Dental implants have become such a significant part of our practice, that we sometime forget that many of our patients are still not aware of this treatment.  In the past when one lost a tooth, or several teeth the only options to replace it or them was with either a removeable partial or full denture, or a fixed bridge. Although these are still viable options, there are significant drawbacks to each procedure.

Even the best set of full dentures has  a tendency to be loose feeling to the one wearing it.  Lower dentures will have a tendency to slip,  and be uncomfortable when chewing.  Research has shown that with even a great set of full dentures patients only achieve 50% of the chewing power they had with their original teeth.  An upper denture will have a plastic portion that covers the enitire roof of  the mouth which can influence speech patterns and the taste  and feel of food.

Dental implants can help us solve, or greatly minimize, the above problems. On a lower denture the placement of as few as two implants can anchor the denture much more securely and eleminate the slippage problem.  The placing of 4 or 5 implants on the lower can allow us to construct a lower prosthesis that can be placed in the patients mouth and be removed only by a dentist. Patients have told me it is as close to having their own teeth as you can get. Eating becomes fun again instead of a chore.

While upper dentures do not pose as many problems, many patients do not want the roof of their mouths covered with plastic. With the placement of as few as four implants on the upper we can eleminate the need for the extra plastic covering the roof of the mouth. Food again tastes and feels like you remember, and you don’t have to worry about the embarrasment of slipping dentures.

I will talk about the use of implants for single or partial tooth loss in my next blog.  Please call (502-423-7868) or email me for further information.

We now know that swollen,inflamed,bleeding gums not only signal bad news for our teeth, but also for our overall health. These porous,bleeding, infected, pockets can be the superhighway for bacteria and their dangerous byproducts to enter our bloodstream. In the past if more conservative treatment such as deep cleanings and mouthwashes did not cure this condition, we had to resort to more aggresive treatment such as surgeries. At times this treatment(surgery) is still needed. But today we have a more conservative, intermediate, treatment that has a pretty good success rate. This treatment is called  the Perio Protect  method.  If a patient has mild to moderate gum disease, impressions are made of the teeth, and custom fit medical devices, resembling mouthguards, are constructed. These medical trays are then worn for a certain number of times a day( 2 to 4 depending on the severity of the problem)  for ten minutes at a time and serve as a delivery system for medication to the gum pockets.  This medication is forced into the pocket and disrupts the biofilm and kills the bacteria that inhabit these areas. Pretty cool science and results. For more information log on to www.perioprotect.com, or feel free to give us a call at the office 502-423-7868.

With the coming of the New Year many of us will make resolutions to impove our health,look,weight, etc. While the eyes may be the mirror to the soul, the mouth and smile may actually give a true reflection of our health. Inflamed, bleeding gums may be the pathway for harmful bugs to enter our bloodstream and begin impacting our health from the inside out. Broken or decayed teeth, puffy bleeding gums, definitely don’t project the succesful image most of us want to project. With all the advancements in dental knowledge and materials you owe it to yourself to give your dentist a call and see what he or she can do to for you to help improve your health and confidence. If we can help give us a call.

We have been treating sleep apnea patients now for  a while now and our patients are really loving these oral appliances.  For those that are CPAP intolerant these appliances have been an incredible success.  No more being tethered to hoses and a noisy machine.  No more snoring and disturbing your bed partner. I’m just really glad we persevered and were trained how  to provide these services for our patients.  If any of you suffer from sleep apnea and can’t tolerate your CPAP I would encourage you to give us a call.

For those of you who suffer with the silent,or maybe I should say noisy, killer, you know what I am talking about. For others let me give a few introductory comments. Sleep apnea is the  condition in which a person stops breathing during their sleep cycles, in struggling to breathe they awaken, most of them not even aware it  has happened and thus are deprived of much needed sleep. During these struggles to breathe heart rate is greatly increased, and many other body sytems are affected. Sleep apnea is known to greatly increase the risk of heart attack.stroke, and other deblitating, even fatal conditions.

The gold standard of treatment for those diagnosed with sleep apnea, is a CPAP machine. This is a machine that delivers oxygen to the patient with a positive pressue through the night, overcoming any obstructions, enabling the patient to stay oxygenated through the night.  Unfortunately, there are those patients that are unable to wear their CPAP machines.  In fact studies  have shown that patient compliance with CPAP machines to be very poor.

We at Exceptional  Dentistry have been specially trained and can now offer a safe,  comfortable, effective, FDA approved treatment. This treatment consists of an oral appliance(of which there are several types) that is custom made to fit each individuals mouth. All of these devices position the lower jaw and tongue in a more forward position, preventing the tongue and soft palate from blocking the airway at night. These devices can also greatly minimize or entirely eleminate snoring.  If interested , or you want more information give  us a call. We are excited to be able to offer this treatment to our patients.

Wow,not a day goes by that we don’t see more research coming out that links systemic diseases, like heart attacks,strokes, and diabetes to the presence of gum disease. It seems like the chronic infection and inflammation present in a patients gums starts a systemic chain reaction that can lead to plaque formation in blood vessels that can block blood supply to critical organs like the heart and portions of the brain. Voila a heart attack or stroke. The bad news is that gum disease can be silent, with no real symptoms. One of the early signs of gum disease is bleeding gums. I can’t tell you how many times I have had a patient tell me”My gums bleed when I brush my teeth but thats normal. I don’t worry about it.” My response to this is “Does your head bleed when you brush your hair? Would you worry if it did? Then you need to worry when your gums bleed when you brush them.Bleeding gums are never normal!” I’ll post more detailed info on another post. From this one just take the idea that healthy gums help maintain a healthy body and see your dentist if your gums are showing any signs  of  infection or inflammation like bleeding.

While my vocation is dentistry, my “second job” is as a high school and USSF soccer official. In this capacity I have seen numerous dental injuries. These range from the somewhat minor like a chipped tooth, to the major injuries of teeth being knocked out and concussions. The best way to prevent all these injuries is the wearing of a dental mouthguard while participating or practicing in sports. While some sports require these mouthguards for participation,like football,field hockey, and lacrosse many do not. I would strongly recommend mouthguard wear for any sport where physical contact is expected, like soccer,basketball,and even volleyball and baseball. I would recommend you visit your dentist and have him or her custom fit a protective mouthguard for you. These are usually much more comfortable to wear than the stock mouthguards available at sporting good stores. At bare minimum I would recommend a good quality stock mouthguard from a sporting good store. Remember to protect that smile, it needs to last a lifetime.

YES, chewing the right kind of gum can be good for your teeth. New research shows that gum containing the sweetener XYLITOL is beneficial to your oral health. The new buzzword in bacterial caused diseases is BIOFILM, this is that very intricately constructed bacterial architecture that harbors all those bad germs. According to research, eating xylitol sweetened candies over a four day stretch leads to a 50 percent reduction in plaque biofilms. New research
shows the addition of xylitol several times a day can reduce the need for restorative dentistry by as much as 70%. It also is beneficial for mothers to chew xyltiol sweetened gum which changes the oral flora they pass on to their children. While I don’t like to advertise certain brands TRIDENT X-tra care gum is a good source of xylitol, as well as SPRY products which can be purchased online or at some Whole Food Stores.  So chew 3 or 4 pieces of gum a day for about 10 minutes at a time. (Don’t overdue it, too much chewing is bad for the jaw.)For more information on this topic feel free to email me at drpmc1@gmail.com or call our office at 502-423-7868.

A new product has been added to our dental world. It’s a drug that can reverse the numbing effect of the local anesthetic we use, in about half the time it usually takes to wears off. This drug is called Oraverse. Once administered the numb feeling usually leaves in 30-40 mins instead of 80-90 mins. It is administered by an injection into the already numbed area. The fee for this service usually runs between $30 and $40 dollars. I would like to hear your opinions. Is this a service you would be interested in, and would you gladly pay the fee mentioned for it? Please let me know in a reply to this blog. Thanks.

We all know that cola is bad for your teeth. Excessive cola drinking is also related to diabetes,obesity, and loss of bone density. Now new studies have shown excessive cola drinking to contribute to muscle weakness and pain. For the full story go to the following link

http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=8290&Section=NUTRITION&source=DHB_090529&key=Body+ContinueReading

So remember that old cliche “All things in moderation”, much better for your teeth,bones,muscles, and you.