Invisalign Impressions And Simulation Using The Itero Digital Scanner

Help Wanted! Why Should You Consider A Career In Dentistry

I have been an employer in the area of dentistry for more than twenty-eight years for all the positions in the profession from assistant and reception to doctor and hygienist. I truly believe that we have entered a new era in service and experience : the Digital Age of Dentistry has fully arrived.

When our patients come to our office we begin by having them complete routine registration forms via a tablet device and  and then take a webcam image straight into their digital chart. There are no paper files to access or take up space. Our staff has the ability to access this data from around the world in a secure HIPPA compliant internet connection.  I often work from home on our network to review patient charts and process requests for Invisalign orthodontic cases and can  even make appointments for patients over the weekend...

In the treatment areas the patient has digital x-rays taken ( which has far less radiation then the old fashioned hard films required) and the teeth and gums are reviewed and digital notes made. Our staff communicates silently between work stations with our digital messaging system to provide ultimate patient service and care.
We take photos of the teeth and soft tissue areas with a special   intraoral camera that adds even more information to the diagnostic chart of  each patient. Our office no longer takes the gooey gagging impressions of the teeth - we use a digital impression system (Itero) that communicates with the laboratory with a keystroke. The dentistry generated in the new digital world is more accurate and the patient experience is elevated to a new level of comfort.

Communication is one of the great cornerstones of the digital age of dentistry. We send emails, text and even have computer generated calls in an effort to confirm and reach out to patients who haven't been to our office in awhile. Most of this work is automated so our staff has more time for the personal touch on the phone or in the office for our patients. We are on social media sites using Facebook, Twitter and Blogger to name a few. Our interactive website allows patients to request appointments and interface with our practice like never before.

So what does this have to do with  a career in dentistry? Everything and then some- our staff is less stressed and provide better dental care. Patients feel this difference and refer their friends and family and the practice grows exponentially. There is more team effort than ever before and our employees actually love their jobs. They know that each new piece of technology propels us further along in the quest to make dentistry as easy and enjoyable as possible for our patients and ultimately for ourselves...

DNA TESTS NOW AVAILABLE TO COMBAT GUM DISEASE

American Dental Is Now Offering Two Salivary DNA Tests to Fight Gum Disease!

Using DNA for healthy smiles…

One of the most significant advances in dental medicine, a simple DNA test, can now determine the specific type and quantity of disease-causing bacteria in your mouth!  These bacteria, if left untreated, can cause periodontal disease, tooth loss, and also affect your risk for developing other systemic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes (among others).

This exciting new test is for anyone with symptoms of gingivitis or periodontal disease.  These symptoms include: bleeding gums, bad breath, red or inflamed gums or loss of bone around your teeth.  Other indications for this test would be prior to extensive dental procedures and in some cases, surgical clearance (such as heart surgery or joint replacements).   

This gentle oral rinse procedure is performed by swishing a small amount of sterile saline throughout the mouth and can be done in about 30 seconds.  The sample is then sent to OralDNA Labs, Inc. (www.OralDNA.com) for processing.

The lab report that we get back will identify the bacteria associated with the gum infection and allow us to develop a far more powerful and effective treatment plan. Through this state-of-the-art technology, we are now able treat the cause of the infection and not just the symptoms.  The goal of therapy then becomes to reduce your overall bacterial risk for disease progression.  As with most diseases, earlier treatment and targeted treatment can help stop periodontal disease before irreversible damage occurs.

In addition to this bacterial DNA test, we can also offer you a genetic susceptibility test that will tell us if your genetic makeup puts you at greater risk for developing gum tissue infections (due to an exaggerated immune response).  This will further enable us to optimize your therapy and recare program.

If you or a loved one is in need of either of these tests, please call for more information.

It is our mission to offer you the most cutting edge, comprehensive oral-systemic healthcare available. 

Dr.Steve Pleickhardt

Danger At The Mall- Why The Dental Office Is The Only Place To Whiten Teeth

Recently there has been a great deal of controversy revolving around the delivery of whitening services in shopping plazas; malls and in suntan shops (to name just a few). Adding to the confusion is the availability of Internet and television ads for whitening products many of which, just don’t work.

There are a plethora of options for people seeking to whiten their teeth trying to avoid the higher cost of doing it in a dental office. What people often fail to realize is that there are dangers to letting laypeople perform these procedures outside the controlled environment of a professional office.

There are four major areas of concern when it comes to “Shopping Mall Whitening”:

1. Infection Control:  This is the biggest  concern. The operations that I have witnessed  were in the middle of shopping malls with no sanitation whatsoever. Not even to wash ones hands. The patients were salivating over the chairs and on the floor. The risk for infection from other people is very high. Poor hygiene has the potential to transmit many diseases including Hepatitis, Herpes, H1N1, and even the possibility of HIV (should the last whitening customer have bleeding gums).

           

2.Burns and Pain From Bleaching. There are times when people  can have an adverse reaction to the   bleaching process. There can be significant burns with swelling of the lips and tongue.  Only a dental office has the knowledge and ability to prescribe  treatment /medications  to alleviate pain and manage the soft tissue damage. Diabetics can have serious complications from trauma in their mouths are well as people with compromised immune systems “Shopping Mall Whitening” technicians never take a health history- so the potential problems are overlooked. The consequences can be severe.

3.Poor Color Results: Since the majority of Mall Whitening Kiosks are run by non –dental staff they are usually unable to discern if teeth have fillings/veneers/crowns .and as a result  the natural teeth will whiten leaving while the other teeth remain dark- this could be a very expensive problem to fix since the bleaching is irreversible. There are several dental-medical conditions that limit the success of the whitening process- a layperson will not be able to give this information to the typical whitening client.

4.More Expensive Than A Dental Office:  A survey of dental whitening kiosks reveal that the cost is sometimes MORE than you would be charged at a dental  office. While it seems like a

good deal  lets say at $125 to bleach your teeth. They don’t mention that it takes four sessions to get the color you are seeking (actual cost $500 or more).  In my office we offer our patients a significant discount on whitening which is normally significantly less than these businesses offer.

In summary, your best option is always the professional dental office when it comes to whitening your teeth.  There are many safeguards to your health which are standard at a dental office that the whitening kiosks overlook. Don’t take unnecessary risks with your health thinking you will save money.   And as always, ask your dentist which whitening system is right for you…

Dr. Steve Pleickhardt

SPORT DRINKS DESTROY TEETH

Posted by Dr. Todd Welch on Mar 11, 2011 in Featured, Oral Hygiene

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Gatorade

The finding that the effects of Gatorade on teeth are worse than Coke and Red Bull doesn’t mean that Gatorade and other sports drinks are necessarily harder on your teeth than are Coke and other soft drinks. But it may be a surprise that they aren’t any better.
I don’t think everybody realizes how erosive these things are, especially Gatorade and Red Bull.  People need to be aware that all sorts of beverages can be causing dental erosion.  More and more dentists now think sugary drinks are the major culprit in tooth decay, says Brian Burt, PhD, professor emeritus of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
“There is pretty good evidence now that this is not just sports drinks, but soft drinks and juices in general,” said Burt.  “They have become the main source of sugars in the diet. It comes down to the more sugar in the drink, the more risk of [cavities] to the person drinking it.”

Effects Of Gatorade On Teeth

The University of Iowa researchers covered extracted teeth with nail polish. They left bare two patches on each tooth, one on the enamel and one on the root. Then they dunked the teeth in test tubes filled with regular Coke, Diet Coke, Gatorade, Red Bull, or 100 percent apple juice.
Every five hours, the researchers refreshed the beverages. After 25 hours, they examined the teeth with a microscope. All of the beverages eroded the bare spots on the teeth. But different beverages had significantly different effects.  On the enamel, Gatorade was significantly more corrosive than Red Bull and Coke. Red Bull and Coke, in turn, were significantly more corrosive than Diet Coke and apple juice.
On the roots of the teeth, Gatorade was more corrosive than Red Bull. Coke, apple juice, and Diet Coke followed in that order.  The difference in the effect isn’t simply due to their sugar content. Gatorade is 6 percent carbohydrates, mostly sugars. Coke is about 10% sugar. Both are acidic beverages.
University of Michigan pediatric dental researcher Michael Ignelzi, DDS, PhD, has recently reviewed new research on the effects of beverages on children’s teeth. But he says there’s no evidence showing that sports drinks are any worse than other soft drinks .  “I know of no data that sports drinks are more harmful than other drinks,” said Ignelzi.

Tooth Erosion

Sports Drinks and Cavities

Because of their acidity and sugar content, researchers have studied the role of sports drinks in the development of cavities. Most of the studies, however, exonerate the sports drinks.
Craig Horswill, PhD, senior research fellow at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, in 2005 reported a study of saliva flow in endurance athletes who drank Gatorade, diluted orange juice, a homemade sports drink, or water. The study showed that if the sports drinks had any effect, it was to decrease dehydration and increase saliva flow, which reduces cavity formation.
More to the point, a 2002 Ohio State University study of 304 athletes found no link between sports-drink use and dental erosion. The study was sponsored by Quaker Oats, which makes Gatorade.  “Dental erosion among users of sports drinks in the Ohio State study was the same as it was in nonusers,” said Hoswill. “And they averaged 10 years of sports drink use.”  Ignelzi says that what matters most isn’t which beverage people drink. It’s how and when they drink it.
“A lot of things can cause cavities, including sugared drinks. It is the way they are taken that is most important,” he says. “The frequency of exposure is key. If you sip a Pepsi all day, that is very harmful. But if you are taking any sweet or carb — cheese puffs, bread, raisins — if you take it during meals, it is a good thing. Because the saliva stimulated by your chewing buffers the acid. But if you are constantly snacking on sweets or sipping a sweet beverage, your teeth are exposed to acid all day long.”

Dental Visits Decrease Chance of Cavities in Baby Teeth

Dental Care for Kids Needs to Begin With Baby Teeth, Study Shows
by Tom Henderson (Subscribe to Tom Henderson's posts)
Mar 2nd 2011 4:30PM0COMMENTS

Filed under: Research Reveals: Toddlers & Preschoolers, Health
Open wide, little one! Credit: Getty It may seem painfully obvious, but a new study shows preventative dental care for kids and regular brushing can reduce the risk of cavities.

What makes this study out of the University of North Carolina "new" is that it looks at dental hygiene among poor kids. Turns out, brushing, flossing and seeing the dentist could really help them reduce cavities.

Reuters news service reports that 11 percent of American 2-year-olds and 44 percent of 5-year-olds have cavities. The majority of these kids come from low-income families who can't afford regular dental care.

And regular dental care helps prevent cavities.

The findings, published in the journal Pediatrics, cite a program called "Into the Mouths of Babes." For the past 11 years, pediatricians and family doctors in North Carolina have given fluoride and dental exams to babies and toddlers covered by Medicaid.

Looking at results from between 2000 and 2006, Reuters reports, researchers estimate children covered by Medicaid who had at least four dental exams were 17 percent less likely to have cavities than kids who had no care at all.

"This speaks to the fact that prevention does work," Dr. Mary J. Hayes, a pediatric dentist in Chicago and spokeswoman for the American Dental Association, tells the news service.

Apparently, this has been the source of some controversy. Hayes tells Reuters some people think kids don't need to see a dentist until they are 3. But tooth decay can begin as soon as there are teeth, she says.

And the sins of the baby teeth are visited upon the permanent ones, she adds.

"Now we know that prevention needs to begin when the first teeth come in," Hayes tells Reuters.

Reuters reports it's a good idea to take children to see a dentist before their first birthdays. Good luck with that. The news service also reports that pediatric dentists are scarce, and few general dentists are trained to treat very young children.

And trying to find any dentist that accepts Medicaid is a toothache. In North Carolina, according to Reuters, only a fourth of dentists accept Medicaid.

Hayes tells Reuters that's why pediatricians and family doctors are important.

"We should involve the medical community," she tells the news service. "It makes sense that pediatricians be trained to look at the teeth.

What To Do When You Have A Dental Emergency??!!!

What To Do When Dental Emergencies Strike!

"It happens all too often- a dental emergency in the middle of the night or while on vacation or travel. Severe pain, swelling and inconvenience all wrapped into one. What to do next?"
The best advice is prevention and that means keeping current with your dental visits to make sure there aren't hidden problems ( decay/abscesses/cracked fillings or teeth) that can arise at the most inopportune moments such as a special vacation or a critical business meeting. However, even healthy teeth can do some fairly unexpected things.
Here's some sound advice when dental emergencies impact your life:
Knocked Out Tooth From Trauma: The most important thing to remember is to quickly find the tooth and keep it moist. Place the tooth in a small container of milk or in the mouth( careful not to swallow it!). Contact our office ( or nearest dentist when traveling) to have the tooth re implanted and stabilized. The longer you wait to do this- the greater the chance that you will lose the tooth. If you play sports- you can avoid this problem by wearing an appropriate mouth guard. Our office can custom make one for your specific needs. Children who lose baby teeth rarely need to re implant them. Call the office if you have any questions-
Broken Tooth/ Lost Filling: Travel with or have on hand temporary filling material that you can purchase at most pharmacies. Place the material on the affected tooth and schedule
an immediate visit with our office or the nearest dental office if you are away. Sharp edges that scrape the tongue need immediate attention and should not wait. Dental wax can be used to cover the exposed areas. Pain can usually be managed with over the counter medications such as aspirin or ibuprofen.
Pain From Abscessed Teeth/Fractured Teeth: Abscesses are caused when the nerve of a tooth dies due to trauma or under a crown or filling. Typically over the counter medications
have very little effect on the pain and you will most likely need an antibiotic (such as amoxicillin) and a narcotic (codeine) to bring this under control until care can be given. If traveling internationally, I suggest purchasing these medications in advance to have available if you are in a region that doesn't have good or adequate health care facilities. Hospital emergency rooms can provide this basic care until a dental visit is arranged.
Gum Pain/ Canker Sores: If food becomes trapped between the teeth - it can cause gum pain and sometimes swelling. Try to floss the area clean and take aspirin/ ibuprofen for the
pain until you can see our office or a dental office when out of the area. Canker Sores ( apthous ulcers) can be temporarily treated with over the counter medications at drug stores until
you can be seen for definitive diagnosis and a prescription medication given.
You can visit our website for more information including animated videos:www.AmericanDental-Va.com
As always, where ever you are- you can email us for advice to help you in the event that a dental emergency arises: info@americandental-va.com.
Prepare now to have a safe and pain free 2011!

Dr. Steve Pleickhardt