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.
This is not a recognized specialty in dentistry. Rather, it’s a term we use in our office to describe the Pagano Protocol – the sequence in which your teeth, gums and structure are treated which results in a dazzling smile that sits in a structurally sound foundation.
What do we mean by “orthopedic cosmetic dentistry?” Think of your teeth and gums as the inside of a house and your jaw and head bones as the structure and foundation. Once Doc ensures that the structure is balanced and stable – which often includes treatment that eliminates headaches,
teeth grinding and other unwanted conditions – then the restorative and cosmetic treatments on your teeth and gums can be performed on a stable foundation. This results in cosmetic treatment that lasts, a bite that feels natural, and eliminates redoing your work.
One patient with lifelong headaches experienced complete relief. Her treatment included straightening her teeth and getting a gorgeous smile.
You can read more about orthopedic dentistry in Doc’s free downloadable ebook: Lifetime Smile at www.stlouisdentistdrpete.com.
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 St Louis dentist 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.
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.
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.
