatedly show that your smile influences how you are perceived and treated by others in every situation in life.

A survey done by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry found that 74% of American adults believe an unattractive smile can harm a person’s chances of career success. Julia Roberts was at one time the highest paid actress in Hollywood. She also was voted as having the best smile in the business. Think there’s a connection?

People see your smile or teeth as the first or second thing they notice when they look at you. Some studies say it’s the eyes – others say the smile. Either way, when you come into contact with other people they will notice your teeth and smile no matter what, since the mouth and eyes are the chief vehicles for communication.

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Filed Under: Cosmetic Dentistry, General Dental, Teeth and Gums Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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