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.

The FYI on Gum Disease

Do you wonder about the health of your gums? Have you ever seen red, puffy or bleeding gums upon brushing or flossing. Have you grown, 'long in the tooth'? Have you lost any teeth due to gum disease? Know anyone else that has?

Eighty percent of American adults suffer from some form of gum disease according to the Mayo Clinic website. The question begs to be answered, why? Eighty percent? That is quite a high number. No one ever talks about gum disease which leads me to believe that out of that eighty percent, few realize they suffer from it. Eighty percent equates to eight out of ten people.

That means most of the people you know, possibly including yourself, suffer from some form of gum disease. Many people may not know that they have gum disease. They may in the future, though, because eventually their dentist will tell them that they need a 'root scaling and planing', surgery or periodontal work done.

The Surgeon General once described gum disease as a silent epidemic. Studies keep surfacing that suggest that gum disease may be a precursor to larger problems such as heart disease. Gum disease may be a route that bacteria and other pathogens enter the body through. Having gum disease means that you have left an open door to infection.

Despite all of this, few people talk about gum disease and even fewer are doing anything about it. I can foresee a day when people will pay particular attention to their oral health, because it will become common knowledge of just how serious the situation with our gum tissue is.

Unfortunately, many people will lose precious gum tissue before they even realize that they have this disease or before their dentist mentions it to them. That is why the time is precisely now to start working on this, regardless of what stage of oral health you are at. Protecting your gum tissue is protecting your overall health if all the suspected links to other disease are real.

If you are anything like me, you went for quite some time thinking it didn't matter if your gums bled a little during brushing or flossing. Nothing is further from the truth. If you experience any bleeding at all while brushing and flossing, that is probably indicating an abnormal and possibly diseased condition. Check with your dentist for diagnosis and treatment.

Since eighty percent of adult Americans suffer from this disease it is reasonable to suspect that the preventative measures of brushing and flossing that we were all taught are not adequate to prevent or stop gum disease. If you are like me, you found that you have suffered from this disease and have lost bone and tissue as result.

I was determined not to lose any teeth to this villain and researched and tested a number of tools that I could use to arrest the progress of gum disease and keep it away. I wrote the Gingivitis Killer website to report what I have found. This article is for informative purposes only, check with your dentist if you have or think you might have gum disease for diagnosis and treatment.

Focal Infection Theory Disbelievers and Reality

Others can live in body tissues without causing any apparent local irritations while they wait for a new home site in some other organ or tissue. Still others of the invading species are able to generate toxins either outside or inside cell walls. Some even limit their activity to the cells of the bloodstream.

These numerous attributes of organisms which arise from focal infection sites, whether they be from teeth, tonsils, tonsil tags, sinuses, or any other focal infection source, do cause an infinite variety of local and systemic reactions and conditions.

The concern of my profession is with the effects of dental infections. Dr.Price found the organs or tissues which usually become the victim of attack were ones involved with an injury, nutritional deficiency, old age debilitation, or inherited weakness. The lesions which these bacteria naturally produced were generally located in what he called the "rheumatic group of organs, "causing what he later called the "degenerative diseases."

The organs and tissues most often found to be involved were the heart, eyes, rheumatic and arthritic tissues, kidneys, digestive track and nervous system -but he also found that any tissue could be involved. It is the weak link in the body chain which becomes the victim of the attack. The fundamental point of break is the failure of the host's defense mechanisms to ward off attack; that is, the lessening of the efficiency of thee immune system.

Getting back to Dr.Percy Howe's rabbit's failing to react to his injections of streptococcus bacteria, it should now be easier to see that he was dealing with the bacteria we all have in our mouths on a daily basis. On the other hand, the bacteria Dr.Price's rabbits received were those involved inside of infected teeth where they had gone through polymorphic mutation changes and had become more virile and their toxins more than toxic.

In spite of the fact the bacteria Dr.Howe used were not in their virulent form, his criticism of the focal infection theory developed sufficient following to force the information about Dr.Price's research and that of his illustrious colleagues underground. Another outspoken nonbeliever of Price's work who played a key role in shutting it down was John P. Buckley,Ph D., D.D.S. He was a personal friend of Dr. Price who admired his honesty and conviction and did credit him with stimulating the spirit of research in dentistry more than any person in our profession.

However, Dr. Buckley believed that because the normal tissues of the body are not always germ free, and that with reasonable use of antiseptics and disinfectants dentist seemed to be successful in his research efforts, but felt he was moving too fast and carried out too many projects. Though he recognized Dr. Rosenow as a bacteriologist of note, he assumed Rosenow knew nothing of dental histopathology.

On the other hand, he stated that Drs. Price, Rosenow, Billings, Brophy, Haden, and others were conducting important research. Then, too, Dr. Buckley stated: "I do not doubt the bacteriologic findings of men like Price, rosenow, Haden, and others are correct as far as we understand bacteriology today; but you know and i know there is something wrong with their conclusions based upon these findings when they talk about the safety of pulpless teeth." That feling still prevails among most dentists today.

Because a fair number of patients who have root rilled teeth removed do not experience health improvements, Dr.Buckley failed to see the significance of the very large numbers who do improve. Dr. Price realized that many factors contributed to the outcome of extractions, including the patient's calcium-phosphorus and acid-base balances. In addition, nutritional and metabolic deficiencies were factors he recognized. Also, different causes could create the same diseases, which complicated the whole issue.

To me it is incredible that Dr.Buckley could insist that because so many root filled teeth did not show signs of infection or cause digenerative diseases, root filled teeth could not cause systemic infection. Dentists have to wonder how Dr. Buckley could have overlooked the well-known and accepted possibility of infection trapped in lateral accessory canals after a root filling has been placed. The majority of teachers of endodontia teach their students to warn patients of this possibility and to advise them to have follow-up x-ray pictures every year of their root filled teeth to check on the success of the operation.

Loose Teeth

Gum disease can cause damage to the underlying bone structure that supports your gums and holds your teeth in place. This bone is relatively vulnerable and can be damaged by the effects of bacterial infection.

Some individuals like to state that only people in their thirties and forties develop gum disease. Let's think about that for a minute. Where did that gum disease come from? Didn't it develop over a the last ten, twenty or thirty years? Gingivitis is the beginning stage of gum disease and has been detected in people of all ages.

When a bacterial infection occurs under the gumline, the supporting structure is attacked by the byproducts secreted from the bacteria. Once this structure is eroded you might also notice that the gums have receded. Again, this didn't happen overnight.

One key to avoiding gum disease is to realize that chances are pretty high that you will develop it if you don't already have it. By creating good habits while in your teens or twenties, you can prevent the onset of gum disease later in life. You'll be able to keep your teeth when others lose theirs.

Once the supporting bone structure is compromised the teeth may become loose depending on how bad the damage is. At some point the supporting structure may not be strong enough to support the tooth at all and then it is over. The tooth is lost.

As an adult there is no replacement tooth unless you count dentures or implants. Gum disease is the number one cause of tooth loss. Every person on the planet, except for the rare 2 percent who are gum disease resistant, needs to worry about this problem. Make a plan to prevent or combat it and execute that plan on a daily basis.

Starting early is the key to prevention. However, if you failed to start early, you can begin to take steps to prevent your situation from becoming worse. If you fail to take any action, there are still options. But, you may not like those options.

I remember that an older man at a recent gathering said, "there is no substitute for your own teeth". Replacements are poor substitutes for the real thing. I do not believe that most people are too lazy to take care of their teeth. Instead, I believe that they don't understand what will happen if they don't. How many people understand that most of the adult population is afflicted by some stage of gum disease? Most go through their daily lives blind to what is happening just inside their own mouths.

Some people make a distinction between gingivitis and gum disease. One is just the beginning of the other. If you are in your twenties or teens and have been told you have gingivitis, now is the time to become diligent about oral care. Today's gingivitis can develop into tomorrow's periodontal disease. It is just a matter of degree.

Unfortunately, the public is woefully ignorant of gum disease, what it is and what it can do to you as an individual. Again, gum disease is the number one cause of tooth loss. The Mayo Clinics website quips that perhaps up to 80% of the adult population in America has gum disease. Many Americans are fanatical about taking care of their smiles. Yet, so many still develop this disease. You can almost bet the statistics are higher outside of the United States.

You owe it to yourself to find out everything you can to prevent gum disease or fight it once you become aware of it. Ask your dentist about the health of your gums every time you go for a checkup. If you have bleeding during your normal cleaning, you should be aware this is not normal. Even if you bleed a little bit it could very well indicate that you have gingivitis or gum disease.

In addition to the health of your gums, the overall health of your body should also be considered. It is arguably the most important aspect of your life. I have found the exercises of Falun Gong to be very valuable in maintaining health. You can read more about them on the FalunDafa.org website.

If you have or think you might have gum disease, contact your dentist for diagnosis and treatment.

Tea Tree Oil: Getting to Glorious Gums

Gum disease. Known to dentists as gingivitis, is one of those afflictions that drives doctors and dentists crazy. Why? Because in most cases, it is entirely preventable. If you take good care of your teeth and gums, you will probably never have to deal with the pain, the expense, or the other problems to which gum disease can sometimes lead.

Gingivitis gets its start when bacteria move into the area around your gums. If the bacteria are not cleaned out, they can move below the gum line and start to form thin film. Within a few days, you have a buildup of a multi bacterial gunk called plaque. Add some minerals from your saliva to the mix, and you end up with a hard-to-remove substance called tartar.

In some people, years of plaque and tartar buildup can lead to a bacterial infection of the gums. Their gums, which had been pink, firm, and healthy, become red and puffy, and they bleed easily when brushed.

For some people, the infection can move from the gums down into the connective tissue and bone that hold the teeth in their mouths. And as if that is not bad enough, gingivitis might grow into dreaded periodonitis, which can eventually cause both losses.

Tea Tree Oil as a Treatment for Gum Diseases

The central gum disease prevention premise is a good dental hygiene, which means keeping your teeth and mouth clean.

This is nowhere near as simple as it sounds. The mouth is a paradise for bacteria and germs. All the nooks and crannies between your teeth are perfect bacteria hiding spots. When you add in all the food that gets chomped and stuck between your molars, it is easy to see why mouth maintenance is no snap.

But there is another way to treat gum diseases aside from working out a hygienic routine for the mouth. Though having a clean mouth is the most important preventive step you can take to thwart gum disease, it is not your only defense. Topical treatments such as tea tree oil can be a strong shield as well.

Tea tree oil is an indispensable oil extracted from the leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia, a plant inherent to Australia. This type of oil is known to have useful medical and aesthetic properties. It has also some antifungal and antiseptic function. Hence, it can notably cure and treat gum diseases.

Tea tree oil is a recognized antiseptic, antifungal, and bacterial agent. It has been known to effectively fight against multiple bacteria in the gums and other areas in the skin. Tea tree oil's ability to kill bacteria is the number one reasons why it has been considered as a treatment for gum diseases.

Tea tree oil contains substances, known as terpenoids, which can effectively treat infections. These substances were also proven most effective in rendering antifungal and antiseptic functions.

However, studies show that tea tree oil should not be taken orally since it can be poisonous when taken by mouth. Research shows that even a few drops or small amounts (as little as a few teaspoons) can be unsafe. That is why its safety is exclusively patterned to external applications.

In fact, even if tea tree oil is applied externally, some cases of allergic reactions and irritations were still noted.

On the other hand, since tea tree oil is an effective antibacterial element, manufacturers of oral hygiene products have decided to use tea tree oil as an important element in their products. No wonder why tea tree oil is a popular substance known to make toothpastes more effective means of treating gum diseases.

Reports can statistically prove that tea tree oil is safe when combined with other substances included in oral hygiene products such as toothpastes. Though, it should never be ingested.

Indeed, tea tree oil as a treatment for gum disease still requires a lot of studies and experiments to prove its safety and potency. While this is still the case, it is best to consult your dentists before taking any medications or treatments containing tea tree oil.