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Dr. Pete’s Top 5 Dental Health Trends

September 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Trend #1. The explosion of implant dentistry will bring costs down. Like computer technology costs came down with demand, so it is with dental implants. The cost of materials that kept prices high for implants and crowns is coming down simply because more people are getting implants for missing teeth and instead of dentures. 

The American Academy of Implant Dentistry reports, “As the Baby Boomers begin filing for Social Security, they’re replacing teeth weakened from periodontal disease with dental implants instead of bridgework and removable dentures. Further incentive is that highly precise computer-guided dental implant surgery has made the procedure faster, highly predicable and long-lasting with a success rate of 97 percent.”

Trend #2: Teeth straightening will increasingly become the first step in a cosmetic makeover. It’s been a common practice to place porcelain veneers on crooked teeth. While this gives the appearance of straight teeth, it does nothing to address the health conditions caused by uneven teeth. These create uneven bite pressure which can lead to health problems, including headaches and migraines. With more dentists understanding the connection between the bite and jaw joints and head, neck and back pain, concern for health will lead to correcting the uneven bite rather than covering it up with veneers.

Trend #3: Gum Contouring Will Become More Popular. Just like lip plumping or botox improve appearance without surgery, contouring gum lines will become popular as more dentists investing in acquiring and learning how to use laser dental equipment. With laser technology being used in everything from skin care to knee replacement surgery, it was only a matter of time before it would be more routinely employed in your dental care. In addition to gum contouring which, by the way, is also great for men, lasers can disinfect diseased gum tissue. They can also cut into the teeth, making it faster and more comfortable to get fillings.

Trend #4: 3D x-rays will enable more precise dental treatment. Technology called “cone beam” takes two dimensional x-rays and makes them 3D. This allows your dentist to provide more precise dental treatment. For example, with a 3d picture, your dentist can see the nerve tissue surrounding impacted wisdom teeth. This allows for a better surgery. With implants, we’re able to determine more exactly their correct placement.

Trend #5: Teeth whitening will become part of a daily makeup routine for women. Whitening pens like Liquid Smile will make a professional in-offce whitening last a lot longer. Instead of bulky whitening trays sitting in your mouth for an hour with saliva coming out the side of your mouth, pens allow you to touch up the teeth that are visible.

 

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

Want to Keep Your Teeth and Gums Healthier

September 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Want to Keep Your Teeth and

Gums Healthier? Try Adding

This Little Known Step to Your

Daily Dental Routine

Everyone pretty much knows by

now brushing and flossing after

every meal and getting a

professional cleaning at least

every six months has a huge

impact on dental health.

But there’s another facet to

personal daily dental hygiene

that has a big impact on dental

health: scraping your tongue.

Perhaps we don’t hear that

much about it because tongue

scrapers are not well promoted.

One inexpensive one can

practically last a lifetime.

Studies suggest that by

removing the soft plaque from

the tongue, you’re removing

most of the bacteria and other

debris that are the primary

source of bad breath, hard

plaque (tartar) and mineral

leaching acids (tooth decay).

The latest research associates

the bacteria in our mouths with

heart disease and other

ailments. The bottom line – for

dramatically better oral hygiene

and health just add cleaning

your tongue to your routine.

You can get a tongue scraper at

your next appointmentTry Adding

Tongue Scraper

Try Adding This Little Known Step to Your Daily Dental Routine

Everyone pretty much knows by now brushing and flossing after every meal and getting a professional cleaning at least every six months has a huge impact on dental health.

But there’s another facet to personal daily dental hygiene that has a big impact on dental health: scraping your tongue.

Perhaps we don’t hear that much about it because tongue scrapers are not well promoted. One inexpensive one can practically last a lifetime.

Studies suggest that by removing the soft plaque from the tongue, you’re removing most of the bacteria and other debris that are the primary source of bad breath, hard plaque (tartar) and mineral leaching acids (tooth decay).

The latest research associates the bacteria in our mouths with heart disease and other ailments. The bottom line – for dramatically better oral hygiene and health just add cleaning your tongue to your routine.

You can get a tongue scraper at your next St Louis dental appointment.

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

Rather Than Dread Dentures, Views Them as a Chance to Design Your Own Smile

January 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

View Dentures as a Chance to Design Your Own Smile

Morton came in asking for a new set of dentures. In collaborating with him so we could make him dentures he would be proud to wear, I asked him questions such as:

Do you want spaces between your front teeth?
What type of smiles do you like?
Who do you want to look like?
Do you want big teeth, little teeth, long teeth,wide teeth?
Do you want personalization, such as little character flaws built into your teeth?
Do you want perfect alignment?

According to the Center for Disease Control, 1 out of every 4 adults over 60 have lost all of their natural teeth due to gum disease and tooth decay. Another CDC report says 1 out of every 5 adults over 65 have lost all of their teeth. Once that occurs, your choices are dentures or implants.

Although dental implants are an excellent alternative to dentures, not everyone can get them. This doesn’t mean you have to dread dentures. The biggest reason denture wearers switch to implants is:

Their dentures are ill-fitting and uncomfortable; or
They don’t like how their dentures look. 

You can dread dentures or view them as an opportunity to design your smile. If you want to pay $99 and get “teeth-on-a-plate” then the old adage “you get what you pay for” applies.

On the other hand, if you want someone to craft an appliance that feels and looks natural, you can spend the money and get something that will make you feel confident.

I minored in Art Minor and I view dentistry as both an art and a science. Although an appliance needs to be engineered perfectly, there’s no reason it can’t also be an aesthetic expression of the smile you’ve always wanted.

Filed Under: Dentistry Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Is Your Dentist Keeping Secrets From You?

December 15, 2009 By Leave a Comment

“I don’t think so. But I did like much of the information contained in an article of this title from Dr. Mercola’s website. Here’s a few followed by my comments:

“Secret #1: Your dentist may not have the latest technology.”

“Digital x-ray: Dentists who do not have digital x-ray equipment are practicing in
the dark ages. Digital x-rays use less radiation than film. They are easier to read
and make diagnosis more accurate.”

“Ultrasonic Cleaning: Ultrasonic instruments vibrate plaque and calculus off your
teeth, even in areas below your gums. It is much more comfortable than oldfashioned
hand scraping.”

Dr Pete’s Comment: I agree. Thats’ why our office has had this technology for years.

“Secret #2: Your dentist may be using mercury.”

“Mercury is toxic. Norway and Sweden have banned the use of mercury fillings..
But mercury fillings are less expensive and easier for the dentist to use. If your
dentist does not use composite fillings, don’t go to that dentist any more. In the
US, the FDA is way behind the ball and not actively warning patients about this
like they have been mandated by the courts to do.”

Dr. Pete: I haven’t used mercury for fillings in twenty years.

“Secret #3: The lab may be more important than your dentist.”

‘Dental labs create dentures, crowns, bridges, orthodontic appliances, and other
dental restorations like implant crowns. There is a huge difference in the quality
of these labs. You should be particularly wary if your dentist is using a lab in
China or Mexico. Some of the top labs in the U.S. are Aurum Ceramics,
MicroDental Laboratories, da Vinci Dental Studio, and Williams Dental Lab.”

Dr. Pete: Aurum Ceramics is one of the labs we use at Artistic Dentistry.

“Secret #4: There’s more to good dentistry than filling cavities.”

“A competent dentist screens for more than tooth decay. He or she should be
concerned about sleep apnea, jaw-related pain known as TMJ, oral cancer,
diabetes and hypertension.”

Dr. Pete: All good points. I cover some of this in my free downloadable
electronic ebook found at http://stlouisdentistdrpete.com

Filed Under: Dentistry Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

TIME Magazine Reports Dental Visits Shouldn’t Be Cut in Lean Times

March 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment

A February issue of TIME Magazine reported that the effort to save a few bucks by skipping cleanings or needed dental work was not a wise financial decision. “Patients who’ve skipped checkups now have achy teeth and have no choice but to undergo a more expensive procedure,” the magazine reported.

Consider your cleanings like you would regular oil changes and maintenance on your car. When you keep these up, your maintenance expenses in the long run are actually less. Just because the car is running well today doesn’t mean you should skip your scheduled oil change.

Maintenance of oral health has far more impact on your health and pocketbook than your car. The condition of your gums and teeth affect the comfort of your chewing, how you present yourself to the world and your overall health. Most people don’t actually realize that each tooth is energetically connected to the rest of their bodies. When you do, you can see that allowing teeth and gum health to deterioriate is tantamount to inviting illness.

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

Are Same Day Implants For Everyone?

February 10, 2009 By 1 Comment

Single Tooth Implant Is the Most Common

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 dental implants 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 St Louis 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 procedure is going to take more than one visit.

Here’s more on dental implants.

Filed Under: Cosmetic Dentistry, Dental Implants, General Dental Tagged With: , , ,

Look Ma’ No Cavities!

August 25, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Look Ma! No Cavities!

For Boomers who grew up with this famous toothpaste advertisement, 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.

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

Make sure you get your treatment done in the right order

November 12, 2007 By Leave a Comment

Have you ever gone to the dentist and walked out with a laundry list of treatment you need to have done?

Ever wondered if there’s a proper sequence to the treatment?

If you hired a contractor to build your house, you already know that you wouldn’t put up the walls before wiring the house.

You know it’s just not the right sequence.

Same is true for dentistry. The problem is, most people don’t know there’s actually a proper sequence to performing treatment. If the sequence of treatment is scrambled a new problem is often created, requiring a costly solution. Don’t ever assume that all dental treatment is created equal. It’s NOT! First of all the approach to treatment can be very different, depending on the training of the diagnosing Doc to see and address problems with an understanding of their impact on your overall condition. Secondly, he may not even be aware that a problem exists. Thirdly, he may see the problem and not know what to do about it or where to send you to get the treatment needed.

If you get a treatment program from your dentist, ask him or her to explain the rationale behind the sequence of the proposed treatment. If something doesn’t make sense to you, query it. You need to understand your treatment, WHY it is necessary and WHAT benefits you can expect to get from it

Filed Under: Dentistry Tagged With: , ,
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