Dentist - Newton
400 Allison Street
Newton, KS 67114
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MY BLOG
Posts for: October, 2014
Not long ago, Jane Fonda gave a British interviewer a clue as to how she manages to look so young at her advanced age. During the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, the septuagenarian actress and fitness guru said to a journalist from the London-based Daily Mail, “See these teeth? They cost $55,000. It was teeth or a new car — and I opted for the teeth.”
We think she made the right choice — though she might have overpaid just a tad. Most people don't have that kind of cash to spend on either a car or new teeth. But luckily, you can get either for a lot less — particularly the teeth!
The truth is, at a reasonable cost, cosmetic dentistry really can make you look a lot younger while giving your self-esteem a tremendous boost. It's an investment in both your emotional and oral health as we will never implement a smile makeover without first making sure we've addressed any underlying dental disease. Best of all, it doesn't have to cost anywhere near what you'd pay for the latest-model Jaguar, the price tag of Fonda's smile notwithstanding. Here is a list of the more common cosmetic dental techniques used to enhance a person's smile:
- Whitening — a peroxide-based bleach is applied directly to the teeth to remove minor staining and discoloration.
- Bonding — an acrylic material is applied to a tooth, colored and shaped to match the person's other teeth. Primarily used for chipped, broken or decayed teeth.
- Enamel Shaping — the removal of very tiny amounts of enamel, the tooth's outer layer, for a more pleasing tooth shape.
- Veneers — a thin shell of custom-designed tooth-colored material, usually porcelain, affixed to the front surface of the teeth.
- Crowns and Bridgework — a technique that covers heavily damaged teeth or replaces missing teeth by capping them, or using capped teeth to support one or more false teeth.
- Dental Implants — a small titanium post is surgically implanted in the jawbone to replace the root-part of a missing tooth. A lifelike crown is attached to the implant above the gum line and is the only part of the whole tooth restoration that is visible in the mouth.
- Gum Contouring — a minor surgical procedure altering the position of the gum tissue to improve the look and regularity of the gum line around the teeth.
If you'd like more information on cosmetic dentistry, please contact us or schedule an appointment. To learn more, please read the Dear Doctor magazine articles, “Beautiful Smiles by Design” and “The impact of a Smile Makeover.”
Periodontal (gum) disease is an infectious condition that if left untreated could lead to tooth loss. While gum disease is primarily caused by a thin layer of bacterial plaque and calculus left on the teeth due to poor hygiene, you may also have extenuating factors that may make you more susceptible to the disease.
Gum disease is actually a group of infectious diseases in which some forms are more difficult to control than others. All these forms arise from interactions between the bacteria in the dental plaque and your body’s immune system. Depending on both your body’s individual response and the disease form, your resistance to the resulting bacterial infection may be low.
That low resistance to certain strains of bacteria may be genetic — something you’ve inherited from your parents. Your stress level, particularly when it’s high, can also diminish your body’s ability to resist disease. There are also numerous strains of bacteria that could lead to gum disease — your body may not be able to effectively resist the particular “mix” of strains contained in your dental plaque.
Aside from lifestyle issues like stress or oral hygiene, we can at least test and verify any susceptibility you may have due to uncontrollable factors like genetics or the particular bacterial makeup within your plaque. Unfortunately, a minority of people will continue to deal with gum disease even after treatment and adopting a more effective hygiene regimen. Although we can’t cure the disease, we can certainly control it with regular monitoring and treatment when necessary.
The key is to adopt a long-term strategy that will seek to preserve the teeth for as long as possible. In some cases, the best treatment approach is to prolong the life of the affected teeth for as long as possible to give you time to prepare emotionally and financially for eventual tooth replacement.
Indeed, any patient experiencing some form of gum disease should seek professional treatment, followed by a daily oral hygiene program and regular checkups and office cleanings. Taking the right steps in consultation with your dentist will assure you’ll preserve your teeth for as long as possible.
If you would like more information on treatment for periodontal disease, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Periodontal (Gum) Treatment and Expectations.”