Preserving Your Teeth

Here is a recent CNN article that you may find helpful for your teeth:

For all intents and purposes, we really get only one shot to take care of our teeth.

The good news is, science and research have taken a front seat in dental education, making today's dentist savvy on "prevention" dentistry rather than the "drill, fill and bill" mentality of decades ago.

Things like adhesive dentistry, recalcification and dental implants have given dentists more options. But for many patients, it's a lot of information to process.

Here are five ways you can ensure that you hang on to your teeth as you age:

Educate yourself on dental care.  

Dentistry today has taken a much more conservative approach. But it can be hard to know what your options are. Here are some key points that you should know about dental treatment.Educate yourself on dental care

• Small cavities can be recalcified. Strong doses of fluoride, or something called MI Paste, applied directly to small cavities can actually recalcify or rebuild the enamel, removing the need for a filling.

That said, the key to recalcification is early detection. Regular dental visits are crucial to early detection.

• Fillings, crowns or any dental restoration should be replaced or heavily scrutinized every eight years.

Some patients are of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" era. But the reasoning behind this advice is to eliminate the spread of recurrent cavities that lurk under dental restorations.

The longer you wait to replace dental restorations, the more problems you can run into. If the decay spreads undetected, it may eat up too much healthy tooth structure and need the support of a crown or reach the nerve and need a root canal.

• Make sure your children are getting fluoride treatments until at least the age of 15. Kids, especially, consume a lot of sugar, which breaks down into a biproduct of acid that erodes teeth, quickly causing cavities. Fluoride is a great treatment in rebuilding enamel and neutralizing those acids.

Use an electric toothbrush

In dentistry, the electric toothbrush has been one of the biggest advances in home dental care. Ninety-nine percent of patients don't really know how to brush with a manual brush and, more important, don't brush for the full two minutes needed.

Electric toothbrushes remove the confusion and have a timer to ensure that the full brushing is done at each session. Improper brushing can lead to plaque buildup, swollen gums, cavities and overall poor oral health. The sonic brushes remove plaque and get into hard-to-reach places like in between teeth and under the gums to ensure a healthy mouth.

If you grind or clench, wear a night guard

Grinders can wear away a millimeter of tooth structure per year if undiagnosed. Clenchers may not see any immediate signs of wear on their teeth, but the pressure that clenching puts on your teeth is destructive. It slowly breaks down the supporting bone around the teeth, leading to gum recession, bone loss and inevitably tooth loss.

If you feel that you may fall into either of these categories, you should be wearing a night guard. It may not be sexy, but it's much sexier than missing teeth.

Know what oral hygiene regimen is right for you

Today, there has been a lot of money and research into better oral care products. But understand that there is an actual regimen of toothpaste, mouth rinse and "extra-care" products that's right for you.

The first step is defining what "type" of patient you are. I like to break it down into four basic types: cavity-prone, sensitive, stainers and those with bad gums.

You can ask your dentist which category you fall into. Each product in the sea of dental products in the drugstore has key ingredients tailored for each category of patient. Using the right oral care products can make a big difference in the longevity of your teeth.

Choose the right dentist

Fortunately -- or unfortunately -- your dentist has a lot to do with the preservation of your teeth. Make sure your dentist is up on all current research and his office is updated and state-of-the-art, but most important, make sure your dentist is taking time and looking after you. It sounds simple, but it's probably the most important item on your checklist.

Bacteria That Cause Gum Disease May Also Worsen Arthritis

For years researchers and clinicians have known there was an association between periodontal disease and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).  But until recently they didn't understand the microbiological mechanisms.

In an article recently published in PLoS Pathogens, University of Louisville School of Dentistry Oral Health and Systemic Diseases group researcher Jan Potempa, PhD, DSc, and an international team of scientists from the European Union’s Gums and Joints project have discovered how the bacterium responsible for periodontal disease, Porphyromonas gingivalis worsens RA by leading to earlier onset, faster progression and greater severity of the disease, including increased bone and cartilage destruction.
I'll repeat that because it's so important; the bacteria that causes periodontal disease has been shown to worsen rheumatoid arthritis.

As the release states, the scientists found that P. gingivalis produces a unique enzyme, peptidylarginine deiminanse (PAD) which then enhances collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), a form of arthritis similar to RA produced in the lab. PAD changes residues of certain proteins into citrulline, and the body recognizes citullinated proteins as intruders, leading to an immune attack. In RA patients, the subsequent result is chronic inflammation responsible for bone and cartilage destruction within the joints.

The bottom line is that our mouth is connected to our entire body.  If you want to take care of your body, take care of your mouth.  More and more research continues to be published that supports this.  If you have any questions, feel free to visit our website at www.parkcitydentistry.com or call our office at 435-649-4343.

Wisdom Teeth Removal

We often have patients ask us if they are going to need their wisdom teeth extracted.  At Park City Dentistry, we don't just extract all wisdom teeth.  We are selective about when they should come out.  Not everybody needs to have their wisdom teeth out.
Let's start off by explaining what wisdom teeth are.  Wisdom teeth are the 3rd molars, or back molars.  They are typically the last teeth in the mouth to erupt.  If/when they do erupt, they usually don't have enough space to erupt normally.  They can either be impacted (still in the bone) or partially erupted with the gums covering much of the tooth.

As I mentioned, not all wisdom teeth need to be extracted.  Some people have their wisdom teeth erupt and are perfectly fine.  They can go their whole life without any problems from their wisdom teeth.  There are only 3 scenarios where we recommend extracting wisdom teeth.  These are:
-When wisdom teeth partially emerge through the gums.  This increases the chance of a bacterial infection called pericoronitis that can be very painful and sometimes dangerous.
-When unerupted wisdom teeth are expected to grow crooked and damage other teeth.
-When a fluid-filled sac (cyst) develops around an unerupted wisdom tooth, which can damage surround tissue or bone.


The decision to remove wisdom teeth isn't always clear.  If you have any questions about your wisdom teeth, call us for an evaluation and we can tell you what your options are.

Before and After Photo

We recently had the pleasure of helping out a young lady to improve her smile.  She had some dramatic wear and erosion on her teeth.  She hated her smile and was embarrassed to ever show it when she laughed or talked with other people.  She went to one dentist who quoted her a treatment plan of $40,000.  We were able to complete her work for a fraction of that cost.  She loves her new smile and we love how it turned out.  It is so gratifying to work in dentistry and help people to overhaul their smiles.  A new smile goes a long ways to restoring confidence and comfort.

New Commercial

PC TV put together a commercial for us that will air daily.  Let us know if you see it!

Women With Periodontal Disease May Be At Risk Of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes

Are you currently pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant?  If so, then you will want to schedule a cleaning with your dentist and hygienist to avoid periodontal disease while you are pregnant.  According to a recent news release, new clinical recommendations from the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) and the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) encourage women that are pregnant to maintain good periodontal health.

If you have redness, tenderness, swollen, or bleeding gums, these could be indications that you have periodontal disease.  These signs, especially during pregnancy, need to be addressed and may require treatment from your dentist.

Several research studies have suggested that women with periodontal disease may be more likely to deliver babies prematurely or with low-birth weight than mothers with healthy gums. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), babies with a birth weight of less than 5.5 pounds may be at risk of long-term health problems such as delayed motor skills, social growth, or learning disabilities. Similar complications are true for babies born at least three weeks earlier than its due date. Other issues associated with pre-term birth include respiratory problems, vision and hearing loss, or feeding and digestive problems.

The medical and dental communities agree that maintaining periodontal health is an important part of a healthy pregnancy. The clinical recommendations released by the AAP and the EFP state that non-surgical periodontal therapy is safe for pregnant women, and can result in improved periodontal health. Published concurrently in the Journal of Periodontology and Journal of Clinical Periodontology, the report provides guidelines for both dental and medical professionals to use in diagnosing and treating periodontal disease in pregnant women.

Outside Magazine crowns Park City as nation's best

Outside Magazine ran an article ranking the best towns in America.  Park City took top honors.

Go check out their article and enjoy the very complimentary write up that they gave our town.  I know I love this city. My favorite things are the world class skiing, excellent biking trails, 4 seasons with tremendous colors in the autumn, the small town feel where everyone is your buddy, and the vibrant community with a very diverse population.  The people here come from all over and love living here.  What are your favorite reasons for living here?

(http://parkcitydentistry.blogspot.com/2013/08/outside-magazine-crowns-park-city-as.html)