Boomers & Dental Care

After the age of 65, most retirees opt out of dental insurance. Not having routine checkups and continued maintained on previous work can lead to a number of problems, including gum disease and tooth decay. Simply due to the wear and tear that accumulates over the years,, boomers are at high risk for gum disease and periodontitis. Periodontitis is a disease that attacks the tissue around the teeth. Not only are your routine dental visits preventative, but your Valencia dentist could help identify other health risks.

Dental insurance is offered to boomers, but many think they don’t need it. Everyone should have dental insurance, but due to the years of damage done to their teeth, boomers specifically should have insurance. In order to maintain previous dental work such as crowns and root canals, routine dental check-ups are required. Call your Valencia dentist today to make sure your previous dental implants and procedures aren’t at risk.

Poor dental hygiene, specifically in people aged 50-70, can lead to poor overall health. “63% of boomers with oral symptoms indicating a more serious health issue were unaware of the symptom’s link to the condition.” ⁽¹⁾ Many people are unaware of  the connection between oral hygiene and overall health. Symptoms of diseases such as diabetes and osteoporosis are often first apparent through mouth exams. Dry mouth, bone loss, and bleeding gums are yellow flags that your Valencia dentist could identify as onset symptoms for bigger problems. Jaw pain could be one of the first identifiers for a potential looming heart attack ⁽²⁾ The more aware of your dental health you are, the more aware of your overall health you are.

Don’t let your lack of insurance be a problem. Your family dentist in Valencia can assist you with finding the insurance you need and help you jump start both your dental and overall health. 

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Go Dental - Top Valencia Dentist

smile@thedentist.com

Are You Expecting? Don’t Avoid Your Dentist!

Many pregnant women tend to avoid their dentist during their pregnancy, especially if they think a surgical procedure would be required. But according to a new study published in The Journal of the American Dental Association, procedures requiring local anesthetics are completely safe for you and your baby.

The study compared pregnancy outcomes between a group of women exposed to dental procedures featuring local anesthetics and a group of women who haven’t. The outcome shows that there is no increased risk for major medical problems, such as cerebral palsy, cleft lip, or heart defects. The study also looked at the rates for miscarriages, premature births, and birth weight, and found nothing that would indicate dental procedures have any impact on your growing baby.

While most pregnant women will avoid procedures, despite ongoing dental issues for fear of their baby’s health, those who conducted the study urge women to focus on their oral health. A healthy mouth leads to a healthy body, which leads to a healthy baby. Let your friendly Valencia dentist help you achieve your best health today.

Go Dental - Top Dentist in Valencia
smile@thedentist.com

Root Canals: Friend or Foe

It’s a moment that nobody ever wants to face:  The dentist pulls back in their chair and utters the unspeakable words, “I think you’re going to need a root canal”.  Your face feels flushed, your hands begin to shake, and your eyes begin to well with tears.  Then it’s - “OMG, A ROOT CANAL!!!”

Root canals are one of the most dreaded procedures the entire world.  It makes me cringe when I hear the expression, “I would rather have a root canal than _________” (fill in the blank with the most unpleasant, demeaning, disgusting activity known to humankind). Contrary to popular belief, root canals have come a long way and they are no longer the painful, time consuming procedures that they used to be.  In fact, most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference between getting a root canal and getting a simple filling.

My favorite thing to tell patients is that our Valencia dental practice loves performing root canals. That being said, our dentists understand

that our patients don’t share the same enthusiasm. We love doing them because, professionally, they are one of the most challenging procedures to do, and honestly, we are really good at doing them. But we will try to avoid performing root canals because we know that patients cannot stand going through them.  

So how do we determine whether or not a Root Canal is necessary? If the nerve of a tooth has died or has even been compromised, it must be removed. Generally, we will access the nerve by creating an opening from the top of the tooth. The nerve and blood supply is then removed with small instruments which are fractions of millimeters in diameter. Once the nerve of the tooth is removed, we widen the tooth space where the nerve once was. This space is called the “root canal”, and clearing it out enables us to fill the tooth with a special filling material. Even though the tooth’s nerve and associated blood supply is no longer present, the tooth structure can last for many many years provided a crown is placed on it.  

So you can see why root canals can be associated with pain; we are essentially working on an exposed nerve. That is why anesthesia is so important. Without it, the patient would be in a great deal of discomfort. If you are really anxious, your body may lower the effectiveness of the anesthetic so we have options like nitrous oxide and twilight sleep available for you.

Our doctors have invested a lot of resources to acquire the latest root canal therapy equipment and to become experts in the most advanced techniques. Root Canals used to take 3 appointments of 2 hours to complete but now we can complete most procedures in just one appointment of 1 ½ each. The procedure not only is completed faster but it is also far more accurate, resulting in greater success rates.

Many emergencies that we see with our new patients are from root canals that have been done poorly in the past. Like I mentioned before, root canal procedures are one of the most difficult procedures to perform in dentistry. Not every dentist has the ability and resources to perform root canals with excellent long term results. When we see cases of failed root canals, we have a great team of root canal specialists that we can consult.  

From all of as at Go Dental, we truly hope that you never need a root canal. But if you do, rest assured, you are in great hands.

Sincerely, 

Your Valencia Dentist

Dr. Christopher Go