It’s that time of year again!

It’s hard to believe that it is the end of the year already; it has certainly gone by fast! If you still have dental benefits or participate in a Flexible Spending Account it’s not too late to get scheduled for treatment and take advantage of these benefits before the end of the year. In many cases, any benefits left in these accounts at the end of the year are lost and these are benefits that you have already paid for.

Some patients may have treatment that requires completing treatment in phases. Careful planning in 2014 and 2015 can maximize benefits and potentially reduce out-of-pocket cost instead of waiting until 2015 to complete all recommended treatment, depending on individual patients’ needs and insurance benefits.

Other factors like covered cleanings that you have not used, deductibles etc. may result in your benefits being lost. Don’t let your unused benefits expire! Your dental care is important to us and we want to make sure you get the care you need. If you or anyone in your family has been putting off your dental work, please call our office as soon as possible. If you have questions regarding your remaining insurance or would like to get scheduled before the end of the year, please call our office. If you are unsure of your dental needs, call us today, we will be happy to assist you.

Understanding The Benefits Of Dental X-Rays

The images acquired from receiving dental x-rays, referred to as radiographs, are a critical part of your dental assessment. Your dentist will view your radiographs initially to evaluate your overall dental health and establish a baseline record; and then will view updated radiographs at routine intervals to identify any changes that may occur over time. Although a dentist has invaluable clinical expertise, he or she is limited by their own ability to see and feel with dental instruments around your teeth and gums.  There are many cues a dentist can interpret from radiographs that will ensure an early diagnosis of pathology, which will provide you with timely intervention and treatment options. Specific problems we look for are tooth decay, abscesses or signs of infection in the bone surrounding the teeth, signs of periodontal disease which can include bone loss around the teeth and calculus build up on the root surfaces under the gum line, and in some cases we can see cysts and tumors in the bone adjacent to the teeth. Many of these problems do not cause symptoms until they are well established and in advanced stages.  The earlier your dentist detects a problem, the more treatment options he or she may be able to present to you.

There is a standard guideline issued by the American Dental Association that helps us determine what type of radiographs to evaluate and how often to update them. You may visit their website at http://www.ada.org to read an in-depth version of their guideline, but in general terms, all patients should have a full mouth series of intra-oral x-rays taken upon initial examination, and then again every 3-5 years thereafter.  In between the full mouth series, patients should have some individual intra-oral x-rays taken on an annual basis, referred to as bitewing x-rays and periapicals.  The bitewings and periapicals are a part of your full mouth series, but we take them each year to assess the areas of dentition most likely to change between each check up. In addition to the intra-oral x-rays, we may take a panoramic, or extra-oral x-ray to view larger structures outside the dentition. In some cases the panoramic radiograph can substitute for the full mouth series in cases where intra-oral x-rays are not attainable. The dental team, under instruction from your dentist, and in conjunction with the guidelines set forth by the ADA will take into consideration your unique set of dental needs and concerns when determining what type of radiographs to acquire.

Of special note is the recent popular media attention to possible hazards of receiving dental x-rays. Some studies on the correlation between certain types of cancer and dental x-rays have been talked about on various news programs that you may have heard. These studies were not conducted in a controlled scientific environment and contain many flaws.  Although it is true that dental x-rays are a form of radiation, we cannot make the assumption that they alone are the cause of certain cancers. Radiation is something we are all exposed to from both natural and man-made sources throughout our lifetime. In large doses radiation is known to be harmful; in smaller doses there is little known harm.  For more information on radiation you may visit http://www.radiationanswers.org.  This website provides some very good information on the science of radiation and its effects on your health.  Please remember how important radiographs are in identifying potential problems, and know that we will never frivolously take x-rays that we do not feel will improve the ability of the dentist to evaluate your dental health. We always follow what is known as the ALARA guideline which stands for As Low As Reasonably Allowable when exposing you to radiation for the purposes of acquiring radiographs. The benefit of a thorough examination with the appropriate radiographs shall outweigh any potential risk of receiving dental x-rays.

Our new office-what a difference

We’ve just finished our ninth week in the new office and it is still amazing! We’d like to thank our patients for the great response to our new office and their cooperation with our new online forms.

For those of you that have not yet been to our new office at the Fountain Hills Medical Campus, our new location offers a beverage center in our reception area with coffee, tea and bottled water as well as massage chairs in most of our treatment rooms. We have a new state-of-the-art panoramic x-ray machine, a larger consultation room and beautiful decor. However, one very important thing has remained the same: our commitment to exceptional care and service for our patients.

We look forward to seeing you at your next visit or meeting you if you are a new patient to our practice.

New office set to open the first week of April

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It’s been a long road to the new office but there is a light at the end of our tunnel. We are planning to close our current location the last week in March to prepare for the opening of our new location in the Fountain Hills Medical Campus. Please keep posted for updates and additional information.

Xylitol For Caries Prevention

Bacteria that are responsible for tooth decay need sugar to survive.  They use sugar in many forms as their energy source and reproduce rapidly.  Most sugars such as sucrose, lactose, and fructose feed bacteria and help them to reproduce.  In metabolizing these sugars, bacteria release harmful acids that can damage tooth structure. These acids can be produced for up to 30 minutes following each sugar exposure from food or beverages. Take a moment to think about how many times throughout the day something containing one of these sugars passes by your lips.

Fortunately, there is alternative sweetener that will not contribute to process of caries formation and can help reverse demineralization with regular use. Xylitol is an organic sugar alcohol derived mainly from birch wood trees, although it can be derived from other plant sources as well.  Xylitol will inhibit bacterial growth and will keep pH from dropping to acidic levels when used in place of other sugars and sweeteners. Furthermore, the use of gums and mints may stimulate salivary flow which buffers acid and naturally  remineralizes our teeth.

Many commercial products will combine different types of sugar alcohols for different reasons, however, only products sweetened primarily with xylitol have been shown to have the greatest anticariogenic effect.  Look for xylitol first in the list of ingredients in chewing gums and mints.  The optimal usage of a xylitol containing product for dental health is 5 times per day.  This can be in the form of toothpastes, mouth rinses, and breath sprays, or in chewing gums and mints.  Ideally, the use of xylitol products should be spread out over the course of a day, and when possible, should be used instead of any conventionally sweetened products, and not at the same time as other sweeteners. Xylitol gums and mints are particularly helpful to use throughout the day for those that suffer from dry mouth, or after meals and snacks when brushing and flossing can’t be done right away.

You can find a wide range of both food and dental products containing xylitol at just about any health food store and many general grocery and drug stores.  At Loving Family Dental we offer Spry mints which are a best seller in three delicious flavors: peppermint, lemon, and berry.  We encourage you to try these and other xylitol products which will promote your dental health.

Toothpaste Review: The “Dirty” on Getting Clean

Patients are always asking what toothpaste they should be using. With so many products available over the counter, and now a huge organic and natural health industry boasting miraculous benefits and convincing testimonials it is hard to know what’s best for you. And indeed, what’s best for YOU is the key.  I have no one recommendation for everyone, because each of you may have a different set of needs to address.  I’ll go over all of that, but first lets talk about getting clean…

Bacterial plaque is forming on our teeth every minute of every hour of every day. The good news is that if you catch the plaque early on before it hardens into tartar, it can be easily be removed by mechanical means alone. That means just the act of brushing, rubbing, and wiping with your brush and floss, toothpicks, or other dental hygiene aids you may have on hand is all that is needed to remove plaque and disrupt bacterial colonies.  The act of disrupting the bacterial colonies and interfering with their adherence to your teeth and gums is what getting clean is all about. So you see, you don’t actually need any toothpaste to clean your teeth.

What you do need toothpaste for are for the ingredients contained therein which may have some therapeutic value. There are only two key ingredients that I really concern myself with when it comes to recommending a toothpaste to my patients.  They are fluoride for cavity prevention, and potassium nitrate for treatment of dentinal hypersensitivity.

Fluoride is the single most effective agent in preventing tooth decay. It replaces hydroxyapatite crystals in the enamel that have been damaged by acids and forms a newer, stronger fluorapatite crystal. Enamel that is made up substantially of these fluorapatite crystals is the strongest naturally occurring tooth structure and is the most resistant to decay.

Potassium Nitrate is the active ingredient found in toothpaste preparations that are indicated for sensitive teeth.  Just underneath the enamel, we all have a layer of tooth structure called dentin which can be highly sensitive . It is made up of a series of tubules where at its innermost core lies a nerve.  Fluid moves back and forth in these tubules in response to stimuli and cause the nerve to depolarize, thereby sending your brain a message of pain.  Sometimes there are areas of our teeth that are devoid of sufficient enamel or cementum to cover and insulate this dentin layer and we are left with sensitive areas of our teeth.  This type of sensitivity most often presents as cold,sweet,or tactile sensitivity with no lingering pain after the stimulus is gone. The potassium nitrate builds up in these tubules over time with repeated use and sedates the nerve by inhibiting nerve depolarization . You should confirm with your dentist that there are no other reasons for your sensitivity that may require treatment.

All other ingredients you may find in toothpaste have only marginal benefits, and sometimes can cause adverse effects. Whitening toothpastes can be effective in cleaning surface stains but they will not whiten the overall shade of your teeth. The added abrasivity in whitening toothpaste may exacerbate sensitive teeth. Tartar control toothpastes demonstrate only sub clinical benefits and may cause soft tissue irritation. Ingredients like baking soda and salt may help to raise the pH in you mouth and buffer acids but their effects are very brief. Hydrogen peroxide and triclosan are antibacterial ingredients but they have little residual action after rinsing. Many natural and organic preparations contain herbal extracts and essential oils which may be soothing, helpful in reducing bacteria, and pleasant tasting but have not been tested or approved by the FDA. I read through a disclaimer recently on a website for a line of natural dental products that I feel is worth quoting one sentence in particular. It reads “We have no competent or reliable scientific evidence to suggest that the testimonialist’s experience is due to the use of our products.” That’s a pretty powerful statement in my opinion; I can see why its only stated in very fine print.

So, here is my final answer.  Use what you like.  Simple as that.  My only request is that you use a toothpaste that contains fluoride to help with cavity prevention.  If your teeth are sensitive, please try a sensitivity toothpaste with potassium nitrate in it because it usually works. When you find something that you like, whether it is because you like the texture and flavor of it, or because you feel assured knowing that it is organic and all-natural, or if for any other reason you just believe in the health benefits of a particular product, you will probably spend more time brushing and will do it more consistently. Discuss any concerns you may have with your dentist or hygienist and they will help you find a product that best suits your needs. Otherwise, enjoy trying different products, and know that the best product is the one that is used every single day.

New office at Fountain Hills Medical Campus

We walked through the new office space today and it is looking amazing! The final paint color is on the walls, the can lights are in and we even have some of the new light fixtures installed in the business hallway. The new cabinets were delivered yesterday and are starting to be installed today. The office is coming together; check back soon for updates and new office photos.

New office update

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We’ve made progress this week at the new office space! The drywall is up and most of the walls have been painted with primer. The front door frame has been placed and we are anxiously awaiting the new door delivery. The slideshow includes one of our treatment rooms, the hallway leading to our treatment rooms, the reception desk, our consultation room as well as the niche where our new panoramic x-ray machine will be housed. Please keep posted for additional construction progress and our monthly post from our hygienist, Julie.

From Your Hygienist

As your dental hygienist, I care about your dental health and want to contribute to your experience as a patient of Loving Family Dental, and to your overall dental health awareness.  Stay tuned and keep informed by our new segment of dental hygiene posts on lovingfamilydental.wordpress.com. I will be covering various topics pertaining to dental and oral health such as dental caries and dietary considerations, oral hygiene consumer products, the latest on periodontal disease diagnosis and treatment, and any other topics you may be interested in.  Please feel free to comment and ask questions that can be addressed at my next post. In the meantime, brush and floss everyday and think about what your dental health means to you.

New office photos

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As promised, we’ve uploaded several photos of the new office’s construction progress (panoramic x-ray niche, reception area, consultation room, hallway to treatment rooms and one of our new treatment rooms) . The framing, electrical & water rough-ins and drywall are completed and the office is starting to take shape. We’re excited by the progress and are looking forward to our new space in the Fountain Hills Medical Campus.