HOW TO PREVENT ONE OF THE MOST COMMON SPORTS INJURIES

According to the American Dental Association, more than 200,000 oral injuries are prevented annually in this country by sports mouthguards. While this is an impressive preventative figure, unfortunately many teeth will still be damaged because failure to wear a proper sports mouthguard exposes an athlete to a 60 times greater chance of dental injury. In fact, dental trauma is the most common type of orofacial injury sustained during participation in sports.

I recently treated a patient in my office for the second injury to his front teeth
within two years. Different teeth were broken each time because he was not wearing a sports mouthguard. While we can repair most types of dental sports injuries, why not prevent them in the first place?

The child or athlete who loses a tooth (or teeth) in a sporting injury faces lifetime
dental rehabilitation costs of up to ten thousand dollars per tooth. The total rehabilitation costs for a single tooth lost in a sporting injury are likely to be
more than 50 times the preventative cost for a custom laminated, professional grade mouthguard.

There are significant differences between a custom fabricated sports mouthguard and the premade or boil and bite type mouthguards typically found in sporting goods stores. Boil and bite type mouthguards do not fit as accurately as custom fabricated types so they often are uncomfortable, frequently interfere with the athletes breathing and speaking ability, and do not provide adequate protection at the points where trauma is likely to occur. Properly designed and custom fabricated mouthguards are essential in the prevention of athletic oral/facial injuries. Check this link for more information on types of sports mouthguards:

http://www.sportsdentistry.com/mouthguards.html

If you have an athlete in your family involved in any type of contact sport, do not risk injury to their teeth by allowing them to play without a custom fitted mouthguard. Call your dentist today to make an appointment for this critically important service.

Yours for excellent dental health,

Dr S

Change the Oil in Your Mercedes

I see patients in my office who have previously committed
significant amounts of time and money to have their teeth
restored. They have replaced missing teeth, repaired damaged
ones, straightened them, and enhanced the appearance of
their pearly whites through a variety of cosmetic procedures.
Most of these folks recognize the importance of follow up care
to preserve their investment, but there are some who neglect
simple maintenance after the hard work has been done.

I don’t understand this. It’s like someone who makes the
commitment to buy a Mercedes Benz, a durable, high quality
product, but then neglects regular oil changes even though
the cost of this service is just a small fraction of the original
purchase price.

Recently I saw a patient who had extensive dental
restorative work done several years ago. It was a time and
cost intensive project which made a dramatic improvement in
both the patient’s dental function and appearance. When the
work was completed, this person did not return to my office
for several years until they were in pain. Nor did the patient
seek out follow up care anywhere else during the interim. As a
result, additional complex treatment will be required to bring
this patient back to optimal dental health. All this could have

been avoided by following a plan of regular maintenance and
repair.

So what does this mean to you? Whether your teeth have
been restored by a dentist or you have all your natural teeth,
the key to keeping them working well and looking good for
a long time is regular maintenance. Even if you don’t have
dental insurance, the cost of regular care is much less than
the cost of major repairs—just the same as an automobile.
You may not have a Mercedes in the garage, but you have
something just as valuable in your mouth. Take care of it.

Yours for excellent dental health,

Walk Your Way to a Healthy Mouth

Walking really does your body good from head to toe. Not only will it help keep your heart and legs strong and your waist trim, but it may protect your pearly whites, too.

It all has to do with the aerobic fitness benefits that walking confers. In a recent Japanese study, the folks who were the fittest were also the least likely to have severe periodontitis, a form of gum disease.

Tone for Your Teeth
Being both fit and slim is even better for your teeth. In the study, participants with a healthy body mass index (BMI) as well as a high capacity for aerobic endurance had the lowest odds of gum troubles. It's just one more great reason to add a calorie-burning daily walk to your oral-care regimen. You'll make your doctor and your dentist proud.

Axing Inflammation
How, exactly, does breaking a sweat keep your mouth healthy? Well for one, researchers believe that exercise helps quiet inflammation throughout the body, and that's a good thing because inflammation is one of those potential triggers for disease, including gum disease. Physical activity may also help keep blood levels of C-reactive protein in check -- another happy outcome because this compound may play a role in the origins of gum disease.

Reverse Benefit
It works the other way also—keeping your mouth healthy can benefit the rest of your body. Because untreated inflammation in your mouth can lead to inflammation in other parts of your system. In fact, effectively flossing and brushing your teeth daily can make your health age as much as six years younger.
So as you plan your personal health strategy, keep in mind that the health of your mouth is intimately related to the health of the rest of your body.

What Will You Do for Your Smile This Year?

As you set goals for your personal health this year, don't forget to include your teeth and your smile. There is a growing body of scientific research that shows a significant connection between oral health and systemic health in general. So, if you goal is to be healthier in 2011, taking care of your smile should be part of your plan. To get you started, here are some ideas to help you decide what you want to do for your own smile.

1. Half of the people who have dental insurance don't use it. If you are one of those, take advantage of what you have this year and make an appointment with a dentist to evaluate your oral health.

2. Even if you do not have dental insurance and have no discomfort in your mouth, remember that preventing dental problems is much more economical that treating them after they occur. Make a commitment to follow a regular dental maintenance plan.

3. If your dentist has already recommended a plan to optimize your oral health, follow through with it. Even if you don't do it all this year, take care of the things that are the highest priority.

4. Dental problems seldom get better on their own. If you know something is wrong with your teeth or gums, deal with it this year before it becomes more complicated and expensive.

5. Maybe 2011 is the year to make the aesthetic changes to your smile that you have always wanted. Ask your dentist to do a computer simulation for the changes you want so you can have a visual proposal to help you decide.

My team and I are available to help you make 2011 your "Year of the Smile."

Yours for excellent dental health,
Dr. S