Replacing Amalgam Fillings

Sadly, one of the tactics used by shady dentists out there is to 

tell people that all of their silver fillings need to be replaced. 

Do silver fillings need to be replaced?

Yes.

Almost everything artificial needs to be replaced. 

BUT, ALL the silver going bad at one time?!

NO

Let's take the 2 fillings below as an example. 

This filling I WOULD replace. 

The border between the filling and the tooth is 

deteriorating and allowing bacteria to get down into the tooth. 

This metal filling I would NOT replace.

You can see that the border is perfectly sound. 

There is no reason to inject the patient with drugs, 

and further traumatize the tooth by drilling into it to

remove a filling that is serving its' purpose just fine. 

And NO there is no clinically proven studies that show that 

keeping silver fillings in your mouth is dangerous to your health. 

I will post a link below by the American Dental Association. 

ADA Statement on Silver Fillings

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Dental Advertising

You all have seen the billboards.

You've received the ads in the mail. 

Dentists advertising half price treatments. 

Offering cleanings, and/or whitenings for life. 

Why do they do it? 

Should you answer the ad? 

Are there any catches?

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My child hasn't lost any teeth yet. Should I be worried?

I get lots of anxious parents coming into my office asking me

if they should be worried about their child who hasn't lost any teeth yet.

We live in a society built on comparisons. 

We can't help it. 

You think your home is big .... until the neighbors build one bigger. 

You think your car is awesome ...... until the new model comes out.

Etc Etc Etc

So that is what is happening with most of these parents. 

They think that their kid is normal ..... but then they see the neighbor's

kids loosing teeth and they start to question their kid's normalcy. 

Well parents, just relax. 

In about 97.625% of cases your kid's teeth will fall out on their own

and everything will turn out totally okay. 

In a few cases, not many, your child may need help getting their teeth out. 

Here is a chart to give you the AVERAGE age a child will lose their teeth.

Remember this is a AVERAGE (see how I am typing it in caps ; )

That means that half of kids will be older then the graph suggests

and half will be older.

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"It's like pulling teeth!"

When people think something is hard sometimes they say .....

"It's like pulling teeth!"

Well, here is exactly what they mean. 

I extracted this tooth today. 

One of the roots makes a complete 90 degree turn!

Inside of solid bone!

It's kind of like trying to pull  a fence post out of the ground 

if 5 feet under the ground the fence post bends 90 degrees.

So yah, it's hard.

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A hole in your chin?! Why regular dental visits are so important.

Are regular dental visits THAT important?

YES!!!

Here is an example. 

A patient came into my office the other day complaining of

"pain in the chin area". 

I took an x-ray and was a little shocked by what I saw. 

Below you will see 2 x-rays. 

One is the unaltered x-ray. 

The other is the x-ray with the problem area circled in red. 

The dark area is a problem. 

Typically bone will have a look like cotton. 

Some white, solid, areas but also many darker

air filled spaces as well. 

A giant dark spot where bone should be is NOT a good sign. 

A quick test of all of the teeth in the effected area revealed that 

there was zero sensitivity related to the teeth themselves. 

No discomfort with hot, cold, chewing, etc. 

Still only pain when finger pressure was applied to the lower chin. 

I phoned the oral surgeon and the patient was sent right over. 

Below you will see a picture taken in the middle of the surgery. 

 There was a cyst below the lower anterior teeth. 

The cyst was removed and is currently being biopsied. 

Please make it a point to go into your local dentist on a regular basis. 

It looks as if this patient will be just fine. 

But things could have been much much worse. 

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The Same Sonic Toothbrush. Only Better.

Wanting to buy an electric toothbrush?

Wanting the quality of the major brands? 

Without the cost of the major brands?

Would it be a plus if that toothbrush was designed

by an actual dentist who has worked in the field for decades?

Sports Mouth Guards for Children

Kids are getting into sports earlier and earlier these days.

It seems as if your child doesn't make a decision about what

sport they will choose, for life, by the age of 4 that they 

are already too late. 

With all of these kids getting into the sporting realm the 

number of sports related injuries is bond to increase.

As a dentist one of the saddest things I see is broken, healthy, teeth.

Teeth that have been badly neglected break all the time, and the

person responsible for the neglect typically knew it was coming. 

But the little 7 year old didn't. 

To see a child headed for a lifetime of trouble due to a totally preventable

injury is not a happy day.

Please get your child a mouth guard. 

It does not have to be expensive. 

As long as the guard fits properly it should do the job.

The only worry is guards that fit so poorly that the child risks

have it come out during activity and fall into their throat

and become a choking hazard. 

Sprained ankles and broken collar bones will heal . 

Teeth won't.

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