7 Day Dental

As a dentist I am sure to hear this phrase quite often. The truth is that there is no such thing. Even in the simplest situations it is best to be prepared for the worst. Most of us get excited when the tooth we are about to extract is mobile, an easy extraction for sure. The fact is that when a tooth has had longstanding infection the body will sometimes develope accessory vessels in an attempt to clear up the area. Failing RCTs are famous for this, especially lower first molars(#19 and #30). Some specialists say that the phenomenon is actually a branch of the inferior alveolar nerve and not a reaction to longstanding infection. It is difficult to prove this either way since we rarely extract healthy first molars. How will I know if an accessory vessel is present? You will know the second the tooth is out of the socket. There will be more bleeding than you have ever seen, the heavy pulsating type. If this occurs, as quickly as possible(with the surgical suction) locate the exact source of the bleeding. Once the source is located, the suction tip should stay at the source so that visibility can be maintained and to keep the patient from choking on blood. Insert an elevator into the source forcefully until the bleeding is stopped and hold it in place for 15 min. An elevator with a pointed  or cone shaped tip is ideal, the crane pick or east/west elevators are the best. After 15 min remove the tip of the elevator slowly and see if bleeding has stopped or at least slowed down. In some cases this process may need to be repeated 2-3 times before success is achieved. After bleeding is controlled keep the patient for 45 additional minutes biting on gauze to ensure stabilization is achieved. In extreme cases when bleeding will not stop, the placement of a narrow diameter implant is required. If needed, stopping the bleeding with an implant is an excellent method if all else fails. Don’t worry if the implant is in a bad position or the wrong size as far as a restoration is concerned, stopping the bleeding is the only goal in this situation. Although rare, it is always good to be prepared for the worst and hope for the best when approaching oral surgery.

On Sunday Feb 12th, 2012, Dr. Chuck Le of 7 Day Dental Center, in association with Lestonnac Free Clinic, opened the doors to the public to host the 2nd Annual “Dentist Pulling from the Heart” event. The event offered free tooth extraction and filling, as well as free medical treatment.  The Youth Leadership America (YLA) and the Orange County Vietnamese American (OCVA) Lions Club, whose membership also includes Dr. Le, have been assisting 7 Day Dental in managing and planning the event since last year. “We believe this economy is hurting so many people, “ said Michael Pham, President of OCVA Lions Club, “and dental and health care tends to become a lower priority in many people lives for they can no longer afford it. This program will bring relief to countless families in this community. We have received myriad of phone calls from people thanking 7 Day Dental for hosting this event – the demand far exceeds what the event could provide today. Attendees started lining up around 6:00 AM on that chilly morning hoping to make the cut of 300+ people that 7 Day Dental could possibly treat on a single day. “I have more than one cavity, would I be able to have them both fixed?” – pleaded one of the attendees. “I wish we have a larger facility so we could help more people today,” commented Dr. Le. “We had to turn away quite a few people once we passed the 300 count around noon.”

Many of us have feared the dentist for a long time and hesitate to attend appointments.  Many of our fears come from memories we had in our childhood.  We hold on to those bad moments for years and let them take over causing us extreme fear.  Most dentists however are quite nice.  They go into this profession to help patients see that their only intent is to help them.  They want to teach their patients to care for their teeth and not only visit the dentist when their pain has become unbearable.

Braces are placed to change the look and overall health of a smile.  Braces use brackets which hold a wire to move teeth into the correct position.  An Orthodontist cannot simply move teeth in a short amount of time; they must see the structure of the bone and begin the movement according to the ability for it to move.  The first step is to determine which type of bite the patient has.  The most common cases are normal occlusion, class II malocclusion, and class III malocclusion.  Normal occlusion would be considered to be class I, and displays the ideal profile for a person’s appearance.  The upper teeth go slightly over the bottom teeth and provide the best biting surface. 

We all strive to have beautiful smiles but a beautiful smile does not only occur by appearances.  A beautiful smile is one in which the gums and teeth are healthy and well maintained.  Straight white teeth do not mean that they are healthy or well taken care of.  All smiles have a solution and a way of getting fixed and perfected.  Overlapping teeth can be changed to appear straight by placing braces on the patient.  Discolored or yellow teeth can be bleached professionally to appear brighter and whiter.  Fillings, crowns, or veneers can be placed over the tooth to provide a more appealing appearance and stronger tooth structure.  Missing teeth can easily be replaced with partials, bridges, dentures, or implants. 

Bad breath can occur from different sources such as the mouth, upper respiratory tract, the lungs and the stomach.  The mouth is the main area where bad breath occurs and can be caused by many structures within the cavity such as the teeth, gums and tongue.  Tooth decay is dead decayed matter and it provides an anaerobic environment creating sulfur metabolizing germs which cause bad smells.  This soft decay matter readily absorbs liquids and juices from consumed food and this food also decays.  With or without decay oral hygiene maintenance is important because plaque caused by bacteria and food particles accumulate on and around the tooth but can be improved by brushing and flossing on a daily basis. 

When I bought my first car in high school, I wanted to make sure I impress my friends every time they saw my car. In order to do that I spent many hours washing my car and making sure it was spotless. After a year of washing my car once a week, my best friend came to me and explain to me that I could also wax my car in order to keep it shinny and without spending so much time washing my car. After that day wax became my best friend.

A filling is the repair of the decayed boundaries of a healthy tooth and replaces space where decay was present.  The most common types of fillings are:  silver amalgam, composite, gold and fused porcelain.  Amalgam is a silver material composed of a mixture containing liquid mercury and silver-tin alloy powder.  Amalgam fillings are self-sealing and durable but may cause an allergic reaction for some individuals due to its metal components.  They also require the removal of healthy tooth structure in order for the amalgam material to be able to adhere to the tooth.  Overall, amalgam has a poor esthetic since it becomes darker over time and can stain the tooth.  Amalgam fillings require undercuts within the cavity preparation in order to avoid dislodging therefore making the area larger than necessary.  The minimum depth of an amalgam filling is a millimeter and a half and must be at least this depth to avoid cracking.

Oral and pharyngeal cancer accounts for 3% to 5% of all cancers. One person will die from oral cancer every hour in the US.  There are several indications of oral cancer which are as follows:

• A sore in the mouth that does not heal within three weeks
• A lump or thickening in the cheek
• White or red patches on the gums, tongue, or mouth lining
• Soreness or a feeling of something interfering in the throat
• Trouble swallowing and chewing
• Trouble moving the jaw or tongue
• Numbness within the mouth
• Swelling of the jaw

Toothbrushes are effective when used properly with fluoride paste and help get rid of plaque which causes tooth decay. Brushes need to be replaced once the bristles lose their stiffness. Some ways to take care of toothbrushes are as follows:

• Rinse the brush well after each use to remove left over paste and debris.
• After rinsing the brush, tap it on the edge of the sink to remove excess water and leave it at a location to air dry.
• Always have color-coded brushes in order to avoid using a family members toothbrush. Select brushes with your favorite color or birthstone.