subject: Questions About General Dentistry [print this page] Questions About General Dentistry
With lasers and computers, modern dentistry has changed out of sight compared to what our grandparents knew. Yet some things remain the same and general dentistry is still concerned with your basic dental health and daily dental hygiene.
Isn't brushing enough? What's the benefit of flossing?
Brushing your teeth at least once a day is essential but it is not enough to maintain best dental health. Teeth have four sides to them and brushing cleans only the front and back of each tooth. The side surfaces all abut each other with little space between them and no toothbrush can reach into those areas.
That is why flossing is at least as important as brushing. Food particles get lodged between your teeth and if they are not removed, they provide a feast for bacteria. There are always bacteria in the mouth but for the most part, it is their excretions that create problems. They deposit acidic excretions on the teeth and gums and like anything else that's acidic, the excretions destroy tissue. Plaque is the name for bacteria and their excretions and the purpose of brushing and flossing is to remove plaque and prevent it from hardening into tartar.
What are dental implants?
Dental implants are artificial tooth roots positioned in the jawbone to hold a replacement tooth. They are a permanent way to replace a missing tooth and at the same time replace the gap left in the bone by the missing tooth root. Dental implants are made of titanium which has good affinity with bone. With good daily care to prevent gum disease, your dental implants can give you excellent service for a lifetime.
What downside do metal fillings have?
Metal amalgam fillings have several downsides.
They are made of metal, which expands and contracts with heat and cold. Mercury makes up about 50 percent of the amalgam and is so responsive to temperature that it was used for decades in thermometers. Each time you put something hot in your mouth, your metal fillings expand and put stress on the teeth they fill. Then when you eat something cold, they contract and are ready to expand again with your next sip of coffee. This repeated stress gradually weakens a tooth until it fractures.
Metal fillings are not bonded to the tooth they fill. They are held in by the cavity being shaped to hold them and by the roughness left on the cavity surface. They exert outward pressure on the tooth, further weakening it and making a fracture more likely.
The mercury in the amalgam gives off vapor when you stimulate it by chewing or putting something warm in your mouth. It is not established yet whether the amount of vapor is harmful to the body or not.
What is periodontics?
Periodontics is gum care. Healthy gums are essential for both good dental health and an attractive smile, and if gum disease takes hold, it can be difficult to eradicate. For that reason, it is important to go for regular dental check-ups, so gum problems can be caught early.
How do dental bridges work?
When you have one or more missing teeth, the gap(s) should be filled as soon as possible. Gaps can cause the remaining teeth to drift out of position and become mis-aligned, leading to bite problems and the uncomfortable symptoms of TMJ Disorders. A bridge fills the tooth gap but does not fill the gap in the jawbone left by the lost tooth root. Dental implants will fill both gaps, but a bridge is a time-honored and less expensive way to fill the tooth gap.
Basically a bridge is an artificial tooth connected to two adjacent crowned teeth. Dr. Wendling would place dental crowns on the teeth on each side of the gap and have a custom tooth made (called a pontic) to fill the gap. Most bridges are fixed.
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