Philosophy
WHAT WE HOPE FOR OUR PATIENTS
One of our goals is for our patients to never have a tooth ache, or a broken tooth, or never need a root canal, or never need a crown, or never experience gum disease. This goal can be accomplished by having regular cleanings and checkups, and by “fixing cavities” early, before they get big. Untreated they will get bigger. A “cavity” can appear small on the outside, but on the inside can be very large. It is the large fillings that many times act a wedge to break teeth, thus requiring a crown to restore strength and function. Sometimes older, larger, fillings breakdown and don’t seal out bacteria as they once did. It is important to make these teeth strong before they hurt or break. In this case a crown may be needed to seal out the bacteria. Otherwise, if the tooth starts to hurt a root canal may be needed. Early treatment can prevent the need for large fillings and probably help prevent the need for a crown.
In the end, regular dental care can help avoid unnecessary pain, and help provide a peace of mind knowing all is healthy. Then one can actually enjoy her or his smile, teeth and gums. That is another important goal.
THE IMPORTANCE OF TEETH
Some of the obvious benefits of healthy teeth and gums are: a great smile, chewing, talking, and a youthful appearance. As we age chewing becomes more and more important as the first stage of digestion and the prevention of “stomach problems”. The not-so obvious benefit has to do with our life style in general. If teeth are lost and dentures or partial dentures are needed, then we become dentally handicapped and our life style is dramatically affected. Our speech is affected, our choice of foods is limited, and we may become self conscious of our “store bought” teeth. Even laughing can be affected. If these factors are important to you, we can help avoid these situations.
"EVERYTHING IS FINE. NOTHING HURTS"
The lack of pain does not mean that everything is fine. Even cancer doesn’t hurt in the early stages. Many times “conditions” such as cavities, leaking fillings, bleeding gums and cracked teeth exist. If these conditions are not corrected the tooth could hurt or break. This could possibly lead to the loss of a tooth. “Cavities” grow bigger over time. The bigger they get the more difficult and more expensive they are to fix. Instruments allow us to detect cavities at earlier stages. This results in less invasive and less expensive treatment.
THOUGHTS ON DENTISTRY AND WHAT WE DO
The practice of Dentistry helps provide oral health and well being to our patients. The teeth, individually and together, provide functions that are important to our day to day activities. For instance, teeth chew food. Chewing is the first step in the digestive process. Teeth help us communicate with others through talking and smiling. Lets face it, a pretty, healthy smile is an asset in any social encounter or business situation. Strong, healthy teeth also help provide us with a good self image. We can, therefore, conclude that teeth are important.
Our goal is to help our patients attain and maintain healthy teeth and gums. We believe it is absolutely imperative that we prevent “problems” by detecting and correcting “conditions”. It is these conditions that will lead to problems. Once these conditions (decay, broken or leaking fillings, cracks, etc.) are discovered through regular cleanings and exams, they can be corrected. Correcting these conditions will prevent things from getting worse and even prevent the pain that will result if they are left unattended. Also, the potential loss of teeth may be avoided.
Unhealthy teeth and/or the loss of some or all of one’s teeth results in a whole different lifestyle. With the loss of teeth, or even weakened teeth, one has to be careful eating certain foods or may have to avoid eating some foods all together. With natural teeth one can eat what they want, while the denture wearer has to eat what they can. The inadequate chewing of food can lead to stomach problems or digestive problems. Smiling may become embarrassing thus inhibiting one’s personality. Perhaps this could even adversely affect their social and professional advancement. Even laughing too hard may be disastrous. Unfortunately, one doesn’t know how well they will be able to tolerate dentures or partial dentures until it’s too late.
Consequently, the dental care we provide is important in order for our patients to enjoy a lifestyle worry free of those situations. We should all be able to smile about that.
SO YOU WANT HEALTHY TEETH AND GUMS?
Think of a “cavity” as a low grade infection in your body. This “infection” could get bigger and possibly lead to an infection of the nerve of the tooth. Then pain and the need for more extensive treatment could become an issue. Thus, the importance of receiving care early. Below are a few do’s and don’ts to help prevent problems with teeth and gums.
DON’TS
•Don’t wait for something to hurt or to break. Most diseases, even cancers, do not hurt in the early stages.
•Don’t ignore bleeding gums or a bad taste in your mouth. Bleeding is not normal.
•Don’t leave infection (cavities are like an infection) untreated in your mouth. Oral infections can sometimes affect other areas of your body, possibly even your heart.
DO
•Do brush and floss at home.
•Do get regular cleanings and exams, including x-rays.
•Do get “cavities” fixed as soon as possible. “Cavities” get bigger if left untreated.
•Do get conditions that may lead to severe infection and pain treated as soon as possible.
Monty C. Clark, D.D.S.
Monty C. Clark, D.D.S.
501-327-0587 info@DrMontyClark.com
