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You have just completed your 6 month visit to the dentist. The hygienist tells you all is well. She wants you to floss the front teeth better, because you have that hard stuff between your teeth. She then proceeds to recommend an electric toothbrush. SHe shows you how to use the floss better. You are confused, all the marketing for toothbrushes is driving you crazy. Do I need an electric toothbrush or not?

Its a Matter of opinion!

The dental field is clearly divided on this topic. Many dentist read articles and convince themselves that what they read is the right way to do things. Other Dentists will read the articles, listen to the sales representatives and then try the toothbrush themselves. After all these trials and information gathering they make up their mind. The advertisements tell you how great they clean, that they have timers and if you put to much pressure on the brush itself, it will turn off.

So, what do I DO?

As a Dentist my recommendation for oral hygiene is as follows:

• Floss as often as you can. Obviously, if you floss after every meal it will lead to better hygiene.
• Brush at least two times a day, no more than three.
• Toothbrushes and toothpaste are abrasive and the more you brush the more damage you can do.
• Do not brush for prolonged periods of time, 30 seconds to one minute should be enough.
• Use oral mouth washes that do not contain alcohol, as these tend to dry out the tissues in the mouth.
• Get a professional cleaning at least twice a year, depending on your dentist recommendation.

The decision of using a regular toothbrush or a manual toothbrush should be easy. These toothbrushes do what they say they are going to do. The bottom line is that they are more aggressive than a manual toothbrush. It is my opinion to use the electric toothbrush once or twice a MONTH!!! If you use it everyday you will get root exposure, leading to an increase in sensitivity to cold.

Using an electric toothbrush or a manual toothbrush should not be the concern. The objective of every patient should be to make sure they brush and floss their teeth daily. In order to maximize their oral health, they should get a professional cleaning by the dental office at least twice a year. It takes hard work from both the patient and the dentiat to maintain their dental health!!!

Published by Dr. David Silber, DMD

Tags: Braun, david silber, Early Prevention, Easy Procedures, electric toothbrushes, hygienist, manual toothbrushes, Minimally Abrasive, Minimally Invasive, No Pain Dentistry, oral b, oral hygiene, preventive dentistry, sonic care, Toothbrush, Uptown dental care and spa

How many of you are changing jobs; either by choice or by demand. You find out that your dental insurance will run out with this change. Might as well go to the dentist for a cleaning and an exam. It should be a simple exam, nothing hurts. At the end of the exam the dentist tell you that you are grinding your teeth at night. Nobody has told you this was a problem. What to do???

Sign Of The Times?

For many years dentist as a profession have warned our patients of the possible damage of tooth grinding. However, when we have more things to worry about than normal we can maximize the damage being done while we sleep. In these tough economic times, people have more things on their mind than ever. These subconscious thoughts don’t allow us to get rest while we sleep. These thoughts keep our brain activity maximized leading to increased tooth grinding activity.

About Your Bite

The way your teeth hit each other is very specific. If they don’t hit in an ideal position, the muscles that put the jaws together send a message to the brain saying, “hey, I am not comfortable”. The brain then send a message back telling the muscles to get comfortable. This is the main reason you grind your teeth. You might do it during the day or while you sleep.

Do I Grind My Teeth

There are many signs that you grind your teeth. If you wake up in the morning with neck pains, are the muscles in your face a little tender in the morning. Are your teeth extra sensitive in the morning? Does your partner say that you make weird noises as you sleep? Sometimes, you might wake up and have loss of sensation down to your finger tips. These are all signs that you are not getting rest while you sleep.

How can I fix This?

There are many ways to correct your bite. The most popular is with the use of standard orthodontics, which on the average takes about 2 years to correct. You may chose clear aligners, like Invisalign. These clear aligners treatment takes about 12 months on average to complete the movement. Another solution is what is called an Occlusal Adjustment. This treatment is done by having the patient bite, the doctor evaluates the bite and adjust it. This is done with the dental drill, by doing selective tooth grinding. The result is maximizing the number o surfaces that hit when the patient chews. The difference between the Occulsal adjustment and the patient grinding, is that the adjustment is selective while grinding is destructive. occlusal adjustmentWhen these treatments are complete the patient should get a night gaurd to assist in reprogramming the muscles, while you sleep.

Do I Need To Correct My Teeth Grinding Habit?

If nothing is done to stop your teeth from grinding, you will cause further damage to the teeth and surrounding hard and soft tissues. By having a tooth that hits before every other tooth, that tooth is taking more pressure than was intended. This will cause severe wear on the top of the tooth, maybe even fracture the tooth. The bone will receive more pressure and cause the bone and gums to go south. If left unattended, this problem can lead to broken teeth and may get to severe abrasion, were the teeth are worn down to the gums.

What Should I Do?

It is highly recommended that you visit a dentist every six months. Visit a dental professional tell him your symptoms. Doctors are not mind readers, we can only work with the information the patient gives us. Get informed of what is going on in your mouth. Remember, in dentistry, we recommend preventive treatment. Many times when the patient comes to the dentist in pain, treatments have gotten complicated. Prevent getting complicated, get diagnosed and treated before it becomes a problem.

Published by Dr. David Silber, DMD

Tags: acclusal adjustment, bite adjustment, clear aligners, clear choice, david silber, Early Prevention, Easy Procedures, invisalign, malocclusion, Minimally Abrasive, Minimally Invasive, Modern Treatments, nightgaurd, occlusion, ortho, orthodontic movement, orthodontics, preventive dentistry, Uptown dental care and spa

When I graduated from dental school and got my license, I was eager to go out to the world and display all the skills I had learned. Yet after a year and a half of actually dealing with dental insurance and patients in my Puerto Rico private prac- tice, I became a little discouraged. I repeatedly asked myself, how did the profession allow insurance to take over dentistry? I was frustrated with the ‘drill, fill and bill’ aspect of dentistry, I wanted to stick out like a sore thumb!

Later on that year, the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry held its annual meeting in Puerto Rico. A representative for an air abra- sion company at that meeting contacted me with such a great offer that I could not refuse to try air abrasion in my office. My first patient af- ter air abrasion training convinced me that this was my way out of standard dentistry.

See, that first patient needed two defective, rather large, amalgam restorations removed. Never one to hesitate, I proceeded to offer this patient drill-free removal of her amalgams with air abrasion followed by tooth-coloured restoration replacements. Now bear in mind that patients in Puerto Rico usually complain of the $5-25 (£2.40-£12.00) deductible per amalgam restoration and she would need to pay an approximate $65.00 (about £31.20) deductible for the tooth coloured restorations. She not only accepted the treatment plan, but had no problem paying the higher fee! What a concept.

Needless to say, I have learned much about the procedure since that day. However, that first lesson remains true. Patients will pay the extra dollar or drive the extra mile to receive the treatment that they want, performed in the manner that they prefer. To follow a simi- lar path out of the ‘drill, fill and bill’ routine, you must decide which tools to employ in your practice. This is certainly no easy task since there are so many gadgets and gizmos available – each of which proclaim to be ‘the best.’ I will attempt to clear the AIR on minimally invasive dentistry.

The Minimally Invasive Way

What is minimally invasive dentistry? It is thedentistry that we CAN practice today. The ma- terials we now have in dentistry work for us in- stead of us working for the materials. Amalgam requires a minimal thickness for strength and undercuts for mechanical retention. This re- sults in a large amount of preparation done at the expense of healthy enamel and dentin. Understanding modern adhesive dentistry, we can now remove only that part of the tooth that is diseased, and replace it with a tooth-coloured restoration that is aesthetically pleasing and conserves healthy tooth structure. Adhesive dentistry works for us, not against us.

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Published by Dr. David Silber, DMD

Tags: Air Abrasion, DenMat, Minimally Abrasive, No Pain Dentistry