Brookside Dental’s Blog

BELLEVUE DENTISTS SOFT-TISSUE LASER CREATES NEW SMILES

Three Beautiful Smiles at Brookside Dental Staff Gathering

Bellevue Dentists at Brookside Dental are always striving to stay on the cutting edge of new technology in the field of Dentistry. Dental technology is constantly evolving and developing new methods, procedure and equipment to make visits to the dentist more rewarding and pleasant. Our newest patient-friendly acquisition at Brookside Dental has these Bellevue Cosmetic Dentists using the Odyssey soft-tissue laser to create beautiful new gum lines. The soft-tissue laser is used for sculpturing a new contour around the teeth resulting in a new more attractive gum line and overall smile. Whenever gum tissue does not have the correct contour for a beautifully aesthetic smile, the soft tissue laser can be used to reshape the gums painlessly. Anesthetic generally is not required for this process, because the pulse duration of the laser is so short that the reaction threshold of the nerves is not reached. This laser also can be used to sterilize periodontal pockets that are diseased areas around teeth, because it painlessly kills the germs found there. The soft-tissue laser also can be used to condition and rejuvenate the tissue around teeth so that exceptional dental restorations, tooth fillings and crowns, can be placed correctly and look beautiful, even if the tissue around the teeth is not in the best condition.

For many people, bright white teeth and a beautiful smile seem impossible, due to the fact that they have “small teeth” which exhibit a considerable amount of pink gum tissue. Generally, this is not caused by “short teeth”, but rather it is due to a gummy smile or excess gum tissue that shows at the time of smiling. People with this problem can obtain a beautiful smile that has a well proportioned gum to tooth relationship with soft-tissue laser gum sculpting. The soft-tissue laser offers a painless, minimally invasive, non-surgical, and extremely successful method to obtain a beautiful smile. The excess gum tissue needs to be eliminated so that your teeth will exhibit their natural length and beauty. Patients heal very quickly, with few problems, and with less discomfort than is usually associated with traditional gum surgery methods or crown lengthening. To insure that the proper gum to tooth ratio is achieved for a beautiful smile, it is important to chose a Bellevue Cosmetic Dentist that has had experience with this soft-tissue laser technique.

For most people with “short teeth” or a “gummy smile”, the dentists at Brookside Dental, Bellevue, WA, will be able to reshape your gums to painlessly create a beautiful new smile with the Odyssey soft-tissue laser. In a very few people that have this laser contouring of the gums, there may be a need to refer them to a dental specialist for some crown lengthening that would involve surgical removal of some of the bony tissue around the teeth. Your Bellevue Dentist at Brookside Dental will be able to quickly evaluate whether or not you will need additional surgery. The case with most people is that only simple soft-tissue laser sculpting will be sufficient to give you a fabulous new smile.


Bookmark & Share

BELLEVUE DENTIST DISCUSSES ACID EROSION IN CHILDREN

Children’s dietary habits can influence acid erosion, because young teeth have softer and thinner enamel than adult teeth. Studies have shown that many children have erosion of the dental enamel of at least one tooth. Orange juice although full of vitamins is a major culprit for young tooth erosion of the enamel.

Parents can take some steps to cut down on dental enamel erosion in their children. These include:

Limit the exposure of children to acid foods and drinks each day.

Do not let children sip juice all through the day.

Do not let children keep and swish acidic drinks around in their mouths.

Have children rinse their mouths with water after eating foods or having acidic drinks.

Children should brush their teeth regularly twice daily with a fluoride tooth paste.

Toothpaste that is specifically made to protect against acid erosion can be used.

Creating Beautiful Smiles - Keeping Smiles Beautiful

Bookmark & Share

BABY TEETH AND STEM CELL PRODUCTION: HOW BABY TEETH CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE

The following article is reproduced without any alterations from the Woman Dentist Journal 2009. The author of the original article is Joanne Oppenheim, DDS, a pediatric dentist in Illinois. As Bellevue Cosmetic Dentists we do not normally print other peoples’ articles, but this discussion of stem cells harvested from baby teeth is something of very high interest for later life health of an individual. Therefore, we felt we should publish it on our blog site in its original and unedited form. The only thing is that the tissue culture cell photos by Dr Mao are not reproduced here. However, the tissue photos may be seen in the original article or in the article that we posted on our other Cosmetic Bellevue Dentist Blog.

Woman Dentist Journal 2009 Baby Teeth and Stem Cells

As the article points out, stem cells may be taken from baby teeth and preserved for many years for potential use to cure a disease as children age and grow older. My interest in stem cell preservation and research began about 12 years ago when I was pregnant with my daughter. I remember reading an article about saving the cells from the umbilical cord after the birth of the child for research. A week before my due date, I picked up the kit from a hospital and told my doctor about my wishes to preserve the umbilical cord stem cells for my daughter. To my surprise, my obstetrician had never done this procedure before. I quickly realized that this would be a learning experience for all! While still in the delivery room just after my daughter was born, I explained to the doctor what to do with the cord blood.

Since that time, much has changed. I would venture to guess that almost anyone who is pregnant or has had a baby recently has heard about cord blood banking. And since the birth of my daughter, my nieces and nephews have had their cord blood saved as an insurance policy for their future.

In the spring of 2008, I read an article about preserving the stem cells from baby teeth. My first thought was that it was a waste having all of my children’s teeth sent to the tooth fairy instead of to StemSave. During the annual American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry meeting in May, I spoke with the people at the StemSave table. They were doing the same thing with baby teeth as the people 12 years ago were doing with the cord blood.

The value of stem cells in the curing of so many of the deadliest diseases is much better understood today. If we can save the stem cells from baby teeth, it is like receiving another opportunity for the people who did not save their babies’ cord blood.

The more I’ve come to learn about stem cells, the more I realize the potential benefits to people. I like to think that since we’ve learned that very powerful stem cells exist in teeth, we dentists are on the frontlines of this emerging medicine. When I think of the potential of thousands of teeth that are discarded as medical waste, I realize that patients and parents of patients should be given the opportunity to decide if they want to hang on to those stem cells.

All of the parents of our patients who will soon be losing teeth — whether naturally or for orthodontic reasons — receive the pamphlet on StemSave. The parents decide if this is something they would be interested in. It’s a very personal decision, and I like to offer families all of the facts so they can make an informed decision. I recommend going to the Web site, but if they have any questions, they are welcome to call me.

Once parents choose to save their child’s baby teeth, we explain to the child that we will give them a special tooth box and the tooth fairy will still come to their house. There is so much emotion and nostalgia associated with losing baby teeth. While parents may want to take the traditional under-the-pillow route with the first tooth, we try to create a new sense of excitement with sending the tooth off to StemSave. We encourage the child to draw a picture or write a note to let the tooth fairy know where the tooth is and that we only need the stuff on the inside and she can take the stuff on the outside!

When a child comes in for the extraction of a tooth, nothing is different for me. It’s the parents’ responsibility to preregister with StemSave. They handle the transaction directly with StemSave so I don’t have any additional paperwork. When the child sits in the chair for the extraction, the parents have already set up their account with StemSave. Prior to the appointment, StemSave will send a personalized transport kit for the child to my office. The transport kit is ingeniously simple to use. After I extract the tooth, I just drop it into a vial which is marked for that patient. The vial has nutrients that keep the tooth intact. It is placed in the kit, which is designed to induce hypothermia in the tooth without the use of frozen gel packs, so the stem cells are protected during transport to StemSave’s lab. After recovering and securing the tooth in the kit, we notify stemsave directly and they arrange for UPS pickup, and the kit is delivered to their lab for processing.

Our hopes are that these teeth are never needed. Unfortunately, we cannot know who will have medical problems in the future and will need their stem cells for a cure. Whoever would have thought that your baby teeth could save your life?

Sources of Dental Stem Cells

In a child, the most accessible stem cells are from the oral cavity. For deciduous teeth, the best candidates are moderately resorbed canine and incisors with the presence of healthy pulp. In children, other sources of easily accessible stem cells are supernumerary teeth, mesodens, over-retained deciduous teeth associated with congenitally missing permanent teeth, and prophylactically removed deciduous molars for orthodontic indications.

Conceptually, dental stem cells have the potential to differentiate into neural cell lineages. Recently, investigators have discovered a unique type of stem cell in the dental pulp of deciduous teeth. Stem cells from deciduous teeth, which are formed during the sixth week of human development, behave differently than other adult stem cells. These immature stem cells are capable of extensive proliferation and differentiation, which make them an important resource of stem cells for the regeneration and repair of craniofacial defects, tooth loss, and bone regeneration. However, a number of recent studies show that stem cells from teeth may be manipulated to grow into cell types of a completely different tissue. This ability is called transdifferentiation or plasticity, and different types of adult stem cells have varying degrees of plasticity. Given their ability to produce and secrete neurotrophic factors, dental stem cells may also be beneficial for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and the repair of motoneurons following injury. Indeed, dental stem cells from deciduous teeth have been induced to express neural markers such as nestin. The expression of neural markers in dental stem cells stimulates the imagination for their potential use in neural regeneration such as in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. The potential of dental stem cells in both dental and non-dental regeneration continues to be further explored by researchers. Dental stem cells that have been isolated to date, either from deciduous teeth or permanent teeth, are considered non-embryonic or adult stem cells.

Stem cells recovered from dental pulp can differentiate into bone, cartilage, and adipose cells in vitro (outside the body).

A unique property of stem cells is that they are able to proliferate in vitro in a cell culture medium.

Photos in the original article are the Courtesy of Dr. Mao.

For more information about the process and details of how to join StemSave’s nationwide network of dentists, log onto www.StemSave.com.


Bookmark & Share

BELLEVUE DENTIST PATIENTS HAVE DIFFERENT NEEDS AND DESIRES

BELLEVUE DENTIST WEBSITE

BELLEVUE DENTISTRY Should Be Tailored for the Unique Needs of Each Patient.
At our Bellevue Dentist Office, it would be nice if every patient that called us after a referral from a friend or after visiting our website fit into a cookie-cutter mold for dental services. Everyone would get the same dental work done at the same cost and, most importantly, they’d all see the same positive results and have the same beautiful smiles. An additional benefit to both the patients and dentists would be no hassle insurance, since the insurance companies would be paying the same amount for everyone.

Unfortunately that is not how dentistry works. In reality, the needs and desires of each of our Bellevue Dental patients are unique. Each dental patient should have their needs and desires uniquely tailored to them. Every dentist should realize the following things:

• Each dentist is in a unique market with a unique set of patients
• Each dentist has been in business for a unique amount of time
• Each dentist is offering a unique and hopefully pleasant experience
• Each dentist has a unique in-office ambience
• Each dentist has a unique approach to utilizing new dental technology
• Each dentist has a unique website, assuming they have one
• Each dentist advertises differently to attract new patients
• Each dentist communicates uniquely with his or her patients
• Each dentist utilizes different dental labs and suppliers
• Each dentist has unique hygienists, assistants, and front office support staff

Many principles of Bellevue Dentistry apply across all, or most, dental practices and dental specialties. However, with so many unique variables and unique characteristics related to each dentist and their resulting dental work, the approach to dentistry will vary among different dentists. These variables as they are combined will result in a unique outcome for each dentist. Each dentist should work with each patient to customize the work required to reach the goals of each of their patients, which will always be unique. Each dentist must have the proper equipment and properly trained staff to deliver a high quality dental product to every patient.

At Brookside Dental Bellevue, we expect to deliver the highest quality of dentistry that can be provided. We accomplish this by continually updating our technology and office, having highly trained and friendly staff members, and through continuing education classes taken by our dentists and staff members. We have an onsite porcelain artist to insure consistently high quality porcelain veneers and porcelain crowns. As Bellevue Dentists, we work with each individual person to customize the work required to reach the goals of each of our patients. Our Bellevue Dentist approach and treatment plan will always be unique for each person. Additional information regarding general family dentistry and cosmetic dentistry can be obtained at our Brookside Dental Bellevue website.

Submit to Social Websites

Technorati Profile

For examples of Bellevue Cosmetic Dentist recent cases VIEW BROOKSIDE DENTAL SMILE MAKEOVERS using various cosmetic dental techniques.

BELLEVUE DENTISTS CREATE COMFORTABLE DENTAL ATMOSPHERE FOR CHILDREN WITH A TEDDY BEAR CHAIR AND A LARGE GREEN FROG

Using a giant Teddy Bear Chair to help children feel comfortable and at ease when they visit their Bellevue Dentists was the idea of Dr Patricia Pauley at Brookside Dental Bellevue. Getting children to feel comfortable with their dental environment is a major step toward maintaining a healthy mouth by preventing tooth decay and establishing good oral health at an early age.

Bellevue Dentists Teddy-Bear Chair

The Teddy Bear Chair was patented by Bellevue Dentist Dr Patricia Pauley and was featured in the Seattle Times Newspaper (Monday, August 12, 1991, pg 4) in a large article about Seattle Area Inventors’ Dreams. Children at Brookside Dental Bellevue under the age of 12 are examined and have their teeth cleaned in the friendly confines of the Teddy Bear Chair. All young children that are first time visitors to our Bellevue Dentistry Offfice are given a free ride in the patented Teddy Bear Chair. In addition to the Teddy Bear Chair, the entire room is set aside for children and is decorated with balloons and stuffed animals of all types. After the children have had their initial visit and free ride in the chair, they are comfortable and relaxed during future visits to Brookside Dental Bellevue.

A large green frog is used by Bellevue Family Dentists to assist in the training of young children about the proper method of tooth brushing to insure good oral hygiene. Upon learning the proper way to brush teeth with the green frog demonstration, children will have acquired the first step for keeping their mouths healthy. As Children get older, the Bellevue Dentists at Brookside Dental will educate the children and their parents about the value of dental sealants. Dr Patricia Pauley was among the very first
Seattle Family Dentists to use and understand the potential value of dental sealants, which she has been using for about 25 years on her young patients.

Tooth Brushing Demonstration with Frog and Toothbrush

Although Dr Pat and Dr Cindy specialize in Cosmetic Dentistry, they continue to provide exceptional family dentistry to all of their patients and their families. Additional information about the many dental services that they provide can be read by visiting other areas of the Bellevue Brookside Dental Website.

Submit to Social Websites

Seattle Vocational Institute Dental Clinic Has Annual Fund Raiser for the Dental Assistant Program

Photo: Dr Gil Pauley, Dr Pat Pauley, Dr Pollene Speed, Dr Haydon Mar, Dr Richard Ferguson at Seattle Vocational Institute Dental Clinic Fund Raiser

Each year the Seattle Vocational Institute has a fund raiser for the Dental Assisting Program to insure that as many students as possible have access to the program and are trained in a modern dental environment for entry level employment within the dental industry. SVI’s dental assistant program has been granted full accreditation by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation. The Seattle Vocational Institute Dental Assisting Program is part of the Community Outreach Program designed to improve the health and well being of people in the Seattle, WA, area. Along with the associated dental hygiene program, it is designed to provide oral health care to childern in great need of dental access and also it gives special attention and focus to minorities and underserved segments of the population. One way that childern can best receive preventative dentistry is by the application of dental sealants to their teeth. The focus on minorities is also a major goal in choosing students for both the dental assisting program and the dental hygiene program. The success of the dental assisting school is exceptional and enjoys a student placement of nearly 100% for those students that successfully complete their training into dental jobs throughout the Seattle area. Both the dental assisting and the dental hygiene programs have state-of-the-art clinical teaching facilities. They are associated with Seattle Central Community College. They have a very strong board of directors composed of dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, and other professionals associated with the field of dentistry. Dr Pollene Speed, in addition to having a private dental practice, is the Director of the SVI Dental Assistanting Program. Dr Speed is also the Chairperson of the Acceptance Committee for the University of Washington Dentistry Program. Dr Gil Pauley serves as Chairperson of Board of Directors for the SVI Dental Assistanting Program where he has worked with Dr Speed for about five years. Prior to that they were associates at the University of Washington where they collaborated and published two peer-reviewed scientific papers. Dr Pat Pauley worked with Dr Speed for three years on the Acceptance Committee for the University of Washington Dentistry Program.

Submit to Social Websites

AN ENEMY OF BEAUTIFUL SMILES

People with beautiful smiles usually have healthy and attractive looking gums. The fact that a person would like to have an attractive smile seems to imply that they would want to have healthy looking gums also. However, periodontal disease can seriously damage an otherwise nice smile. Periodontal Disease, or gum disease, is an infection of the support tissues of the teeth. Many adults develop periodontal disease. This is a progressive disease that in its earliest stages may only be noticeable to a trained professional, dentist or hygienist. However, if not treated, this disease in its advanced stages can cause tooth loss as well as being a contributing factor to other serious diseases, including heart disease. By maintaining your gums and the support tissues around the teeth in good health, you should be able to keep your smile for an entire lifetime.

The Cause of Periodontal Disease

There is a film that develops over the surface of your teeth, which is called plaque and is primarily a layer of bacteria. These bacteria are capable of producing enzymes that irritate the support tissues of the teeth. Ultimately, these enzymes can damage the gum tissue, the periodontal ligament, and the bone to your teeth. If not removed on a regular basis, the plaque can harden into tartar (calculus), which is much more difficult to remove than plaque. Teeth that are not properly cleaned will have plaque and/or tartar build up along the gum line.

Factors Associated with Periodontal Disease

Some factors can increase the risk of developing periodontal disease and in turn, periodontal disease has been associated with the increased risk of other diseases. People at risk for periodontal disease are:

· Smokers or tobacco users
· Some systemic diseases
· Medications, such as steroids and salivary flow inhibitors
· Oral contraceptives and hormones
· Crooked teeth
· Dental bridges that do not fit properly

Symptoms of Periodontal Disease

It is possible to have periodontal disease without any noticeable signs or discomfort, such as the commonly occurring bleeding gums or tender swollen gums. However, there are several signs that most likely mean that you have some type of periodontal problem. You should see a dentist immediately if you have any of the following conditions:

· Gums that bleed easily
· Red, swollen or tender gums
· Gums that have pulled away from teeth
· Gums that appear to be short and leave the teeth roots exposed
· Pus that can be expressed upon pressure to the gums
· Bad breath that persists
· Bad taste in the mouth that persists
· Adult teeth that are either loose, move or are separating from each other
· Changes in the way you bite

Preventing Periodontal Disease

Always be sure to see your dentist on a regular basis, every 6 months is recommended, but at least on an annual basis. Your dentist will check for the telltale signs of periodontal disease. During your periodontal exam, the depth of the sulcus, the shallow crevice between your teeth and gums, is checked. A healthy sulcus should be 3 mm or less in depth. In tooth is checked, front and back, because the depth of the sulcus can vary from tooth to tooth, because some areas are more difficult to clean than others. For example, your back teeth are more difficult to keep clean than the front teeth. Prevention of periodontal disease consists of three major items:

· Regular visits and checkups with your dentist
· Professional cleaning of your teeth to remove plaque and tartar
· Regular brushing of your teeth – twice daily is recommended
· Cleaning between your teeth, known as flossing, once a day

Treating Periodontal Disease

Treatment of periodontal disease depends upon the stage of the disease and its progression. In the early stages, the disease is very treatable and even reversible. The dentist or dental hygienist can usually clean your teeth to remove any plaque that has accumulated—the teeth should be fairly normal after this process and with regular maintenance. More advanced disease may require scaling and root planing of the teeth to remove the plaque and the more difficult to remove tartar. This process is often referred to as PSRP (periodontal scaling and root planning). Medications may also be recommended to make sure the level of bacteria do not build up in your mouth. Antibiotics are also applied directly to treated gums to help kill bacteria that cause the disease. Today, lasers are used in modern periodontal therapy to gently and quickly kill bacteria and remove scar tissue from periodontal pockets, and the affected area is sealed as the laser passes through. Most patients undergo laser treatment without any anesthesia at all. The laser also promotes the reattachment of the gum tissue to teeth. In very severe cases where the gums have receded and the roots of the teeth are exposed, grafts from the roof of your mouth will have to be sutured into place to become new gums—this process is usually done be a specialist called a periodontist. Gum grafting can be avoided if the prevention methods listed above are used on a regular basis.

Submit to Social Websites

INTRAORAL CAMERA IS A POWERFUL BELLEVUE COSMETIC DENTISTRY TOOL

Intraoral cameras are tiny digital cameras that fit comfortably in your mouth and enable the dentist to show the patient an enlarged image of an individual tooth or an entire smile on a computer screen. The camera is located in the tip of the intraoral wand and transmits real-time video for the patient and dentist to review. The wand is covered with a disposable plastic sheath, similar to an electronic thermometer, to keep the procedure sterile and comfortable.

The intraoral camera is a powerful tool for the dentist. However, not much is written about it, especially as it pertains to Cosmetic Dentistry. It is often difficult to get a clear picture of your oral health. Who can really see into their own mouths properly? Even with special lights and mirrors, a dentist may only get a shadowed view of the details of a person’s teeth. However, with the touch of a tiny, pen shaped instrument, both the patient and the dentist see an enlargement of every detail in the mouth without effort, pain or X-rays as it appears on a computer monitor screen. The technology of intraoral cameras is one of the most important and useful tools to incorporate into the dental office. These cameras originally where stand-alone pieces of equipment that required their own software with cumbersome bridge links to any dental office management software. The help manuals at that time, which you needed frequently, were written for computer programers, not for dentists and dental office personnel. However, the major dental office management software packages on the market today all have the intraoral camera option incorporated into their software, which makes them very easy to use and relatively trouble free. We have found them to be a really important adjunct for our Cosmetic Dentistry. Patients can easily visualize what you are recommending be done to change their smiles with the various Cosmetic Dental procedures, as you show them on the monitor screen.

Not only does this allow observation of what is really happening inside the mouth, but it also allows the documentation of anything that is seen. Any photos are uploaded to a computer. Information can then be printed out to provide a hard copy picture for your records or for procedure verification by your insurance company. Also, these photos can be retrieved at subsequent patient visits and used to compare the current state of their oral health to that which existed previously.

During diagnosis, the intraoral camera helps with clearly defined images that show details that may be missed by standard mirror examinations. It can also be an educational tool, allowing views of the inside of a mouth to confront problems or review procedures as they progress. Seeing your dental condition big and close up for the first time can be surprising. You may never have realized the true condition of your teeth. This camera is an important aspect of patients’ dental care. Intraoral technology can help the patient and the dentist uncover problems before they become serious. This is a crucial part of conservative and preventative dental treatment. This saves money, and it may save teeth! For example, it is easy to see cracks in old amalgam fillings which are not visible with xrays. More importantly, it allows the patient to view this and other types of problems in detail and immediately realize that the condition needs to be corrected before it becomes worse. The intraoral camera can be very useful in detailing what needs to be done to alter, change or enhance your smile using various procedures in Cosmetic Dentistry.

It can also show the level of personal oral care that a patient has used. With the intraoral camera, any areas that may have been missed during brushing or flossing are much easier to see than with a mirror and the naked eye. When conditions such as periodontal problems are caught in their earliest stages, less invasive corrective treatment is possible. It easily and accurately allows the doctor to monitor and enhance what cannot be seen with the naked eye.

In our office, at Brookside Dental, we do a complete examination on all new patients using the intraoral camera. We take a complete series of photos of all teeth and store them in the computer for future reference. These are done in addition to the standard xrays. We do not charge the patients for these intraoral camera photos. They are invaluable as a supplement to any patient treatment plan, because the patient can understand them completely. We have been keeping intraoral camera photo records of our patients for about 7-8 years. It is an impartial assistant at the side of the dentist. We feel it is one of the reasons that we are able to give excellent service to our patients at Brookside Dental.

Submit to Social Websites

GOOD COSMETIC DENTAL INFORMATION

As I blog and investigate various dental sites, I often come upon what initially appears to be a truely great site with lots of high quality dental information. Usually, the titles of most of these dental sites are very misleading and they frequently turn out to be nothing more than vailed attempts to promote a few “paid advertising dental practices”. They are often in the form of an information site with very little real information or they are a very limited “directory”. In these cases, the sites have little or no real high quality information on dentistry. I have seen a few blogs done by individual dentists, such as the one here at Brookside Dental in Bellevue, WA. Many of these have some very good information–often it is in the form of before and after photos of new smile creations. That is Ok, because it gives people the chance to see what type of improvement can be made in their smile. Also, it gives people the opportunity to evaluate the dentist’s ability to do Cosmetic Dentistry. Most of the dental blogs that show before and after smile photos, exhibit good quality work overall. However, I have seen a few dental sites that have very poor quality work exhibited on them. Fortunately for dental consumers, those dental sites with poor quality exhibits are seen rather infrequently, but they are out there. I am hopeful that the dental consumer is able to evaluate these sites according to what they are.

The best overall information site for dental information that I have seen on the web is animated teeth. This site has marvelous in depth information about most aspects of dentistry including Cosmetic Dentistry. It is illustrated with absolutely fantastic drawings and diagrams. Another site that I recently found on the web also has excellent general information and is located at this dental health site. Although I do not consider it as good as “animated teeth”, it is nevertheless a very well done site with good dental information on a wide variety of topics. For additional information on Cosmetic Dentistry see the Seattle Cosmetic Dentist, the Edmonds Cosmetic Dentist, and the Bellevue Cosmetic Dentist. Any information that you read in this blog should not be considered to take the place of regular dental visits and consultations with your own dentist. Be sure to visit your dentist at least once per year and preferably every six months. Cynthia Pauley DDS and Patricia Pauley DDS are family and cosmetic dentists in Bellevue, WA, near Seattle, WA.

Submit to Social Websites

Tooth Decay is Stopped When Dental Sealants are Used

Cosmetic Dentistry starts with healthy teeth. The reduction of tooth decay with modern Dental Sealants leads to more beautiful smiles and natural looking teeth. Dental Sealants allowed two young patients, Kai and India, on July 25, 2006, to say, Look, mom, no cavities after nine years, after a routine dental exam by Dr Cynthia Pauley! On June 3, 1997, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer ran a front-page feature article on Dental Sealants and Brookside Dental. The article pictured young Kai and India in the child Teddy Bear Room at Brookside Dental receiving their initial dental sealants. Preventive dentistry remains a remarkable success story in dental health and the use of dental sealants on children?s teeth has helped spearhead this amazing progress in the fight against tooth decay. Dental Sealants have definitely taken a huge bite out of tooth decay and contribute to nice healthy looking teeth.

You might have thought getting cavities was a fact of life, but thanks to fluoride, sealants and better dental habits, well over 55 percent of school-age children now have no cavities. This advance in the health of our teeth is as much marketing as medicine. We can credit successful communication campaigns and sound public policy – along with science – for the quantum leap improvement in our public health and in particular the drop in dental cavities. The percentage of school-aged children without cavities in their permanent teeth has decreased dramatically, according to findings by the National Institute of Dental Research. In the early 1970s, schoolchildren had, on average, seven cavities. Twenty years later, the average had fallen to 2.5, researchers reported. The use of Dental Sealants was largely responsible for this dramatic drop along with fluoride treatments. Because of these advances, dentists predict that as far as teeth go, the baby boomers – those people born before 1965 – will be the last generation to have a mouthful cavities that need fillings, crowns and bridges.

To understand the breadth of the achievement, consider the teeth worked on by Bellevue Cosmetic Dentist Patricia Pauley who immediately after graduating from dental school in 1978 put into practice the new dental technique of applying plastic sealants to the chewing surfaces of children?s back teeth. The plastic resin bonds into depressions and grooves, providing a barrier that seals out plaque and food where toothbrush bristles often can’t reach. Applying the sealant to young children’s teeth before they have cavities virtually prevents any possibility of decay in those teeth. Approximately, 99 percent of the child patients receiving dental sealants at Brookside Dental are still cavity-free after 20 years. So it is not surprising that Kai and India Richter had cavity-free mouths 9 years after the application of dental sealants to their teeth. The children of the baby boomers will not have many fillings if they have had the two-pronged treatment for decay prevention consisting of dental sealants and fluoride.

Even though significant progress is being made in the fight against tooth decay, much work remains to be done. Improved tooth care is not universal. Even though sealants are considered virtually decay-proof, large numbers of school-aged children still do not have sealants on any of their permanent teeth, according to the National Institute of Dental Research. Racial minorities, immigrants, and the poor are the least likely to have dental sealants available to them. Seeking to bridge this gap, teams of public-health workers, usually a dentist and three or four dental assistants – set up mobile dental labs in metropolitan areas such as Seattle, Washington, to provide dental sealants to students that are predominantly from low-income families. Dental sealants are one of the first steps toward healthy teeth, beautiful smiles, and increased self-esteem. Additional good news is that Dental Sealants are painless to apply, easily and rapidly applied, and have no harmful side effects. Dental Sealants also are relatively inexpensive, when compared to the cost of a filling or a crown. “Cutting Down on Cavities” is a review of dental sealants used on childern at Brookside Dental for approximately 25 years.

Submit to Social Websites