Not Yo Grandma's Dentist

Dentistry has come a long way in the past 150 years.

Our grandparents did not have nearly the options that are available today. If they had a bad tooth, they got it pulled and that was that.

In years past the focus was not on prevention of dental disease as it is today. Tooth loss was thought to be a normal result of aging and once people were toothless or nearly so, dentures were prescribed. Just about everybody's grandparents had false teeth. Many of these were ill fitting and not all that attractive.

The most important advance in the last 150 years is the development of safe and effective anesthesia. In the old days, the dentist used ether or nitrous oxide almost exclusively. Today we have effective local and general anesthetic agents making the dental visit much more comfortable.

The material used for fillings now is quite different. Very old fillings contained mercury, which we now know is toxic. Today we have gold and amalgam fillings and with the advent of resins, fillings can be tooth colored and nearly invisible. The old fashioned drills were cumbersome and made the procedures seem endless. With the advent of high speed drills and equipment, filling a cavity takes less time and is less painful.

Some dentists even use lasers to remove decay.

The emphasis now is to save the natural teeth when at all possible. Root canals and crowns help to do that. In years past, dentists would just pull the tooth that was abscessed or very decayed. Before we had dentists, barbers often had this unfortunate task.

Dental implant technology makes having very natural looking functional teeth a reality. When a tooth is lost, an implant can be done. It preserves the underlying bone because the action of chewing stimulates bone growth. When our grandparents got dentures, the bones became demineralized. The gums gradually shrunk and the dentures were difficult to keep in the mouth.

The greatest advances use computer technology. With 3 D imaging, a dentist can capture the tooth structure and an image of surrounding teeth. It allows same day dentures, implants, and restorations.

For the patient who dreads the dental visit so much, they just do not go, we have sedation dentistry. You can pretty much sleep through your ordeal. If you need some pampering, spa dentistry can fill the bill. Relaxation and luxury are stressed. You can even get a facial and massage while your teeth are being fixed. How great is that?

I don't think anyone wants to return to the dental practices of the past. We all know better now.

 




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