Jani battled tooth issues for close to 20 years and was never able to find a solution due to her bite issues.. unfortunately her disease got so bad she had to do something.. with the help of periodontist Dr Ryan Gifford and laboratory technician Justin McElroy we were able to solve her bite and tooth troubles! She is now free of pain, was able to enjoy corn on the cob in Iowa this summer and be able to sing with her sisters at their Mothers memorial service.
Patricia’s wanted to upgrade her smile! We were able to do that with Porcelain crowns and veneers.
Pat’s teeth had started to cause pain to eating hot and cold foods. He also wasn’t pleased with their appearance. Modern Dentistry allows both of these to be solved at the same time!
Kurt had put his teeth on hold to take care of others in his life and finally found the time to take care of himself. Kurt’s new smile transformed Kurt into a new guy!
Derek lived on the streets of Las Vegas for about 6 years, hooked on Heroin and Crystal Meth… he tells me his Mom would call the local jails and often thats the only way she knew if he was still alive. Derek ended up in Jail for 9 months and started to get clean and has now been clean for almost 2 years and is ready to get his life started again.. I’m excited to see what he’s now able to achieve and to be a small part in helping him get back on his feet.
Extractions are necessary for many reasons. By following some simple tips, you can avoid many post-op complications and lessen your healing time to get back to normal as quickly as possible.
Whether due to lactose intolerance, an ethical stance or dietary choice, many people today are choosing different methods of getting their daily calcium for strong teeth and bones.
With a little help from your dental team, a healthy mouth during pregnancy is something that’s easy to deliver.
Little has changed design-wise in the 2,000-plus years since toothbrushes have been around. Even the Ancient Babylonians knew the importance and attractiveness of clean teeth. From their thin, frayed-end twigs to the hog-hair bristled bamboo brushes used by the Chinese in the 15th century, they all have the same general shape and function. Since the 1960s, when the first electric toothbrushes became available in the U.S., technology has continued to advance, and now they are a staple on grocery store shelves and in dentist’s offices.
Each electric toothbrush brand has its unique twist, but they all have standard features that make brushing easier.
Some oscillate or rotate while others use ultrasonic technology. Some have simple on/off switches that run for two minutes and beep at 30-second intervals alerting you to change to a different side of your mouth. Others have multiple settings like an extended brush timer button, massage settings to stimulate gum tissue, and sensitive teeth settings which reduce the motor speed and force.
However, it’s just as easy to brush too hard with an electric toothbrush, so a gentle hand is always best. Brushing too hard can cause tooth abrasion and gum problems. Some brushes feature special sensors which stop the brush from rotating or vibrating if too much pressure if sensed so you can train yourself to use a gentler hand. With an electric brush, gently holding it to and moving it along the teeth is all the pressure you need.
Electric toothbrushes are an excellent idea for everyone, but for people with arthritis, cognitive impairments or those who have suffered a stroke, an electric toothbrush can be a little breath of independence that gives a boost of self-confidence. Just a little control over your health can mean the world in a patient’s recovery process or overall longevity. For a patient with arthritis or patients with muscle-control issues, this allows you to hold the brush gently and let it do all the work. Most electric brushes have a timer, too, so you don’t have to worry about not brushing for the right amount of time.
Electric toothbrushes are also great for children. Studies have shown that children don’t have the dexterity to brush their teeth unaided until they can tie their shoes. While a parent should still help small children with brushing and flossing, an electric toothbrush gives an older child the ability to brush their teeth while giving the parent the comfort knowing the brush is doing the bulk of the work. The timer makes sure they are brushing for the full two minutes.
An electric toothbrush can help compensate for coordination problems due to age and medical issues, but using one is not an excuse to skip regular cleanings and exams. You should consider asking for help if brushing and holding a toothbrush is difficult. Combined with regular cleanings and exams, an electric toothbrush is merely one cog in the wheel of your oral health care regimen.
Not all dental cleanings are created equal. Find out why some hygiene appointments cost more than others and learn how you can save time and money in the dental chair.
A “regular” cleaning is clinically called prophylaxis or a prophy cleaning and is a preventative measure to prevent periodontal disease. It includes removing plaque and tartar from tooth surfaces and just below the gum line. Sometimes, especially if you haven’t been to the dentist in a while, the buildup of tartar and plaque is too much to remove with the hand instruments that our hygienists use and, in some cases, requires the use of anesthetic and more than one visit, resulting in a costlier dental appointment.
This is when a “simple cleaning” goes from being a preventative measure to a treatment and maintenance measure. When this happens, you might be told you need a periodontal cleaning, root planing, or a deep scaling. These cleanings remove the tartar that wedges itself below the gum line and irritates and inflames the gum, causing what’s called gingivitis.
Gingivitis is the first stage of periodontal disease. Gingivitis is an inflammation of the gums causing bleeding, red swollen gum tissue, and bad breath. A cleaning and more frequent professional hygiene appointments can treat and usually reverse this stage of gum disease so long as you follow a regular at-home maintenance routine and commit to a strict professional hygiene schedule.
If gingivitis is left untreated, it can turn into periodontitis. At this stage, tartar builds up between the gum and tooth root creating periodontal pockets that can no longer be cleaned with regular at-home care. A more frequent recare schedule, usually every three to four months, and specialized equipment including ultrasonic scalers can remove the buildup and help the pocket stay clean, so no further damage is done. Think of tartar as a wedge between the tooth and the gum. The more it builds up, the harder it is for you to clean yourself. And the more the tartar builds up, the more the gum is pushed from the tooth. It’s a cycle, and the only way to effectively clean below the gum line is having a qualified dental professional remove it with specialized equipment.
Once periodontitis progresses to a point where the bone starts to recede, it is considered advanced periodontal disease which includes bone loss due to extensive pocketing. This causes loose teeth which can result in lost teeth and a shift in your bite if not properly taken care of. If too many teeth are lost, it can radically alter your bite and cause worse problems than a gap in your smile. At this stage, regular cleanings are no longer effective, and we may recommend one of many procedures to help manage the infection, like laser periodontal treatments, bone grafting, or time release antibiotics placed in the periodontal pocket itself. Each of these treatments requires dedication to an excellent home care routine, so the efforts of your hygienist and dentist don’t go to waste.
The good news is, gum disease can be prevented with regular professional cleanings and a good home care routine that includes daily flossing and brushing for two minutes at least twice a day. A little extra time spent on proper home care and regular cleanings can help save a lot of time and money down the road.
