Ask Dr. Chuck

A Valentines Day Kiss

2012-02-08T06:19:00.000-08:00

February is the month of Valentines Day. Flowers, Candy, and Cards are freely given and received in love or admiration of others. Many times a “Thank You” is followed by a kiss. Makes you feel good, doesn’t it?

I’m very much in favor of appropriate kissing. You can define “appropriate.” Some prefer a peck on the check, while others play tonsil hockey, and then there’s everything in between. The question is “Are you receiving yet another gift with your kiss?” Bacteria?

You already understand how bacteria (plaque) gets on your teeth and deposits their toxins and acids that cause cavities and gum disease. You know these bacteria travel all around the mouth, including the tongue. When we recommend tongue scrapers it’s for a reason. If you use a tongue scraper, you can see the bacteria you remove every time you use it. The person you kiss may or may not have the same bacteria as you. Depending on your kissing, you could be spreading around or receiving new bacteria to your system. That could be bad for your health.

How do you prevent it? Simple: Brush, Floss, Water Irrigate, Tongue Scraper...Good Dental Health! If your mouth is clean, and your partner’s mouth is clean, great. If not, one of you (or both) should make a dental appointment and get dentally healthy! :)

Enjoy Valentines Day with 2 simple rules:

♥ Brush/water irrigate/tongue scrape Before you kiss. If your gums bleed, there are open areas for bacteria to enter your system. Kiss with caution. If your gums are healthy with no bleeding, you are much safer. Go for it!

♥ Brush/water irrigate/tongue scrape After you eat. It is better to properly clean your teeth ONE time a day RIGHT, than 5 times a day wrong!

And don’t get them mixed up! ;-) Enjoy your Flowers, Chocolate, and Kissing!

In the Interest of Better Dental Health,

Dr. Chuck

New for 2012 - Implants are Now Available at TDE

2012-01-03T11:30:00.000-08:00

Many of you have asked why I don’t place implants. The reason is simple. Up until now, I hadn’t taken specialized training. And bottom line, I didn’t want to do my learning on you. That’s been remedied. Last month, I completed the third four-day, jam packed session on implant selection, bone grafting, and decision making training. I traveled with Dana and Katie, my assistants, to Canada where we saw 17 surgeries in three days, with much discussion and training following every surgery.Since I don’t have a Canadian dental license,

I observed and assisted the doctor placing the implants. We came back well prepared to place most implants right here in the office.

If you are thinking of replacing missing teeth with implants, or holding your dentures or partials better with implants, I’d be happy to discuss your options with you. Each person and case is different. Whether or not I place your implant(s) here in the office depends on if you have enough bone in the area. If so, I can do it here. If not, I will refer you to the right specialist to add bone. After the bone is solid, I can place the implant(s) about six months later. It’s that simple.

With improvements in techniques and materials, implants have come a long way in the last 25 years. It is absolutely amazing how the body accepts implants. It’s come to the point that you’d be better off with an implant than a root canal, post, core and crown. The financial investment is similar and implants have a greater success rate. They are a great, long-term replacement for missing teeth!

Maybe 2012 is the year you make the resolution to replace that missing tooth. Or, for those of you denture wearers - to have your dentures stay put!

In the Interest of Better Dental Health,

Dr. Chuck

Chemotherapy and Your Mouth

2011-11-02T08:42:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that Mary Rose, my better half, has been dealing with colon cancer this last year and a half. The treatment appears to have been successful, but there are still side effects to chemotherapy.

Mary Rose has excellent home care. We cleaned her teeth regularly at the office but didn’t take new x-rays because the last ones were taken just before her chemo started. In less than a year, between her upper molars decay started and advanced at breakneck speed. When she complained of cold sensitivity we took a new x-ray. We were shocked at how quickly and how deep the decay went. The tooth now needed a root canal! Her teeth will be just fine when we’re finished, but prevention is so much nicer.

Here’s my recommendation. If you are on chemotherapy or any other type of medication that can have a negative affect in your mouth, x-rays should be taken every 6 months, or sooner if the cavity rate is high during your treatment. It’s much easier to put in a filling than to do a root canal and crown.

We truly don’t want to take any more x-rays than are absolutely necessary. Using digital x-rays, like we do, lowers your exposure to next to nothing. It’s not like the old days with lead shields and people leaving the room when you’re zapped. It’s very safe today.

So if you or a loved one is going through chemo, make sure to have the teeth checked and x-rays taken very regularly. It could avoid a root canal!!

To Your Dental Heath,

Dr. Chuck

Directed Water Irrigation Works!

2011-10-25T12:59:00.001-07:00

“I’m passionate about Directed Water Irrigation because it works!”

Dr. Chuck

Directed Water Irrigation (DWI) uses a physics phenomenon called the Venturi effect. Think of it not as a power washer but more like a vacuum cleaner. The suction that’s created next to the flowing water removes bacteria from under your gum tissue and from in between your teeth.

Let’s put this power to work for you everyday!
Here’s how:

Brush for two minutes with a soft nylon or an electric toothbrush. Save a step and brush in the shower. Electric toothbrushes are designed to get wet! Then use your Shower Breeze or any other water irrigation device.

Use as warm of water as you can comfortably tolerate. Aim the irrigation tip DIRECTLY BETWEEN your teeth, in the space you would floss; not up into your gums. "Shoot the gap" for FIVE full seconds. (Keep the pressure all of the way on high, or as high as you can comfortably tolerate and work your way up as you get healthier.)

Move on to the next space.

Note: You only need to go around your mouth on the outside of your teeth. It is not necessary to use DWI on the inside and outside of your teeth.

If you’d like to review this technique online, check out my video at iHateFlossing.com.

In the Interest of Better Dental Health,

Dr. Chuck

Do You Have Missing Teeth? New Implant Techniques for Missing Teeth.

2011-09-13T11:03:00.000-07:00

Implants are great! But there is a drawback. Once the implant is placed, you generally have to wait 3-4 months before you can put the crown on. The Implant and bone have to fuse. Once they do, the implant is solid for life.

Most people don’t want to go around without teeth for a while, or wear a temporary denture that fits like socks on a rooster. The gum tissue changes daily with healing and there are constant sore spots.

There is a new technique for people missing all of their teeth in an arch (upper or lower). We are now able to place the implants and put the teeth in on the same day! And research shows that the implant and bone fuse just great. This new hybrid denture doesn’t put any pressure on your gum tissue, so it is immediately more comfortable.

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to eat a meal in total comfort? For most people, it’s available! Just ask us how.

To Your Dental Health,

Dr. Chuck

Welcome to my First Blog in Awhile....Our Latest Technical Improvements in the Office.

2011-07-13T08:22:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I last blogged about what's new in the office. I'm excited to share the newest technology we have upgraded to in the office.

If you’ve been with us over the last 20-30 years you know we do our best to stay up with technology. We’ve added computers that make crowns in about an hour, digital x-rays and photos, Laser cavity detector (DIAGNOdent), Computerized Bite Analysis (T-Scan® III Computerized Occlusal Analysis System), and many other pieces of equipment that help us provide you with comprehensive dental care.

We recently upgraded our existing CEREC® machine to the CEREC® AC with Bluecam. This technology allows us to do practically ALL of our single tooth crowns (other than cosmetic cases) within about a week, instead of the usual 2-3 weeks. Before this technology, there were some crowns we had to send out to be made by the laboratory. We still will be using the laboratories, but mostly for the larger cases. The new CEREC® AC with Bluecam can even take impressions of your whole mouth and send those impressions safely and securely over the Internet to one of the dental laboratories we use. What does this means to you? That’s easy: less mess; quicker turn-around, digital records of your teeth, and even stronger restorations.

So if you need a crown, ask us about the new CEREC® AC. This technology is really “Cool Beans!”

To Your Dental Health! Dr. Chuck