Posts for: June, 2020
If you’re taking medication to regulate your blood pressure, you may be familiar with some of the general side effects, like nausea, drowsiness or dizziness. But some blood pressure drugs might also cause complications with your oral health.
This is true of one class of drugs in particular used for blood pressure regulation. Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) are used to regulate blood pressure by dilating (relaxing) blood vessels, making it easier for the heart to pump blood. They’re often prescribed to patients who can’t tolerate beta blockers, another common blood pressure drug.
Besides other general side effects, CCBs can also cause gingival hyperplasia (gum overgrowth) and mouth dryness. The former condition occurs when the gum tissues grow and extend beyond their normal size over the teeth. Besides pain and discomfort, hyperplasia creates an abnormal appearance which can be embarrassing. Research findings also indicate that hyperplasia development from CCB use is also linked to poor hygiene habits, which give rise to periodontal (gum) disease.
Mouth dryness is defined as less than normal saliva flow. Besides discomfort, the condition may increase your risk of dental disease: saliva is a key part in keeping bacterial levels low and maintaining the mineral content of enamel. Inadequate saliva flow can’t maintain this balance, which increases the bacterial population in the mouth and the risk of infection leading to gum disease or tooth decay.
To avoid both of these side effects, it’s important first to let us know if you’re taking blood pressure medication and what kind. You may also need more frequent dental visits, especially if you’re displaying symptoms of dental disease. Studies have found that frequent dental visits to remove bacterial plaque and calculus (hardened plaque deposits) may significantly reduce gum overgrowth in patients taking a CCB. You should also maintain a recommended daily regimen of oral hygiene (brushing and flossing).
Because of possible effects on your dental health from a number of drugs, it’s always important to let us know the medications you’re regularly taking. As with CCBs, we can incorporate that knowledge into your dental treatment to assure your safety and optimal oral health.
If you would like more information on managing your oral care while on medication, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Blood Pressure Medications.”
If you've been dealing with a tooth that needs to be removed—or it's already missing—you may be looking to replace it with a dental implant. And it's a great choice: No other restoration can provide the appearance and function of a real tooth like an implant.
You and your smile are ready for it. The question is, though, are your gums and underlying bone ready? These dental structures play a critical role in an implant's stability and eventual appearance. A problem with them may make placing an implant difficult if not impossible.
An implant requires around 2.0 millimeters of bone thickness surrounding the implant surface for adequate support and to minimize the chances of gum recession. But tooth loss often leads to bone loss that can drop its thickness below this threshold. This can make placing an implant problematic.
Fortunately, though, we may be able to address the lack of sufficient bone through bone grafting. By placing grafting material within the empty socket, we create a scaffold for new bone cells to grow upon. Over time this subsequent growth may be enough to maintain an adequate thickness of bone for an implant to be placed.
The gums may also pose a problem if they've shrunk back or receded from their normal positions, as often happens because of gum disease (which may also have precipitated the tooth loss). Again, grafting procedures can help ensure there's adequate gum coverage for the implant. And healthier gums may also help protect the underlying bone from loss.
There are several techniques for placing gum tissue grafts, depending on how much recession has taken place. One procedure in particular is often used in conjunction with implant placement. A small layer of synthetic collagen material or gum tissue referred to as pa dermal apron is included with the implant when its placed. Settling into the bone socket, this apron helps thicken the gum tissues, as well as preserve the underlying bone.
During your preliminary exams, we'll assess your bone and gum health to determine if we should take any steps like these to improve them. It may add some time to the implant process, but the end result will be well worth it.
If you would like more information on dental implants, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Immediate Dental Implants.”
Like thousands of other June brides and grooms, your big lifetime moment has finally arrived: your wedding day! It's been a flurry of activity over the last few months to prepare for it, especially with efforts to look your absolute best. And you remembered everything—including your smile, right?
If you did, kudos to you. Your smile is an important part of your unique personality and thus merits its own special attention. If, however, in all the hustle and bustle you weren't able to give it the attention it deserves before the wedding, don't fret. When it comes to your smile, it's never too late to make it the best it can be.
Depending on your dental situation, here are four ways to achieve a more confident and attractive smile.
Teeth Whitening. Yellowed and dull teeth can dim the beauty of your smile. While daily brushing and flossing helps, you can further improve your teeth's brightness with professional teeth whitening. Our bleaching techniques can give you the shade you desire, from naturally subdued to Hollywood dazzling. And with proper maintenance and touch-ups, your brighter smile could last for years.
Veneers. Dental imperfections like chips, heavy staining or slight tooth gaps can detract from an otherwise perfect smile. We can mask those imperfections with veneers, thin layers of porcelain custom-created to match your teeth. Although less expensive and less invasive than some other cosmetic procedures, veneers can have a transformative impact on your appearance.
Restorations. Sometimes a smile may suffer from severely distressed or missing teeth. Depending on what you need, we can restore your teeth—and your smile—with crowns, bridges or dental implants. The third option is the closest we can come to a real tooth, replacing both a missing tooth's crown and root. With an implant, you can have a new tooth that looks and functions like the real thing.
Orthodontics. Properly aligned teeth make for a beautiful smile. If yours aren't as straight as you'd like them to be, consider orthodontics, the original “smile makeover.” Moving teeth where they ought to be improves dental health and function, and can dramatically improve the appearance of a smile. Even if you're well past your teen years, you haven't missed out: As long as you're reasonably healthy, you can gain a straighter smile at any age. However, this improvement needs more time and planning—so don't wait if that's what you want to do!
If you still have time before the wedding, a dental cleaning and polish can do wonders for your smile (and your dental health too). But even if you aren't able to fit in an appointment before the big day, you can still pursue a cleaning or cosmetic procedure after the honeymoon. Any time is the right time to change your smile for the better.
If you would like more information about enhancing your smile, please contact us or schedule a consultation. To learn more, read the Dear Doctor magazine articles “Cosmetic Dentistry” and “Planning Your Wedding Day Smile.”