Colleen Tracy Dentistry
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My Problem is Solved
Sometimes patients think they have the perfect solution to their dental problems. However, in reality, their solution could create a whole new set of problems. Like young Einstein, they didn’t consider other things that affected the solution.
Take dentures, for instance. There lingers a certain mythology about dentures. You may have heard people say that their dental problems would be solved if they had dentures. They wouldn’t need fillings or have toothaches. They wouldn’t have to floss their teeth. All those benefits are true, but, let’s look at some of the factors that they didn’t consider.
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April May Bring June Bride
Ah, spring. A time when a young woman’s heart turns to—ohmigosh, I’m getting married soon! You’ve planned well to have a perfect wedding day.
You’ve picked the perfect man, an excellent caterer is hired; the best photographer is scheduled; the most gorgeous gown is ready, and on and on. The list is complete—maybe. Did you overlook something as equally important as the perfectly white pearls on your gown? Will your teeth or his teeth be exquisite white pearls in your photographs?
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Run Silent Run Deep
Sometimes, when you come into our office, all you want to do is to get in and get out. We understand. Our feelings aren’t hurt—really. In your haste to get back to your busy schedule, you may have forgotten to ask some questions about what you do next.
We provided you with several recommendations after returning home from your surgery. Knowing those what’s is important, and knowing why you need to follow our recommendations may be the most important of all. Our suggestions will help to get you back into optimal health.
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Cabbage Mouth
Pulp and paper mills produce nasty gases that smell like rotten eggs or rotting cabbage. Did you know your mouth is like a pulp and paper mill?
In your mouth these gases are called VSCs, volatile sulfur compounds. The bacteria that naturally live in your mouth feed on food particles. As the bacteria die and decay, they release paper mill gases during the decay process. When you talk to a co-worker after you eat lunch, you might notice the person steps back from you while you talk. That is because she or he is reacting to the VSCs from your mouth, not the garlic you just ate.
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Dental Boomerang
Why is it that sometimes the things we can't see can pack the biggest wallop? It's that way with periodontal disease, that sinister enemy of healthy teeth and healthy body. Once it begins, it quietly destroys healthy tooth and jawbone structure. If we can't intercept periodontal disease early, the damage can be devastating.
Periodontal disease, or perio, is a serious infection that acts like a boomerang because it can return at any time. It can't be cured. Perio affects the structures that hold your teeth in their sockets and your jawbone. Advanced perio can cause you to lose your teeth.
When perio begins, it often causes no pain as it gradually destroys precious structures around teeth and your jawbone.
How periodontal disease is discovered
During your checkups, your hygienist uses a periodontal probe to measure the tiny groove that surrounds each tooth. A healthy groove, or sulcus, should be no more than 3 mm deep. At 4 mm you have the beginning of periodontal disease. Perio causes gums to pull away from your teeth. As the disease progresses, more of the gum tissue pulls away and exposes your tooth's root.
If your exam shows that you have early perio, we can begin an immediate, conservative treatment called scaling and root planing. In its earliest stages we can often prevent having to perform a more invasive surgical procedure around your teeth.
Scaling and root planing is not the same procedure as ...