Author Archives: Tony O'brien

1. Why Does Dental Health Influence Surgical Treatments?

   November 20, 2019 9:28 am Leave a Comment

   If you require extensive surgery your doctor may recommend you visit your dentist before hand because oral health and overall health are closely linked. People with poor oral health and who undergo surgery run the risk of oral bacteria entering the body and interfering with healing. Sometimes surgeons will require what’s called dental clearance before surgery, where the dentist must confirm the patient has received a recent dental checkup, has reasonable oral health and most likely won’t require dental treatment during the six months after surgery.

   Dental Clearance is especially common for patients requiring heart surgery, in particular heart valve replacement.

   Even if your surgeon doesn’t need dental clearance it’s still useful to discuss any major health issues with Dr. Rick.

   Many cancer treatments can negatively affect the mouth and teeth, making it difficult to eat comfortably and they may affect the saliva glands. Dentists can work with your surgical team to reduce these side-effects and to manage them if or when they happen. When you have an optimal level of oral health, it can greatly influence your recovery after surgery, ensuring you can eat more comfortably. Eating a nutritious diet allows your body to heal more easily, so you can regain your strength more quickly.

2. Crown Lengthening – What is it Used for and Is It Right for Me?

   October 11, 2019 12:36 pm Leave a Comment

   Crown lengthening is a sophisticated procedure to lengthen a tooth by removing any excess gum surrounding it, and possibly some bone. You may want to consider crown lengthening for functional or aesthetic purposes. Crown lengthening can save a severely damaged tooth. This treatment may be necessary to achieve aesthetic goals.

   Crown Lengthening for Functional Purposes

   We may suggest crown lengthening when there isn’t enough healthy tooth structure above the gum, perhaps because the tooth has broken off at the gumline. Exposing more of the tooth structure and changing the gum level allows us to restore the tooth more easily using a crown or other restoration.

   Crown Lengthening for Aesthetic Purposes

   Are There Any Risks with Crown Lengthening?

   Immediately after crown lengthening surgery, your gums may feel swollen and tender, and it can take several weeks for them to heal completely. You might notice increased tooth sensitivity as the tooth is exposed, but once it is fully restored it should feel comfortable and natural.

3. What is saliva testing?

   12:34 pm Leave a Comment

   By Fiona Ligertwood (edited and created by Kristen Kizer)

   What is saliva?

   Saliva is a natural disinfectant that protects teeth and gums. It helps prevent decay, tooth enamel erosion, gum recession, and has many more important attributes. Another one of saliva’s roles is to keep the pH of the mouth balanced.

   How does our mouth get acidic?

   Whenever we consume food and drink (other than water) the body’s natural digestive process requires an increase in acidity within the mouth. This initial digestive process helps to process the food and drink for digestive absorption in the gut.

   Following this stage, the saliva’s role is to rectify the pH and take it from acidic back to alkaline, keeping a healthy balance and replacing any minerals in the enamel whilst keeping teeth and gums stable and strong.

   Why is an acidic mouth bad?

   Issues arise when the resting saliva (which should be alkaline) is actually acidic or when the mouth is exposed to gut acid (Reflux/Regurgitation or Burping)

   When the mouth is acidic, the protecting, disinfecting, repairing role of saliva either does not occur at all, or does not occur at the required level to keep a healthy pH balance. Therefore, the high acidity of the saliva leads to decay, erosion of enamel and dissolving of gum. What makes this process even more devastating is the bacteria that cause decay and gum infection favour an acidic environment.

   Why might saliva become acidic?

   There are several reasons that the saliva may be acidic. Some of these may be due to medications, gastric reflux, food intolerances, abnormal gut bacteria or parasites, Coeliac disease, high stress and anxiety, nocturnal gastric reflux (often unaware), excessive soft drink / high sugar / high acid consumption, dehydration, constant snacking or grazing are a few of the factors that can alter pH levels of the saliva.

   How can Oasis Dental help?

   At Oasis Dental, our next-level hygiene program includes saliva pH testing where recommended. The value of testing the saliva pH may be to provide a baseline recording for your dental records. Also, saliva test results may give insight to what is causing dental issues, prevent further dental issues or, it may even assist in discovering an underling health issue (in which case we would recommend you to seek further medical advice from your Medical GP).

4. What is a Tooth Cavity?

   12:33 pm Leave a Comment

   A cavity is an opening or hole in a tooth where it has begun to decay, and which allows infection-causing bacteria to enter the tooth. Tooth decay is usually caused by a combination of factors including poor oral hygiene, snacking frequently, or consuming too many sugary or acidic drinks. Tooth decay is unfortunately very common and can affect young children, teenagers and adults. Unless a cavity is treated promptly, it will continue to become larger, eventually infecting the tooth nerve and can even result in tooth loss.

   What are the Symptoms of Tooth Decay?

   Initially, you may not have any symptoms until the cavity becomes larger. Possible symptoms include:

   • Toothache or pain after consuming hot, cold, sweet or sour foods
   • Visible holes in a tooth
   • White, brown or black stains on a tooth surface
   • Tooth sensitivity
   • Pain when biting or chewing food

   Avoiding Tooth Decay Problems

   Regular toothbrushing and flossing, combined with dental checkups and hygiene treatments, are an effective way to maintain strong and healthy teeth. When you visit Oasis Dental for your dental examination, we carefully assess every tooth for tiny lesions or cavities. Early treatment is more effective at saving and preserving the tooth and prevents unwanted symptoms. We can also assess your risk of tooth decay and will devise a suitable preventative plan if needed. For example, in some cases we might recommend fissure seals to seal off tiny hard-to-clean areas of the tooth to prevent bacterial infection and thus tooth decay.