Aaron M. Schertzer DDS PC
5445 Telegraph Road
Saint Louis, Missouri 63129
(314) 892 -2120
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My Blog
Posts for category: Oral Health
You know you should see the dentist about that nagging tooth or gum problem, but you keep putting it off. Truth be told, you're a little nervous that your treatment visit might be unpleasant.
In one sense, your concern isn't unreasonable: The teeth and gums abound in nerves that are more than effective in signaling pain. Even minor dental procedures can trigger discomfort. In another sense, though, there's no need to worry, thanks to pain-numbing techniques using local anesthesia.
The term “local” is used because the applied anesthetic only affects the area and surrounding tissues needing treatment. The anesthetic drugs temporarily block nerve electrical impulses from transmitting pain signals to the brain. Unlike general anesthesia, which requires placing a patient in an unconscious state, a patient can be awake, yet feel no sensation around the anesthetized tissue.
Dentists typically use a two-step method to prevent patients from feeling any pain during a procedure. First, they apply a topical local anesthetic to the surface of the gums. Once these top layers have been numbed, they numb the underlying tissues by injecting the anesthetic with a needle. The goal of a topical application is to ensure the patient doesn't feel the prick of the needle used for deep tissue anesthesia.
Dentists follow strict protocols using anesthesia that have been developed over several decades. As a result, local anesthesia has revolutionized dental care and greatly reduced patient discomfort safely and effectively. Its effectiveness has in fact led to a common complaint that the numbness may linger long afterwards. But that also has been addressed with better combinations of anesthetic drugs to reduce the duration of the numbing effect.
And not only does local anesthesia make for a more relaxing and pleasant experience, it also benefits the dental provider. Dentists tend to work more efficiently when they know their patients aren't in discomfort, which can result in better treatment outcomes.
If you've been putting off a trip to the dentist because you think it might be painful or uncomfortable, put those concerns to rest. With the help of local anesthesia, dental treatment can be relaxing and pain-free.
If you would like more information on having a pain-free experience at the dentist, 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 “Local Anesthesia for Pain-Free Dentistry.”
When you were a kid, a plate of green beans or carrots probably seemed less appealing than a handful of cookies or a bowl of ice cream. Mom or dad telling you to “eat your vegetables” was the last thing you wanted to hear.
Hopefully, you've made friends with fresh fruits and vegetables as you've grown up. But even if you're just acquaintances, these foods are nonetheless essential to good health, particularly your teeth and gums. Among other things, they're packed with vitamins and minerals that help prevent tooth decay, gum disease or even oral cancer.
Here's a sampling of dental health-boosting micronutrients and the foods you'll find them in.
Vitamin C. Found in a variety of fruits and vegetables, vitamin C boosts the immune system to fight infections like tooth decay or gum disease. It's also an antioxidant that lowers your risk of cancer.
Calcium. This mineral obtained through dairy products, bony fish, greens and legumes, strengthens teeth and bones. It can also improve nerve and muscle function.
Vitamin D. This vitamin helps teeth absorb calcium to make them less prone to decay. You can find this essential vitamin in dairy foods, eggs, fatty fish or sunlight.
Phosphorus. Like calcium, phosphorus also strengthens teeth and bones. You'll find it plentiful in dairy and meats, especially seafood and poultry.
Magnesium. This mineral helps teeth and bones absorb other minerals and can also help with enzyme function needed to avoid disease. You'll find it in nuts, legumes, whole grains, dark leafy greens, seafood and chocolate.
If you don't think you're getting enough of these and other nutrients, you can obtain them through dietary supplements. But do be careful: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can remove harmful supplements from the market, but only after consumer use has provided evidence that they're unsafe. And, you won't be getting fiber or other elements found in regular foods that your body needs to be healthy and function properly.
Still, if you think you need to supplement a nutritional deficiency, speak first with your doctor or dentist about it and what you should take. If at all possible, though, eat your veggies—your teeth and gums, as well as the rest of your body, will be the healthier for it.
If you would like more information on nutrition's role in dental health, 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 “Vitamins & Dietary Supplements.”
The New Year: Time to put away those holiday decorations, collect tax records and—if you're a pro hockey player—get chummy with your dentist. That's right! After a disrupted 2020 season due to COVID-19, the NHL is on track to start again sometime in January. Before you know it, players will be hitting the biscuit (puck), while trying to avoid getting their chicklets (teeth) knocked out.
It's true that hockey has a roughhousing kind of reputation, which tends to lead to, among other things, chipped, fractured or knocked-out teeth. But to be fair, hockey isn't the only sport with a risk for orofacial injuries. It's not even top on the list: Of all contact sports, basketball has the highest incidence of mouth and facial trauma.
With over a half-million amateur and professional players, hockey still has its share of teeth, gum and jaw injuries. Fortunately, there's an effective way to reduce sports-related oral trauma—an athletic mouthguard.
Although there are different styles, most mouthguards are made of a soft plastic that helps cushion teeth against hard contact. You can sort most mouthguards into two categories: “boil and bite” and custom.
You can buy mouthguards in the first category online or in retail sporting goods stores, and they're relatively inexpensive. They're called “boil and bite” because they're first immersed in hot or boiling water to soften them. While the guard is still soft, the wearer places it in their mouth and bites down to create somewhat of an individual fit. On the downside, though, “boil and bite” mouthguards tend to be bulky with a fit that isn't as exact as it could be. This can make for uncomfortable wearing, which could tempt players not to wear them as often as they should. Also, because the materials are softer, they move with jaw movement and your teeth can move with them. Over time, teeth could loosen.
A custom-made mouthguard, on the other hand, is created by a dentist. We begin the process with a detailed mouth impression, which we then use to fashion the mouthguard. Custom mouthguards are more streamlined and fit better than their “boil and bite” counterparts. Because of this better fit, players may be more apt to wear them. They are more expensive, but compared to the cost of dental injury treatment, a custom mouthguard is a wise investment. For the best and most comfortable teeth, gum and mouth protection, you can't go wrong getting a custom mouthguard for the hockey players (as well as football and basketball players) in your family.
If you would like more information about athletic mouthguards, please contact us or schedule a consultation. To learn more, read the Dear Doctor magazine article “Athletic Mouthguards: One of the Most Important Parts of Any Uniform.”
Undergoing dental work is for the most part a pain-free affair. But once you're home and the anesthetic begins to wear off, you may have some discomfort.
Fortunately, most post-procedure pain can be managed with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs. And while stronger versions of these pain relievers can be prescribed, you may only need one sold over-the-counter.
NSAIDs like ibuprofen or acetaminophen work by inhibiting the release of prostaglandins, substances that stimulate inflammation in traumatized or injured tissues. It differs in this way from the two other primary pain medications: Steroids act like natural hormones that alleviate physical stress in the tissues; and narcotics like morphine or codeine suppress the brain's reaction to nerve firings.
While these stronger types are effective for stopping pain, they can have several serious side effects. Narcotics in particular can be addictive. Although they may be necessary in serious cases of acute pain, most dentists turn to non-addictive NSAIDs first, which are usually effective with the kind of discomfort associated with dental work and with fewer side effects.
That's not to say, however, that NSAIDs are risk-free—they must be taken properly or you could suffer serious health consequences. For one, NSAIDs have a blood-thinning effect that's even more pronounced when taken consistently over a period of weeks. This can lead to bleeding that is difficult to stop and erosion of the stomach lining leading to ulcers. Prolonged use can also damage the kidneys.
As a rule of thumb, adults shouldn't take more than 2400 milligrams of ibuprofen or other NSAIDs in a day, unless otherwise directed by their doctor. For most, a 400-milligram oral dose taken with food (to minimize stomach upset) is usually sufficient to relieve pain for around five hours.
You'll usually avoid unwanted health effects by keeping within your dentist's recommended doses and taking an NSAID for only a few days. Taking an NSAID properly can help keep your discomfort to a minimum after dental work without the need for stronger drugs.
If you would like more information on managing dental pain, 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 “Treating Pain With Ibuprofen.”
Tooth loss does not have to be a certainty. It's true that as we age this can become more difficult, but it's still a worthwhile goal to plan to keep your smile healthy and whole for as long as possible. It all begins with good dental hygiene habits, habits which should include regular visits to your local Oakville, MO, dentist, Dr. Aaron Schertzer of Advanced Dental Arts. Contact the office to find out if you're doing everything you can to protect your teeth from decay.
Battle Against Plaque
The biggest enemy of your smile's longevity is plaque. If you go some time without brushing you can feel it clinging to your teeth if you run your tongue over them. It's that sticky film that builds every day. It's made up of millions of bacteria that feed on the sugar from the foods you eat and create acids as a byproduct. Acids that can wear away the protective enamel on your teeth and damage your gums, potentially leading to gum disease.
Decay brought on by plaque can cause cavities, which progress down to the pulp of the tooth creating very painful infections that threaten the structure of the tooth, and at worse can into the jaw itself.
Gum disease can similarly spread and is a threat to the health of your whole mouth. In adults, periodontitis, a severe form of gum disease, is the most common cause of tooth loss as it impacts directly the tissue that supports your teeth.
Good Habits Win
You can remove most of the plaque that builds on your teeth by brushing your teeth twice and a day, and flossing once a day to remove the food that accumulates between them. Some plaque may still remain in the spaces that are harder to reach, and it is this plaque that can harden into tartar thanks to the minerals in your saliva. It is the reason why regular visits to your dentist's office for a professional dental cleaning are important. During this procedure, your dentist can remove the accumulated tartar and may even reverse gum disease in its early stages.
Your dentist can also spot signs of decay and can treat cavities with dental fillings before they become a more troublesome concern. Beyond cavities, your dentist can also diagnose a number of other dental and health problems in general.
Family Dentistry in Oakville, MO
A lot of the necessary work to keep your smile healthy is done at home, but just as important is keeping up with your biannual dental cleanings and checkups. So make your appointment today with Dr. Schertzer of Advanced Dental Arts in Oakville, MO, by dialing (314) 892-2120.
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