Sawdust Festival 2010

The staff took their annual field trip to the Sawdust Festival. Everyone had a very enjoyable day of shopping and having lunch together. It was a great day and a person could not ask for better weather.

Dr. Urban's Birthday Celebration

On August 4, 2010 the office staff gathered together as they usually do to celebrate Dr. Urban's birthday. We always look for reasons to celebrate and be together. It was similar to a 4th of July celebration with the sparkler style candles that lit up the cake. Fortunately the cake was large enough to accomodate the candles and fireworks. All of us had a great time and we now await the next birthday celebration.

Happy Birthday Dr. Urban!

Fractured Teeth, Causes and Implications

During routine examinations I will often detect fractures in teeth. The most common areas are your back teeth (molars and bicuspids). These teeth are used to pulverize food, bite into hard candy, hit the occasion pit in pit less cherries, and chew ice. I do not recommend chewing ice-EVER! However, I can’t argue with the rest. Things just happen over time. Teeth fracture because of:
1. Burrowing decay
2. Root canal treatment for dying nerves
3. Unusual clenching or grinding
4. Overbites
5. Trauma and accidents
6. STPD (stupid things people do)
7. Ageing

As far as STPD I can think of things like opening bottles with teeth, opening chip bags with teeth, wearing some piece of jewelry in your tongue, chewing ice and hard candy.

Examinations will detect fractures when they get big enough to see with a magnifying lens or exhibit unusual light reflections. I use a bite stick or a wet cotton roll to see if there is any tenderness to biting. Hopefully, the tooth will not hurt and I will recommend a restoration to protect the underlying tooth structure. It is established by the root canal specialists that if a tooth is crowned (capped or covered) soon enough, only twenty percent will need future root canals. The percentages just go up the longer an untreated fracture exists.

Fractures never heal or go away. That is why your dentist checks your teeth very closely. Fractures often do not hurt until the break occurs. When the break occurs it can be a simple chip or a fatal shear fracture through the middle of the tooth. Fractures can injure the nerve in the root canal. That is why the root canal is treated, filled and sealed. It is a must for the tooth to be returned to normal function with a build-up and a crown. I have seen hundreds of rotting teeth with old root canals that were never restored with a crown.

Get your kids started early with dental visits. Today we fill cavities very conservatively with bonded resin (white) filling materials. This will keep the tooth stronger throughout one’s lifetime and may prevent fracturing from developing. As a kid I had average size silver/mercury fillings placed (everyone did at that time). They weren’t big, but as time wore on my teeth weakened and I eventually needed four crowns to repair the damaged teeth. This is very typical of people my age.

Finally, let’s talk about longevity. I am sure that prehistoric people did not worry about fractured teeth and aging. By the time they were 30 they were old and started dying. Teeth usually do not start fracturing until you about age 40. Today my practice enjoys treating hundreds of people in their seventies, eighties, and nineties. Their teeth become “work hardened” and brittle. Fracturing occurs more often. Fortunately, dentists can routinely repair these problems so we can continue to enjoy eating and socializing for years to come.

The Perils of Piercing

Dentists want to preserve, maintain, and if necessary restore teeth to full function and health. Therefore we preach prevention, encourage daily brushing and flossing, and recommend fillings and crowns to repair decayed teeth. Also, we inform people of harmful habits that lead to unnecessary dental problems. One of these is oral piercing.

I have not seen mature people (over thirty- something) succumb to this desire to poke a hole in their tongue and place a metal stud to show off. However, I have seen our teens and twenty year olds carry their body piercing habits onto the lips and into the mouth.

Let me tell you about the good things that happen when this is done. Nothing!
Now let me tell you about some of the adverse events that have occurred as a result of oral piercing. There have been several reports of severe infections and death as a result of bacterial infections. In fact a young British woman died of blood poisoning and pneumonia within 48 hours of tongue piercing this year. Although this is rare it can happen and would never have occurred if she declined to have the procedure.

Also some young people have experienced tooth movement as a result of pressing the metal ball of the tongue bar against the front teeth. Spaces and gaps are now appearing between the two front teeth. Teeth move when constant light forces are exerted against them. This principle is the basis for orthodontics. When random forces are applied random unpredictable events occur.
In my practice I have witnessed fractured teeth as a result of the metal banging against teeth. This has resulted in some expensive restorative work.-work that would have been unnecessary without piercing and tongue bars.

Lastly, I have observed severe recession of the gums around the lower front teeth. Tongue bars press against the gums on the back of the front teeth and the gums shrink away leaving bare root surfaces. Consequently these teeth become very sensitive and eventually get loose. Lip plugs bang against the front of the teeth causing recession on the front side. A lot of these defects cannot be repaired and will develop into major problems later on in life. Again these self induced dilemmas would never have occurred without piercing.
The ADA does not recommend piercing “because of its potential for numerous negative sequelae”. I am not aware of any dentist who approves of this trend. I can only encourage everyone to spread the word.