The largest market groups for braces are the baby boomers and teenagers. The reason for this is that since they are older they are able to afford braces more than other consumer groups.

Meanwhile, teenagers just need or want to have their teeth straightened. The desire to have straight teeth has been growing among teenagers and other groups because awareness of the benefits of straight teeth has been increasing.

In the past, braces have often only been associated with improving the looks of a person. However, a healthy, straight smile goes so much further than that.

Dental diseases are much more common in people who do not have straight teeth and a healthy bite. Common diseases associated with un-straightened teeth include gum disease and tooth decay that if left untreated will result in more severe conditions.

Treatment is especially important for people who suffer from crooked teeth, crowded teeth, over-bite, under-bite, misalignment of front teeth, and widely spaced teeth.

Many people avoid getting braces when they need it because of the discomfort and pain it will cause. However, after looking back into the history of orthodontic care, orthodontic care of today is not so bad.

It was not until the 1880s when J.N. Farrar suggested that mild force should be used to move teeth to a straight position. Just a few decades ago, bands had to be put around every tooth which were then connected together by a metal band.

Technology has developed far enough that ceramics, plastic, and stronger, lighter metals are used. Today, braces are much lighter than they were 20 years ago.

There are also several different types of braces for people to select from. This makes braces more convenient for everyday life and varying lifestyles.

Traditional braces include the stainless steel bracket system, gold-plated stainless steel braces, clear braces, and lingual braces. Progressive or clear removable aligners are non-traditional because they do not use the bracket system.

Traditional braces tend to be one of the cheapest forms of braces ranging from $2,000-$8,000 according to the needs of an individual. Progressive braces are commonly more expensive than traditional braces costing between $5,000 and $7,000.

The most typical type of braces are the stainless steel bracket system braces. Stainless steel braces tend to be one of the most inexpensive options for straightening teeth.

Many cosmetic dentists offer gold-plated stainless steel braces for people who are allergic to nickel, which is found in stainless steel. Occasionally, people will choose the gold-plated stainless steel braces simply because they prefer the color gold over silver.

Clear braces blend in with the natural color of the teeth and are widely used by people who are concerned with how they look. They are more easily broken than stainless steel braces because they are made of ceramics or plastic.

Treatment through clear braces is often more time consuming because they are more fragile. Clear braces are more expensive than stainless steel braces because of replacement costs.

For non-severe corrections, progressive or clear removable aligners are also an option for straightening teeth. This method uses a clear retainer-type mold of the teeth to slowly move them into place.

Braces improve social life and can prevent health related issues later on in life. They are designed to fit in with any lifestyle and create beautiful smiles.

The real fear associated with root canals is often the fact that the procedure is unknown. Worry, stress, and fear are often products of the unknown.

A root canal is the natural cavity located in the middle of the tooth. Root canal treatments are necessary to avoid infection in the mouth.

The root canal procedure involves removing the nerve and pulp out of the center of the tooth. The pulp is the soft tissue found inside the root canal.

When the nerve and/or pulp are damaged by decay, other dental procedures, a cracked or chipped tooth, or other facial trauma, they can cause infection in the mouth.

Infections may also result in swelling of the face, neck or entire head. There may be loss of bone by the tips of the roots of a tooth or problems with draining.

Without treatment the infection can spread and cause abscesses and other problems in the mouth. An abscess happens when the infection envelopes the roots of a tooth creating a pus-filled pocket.

The root canal procedure repairs the tooth and can save it even if it becomes badly decayed or infected. There are several indications for the need of a root canal.

These include severe tooth pain when chewing, extreme sensitivity to temperatures even after the source of heat or chill has been taken away, or darkening of the tooth. Other indicators are swelling and tenderness around the gums and persistent pimples on the gums.

By making regular visits to the dentist they will also be able to detect if there is a problem within a tooth before it is too painful. The sooner a root canal is detected and treated, the more pain can be avoided.

There are several steps that a dentist will follow with a patient when they enter for a root canal procedure. The first thing that the dentist will do is take an x-ray.

The x-ray will show the shape of the root canal and if there is an infection in the tooth. Technically anesthesia is not needed if the nerve is already dead and decaying.

However, a root canal can be a very stressful process for some patients and anesthesia may be administered anyway to make them feel more at ease. If the nerve is not dead anesthesia will be administered.

Once the anesthesia has taken full effect the dentist will place a rubber dam around the tooth to keep it dry while he or she works on it. Then, the dentist will drill an access hole in the tooth.

The pulp, bacteria, nerve, and anything else in the root canal will be removed through this access hole. Then, the root canal is cleaned out using files, water, and sodium hypochlorite.

The nerve simply functions as an indicator of hot and cold. The tooth can still be healthy and perform daily functions without the nerve.

If there is an infection in the tooth the dentist may choose not to seal the tooth until a later date. Instead, he or she will place medicine in the tooth with a temporary sealing.

Later, they will replace the temporary sealing with a permanent one. However, if there is no infection the dentist may go ahead and put the permanent seal in place.

Root canal procedures do not need to be feared and they can relieve a lot of pain.

Big-brand dental products may mask the smell of bad breath temporarily by using short-lived flavor additives, dyes, and moisture robbing alcohol, but those ingredients do not get to the heart of the problem. One of the largest companies producing mouthwash claims to “kill the germs that cause bad breath.” You know who I am talking about…..(rhymes with “Mr. Green”).

Ironically, killing these bad breath bacteria may even be making the problem worse! You see, it is not bacteria that cause bad breath, it is the volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs), the bacterial by-products that turn your breath stinky. VSCs result from dead bacteria and epithelial cells. When alcohol is used to destroy these germs or bacteria, it may be fueling the carrier of bad breath by producing even more dead bacteria.

We have treated “bad breath” or halitosis for years in our practice very successfully using a system containing Oxygene or chlorine dioxide. Oxygene safely attacks and neutralizes VSCs through an oxidation process.

In our practice we conducted something we like to call “The Onion Test.” Basically, we stuck an onion in a jar of Oxygene containing mouth rinse and one in a jar of brand-name mouth rinse. The onion was diced into 1/4-inch pieces. Then we placed half of the chopped onion in each container. Finally, we added enough of each mouth rinse to cover the onion in the containers, sealed them and let them sit overnight. Whichever managed to keep the foul-smelling onion at bay would clearly be the winner.

Just by looking, we could see the dyes from the brand-name mouth rinse soaked into the onion, staining it blue. The Oxygene containing jar onion meanwhile, was still bright white. We went to that jar, took off the top, and carefully inhaled. What we got was a surprisingly fresh, minty scent, with little to no onion smell! We then turned to the name-brand container. When we cracked the lid on the blue jar, we jumped back. A stench of onions, alcohol and mint fumes all invaded our nasal passages, all fighting for supremacy. After screwing the lid back down, we went back to the Oxygene containing jar just to clear our noses.

Although this was not really a “scientific” test or study, it definitely proved to us that alcohol containing products are no where near as effective at neutralizing odor as Oxygene containing products. There are several products that contain chlorine dioxide on the market, but rarely if ever have I seen them sold over the counter in supermarkets or pharmacies.

Most of these bad breath killing products are sold either directly to or through dental offices. And, often times using a “system” of products can work far better than using just a mouth rinse. The best place to start on your journey to better breath is to talk to Dr. Joe or myself or one of our highly qualified halitosis busting staff members. They can help you identify what might be causing your breath mishap and put together a plan that gets you a sparkly fresh mouth.

Can you name the bad breath busting product line we carry in our office?

Cerec is a Cad Cam Technology that allows us to do all sorts of things we were unable to do a few years ago. The biggest advantage to this technology is that is saves you time and invariably money! Since everything is done at one visit, you wont have to take of work again for a second appointment and never a temporary to worry about coming out.

There are other advantages as well. If you have ever had a traditional crown done by the dentist before you probably remember the impressions and moulds that often times are unpleasant. With Cerec we just take a few pictures and there is no need for impressions. Cerec restorations are made of full ceramic. We use a very strong and beautiful ceramic that makes teeth look like teeth again. No more ugly mercury or silver amalgam fillings.

Below is a quick video of Dr. Hufanda and myself talking about Cerec.

In the past few decades, alloys that have platinum, gold, nickel, and other metals in them have been used as substructures for dental work.  Dental labs build the foundation of metal and then bake tooth colored porcelain on top of them.  These restorations are then put on the teeth in the form of “crowns” or “bridges”.  Unfortunately in the early days, these dental restorations didn’t really look very natural and many times the metal was actually designed to show around the necks of the teeth.  Just like in the picture below…

Today, techniques are vastly improved. And, even though we sometimes use alloys under crowns and bridges, the technicians at the laboratories have become masters at masking it out. However, the most natural looking dental crowns and bridges are made from all porcelain without metal. Below is an example of a 3 unit all porcelain bridge, without metal, that we put in today.

A bridge is a dental restoration that replaces a missing tooth by using teeth on either side of the space for support. It is kind of like 3 crowns in a row and the middle crown is sitting on the gum tissue. The most challenging part of this procedure is to make it look like the “fake” tooth is coming out of the gums naturally. Can you guess which tooth is the one that is fake?

The days of drill and fill are quickly ending as baby boomers enter into that stage in their lives where their dentistry from the early days is falling into disrepair. Todays children do not need as much dentistry due to advances in technology and preventative awareness. So the majority of dentistry we see today is to “fix” broken down, worn out teeth, or replace dentistry that is failing or has outlived it’s usefulness.

Many of these procedures are more complex than just drilling for cavities and require more skill from the dentist and often more time. But, that does not mean that it has to be uncomfortable. Sedation dentistry protocols are better than ever and allow almost anyone to have a dental experience that is free of pain and worry.

If it has been a while since you saw a dentist and you know its time, consider coming in to see how different things are now.

White spots on teeth can be caused by many things including fluorosis, hypomineralization, trauma, chronic infections, genetic disorders, cavities and even excessive teeth bleaching.

So how can we get rid of them with a completely non invasive technique? A product called Recaldent in addition to a small amount of fluoride can be applied to the surface of the white spot and within a short period of time the spot in many cases will completely disappear or return to normal enamel. We first use a mild etch on the surface of the white spot and in some cases lightly polish out any bumps or surface irregularities in the tooth. Then the Recaldent is applied.

Recaldent must be reapplied once or twice a day to the affected areas for a period of 2-4 weeks . We give you the Recaldent to take home so you can do this. This breakthrough treatment for white spots on teeth is not only less invasive but significantly less expensive and takes very little time. For years people with white spots on their teeth have been told they were poor candidates for teeth whitening because it would only make the white spots more noticeable. That is no longer the case.

Here is an example of teeth with white spots that were treated for 2 weeks with Recaldent.

Recaldent is also used to treat other dental issues such as cavity prevention, dry mouth, and tooth sensitivity. Let us know if you have any of these issues so we can help.

Now what?

Endodontists receive at least two years of additional training after dental school. They are root canal specialists. Start by checking to be sure the endodontist is licensed in your state. Some endodontists become Diplomats of the American Board of Endodontics and are “board certified.” You can check to see if your endodontist is board certified by going to the American Board of Endondontics Web site.

Ask your endodontist if he uses a surgical microscope during treatment. These microscopes magnify the tooth approximately 20 times and greatly increase success rates. If your endodontist does not use a surgical microscope, find one who does.

Once you go an endodontist, it is almost a foregone conclusion that he will perform a root canal. That is his business and it is very lucrative. But is it always necessary?

Ask your endodontist if he has considered the “ferrule effect”. Technically, this means that a root canal is unlikely to be successful if there is not enough tooth structure above the gum line to protect the tooth from coming loose or fracturing after it has been prepared for a crown.

If your tooth fails the “ferrule effect” test, you might be better off with an extraction and an implant, which will likely outlive you.

Still not a walk in the park, but far better than enduring an unnecessary root canal.

Any dentist can call herself a “cosmetic dentist.” Here are some questions that will help you select one that is qualified:

1. Have you had post-graduate training? If so,where? The cosmetic dentistry field has changed rapidly over the years. A dentist with no post-graduate training is not likely to be current with these advancements. Look for post graduate training in porcelain veneers from well known schools like LVI Global, the Pankey Institute and the Scottsdale Center for Dentistry.

2. What kind of veneers do you use? The best veneers are either felspathic (super thin) veneers, or CAD/CAM veneers, which can be milled and made by a computer. There are pluses and minuses of both. Your dentist should explain the differences to you.

3. Show me the… veneers! Your dentist should be able to show you ten or more before and after photographs or videos. She should be willing to give you the names of patients who have consented to be used as references. Be cautious. Some dentists use before and after pictures of models they did not work on. Verify that what you are seeing is work done on actual patients!

A common treatment for sleep apnea is Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). CPAP involves blowing pressurized room air through the airway at high enough pressure to keep the airway open. Many patients find it difficult to adjust to this device and want to avoid surgery, which is another treatment option. As an alternative, your dentist, working with your physician, can custom make a device that guides the lower jaw forward, called a mandibular advancement device or MAD. MAD devices are more comfortable to wear and the compliance rates are much higher than using CPAP.

If you have (or suspect you have) sleep apnea, here are some questions to ask your dentist:

Are you a member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine?

Do you regularly attend the annual meeting of the Academy?

Do you work with Ear, Nose and Throat physicians and sleep physicians, where appropriate?

You can also call sleep centers and ask them what dentists they refer to in your area.

Sleep Apnea is potentially a very serious medical condition. It is important to do careful due diligence before you select a dentist to treat it.