Dental Implants

Over the last 25 years, dental implants have changed the face of dentistry. What are dental implants? What is the history of dental implants? How do they replace missing teeth? This post will give you an overview of dental implants.
Like most dental procedures today, dental implants rely on scientific discovery, research and understanding, but also experience in practical use. The practice of implant dentistry requires careful planning, surgery and restoration with a crown; it is a wonderful blend of art and experience with science. At Park City Dentistry, we will help provide you with the knowledge you need to make informed choices about your options.

Dental illustration by Dear Doctor

A dental implant is actually a replacement for the root or roots of a tooth. Not only do implants replace missing teeth, but they serve as bone stabilizers.  What do we mean by bone stabilizers?  When you lose a tooth, your bone recedes.  The placement of an implant will stop that bone loss though.  Like tooth roots, dental implants are secured in the jawbone and are not visible once surgically placed. They are used to secure crowns (the parts of teeth seen in the mouth), bridgework or dentures by a variety of means. They are made of titanium, which is lightweight, strong and biocompatible, which means that it is not rejected by the body. Titanium and titanium alloys are the most widely used metals in both dental and other bone implants, such as orthopedic joint replacements. Dental implants have the highest success rate of any implanted surgical device.  They even have a higher success rate and longer life expectancy than root canal treated teeth.
Titanium’s special property of fusing to bone, called osseointegration (“osseo” – bone; “integration” – fusion or joining with), is the biological basis of dental implant success. Along with replacing lost teeth, implants help maintain the jawbone’s shape and density. This means they also support the facial skeleton and, indirectly, the soft tissue structures — gum tissues, cheeks and lips. Dental implants help you eat, chew, smile, talk and look completely natural. This functionality imparts social, psychological and physical well-being.
Before implants came along, the only options for replacing missing teeth were bridges and partial dentures.  We often hear patients say, "I don't want to have to put my teeth in a cup each night."  With implants, you will not have to worry about taking your teeth in and out like with a partial denture.  And, unlike with bridges, you can floss around your implant.  Also, implants have a longer life expectancy than bridges.
One of the most common concerns we encounter when discussing implants with our patients here in Park City is whether or not the procedure is going to hurt.  The surprising answer is that the implant placement actually hurts less than extracting a tooth.  Most of our implant patients only need to take ibuprofen for a day or two at the most.
The big question is, “Are dental implants right for me?” If you are missing teeth and think you might be a candidate for implants, call our office to schedule an appointment for a consultation and Dr. Cody Calderwood will discuss the pros and cons of implants and what your options are.

X-ray of implant placed at Park City Dentistry.

Dr. Oz at it again

Dr. Oz has a history of using scare tactics with medical/dental issues to drive up his ratings, and he is at it again.  Today the Dr. Oz show will be scaring its viewers into thinking they need to have all their amalgam fillings removed.
The problem with Dr. Oz's approach is that he conveniently leaves out much of the facts and thousands of studies that have been done showing the safety and efficacy of amalgam fillings.  Instead he goes for shock value to scare his viewers into thinking they have toxic fillings.  A dental friend put together a great post a couple of years ago discussing this very topic. His rationale describes very precisely our feelings towards amalgam feelings.  Are they giving you psychological and emotional problems?  No.  Are they very esthetic or conservative?  No.  Should people run out and have all of their amalgam fillings replaced?  No.  There are only two reasons why we encourage our patients to replace their metal fillings.  One is if the filling is breaking down and has decay.  The other is for esthetic reasons.  If you don't like the way they look, then yes we will replace them for you.

Here is the article:

"What's the deal with silver fillings? Why is it that we see news stories every once in awhile questioning the safety of dental amalgam? The answer, in a nutshell, is Mercury.

The element Mercury (Hg) is highly toxic. Think broken thermometers and fluorescent light bulbs. Avoiding Mercury exposure is highly recommended. As an element, Mercury is poisonous.

Another element, Chlorine (Cl), is also highly toxic. Yet, when combined with the element Sodium (Na) you get a chemical that is common, safe and in reasonable doses, delicious. Common table salt is a chemical compound called Sodium chloride (NaCl) and is perfectly safe to eat in moderate amounts. But no one in their right mind would go out of their way to ingest Sodium or Chlorine on their own. The same goes for Mercury.

"Silver fillings" aren't really fillings made of Silver. They are a combination of Mercury, Silver, Copper, Tin and other trace metals. Silver fillings are placed by thoroughly mixing these ingredients. The ingredients mix and form an alloy of the metals. This alloy is different than any of the ingredients individually. In other words, there isn't just Mercury, Silver, Tin or Copper in there. It's a whole new chemical compound made up of all of these metals. It's kind of like concrete. You start with cement, sand, stone and water. The final product is concrete. You can't go back and take the ingredients out of concrete without breaking down the concrete chemically.

The bottom line is that there's no such thing as "Mercury fillings." Dental amalgam has Mercury in it that is chemically combined with other metals to form an alloy. One of the properties of Mercury is it's ability to form an alloy like this at room temperature.

Can dental amalgam "leak" Mercury? Yes. There can be a very slight release of mercury from amalgam fillings. A study conducted by measuring the Mercury vapor levels inside the mouth over a 24-hour period in patients with at least nine amalgam restorations showed the average daily dose of inhaled mercury vapor was 1.7 µg (micrograms), which is approximately only 1% of the threshold limit value of 300 to 500 µg/day established by the World Health Organization. So there is Mercury released from fillings, but it's a very tiny amount.

What about Mercury exposure from dental amalgams causing diseases? The American Dental Association has weighed in regarding the safety and efficacy of dental amalgam. Scientific evidence concludes that the use of dental amalgam is safe. There is no evidence to support removing silver fillings in an effort to cure or prevent other diseases.

Dental amalgam has undoubtedly saved millions of teeth in its 100+ years of use. Until relatively recently there haven't been inexpensive options to restore teeth that could hold a candle to silver fillings. They're durable as heck and they're relatively easy and inexpensive to place.

Are there any problems with dental amalgam? I actually see two.

1. They're ugly. When polished they can be shiny and smooth, but they don't look like a tooth. They look like metal, which they are.
2. In order to place a silver filling you need to remove a lot of tooth structure. In a tooth that's never been filled before, this means that you're cutting away more tooth structure than you need to.

To me, those are the main down sides to using dental amalgam. Perhaps these down sides deserve their own post (stay tuned!) I place very few dental amalgams any more because I'm confident that I can place an excellent bonded resin restoration (a.k.a: composite) in any situation that I might have used amalgam.

But my reasons for using composite fillings has nothing to do with Mercury. In my mind, the Mercury is a non-issue."

If you have any questions, feel free to call us (435-649-4343) and we would love to discuss this with you.  Or you can visit our website to learn more as well.

Treating Bad Breath: Video - Bad Breath Remedies and Treatment, Halitosis Causes | Colgate

 Bad breath can be embarrassing and annoying.  Sometimes all it takes is simple steps to eliminate bad breath.
Treating Bad Breath: Video - Bad Breath Remedies and Treatment, Halitosis Causes | Colgate

If you still have bad breath after doing what the video suggests,  schedule an appointment with our office so we can determine if more measures are needed to eliminate your bad breath.

A Brief History of the Toothbrush

Today it seems like people shuffle through hundreds of toothbrushes that line the market shelves, hoping that the latest and greatest model will deliver healthy smiles. With the evolution of toothbrushes, cleaning teeth and taking care of gums is simpler than ever – but this wasn’t always the case. Take a look below to learn which techniques and practices helped inventors mold the toothbrush into what it is today.
3500 BC – Egyptians and Babylonians use chewing sticks made from branches of the Salvadora Persica tree. They also used boar bristles attached to a bamboo stick to clean teeth.
1600 BC – In China people start using chew sticks made of plant limbs and roots. One end of the stick was beaten into soft fibers to help scrub and brush teeth. In fact, these types of chewing sticks are still used by some people today.
1498 – Europeans start traveling to China to obtain toothbrushes made of bamboo and hog bristles. This invention quickly caught on in Europe.
1780 – William Addis of Clerkenwald, England introduces the first mass-produced toothbrush in Europe made from cattle bone and swine fibers.
1857 – H.N. Wadsworth becomes the first American to patent a toothbrush.
1885 – Toothbrushes are mass-produced in the US by the Florence Manufacturing Company of Massachusetts.
1938 – Nylon bristles replace bristles made of pig innards.
1960 – The first electric toothbrush is introduced to the US by the Squibb Company. The model was marketed under the name Broxodent.
1987 – The first at-home rotary style toothbrush is introduced to the US by Interplak.