Is Your Dentist Keeping Secrets From You?
Posted on December 15, 2009 | Filed Under Dentistry
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.
Doc 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.
Doc’s comment: Very accurate. I haven’t used mercury in my office for 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.
Doc’s comment: True. Aurum Ceramics is one of the labs we use a 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.
Doc’s comment: All good points. I cover some of this in my free downloadable
electronic ebook found at http://stlouisdentistdrpete.com
What If E F Hutton Had a Bad Smile?
Posted on May 11, 2009 | Filed Under Dentistry
Those of us over 40 may well remember the famous ad: “When EF Hutton speaks, people listen.” But wait. You never saw EF Hutton. What if he had a bad smile?! Crooked, yellow, broken or stained teeth? Would people still have listened? All this to say that your smile can either lend credibility to what you’re saying or detract from it.
No matter someone’s age, weight, height…no matter if they’re not particularly pretty or handsome…a person’s unfavorable features seem to become less significant as soon as they display a beautiful, warm smile.
Per actual survey, a smile is what people remember most about others.
TIME Magazine Reports Dental Visits Shouldn’t Be Cut in Lean Times
Posted on March 24, 2009 | Filed Under Health
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.
Use Less Invasive Dentistry as the First Alternative
Posted on September 21, 2008 | Filed Under Dentistry
Sometimes the cause of your tooth pain is not always indicative of a clear cut procedure. Here’s a classic example of what I mean: Let’s say you bite down too hard on something and experience pain. If the dentist is too eager to do a root canal or extract your tooth he/she might miss that you just “sprained” your tooth. Read more
An Old-Fashioned, Inexpensive Gum and Tooth Remedy
Posted on September 13, 2008 | Filed Under Teeth Tips
Some of my patients who have been with me for a long time remember my dad, Dr. Sam Pagano, who practiced dentistry in St Louis for over fifty years. A short while ago, Dr. Sam and I were discussing long-forgotten, but effective folk remedies, when he relayed something I’d never heard mentioned in my dental studies. He told me that fifty years ago he and other dentists used tea tree oil for gum and tooth infections, swelling gums and overall gum health and that it was quite effective.
I did some research to find out more about tea tree oil. Turns out that because of its antiseptic qualities, it has many more uses than just making your gums healthy. I ordered some organic tea tree oil from Australia and will be trying it out.
I’ll keep you posted.
Is That Physical Condition Connected To A Tooth?
Posted on September 9, 2008 | Filed Under Health
Back in the ‘80s Dr. Pete was studying the interconnection between teeth and organs, glands and vertebrae. In a recently published book called REVITALIZE YOUR HORMONES (Wiley 2005), Dr. Theresa Dale shows a chart that enables you to trace a tooth, crown or filling that is causing pain to the organ and gland it is connected with. “If you have a dental problem like an abscess, you can easily see the relationship of that particular tooth to specific parts of your body.”
Check out the chart on pg 206 of the book or call the office and we’ll send you a copy of the chart.
Hooked on Colas, Cookies or Late Night Sweets?
Posted on September 6, 2008 | Filed Under Health
If parting you from your sugar fix is like taking candy from a baby (why do they say that’s easy? Have you ever TRIED taking candy from a baby? It’s hard!), then maybe it’s not just a harmless little “treat.” Consider the following 5 Dangers of Sugar, from a list of 76, found in the book Lick the Habit, by Nancy Appleton, PhD:
1. Sugar can cause acidic saliva, tooth decay, and periodontal disease (which often leads to tooth loss).
2. Sugar causes food allergies (food allergies cause everything from skin rashes to indigestion to asthma).
3. Sugar can make your skin age by changing the structure of collagen.
4. Sugar can increase your body’s fluid retention (Hello?? Water weight anyone?).
5. Sugar is enemy #1 of your bowel movement.
Anti-Aging Benefits of Keeping Your Natural Teeth
Posted on August 27, 2008 | Filed Under Teeth Tips
Want to know what happens to your teeth as you get older? They wear down, like tread on tires. Ever so gradually, the distance between your chin and nose diminishes until one day you realize that you’ve got lines around your mouth and you just, well …look older, but don’t really know why. That’s one reason to consider crowns or overlays on your back teeth – this procedures restores the lost vertical distance created by wear. It’s almost like having a facelift!
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
Want Whiter Teeth?
Posted on August 16, 2008 | Filed Under Teeth Tips
An estimated ten million Americans will spend 1.7 billion dollars on tooth whitening products and services this year. Tooth whitening is the most common cosmetic service provided by dentists, and there are also a growing number of over-the-counter tooth whitening products to choose from.
Patients often ask my opinion about the various treatments available to whiten teeth. My recommendation is to use bleaching trays with a product provided by your dentist.
Why not the faster methods? Simple. No one knows the long term effect on the nerves of your teeth when exposed to higher heat methods. My philosophy is “why risk damage to the teeth when the alternative can get you the same result with just a bit more time without the heat?”
