Tuesday, June 14, 2011
What Are Dental Sealants And Are They Right For Me?
Dental Sealing is a preventive treatment method used by dentists to prevent cavities and tooth decay. The procedure is pain free and fills in the grooves of chosen teeth with a plastic coating to prevent food settling into the grooves and rotting, causing decay. (Most grooves are so deep that the toothbrush bristles cannot effectively clean the areas in question.) Dental seals generally last 3-5 years, but can last as long as 25-20 years, and depending on your dentist can cost anywhere from $35.00 to $60.00. (Cavity fillings cost around $200.)
At What Age Can You Get Sealants?
Sealants are generally placed in children, but you can get them at any age after the tooth in question is fully erupted. (That means once the tooth in question has grown into the mouth completely through the gum and the surface which will be filled in with the plastic can be kept dry enough to place the plastic sealant.) Dentists most often place sealants on permanent teeth instead of baby teeth, but if their professional opinion is to strongly suggest sealant on baby teeth, that is to suit your (or your child's) needs.
Are Dental Sealants Necessary?
Only your dentist can tell you if selants are the best choice for you. The factors involve the level of dental hygeine, the foods eaten, fluoride intake, and the shape of your teeth. For example, some can have excellent hygeine and a low sugar diet, but due to deep grooves in their teeth can still experience decay. Keep in mind that the most common tendency for children as they go through their pubescent years is to have worse dental hygeine and eating habits. Dental sealants are meant to prevent decay during these important years, and for people who have deep, narrow grooves in their teeth. Dental sealants are generally not necessary for EVERY tooth in the mouth, but usually for the molars, or "back teeth" with the most pronounced grooves.
Reserve Dental Group is your Boca Raton Dentist for general and cosmetic dentistry located in Boca Raton, Florida, for more information visit us online at www.reservedentalgroup.com or call our office to set an appointment 561-852-7773.
At What Age Can You Get Sealants?
Sealants are generally placed in children, but you can get them at any age after the tooth in question is fully erupted. (That means once the tooth in question has grown into the mouth completely through the gum and the surface which will be filled in with the plastic can be kept dry enough to place the plastic sealant.) Dentists most often place sealants on permanent teeth instead of baby teeth, but if their professional opinion is to strongly suggest sealant on baby teeth, that is to suit your (or your child's) needs.
Are Dental Sealants Necessary?
Only your dentist can tell you if selants are the best choice for you. The factors involve the level of dental hygeine, the foods eaten, fluoride intake, and the shape of your teeth. For example, some can have excellent hygeine and a low sugar diet, but due to deep grooves in their teeth can still experience decay. Keep in mind that the most common tendency for children as they go through their pubescent years is to have worse dental hygeine and eating habits. Dental sealants are meant to prevent decay during these important years, and for people who have deep, narrow grooves in their teeth. Dental sealants are generally not necessary for EVERY tooth in the mouth, but usually for the molars, or "back teeth" with the most pronounced grooves.
Reserve Dental Group is your Boca Raton Dentist for general and cosmetic dentistry located in Boca Raton, Florida, for more information visit us online at www.reservedentalgroup.com or call our office to set an appointment 561-852-7773.
Painless Early Oral Cancer Detection
For anyone that is looking for a painless way to detect oral cancer in the early stages when it is most treatable, ViziLite is the solution you are seeking. Oral cancer can be difficult to detect using normal visual techniques. ViziLite is a solution with using a dye that is rinsed in the mouth, which then adheres to lesions. A fluorescent light is then used to help the dentist detect any oral cancer or pre-cancerous lesions in the mouth. The test takes five minutes, is painless and completely non-invasive. Those at high risk for developing oral cancer include anyone using tobacco of any kind, heavy alcohol use, or anyone who has had previous oral cancer.
Annual estimates are that 30,000 people are newly diagnosed with oral cancer each year. Of the 30,000 people diagnosed with cancer, 8,000 cases will result in death. In the early stages of the disease, oral cancer has a 90% success rate which is why early detection is so important. This five minute test, using dye and a fluorescent light to detect abnormal changes in the mouth and throat at an early stage is the solution. When used by a trained health care professional, ViziLite will help detect cancer in the early stage when it is most treatable. After screening a biopsy is performed for confirmation.
The best time to have a ViziLite test done is with an annual dental examination. Making this painless screening test a part of your annual oral cancer screening is the best way to ensure you have had a complete oral cancer screen. The screening kit is a single use kit and is discarded after use to prevent any contamination. All chemicals in the kit are non-toxic and biodegradable. Checking for signs of oral cancer is a very important part of your dental exam, with ViziLite it can be more effective and is completely painless.
Reserve Dental Group is your Boca Raton Dentist for general and cosmetic dentistry located in Boca Raton, Florida, for more information visit us online at www.reservedentalgroup.com or call our office to set an appointment 561-852-7773.
What Should I Look for When Choosing a Dentist?
Dental work is also not normally covered by many insurances, and when people do have insurance, it is normally very expensive. However, if you're going to end up paying a good price for a dentist, it's very important that you get quality work done and that you're treated with respect.
OK, so one of the first things that you want to look for in a dentist is customer reviews. With the Internet, finding customer reviews on dentists is very easy to do. If you have a dentist in mind, you can simply enter that dentist's name into a search engine along with the keyword "customer reviews." You can also search customer view sites such as Yelp and Angie's List.
Once you have decided on a dentist that you think you might want to use, it is important to find out if they accept the insurance that you carry. If you do not carry insurance, you want to get an idea of how much you'll be paying for regular cleanings and checkups. You may also need to find a dentist that has a payment plan available, in the event that you have a dental emergency such as a root canal.
A few other things you may want to consider when searching for a dentist are things like location. Location means something different to everybody, and how important it is to you will make a part of your decision-making process. Also, the dentist's education and years of practice are also important. Although you might think the opposite, many times new graduates from dental school do an amazing job of care at a really good rate. This is because they want to build a customer base, and also because they have a mentality fresh out of school that will not let them cut corners in your care.
Reserve Dental Group is your Boca Raton Dentist for general and cosmetic dentistry located in Boca Raton, Florida, for more information visit us online at http://www.reservedentalgroup.com or call our office to set an appointment 561-852-7773.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
How do whitening toothpastes work and how effective are they at whitening teeth?
There are several brands of toothpaste on the market that claim to whiten teeth within a few weeks. Do they actually work or are they a waste of time and money?
Years of coffee consumption, use of tobacco products, and eating certain foods can wreak havoc on tooth enamel. Unfortunately, enamel has tons of little microscopic crack that stains attach themselves to. These little cracks also allow stains to sink deep within teeth. Teeth become dull and yellowish and consumers facing this problem naturally want to do something about it. Instead of paying a dentist hundreds of dollars, they opt for the do-it-yourself approach. Many may find that they are only setting themselves up for disappointment.
There is no possible way that a whitening toothpaste can compare with an in-office whitening procedure. For teeth whitening to become noticeably whiter, teeth need to be literally bleached from the inside. The most a special toothpaste can do is lighten the surface of teeth.
The process for effective bleaching involves applying a hydrogen peroxide gel to the teeth. The gel usually has a large percentage of hydrogen peroxide so bleaching can be immediately noticeable. One can expect to see a whiter smile in about an hour. Depending on the severity of staining, repeat visits may be required in order to achieve the desired level of whiteness. Follow up treatment usually includes a take-home treatment and, yes, whitening toothpaste.
Ultimately, nothing can replace a professional treatment but whitening toothpaste can certainly help stave off future problems.
Since the teeth have already been bleached from the inside, a whitening toothpaste is highly effective at keeping surface stains at bay. These pastes have special abrasives that can "scrub off" surface stains. Some stains may be harder to remove especially if the person smokes continuously, drinks coffee in abundance, and favors red wine. If this is the case, brush often, about three times per day.
Reserve Dental Group is your Boca Raton Dentist - For more information visit us at www.reservedentalgroup.com - or call to make an appointment 561-852-7773
Years of coffee consumption, use of tobacco products, and eating certain foods can wreak havoc on tooth enamel. Unfortunately, enamel has tons of little microscopic crack that stains attach themselves to. These little cracks also allow stains to sink deep within teeth. Teeth become dull and yellowish and consumers facing this problem naturally want to do something about it. Instead of paying a dentist hundreds of dollars, they opt for the do-it-yourself approach. Many may find that they are only setting themselves up for disappointment.
There is no possible way that a whitening toothpaste can compare with an in-office whitening procedure. For teeth whitening to become noticeably whiter, teeth need to be literally bleached from the inside. The most a special toothpaste can do is lighten the surface of teeth.
The process for effective bleaching involves applying a hydrogen peroxide gel to the teeth. The gel usually has a large percentage of hydrogen peroxide so bleaching can be immediately noticeable. One can expect to see a whiter smile in about an hour. Depending on the severity of staining, repeat visits may be required in order to achieve the desired level of whiteness. Follow up treatment usually includes a take-home treatment and, yes, whitening toothpaste.
Ultimately, nothing can replace a professional treatment but whitening toothpaste can certainly help stave off future problems.
Since the teeth have already been bleached from the inside, a whitening toothpaste is highly effective at keeping surface stains at bay. These pastes have special abrasives that can "scrub off" surface stains. Some stains may be harder to remove especially if the person smokes continuously, drinks coffee in abundance, and favors red wine. If this is the case, brush often, about three times per day.
Reserve Dental Group is your Boca Raton Dentist - For more information visit us at www.reservedentalgroup.com - or call to make an appointment 561-852-7773
How safe are dental x-rays?
With concerns about exposure to radiation at airport scanners on everybody’s mind, one would wonder about safety due to repeated exposure to the dental x-rays.
Are dental x-rays safe?
A simple answer to this is “yes”. As with any other type of diagnostic x-rays, dental x-ray, including, ‘full mouth”, “panoramic”, ‘bite swings” as well as CT scans are a medical necessity and are therefore necessary.
After reviewing the facts of this matter we can firmly say that:
Currently there is no study to point to the fact that radiations emitted from the routine dental x-rays in some way promote the cancer risk. In fact, x-rays are necessary for proper diagnosis and have an important role to play in the preventing the onset of serious diseases due to early diagnosis.
Similarly CT scans are also necessary and have totally revolutionized the dentistry. They are easily available and are less costly. Any adverse effect of radiation has not been reported yet.
Present medical practice is of firm opinion that any radiation from the X-rays which is taken over a period of time is totally safe. Moreover, unnecessary avoidance of X-rays when they are most needed a have adverse affect on the disease and can cause trauma in otherwise treatable gums and teeth.
Due to the use of high end technology dental X ray equipments are fast and quickly target only those areas of the mouth which need to be examined. Trained technicians provide lead apron and collar for providing additional protection to patients. The modern technology further minimizes any exposure to radiation and in-fact minimizes the time for you are exposed to it.
Moreover, radiations from the dental x-rays are extremely low and are almost equal to normal background radiation which we experience in daily life (ground minerals, ultraviolet rays, household appliances, etc). And above all, dental x-ray benefits far outweigh any risks. After all, scientists invented these x-rays to increase the clarity, not fears!
Reserve Dental Group is your Boca Raton Dentist - For more information visit us at www.reservedentalgroup.com - or call to make an appointment - 561.852.7773
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