thewholetooth

Def Leppard Pikcard

2008-05-10T10:09:00.001-07:00

hey, i know that this is supposed to be a healthcare blog, but i just got the new def leppard cd and it rocks, but what is even cooler is the pikcard that came with it. it seems to be credit card shaped with 4 medium picks that pop out. even cooler, they pop back in. i probably won't use mine since the cards look like they might be a collector item some day, but check it our, you can buy pikcards at a lot of the music retailers, i did not know that. i can never find my picks when i need them so i am off to the store to get some. i also saw them on line so anyone can get them anytime.

YOGURT AND GUM DISEASE

2008-03-23T17:15:00.000-07:00

i read an interesting email blast from one of the many dental info groups that i subscribe to. there was a study published, from the Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan that found that products that contained lactic acid were associated with healthier gums. it is important to note that milk and cheese were not. the study showed that those eating at least 55 grams or more of yogurt, or drinking beverages with lactic acid had fewer markers of gum disease (and this is after allowances for other risk factors were taken). the lead researcher, Dr. Shimazaki, feels that the benefits of lactic acid might be linked to the probiotics (living organisms) found in lactic acid foods.

prevention

2008-03-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

i am back and hopefully will be blogging a little bit more often now.
if you are not familiar with what i write, i am a dentist who is focused on prevention. it is very easy to tell people you will help them with brushing and flossing, it is another story to actually help the patient to achieve the skills to stop enabling the bad bacteria to overcome the environment and actually do the damage that they can do. just doing several fillings will not help the patient, it is just a band aid. you must eliminate the active evil bacteria from the biofilm of bacteria that is natural in every one's mouth.
this is just a taste of more to come. the more i write, the more committed i am to getting you healthy

RISK FACTORS FOR ORAL CANCER

2007-10-21T20:27:00.001-07:00

just a quick little post to keep you updated on the risk factors of oral cancer, one of the cancers with the highest mortality rate.
1. 40 years or older
2. tobacco use, including cigarettes, cigars and chewing tobacco
3. chronic alsohol consumption
4. human papilloma virus,
5. a compromised immune system

so, if you ever get a sore in your mouth that does not heal in 14 days, go to you dentist immediately to check it out. If you have any of the above stated risk factors then your life may depend on it. however, there are a lot of oral cancers that will never let you know they are there, only with an exam from either a dentist or hygienist will find them. see your dentist every 6 months.

SMOKING AND GUM DISEASE

2007-10-19T13:48:00.000-07:00

as a dentist, i have always had a problem with preaching to patients about the dangers of smoking. this is because i am sure anyone who smokes has already had a handful of caring friends and/or family members to hammer them about the dangers of smoking.
as part of my commitment to educating my patients (and to those who read my blog) i know i need to address a major issue that smoking presents for oral health.
while the thrust of the post will not be about cancer, look at the stats out there. oral cancer can be a very aggressive cancer and smoking absolutely contributes to oral cancer. what i want to discuss is the problem that smoking creates for the patient as far as gum disease.
one of the major signs of gum disease is bleeding gum tissues. unfortunately, bleeding gums is something many people have accepted as normal (i don't think anyone would think that a cut on their arm bleeding for 3-4 weeks is anywhere close to normal). when someone smokes, their gum tissue often undergoes changes which make the tissue fibrotic. normal gum tissue is full of blood vessels and is firm (not hard). fibrotic gum tissue (the result of the constant trauma of the smoke and heat from the cigarettes and cigars) is beyod firm, it is hard and will not bleed very easily. fibrotic gum tissue will hide the first tell tale signs of gum disease, bleeding gums.
the bottom line, smoking is a causative agent for gum disease and may allow for accelerated breakdown due to gum disease. think about this before you light up the next time.

2006-06-06T22:55:00.000-07:00

xylitol vrs sorbitol

for as long as i can remeber anyone writing about it, i have been touting the benefits of xylitol. there have been studies published around the world, from a variety of entities (such as the university of michigan) telling how regular exposure to xylitol can greatly diminish the process of getting cavities. xyltiol works in many different ways, from actually killing the bacteria to inhibiting the bacteria that cause cavities from attaching to the teeth. no bacteria no cavities.
however, xylitol is fairly expensive compared to sugar or sorbitol so it is not used as much as sorbitol.
i recently read a study that said if you get more than 3 exposures a day to sorbitol you can expect the acid/base balance of your mouth to shift to the acid side. what this really means is that wyile sorbitol has no calories, if used more than 3 times a day it no longer is cavity free, but cavity reducing.
so, the best gum to chew needs to have xylitol listed as it's first ingredient, anywhere else and there is not enought xylitol. also, if xylitol is not the first ingredient, then you can bet it will be sorbitol. the few gums available over the counter that have xylitol as it's first ingredient are carefree koolerz , armand hammer sugarless gum ( i have heard of it but never have seen it in a store) and altoids sugarless gum (not their mints, they are sweetened with sorbitol) you can also do a search on the internet and find a dozen other brands of gums to find. my suggestion, find the gum and use is 3-4 times a day for at least 5 minutes. this will greatly enhance the possibility that you will need less dentistry done over your lifetime, and isn't that what everyone wants?

taking care of your gums can help you save in the long run

2006-05-28T15:43:00.000-07:00

for a while you have been reading on my blog or hearing at my office about the strong relationship between gum disease and other health issues such as diabetes, strokes and heart disease. a new study done jointly with aetna insurance company and columbia university college of dental medicine indicates that treatment of gum disease has a positive effect of the cost of medical care reagrding the above mentioned diseases. they also found during this two year study that costs were actually lower if peroidontal therapy (treatment of gum disease) was recieved during the first year of the study.
what does this mean to you. one, it clearly shows that there is a link between gum disease and other health issues. second, if you take care of your gum disease issues you have a better chance for better quality of life as you age. third, if there is a lower cost to your healthcare you save money and in the long runit can help keep medical premiums from going up as much.
who knows, maybe aetna will start paying more for the treament of gum disease, or put it under medical insurance since it is now shown to be cost effective for them. NA, JUST WISHFULL THINKING

Fluoride varnish, a great to prevent cavities in children

2006-05-21T19:16:00.000-07:00

fluoride varnishes have been used for years in europe to help prevent cavities in children. now a new study from the university of california at san francisco dental school echos what those europeans have known for a while. fluoride varnishes help prevent early childhood cavities.
children who got the fluoride varnish once a year were 50% less likely to get cavities over kids who did not get the varnish. if the children got the varnish 2 times a year they were 75% less likely to get cavities. dr. jane weintraub, the lead doctor in the study, points out that there are two valuable lessons to learn here. first, fluoride varnishes work, and second, getting your toddlers to the dentist as soon as their teeth erupt is the right way to go.

as a practicing dentist i can tell you that fluoride varnishes are very easy to place and i highly recommend them for children, and any adults who have issues with lots of cavities.

Chewing gum

2006-01-17T08:20:00.000-08:00

I had a young lady come in for her first visit with us yesterday, a very nice 17 year old. She had a pretty smile, but there was decay on the deep grooves of her back teeth. Unfortunately, she will need several fillings. When I discussed her diet with her, she told me she chews a lot of gum, but it turned out it was not sugarless. She figured out on her own, immediately, that she needed to chew only sugarless gum.
Sugarless gum actually can help prevent cavities. Chewing gum makes your mouth increase the production of saliva. Saliva contains many minerals that help stop the progress of cavities. Saliva is also basic, where the medium of cavity formation is an acid (sugar plus bacteria create an acid that starts breaking down the minerals in the enamel of teeth) So saliva also helps neutralize the acidity of the area as well.
Regular, full leaded (sugar) gum on the other hand provides a steady stream of sugar to the mouth that can interface with the bacteria and cause decay.
So, I say, chew sugarless gum when ever you want, and if you can not brush your teeth after a snack or meal, sugarless gum and rinsing your mouth with water can help reduce the incident of cavities in your mouth.

DO YOU DRINK COFFEE DURING THE DAY

2005-07-19T11:46:00.000-07:00

so here i go with one of my first posts of many about prevention.

WHY DO WE GET CAVITIES

when ever we eat or drink any fermentable carbohydrate (this means just about any type of carb) bacteria on our teeth interact with the sugars and create an acid. this acid eats away at the mineral content of first the enamel and then the dentin of the tooth. (the dentin is much softer so it breakdowns much quicker than enamel) our saliva contains minerals to stop the acidic breakdown. we get a cavity when this balance is broken by too much acid production. the acid production usually lasts for 20 minutes, although i just read something that said the acid lbalance is affected for up to 2 hours.

WHAT IS UP WITH COFFEE????

coffee by itself is not a problem as far as cavities are concerned (homeiopathics do not like coffee at all becasue of the caffiene content) it is what you put into the coffee that creates cavities. sugar, milk and cream. all of these have some carbohydrate content to them. the bacteria love this. every drink you take with this loaded coffee means a minimum of 20 minutes of acid attack. if you nurse this type of coffee all day long you can be putting yourself at much higher risk of having cavities. it is no different with tea and any natural sweetened beverage.

WHAT CAN YOU DO???

if you do not want to change how you drink coffee you can consider doubling up on you rhygiene, chewing sugarless gum (to promote salivary flow) and using flouride rinses. there are non sugar sweetners out there including the new one in the yellow package (I am sorry, the name of it excapes me right now). You can actually drink your coffee quicker to limit the exposure time. and if youwant more info post or talk to your dentist.

impacted wisdom teeth

2005-07-17T19:55:00.000-07:00

someone asked me a good question about wisdom teeth otherwise known as the third molars or 17 year molars. hers are impacted and her dentist told her not to worry about them unless they touch the other teeth. she asked for my opinion and should she trust her dentist.

let me address the trust issue first. i have always felt that the relationship between a dentist and the patient should be based off of trust and respect. i can not tell anyone how to detemine whether they should trust someone or not. and i am usually a very trusting person. a lot of trust will depend on how you feel inside of your gut i guess, i know that is how it is for me. i do feel strongly that you must trust your health care provider becuase they are the expert that you are putting your health (and trust) in.

about wisdom teeth. my answer will only be my opinion and has to be somewhat limited because i do not have the x-rays or know the mouth involved at all, but here goes.
impacted wisdom teeth generally means that part, if not all, of the wisdom tooth is surrounded by bone. i was taught in dental school that if the patient is young, it is easier to remove impacted wisdom teeth than with older patients (over 30ish).
wisdom teeth (and if anyone can tell me where they got the nickname of wisdom teeth from please do) are not bad teeth that have to be removed. the issue that the dentist made to our lady questionaire is right on the money. if the teeth are impacted and there is no visible problems with the bone around the teeth then they do not have to be removed (unless there are other issues). when the impacted teeth touch the back of the molar (called the second molar) in front of them you can get a communication between the mouth down the backside of the second molar to the impacted wisdom tooth. this can be an avenue of gum disease starting in an area where you would have no way of cleaning and this can jepordize the health of the second molar.

you can also have the wisdom tooth impact the molar in front in such a way that it can contribute to a cavity on the side of the tooth where no one, including the dentist or hygeinist can get to it to clean it or restore it. this can place a healthy second molar at risk for hard to detect cavities that can lead to costly care to save it. ( i have seen this situation many times over the years) .

some of the situations i discussed above also deal with wisdom teeth that are partially erupted into the mouth as well.

there are times where the discussion of extracting wisdom teeth may be based off of value judgements, risks verses benefits and these are individual needs and feel free to talk to your dentist about this.

again, these are just my humble opinions.

What did your floss do this weekend

2005-07-17T19:08:00.000-07:00

I belong to a mlm company called wellness international network. The fact that I am a member is not important. the owner of the company, ralph oats, used to ask people what was more important, health or money? and of course everyone would say health. Then he would ask how many of you went to work when you were sick? his point being that most of us value money more that our health. so i ask you

WHY DO YOU WANT TO GIVE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY TO US DENTISTS???????

if you have not read any of my other posts then you know that i feel with all my heart and professional integrity that the best dentistry in the world is no dentistry and that no child born in the united states today should ever have a cavity or gum disease. and it is really not that hard as you will find in the next few days and months and years on this blog site. i am committed to giving you the latest and greatest in preventive dentistry and other areas of dentistry and even prevention. in the future i will be linking with other preventive sites as well so that you will have access to lots of avenues of improving your health.

ABOUT ALL THE MONEY YOU WANT TO GIVE US DENTISTS!!!!!

if you took all the dentistry that i have already had done in my mouth and all the future dentistry that i will need in the future (since i am only 47 years old it is a safe bet that a fair amount will need to be redone at least once if not twice) and you paid fair market value for it i would estimate the cost somewhere about $50,000.00 and i take care of my mouth so you know the work is lasting as long as possible. For a lot of the patients that i see the number could be double if not triple. why give me that money ( iwill take it but i prefer i teach you how to keep it). it is about time and commitment. you do not think you have the time to brush and floss your teeth. got news for you, the simpliest way to help insure that you do not have cavities and gum disease is with a little time spent at home in the morning and in the evening brushing and flossing your teeth.

FORGET ABOUT THE MONEY, THINK ABOUT THE EMOTIONAL PHYSICAL AND TIME COSTS OF SITTING IN A DENTIST'S CHAIR

for a lot of you the thought of going to the dentist can send a shiver up your spine, and for some of you going to the dentist is a necessary evil in life. i can accept that. but a little prevention at home can save you all sorts of bad energy and stress.

SO PLEASE STAY TUNED TO THIS BLOG AS I TEACH AMERICA ABOUT PREVENTION AND KEEPING YOUR MOUTH AS HEALTHY AS POSSIBLE

Prevention

2005-07-15T12:43:00.000-07:00

Ok lets get down to some dental talk. There is so much buzz about extreme makeover, as well there should be. but lost in all the glamour and beauty is the basic fact that the vast majority of all dentistry done is to correct problems secondary to bacterial infection.....cavities and gum disease. The good news is that there is a lot of positive stuff going on about preventive dentistry, something that I hold very close to heart. Understand this, no child born in the United States today should ever have a cavity or gum disease. It isn't even that hard to do, just know your options. Does your diet have to be perfect, it helps, but if you do not want the confines of a perfect diet you have other things you can do to help eliminate the bacteria and all the problems associated with them.

If your dentist is just filling your teeth and not helping you understand why you are getting the cavities, and what you can do to prevent them ask him or her to tell you why. if not email me. I will be happy to answer your questions and yes I will be posting more about prevention. It will help me be a better expert on the subject

welcome back

2005-07-14T17:32:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have posted, but Tony Pierce, of the great busblog, was in and diwscussed my blog again. So I have decided, no more movie script, just stuff about dentistry. If you have any questions let me know and I will answer. I am here to give you my unbiased opinions about dentistry. and remeber, the best dentistry is no dentistry