Author Archives: Tony O'brien

1. What is the Patient responsibility in regards to their oral hygiene

   December 14, 2019 10:59 am Leave a Comment

   Besides having regular dental exams, you also need professional hygiene visits and your own good oral hygiene routine. While you may think occasionally skipping brushing and flossing isn’t a big deal, remember your mouth is an unstable environment constantly under attack from bacteria. Since we don’t clean perfectly each time, like a dirty casserole dish that isn’t thoroughly scrubbed, it’s easy for plaque to build up. Ask yourself these questions to see how you’re doing with your hygiene routine:

   -Are you brushing with an electric toothbrush or still with a manual?

   -Are you brushing at least twice a day for two minutes or more and checking afterwards to see if you missed any spots?

   -Are you flossing daily to clean the places you can’t reach with your toothbrush?

   -Have you talked with our hygienists about if you should be using a mouth rinse or a prescription to deal with excessive bacteria?

   Since we don’t brush or floss perfectly each time, keeping up a consistent routine is important to make up for the times we miss spots. Inadequate personal cleaning is also one of the reasons professional hygiene visits are necessary.

2. What is the Dentist’s responsibility

   10:57 am Leave a Comment

   Poor dentistry can create an array of dental problems, so it’s extremely important that your dentist is properly trained in providing modern dental care and that he or she provides quality services.

   My responsibility as a dentist is to diagnose problems early, provide detailed information about the cause of problems, and educate you on the pros and cons of all the treatment options.

   It comes as a surprise to many of my new patients that common dental treatments, like resin fillings, are actually a compromise to the best possible care. My responsibility as a dentist is to make sure you know there are better options  and offer you these whenever possible.

   It is also my responsibility to make sure I don’t cause any additional trauma to already compromised teeth. Trauma caused by a dentist is called “iatrogenic trauma” and can include accidental chips made during drilling, drilling too deeply into a tooth and hitting the nerve chamber, and over filling a tooth such that the filling now touches the adjacent tooth. A dental drill spins at 300,000 rpms (faster than a jew engine!), so you want to make sure that drill is in capable, steady hands!

3. How to Tell the Difference Between Preventative, Restorative and Cosmetic Dentistry

   November 20, 2019 9:31 am Leave a Comment

   There are so many fields of dentistry that it is worth knowing the difference between each and how treatments can assist you.

   Preventative Dentistry

   Preventative dentistry is the foundation of good dental health, involving regular dental examinations, hygiene treatments and x-rays.

   While the recommendation is to see the dentist at least every six months, at Oasis, we’ve found better clinical outcomes for our patients who come more frequently. We do of course customize this, to suit your personal needs as our patient. When you come for a new patient visit, we’ll assess the state of your gums and hygiene and suggest a personalized follow up These regular checks allow us to monitor your dental health closely, and to detect any small changes soon after they occur. When necessary, we can provide additional care and advice to help you maintain healthy teeth and gums.

   Restorative Dentistry

   Restorative denistrty is Dr. Rick’s speciality! Do you have decay, need a filling, or have a tooth at risk for fracture? You may need restorative work done. Restorative treatments include dental crowns, implants, and fillings. At Oasis Dental we do almost all our restorative work in porcelain.

   Cosmetic Dentistry

   We have an enticing choice of cosmetic dental services, and these treatments are designed specifically to improve your smile. Our services include composite resin or porcelain veneers, dental implant-supported crowns to restore missing teeth, and teeth whitening.

   As you can see, the treatments found in restorative and cosmetic dentistry can often overlap, giving you the best of both worlds. These treatments can often provide cosmetic benefits, improving the appearance of your smile while protecting your dental health.

   . **We also use SmileStyler for correcting alignments.

4. Neuromuscular Dentistry and How It Can Help with TMJ Disorders

   9:30 am Leave a Comment

   Temporomandibular joint disorder or TMJ disorder is a problem affecting the jaw joints hinging your lower jaw. When your teeth, jaw joints and facial muscles are imbalanced, the muscles and joints can become inflamed creating various problems such as jaw pain, facial pain, chronic headaches or migraines and earache. The pain can even extend into your neck and shoulders. Neuromuscular dentistry seeks to correctly position the jaw, relieving inflammation in the jaw joints and facial muscles and eliminating unpleasant symptoms of TMJ disorder.

   Treating TMJ Disorder with Neuromuscular Dentistry

   If you have problems with your jaw joints, we can gently assess this problem. Dr Rick will examine the relationship between your upper and lower jaw and will determine the range of motion. He will also look at any inflammation in the jaw joint. After your examination, we can begin to realign your jaw using oral therapy. Usually, the gentlest form of treatment is to create a custom oral appliance that fits over your teeth, holding your jaws in the proper alignment and which is worn during sleep. The oral appliance ensures your jaws are in a more relaxed position, relieving muscle tension and inflammation. We can also look at any problems with an uneven bite as sometimes teeth may need adjusting, so they fit together correctly.