What Makes a Root Canal Necessary?
The following are the most common factors contributing to a need for root canal treatment:

• Trauma, such as a physical blow to a tooth or the constant striking of a tooth in the opposite jaw that traumatizes the tooth
• Physical irritation caused by a deep decay or a very large filling
• Severe gum disease

If a cavity forms and is allowed to go untreated for too long, it can penetrate to the root pulp where an infection can occur causing the need for a root canal.

Regardless of the initial cause, the tooth pulp becomes irritated and infected. Bacteria grow within the tooth pulp, causing pressure and pain, sometimes accompanied by swelling of the face.

Sometimes the deterioration of the pulp happens so gradually that little pain is felt.

Either way, eventually the bacteria can destroy the pulp. As this happens, the bone surrounding the tooth may become in infected and abscessed, which may lead to the destruction of the bone surrounding the tooth which is painful and not a lot of fun.  The dentist is actually relieving you of the discomfort when they perform a root canal procedure.

A root canal gets rid of the infection and saves the tooth. 

As you can see, there are several tooth deterioration steps that lead up to the need for a root canal.  By visiting us on a regular basis we can catch and fix a situation before it gets to the root canal stage and save you from discomfort and also save you money.

Many patients ask us about mouth rinses.  Are they needed?  What do they do?  How often should I use them?  Everyone’s mouth has different needs but below are a few guidelines.

Listerine reduces the bacteria that causes the redness, bleeding and puffiness of gums.  It also reduces the bacteria in the mouth that causes gum disease.  It is recommend that you do not use Listerine more than twice per day because excessive use can contribute to dry mouth…. which can cause other problems in the mouth.  When Listerine is used by patients taking certain medications the dry mouth condition can also be increased.  

Scope is a cosmetic breath freshener.  It reduces the amount of bad breath germs.  It can be used more frequently throughout the day to keep your mouth minty fresh.

Mouth rinses do not replace flossing.  They can be used as an added bonus to keep your mouth healthier and cleaner.

At your next visit ask your dental professional on how mouth rinses will affect the condition of your particular mouth.

New patients to our office fill out a health history questionaire before their first appointment. 

The last two questions are:

How long do you plan to keep your teeth?  and

How do you feel about dentures?

The answer to the first question is typically “forever” and to the second question “yikes” or similar response. 

We ask this question to get people to think about what it takes to keep your mouth healthy and free of gum disease.  The most successful method of keeping your teeth for a lifetime is to take care of them.  And the alternative to keeping your teeth for a lifetime is dentures or limited teeth in your mouth. 

• If you have gum disease, do something about it. 
• If it’s been a while since you’ve seen the dentist, ask friends and family for a recommendation, and go see one. 
• If you are missing one or more teeth, go see a dentist and see what your options are.  Dental technology is constantly improving and you more have options on how to take care of small problem instead of waiting until they become big dental problems.
• If you’ve put off going to the dentist, don’t panic.  It may not be as bad as you think.  Every mouth is different.
• If you think dentures are your only option, look into mini-dental implants.  A skilled dentist and dental lab can make very natural looking and comfortable set of dentures and mini-dental implants can insure the dentures stays in your mouth.

Anti-aging products and services are all the rage these days.  As dentists we are in an anti-aging business. 

Even if you choose not to improve your smile with whitening or cosmetic dentistry, coming to the dentist on a regular basis can significantly improve the “life expectancy” for a fully functioning set of teeth.

Our philosophy and goal as a dental practice is the total absence of dental disease for every patient in the practice.  Some patients with gum disease have to work a little harder at it but it is possible to prevent dental diseases, deterioration, and facial aging associated with the loss of teeth. 

You can do it and we can help! 

We want you to become as healthy as you choose to be.   Having a healthy smile means preventing all dental break-down

• dental decay
• periodontal disease
• tooth wear
• tooth loss

These questions will help you determine if a Healthy Teeth First approach is right for you.

1. Would you rather have insurance to pay for gum surgery or prevent the need for gum surgery at all?
2. Would you rather pay for 4 root canals or not need to have root canals at all?
3. Would you rather have insurance pay for 50% of four crowns or have prevented the need for crowns in the first place.
4. Would you prefer to pay several $1000 for an implant and crown to replace missing teeth or have prevented the loss of your teeth?

Dental decay and gum disease are the 2 most common chronic degenerative diseases and these diseases are preventable as are all “lifestyle” diseases.  By preventing these diseases with the help of your dentist and hygienist you can save yourself $1000s of dollars over you lifetime simply by see your dentist for regular checkups and maintaining good habits at home.

Anti-Aging comes down to a question of not how long we are going to live, but what the quality of our lives will be in the last 30 years or more of life. 

If you plan on keeping your teeth for a lifetime….. make sure you make the investment of seeing your dentist on a regular basis to keep them in fine working order.

For decades the American Heart Association had advised that some patients with certain heart conditions should take antibiotics prior to their dental appointments. 

In April 2007 the American Heart Association published guidelines where they recommend that most of these patients no longer need short-term antibiotics as a preventive measure before their dental treatment. 

We recommend that you consult with your heart health care provider if you have any questions in regards to what you should do. 

You may also learn more in The American Dental Association article on Antibiotics and your heart.

Ok… we try to remain positive in this Blog but today we are going to talk about some dental bad habits that you really need to try and stop doing.

1. Sipping on a sugary beverage all day long.  Don’t sip on pop all day (yes Mountain Dew lovers we are talking to you) It will destroy your teeth.  You are feeding the bacteria in your mouth a constant diet of sugar.  This converts to acid and destroys your teeth.
2. Skip Flossing.  You’ve heard it before… and I’m saying it again.  If you brush your teeth faithfully but skip the flossing you’ve cleaned only 1/2 of each tooth.  The space between your teeth is the most decay prone part of the tooth.  If you don’t floss, you aren’t cleaning it.  Make flossing a part of your routine and you will be amazed at how much better your teeth feel.  Flossing also helps keep your breath fresh.  Floss your teeth… smooch more! 
3. Eating Sugary Food just before bed.   If you are a diligent, efficient brusher and flosser and you’ve removed all the plaque from your teeth before “lights out” then this is a minimal bad habit.  But… it might be easiest just to skip the sweet tooth right before bed.
4. Taking care of only your visible teeth.  As the saying goes “You don’t have to brush all your teeth…. just the ones you want to keep!”  That goes for flossing too.
5. Ignoring Dental Problems.  The persistent tooth pain or throb, bleeding gums, pain on one side of your mouth so you chew on the other.  This stuff is NOT temporary and will not go away if you ignore it.  Things that you use, need to be maintained…you use your teeth so make sure you see a dentist 2 times per year and if your tooth hurts… call your dentist!