Dentists Are Your First Line Of Defense

When most people think of going to the dentist, they often think of things that are unpleasant – maybe one of those root canal they heard about, the sting of the Novocain, or that dental office smell. Well, if you haven’t been to the dentist in a while (some patients wait ten or fifteen years sometimes), then today is the day to change your outlook on dentists.

21st century dentists are a new breed

With new, improved techniques and procedures, dentistry is both science, and especially, an art. With the advent of improved materials, anesthetics, and procedures there isn’t much a dentist can’t do to improve your teeth and gums, and most of all, dentists can do it with you comfortable and relaxed.

Often overlooked for their medical expertise, dentists are often a first line of defense in spotting diseases. Aside from providing excellent dental care and comfortable office visits, your dentists are vigilantly looking to ensure that the rest of you is healthy too!

Dentists are the health care professionals that people see most frequently. A majority of people see their dentist at least once or twice a year, while maybe seeing their primary care doctor maybe once every two or three years. This is an interesting fact for a number of reasons. Chiefly, if there is a new health issue starting to affect you, it may be a dentist that spots it first!

Dentists are trained not only to be experts of the mouth, gums, and teeth, but they are also are on the front line to detect other diseases and conditions that can afflict a patient. Through dental school and continuing education, your dentists have the ability to spot the beginning of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and even cancer.

Good dentists will not only screen for mouth related issues and concerns, but will also review your health history and physical status. Signs within the mouth can also be signals that something is happening to your heart (heart disease), pancreas (diabetes), joints (rheumatoid arthritis), or GI system (Crohn’s disease). These four are just a small sampling of oral manifestations of systemic diseases.

We pride ourselves on the providing our patients with the best techniques, technologies, and knowledge. And who knows, that next dental appointment might just save your life.

Dentists have changed a great deal in the last twenty years.

Root Canal Explained – It’s Really Not A Big Deal Any Longer

So, what’s the big deal about a root canal? There’s a stigma that comes with the words – root canal! Are they painful, do they take forever, what’s the deal with that green rubber dam thing?

Before today’s technology and anesthetics, a root canal were not the most fun things in the world to experience. They took three appointments to complete and often you could still feel pain during the procedure. You had to go to a specialist’s office and sometimes it ended up being an emergency dentist. Let’s shed some light on this very simple procedure of a root canal, that the general public views as mystical and painful.

First, why do I need a root canal? Each tooth in your jaw is alive; each one has its own nerve carrying blood, vitamins and minerals. Teeth can do funny things sometimes. They can break, they can get deep cracks from grinding and clenching (most of us do it in our sleep or due to stress), and they can get cavities and fillings. You could either have just one of these problems or a combination.

Each time a tooth undergoes trauma (cracks, breaks, drilling) or bacterial invasion (that’s what a cavity is) the nerve of the tooth gets stressed. The more stress you put on the nerve, its ability to heal after trauma weakens. These stresses are cumulative throughout its life. There comes a day when the tooth cannot take any more trauma and decides to die: slowly or quickly. This is generally painful. It can come on very suddenly or it can build for weeks or months. This is when you need a root canal. If you wait too long you can develop an abscess.

Root canal and your initial visit

First, Dr. Lampee will perform a number of tests. Digital x-rays are standard protocol. From there, he will palpate your jaw, and then he will test the affected area with a bite stick and then tap on the teeth. The final test he generally performs is a cold test to see if the nerve is dead or is dying. From these tests, and also from visually inspecting for cavities and cracks, he can determine if a root canal is indeed necessary.

Now in addition, your tooth generally will need to have two other procedures done to it immediately after the root canal. The tooth will have a large hole in the middle of the biting surface: Dr. Lampee will either place a buildup filling or a post – this makes the tooth whole again. After the root canal, you need a crown.

Teeth after root canals are weak and brittle since they no longer have their blood supply and are hollowed out. The porcelain crown after the root canal acts to reinforce the tooth. It acts like a helmet, protecting it from all the forces of everyday life and preventing future breaks.

So, what can you expect during the root canal procedure?

Dr. Lampee will first get you very numb to make it quite comfortable. He will then place a rubber dam on your teeth. This is a green, stretchy latex barrier that acts to keep out saliva and to keep your tongue and cheeks out of the way. It also prevents you from tasting the solutions we use to clean with during the root canal. If you need any suction underneath the rubber dam just let us know.

Special titanium files are used to clean out the nerve, then a special filling called gutta percha is warmed up to seal the nerve canals – now germ free. Sensitivity upon biting is the most common symptom after the procedure, which can take 1-4 weeks to subside.

A root canal these days can be done in one appointment in under an hour with very little discomfort – Dr. Lampee really knows how to get those teeth numb! Some really infected teeth sometimes do need two visits to let the infections settle down. There can be times where a root canal takes longer because they have extra nerves (most teeth have from 1-4 nerves), or because the nerves have walled themselves off or because they’re curvy.

Dr. Lampee makes the root canal procedure quick and virtually pain free, and uses the newest materials and techniques to ensure that your tooth will stay healthy and happy for years to come.

Dental Hygiene Is The Simple Answer

What is the best and most inexpensive way to prevent the majority of dental problems I see on a daily basis – well, the answer is dental hygiene. Dental hygiene is all about removing the plaque and tartar off your teeth. Plaque and tartar are basically very sticky and hard bacterial colonies that colonize your teeth, gums, and tongue. They also cause bad breath… the dreaded halitosis. Not to mention, they also cause cavities and gum disease. It seems logical that you would want to keep this stuff out of your mouth.

For good dental hygiene…

You should generally brush twice a day for at least two minutes. I’ve seen a lot of people do the 10 or 15 second scrub and call it good. Many of the new electric toothbrushes have two-minute timers, so you end up doing it for the full two minutes. It’s also important to use a soft brush head; this prevents wearing down your gums and enamel. And lastly, you don’t need to use a lot force…. be gentle with your gums. The Sonicare is my favorite electric toothbrush; my teeth have never felt cleaner with this and I have used it for the last ten years.

The old saying goes, “You only have to floss the teeth you want to keep.” Most cavities and gum disease I see are in between the teeth. Toothbrushes are great for the sides and tops of teeth, but they really don’t get in between. Floss is the only dental hygiene aide that gets the job done. Dental hygiene really should be done every day. Patients with bridges or dexterity problems can use floss threaders or special floss aides.

Proper dental hygiene also requires professional cleaning by our hygienist 2-4 times per year. Bacterial buildup on teeth can be quite tenacious and it is also the source of gingivitis and gum disease. With the proper dental hygiene instruments (i.e. the ultrasonic cleaner, scalers, and polisher), we remove the buildup to ensure healthy gums and strong teeth. Patients who already have gum disease really need to come in every three to four months to ensure optimum dental hygiene.

In regards to toothpastes, I’ve found Colgate Total to be the best you can buy. It has 12-hour protection that really works. If prescription toothpaste is needed, Fluoridex is excellent. It has extra fluoride for strength and is also great for sensitivity relief. There are also many natural products on the market to take care of your dental hygiene. While I’ve tried quite a few of these, including Tom’s, I must say my teeth just did not have that fresh and clean feeling.

Proper dental hygiene and oral health has also been shown to increase overall body immunity and well-being. In unhealthy mouths, oral bacteria can be transferred to the blood stream, potentially causing harm in the heart.

Everyone is also asking me about rinses, tongue scrapers and Waterpicks. While these are good in theory, they really aren’t all that necessary for dental hygiene. Brushing, flossing, and professional cleanings will do the trick.

Children also need to have excellent dental hygiene. Parents should brush their small children’s teeth every day and continue to supervise until seven or eight years of age. Getting kids in to the dentist every six months also starts them on a healthy road.

I know it’s hard to start new habits, especially healthy ones. Dental hygiene, while not as exhilarating as an addiction to fast motorcycles, can be fun. It all starts with just a toothbrush, some floss, and an appointment for a cleaning. We want you to enjoy your teeth for the rest of your life, and proper dental hygiene is the only way.

Cone Beam 3D CT Scan

New in 2011 at Beaverton Smile Center is a cone beam 3D CT scan.

I know it sounds like a lot of foreign language, but I’m going to explain what a cone beam 3D CT scan is in this article, and how it is going to improve your dental treatment. Once you see what it can do you may be amazed.

The cone beam 3D CT scan was invented in the 1970s for medical use. First used in England in 1971, the CT scan then saw its first use in America at The Mayo Clinic. The inventors of the technology were awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1979. For most of the last thirty years cone beam 3D CT scan technology has mostly been used in large hospitals and imaging centers to help create images of the heart, brain, lungs, and abdomen.

The basic science behind the machine is that within seconds it takes thousands of pictures of a desired location (head, neck, chest, brain, etc.). With the help of a very powerful computer processor, the images are put together to create a highly accurate 3D image of that desired area. Not only can you zoom in and out and rotate the image, but you can also dissect it to see what’s inside. How cool is that? And, what an amazing diagnostic tool for the doctor! It allows for more accurate diagnosis and treatment for the patient.

More recently, as in the last five years, cone beam 3D CT scan technology has been available for dental use. Now, very few practices actually have this cone beam 3D CT scan technology, mostly due to the cost of the technology. There may be only a dozen in the Portland area. So, you may be asking, “Why do you have it then?” This technology is the future of dental imaging and it offers you (my patient) the best imaging available, thereby allowing me to offer the best dentistry possible. So, does every patient get a cone beam 3D CT scan? Well, no. The scanner will mostly be used for surgery patients and patients needing complex root canals.

When I say surgery, I mean implant placement, bone grafting, sinus lifting, and wisdom teeth removal. The cone beam 3D CT scan allows me to see how much bone you have available…width, depth, and height. It also allows me to measure your bone density. If we have to do bone grafting or lift your sinus, we will know exactly where to put the bone and how much is needed. Very importantly, the cone beam 3D CT scan shows me where the nerves and arteries are located – it is important to avoid damaging these in surgery. This cone beam 3D CT scan is going to increase the success of your surgery and implants.

In regards to root canals, the cone beam 3D CT scan can show exactly where the nerve canals are, if they are curved or blocked, and if there are any extra nerves present in the tooth. This helps tremendously to ensure that the root canal will be as excellent as possible.

So, Dr. Lampee, what is the cone beam 3D CT scan going to cost? Our price for the scan is one of the lowest around. Right now it is $200. Will my insurance cover this? Dental insurance, being the funny animal that is, does not generally cover the scan. Some patients have had success in billing their medical insurance for the cone beam 3D CT scan, but generally it is an out of pocket expense.

I am very excited for our cone beam 3D CT scan. It is my passion to provide the best dentistry possible to my patients in a safe, comfortable environment. This cone beam 3D CT scan is an extension of that passion and my assurance to you that we are one of the best practices out there.

Gag Reflex Is No Longer A Problem

A hypersensitive gag reflex is one of the top reasons, often for years, why people avoid the dentist, while anxiety is still number one. The focus of my practice is sedation and sleep dentistry, and it is with delight that I can tell you how sedation dentistry can eliminate the gag reflex, thereby allowing a comfortable visit.

What Is Gag Reflex?

The gag reflex is a reflex contraction of the back of the throat to prevent objects from going into our trachea (wind pipe). This is an automatic nerve process that is found in every individual. Now, some patients have a very severe gag reflex and others do not. For the patient with a severe gag reflex, dental visits are not fun. Depending on the severity, anything from touching the tongue, lips, or soft palate can stimulate the gag reflex intensely. And once the gag reflex is active during a dental procedure, it becomes easier and easier to trigger it. Vomiting can happen as well. This is why patients with this condition avoid the dentist; each visit comes with more anxiety and difficulty.

The good news is that sleep dentistry can eliminate the gag reflex and allow you to have very little memory of your dental visit. The sedation medications I use help to slow down the nerve pathways that have created the hypersensitive gag reflex. By slowing the pathways and creating a sleep-like state, the reflex goes away! My patients are relieved when I tell them that we don’t have to fight around that gag reflex any more. We can sedate you, the gag reflex is gone, you wake up, and your dentistry is done. No more avoiding or dreading dental visits. These sleep medications I use every day have revolutionized the way we can get your dentistry done.

Most of my patients find me because of high dental anxiety from past experiences. Call today to schedule an appointment for a consultation. Many though find me because we can finally get around that highly troublesome gag reflex and should no longer be feared.

Crohn’s Disease

I have been seeing more and more patients with Crohn’s Disease. This autoimmune disease affects roughly half a million people in North America. Crohn’s disease affects the entire gastrointestinal system, including the mouth. The oral manifestations of Crohn’s disease in the mouth can be quite severe.

Crohn’s disease typically first shows symptoms in the teens or twenties, with about men and women being diagnosed equally. It is an inflammatory bowel disease that can cause abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and weight loss. Some of the symptoms can mimic ulcerative colitis. Crohn’s disease is found more often in the industrialized world and can be linked to consumption of animal proteins and strongly to genetic mutations causing bacterial loads in the digestive system to be too high. The acute phase of Crohn’s diseasw usually is controlled with steroids, antibiotics and sometimes surgery. It can have periods of remission. There is no known pharmaceutical or surgical cure for Crohn’s disease. Treatment options are restricted to controlling symptoms, maintaining remission, and preventing relapse.

Crohn’s Disease And Your Teeth And Gums

Diseases of the digestive system can wreak havoc on the teeth and gums. I often see canker sores in these patients. Most importantly, Crohn’s disease usually involves much vomiting. Gastric acid is composed of hydrochloric acid and has a pH of 1-2, which means it’s a pretty strong acid! Due to the constant vomiting with Crohn’s disease, the teeth are continually bathed in this fluid. Enamel is the strongest substance in the body, harder than bone, and this stomach acid softens up the enamel and quite rapidly can wear it away. Most patients are in the habit of brushing their teeth after vomiting due to Crohn’s disease. Logically this makes sense, but we must think about the microscopic layer of the enamel. The acid softens up the enamel, and if you were to brush it right after vomiting you will wear away more enamel by the mechanical action of the bristles. Instead of brushing after vomiting, the best advice I can give is to rinse the mouth out with water or milk and brush 30 minutes later (this gives the enamel enough time to recrystallize.

I often see patients who have already had many active periods of Crohn’s disease. What I normally see is a young patient whose teeth are severely worn on the ends and the enamel on the ends and the surfaces of the teeth near the tongue is gone. Some nerves are even exposed due to enamel loss. Now that the teeth have been worn and eroded away, there really are only two things I can do help this patient. One is to make sure the Crohn’s disease is being managed. The next thing we normally have to do is reconstruct the mouth with porcelain crowns. Porcelain is a very unique and amazing substance in that stomach acids do not wear it away. So, as long as the teeth are protected by porcelain they will no longer be worn away by the stomach acid.

I hope this article has been informational. What this disease does to my patients is very destructive, and it’s my job to make the mouth beautiful again and to protect the surfaces of the teeth from wearing even more. Crohn’s disease is very serious and I’m sure most of us know at least one person who has been affected by it.

General Dentistry For Your Teeth’s Ongoing Health

General dentistry is most thought of when going to the dentist and getting your teeth cleaned. General dentistry is quite possibly the most important part of going to the dentist.

Regular general dentistry visits to our office (at least twice annually) for a professional cleaning, x-rays and an all around checkup can help to prevent any serious problems. Regular checkups can catch any developing problem in it’s early stages so that Dr. Lampee can remedy it before it becomes a big issue. It’s very likely that your twice annual visits, coupled with the advice Dr. Lampee will give you on maintaining and practicing good oral hygiene, will be enough to keep you from developing almost any problems at all.

General dentistry and cavities

Cavities is another area that most think of for general dentistry. Several things can lead to tooth decay and the development of cavities; diets heavy in sugars and junk food, coupled with less than perfect oral hygiene are usually the main culprits. Cavities will cause pain in and around the affected teeth and if they go untreated they can lead to a host of other problems, including infection that may need antibiotic treatment.

General dentistry dentists can fix most cavities in a relatively quick and painless manner. Dr. Lampee uses a variety of picks and a dentist’s drill to remove all of the rotting material from the affected tooth and then fill the tooth back up with the appropriate filler. We use a tooth colored bonding material to fill your cavities. The tooth colored material will certainly result in a more attractive smile than the traditional silver colored.

From standard fillings, to crowns and bridges, to root canals and surgery. We can fulfill all of your dental needs and concerns. Dr. Lampee’s passion for general dentistry shows in his service to his patients and procedures he offers.