Dental Blog

Dental implants are replacement of tooth roots. Implants provide a strong foundation for fixed (permanent) or removable replacement teeth that are made to match your natural teeth. There are many reason you should consider a dental implant:

• Improved Function They improve the ability to chew and function pretty much like natural teeth. Individuals with a missing tooth or multiple teeth loose their ability to consume normal diet, dental implant predictably and successfully restore the chewing ability.

• Improved appearance – Dental implants look and feel like your own teeth. And because they are designed to fuse with bone, they become permanent.
• Improved speech – With missing a single or multiple teeth, poor-fitting dentures, the teeth can slip within the mouth causing you to mumble or slur your words. Dental implants allow you to speak without the worry that teeth might slip.
• Improved comfort – Because they become part of your jaw bone, implants eliminate the discomfort of removable dentures
• Improved self-esteem – Dental implants can give you back your smile and help you feel better about yourself.
• Improved oral health – Dental implants don’t require shaving other teeth, as a tooth-supported bridge does. Because nearby teeth are not altered to support the implant, more of your own teeth are left intact, improving long-term oral health. Individual implants also allow easier access between teeth, improving oral hygiene.
• Convenience – Especially when it replaces an existing wobbling removable denture. Removable dentures are just that; removable. Dental implants eliminate the embarrassing inconvenience of removing dentures, as well as the need for messy adhesives to keep them in place.
• Improve general health replacement of unhealthy, infected , compromised teeth and the supporting tissues with implants will have a proven positive impact on the over all health of the body.

Marijuana has been readily available these days in our society, the general consensus in the population that it’s not harmful, and it’s a safe thing to use. Now we have some major studies that extensively examined the association of Marijuana use with some serious problems in the mouth. Here is the list I copied from the American Academy of General Dentistry Impact publication:

• Loss of the bone supporting teeth in the mouth.
• Tooth decay, and tooth loss.
• Tooth staining.
• Dry mouth (which contribute to decay and gum tissue inflammation)
• Gingivitis, and periodontitis.
• Gingival hyperplasia (increase in the size of the gum tissue).
• Gingival Leukoplakia (precancerous).
• Increase appetite for cariogenic foods and drinks.
• Oral Cancer.
• Oral candidiasis (fungal infection).
• Possible peripheral dilatation and tachycardia associated with Marijuana toxicity when an anesthetic is given.
• Uvilitis.

Hello friends and patients, just want to share this important study linking periodontal (gum) disease with kidney disease. I’m copying it from the publication Dentistry Today.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects 26 million American adults, with millions more at risk, according to the National Kidney Foundation. It damages the body’s ability to remove wastes from blood, leaving sufferers at best tired and unable to concentrate, eat, and sleep. But it also could lead to anemia, weak bones, nerve damage, heart and blood vessel disease, and even death.

CKD primarily is caused by diabetes and high blood pressure, yet periodontal disease may play a role too. Research has implicated it as a novel risk factor for CKD, though evidence of its association with kidney function decline over time has been limited. Scientists at the University of California San Francisco, however, recently completed research investigating this association.

During a longitudinal retrospective cohort of 761 elderly men with preserved kidney function at baseline, researchers performed multivariable Poisson’s regression to examine the association of severe periodontal disease with incident CKD. They defined severe periodontal disease by 2 criteria: equal to or greater than 5-mm proximal attachment loss in 30% of teeth examined (European Workshop in Periodontology Group C, European Workshop); and 2+ interproximal sites with attachment loss equal to or greater than 6 mm and 1+ interproximal sites with probing depth of equal to or greater than 5 mm (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/American Academy of Periodontology [CDC/AAP]).

At baseline, the mean age of the subjects was 73.4 years (standard deviation 4.8), and 25.4% of the participants had severe periodontal disease. After a mean follow-up of 4.9 years (standard deviation 0.3), 56 participants or 7.4% had incident CKD. Severe periodontal disease was associated with a twofold greater rate of incident CKD after adjusting for confounders compared with not-severe periodontal disease by European Workshop criteria, but it did not reach statistical significance by CDC/AAP criteria.

The researchers concluded that severe periodontal disease may be associated with clinically significant kidney function decline among a cohort of elderly men. Their paper, “The Association of Periodontal Disease with Kidney Function Decline: A Longitudinal Retrospective Analysis of the MrOS Dental Study,” was published by Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation.

According to the American Association of Orthodontists, your child should have an orthodontic check up no later than age 7. The check up might identify an existing problem, or a potential for a future problem, that might require an immediate interception, or a recommendation to monitor the child growth and development.

Early treatment allows us to prevent some problems from developing into bigger and more complicated ones. In most of these cases we can achieve results that may not be achievable, once the jaws and face are fully developed.

The manufacturing companies add campaigns had turn this to a big confusing mess to consumers. Here is the menu, we have manual and powered brushes, with bristles that could be flat, dome shape, rippled, etc.., we have soft, medium and hard bristles, we have small, medium and large bristle size. For handles we have straight, angled and flexi grip handles, etc.

The best toothbrush is one that fits your mouth and allows you to reach all teeth surfaces easily. Both manual and powered toothbrushes can effectively clean your teeth. Powered brushes could help a person with special need to brush with ease .Children may find that brushing with a powered toothbrush is fun.

Whether you decide on manual or powered, choose a toothbrush that you like and find easy to use. Brushing should be done 2-3 times a day, for two minutes to thoroughly clean all the surfaces of your teeth, especially before going to bed.

Some studies have suggested that sonic brushes provide superior brushing quality.

To sum it up, for a manual brushes I suggest a small head, with soft bristle, angled handle brush. The fancy Sonic brushes all are nicely designed and do a great job. The spinning powered brushes I’m not big on those, mainly because you loose your dexterity and tactile sensation while brushing and they could be traumatic if not used properly, however they might be more useful for kids.

According to the American Dental Association, tooth brushes should be changed every 3-4 months, kids should get a new one more often. With time, the bristles get damaged, making brushing less effective. It’s also important to know, that your tooth brush could provide a perfect environment for germ growth.

There are few things to put in mind, replace the tooth brush if you get sick with the flue, cold, cold sore, or sore throat. Don’t store your brush in a closed container, let it hang in upright position, allowing it to dry up, hence reduce the chances of microbial growth. Don’t share your tooth brush with others. Rinse your tooth brush with worm water (or antibacterial) before brushing.

Happy New Year, I hope everyone had a great holiday season. For those of you that have a New Year Resolution, please consider the addition of the following to your list.

• Brushing minimum twice a day for TWO minutes.
• Flossing at least once a day, with regular floss or water pick (water floss)
• Avoid Soda, energy drinks and any beverage that is known to weaken the enamel.
• Avoid nail biting, ice chewing, biting on pencils and pens.
• Finally, keep your dentist in mind every six months for a check-up and cleaning.

The cost of dental treatment is the most common reasons people delay seeking dental care. Ignoring some symptoms will definitely makes things worse in the mouth, essentially that leads to more dental work needed, more time at the dentist, and that comes with a higher cost.

It’s worth noting that the medical research for more than a decade and the center for Disease Control and Prevention has been showing that bacteria from an oral infection could enter the blood stream and contribute to increase in heart disease, stroke, diabetes, pregnancy complications and cognitive decline.

I would like to list some symptoms that you don’t want to ignore:

First – Sensitivity to hot, this an indication of a nerve involvement, ignoring it might lead to sudden increase in symptoms that could include, spontaneous throbbing, sever pain and facial swelling.

Second – Intermittent (on and off) discomfort or pain coming from a tooth, or few teeth on one side. Our body including our teeth communicate to us a problem, the on and off symptoms is one way the body is trying to tell us there is something wrong. If you have this, I suggest brushing and flossing that area thoroughly for 10 days. If symptoms don’t improve call your dentist for an evaluation. One of the most common intermittent pains is, wisdom teeth pain, it happens when the gum tissue covering the tooth gets infected and inflamed.

Third – Bleeding gum tissue. Just another common issues that my patient list as a chief complaint. Brushing for two minutes at least twice a day, and properly flossing at least once a day (see my post flossing made easy) should improve the condition. You might need to see your dentist for gum tissue evaluation, a regular and/or a deep cleaning.

Fourth – Uneven bite. Unbalanced bite could lead to all kind of problems that include teeth cracking, breakage, mobility, shifting, and tenderness. You could also develop facial muscle spasms, headaches, and TMJ symptoms.

Fifth – Dry mouth. The saliva has an antibacterial effect on the teeth and gum tissue. Decrease in the level of saliva in the mouth could have devastating consequences in the mouth. Mouth breathing, Diet, alcohol consumption, certain medical conditions, medication side effect and ageing could contribute to the dry mouth.

Sixth – Sensitivity to cold and sweet most of the time is due to a developing cavity in one or more teeth. It could also come from a receding gum tissue.

Coffee is a good antioxidant that contains several compounds which are known to affect human body chemistry. The coffee bean itself contains chemicals which are mild psychotropic. The primary psychoactive chemical in coffee is caffeine, which acts as a stimulant. A 2012 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that coffee drinkers “who drank at least two or three cups a day were about 10 percent or 15 percent less likely to die for any reason during the 13 years of the study. Other studies have suggested that drinking 3-5 cups a day could reduce the development of, among others, Alzheimer, Parkinson, gallstones, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and improve short term memory.

When it comes to teeth, we have some different opinions. Some say that, coffee drinkers are very familiar with the unpleasant tooth staining that forms on their teeth, just the way it forms on the coffee mug. Good brushing and periodic visits to the dentist should eliminate these stains. However, heavy stains on teeth could act as a retention mean for germs, which in turn could lead to tooth decay and gum tissue inflammation.

Some studies have suggested that coffee beans have an antimicrobial effect on S. Mutans (the bacteria that cause tooth decay), other  studies shown that, coffee could even interfere, or inhibit bacterial cells adhesion to the teeth. A study published in 2022 suggested that coffee may have either beneficial or negative impact on periodontal health due to complex components it contains.

In summary, drinking coffee comes with a lot of medical benefits (unless your medical doctor have suggested otherwise). So I suggest that you enjoy your coffee, and drink moderately, don’t forget to brush and floss properly. Remember to contact us for your periodic checkups and cleaning to remove stains, and if needed whiten your teeth.

The importance of braces goes way beyond having straight teeth. I would like to sum up some of these extremely important reasons to have braces.

First, the obvious reason crowded teeth cause cosmetic and, aesthetic problems that can make people self cautious about their smile.

Second crowded teeth are normally more difficult to clean, and the food gets stuck and trapped a lot more in-between than normal. This will make these teeth more susceptible to decay, and the gum tissue more prone to gingivitis.

Third, crowded teeth have less surrounding bone , and more unhealthy gum tissue. In other word, they have a weaker, and less supporting  structure

Forth crowding, spacing, rotations, cross bite, excessive overbite etc., could cause an improper and sometimes traumatic bite. Traumatic bite happens when teeth are not aligned properly causing excessive bite force on certain teeth, that could teeth drifting,  damage enamel, localized sensitivity, tooth mobility, muscular  and TMJ problems.

It’s important to remember that worn out and broken teeth not only look bad, they cause shifting of the bite, which in turn could cause  TMJ issues, that might cause clicking, popping, and tenderness of the joint, headaches, and migraines. Worn out teeth are not as sharp and functional as normal teeth, hence causing the muscles to function a lot more to chew food.

Fifth, there is a clear scientific evidence that orthodontic treatment can have a positive influence on airway and sleep apnea.

Basically, an orthodontic treatment should achieve straight teeth that function within a well balanced bite, so teeth will last longer. This is goal is reached by, correcting, or improving all the above listed problems.
Let’s not forget that a nice smile will promote self –esteem that is a valuable tool for everybody’s social, and carrier success.

Braces are recommended for younger individuals to avoid problems. However, in the recent years more adults are having orthodontic treatment, to stop an existing problem from causing more damage.
In our office, we monitor kids as young as 5 years old), to see if there is a problem, or a potential for a problem. We also provide a free orthodontic exam and screening