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All Posts in Category: Dental Decay Billings MT

gum diesease treatment billings mt

Alcohol And Dental Health

Did you know that alcohol consumption can be bad for your oral health? It’s true. Alcohol consumption, especially in high doses, can be very, very detrimental to long term oral health. Here’s a few of the reasons why.

Obviously, when we binge drink alcohol it is bad for our bodily health. It is bad for both the circulatory system and the cardiovascular system. It can lead to problems such as high blood pressure and stroke, and it can even cause certain brain problems; and, alcohol, in large doses—heavy, every day binge drinking—is even linked to certain systemic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. But, while those things are bad and you may not need another reason not to overuse alcohol, know that alcohol is a detriment to oral health. Alcohol, in any dose, contributes to tooth decay and gum disease. Also, alcohol can contribute to the prevalence of mouth sores, and it’s the second most cause of oral cancer—second only to tobacco use.

Teeth are especially impacted by heavy alcohol consumption. People who over-consume—for the purposes of statistics these people have an alcohol use disorder, and there are no definitive, conclusive links, at least so far, to moderate drinking and overall tooth health—tend to have high levels of plaque, and they also tend to lose their teeth. (People who abuse alcohol are also several times more likely to experience permanent tooth loss!)

Alcohol also dehydrates the body, and when alcohol is consumed for long periods—say, throughout an evening—than the teeth are going to undergo both an attack from bacteria, because of the sugars in the drinks—some drinks, especially mixed drinks, have a considerably higher sugar content than others—but also, because alcohol dries out the mouth, we might have less saliva to combat the sugar problem naturally.

In moderate doses, alcohol has been shown to be good for our health—for instance, moderate doses of alcohol are good for blood pressure but too much alcohol is a terrible for blood pressure—but there is a clear and dividing line between moderate alcohol use and overuse.

Have a terrific holiday season.

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Periodontal Disease Billings MT

Diabetes And Dental Health

The month of November is National Diabetes Month. Did you know that over 29 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes? It’s true. And it’s predicted that the total number of people who have diabetes, but have yet to be diagnosed, is somewhere between eight and nine million people. That’s a lot of people. But why are we talking about diabetes, here, on Dr. Manhart’s blog? Because, while diabetes can be such a detrimental disease to the body, it can also put a person at a higher risk for dental disease.

High Blood Sugar and Other Complications

Gum disease is an inherent problem for someone with diabetes. High blood sugars can contribute to gingivitis or the more severe, and considerably more detrimental, Periodontal Disease. Early signs of gum disease are bleeding gums and bad breath. Early stage gum disease can be reversed with a regular routine of brushing and flossing, and a change in diet. But it’s best, especially when a person suffers from diabetes, to visit Dr. Manhart when gum disease is apparent. If gum disease isn’t immediately dealt with, and the complications of diabetes cause the symptoms to be more severe, to progress at a faster pace, a person’s teeth could fall out, and damage could be done to the bone surrounding the teeth.

Dry mouth is a common symptom for a diabetic. That’s why it’s important to keep hydrated—and that tip applies to everyone—because saliva helps to wash away the food debris. If bacteria are allowed to thrive in the mouth, then so, too, could gum disease flare up.

Because Diabetes has such a detrimental effect on your body’s immune system, infections within the mouth can occur. One such condition, called thrush, is common for diabetics. Thrush is a yeast infection caused when yeast thrives on the higher amounts of sugar in a person’s saliva. It manifests in the mouth as a white coating on the tongue and cheeks.

Diabetes has become a chronic problem—the sheer number, in millions, of people both diagnosed and undiagnosed is staggering. If you suffer complications from the disease then make an appointment to see Dr. Manhart. Remember, it’s easier to manage oral health than to treat a chronic problem.

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Microbiome and Artificial Sweetners, Dentist Billings MT

The Wide-Ranging Role of the Microbiome: “We Are What We Eat”

It is well known that the gut serves as the largest immune system in the body. Recent research, however, has extended our understanding to the

links between the immune system and the host microbiome, as well as the subsequent effect this may have on a broader range of disease activities. The focus of this paper is on how exactly existing diet and potential modifications to it may influence these effects.

 

The Real Risk of Artificial Sweeteners

While many understand the role of excess sugar increasing the risk for diabetes, it will come as a surprise to most that so do artificial sweeteners. Experiments with both mice and people indicate that artificial sweeteners can actually induce glucose intolerance (a pre-diabetic state) via alterations in the gut microbiome. The bacteria that are responsible are the same group that causes periodontal disease.

Asthma and Allergies

In the past several decades, there has been a dramatic increase in chronic inflammatory diseases, such as asthma and allergies. The association between asthma and the immune cell regulation by the microbiome is particularly striking.

The Western diet leads to an altered microbiome that increases symptoms of Asthma and the frequency of allergies. Again bacterial digestion of certain fibers produce compounds that turn down immune system stimulation and helps prevent problems with “leaky gut”.

The diseases mentioned here are very commonly treated with medications; in most cases powerful medications. Given this new information we need to also start considering diet as a potential adjunctive, if not primary, treatment for many of these diseases. Our drugs are minimally effective if we keep feeding the problem with inappropriate diets.

Excerpted from Medscape 10/15/15

Original article by David A Johnson, MD

Professor of Medicine, Chief Gastroenterology

Eastern Virginia Medical School, Nofolk VA

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periodontic services billings mt

Procedure Focused versus Problem Focused Dentistry

The first decision you must make is what dentist you are going to see. While individual practitioners have their specific approach to treatment, the fundamental issue for you is the choice between the Procedure Focused practices versus a Problem Focused office. Procedure focused offices tend to look at individual tooth problems, i.e drill and fill. You have pain from a particular tooth, the dentist treats that particular issue with minimal regard for other issues you may be unaware of. For many people the course of dental diseases is protracted over many years. This fact allows you to get away with a procedure focus for a while. However, this approach will often lead to more work needing to be redone in the future.

Problem focused practices (sometimes called Holistic practices) take into account the overall dental and medical conditions as well as potential future dental problems as part of making treatment decisions for the immediate concerns. This approach emphasizes the treatment and control of dental disease and the overall function of the dentition. Such an approach tends to address more than your immediate perceived problems but leads to more predictable restorations and avoidance of large-scale failures. Such practices emphasize a long term Doctor/Patient relationship compared to the episodic relationship of Procedure Focused practices based on emergent dental problems. This approach focus’ on the establishment and maintenance of dental health.

Is one approach better?
That depends on many factors. If your needs are minimal, procedure focused practices are very efficient in treating the few isolated concerns you may have. However in the early stages, most dental disease has minimal symptoms so patients are usually in a bad position to assess their needs. Waiting for symptoms such as pain and swelling means problems have progressed much further than they should have and treatment will be far more complicated.

Patients with several different dental problems tend to do better with Problem Focused practitioners. In this setting finding treatment solutions that achieve a harmony in addressing the multiple concerns is best. As we get older the complications from the accumulation of multiple past dental procedures tends to magnify. In adults the need to view cases in the entirety is essential to achieve the highest levels of success.

By their very nature, some dental specialties are more procedure oriented. Orthodontists, Oral Surgeons and Endodontists are specialty-trained dentists that are seen only when specific procedures are needed. Once the specific treatment is completed you return full time to your general dentist to continue care. Periodontists, Pedodontists, Prosthodontists tend to have longer-term relationships with their patients due to nature of the problems they deal with. You may still see your general dentist as part of your care as well.

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Periodontal Disease Billings MT

The Diseases: Decay, Occlusion/TMJ and Periodontal disease

First a definition:
Disease: disease is a particular abnormal condition, a disorder of a structure or function that affects part or all of an organism. It may be caused by factors originally from an external source, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune diseases. Diseases usually affect people not only physically, but also emotionally, as contracting and living with a disease can alter one’s perspective on life, and one’s personality.

In our every day lives we do not often consider dental disease to be the same as Medical diseases. This is false. In fact dental diseases are the most common diseases that affect people.

Decay
Dental decay or caries (caries is Latin for “rottenness), also known as cavities, is a breakdown of teeth due to acids produced by bacteria that live on and around the teeth. In a sense, teeth are essentially a form of limestone. If you have ever put an acid like vinegar or lemon juice on limestone the solution will bubble and fize. This action is the result of the acids eating away the calcium/phosphate structure of the rock. The same happens to teeth.

Where do acids come from?
Regarding decay, the acids come from the bacteria in the mouth fermenting residual sugars left over in your mouth after you eat. This fermentation produces acids that are held close to the tooth surface. The more sugar you eat and the more frequently you eat or drink the more opportunity the bacteria have to produce acids.

They are what you eat…Not all bacteria are equal.
The bacterial in your mouth is past on to you by your parents as is most of the bacteria that live on and around you. If you routinely eat a diet that has a high amount of refined carbohydrates the bacterial will shift to include more of the most efficient fermenters, which equals more acids and higher risk for decay. If you limit simple sugars in your diet the bacteria will shift away from this group. This is one reason why two people with equally poor oral hygiene can have very different decay rates.

Dietary and stomach acids can play a role in amplifying the effects of bacterial action. Just as acids produced by bacteria, acids in foods and drink also dissolve and weaken tooth structure. Most often damage from these agents affects the smooth surfaces of teeth. Bacterial activity affects the grooves and other surfaces where bacteria can hide.

Teeth are bathed in saliva and have a coating of bacteria on them (biofilm) that continually forms, almost from the moment they are cleaned. The minerals in the hard tissues of the teeth (enamel, dentin and cementum) are constantly undergoing processes of demineralization and remineralisation. Dental caries results when the demineralization rate is faster than the remineralisation and there is net mineral loss. This happens when there is an ecologic shift within the dental biofilm, from a balanced population of micro-organisms to a population that produce acids and can survive in an acid environment.[5] This shift to a cariogenic microbiological population (one which causes caries) is driven by (eaten) sugars. So, bacteria break down the hard tissues of the teeth (enamel, dentin and cementum) by making acid from food debris or sugar on the tooth surface.[6] Simple sugars in food are these bacteria’s primary energy source and thus a diet high in simple sugar is a risk factor.[6] Risk factors include conditions that result in less saliva such as: diabetes mellitus, Sjogren’s syndrome and some medications.[6] Medications that decrease saliva production include antihistamines and antidepressants among others.[6] Caries are also associated with poverty, poor cleaning of the mouth, and receding gums resulting in exposure of the roots of the teeth.[2][7]

Prevention includes: regular cleaning of the teeth, a diet low in sugar and small amounts of fluoride.[4][6] Brushing the teeth two times per day and flossing between the teeth once a day is recommended by many.[2][6] Fluoride may be from water, salt or toothpaste among other sources.[4] Treating a mother’s dental caries may decrease the risk in her children by decreasing the numbers of certain bacteria.[6] Screening can result in earlier detection.[2] Depending on the extent of destruction, various treatments can be used to restore the tooth to proper function or the tooth may be removed.[2] There is no known method to grow back large amounts of tooth.[8] The availability of treatment is often poor in the developing world.[4] Paracetamol (acetaminophen) or ibuprofen may be taken for pain.[2]

Worldwide, approximately 2.43 billion people (36% of the population) have dental caries in their permanent teeth.[9] The World Health Organizations estimates that nearly all adults have dental caries at some point in time.[4] In baby teeth it affects about 620 million people or 9% of the population.[9] They have become more common in both children and adults in recent years.[10] The disease is most common in the developed world and less common in the developing world due to greater simple sugar consumption.[2]

 

 

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Periodontal Disease Billings MT

Gum Disease

Gum Disease is a common ailment afflicting good oral Health. The most common form of gum disease is gingivitis. The harmful effects of gingivitis are rarely felt by the person who has them, although if gingivitis remains untreated, it can lead to the much more severe periodontitis. Gingivitis can be caused by a multitude of factors such as diabetes, smoking, stress, inadequate nutrition, and even puberty. While poor oral health is a primary cause of gingivitis, it is not always the only factor. When a person is suffering from gingivitis, his gums will become red and swollen, and may even bleed from contact with foods, or a scrubbing from a toothbrush. After gingivitis is located, a professional cleaning of the teeth and gums followed by the use of an oral rinse in the home will most likely treat gingivitis.

Periodontitis is caused when plaque grows below the gum line, and the toxins from the plaque enflame the gum tissue and, eventually if left untreated, the enflamed gum tissue will separate from the teeth. Periodontitis can occur in adults and children, and it can be brought on by untreated gingivitis, or if a person is chronically unhealthy, genetically predisposed to the disease, or suffering from a systemic disease such as heart disease, diabetes, and respiratory disease. Periodontitis has an array of treatments based upon severity that begin with non- surgical treatments and end at plastic surgery. Periodontists are trained to treat the effects of periodontal disease, and have undergone three additional years of specialized training to learn to treat it.

To help prevent Periodontal Disease, a person should perform the daily habits of good, quality oral health such as brushing ones teeth and flossing. Also, remember that a good diet helps your body to stay healthy, and areas like your mouth benefit from a good diet as much as anywhere else. Also, if you are a smoker or if you use chewing tobacco, it will give you another reason to add to the long list of reasons why you should quit. Remember, while some people may not be able to prevent Periodontal disease, many people can help to prevent the disease by simply living healthy.

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Restorative Dentistry Billings MT

Restorative Dentistry

Restorative Dentistry Billings MT

Most people that take the time to brush and floss their teeth regularly and practice preventative dental care, may never experience severe dental problems. However, some people won’t brush regularly, develop oral diseases or have an accident and require restorative dentistry. Fortunately, dentistry techniques have come a long way and improved greatly. Learn what restorative dentistry is all about and how you might benefit.

What is Restorative Dentistry?

Many people don’t realize that gums and teeth just don’t have the ability to heal themselves when they become damaged or develop gum disease. What may start as a simple cavity that could easily be filled could turn into a broken tooth down the road. Gum disease won’t heal on its own; periodontal disease requires treatment. In many instances, the problems don’t go away, but actually worsen with time. These are just a couple of examples where people can benefit from restorative dentistry once damage occurs.

Restorative dentistry can greatly improve or enhance your smile, repair or replace missing teeth and improve the health of your gums.

  • Dental Bridges and Crowns

Bridges and crowns can be used to eliminate spaces where teeth are missing and greatly improve your chewing function as a result. This type of restorative dentistry not only improves functionality, but it improves aesthetics as well.

  • Dentures

Dentists can easily restore functionality to improve your bite with the installation of dentures. This restorative procedure is a radical change that can improve oral health.

  • Mouth Reconstruction

Thanks to improved dental procedures, dentists can make restorative changes for crowded teeth, blemished or decaying teeth and split or missing teeth.

  • Dental Implants

Dental implants are another popular option for people with missing teeth. Once they are properly fitted, patients can talk, eat and laugh easier and be assured they are tightly fastened to the jawbone.

The Benefits of Restorative Dentistry

  • Restore the health of your teeth.
  • Resolve and correct bite issues.
  • Alleviate pain.
  • Prevent the spread of decay.
  • Restore dental functions back to normal.
  • Stop and prevent teeth from shifting when teeth are missing.
  • Reduce or stop pain all together when chewing.
  • Correct speech impediments caused from missing teeth.
  • Help you to regain your self-esteem and self-confidence.
  • Improve your looks with a beautiful smile.

Whether you have a missing tooth or could benefit from a full mouth restoration, it might be worth a consultation with your dentist. Restorative dentistry has come a long way, and you might just be pleasantly surprised at the results.

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