Some of the most common questions we get in the office concern how people can get whiter teeth. The answer depends on each person’s situation, but if you’re happy with the shape, size and position of your teeth, here is the rundown on products available to make them whiter.
Most ‘whitening’ toothpastes will not change the intrinsic color of teeth. They can remove some surface stain, but unfortunately they often are abrasive to tooth enamel and can increase tooth sensitivity for some people.
Peroxide whitening products such as strips, brush-on gels or professional systems will lighten tooth enamel. They will not lighten existing filling or bonding materials or crowns. Depending on how teeth look after whitening, replacing these materials may be necessary if they no longer match well. Over-the-counter products are generally safe when used as directed, however they can temporarily increase tooth sensitivity, so people with sensitive teeth may have difficulty tolerating them. People whose teeth are crowded may have a hard time adapting the strips closely to the teeth. Any whitening product must stay in close contact with the enamel for an hour in order to be effective. With any whitening system, having your teeth professionally cleaned first to remove any surface stain will increase the effectiveness of the whitening product.
Custom whitening kits are available through most dental offices. This involves making impressions (molds) of your teeth and then custom whitening trays are made to hold a whitening gel against your teeth. The trays fit well and are generally more comfortable and effective than over-the-counter systems. Problems with sensitivity can be minimized with desensitizing agents available from the office. These systems get tooth enamel as white as possible within a few weeks. Results will generally last two years, depending on habits like drinking red wine or smoking. Trays may be kept and used again in the future.
In-office whitening uses a strong peroxide solution applied directly to the teeth under a dentist’s supervision. In one to two hours, teeth are noticeably lighter. While this method is rapid, it can be uncomfortable and is not recommended for those with sensitive teeth. The end result is the same as would be achieved with custom trays, only more quickly.
There is a maximum whiteness of natural teeth that can be achieved through whitening systems. Once this is reached, teeth can only be made lighter by applying lighter materials to the teeth, such as porcelain or composite resin. Next time, we’ll talk about these materials and their uses. If you have questions about what would be recommended for you, please feel free to give us a call.

If you haven’t made a New Year’s resolution yet, or if the one you made hasn’t worked out so well, here’s an easy one you can start today: improve your dental health. Improving the health of your mouth can improve your general health as there are several links between oral infections and systemic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancer.
Making small changes to your daily routine can be easier than a plate of big commitments. If you’re brushing once a day, increase the frequency to twice a day. If you’re not a flosser, use floss or a similar substitute once a day. Substitute water for your favorite sugary or acidic drink (Gatorade, Red Bull, regular or diet soda) once a day.
If you can’t remember the last time you had your teeth cleaned or a dental exam, email or call us today to schedule it.Happy New Year!

Dental assistant Stephanie Harris and Dr. Renee Watts with a student on the Tooth Taxi

Here is a stunning fact: Oregon children have among the worst oral health in the nation. Because of poverty, lack of access to care, and other social and economic issues Oregon children suffer more dental pain and infection than children in almost any other state. Dental disease isn’t a cosmetic problem. Our children deserve more from us. The Dental Foundation of Oregon is working to improve oral health for Oregon’s children. Find out more about our work and how you can help by clicking on this link: http://smileonoregon.org/.

Managing dental costs

The past few years have been economically challenging for many here in Lane County. As a dental office, we hear many of our patients’ concerns with the costs of dental care. We are conscious that health care can be a significant expense for some people, especially if it’s an unplanned expense.?Health care costs are due to many factors including technology, increased standards of care and the fact that it is highly labor-intensive, requiring the attention of well-trained personnel. Here are a few tips to keep your costs down:

1. Do Your Homework Being attentive to your daily dental care routine and using preventive strategies whenever possible will make your cleaning visits easier and help minimize gum problems. Regular use of xylitol, fluoride and nightguards can help reduce risks for people susceptible to cavities and nighttime clenching or grinding. Ask your dental team for specific recommendations for you.

2. Scheduled Maintenance Just like your car, regular maintenence visits will help keep things in working order. Regular exams, xrays and cleanings can detect problems at early stages, meaning easier and less expensive fixes. With our health, often by the time we feel symptoms, disease has reached moderate to advanced stages. This past week a patient who we hadn’t seen in two years returned as she’d noticed a hole in a tooth but hadn’t felt any discomfort. The tooth with the hole and the adjacent tooth both had advanced decay, will need extensive treatment and cost many times what it would have had the decay been detected and treated early.

3. Budget To use the car analogy again, build dental care into your family budget as you would oil changes and new tires. Take advantage of any workplace plans that allow you to defer pre-tax dollars for health care expenses.

4. Think Long-Term When possible, choose higher-quality, longer lasting materials for dental restorations over temporary, short-term solutions. Fewer replacements over your lifetime cost fewer dollars in the long run and keep your teeth in better condition.

5. Reduce Your Overall Health Risks Adopting healthier lifestyle choices such as quitting smoking, improving nutrition and controlling diabetes will improve your general and dental health. Many prescription medications used to manage chronic health conditions cause oral effects such as dry mouth and can increase the risk of decay. Although medication may be necessary at times, using exercise and diet whenever possible to reduce the need for pharmaceuticals will save not only prescription costs but improve your oral health.

This past week I received an advertising solicitation for a new document shredding service in Eugene-Springfield. I contemplated it for a minute and quickly realized that it wasn’t something we even needed. Why? We produce so little paper. Our practice has been paperless since 2004. Using computerized charting, digital x-rays, sending electronic insurance claims and e-mail appointment reminders has allowed us to generate very little waste.

Digital x-rays in our Eugene-Springfield dental office also offer the advantage of requiring no fixer or developer chemicals to manage and dispose of. We recycle nearly all the packaging from our supplies and have converted to fluorescent light bulbs wherever possible.

In any health care setting, a number of disposable items must be used for infection control such as gloves, masks, etc. that are unfortunately not recyclable, however we minimize our use of plastic barriers, using high-level disinfectants wherever possible. The plastic barriers that we do use are recycled and we use traps and an amalgam separator to minimize wastewater contamination. We also use recycled products when possible to complete the ‘circle’ of recycling. Reduce, reuse & recycle – we’ll keep working on it and support our product and supply manufacturers who do too!

When you think about a trip to the dental office, how do you feel? If your heart beats a little faster, your hands get clammy or your mouth feels dry, you’re not alone. It’s estimated that 35 million Americans avoid dental care due to dental anxiety. Many of these people have had previous bad dental experiences, sometimes as children. Other people simply dislike the sounds, smells and feeling associated with dental treatment. Being a dental patient puts people in a position where they can feel vulnerable and that they lack control over what may happen to them. This can feel particularly intimidating for abuse survivors.

We realize that dental visits are not something most people look forward to. Fortunately, much has changed in dentistry over the years to make dental visits easier than they have ever been. Some tips and resources are here to help you manage your visits. Putting off needed care is almost always more complicated, more expensive and less comfortable in the end.

How much soda pop does the average American consume in a year? 56 gallons, more than any other country in the world. This is one category where we shouldn’t brag about being #1, however. The health consequences of this are usually very evident to dentists, who can often spot frequent pop drinkers due to the damage done to their teeth.

The sugar in pop is part of the problem – the other part is the damage is caused by acids contained in the soda, including diet sodas. While sugar is converted to tooth-dissolving acid by decay-causing bacteria in one’s mouth, the citric, phosphoric and carbonic acids present in sodas also damage teeth. Teeth start to lose their calcium and phosphorous at pH 5.5; the pH of most sodas (including diet sodas) is around 3. Ongoing acid attacks weaken and soften tooth enamel, creating ‘cavities.’ Energy drinks are similar to sodas in their pH and sugar content. Sugared sodas have an average of 10-12 teaspoons of sugar per 12 oz. can. All these calories can also contribute to obesity.

Each sip of pop creates an ‘acid attack’ on teeth that lasts about 20 minutes. Sipping for several hours creates an environment that often creates long-term damage to teeth. To reduce tooth decay, enjoy soda in limited amounts and frequencies – make them a special occasion treat, not an everyday beverage. Use a straw to avoid contact of the soda with teeth, and rinse with water afterwards to dilute the acid content. Avoid using the twist-top type bottles that encourage sipping all day and consider drinking healthier alternatives to soda. Check out the labels of what you are drinking and visit your dentist regularly for checkups. Next time you’re in our office, ask us for some pH test strips to dip into your beverages and see for yourself what your teeth are bathing in!

Do I need x-rays? Patients ask this question of dental teams regularly for a number of reasons. Cost, radiation exposure and necessity for x-ray images (also known as radiographs) are all valid concerns behind the question.
Like any diagnostic tool or treatment, the risks of the procedure must be weighed versus the benefits gained. Since dental diseases are the most common infections in the United States and often can’t be detected on the basis of visual examination alone, x-rays provide valuable information about your oral health. The radiation from dental x-rays is extremely low. A full set of conventional dental x-rays creates the same amount of radiation exposure as 5% of the atmospheric radiation from natural sources that U.S. residents receive in a year. Digital x-rays create even less exposure, about 10-30% that of conventional x-rays.
The benefits of dental x-rays are that your dentist can detect conditions often in their earliest stages, allowing treatment that saves time, money and unnecessary discomfort. X-ray images can reveal small areas of decay between teeth, bone infections, gum disease, abscesses or cysts, developmental abnormalities and some types of tumors.
The American Dental Association recommends using the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) principle to reduce radiation exposure to patients. This includes determining the need for and type of images to take depending on someone’s oral health conditions, age, their history and risk for disease and signs and symptoms of disease. The use of leaded aprons and thyroid collars is recommended. If you have questions about the type and frequency of dental x-rays that are most appropriate for you, ask your dental team!

Baby teeth – what dentists call ‘primary’ teeth, I often refer to as ‘practice teeth.’ ‘Milk’ teeth is another old term used that we don’t hear often anymore. When we’re young we all get a set that begin erupting around one year of age; the last baby tooth is usually lost around age twelve. Whatever we call these teeth, they serve some important purposes.

The first is being to allow us as children to chew adequately – the mouth is the first phase of our digestive system. The second purpose of baby teeth is to hold space for the permanent teeth to erupt properly. When baby molars are lost prematurely, permanent teeth may have difficulty erupting as they normally should.

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that all children have a dental ‘home’ by twelve months of age. This is much earlier than dentists had recommended in past years for a child’s first dental visit, however it is entirely appropriate based on what we currently know. Dental decay can start as early as age one or two. Often times if parents wait until their child has an obvious problem to take him/her to the dentist, much damage has already been done. Most dental offices who see children will be able to do a quick visual exam with the child laying on the lap of the parent. The dentist will check for normal eruption of teeth, any problems with the soft tissues of the mouth and of course, cavities. In Eugene-Springfield, there is no community water fluoridation, so they may recommend prescription fluoride drops.

When the first tooth erupts in a baby’s mouth, the parent should start to clean their baby’s teeth daily with a soft pediatric toothbrush – there are many styles available. A small pea-sized dose of fluoride toothpaste should be used as soon as the baby will tolerate it. Every parent I’ve met wants their child to have healthy teeth and not suffer from dental disease. These simple actions take little time and go a long way towards helping a child have a bright dental future!

Halloween is around the corner, which for most children means bags of free candy and a chance to build up the stockpile of sweets for the winter. Being one of the most fun times of the year for families, Halloween can also present parents with a variety of health and safety challenges.

The American Dental Association, America’s premier source of oral health information, has prepared a list of 10 suggestions to help parents maintain good oral health for their children around the Halloween holiday and throughout the year.

1. Consume Halloween candy and other sugary foods with meals. Saliva production increases during meals and helps neutralize acids produced by bacteria in your mouth and helps rinse away food particles.

2. Avoid hard candy and other sweets that stay in your mouth for a long time. Besides how often you snack, the length of time food is in your mouth plays a role in tooth decay. Unless it is a sugar-free product, candies that stay in the mouth for a long period of time subject teeth to prolonged acid attack, increasing the risk for tooth decay.

3. Avoid sticky candies that cling to your teeth. The stickier candies, like taffy and gummy bears, take longer to get washed away by saliva, increasing the risk for tooth decay.

4. Drink more water. Consuming optimally fluoridated water can help prevent tooth decay. If you choose bottled water, check the label for the fluoride content.

5. Maintain a healthy diet and make sure the meals you eat are nutritious. Your body is like a complex machine. The foods you choose as fuel and how often you “fill up” affect your general health and that of your teeth and gums.

6. Avoid beverages with added sugar such as soda, sports drinks or flavored waters. When teeth come in frequent contact with beverages that contain sugar, the risk of tooth decay is increased.

7. Chew gum that has the ADA Seal. Chewing sugarless gum for 20 minutes after meals has been shown to reduce tooth decay, because increased saliva flow helps wash out food and neutralize the acid produced by dental plaque bacteria.

8. Brush your teeth twice a day with an ADA-accepted fluoride toothpaste. Replace your toothbrush every three or four months, or sooner if the bristles are frayed. A worn toothbrush won’t do a good job of cleaning your teeth.

9. Clean between teeth daily with floss or an interdental cleaner. Decay-causing bacteria still linger between teeth where toothbrush bristles can’t reach. Flossing helps remove plaque and food particles from between the teeth and under the gum line.

10. Visit an ADA-member dentist for more information on maintaining your oral health.