Dentist blog

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Laser Dentistry - Is it Better Than Traditional Dentistry?

I enjoyed my trip to the dentist today. No, really, I did. I spent twenty minutes in the chair, getting my teeth cleaned with the aid of baking soda, betadine and a wee little laser. I admit that I was initially reluctant to let someone put something that can cut through steel into my mouth, but Dr. Kassa really knows his stuff. And this is from the viewpoint of someone who used to prefer extractions to fillings, because at least I got knocked out when I had teeth pulled.

When I was a child, I went to a dentist who actually had leather straps on the arms of his chair to restrain his young patients. By the time I was ten, I was so traumatized from having three fillings and two extractions without painkillers or novacaine that I started shaking whenever I saw a toothpaste commercial.

Except for having an impacted wisdom tooth extracted when I was in my twenties, I avoided dentists until our kids arrived, when I realized that I had to Set A Good Example. Sheesh! If I'd realized this, I might have remained childless. But because we did have kids and the only other option was being a horrible warning and that didn't appeal to my maternal instincts, I bit the bullet and went to the dentist that we took the kids to.

He was very reassuring, kept asking me if I felt any pain and did I need to take a break. He hadn't even put his gloves on at the time. I guess my apprehension showed. He soldiered on though, and managed to do an exam, which told me what I already knew - my teeth were in pretty bad shape. Then he turned me over to his hygienist, who spent an hour scraping my teeth.

Finally, when it was done, I breathed a sigh of relief until she told me that she'd only done a quadrant. There were still three quadrants to go.Not only that, but by the time she was done with the last quadrant, it'd be time to do the first one all over again. Then she added insult to injury by telling me that even this might not save my gums, which were not at all well and would probably need "deep scaling and planing". I didn't like the sounds of that! This was my reward for finally facing down my fear and submitting to these barbaric procedures?

I went twice more, but each time, my blood pressure went higher and higher and all I could think of while I was being worked on was the fact that my maternal grandmother had died from a stroke she suffered in the dentist's chair. I'm a strong believer in genetics as destiny, and I didn't want to go the way of Granny, so I started doing what I always do when faced with a dilemma. I started looking for alternatives on the Net. That's how I found Dr. Kassa.

Dr. Kassa has embraced the future. He has at least three lasers in his office and if there's a drill, I have yet to see it. He says my gums aren't as bad as I thought they were and gave me the equipment and knowledge to keep them from getting any worse. In addition to a really good electronic toothbrush, I use an irrigator with baking soda in the water to zap the little anaerobic bacteria that are trying to colonize my gums. Dr. Kassa is sound on anaerobes. He knows how to get at them with his lasers, which scraping doesn't do, and he knows how to show his patients how to get them with their toothbrush, baking soda and irrigator.

It amazes me that - in this day and age - people are still using these archaic and inneffective methods to practice dentistry. Would we put up with our doctor removing a splinter by digging it out with a knife? No, we expect that they'll use tweezers and a topical anesthetic if it's needed. If we break our arm, we're probably going to have something to say if the doctor goes outside, chops down a cherry tree and ties our arm to a straight piece of it.

Of course, laser dentistry is more expensive than the status quo, which is none too cheap, itself. However, if more dentists practiced laser dentistry and used baking soda and betadine and/or an ultrasonic cleaner instead of the usual manual method of gum cleaning, the price would come down pretty fast because of competition and a wider market for the training and equipment needed to practice this kind of craft.

The biggest upside to this would be that a large segment of the population - the "tied down for dental work as a child" contingent, for instance - would go to a dentist and head off serious oral problems, which could lengthen their lives. Oral inflammation can lead to heart problems and a host of other ailments, so nipping it in the bud is a really good idea.

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Thursday, March 15, 2007

Dental Wax For Braces

Having braces can be excruciating and could result in a loss of appetite. However, for vanity's sake, we try to bear the discomforts and twinges in hopes of getting a perfect set of pearly whites. Well, you don't really need to go through the throbbing sensations as there are now some dental products in the market that somehow help ease the pain. Your survival kit should include dental wax for braces that significantly prevents chaffing when applied in between the wires.

The biting pressure and soreness are usually expected to last for three to five days every time you'll have your braces installed or readjusted. Typically, dentists would recommend rinsing the mouth with some salt-water mouthwash regularly. However, your inner cheek and lips may suffer most of the brunt as they are mostly in contact with the wires. You can numb the pain by applying some special dental wax for braces on the surface of the brackets. The soothing mint flavor of the dental wax for braces lessens the discomforts and is generally cheap with an average cost of $ 1.75 for five strips. Now that is certainly something you would want to take advantage of, right?

You can browse through a number of different flavored dental waxes for braces at the online shop, along with other dental products especially created for people with braces. Simple product like this can certainly contribute a lot in easing pain and helps you focus more on getting that perfect set of teeth rather than constantly complaining for the aches and twinges. This is particularly helpful for kids who still have little or no pain threshold and can greatly affect their appetite. Braces need not be overly painful as it once was, the dental wax for braces may just be the right fix you need.

Although we all know that wearing braces can simply be considered as a mere passage of youth, some adults are required to wear bracesas well. As it seems, it requires several months or even a couple of years to correct crooked permanent teeth. However, it should not be a traumatic experience for adults and youngsters alike, the dental wax for braces is certainly the best available product that you can use with unrivaled ease and convenience in the application. The small tube can be easily carried around your tote bag and can go unnoticed and applied in seconds to instantly ease abrasions caused by the contact of metal and skin.

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