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Games of Knowledge | Sports and Exercise

Games of Knowledge and Games of Sport

Avoiding Pain At the Dentist’s Office

| December 9, 2009

Have you ever stopped to wonder why so many people dislike going to the dentist’s office? Many people find even a basic checkup to be painful.

Before having your teeth cleaned, one of the dental hygienist’s duties is to check the health of your gum tissue. He will undoubtedly look at your pocket depths. You can then ask about using an oral irrigator known as the hydrofloss.

Here, for some people is where the trouble begins. When gum tissue is diseased, it feels a lot like someone shoving pins into your gum tissue. However, healthy gum tissue does not have that problem. Normally, dental probing will not invoke pain with healthy gum tissue.

So, if you are one of those who feels that the doctor or hygienist is shoving pins directly into your gums, it is very likely that you have some gum disease. Ask your dentist to verify and diagnose the condition.

Unfortunately, some dentists do not spend a lot of time educating patients about this problem. That situation can lead to greater problems for the patient.

Yet, after the problem has progressed to a certain point, they will offer you a special ‘deep cleaning’ or other relatively expensive treatment to help take care of your problem. Alternatively, they may refer you out to a periodontist for possible gum grafts or surgery. There is a nice oxygenated mouthwash called therabreath that might be helpful.

I can not imagine that sounds good to anyone reading this. Therefore, I might suggest that you focus more on the prevention of gum disease or stopping its progression once it starts.

Many people are surprised that they have gum disease. If the statistics are accurate, there should be no surprise. Those numbers tell us that up to 80% of people have some form of gum disease. Oramd is an interesting possibility. Learn what you can do to prevent this potentially costly problem from visiting you and our family. Learn to prevent gum disease or stop its progression today. Look below the disclaimer to find links to additional information.

Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes and does not intend to render advice, diagnosis or treatment for any health condition whatsoever. If you have or think you have a health or dental health condition, visit your doctor or dentist for advice, diagnosis and treatment. The USFDA has not evaluated statements about any products mentioned in this article.

 

Do You Need a Gum Graft?

| November 18, 2009

gum disease

The question "Where can you get a gum graft?" will invariably pop up once somebody’s either been told they have some tooth root exposure or they notice a darkening of the root at the receded gum line. This darkening can be due to a number of reasons but it’s most commonly from a bit of decay. Fortunately, many people can be good candidates for a grafting of tissue over that gum area.

This first thing to know about such procedures as grafts is that they are what are known as "periodontal surgeries." Now, the term surgery often conjures visions of an operating room theater and a team of intense-looking gown-clad medical types, but fortunately that’s not the case in this type of procedure.

As with any kind of surgery or disease, prevention is you best option. However, once you have reached a certain point, perhaps you and your doctor will feel that it is too late for preventive measures. Some products that are useful for periodontal health are ora-md, therabreath and the hydro floss oral irrigator.

Gum grafts are most often performed in the treatment room of a periodontist, who is usually a doctor of dental surgery (DDS), with a board certification and specialist training in periodontal issues. Just as with medical doctors, though, any dentist who’s been licensed to practice dentistry can hang a shingle out and do just about any aspect of dental medicine.

It’s always highly recommended, though, that some time be taken to research for a dentist with appropriate periodontal certifications and extensive experience in performing grafts. If you stop to think about things doesn’t it make sense, after all, to put your trust in somebody who actually specializes in such procedures instead of a general dentist who may or may not have such a background?

Gum grafting can make sense in a few different circumstances, especially when the root of the tooth is exposed or there’s some hypersensitivity of the area surrounding the root. If done properly, with donor tissue taken from the palate of the mouth, a full healing can be expected within 4 to 8 weeks. Remember to try to use a periodontist who has experience in the procedure, if possible.

Scott W. recommends the book: What You Should Know about Gum Disease for those seeking more information on this topic. ISBN: 978-0981485508

Disclaimer: If you have or think you might have gum disease or any other health problem, please visit your doctor or periodontist for advice, diagnosis and treatment. This article is for information purposes only and does not intend to provide advice, diagnosis or treatment for any health condition.