Charles Payet – Page 8 – Charlotte Dentist | Cosmetic, Laser, Family Dentistry

About Charles Payet

My profession and passion are one and the same: I've been a Charlotte dentist since 1999, and if you're in need of a dental office, we'll gladly welcome you. We offer most of the most modern technology available and a unique and broad combination of services. We know the dentist isn't the most fun place to be, but we try to make it the best possible, and since I truly love my job, we aim to offer the best dental care possible.

We Make Beautiful Dentures

As much as our goal is to help people keep their teeth healthy for their lifetimes, sometimes it’s just not workable. Sometimes too many teeth have too big cavities to make them work fixing, sometimes the periodontal disease is too bad even for LANAP to fix, sometimes it’s just too expensive, and sometimes, people just don’t care. Whatever the reason, sometimes a denture, or plate, is just the right thing, and when it is, we aim to make them the best we can. Dentures Don’t Have to be Ugly While dentures are never truly a replacement for teeth (we tell patients that they’re better than no teeth, but don’t expect them to feel or work as well as real teeth do), when they’re made well, fit well, and use high-quality materials, we can not just give you some function back, but we can actually help you smile again. […]

By Charles Payet| 2017-06-09T20:33:41-04:00 December 10th, 2013|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Can Cavities Be Cured?

I’ve seen a lot of posts and articles recently about whether or not dental cavities can be “cured,” with various holistic dentistry advocates pushing alleged cures such as colloidal silver, coconut oil, and some other stuff. We don’t see many people in our practice with these questions, but since it’s out there, I think it wise to address the issue head-on. Bear in mind – this article will pull no punches and might seem a bit offensive. My apologies in advance, but I am definitely getting on my soapbox here. 🙂 Update: I’ve written a new article that discusses the research that is asked about in the comments. There are ongoing studies into how to stimulate tooth growth with lasers, create gels of minerals and enzymes that could build new enamel, and more. As of 2016, however, any such research is at least a decade away from being available. You can read more here: Why Dentists Can’t Cure Cavities or Regrow Enamel. Holistic Dentistry Is a Scam and Hoax No sense in beating around the bush, eh? I’ll just get straight to the point and give you what I honestly believe, and tell you that there is virtually nothing espoused by “holistic” dentists that has ever been proven to be worth more than the paper it was printed on or the Internet space it took up. This holds true for the idea of “curing tooth decay,” too, as espoused on such junk “science” sites as NaturalNews.com or WellnessMama.com. Plain and simple, it’s true that Holistic, Alternative Medicine is Usually Wrong. But getting specifically to the question about “curing” dental cavities, this post was largely inspired by this wonderfully thorough article that debunks the idea of [...]

By Charles Payet| 2017-06-09T20:33:43-04:00 November 24th, 2013|Cavities, Holistic dentist, Taking Care of Your Teeth|0 Comments

Fund Raising for Typhoon Haiyan Victims

If you've been following the news at all, you have surely seen images of the unimaginable devastation caused in the Philippine Islands by Typhoon Haiyan, which stuck on the morning of Friday, Nov. 8th. Reports of more than 10,000 dead and hundreds of thousands of people displaced, their homes utterly destroyed, difficulty getting aid to those in need....it's simply heart-breaking. And I would like to help.......will you help with me? Fine Art Photography Prints for Sale - Proceeds to the Victims As many of our patients know, I am a passionate photographer both inside and outside the dental office. If you've been to our office, you've seen a few of my fine art prints of Oregon. While photography is mostly just a serious passion, I do have a photography website, CDPayetPhotography.com, and I do sell Fine Art Prints, as well. Thanks to the suggestions of a dental colleague, Bernie B. Villadiego, who also has a real talent and passion for photography, I've decided to use my photography as a way to help the victims of the devastating typhoon. Here's how it works, and I hope that you will consider helping: Through December 31st, 2013, I will donate 100% of the proceeds from ALL prints, to the Red Cross Typhoon Relief Fund. Prints range from $15 for a 4x6, up to $200 for a 20 x 30 ThinWrap (ready for mounting), and will be shipped directly to you from my professional printing lab. These are stunningly beautiful Fine Art Prints would make wonderful gifts or decoratations for your home or office. These are just a few of the photos available to purchase. Please visit www.CDPayetPhotography.com to purchase your prints directly, and I hope to [...]

By Charles Payet| 2017-06-09T20:33:46-04:00 November 23rd, 2013|Uncategorized|0 Comments

OMG – I’m Dying!

OK, no worries everyone – the title was just to grab your attention, but there is also some truth to it, isn’t there? From the moment we’re born until the moment we die, we are both growing and dying all the time. Bear with me as I wax a little philosophical in today’s blog post, which is more focused on TOTAL health, rather than just oral and dental health. I recently got some bad news from my doctor about cholesterol, so I’ve been thinking about how I take care of myself overall. I’ll pull in some dental issues, too, though….after all, this is a dental blog! How Well Do You Care For Yourself? And when I say, “…take care of yourself,” I really mean mentally, physically, and even spiritually. […]

By Charles Payet| 2017-06-09T20:33:48-04:00 July 1st, 2013|Taking Care of Your Teeth|0 Comments

Gum Disease is the Hulk, LANAP is Chuck Norris

My friend and dentist/blogging colleague of Saginaw, MI, Dr. Alan Mead wrote an article early in 2013 in which he compared Gum Disease to the Hulk. It’s really a cool article, which I recommend you read in full, but I’ll paraphrase it here: Gum disease is caused by a combination of bad bacteria, poor dental hygiene, and an immune system gone wild. Just like mild-mannered Bruce Banner, who turns into the Hulk when he gets angry, when your immune system is trying to kill the bad bacteria but can’t (too many in the tartar and plaque), it starts going crazy and ends up damaging your own body. Yup, that’s right…..a lot of the damage that is caused by periodontal disease is actually caused by your body insanely and mindlessly trying to kill bacteria. So that’s how gum disease is like the Hulk. […]

By Charles Payet| 2017-06-09T20:33:50-04:00 June 26th, 2013|LANAP - Laser Surgery for Gum Disease|0 Comments

The Cavity in the Mirror May Be Bigger Than It Appears

You know that little message in the passenger-side mirror on all cars? The one that says, “Objects in the Mirror May Be Closer Than They Appear?” It’s basically saying – objects in the mirror ARE closer than they appear, so BE CAREFUL! Well, it would be really nice if patients could understand that when dentists say, “There’s a cavity in your tooth,” they’re really saying, “That cavity in your tooth may not look big, but I promise – it’s bigger than it looks!” […]

By Charles Payet| 2017-06-09T20:33:52-04:00 June 10th, 2013|Cavities, Taking Care of Your Teeth|0 Comments

How Do I Know You Grind Your Teeth, Even if You Don’t Believe Me?

I don’t know why exactly, but patients at my Charlotte dentist office (and all around the country, according to my colleagues) seem to have a problem believing me when I say, “Wow – you grind your teeth really badly.” In fact, the most common response is, “No I don’t!” said with a passion that makes it seem I’m accusing them of killing baby animals. Seriously – and there are a few reasons why people think they’re right and I’m wrong……..even though I’m the doctor. Weird, huh? […]

By Charles Payet| 2017-06-09T20:33:55-04:00 June 5th, 2013|Bruxism & Parafunction, Taking Care of Your Teeth, TMJ Problems, Migraines and Headache Relief|0 Comments

Think the Dentist is Expensive? Then Brush and Floss!

Do you have a lot of dental problems that seem really expensive to fix, whether it’s dental fillings, crowns, root canals, or dental implants? Do you feel like the dentist is just out for your money when you’re told you have cavities or gum disease, but nothing is hurting, so you think they’re just making it up? Do you write nasty comments (or even just agree with them) about greedy dentists on the news stories about them because you need a lot of work and can’t pay for it? If you’re one of these people, I have a tough love message for you: DON’T BLAME THE DENTIST – INSTEAD, TAKE A HARD LOOK IN THE MIRROR! Put another way: I’m sick and tired of being the “bad guy,” when all I’m trying to do is help you get better. It’s not my fault you have cavities or gum disease! […]

By Charles Payet| 2017-06-09T20:33:58-04:00 June 2nd, 2013|Taking Care of Your Teeth|0 Comments

Do Silver Fillings Poison You? HECK NO, Dr. Oz!

Since Dr. Oz (anyone else think the similarity between the TV doc and the The Wizard have some similarities, like they're pretty much full of it?) had a segment on his show recently about "Toxic Teeth", our Charlotte dentist office has again been getting the question, "Should I remove my silver fillings?" The "Great and Powerful Oz" Speaks about Silver Fillings As you can probably gather from my intro and heading, I am not a big fan of Dr. Oz and his TV show. If that's not clear enough for you, here are 2 other articles I've written about the bogus information he provides: Dr. Oz and Teeth Whitening Dr. Oz and Dental X-rays It's really unfortunate that a man of his stature and position, with the training that he has in medicine, chooses to spread quackery and nonsense on his show, without offering genuine opportunities for professional organizations that dispute his alleged science (and I use the word alleged quite deliberately). I guess when it's all about ratings, and when you have Oprah as a backer, you can do what you want, but that makes it no less irresponsible. Are Silver Fillings Really Toxic? There are 2 answers to this question: The hocus-pocus, try-to-scare-you, not-backed-up-by-any-reputable-science answer is that yes, silver fillings are "toxic." The problem is this: none of the methods used to demonstrate this alleged toxicity are any good. Sure, they try to show you some videos that supposedly illustrate "mercury vapor" rising from a tooth being rubbed by an eraser, or they'll tell you about some gadget that measures mercury levels after chewing, or they'll tell you about studies with sheeps' teeth, but they problem is......they're all bunk. If anyone truly wants the scientific studies [...]

By Charles Payet| 2017-06-09T20:34:02-04:00 May 9th, 2013|Dental Philosophy of Care, Taking Care of Your Teeth|0 Comments

Stunning Cosmetic Dentistry in One Visit

While not an easy job, some days dentistry is one of the most rewarding jobs on the planet, and today was one of them! Cosmetic dentistry can take many forms, but when it involves multiple different procedures and materials, it can be an hugely challenging job to make it all turn out just right. In our Charlotte dentist office, we use the most modern technology and teamwork and skills to make this happen, and today was a perfect example of how it should all come together for a beautiful smile. A Broken Porcelain Crown and Space Between the 2 Front Teeth When Anya first came to us for a consultation, it seemed fairly routine - she had a 10-year old porcelain crown that had a chipped corner, and she didn't like the gap between her 2 front teeth. So I recommended some bonding on the left front tooth and having my lab make a new porcelain crown for the right front tooth. While I love our CEREC Same-Day Crown system, I felt we'd get the best result with a skilled porcelain artist, aka a lab tech. But as I got up, I noticed she seemed upset, so I asked what was wrong, and she told me of how bad the experience was the first time she got the crown done, and I realized we couldn't do that to her again. The challenge was then - make as perfectly matching a new crown as we could in ONE VISIT, plus close the space between the teeth. And if there's one thing I like, it's a challenge! Cosmetic Dentistry is about Communication So after plenty of discussion, we decided on the following plan: BOOST! One-Hour Tooth Whitening (completed [...]

By Charles Payet| 2017-06-09T20:34:08-04:00 May 2nd, 2013|Cosmetic dentistry, Porcelain Crowns|0 Comments