Why You Should Schedule A Dental Cleaing

One of the most important ways to stay healthy is to schedule a regular dental checkup.  Dental health is often neglected and put off until a problem arises. Yet keeping your pearly whites in top shape not only keeps your smile white, but can also help you avoid other health problems. The following ten reasons are why you should schedule a dental cleaning and keep your mouth happy and healthy.

1. Keep your body healthy – Gum disease has been linked to heart disease and strokes. Having regular cleanings will help keep your teeth and gums healthy, leading to better overall health.

2. Keep gum disease at bay – Again, gum disease has been linked to serious health problems. Regular cleanings will help prevent gum disease, which can also lead to loss of teeth.

3. Stop oral cancer – The best way to stop oral cancer is to catch it early or prevent it from developing in the first place. Regular cleanings will screen for mouth cancer, which could mean the difference between life and death.

4. Keep your teeth healthy – Regular cleanings will help you keep all of your teeth for the rest of your life. Poor dental hygiene leads to cavities and tooth loss. Having your teeth cleaned on a regular basis will help ensure that you live a long life with all of your teeth.

5. Prevent halitosis – Halitosis, or bad breath, is a problem for millions of people. Regular cleanings combined with at-home dental care, will keep your mouth free of disease and bacteria, which will leave your breath smelling fresh.

6. To whiten your teeth – A bright, white smile makes you smile more. A regular cleaning helps reduce plaque, and leaves your teeth in the best shape possible.

7. Keep you on your toes – By visiting your dentist for a cleaning every few months, you are more likely to stay on top of your at-home dental care routine because you know your dentist will notice if you slack.

8. To detect problems early – Instead of waiting until you suffer from pain, regular cleanings will give your dentist the chance to notice problems sooner so you can be treated before the problem gets out of control.

9. Keep you on schedule – As you age, its important to have a great relationship with your health care providers, and maintain every aspect of your health. By sticking to a schedule, you’ll have less to think about, less to plan, and more to enjoy as the years roll by.

10. Make use of your insurance – Instead of using your dental insurance only when you have a problem, take advantage of the perks. Most insurance policies include regular cleanings. Find out the details of your plan, and connect with your dentist today.

Give us a call today and keep on track by getting your mouth squeaky clean......(512) 992-2822 or contact us at Rigby Advanced Dental.

Fluoride? What's The Big Deal

Once upon a time, it was not uncommon to drink from the pure, clean water of a stream.  Today, you are unlikely to see anyone drinking water from a natural source without running it through a Brita pitcher first.  As sad as it is to admit, society is taking a hard toll on Mother Nature.  Things that were once safe and abundant are now unsafe, limited, and treated with chemicals.  All of these treatments for something as common as water might have you wondering exactly what is coming out of your kitchen sink.

Super Water Right From The Tap

One of the most common additives to water is fluoride.  For those that are adamant against any additives in their water, this is actually a favorable additive.  Fluoride helps prevent tooth decay.  While fluoride is found naturally in water, the fluoridation process only boosts the natural fluoride levels to the best level for the highest amount of protection.  In other words, water already contains the cavity fighter – society is simply making it stronger.

The addition of fluoride to water has been a common practice for over 65 years.  The process reduces tooth decay by up to 40%.  Even though fluoride is available in other products, like toothpaste and mouthwash, the “super” water is still providing essential protection.  In this age of excess, particularly sugar, the added fluoride can mean the difference between a cavity and a healthy tooth.

If you worry about the treatment process of your water, mark fluoride off the list.  This helpful additive has kept millions of people in better oral health. It will continue to serve millions more in the future.  The next time you drink a glass of tap water, think of it as part of your daily dental routine.  Dr. Rigby and your teeth will thank you every six months.

Tooth Extraction

Unfortunately for some, tooth extraction is an inevitable adventure!  Teeth often have to be removed to ensure adequate infection control and to improve the overall health of a patient, but before it "needs" to be done understanding the why or why not is important.  

Webster's dictionary states, "tooth extraction is the removal of a tooth from its socket in the bone".  If a tooth has been damaged by decay or a fracture, dentists try to repair it and restore it with a filling, crown or other treatment. Sometimes, though, the damage is too extensive for the tooth to be repaired and the only logical solution is to remove it, and this is the most common reason for extracting a tooth.

Here are some other common reasons for tooth removal:

• Extra Teeth --- these often can block other teeth from erupting into the mouth.
• Orthodontic Work --- teeth may need to be extracted to create room for the teeth that are being moved into place.
• Head and Neck Radiation Therapy --- these people may need to have teeth in the field of radiation extracted.
• Chemotherapy Patients--- individuals undergoing this treatment may develop infected teeth.  Chemotherapy weakens the immune system and increasing the risk of infection.
• Organ Transplant Patients--- teeth that are at risk of being potential sources of infection after the transplant when immuno-suppressive medications are given may need to be removed.
• Wisdom Teeth --- are often extracted for preventative reason.  They can be removed before or after they come in and are most often extracted in the late teens or early twenties.  Wisdom teeth may be impacted (partially or completely covered by bone or soft tissue) or have dental decay present causing pain requiring their removal.  Similarly, a wisdom tooth that has emerged partially may be blocked by other teeth or may not have enough room to come in completely and this can irritate the gums, causing pain and swelling, requiring the tooth/teeth to be removed.

 

Extracted Wisdom Teeth (Third Molars)

Preparation For The Appointment

Through medical and dental histories will be collected, this helps to determine if any medical/dental condition will increase the risk for tooth removal.  A radiograph (x-ray) of the area will be taken, this helps in seeing and planning the best way to remove a tooth.  If you are having all of your wisdom teeth removed, you may have a panoramic x-ray, which takes a picture of all of your teeth at once.  This type of x-ray shows the relationship of your wisdom teeth to your other teeth, as well as the upper teeth’s relationship to your sinuses and the lower teeth’s relationship to the inferior alveolar nerve, which provides sensation to your lower jaw, lower teeth, lower lip and chin.

Some health care professionals prescribe antibiotics to be taken before and after surgery, but this varies by practitioner. Antibiotics are more likely to be given to people with infection at the time of surgery or with weakened immune systems, those who will be undergoing longer surgeries, or very young or elderly people.

If you’re going to have conscious sedation or deeper anesthesia, wear clothing that has short sleeves or will allow you to roll the sleeves up easily so that an intravenous (IV) line can be placed in a vein. You will be told not to eat or drink anything for six hours before the procedure. You should also make sure you have someone available to drive you home.

How It’s Done

• Simple extraction --- is performed on a tooth that can be seen in the mouth.  Most can be done under a local anesthetic, with or without anti-anxiety drugs.  In a simple extraction, the tooth will be grasped with forceps and move the forceps back and forth to loosen the tooth before removing it.  Sometimes, an instrument called a luxator or elevator, which fits between the tooth and the gum, is used to help loosen the tooth.
• Surgical extraction --- involves teeth that cannot be seen easily in the mouth, either because they have broken off at the gum line or because they have not come in yet.  Another reason for a surgical extraction is that the tooth to be removed requires a flap be cut in the gum for access to remove bone or a section of the tooth.  They can be done with local anesthesia or conscious sedation.  Patients with special medical conditions and young children may be given general anesthesia.  In a surgical extraction, the dentist will need to make an incision in your gum to reach the tooth.  In some cases, the tooth will need to be broken into sections to be removed.

 

Removal of An Upper Tooth

If you are having teeth extracted and are receiving conscious sedation, you may be given steroids in your IV line to help reduce postoperative swelling.

If you need all four wisdom teeth removed, they usually are taken out at the same time. Or if you wish and depending on the practitioner, they can be removed in halves, left at one appointment and the right at another.......there are pros and cons to each method, which Dr Rigby is happy to expound upon.  The top teeth usually are easier to remove than the lower ones.

Here are the types of wisdom teeth in order from easiest to remove to most difficult to remove:

• Erupted (already in the mouth)
• Soft-tissue impacted (just under the gum)
• Partial-bony impacted (partially stuck in the jaw)
• Full-bony impacted (completely stuck in the jaw) 

Also, if your wisdom teeth are tilted sideways, they can be harder to remove than if they are vertical.

Follow-Up After Extraction
 

Most simple extractions do not cause much discomfort after the procedure.  You may take an over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin and other brand names) for several days, or you may not need any pain medication at all.......everyone is different when it comes to healing.

Because surgical extractions are more complicated, they generally cause more pain after the procedure.  The level of discomfort and how long you have discomfort depend on the difficulty of the extraction.  You may be prescribed a pain medication for a few days and then suggest switch to an NSAID.  Most postsurgical pain disappears after a couple of days.  It is possible you will be tender over the area for a few weeks, but there should not be any major discomfort long term.

A cut in the mouth tends to bleed more than a cut on the skin because the incision cannot dry out and form a scab.  So after an extraction, you’ll be asked to bite on a piece of gauze for about 20 to 30 minutes to put pressure on the area and allow the blood to clot.  The area may still bleed minimally for the next 24 hours or so and taper off after that.  Don’t disturb the clot that forms on the wound.

You can put ice packs on your face to reduce postoperative swelling.  If your jaw is sore and stiff after the swelling dissipates, try warm compresses.  Eat soft foods for a few days then try other food as you feel comfortable.  Rinse with warm salt water (1/2 teaspoon of salt in a cup of water) for the first few days to help keep the area clean.  Most swelling and bleeding ends within one or two days of the surgery.  Overall healing takes between one and two weeks.

If the extraction needs to be closed with stitches, the stitches are usually dissolvable and should disappear in one to two weeks.  Rinsing with warm salt water will help the stitches to dissolve.

You should not smoke, use a straw or spit after surgery.  These actions can pull the blood clot out of the hole where the tooth was.  That causes more bleeding and can lead to a dry socket, which occurs in about 5% of all extractions.  It is most common when lower back teeth are removed and happens more often in smokers and women who take birth control pills.

Risks To Be Aware Of

Infection can set in after an extraction, although you probably won’t get an infection if you have a healthy immune system.

A common complication called a dry socket occurs when a blood clot doesn’t form in the hole or the blood clot prematurely breaks off or breaks down.  In a dry socket, the underlying bone is exposed to air and food.  This can be very painful and can cause a bad odor or taste.  A dry socket needs to be treated with a medicated dressing to stop the pain and encourage the area to heal.

Please contact us if pain is a persistent problem!

Other potential risks and complications include:

• Accidental damage to adjacent teeth --- such as fracture.
• An incomplete extraction --- a tooth remnant remains.  Most often the remnant is removed to prevent infection, but occasionally it is less risky to leave a small root tip in place, if needed.
• A fractured jaw --- caused by the pressure applied during the extraction.  This is a risk most often encountered in older people with osteoporosis of the jaw.
• A hole in the sinus during removal of an upper molar.  A small hole will usually close up by itself in a few weeks but may require additional surgery if it doesn’t heal spontaneously.
• Sustained numbness in the lower lip and chin, caused by trauma to the inferior alveolar nerve (during removal of the lower wisdom teeth). Complete healing of the nerve may take three to six months. In rare cases, the numbness, although not disfiguring, may be permanent. 

When To Call a Professional
 
If a swelling gets worse instead of better, or you experience fever, chills or redness in an area, please give us a call.  If you have an infection, antibiotics will usually be prescribed.  Also please call, if after 3-4 days post surgery an extraction site becomes very painful or prolonged, this may be a sign that you may have a dry socket.  Similarly, If the area continues to bleed after the first 24 hours please give us a call.

Pregnancy and Dental Work.......What To Expect and Do! Part 3

Continuing our series from the other day on “Pregnancy and Dental Work,” today we’d like to answer some of the questions we hear most often from pregnant women.

• Is it safe to see the dentist while I’m pregnant?  Absolutely. Just be sure you let your dentist know that you’re pregnant. The second trimester is the best time to get your regular dental checkup. During your first trimester, your baby’s organs are still developing, and they’re highly sensitive. During the last half of your last trimester, you and your baby are also very sensitive to outside influences. (Not to mention that it might just be plain uncomfortable to try to sit in a dental examination chair for any period of time.) You should put off any major procedures until after your baby is born, if at all possible. Discuss any questions you have with your dentist, so together you can determine the best possible plan for you and your baby.
• What if I have a dental emergency?  If you have a dental emergency while you’re pregnant, seek professional assistance as soon as possible. You can discuss treatment options with your dentist and obstetrician (for example, what medicine and/or anesthesia is safe). Don’t ignore pain in your mouth. Besides the possibility that your body could be signaling you that something is wrong, trying to cope with pain can increase stress on both you and your baby. You also want to avoid spreading an infection or having a dental problem escalate into something much more severe.
• Can I have an X-ray at the dentist when I’m pregnant?  Most dentists do not recommend having X-rays while you’re pregnant. You should, however, still get your regular checkup (minus the X-rays). Again, if you have a dental emergency: Don’t put off treatment. You and your dentist can determine the best possible solution together.

For more information, or to schedule your free consultation your next dental exam, contact Rigby Advanced Dental, and keep coming back for more posts in our series on “Pregnancy and Dental Work.”

Do you know what a Prosthodontist is?

One of the most common questions we get asked here at Rigby Advanced Dental is, "What is a Prosthodontist?" 

A Prosthodontist is a dentist who......

• Specializes in the esthetic restoration and replacement of teeth.
• Receives two or three years of additional training after dental school
  through a hospital or university based program accredited by the
  American Dental Association.
• Restores optimum appearance and function to your smile.
• Is certified in one of the nine dental specialties recognized by the
  American Dental Association.

A Prosthodontist is a skilled architect of complete oral rehabilitation who can restore optimum function and appearance to your smile. They are dedicated to the highest standards of care in the restoration and replacement of teeth. In addition to a Doctorate of Dental Surgery, Dr Brent Rigby complete a three year residency in prosthodontics and was awarded a Certificate of Specialty in Prosthodontics.  Dr Rigby is the only certified prosthodontic specialist in the the Lake Travis area and welcomes

To find out more information on Prosthodontics, visit the American College of Prosthodontics or watch the video produced for CNN from the ACP below.

 

The Importance of Flossing

Brushing teeth properly and consistently helps to remove most dental plaque, but, brushing alone cannot remove plaque that is located in between teeth or other places that a toothbrush cannot reach. Flossing not only removes plaque from your teeth, it also helps with the following:

• removing debris that sticks to teeth and gums in between teeth
• polishes tooth surfaces
• controls bad breath

It is recommended to floss at least once a day to be most effective.

Floss Type

It doesn’t matter what kind of floss you choose to use. The oral benefits remain the same – daily flossing is the single most important way to fight against plaque, some claim its even more important than the toothbrush. The different types of dental floss include:

• waxed and unwaxed
• flavored and unflavored
• wide and regular

Different Methods of Flossing:

You can receive a demonstration of the following methods from a dentist. They include:

• spool method (also called the finger-wrap method)
  Cut off a piece of floss that is approximately 18 to 20 inches in length. Lightly wrap each side of the piece of floss several times around each middle finger. Next, carefully maneuver the floss in-between the teeth with your index fingers and thumbs in an up and down, not side-to-side motion. It is best to bring the floss up and down making sure to go below the gumline, forming a "C" on the side of each tooth.

• loop method (also called the circle method)
  Cut off a piece of floss that is approximately 18 inches long, and tie it securely in a circle. Next, place all of the fingers, except the thumb, within the loop. Then, use your index fingers to guide the floss through the lower teeth, and use your thumbs to guide the floss through the upper teeth, making sure to go below the gumline, forming a "C" on the side of each tooth.

Flossing can be time consuming, but it is well worth your time. It can save you thousands of dollars in dental work for only three minutes a day of cleaning between your teeth. Always remember to floss!!