Dentures--an Unfortunate Choice

I visited my 92-year-old aunt this summer, and brought with me some sweet corn that had been picked that morning.  If you have never tasted a fresh ear of Rhode Island native sweet corn, there is no describing it.

I thoughtlessly forgot that my aunt wore dentures (probably for 30 years) and could not eat the corn for lunch, at least not off the cob.  My wife, who is capable of eating 8 ears of this corn in one sitting, was more than willing to relieve my aunt of her serving.

Dentures can be a real limitation, and now that there are dental implants I hope that more and more people will learn about them and realize what a good investment they are.  But if you can't afford them, at least get dentures that fit really well.  

Eating is one of the pleasures of life, and there's no reason not to enjoy it your entire life.  Taking care of your teeth to avoid losing them is obviously the best approach.  That means finding a dentist that you love and will see regularly.

My aunt, she grabbed the corn back from my wife and sliced it off the cob and ate it.  She's old, but she's not crazy!

Dental Care for Babies - Don't Neglect It

We've talked about dental implants, veneers and various other ways to enhance the adult smile. Let's not forget the other end of the spectrum: sound oral hygiene should start when we are babies. Ignorance about this fact can explain why, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the most common chronic disease among children aged 5 to 17 is tooth decay. 

Dentists suggest gently brushing baby's gums even before teeth erupt. Use a soft cloth or gauze after each meal. This gets the child used to it so he will be accustomed to brushing when that first tooth finally makes an appearance. Flossing should begin as soon as teeth erupt next to each other. Your child should be encouraged to brush and floss on her own as soon as she is able.

Children's teeth should also be brushed after they are given medicine, due to the high acid content contained in many medicines for children. I've heard people refer to "baby teeth" as being less important than the "permanent teeth" that ultimately replace them.  Healthy teeth are important to a child's complete health and development.  Dental sealants and fluoride can also help.

As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Taking care of your teeth from the very beginning can prevent the need for those implants in adulthood.  Go to the dentist.

Healthy Teeth Equals Quality of Life

I was just reading one of my favorite blogs, from the author Daniel Pink, who wrote "A Whole New Mind," which is a very astute book about how design is essentially taking over every element of our lives, and the people who create those designs will "rule the world". His new premise is that "frugality will be the new ostentation." In other words, spending money wisely will now be more respected than bling.

My take on this is that healthy teeth is more than just a hygiene issue, it's a quality of life issue. If the average 30-year-old is going to live well past 100, as scientists tell us, then you are going to want to be eating. In fact, it may be one of your primary pleasures when you hit your next century.

Which means smoking isn't a good idea. Along with the thousand other things that it does to shorten your life, it increases the risk of cavities in your teeth. And don't leave missing teeth missing. Get a dental implant, or your teeth will spread out and you'll keep losing them, and eventually need dentures, or a lot more implants. It's cheaper to keep 'em, as they say.

Teeth are actually a great investment. Feeling better, looking better, eating better all add to the quality of your life. And the more you take care of them now, the less you'll spend on them in the future. The new frugality, remember?

That means finding a dentist you love and going to them. If you don't love them, you won't go as often as you should. And that is a cascading problem.

And if you follow Dan Pink's advice, find a dentist will a well-designed office. I agree with that too!

How to Choose a Dentist

I have one basic rule when it comes to finding a dentist, and that is if you love the dentist, then you'll go as often as you should, and that will help you save your teeth and give you the best smile. But to be more specific, here are some things to check out:

Is the staff friendly? If not, why bother going there? There are plenty of dentists, and many of them have great staffs.

Does the dentist offer a wide range of services? Dentistry has changed a lot in the past 20 years.
There are dentists who do Zoom whitening or some other in-office system.
There are dentists who have same-day restorations, which means you don't need to get a temporary. The machine they use is called a CEREC.
There are dentists with dental lasers, some using them for root canals and even cavities.
There are dentists who do same day dental implants.
There are dentists who do no-preparation veneers, like Lumineers or Vivaneers.
There are dentists who offer Invisalign, which are invisible braces.

Find the one that does what you want, and has what you would like. They should have technology that makes your experience more comfortable, and gives you the best, longest lasting results.

Does the dentist have a good chairside manner? Dental visits are seldom fun. But many dentists are very aware of that, and do their best to put patients at ease.

Is the office clean? Basic, but this is your mouth we're talking about, not your shoes.

Is the dentist well-trained? He or she should be getting ongoing training every year, and you should be able to see certificates of that training displayed in the office or on the website.

Has the dentist been sued for malpractice? This is really hard to check on your own. At 1-800-DENTIST, the only dentists that we refer are ones whom we've done a background check on for a history of malpractice, and we check their license as well.

You can search for all these criteria online at www.1800dentist.com, or you can call and find a practice that does what you want, knowing that 1-800-DENTIST has sent hundreds of patients to the dentist without a complaint. To find out more about dental technology, visit www.1800dentist.com/dental-encyclopedia.

But either way, find a dentist that you love. Otherwise, you'll put it off, and that's not good.

Why Get a Dental Implant?

Most people don't realize the impact of a missing tooth on their overall tooth health, but two very serious things happen, and they start to happen quickly. First, the surrounding teeth start to space out. This will make them looser, and also more susceptible to gum disease. Second is the jawbone starts to recede from the area where the tooth was. This is because having a tooth stimulates the bone, and without that stimulation the body assumes it doesn't need bone tissue in that area. You can see where, the more teeth that are missing, the more these two problems would increase.

For the past few centuries, all you could do was put a partial bridge in to fill in the area, or if there are many missing teeth, dentures. Now there are dental implants, and they are drastically better. Everyone knows the problems with dentures, and even though they're better than no teeth at all, eating is restricted, your appearance changes, and you just plain feel old. Implants , on the other hand, are as strong or stronger than regular teeth, and last a long time, while keeping the jawbone stimulated.

Essentially dental implants are porcelain crowns that are fixed to a screw that is placed directly into the jawbone. Sounds a little strange, but very effective, and the jawbone grows very quickly around them to hold them in place. It's not a particularly uncomfortable procedure, especially if a dentist uses a dental laser to prepare the gum tissue.

Implants are relatively expensive, but generally a great investment, since most likely you'll be eating for many years to come. And now many times implants can be placed in a single appointment, which is vastly different than it was even five years ago, when it would take up to six months to complete. Also, a handful of dentists are using a 3D cone-beam scanner in order to place the implants in exactly the right place. I think this is a fantastic innovation, and I hope a lot more dentists will get one soon.

To read more about dental implants and find a dentist who does them, go to www.1800dentist.com. To read more about 3D cone beam scanners, go to www.sirona.com.