A Brief Overview of Today's Dental Profession
This is the first of many editorial articles on one of the topics I know best, dentistry. We will explore all aspects of the dental profession, hopefully in a light-hearted yet informative way. Please feel free to send me your comments, but no dental Jokes please! I have heard them all. This edition's topic will include a brief overview of today's Dental Profession, its services, technology, and benefits to you, the dental Consumer.
Savannah is blessed to have a great group of dentists, providing a wide range of dental services. You can choose a practice based on its primary focus. That focus may range from an emphasis on providing economy services to one that is focused on the latest technology and procedures. Savannah also has a full range of specialty practices. Many dentists offer services in the arena of cosmetic and TMJ/bite related procedures.
Here is a brief overview of what is available in Savannah from local dentists.
Personalized Care: Dentistry has been careful to keep personalized care as a top priority by limiting the negative influence of the dental insurance industry. Insurance companies try to manage cost by degrading the dentist-patient relationship. Managed care (a more honest term for this would be managed cost) will never be a big part of dentistry.
Comfort: It's no secret that many patients associate pain with dentistry; however recent advancements are changing this perception. A new dental anesthetic device called "The Wand", makes receiving a local anesthetic a non event! Nitrous oxide is always popular with the anxious, and there are now several new sedative drugs available for dental use. Again, the goal is comfortable treatment.
Restorative Options: Dentistry has always provided several options for repairing your teeth. Now you have even more! You no longer have to have your tooth filled with the (black) silver-mercury fillings. Tooth colored fillings are quickly becoming the norm. The traditional "cap" (porcelain-Fused to metal crown) with the dark gum line, is being replaced with an all porcelain, almost invisible equivalent. You can now have your tooth repaired and have it look totally natural!
Technology: Computers and lasers are driving new technology into dentistry. Digital x-rays give you an immediate high quality image with up to 80% less radiation. The use of lasers are becoming to more widespread. They are used from surgical procedures (quick and precise), to curing cements and fillings. A tooth colored restoration that has been hardened with a laser can be used immediately. There is a new laser based device called the "Diagnodent" which measures microscopic decay without x-rays. This decay can then be removed with another piece of technology call micro-abrasion, which does so without a drill or local anesthetic. By the way, all the new drills are electric, so you no longer have to endure that loud whine of the air driven drills. Technology makes dentistry better (faster and more comfortable.)
Cosmetic Dentistry: The excellent cosmetic dentist is essentially a "plastic surgeon for your smile." Teeth can be reshaped, lightened, straightened, and recontoured, to develop the smile you have always wanted. It is also possible to change the fullness of the teeth to add support to wrinkled faces, droopy or thin lips, or weak chins. Often, by combing bite-related and cosmetic dental techniques, the facial appearance is improved almost as much as the teeth!
Tooth Replacement: The field of removable prosthetics (dentures) is being revolutionized through the use of computers to determine the original dimensions of the teeth and face, and then simply duplicating those dimensions in the new dentures. The result is dentures that fit well, work well, and make you look years younger. Dental implants are still a possible solution for a permanent, non-removable substitute. Although implants are complicated, they can be almost as comfortable and aesthetic as the original teeth.
TMJ/Bite Related Dentistry: Bite related symptoms can include headaches, earaches, joint popping, dizziness, neck and shoulder pain, clenching/grinding, and many other symptoms. New solutions exist here through the use of a computer that measures muscle activity, provides analysis of joint noise and jaw movements, all in an effort to develop a more ideal bite. Removable appliances, restorative treatment, or braces are then used to permanently correct the problem.
In summary, dentistry is moving out of the arena of fixing broken teeth and toothaches, to that of allowing you to keep your teeth for a lifetime, and even venturing in to the arena of life enhancement through advanced cosmetic and functional techniques. The great news is that it is available now, here in Savannah. Save your trips to Atlanta to go to the Braves game! Take advantage of today's dental profession.
