Today’s healthcare patients are asking questions. They want to know the “why” behind the “what” that their care providers are recommending for their health.

There’s a similar trend in dentistry — and it’s one we dentists encourage. We want you to know the “why” behind your treatment options — because you’re as much a participant in your own dental health as we are. The more informed you are, the better equipped you’ll be to make decisions to maintain or improve your health and the appearance of your smile.

As your dental care partner, it’s also essential we help you develop a long-term care plan based on your needs. There are aspects of dental care that are routine: daily brushing and flossing, an oral-friendly diet, and regular dental cleanings and checkups to assess your oral health. But we also need to think strategically, especially if you have risk factors that could impact your future dental health.

To do this we follow a four-step dental care cycle. In Step 1 we identify all the potential risk factors you personally face. These include your potential for dental disease, which could lead to bone and tooth loss, and the state of your bite and jaw structure that could complicate future health. We’ll also take into account any factors that could now or eventually affect your smile appearance.

Once we’ve identified these various factors, we’ll then assess their possible impact on your health in Step 2, not just what may be happening now but what potentially could happen in the future. From there we move to Step 3: treating any current issues and initiating preventive measures to protect your future health.

In Step 4 we’ll monitor and maintain the level of health we’ve been able to reach with the preceding steps. We’ll continue in this stage until we detect an emerging issue, in which we’ll then repeat our cycle of care.

Maintaining this continuum will help reduce the chances of an unpleasant surprise in your dental health. We’ll be in a better position to see issues coming and help reduce their impact now so you can continue to have a healthy mouth and an attractive smile.

If you would like more information on planning your dental treatment, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Successful Dental Treatment: Getting the Best Possible Results.”

Cancer treatment can consume all of your focus to the exclusion of other health issues. But these other issues still need attention, especially how treating cancer could affect other parts of your body. That definitely includes your teeth and gums.

Treatments like radiation or chemotherapy eradicate cancer cells disrupting their growth. Unfortunately, they may do the same to benign cells — “collateral damage,” so to speak. This could cause a ripple effect throughout the body, including in the mouth. Radiation, for example, could damage the salivary glands and result in reduced salivary flow. Because saliva neutralizes acid and diminishes bacterial growth, your risk for tooth decay as well as periodontal (gum) disease could increase.

While you may be able to recover from reduced salivary flow after treatment, your health could suffer in the meantime, even to the point of tooth and bone loss. Fortunately, there are some things we can do before and during your treatment.

If you can, have any necessary dental work performed well before you begin cancer treatment. You’ll be more resistant to side effects if you can start treatment with as healthy a mouth as possible.

Keep up your regular dental visits if at all possible, or see us if you begin seeing signs of dental disease. By staying on schedule, we’ll have a better chance of detecting and treating problems before they advance too far; we may also be able to provide preventive measures like topical fluoride applications to help keep your teeth resistant to disease. If you need more extensive treatment like tooth extraction or surgery we may need to coordinate with your cancer treatment provider.

Above all, continue to practice daily brushing and flossing to remove plaque, the main cause of dental disease. Drink plenty of water or take substances that boost salivation. And be sure to eat a nutritious diet while also reducing or eliminating tobacco or alcohol from your lifestyle.

Taking these steps will help protect your teeth and gums during cancer treatment. As a result, you have a better chance for maintaining your dental health during this critical time in your life.

If you would like more information on dental care during cancer treatment, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Oral Health During Cancer Treatment.”

For anyone else, having a tooth accidentally knocked out while practicing a dance routine would be a very big deal. But not for Dancing With The Stars contestant Noah Galloway. Galloway, an Iraq War veteran and a double amputee, took a kick to the face from his partner during a recent practice session, which knocked out a front tooth. As his horrified partner looked on, Galloway picked the missing tooth up from the floor, rinsed out his mouth, and quickly assessed his injury. “No big deal,” he told a cameraman capturing the scene.

Of course, not everyone would have the training — or the presence of mind — to do what Galloway did in that situation. But if you’re facing a serious dental trauma, such as a knocked out tooth, minutes count. Would you know what to do under those circumstances? Here’s a basic guide.

If a permanent tooth is completely knocked out of its socket, you need to act quickly. Once the injured person is stable, recover the tooth and gently clean it with water — but avoid grasping it by its roots! Next, if possible, place the tooth back in its socket in the jaw, making sure it is facing the correct way. Hold it in place with a damp cloth or gauze, and rush to the dental office, or to the emergency room if it’s after hours or if there appear to be other injuries.

If it isn’t possible to put the tooth back, you can place it between the cheek and gum, or in a plastic bag with the patient’s saliva, or in the special tooth-preserving liquid found in some first-aid kits. Either way, the sooner medical attention is received, the better the chances that the tooth can be saved.

When a tooth is loosened or displaced but not knocked out, you should receive dental attention within six hours of the accident. In the meantime, you can rinse the mouth with water and take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication (such as ibuprofen) to ease pain. A cold pack temporarily applied to the outside of the face can also help relieve discomfort.

When teeth are broken or chipped, you have up to 12 hours to get dental treatment. Follow the guidelines above for pain relief, but don’t forget to come in to the office even if the pain isn’t severe. Of course, if you experience bleeding that can’t be controlled after five minutes, dizziness, loss of consciousness or intense pain, seek emergency medical help right away.

And as for Noah Galloway:  In an interview a few days later, he showed off his new smile, with the temporary bridge his dentist provided… and he even continued to dance with the same partner!

If you would like more information about dental trauma, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can learn more in the Dear Doctor magazine articles “Trauma & Nerve Damage to Teeth” and “The Field-Side Guide to Dental Injuries.”

You’ve been embarrassed for a while now by your yellowed, dull teeth. You’re ready for a change.

There’s a simple and cost-effective way to make that change: you can temporarily brighten your smile with teeth whitening, possibly at home. But before you try it, you should first have a dental examination to find out if whitening is the right choice for you.

First off, healthy teeth with outer enamel staining are the best candidates for whitening. Teeth and gums with tooth decay or periodontal (gum) disease should be treated first before undergoing whitening. A dental exam will uncover any health issues you may have with your mouth.

In the same vein, you’ll want to consider whitening carefully if you have dental work like veneers, crowns or implants. Unlike natural teeth, these non-biological materials won’t be affected by the bleaching agent. We can discuss any potential for color mismatch between your whitened natural teeth and your dental work during your examination.

A dental exam can also uncover one other crucial fact — what kind of tooth staining you have. There are two basic types: extrinsic, staining on the outside enamel as we’ve mentioned earlier; and intrinsic, staining that originates from inside a tooth. The whitening kits you purchase from a store and even some of the whitening techniques we use in the office only diminish extrinsic, not intrinsic staining. To address an intrinsically-stained tooth requires a much more involved, invasive clinical technique only performed by dental professionals.

Finally, a dental examination is a good discussion forum for helping you decide between a home kit and a clinical procedure. While DIY kits are effective for the most part, you won’t be able to precisely control the degree of brightness like we can. This could be important if you want a specific shade of whiteness, from a more subtle and natural shade to dazzling “Hollywood” bright. Shade control could also help minimize color mismatch with dental work.

In the end, we want to help you make the best choice for teeth whitening. Even if you decide to pursue whitening at home, we can offer you valuable advice on what to look for when you buy a kit and how to use it. That alone could help ensure you get the new, bright smile you desire!

If you would like more information on teeth whitening, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Important Teeth Whitening Questions…Answered!”