Amalgam VS. Composite

What is the difference between composite fillings and amalgam fillings?  They are different in color, obviously one being tooth colored and the other being silver.  In addition, there are structural differences and differences in placement technique that are important to consider when you are deciding between the two.  Silver fillings tend to cost less, however, silver fillings require that a certain amount of your tooth be removed so that the silver will be strong.  This means that even if the cavity is small, the filling requires that healthy tooth structure may be removed.  A composite filling is bonded to teeth, and can remain small:  only the cavity need be removed to restore the tooth.  New advances in composite fillings are making them more similar in longevity and strength as silver fillings without having to drill so much of the tooth out.  Ask your dentist to recommend a filling material to you according to your individual needs.

"But my teeth aren't bothering me at all..."

Usually, by the time your teeth are aching, a lot of work needs to be done.  If a tooth is sensitive to temperature or sweets, but the sensitivity goes away when the cold/sweetness goes away, then this can be either a cavity in the tooth or just a normal tooth response .  If a tooth is aching, throbbing, and keeping you awake at night, you can classify it as a toothache.  Either way, sensitivity in teeth should always be evaluated by a dentist in order to rule out decay or dying teeth or infection.  As previously posted, regular visits to your dentist are not just for the purpose of cleaning your teeth, but also for the purpose of evaluating any needs.  Once evaluated, if any cavities or fractures are found by your dentist, treatment can be recommended.

Even though your teeth may not hurt, they still may have something like a cavity or fracture developing that is best to treat early.  Early treatment is usually more conservative, leaves more natural tooth structure, and is less costly.  The cost-effectiveness of prevention is much less than the cost of fixing things that are to the point of causing pain, and don't wait if you have a toothache because it won't get better on it's own:  there will always be an underlying threat of severe infection.

Perhaps one of the largest contributors to gum disease in recent years is smoking.  Smoking, like diabetes, causes the blood supply to the gum tissue to decrease, leading to lessened healing.  Remember our mouth usually heals rapidly when compared to tissue outside of our mouth.  With less blood supply, gum tissue is more easily overrun by bacteria.  Also, smoking can cause a dry mouth, which the bacteria love:  they grow more rapidly without saliva to wash them away.  Finally, smoking is one of the leading causes of oral cancer.
A crash course in the process of gum disease is as follows:  first, the bacteria build "soft houses".  This is the fuzzy feeling on our teeth that we want to brush off when we notice it.  If given enough time, the bacteria build "hard houses" otherwise known as tartar, or calculus.  This is similar to the build-up found in old plumbing.  Most of us will remove the bacteria when we feel the fuzziness, but when gum disease is present, we cannot clean deeply enough to remove all the bacteria, so they are free to keep building.  This, in turn, causes more swelling and deeper pockets, which trap more bacteria.  All of this bacteria must be cleaned out by a professional at your dentist's office.
There are resources to help you quit smoking, which will save your mouth from the nasty side effects and definitely cost less from both the cost of buying smokes and the cost of repairing the damage done.

Gum Disease

On the left we have unhealthy pocketing, and on the right, we have healthy gums.

There are really two areas to keep healthy in our mouths:  first, our teeth, obviously; and second, everything that is around our teeth.  We can have perfect teeth without any cavities for our whole life, yet if the supporting structure isn't healthy, we can eventually lose our teeth anyway.  This is the reason that forty years ago, or even more recently, a person could be heard saying "when I get old, I'm gonna lose all my teeth anyway."
Many people have planned on having dentures when they were older, even though there is a very real possibility that we can all keep our teeth for our entire lives.  When we don't have cavities all of the time, the reason for losing teeth is probably due to gum disease.  Gum disease can be a slow process, and our mouths heal fast enough that they may prevent us from experiencing pain.  The picture above illustrates how with gum disease, pockets are formed between our teeth and gums by bacteria and their byproducts.  The catch is that once a pocket has formed, more food and bacteria is trapped and the condition can worsen.  Research is showing more and more that there are implications for other disease in our body that can be effected by gum disease in our mouths.  A long-lasting inflammation in the gums is unhealthy, and the body shrinks the bone away from the irritation to protect itself.  Over a lifetime, the shrinking bone is too little to hold in our teeth.  All of this can be prevented by regular visits to the dentist to evaluate how we are cleaning our teeth at home and if there are any trends of gum disease occurring.

Keep the SeeSaw at Your End!

Good oral health may seem to come naturally to some people and seem completely out of reach to other people.  Like many seemingly impossibilities, oral health is possible for everyone who understands how our mouth is like a seesaw!
On one end of the seesaw is the bacteria, and on the other side are the things we do to combat the bacteria.  The bacteria tip the seesaw to their side when we eat because the bacteria eat what we eat and then produce acid.  We tip the seesaw to our side when the acid doesn't effect us.  We can do many things to tip the seesaw to our side, which will prevent cavities and gum disease.  Here are five things we can do to make sure the bacterial acid doesn't win:

     1.  Sugarless gum or candy.  For the first thirty minutes after eating we are most susceptible to acid, so we can combat it with chewing sugarless gum, sucking on sugarless candy, or at the very least swishing with water.  Anything to promote our saliva, which acts as a natural acid buffer.
     2.  Promote saliva.  On that same note, our saliva is our natural protector from cavities and gum disease, so if we are taking medicine that gives us dry mouth as a side effect, or if we just notice that we have a dry mouth, we should do things that make saliva, keeping our mouth wet as often as we can, perhaps discussing changing medications if possible, or cleaning our teeth frequently to prevent the build-up of bacteria.
     3.  Brush and floss.  Brushing our teeth and flossing between our teeth both mechanically remove build-ups of bacteria.  The less bacteria, the less acid can be produced.
     4.  Fluoride.  When we use fluoridated toothpaste, we are helping remineralize places where the bacterial acid has demineralized our teeth.  The acid produced by bacteria can make small white spots on our teeth that are whiter than our natural tooth color.  These "white spots" can be a precursor to cavities, so if you see white spots on your teeth, have your health professional evaluate them.
     5.  Regular visit to the dentist.  As previously posted, getting your teeth clean is more than just a gimmick:  at the dental office, your teeth are cleaned below the gums to a degree, and all of your teeth, gums, and bone levels are evaluated to let you know as soon as possible of any trends you should be aware of.

These five suggestions can help to keep the seesaw on your side, in other words, the bacterial acid will be neutralized.

Is It Really Just a Cleaning?

"I have my cleaning at the dentist tomorrow..."  Although we may have been raised calling it a dental cleaning, the truth is that much more is going on than cleaning.  Like getting your oil changed as needed, going to the dentist regularly for a "cleaning" is actually much more.  The auto mechanic checks other fluids, asks if there are any concerning noises, malfunctions, etc., and examines everything for any other needs your car may have.  Well, when you see your dentist for your previously agreed upon maintenance visit, you are either given a clean bill of health, or a plan of action is discussed to bring your oral health back up to optimal.  Also, the cleaning that is performed ensures that even the spots you can't reach are cleaned.  By this we mean deep in between your teeth and gums where your tooth brush doesn't reach.  In addition to the cleaning, however, the teeth are examined for any decay, the gums and bone are examined for any trends of recession or inflammation, and any of your concerns can be discussed.  So a "cleaning" is really an oral health maintenance visit!  Don't worry, if you get behind on your maintenance, you can always get back on schedule.

Who's in Charge?

     Ah, the '80's...many of us recognize the phrase "Charles in charge" from the sitcom made famous by an in-house, male sitter.  Although we may not select someone like Charles to make decisions for us, it can be tempting to have someone else take responsibility for big decisions.
     It is wise to realize early that each of us is our own best healthcare provider.  If we stop to think, it is ironic that we make many decisions about our health without consulting anyone:  whether to smoke, floss our teeth, or  overeat.  Because the physicians, nurses, and doctors we see are caring individuals, we can sometimes fall into the habit of expecting them to "fix" whatever problems we may have caused through our decisions or lack of discipline.  Our healthcare providers will even try to meet whatever reasonable expectations we have, however, make no mistake:  we are responsible for our own health.
     So next time you see your doctor or nurse to discuss any treatment, make sure you understand what is going on, that you have all of your questions answered, and especially that you make the decision for yourself.

Is Halloween Better Than Thanksgiving?

Everyone knows or is learning that soda and candy can lead to a greater number of trips to the dentist, but did you know that all of those foods we enjoy on Thanksgiving may do the same thing?  That's right, many people don't realize that the bacteria in our mouths that eat candy enjoy not just a little pumpkin pie, but dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, and even stuffing!  Bacteria are not prejudice:  they love almost any refined carbohydrate.  Also, when we sleep, our natural protector, saliva, is reduced.  Which means that napping after Thanksgiving dinner can contribute to cavities!

Utilize Your Dental Benefits

With the end of the year quickly approaching remember to use your dental benefits.  Any benefit provided by your carrier that is not used by the end of the plan or calender year is LOST!  Also remember your flexible spending accounts where money could be lost if not used!  Be proactive!

If you are concerned with overall health read this!

The health of your mouth has a direct connection with your overall health!  Studies have found that plaque levels and periodontal (gum issues) have a direct connection with other body health issues like: stroke risk, diabetes, plaque in your heart as well as many others.  So many people eat right and try to stay healthy but forget to see the dentist regularly!  when is the last time you saw a dentist?

Bleaching your teeth!

Our office offers a lifetime bleaching system for $180.00!  This means you can whiten and brighten your smile and keep it that way!  We believe that take home professional bleaching is the way to go.  In office "quick" bleaching systems can cause some severe sensitivity and if not properly applied can cause some gum issues. 

Our System is safe and very effective, safe and gentle!  We have seen some pretty dramatic changes!