Dr Gatti's Blog a Lawrence Dentist Reflections

Summer Is Here!

Even if I lived in a closed box I think I could tell when summer arrives by the phone calls and questions I receive. With people going out of town for vacation or having guests with them, dental concerns take an elevated status. The panic factor increases. So I wanted to review a couple of common scenarios that seem to occur more at this time of year.

I am at my sister’s and I just had a crown come off, what should I do?

First, there are many reasons that a crown might come off, so if possible, visit her dentist and have it temporarily cemented. If that is inconvenient you can go to the drug store and buy a denture adhesive. Clean out the crown as well as possible and add a very slight amount of denture adhesive to the inside of the crown. In this situation very little is needed. The crown will only go back on one way – give it a few trial runs before putting in the adhesive. Once comfortable with the orientation, put the crown to place with the adhesive inside of the crown. Please understand that this is a temporary fix. You will be able to dislodge it with chewy or sticky food, so be careful. The reason it is important to place the crown back in your mouth if at all possible is to preserve the space. Teeth shift and drift until they hit something. If the crown is left out for a period of a week or so it may no longer fit the space.

I just bit into something and part of my tooth broke!!!!

Most of the time, this is much more startling than painful. The worst pain will be when it first happens. Usually the tooth will be sensitive to cold; however you will be surprised that it is not worse because it will feel like a huge hole in your mouth.  Most likely it will be fine and we can deal with it when you get back home. Again, the normal initial response is one of panic. What is typical is that it is rather sharp to your tongue, but otherwise not terrible.

My parents are visiting and my dad’s tooth just……… (You fill in the blank)

Give us a call. I am sure that we can find a way to help get him taken care of or at least get him comfortable until he gets back home.

Regardless of the situation, please remember that you can always give me a call. If I am not in the studio, our voice mail will give you my cell phone – call me. There is no need to have pain or panic ruin your vacation. We can usually get things under control pretty quickly.

Is It Really Important That I Floss?

Believe it or not, flossing is more than just one more thing to add to your daily ritual. The American Academy of Periodontology (the main organization for gum tissue specialists)  reports that up to 75% of all Americans over the age of 35 are believed to have some form of gum disease (also known as “periodontal disease” or “periodontitis.”)  Gum disease is an inflammatory response by the body to bacteria in your mouth. Not only does this affect your teeth and supporting structures, but it can affect your overall health as well. 

Diabetic complications, cardiovascular disease, and preterm and low birth weight babies are all the result of inflammatory mechanisms in your body. It is thought that if you have severe enough periodontal disease for long enough, it can trigger these other inflammations.  Bottom line, gum disease can affect your overall health.  It has been shown that expectant mothers who experience significant gum disease are at a much greater risk of having a premature baby. Diabetics who have chronic periodontitis have far more difficulty controlling their diabetes than those who do not have gum tissue problems. There has been a strong association between having periodontal disease and a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease in the form of a stroke or heart attack. 
So, why am I sharing this with you? Most of you know that at the Lawrence Dental Studio we are into much more than just saving teeth. We enjoy enhancing our client’s smiles and preserving personal integrity. The older I get, the more I am concerned about my health and the overall health of those that I serve. This is why we have added the treatment of sleep disordered breathing to our services. However, one of the most important services we provide is to help you prevent periodontal disease. I know it is hard to believe that

we really don’t enjoy nagging about flossing – it is truly a life and health issue.

A bit of humor :

Client: should I floss all my teeth

Dentist: No, only the ones you want to keep

How to floss tutorial

All athletic mouthguards are not created equal

Spring is here and that usually means more activities and an increase in trauma to the orofacial areas. Properly fitted mouthguards have been shown to provide protection against injuries and trauma to the mouth and teeth. Furthermore, the use of custom-fabricated mouthguards decreases the likelihood of a concussion as well. 

It seems more often than not it a parent asking me about what they should do to protect children’s teeth when they are involved with contact sports.  By the way, soccer, basketball and baseball are all contact sports. It is interesting that only a few amateur sports such as football, boxing, ice hockey, men’s lacrosse, and women’s field hockey require the use of an athletic mouthguard. So, the sports that have the highest incidence of tooth loss are basketball (ask Cole Aldrich) and baseball. 

Anyway, back to the question at hand. Should my child wear a mouthguard when playing soccer, basketball, etc.?  The answer is yes. Sometimes the mouthguard to recommend needs special consideration.  Young athletes may be in fixed orthodontics or do not yet have all of their adult teeth in place. We have to allow for tooth eruption and growth. So, sometimes this can be a bit challenging or require that the mouthguards only be worn for one season. 

Basically there are three categories of mouthguards. They include:

• Type I    (stock)
• Type II   (mouth-formed)
• Type III  (custom-fabricated)

Type I mouthguards are the least expensive of the three and offer the least protection. These mouthguards can be purchased at sporting good stores, removed from the package and worn without any fitting. They are the most cumbersome and least comfortable.

Type II mouthguards are commonly known as the “boil and bite” mouthguards. These are also store bought and are the most popular. The guard is boiled in water and some attempts are made to fit them.

Type III mouthguards are custom-made from impressions of the mouth. These are considered the best when compared with the others. They are more protective because of the close adaptation they have with the athlete’s teeth and oral anatomy. Due to the custom fit they are more comfortable, and easier to speak with it in your mouth, therefore the compliance goes up compared to type I and II.

Mouthguards can be designed for the type of sport being played. For adults I almost always recommend a type III, custom – fabricated mouthguard for a multitude of reasons. For children it varies dependent on where they are at in their growth, the sport, how often they will need replacing and what they will actually wear.

If we can help you or your child with an athletic mouthguard, please let us know, we are located at the corner of Bob Billings Parkway and Legends in Lawrence, KS and you can call us at (785) 749-2943 .