What’s with all the pictures?

Your favorite Valencia dentists take a lot of pictures here at your Go Dental: radiographs, intraoral cameras, digital SLR cameras. We so take it for granted that all of this visual information will be available for us in communicating with our patients that we forget it is not universal. To us, it is central to our ability to communicate with you and for you about your treatment needs.

Just last week I had two new patients thank me for showing them the x-rays and pictures that explained why they needed treatment. No one, they said, had ever done that before. These were mid-career professionals, not teenagers, and these were not going to be their first fillings. “Never?” I asked. Both replied: No, they had always just been told you need a filling, or a crown, or a deep cleaning, schedule on your way out.

I really don’t understand. At Go Dental we believe in a relationship built on trust, right from your first visit. We will always take the time to discuss treatment decisions with you and answer your questions. If we suggest treatment for you, we will always be able to tell you why. Always. You will not be bullied or coerced into making choices without the opportunity to ask questions. That is our commitment to our patients here at Go Dental.

Dental Implants With Low Risk and High Reward

Our practice has been placing dental implants for over 25 years. Over the years, there have been many changes which have improved the implant process from the evolution in design of the implant to the methods we use to restore the implants. And with each step forward, the procedure of dental implant placement and restoration has become better, faster and stronger (apologies to Steve Austin aka the Six Million Dollar man). As a practice, we have definitely benefited from the improvements in design and technology through the years.

As discussed on this blog before, implants process of placing implants is quite straightforward. It begins by profoundly numbing our patients, carefully separating the gum tissue away from the jaw bone, placing progressively larger drills slowly into the jaw bone then finally torquing a titanium screw into the sites prepared by the drills. While the procedure was relatively straightforward, it involved cutting with a scalpel and sewing the site back up with stitches.

In the last 2 years, there have been 2 advancements which we have adopted, that have completely changed the way we approach doing dental implants.The first advancement was the improvement and cost reduction of a diagnostic tool called Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT). This device enables us to quickly and accurately see images of the jaw in 3 dimensions and in “slices”.  We are now able to plan the entire implant case on our computer workstation.  Instead of relying on visualizing anatomic obstacles and limitations at the time of surgery, we can visualize them at the time of planning. Placements of our implants are done accurately and predictably for every patient. We can even show you what your tooth will look like after the implant is placed before we even place it!

The second huge advancement, is the ability for us to fabricate a surgical guide. A surgical guide is fabricated with a special milling machine (located in Belgium!) and uses all the information we have generated from our implant planning software. We now can accurately duplicate the depth, angulation and width of the implant that we have planned on the computer.

What does this mean for our patient? It means that we are able to complete our surgery in less time with fewer complications. Our actual surgical time for a single implant placement is 10 minutes.  Most of the time, no scalpel or stitches are required. Our patients are very comfortable doing this under local anesthesia although nitrous oxide and twilight sleep is available for those whom are a little anxious. The healing process is very fast as well and we are able to achieve integration of the implant into bone in about 6-10 weeks.

Simply put, we are able to place implants more accurately and predictably than anyone in the world. That is a big statement, but we are able to do so because our amazing technological advancements. And you will be surprised that your cost will be less than most places that don’t have the CBCT and surgical guide technology.

If you or someone you know may be interested in getting a tooth replaced by a dental implant, have them come by for a free implant consultation from your Valencia Dentist at Go Dental  We’ll be happy to explain all their options.  And as always, no pressure or up selling.

I had a root canal. Why does my tooth still hurt?

Persistent pain following root canal (endodontic) treatment can be discouraging. Anywhere between 5% and 15% of patients will experience a flare-up of pain following a root canal. The good news is that the pain is usually not a sign of a significant problem.

When a tooth requires a root canal, there is commonly inflammation and/or damage to the bone and tissues surrounding the tooth. Like any other part of the body, this damage takes time to heal. During that healing phase, it is not uncommon to get short flare-ups of pain. For most people, this pain can be treated effectively with short-term oral analgesics like Ibuprofen (Advil^®, Motrin^®) or Acetaminophen (Tylenol^®).

 If your pain persists for more than about a week or does not respond to pain medication, you should have your tooth re-evaluated by a dentist. Common and easily fixed findings would be a recurrent infection that could be treated with antibiotics, or the tooth being ”high”. Severe or prolonged pain may indicate something more significant going on within the tooth, In these cases evaluation with a Cone Beam Computed Tomography scan (Cone Beam CT or CBCT), like the one we have here at Go Dental, is recommended. These 3-dimensional x-ray images can show missed canals, cracks, or other pathology that traditional x-rays cannot show. We are constantly amazed at how things that are invisible on a traditional x-ray are obvious on CBCT.

The most important thing to do, though, is to communicate with your dentist. Here at Go Dental - Valencia Dentist we are always willing and happy to take the time to discuss your concerns. We would much rather take a few minutes to tell you everything is okay than have you walk around for weeks with something we could fix.

What Allergy Season Means For Your Mouth

It is spring yet again and we all know what that entails. This is the season where allergens are everywhere!  Though seasonal allergies tend to not be life threatening, unlike food and drug allergies, they can get rather annoying. So what do we tend to do when our seasonal allergies begin to affect our daily routine? We take antihistamines. Some of us real “sneezers” plagued by frequent allergy attacks may even take our Claritin or Zyrtec on a daily basis.

Because taking allergy medication is such a common practice, we tend to forget that those little white or pink pills are just that: a medication. Every medication has its side effects on the body and we need to take those into consideration. Sure some may have the common drowsiness, nausea, dizziness, and headaches, but one really common side effect that we tend to look over is a dry mouth.

Dry mouth, or Xerostomia, is very common with medications but usually is not taken seriously. The fact of the matter is that our mouths are full of bacteria. To be honest, they are the most bacteria-ridden places in our bodies. Besides washing away food, saliva helps to ward off some of these bacteria by neutralizing the acids the bacteria create in our mouths. When our mouths stop producing saliva, the bacteria has the opportunity to grow and cause more problems. This not only causes bad breath, it is also important because, as stated in our previous blog, your oral health can be a major influence on your heart health and overall health.

So how can we avoid it? Well unfortunately, you cannot avoid the dry mouth caused by your allergy medication unless you stop taking it and for some of us, that’s not an option. There are, however, some extra oral care practices you can take to make sure that the dry mouth you experience doesn’t cause you any other health issues. Just taking extra care of your mouth can save you from all the harmful symptoms of a dry mouth. Here are some quick tips to help guide you:

• brush more often
• drink lots of water
•  use mouth wash when you feel like your breath is starting to smell bad
• chew dentist recommended gum to encourage the production of saliva
• do not smoke

If you follow these practices, you will find that the dry mouth will not cause very many issues. Make sure you also read the information on the medicine bottle before taking anything. If you are unsure about whether or not you should be taking a specific medication or you have questions about it, you should contact your primary care physician. If you have any questions or the negative side effects of a dry mouth, you can always ask your favorite Valencia Dentist from Go Dental.

Shedding Light on Decay with Innovative Technology

Traditional methods of diagnosing tooth decay include clinical observations (what we can see and feel) and radiographs (x-rays for what we can’t see). While these methods are very reliable for detecting moderate-sized decay, sometimes smaller suspicious areas are not so obvious. To provide patients with the best quality of care, GoDental has a incorporated new, innovative tool that will shed more light to the diagnostic process. This week, I’d like to introduce you to the latest addition to our armamentarium: the SoproLife intraoral camera. This technologically advanced device uses a light induced fluorescence and camera imaging to diagnose tooth decay.  

Our brand new intraoral camera does much more than take photos of teeth. The very small camera (only a bit larger than a toothbrush) fits comfortably in the mouth to magnify images between 30 to 100 times the actual size. And with personal TV screens in every operatory, patients here at Go Dental can have a close-up look at every tooth that needs treatment. Additionally, this camera feature is very useful for taking pictures of inflamed gum tissue and suspicious lesions that are part of our routine oral cancer exams.

The most unique feature of this technology is the fluorescent light that can detect tooth decay, even at its earliest stages. The device emits a light which appears as different colors, depending on the tooth structure that is fluoresced. Healthy tooth structure generates less fluorescence and shows up as green. When the tooth starts to break down due to decay, the light signal becomes stronger and the decay appears red. By taking photos of these fluoresced teeth, we can show patients exactly where they have trouble spots. We can also use fluorescence during treatment to conservatively remove only the red areas of infected tooth, and thus preserving tooth structure.

With the SoproLife intaroral camera, patients here at Valencia Dentistry can actively participate in the diagnostic process. These intraoral photos help to demonstrate the tooth, surface, and size of treatment needed. Patients can also feel confident that we are using the latest technology to perform minimally invasive dentistry and to save tooth structure. By implementing this new device, we hope to educate patients about oral conditions and to preserve healthy smiles. 

Visit your favorite Valencia Dentist and check out our new SoproLife intraoral camera!

Dental Loupes

Many patients have asked us in the past why we wear magnifying loupes.

It’s a good question and something didn't do until about 10 years ago.  

The most obvious answer to this question is that it helps us see better. But this doesn't mean that your Valencia dentists are blind or going blind.  In fact, in our practice, neither Dr. Monti or Dr. Lin wear glasses. I do, but it’s a really weak prescription for my nearsightedness (myopia).

First of all, the magnification helps us to be able to see the more detail of the tooth. Our loupes have very bright LED lights connected to them which really help to illuminate the dental field. It is truly amazing how much more we are able to visualize with the help of the loupes and the light. It doesn't help us get through the procedure any faster but the level of precision which we are able to cut our preps is truly remarkable. Our laboratory fabricates our crowns utilizing a high powered microscope and they are able to achieve incredible results from our precision preparations.  

The loupes and our headlights even help us completing root canals since we are able to see more of the internal anatomy of the tooth. During dental surgeries such as placement of dental implants, the light helps illuminate the surgical field so we can see anatomical variances that may not be easily visible to the naked eye. We like to wear our loupes during your check ups so we don’t have to depend solely on the dental explorer to find and detect cavities.  

Finally, utilization of dental loupes helps us keep better posture while working. We can hold our head further from your mouth which results in better posture. And better posture means that we’ll be less prone to back problems (and presumably be your dentist for a bit longer!)

Do I Need A Night Guard?

Night guards, or occlusal splints, are a very useful treatment for many patients. Generally, we prescribe them in an effort to avoid more expensive or painful treatments in the future. Good candidates for a night guard can be divided into three groups:

First, true bruxers. Bruxism, or teeth grinding, is most commonly done at night. Often patients are unaware of the behavior, but there are some telltale signs. Wear facets, which are highly polished notches or depressions in otherwise normal teeth, are one classic sign. Often, they will look like dimples in the surface of the back teeth where there should be peaks. Also, many of these patients will say they wake up with their teeth feeling sore or tight. For these patients, a night guard provides direct protection of the teeth from one another, and significantly reduces the progression of tooth wear.

The second group, often related to the first, is patients with jaw pain. When you grind your teeth, the muscles that normally close your mouth are working very hard. In fact, they can produce far more force in your sleep than while you are awake. This also puts a lot of strain on the temperomandibular joint (TMJ). Many of these patients will complain of waking up with their jaw feeling tight or tired, and having headaches on the sides of their head. For these patients, a night guard allows the upper and lower teeth to pass each other without engaging. When the muscles aren't fighting the teeth, they calm down.

The third group are people who have had a lot of expensive cosmetic work done. Nighttime grinding and clenching, even if only occasional, can destroy crowns, veneers, and bondings. For patients who
have invested significant time and money in their teeth, please consider a night guard as an insurance policy.

As always, if you have any questions about this or other treatment the best plan is to set a time to come in and talk to us about it. We are always happy to take the time to make sure you have what you need to make good choices about your own dental health.

You can read more about the different types of night guards here. If you have any questions on whether or not you need a night guard, you can always ask your favorite Valencia Dentist at GoDental!