Monday, August 23, 2010

Article: From the New York Times - Implants vs. Dentures

From The New York Times:


PATIENT MONEY: For Most, Implants Beat Dentures, for a Small Price


Prosthetic teeth attached to the jaw with titanium screws are preferred for replacing lost teeth, but they’re expensive, and insurance coverage is usually minimal.

http://nyti.ms/aw9psf

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Things to Know: Technology at Madison Smile Solutions

Madison Smile Solutions offers the newest in dental technology because we take great pride in offering you the highest level of care.

DIGITAL X-RAYS

Some people are concerned about their exposure to radiation during dental x-rays. This is understandable because some medical x-rays have relatively high radiation. You will be happy to know that 18 dental x-rays deliver 56,000 times less radiation to an unborn child than an upper GI series, 800 times less radiation than a chest x-ray, and 40 times less radiation than a typical day of background radiation.

To improve your quality of care, we have invested in a new, more precise way of looking into your mouth – digital x-rays. Advantages of digital x-rays include an 80 percent reduction in radiation over traditional dental x-rays, incredible precision, and a nearly instantaneous image that can be reproduced any number of times for insurance or referral purposes. Digital x-rays are also better for the environment, as they do not require chemicals for developing the image and can be stored on our computer, thus saving paper.

We have another very special piece of equipment that takes digital panoramic x-rays. The machine slowly revolves around the patient, taking an x-ray of the patient's full mouth and jaw. It helps us to see the condition of your jawbone, reveals deep cavities, and allows us to see any impacted teeth. This type of x-ray is recommended every three to five years.

DIAGNODENT – LASER DETECTION OF CAVITIES


This instrument is one of our favorite, and most essential, tools! The Diagnodent uses a small laser to detect cavities. It is completely safe and painless. The laser technology penetrates the enamel and is able to actually quantify the amount of decayed material at that particular location. Because it is able to detect decay earlier than other methods, the cavity can be taken care of with a much smaller restoration. In some cases where the decay has not yet gotten through to the pulp of the tooth, preventative treatment can entirely eliminate the need for a filling!

TRIMIRA – ORAL CANCER SCREENING


Oral cancer kills one person every hour of every day. When oral cancer is detected early, patients have an 80 to 90 percent survival rate. However, because the majority of cases are discovered in the late stage, 40 percent of those diagnosed will die within five years. Oral cancer often develops with no pain or symptoms, and goes undetected until it has already metastasized to another location.

Our hand-held light helps us find oral cancer faster and more reliably. Trimira uses a variety of wavelengths of light to allow us to see abnormalities such as oral cancer that may not be apparent to the naked eye, allowing for much earlier detection of oral cancer. It uses the body's natural tissue properties as a tool for detecting suspicious tissue, which will show up abnormally under the different wavelengths.

Our hygienist, Trish, says, "I shine a blue light on the tissue and it fluoresces in a specific wavelength. It looks green when healthy tissue fluoresces and what we're looking for is the lack of that green color. The cancerous cells that have turned to the dark side, literally, show up dark and don't fluoresce green."

A visual oral inspection is part of every regular cleaning appointment with your hygienist, and we now recommend that all of our patients also have a Trimira oral cancer screening once a year. If your hygienist considers you to be at high risk for oral cancer, they may recommend Trimira at each of your regular 6-month cleaning appointments. You may opt to have a Trimira oral cancer screening at any time.

LASER DENTISTRY


Dr. Kaveh is trained in laser oral surgery and is excited to be able to offer laser surgery options to his patients. Tissue heals faster when a laser is used in oral surgery, which means you will be comfortable faster.

Advantages of Laser Dentistry
  • Minimal bleeding
  • More controlled swelling
  •  Reduced postoperative infection/discomfort
  •  Less chance of infection
  • Reduced time in dentist's office
  • Less pain
  • No noise (like a traditional dentist's drill)
  • Faster healing
  • A more sterilized environment (dental laser kills bacteria)

Kids: Your Child's First Dental Visit

Parents frequently ask when they should bring their child in for their first dental visit. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry's recommendation is "first visit by first birthday". Your child should visit a dentist when the first tooth comes in, usually between six and twelve months of age. Early examination and preventive care will protect your child's smile now and in the future.

FREE VISIT


Madison Smile Solutions believes in the importance of dental health in young children and offers a free exam for babies under one year of age. Call our office for details at 608-271-0961.
The term "nursing caries" (cavities) is used when discussing either bottle-feeding or breastfeeding activities that relate to infant caries. Another term is Early Childhood Caries (ECC). Please take advantage of our free exam for babies younger than 12 months old to help us partner with you in preventing dental caries.

Things to Know: Your First Cleaning Appointment

Your first cleaning appointment will take about an hour and a half. During that time we give your mouth a full physical examination including:

DIGITAL X-RAYS


 
A full set of x-rays is an important part of a thorough dental examination. For most patients, "bite-wing" x-rays should be taken once a year and a full-mouth panoramic x-ray showing all of your teeth should be taken every three to five years.
 
Here are some of the reasons dentists rely on dental x-rays:
  • -expose hidden dental decay
  • -reveal an abscess, cyst, or tumor
  • -show impacted or extra teeth
  • -reveal bone loss from periodontal disease
  • -help determine condition of fillings, crowns, bridges, and root canals
Some people are concerned about their exposure to radiation during dental x-rays. This is understandable because some medical x-rays have relatively high radiation. You will be happy to know that 18 dental x-rays deliver 56,000 times less radiation to an unborn child than an upper GI series, 800 times less radiation than a chest x-ray, and 40 times less radiation than a typical day of background radiation. Even better, our x-rays at Madison Smile Solutions are digital. Advantages of digital x-rays include an 80 percent reduction in radiation over traditional dental x-rays, no use of chemicals, and a nearly instantaneous image.



COMPREHENSIVE EXAM

We talk about any problems you may have experienced and if you have any specific concerns. We review the full mouth x-rays with you on our digital monitors. This makes it easy for all of us to see what is going on in your mouth. We note the existing condition of your teeth, record areas of concern, measure your gum tissue and evaluate for gum disease, screen for oral cancer, evaluate your smile, assess TMJ (your jaw joint) health, and chart occlusion (the way your teeth meet up with one another).
 
CLEANING


We will clean your teeth – also known as a prophylaxis. Your own toothbrush cannot remove the hardened build-up of plaque and calculus. This thorough cleaning takes care of that. We utilize an ultrasonic scaler that uses water and vibration to remove plaque, stain, and calculus from the teeth and flush it away from below the gumline.

If we find any decay or other matters that cannot be taken care of during this allotted time, we will discuss what we have found, and make appropriate appointments with you for further treatment.  

Things to Know: Coming to Our Office

UNDERSTANDING YOUR CARE

Our staff wants you to understand what we are recommending for your oral health. We go over treatment plans, insurance coverage, and payment options with you. If you need more time to talk we are glad to schedule a time with the doctor or office manager for you to better understand your oral health needs. We can also help you strategize what may need to be done first and what might be able to wait a little longer. Just ask. We also encourage you to visit the links on this site to learn more about various treatments and the equipment we use.


YOU WILL KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT


Prior to completing any major dental work, we can provide you with a written treatment plan to outline what needs to be done, the amount of time for each appointment and the costs of each phase. If you are interested, we review a variety of financing options including payment plans, MasterCard/Visa/Discover, and discounts for cash or check payments.

CHANGING AN APPOINTMENT

At Madison Smile Solutions we try to carefully set up appointments to accommodate your schedule. If your needs change, we appreciate as much advance notice as possible. Please give us at least 24 hours notice if you need to change your appointment. Your time is reserved for you and cancellations with less notice may be charged a missed appointment fee.