David J. Martin, DDS Blog

December 22, 2009

Facts About Tooth Whitening Treatments

Filed under: Uncategorized — davidjmartindds @ 5:08 pm

When you’re learning about teeth whitening bleach, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of relevant information available. This cosmetic teeth whitening article should help you focus on the central points of Teeth Whitening.

There are many teeth whitening products available to consumers both from your dentist, grocery stores, drug stores, online Websites. Educating yourself about teeth whiteners before buying is a very smart decision. There are two ways to whiten your teeth: over – the – counter and with a dentist. There are benefits and disadvantages to both ways.

Over – The – Counter

There are two ingredients used in whiteners. Some whiteners use 10 % Hydrogen Peroxide. Hydrogen Peroxide is also used to bleach hair. Other whiteners use Carbamide Peroxide. This breaks up in your mouth into both carbamide peroxide besides urea. It is to your benefit to retain your teeth professionally cleaned and any cavities filled before starting to use teeth whitener. Most over- the – counter whiteners use either trays or strips. The cost of these products can perform anywhere from under $10 to $35 per container.

Problems with over – the – counter whiteners

Without a professional administering the whitener, there will be no help for you to adjust the amount and strength. If you encounter sensitivity of your gum, there is no way to adjust the strength for your needs. It can also be difficult to cover all the tooth surfaces with strips and trays.

Remedies

If you experience irritation, you can try to cut back on usage. Instead of daily, use the whitening every other day. You can also apply a product such as Orajel, to your irritated gum.

FDA

One thing you should know is that the FDA ( Food and Drug Administration does not categorize teeth whitening products as drugs and therefore does not regulate them. Because of this, the ADA ( American Dental Association ) has set guidelines for these dental products. These guidelines are standards for safety and effectiveness. They state that whiteners should not cause any harm to either the teeth or the soft tissues of the gum.

If your dental health facts are out-of-date, how will that affect your teeth whitening decisions? Make certain you don’t let important dental health information slip by you.

They state that the product should be effective in whitening teeth. As of January 2006, no teeth whitening products have met the ADA guidelines for safety or effectiveness.

At The Dentists

Your dentist clean your teeth, fill any cavities also check your gums to be sure they are healthy. The dentist will use between 15 to 35 % of either Carbamide Peroxide or Hydrogen Peroxide. Your dentist will adjust the amount based on how your gums adjust to the application process. Before applying the whitener, the dentist will clean your teeth with a pumice and then put a protective barrier on your gums.

The entire treatment generally takes about 40 minutes. The dentist apply a paste, take it off, and then reapply the paste. The dentist will repeat the process several times during the visit. Each application will result in your teeth being a shade lighter each time. Having your teeth whitened this way is faster than the over – the – counter products.

You can also opt for your dentist to make you a tray to take home that you wear over your teeth. The dentist will take a mold ( dogma of your teeth / gums ) so that the tray will fit properly. You will receive a gel to put into the tray. You then wear the tray for 2 hours during the day for 2 weeks and perhaps up to 6 weeks.

Using the professional services of your dentist to whiten your teeth can run anywhere from $300 to $1,000. You may also have to wait for an appointment, then go through the process of the examination. If the dentist finds cavities you will need to wait while the fillings are placed.

That’s the latest on teeth whitening methods. Now that you’re familiar with teeth whitening, you can make an informed decision, on how-to whiten your teeth.

December 1, 2009

MIXED DENTITON PART 2

Filed under: Uncategorized — davidjmartindds @ 9:30 am

Continuing with this important discussion in this blog I will try to give an overview of possible treatment options. I have broken it into early and later phases. The very important diagnosis that needs to be made is related to airway issues in the developing child. If these issues are not resolved, treatment becomes more difficult and overall results compromised. All children in the practice are evaluated visually and recommendations made.

Phase 1
Mixed Dentition (Orthopedic Phase)
Thumb sucking, digital habits, anterior and lateral tongue thrusts, airway problems including mouth breathing and snoring and jaw joint (TMJ) problems must be corrected early with functional appliances. Skeletal problems such as constricted maxillary or mandibular arches and prognathic or retrognathic mandibles are best treated as early as possible with functional appliances in the mixed dentition period of growth.

Phase 2
Permanent Dentition (Orthodontic Phase)
Dental problems are solved with straight wire appliances (fixed) braces in permanent dentition.

One of the main advantages of early treatment is the majority of malocclusions can be corrected without extraction of permanent teeth and non-surgically. Parents favor the use of functional appliances to correct under-developed mandibles in the mixed dentition stage rather than delay treatment until all the permanent teeth erupt. Dentists who are trained to use jaw repositioning appliances such as the Twin Block, Rick-A-Nator, and Schwartz appliances, find it ludicrous to wait when children can be treated in 7 to 12 months non-surgically using functional appliances.

The Benefits of Early Treatment
For those patients who have clear indications for early intervention, early treatment presents the opportunity to:

- Influence jaw growth in a positive manner - Simplify and/ or shorten treatment time
- Harmonize width of the dental arches for later corrective orthodontics
- Improve eruption patterns - Reduce likelihood of impacted permanent teeth
- Lower risk of trauma to protruded upper incisors - Improve some speech problems
- Correct harmful oral habits - Preserve/ gain space for erupting permanent teeth
- Improve aesthetics and self-esteem - Improved breathing / airway problems

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