I want to whiten my teeth, but can
they get TOO white? I don’t want them to look fake.
No, your natural teeth cannot get TOO white. If you see someone with really white “fake-looking” teeth, they actually have really white fake teeth. These are people who have poorly made dentures, or crowns and veneers that weren’t properly designed to mimic natural teeth. We offer many levels of teeth whitening, and the higher-end options will whiten your teeth as much as mother nature will allow. This means your teeth’s inherent, natural anatomy and characteristics play a large role in how white they will get; it's not just the whitening solution alone. You can rest assured your teeth will not be “glowing” after you finish the process. It’s not possible to look like "Ross from Friends" just by whitening your teeth.
My gums hurt and bleed when I floss, that’s why I don’t floss.
Do I really need to do this?
This is a very common question, with a very simple answer: Yes, you need to floss. It may seem counterintuitive, but the reason gums bleed and hurt when they're flossed is because they're not being flossed properly and/or often enough. Flossing is the only way to truly and effectively clear out the bacteria between your teeth and under your gums. By not cleaning under your gums, you’re allowing a bacterial infection (known as gingivitis,or periodontitis in its later stages) to fester. Long-standing gum infections have been linked to numerous health problems, including but not limited to: heart disease, high blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes, and low birth weight. Incredibly, with all the modern technology available and the dozens of products claiming to be “just as effective” or “more effective” than floss, nothing is as effective as that simple piece of string that has been around for decades. Proper flossing techniques and their benefits are thoroughly discussed during your initial exam.
I’ve been told I need fillings, but nothing hurts. So why do them?
In most situations, cavities only hurt in their most advanced stages. If you wait too long, the tooth will start to ache. If it gets to this point, you will need the tooth pulled, or a root canal if the tooth is still salvageable and you choose to save it. It’s always wise to take care of any diagnosed health problems before they become painful. A common analogy referenced is high blood pressure. Although many hypertension patients are symptom-free, they'll be proactive with medications and/or diet and exercise to help prevent more serious future complications such as a heart attack or stroke. Fixing a cavity in its early state can help prevent a host of more serious problems down the road.
It
seems like my dentist always finds something that needs to be
fixed every time I come in for my exam and cleaning. Sometimes
it gets discouraging.
This is actually a very common frustration…but it helps to keep things in perspective. For the sake of argument, lets assume someone has all 32 adult teeth. Each tooth has five surfaces (front, back, top, and two sides). That’s 160 different areas that can potentially get a cavity. And remember, each tooth is surrounded by gum tissue, which may also require treatment if it becomes diseased. In short, the mouth is under constant attack from the foods we eat and drink, medications, millions and millions of bacteria, chewing stresses, teeth grinding…the list goes on and on. And keep this in mind as well: any filling, crown, or denture we do is a man-made product put in a natural environment. Like a roof on a house or tires on a car, mother nature will ultimately win and lead to necessary repair or replacement. I’ve personally gone through my “first wave” of replacing and repairing teeth. Depending on how long I live, I may go through many more. So don’t beat yourself up over it. As much as we would love to see everyone cavity and problem free, it’s unrealistic when you consider all the variables stacked against us.
I think I have TMJ. Can you tell?
The abbreviation "TMJ" stands for TemporoMandibular Joint, and each of us have 2 of them. These joints help connect your lower jaw to your skull, on the right and left side. If you put your fingers in or next to your earholes, you can feel these joints move when you open and close your mouth. When these joints and their surrounding muscles and tissues become painful, it’s called a TMJ disorder. It’s extremely rare for these joints to need replacement, like hips or knees. But TMJ disorders can be debilitating and can affect a person’s general quality of life if not treated. Most of the time, TMJD can be treated with a nightguard.
Dr. Oz said dental X-rays are bad for you and cause thyroid cancer.
Do I have to get them?
Dr. Oz is a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon, and his excellence has been proven many times over in this field. But please try and remember: what you're seeing on TV isn't Dr. Oz in the operating room. What you're seeing is an Oprah spin-off personality and an employee of a major marketing network. Medical X-rays and imaging are crucial for proper diagnosis. They allow health care professionals to see what they can’t see during a routine visual exam with just their eyes. It’s why everyone from chiropractors, to dentists, to surgeons depend on X-rays to determine appropriate treatment. Dr. Oz would never take you into surgery without an X-ray, MRI, CAT scan, or some combination of the three. Dentistry is no different: it's on a much smaller scale, but fillings and a variety of other dental procedures are considered minor surgery (the "S" in DDS stands for surgery.) If we were to only fix the problems we can only see with our eyes, we can easily miss additional diseased areas that are only detectable on X-rays. In short, it’s not just difficult to perform thorough exams and treatment without X-rays: IT'S LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE. It's equivalent to taking your car in for a check-up, but not letting the mechanic open the hood, or "put it on the rack." It's analogous to driving at night without your headlights on, or putting on makeup without a mirror. We have taken numerous photos of teeth over the years that appeared to be perfectly fine to the naked eye, only to find alarming amounts of decay or other pathological findings once the X-rays were viewed.
We realize the primary concern patients have with any type of medical imaging is radiation exposure. By utilizing digital dental X-ray technology, the dose of radiation exposure is minimized to a trivial amount, even in comparison to general "background" radiation everyone is exposed to on a daily basis. (Sources of daily "background" radiation include everything from the food you eat to the air you breathe, the sun, commercial airline flights, rocks and soil, paper found in books, your family members, etc.)
I see, hear, and read more and more bad stuff about dentistry and traditional medicine on TV, radio, and the internet. Should I be concerned?
The age-old saying “consider the source” usually applies here. In today’s world, we are constantly bombarded with information from all angles. Deciding what to believe and who to trust can be more than challenging; it can be downright exhausting. Always keep in mind, the purpose of media outlets and their chosen formats is to create shock value by sensationalizing a topic – to get ratings. This applies to national news television and/or personal blogs. We will be more than happy to help you make an informed decision about something you may have seen or read that may be alarming. A good rule of thumb – if an article you have read or a program you have seen starts with something similar to “The Shocking Truth” or “They don’t want this to get out,” proceed with caution. These types of articles and programs are rarely if ever backed by the boring but necessary research and data needed to make their claims legitimate, because lets face it – that stuff’s boring. (And yes, I do appreciate the irony that you are, indeed, reading this passage on the internet.)
This is just a sampling of often-asked questions. Have one of your own? Don’t hesitate to give us a call at (330) 533-1961 so we can assist you.
No, your natural teeth cannot get TOO white. If you see someone with really white “fake-looking” teeth, they actually have really white fake teeth. These are people who have poorly made dentures, or crowns and veneers that weren’t properly designed to mimic natural teeth. We offer many levels of teeth whitening, and the higher-end options will whiten your teeth as much as mother nature will allow. This means your teeth’s inherent, natural anatomy and characteristics play a large role in how white they will get; it's not just the whitening solution alone. You can rest assured your teeth will not be “glowing” after you finish the process. It’s not possible to look like "Ross from Friends" just by whitening your teeth.
My gums hurt and bleed when I floss, that’s why I don’t floss.
Do I really need to do this?
This is a very common question, with a very simple answer: Yes, you need to floss. It may seem counterintuitive, but the reason gums bleed and hurt when they're flossed is because they're not being flossed properly and/or often enough. Flossing is the only way to truly and effectively clear out the bacteria between your teeth and under your gums. By not cleaning under your gums, you’re allowing a bacterial infection (known as gingivitis,or periodontitis in its later stages) to fester. Long-standing gum infections have been linked to numerous health problems, including but not limited to: heart disease, high blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes, and low birth weight. Incredibly, with all the modern technology available and the dozens of products claiming to be “just as effective” or “more effective” than floss, nothing is as effective as that simple piece of string that has been around for decades. Proper flossing techniques and their benefits are thoroughly discussed during your initial exam.
I’ve been told I need fillings, but nothing hurts. So why do them?
In most situations, cavities only hurt in their most advanced stages. If you wait too long, the tooth will start to ache. If it gets to this point, you will need the tooth pulled, or a root canal if the tooth is still salvageable and you choose to save it. It’s always wise to take care of any diagnosed health problems before they become painful. A common analogy referenced is high blood pressure. Although many hypertension patients are symptom-free, they'll be proactive with medications and/or diet and exercise to help prevent more serious future complications such as a heart attack or stroke. Fixing a cavity in its early state can help prevent a host of more serious problems down the road.
It
seems like my dentist always finds something that needs to be
fixed every time I come in for my exam and cleaning. Sometimes
it gets discouraging.This is actually a very common frustration…but it helps to keep things in perspective. For the sake of argument, lets assume someone has all 32 adult teeth. Each tooth has five surfaces (front, back, top, and two sides). That’s 160 different areas that can potentially get a cavity. And remember, each tooth is surrounded by gum tissue, which may also require treatment if it becomes diseased. In short, the mouth is under constant attack from the foods we eat and drink, medications, millions and millions of bacteria, chewing stresses, teeth grinding…the list goes on and on. And keep this in mind as well: any filling, crown, or denture we do is a man-made product put in a natural environment. Like a roof on a house or tires on a car, mother nature will ultimately win and lead to necessary repair or replacement. I’ve personally gone through my “first wave” of replacing and repairing teeth. Depending on how long I live, I may go through many more. So don’t beat yourself up over it. As much as we would love to see everyone cavity and problem free, it’s unrealistic when you consider all the variables stacked against us.
I think I have TMJ. Can you tell?
The abbreviation "TMJ" stands for TemporoMandibular Joint, and each of us have 2 of them. These joints help connect your lower jaw to your skull, on the right and left side. If you put your fingers in or next to your earholes, you can feel these joints move when you open and close your mouth. When these joints and their surrounding muscles and tissues become painful, it’s called a TMJ disorder. It’s extremely rare for these joints to need replacement, like hips or knees. But TMJ disorders can be debilitating and can affect a person’s general quality of life if not treated. Most of the time, TMJD can be treated with a nightguard.
Dr. Oz said dental X-rays are bad for you and cause thyroid cancer.
Do I have to get them?
Dr. Oz is a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon, and his excellence has been proven many times over in this field. But please try and remember: what you're seeing on TV isn't Dr. Oz in the operating room. What you're seeing is an Oprah spin-off personality and an employee of a major marketing network. Medical X-rays and imaging are crucial for proper diagnosis. They allow health care professionals to see what they can’t see during a routine visual exam with just their eyes. It’s why everyone from chiropractors, to dentists, to surgeons depend on X-rays to determine appropriate treatment. Dr. Oz would never take you into surgery without an X-ray, MRI, CAT scan, or some combination of the three. Dentistry is no different: it's on a much smaller scale, but fillings and a variety of other dental procedures are considered minor surgery (the "S" in DDS stands for surgery.) If we were to only fix the problems we can only see with our eyes, we can easily miss additional diseased areas that are only detectable on X-rays. In short, it’s not just difficult to perform thorough exams and treatment without X-rays: IT'S LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE. It's equivalent to taking your car in for a check-up, but not letting the mechanic open the hood, or "put it on the rack." It's analogous to driving at night without your headlights on, or putting on makeup without a mirror. We have taken numerous photos of teeth over the years that appeared to be perfectly fine to the naked eye, only to find alarming amounts of decay or other pathological findings once the X-rays were viewed.
We realize the primary concern patients have with any type of medical imaging is radiation exposure. By utilizing digital dental X-ray technology, the dose of radiation exposure is minimized to a trivial amount, even in comparison to general "background" radiation everyone is exposed to on a daily basis. (Sources of daily "background" radiation include everything from the food you eat to the air you breathe, the sun, commercial airline flights, rocks and soil, paper found in books, your family members, etc.)
I see, hear, and read more and more bad stuff about dentistry and traditional medicine on TV, radio, and the internet. Should I be concerned?
The age-old saying “consider the source” usually applies here. In today’s world, we are constantly bombarded with information from all angles. Deciding what to believe and who to trust can be more than challenging; it can be downright exhausting. Always keep in mind, the purpose of media outlets and their chosen formats is to create shock value by sensationalizing a topic – to get ratings. This applies to national news television and/or personal blogs. We will be more than happy to help you make an informed decision about something you may have seen or read that may be alarming. A good rule of thumb – if an article you have read or a program you have seen starts with something similar to “The Shocking Truth” or “They don’t want this to get out,” proceed with caution. These types of articles and programs are rarely if ever backed by the boring but necessary research and data needed to make their claims legitimate, because lets face it – that stuff’s boring. (And yes, I do appreciate the irony that you are, indeed, reading this passage on the internet.)
This is just a sampling of often-asked questions. Have one of your own? Don’t hesitate to give us a call at (330) 533-1961 so we can assist you.
FAQ
Call (330) 533-1961 • 3870 Starrs Centre Drive • Canfield, OH 44406
Brian T. Weibling, DDS
The Tri-County's Center for
Gentle Family Dentistry
The Tri-County's Center for
Gentle Family Dentistry
