EVERYTHING wellness
Photo by Christina Stuart
Invasive Dentistry
Minimally invasive dentistry also relies on long-lasting
dental materials that conserve the maximum tooth
structure, so need for future repairs is reduced. We are
in the age of non-metallic dentistry.
Dentistry has come a long way since the early 1800s,
when amalgam fillings first appeared. These fillings —
made with silver powder, liquid mercury and some tin,
copper and a few trace minerals — are worrisome to
patients who fear the effects on their health. Patients
may not realize how destructive amalgam fillings can
be to the tooth.
To place amalgam fillings, dentists need to clean the
decay and then drill away healthy tooth structure
to include grooves or pits. This further weakens
an already decay-compromised tooth. Since silvermercury
fillings are brittle when thin, dentists have
advances allows
dentists to practice
minimally invasive
dentistry — doing
what needs to be
done without ever
removing more of
the tooth structure
than is required
to restore teeth
to their optimal
condition.
to drill deeper in order
to achieve sufficient
strength. These amalgam
fillings do not bond to
the tooth, so dentists
must place undercuts in
the tooth to keep fillings
from falling out.
The amalgam fillings
expand and contract
at different rates than
tooth structure, and
fractures usually develop
in the tooth, even
with relatively small
fillings. Pain when
biting, particularly a
sharp “zing,” is a strong
indication that the
fracture is irritating the
nerve inside the tooth.
At this time, a crown or
onlay to cover the tooth
and hold the fracture
is the best hope to save
the tooth. Sometimes
the tooth will fracture
and a piece will break
off. A favorable fracture
can often be restored
with a crown; others
will need periodontal
crown lengthening
surgery or a root canal
before being crowned.
A small percentage can
catastrophically fracture
and must be extracted.
The best way to avoid
these painful and costly
problems is prevention.
Xylitol therapy has
been successful in
reducing decay-causing
streptococcus bacteria,
which results in a rise
in the pH. Xylitol
products include
bioavailable minerals
to rebuild enamel that
has been demineralized
by the acid-causing
streptococcus bacteria. A
higher pH enables these
minerals to flow back
into the tooth, changing
the ecology of the mouth
and warding off decay
and gum disease. Small
cavities on the smooth
surfaces of the tooth
can actually be arrested
and reversed with
remineralization.
Xylitol tray therapy
is the most effective
delivery, but 4 to 6 grams
a day, available in many
different forms, is also
beneficial.
Other technological
advances like the
Diagnodent Laser Cavity
detector and the surgical
microscope allow
dentists to work on teeth
without shots and drills.
Minimally invasive
dentistry is all about
patient education and
prevention as the optimal
way to eliminate costly
and oftentimes painful
situations. There is
no synthetic material
as good as your own
natural tooth structure,
and minimally invasive
dentistry maintains as
much of your pearly
whites as possible. With
minimally invasive
dentistry, less is indeed
more.
For more
information, visit
smiledesigncenter.us.
Minimally
After practicing dentistry for five years in Honolulu and
20 years in Rhode Island, Dr. Chris Edwards moved to
Brevard County in 2002 and opened the Smile Design
Center in Viera. He is a consummate learner and as
his knowledge base expanded, he changed the name
to the Smile Design and Wellness Center in 2015. He
was certified as a doctor of naturopathy in 2013 and
is accredited by the IAOMT. Dr. Edwards has been a
forward thinker with regard to technology to enable a
higher level of service to his patients.
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