Have you ever leaned in for that first kiss and wondered to yourself, “I wonder where this mouth has been?” I have…of course I am a dentist.
The mouth is a very complex system comprised of tissue, chemistry, little bugs and any substance that we put into it. It is the portal into the body and one of the few places where the inside of the body meets the outside world. It’s not surprising therefore as a dentist to find that people are very concerned about how this external display of internal tissue and organs appears to other people. One of the most concerning things that people find out as we talk is that their mouth has a disease that can be passed on to others.
There are several disease processes that I look for and treat in the mouth. Probably the two most common are caries and periodontal disease. Caries is the disease that causes the well-known cavity. It is a bacterial infection in the mouth and it is transmissible, meaning it can be passed to other people. So before you lean in for that first kiss, you might want to prepare yourself by talking with that significant other’s dentist.
Luckily, caries is one disease that is preventable in almost all cases. To understand the disease it is important to know that our mouths are full of bacteria. Some of the bacteria causes cavities and some of it doesn’t.
These cavity-causing bacteria are really not that different from us. They love sugar. When we feed them sugar, they spit out acid onto our teeth. That acidic environment causes minerals in our teeth to leach out into the saliva. Saliva has minerals in it and a basic pH, which helps put the minerals back into the teeth. However, if the acid attack continues, the tooth slowly becomes soft and then develops a hole – enter the cavity. At this point, you are usually in the dental office with a sharp object hanging over your teeth as your dentist breaks the news to you. You leave depressed in both spirit and wallet.
Is there a solution or are you doomed to go through life feeling the effects of this disease? In fact there is a way to treat this disease, and filling those holes in your teeth is only a part of the solution.
I have found that the easiest way to understand this disease and its treatment is to think of it as a balance. On one side of this balance are destructive factors including bacteria, sugar in the diet, frequency of snacking, acid in the diet and lack of saliva. On the other side are protective factors including adequate saliva, a healthy diet, brushing and flossing and fluoride. If the scale is tipped to the destructive side, you get cavities. If it’s tipped to the protective side, you don’t. It’s as simple as that.
The difficult part is finding out which way your personal scale is tipping. There are new techniques that can help us as dentists to find out whether your scale is tipped to the destructive or protective side. The key to the disease management is to find a dentist that can help you find out what’s happening in your mouth and find a preventive treatment that will keep you on the protective side.In the mouth, the farther the disease is allowed to progress, the more damage it does to healthy tissues and the more expensive the treatment options become. It is always less expensive and healthier to catch the signs of the disease as early as possible and treat them accordingly.
Wishing you a healthy smile,
Dr. Bell
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Peace in an uncertain economy
We recently had a new addition to our family – a cute little girl who is now 2 months old. She is so sweet, but she has caused us to lose some sleep at night. I thought I’d share a little story about someone who didn’t lose sleep at night. You’ve probably heard one version or another of this story at some point in your life, but I think it fits the current economic situation quite well.
A severe storm hit a rural farming community one night. Farmers scrambled in the dark wetness to herd their animals into barns, secure their gates, cover their equipment and feed, and keep their harvest from spoiling. There was, however, one farmer who slept all through that terrible storm. He was prepared for the storm because each evening he prepared his farm as if there would be a thunderstorm. He was able to “sleep while the wind blew” because he was prepared.
As a dentist, I thought I would share some ways you can prepare your teeth so that “when the wind blows” so to speak, you can figuratively sleep, knowing you’re ready.
Tooth Preparedness:
1) Dental Insurance – Use it or lose it. While you have dental insurance, it’s a good idea to use it to get your teeth in a position that you could go for long periods of time without dental treatment and not have emergencies. If you don’t use it by the end of the year, that money is gone forever and you’re stuck paying premiums for someone else’s dental care. Dental insurance helps you in two ways. First, most insurances require the in-network dentist to accept a fee for a procedure that is typically less than what the dentist would normally charge. Second, it partially pays for that discounted procedure. If you were to lose your dental insurance and had waited for some needed care, you will wish you hadn’t. You will end up paying much more for the same work and will have put yourself at risk for expensive dental emergencies, which never come at the right time. Prepare your teeth so you can sleep through the night if a storm hits.
2) Think Prevention – It is always less expensive to prevent problems from happening than to fix them after they happen. I focus on prevention and am pro-active when it comes to dental care. I’m a dentist who can sleep through the night because I know that my patients who follow my advise could go for long periods of financial stress and have little chance of having a dental emergency. Regardless of your circumstance, it is very important to keep up with your 6-month exam and cleaning. It will save you money in the long run.
3) The Dental Wish List – Some of us have a dental wish list of things we’d like to have done, like cosmetics dentistry. Whether it be tooth whitening or a smile makeover, I counsel my patients to get their teeth in the most stable position they can before they invest money in the dental wish list. Take care of what needs to be done before you start what you want to have done.
4) Brush and floss – Improving your technique with a little instruction from the dentist or hygienist can go a long way in preventing dental emergencies. Ask us to show you how to do a better job. Sometimes you might need an over the counter or prescription product to help keep you from getting cavities or gum disease.
I am an optimist. I feel like if we make good financial decisions, put a little money away, try to save some storable food for a rainy day, we can all weather this storm together, and hopefully get plenty of sleep while we’re doing it. Optimism is contagious so spread it freely!
Best wishes,
Dr. Bell
We recently had a new addition to our family – a cute little girl who is now 2 months old. She is so sweet, but she has caused us to lose some sleep at night. I thought I’d share a little story about someone who didn’t lose sleep at night. You’ve probably heard one version or another of this story at some point in your life, but I think it fits the current economic situation quite well.
A severe storm hit a rural farming community one night. Farmers scrambled in the dark wetness to herd their animals into barns, secure their gates, cover their equipment and feed, and keep their harvest from spoiling. There was, however, one farmer who slept all through that terrible storm. He was prepared for the storm because each evening he prepared his farm as if there would be a thunderstorm. He was able to “sleep while the wind blew” because he was prepared.
As a dentist, I thought I would share some ways you can prepare your teeth so that “when the wind blows” so to speak, you can figuratively sleep, knowing you’re ready.
Tooth Preparedness:
1) Dental Insurance – Use it or lose it. While you have dental insurance, it’s a good idea to use it to get your teeth in a position that you could go for long periods of time without dental treatment and not have emergencies. If you don’t use it by the end of the year, that money is gone forever and you’re stuck paying premiums for someone else’s dental care. Dental insurance helps you in two ways. First, most insurances require the in-network dentist to accept a fee for a procedure that is typically less than what the dentist would normally charge. Second, it partially pays for that discounted procedure. If you were to lose your dental insurance and had waited for some needed care, you will wish you hadn’t. You will end up paying much more for the same work and will have put yourself at risk for expensive dental emergencies, which never come at the right time. Prepare your teeth so you can sleep through the night if a storm hits.
2) Think Prevention – It is always less expensive to prevent problems from happening than to fix them after they happen. I focus on prevention and am pro-active when it comes to dental care. I’m a dentist who can sleep through the night because I know that my patients who follow my advise could go for long periods of financial stress and have little chance of having a dental emergency. Regardless of your circumstance, it is very important to keep up with your 6-month exam and cleaning. It will save you money in the long run.
3) The Dental Wish List – Some of us have a dental wish list of things we’d like to have done, like cosmetics dentistry. Whether it be tooth whitening or a smile makeover, I counsel my patients to get their teeth in the most stable position they can before they invest money in the dental wish list. Take care of what needs to be done before you start what you want to have done.
4) Brush and floss – Improving your technique with a little instruction from the dentist or hygienist can go a long way in preventing dental emergencies. Ask us to show you how to do a better job. Sometimes you might need an over the counter or prescription product to help keep you from getting cavities or gum disease.
I am an optimist. I feel like if we make good financial decisions, put a little money away, try to save some storable food for a rainy day, we can all weather this storm together, and hopefully get plenty of sleep while we’re doing it. Optimism is contagious so spread it freely!
Best wishes,
Dr. Bell
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
