Uncategorized – Page 2 – Charlotte Dentist | Cosmetic, Laser, Family Dentistry

Fun Fun Fun! Single-visit porcelain crowns with CEREC 3D!

OK, I know that most people don't think that going to the dentist is fun, but it sure can be a lot more interesting than it used to be for sure. The advent of digital dentistry, particularly CAD/CAM dentistry that allows us to make all-porcelain crowns in just 1 visit, is just pretty darn cool, and that's even according to my patients who've benefited from it. We brought the CEREC 3D system into our office at the end of December 2007, and in that time we're approaching our 200th CEREC crown. In the beginning, I didn't take many pictures because I was really concentrating on learning how to make the crowns beautiful, fit well, and happen smoothly and quickly. Now that we've become more comfortable with the technology, I'm taking the time to really take quality photos to show off just what we can do, and yesterday just was the perfect opportunity. This gentleman had these porcelain-to-metal crowns placed about 4-5 years ago, but he is a major grinder and started breaking the porcelain off within a year. That's one of the potential problems of adding porcelain on to metal like that. They obviously needed to be replaced, and he drove all the way from Asheville, NC for us to do this in 1 appointment; since we clearly needed very strong porcelain, we chose EMAX, which has truly remarkable strength. Take a look and see the results for yourself after the crowns were glazed in our oven: [wpvideo swuEeJjV]

By Charles Payet| 2017-06-09T20:45:46-04:00 March 28th, 2009|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Are Amalgam/Mercury/Silver Fillings Safe?

While silver/amalgam fillings are not requested very often in our practice, as most prefer to have fillings that blend in with their natural teeth, they are something that we do when situations warrant, as I discussed in an earlier post. However, when it comes to the general topic of silver fillings, there are a lot of misconceptions, myths, and outright falsehoods out there. There are groups that CLAIM to have proof of a vast conspiracy by dentists to poison our population by using silver fillings (these are probably the same groups who believe that fluoride is a Russion attempt at mind-control of US citizens so they can take us over - hasn't happened yet, and the conspiracy has been around for decades.); these groups CLAIM to have scientific proof that the mercury in silver fillings is poison that will lead to an absolutely amazing range of diseases, and that the simple removal of those amalgam fillings will almost magically cure those diseases. And it gets even wilder than that, but unless you're specifically looking for a good laugh at how crazy these conspiracy theories get, I won't bore you with all of them. Let me be perfectly clear about my stance on this issue: To date, there is absolutely NO, repeat NO CREDIBLE EVIDENCE that the small amounts of mercury present in amalgam/silver fillings causes any disease or disorder whatsoever. I hope that was clear enough. :-) If silver fillings were as bad as the conspiracy theorists claim, then pretty much the whole world would be crazy, as amalgam fillings have been placed by the billions over the last 100+ years. My parents, for example, would have been beset by a myriad of illnesses, as [...]

By Charles Payet| 2010-11-09T08:54:19-05:00 February 9th, 2009|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Digital photography & patient communication

See Pictures of YOUR Teeth to Understand What's Wrong In today's world, when dental patients are increasingly savvy about dental care, but also increasingly worried that they're being taken advantage of, developing the critical trust between a patient and our team is occasionally difficult. This is where the power of digital photography is so evident, and why I recently wrote about it on my photography blog (http://cdpayetphotography.wordpress.com), because communication is so much easier, and trust is so much easier to establish when you - the patient - see everything that we see. That's one of the reasons that we document our work so extensively with Canon Digital Rebel XTi's. Of course, the other reason we do is because we are proud of our work and love to show off what we can do to serve you and help you keep your teeth for your life. :-) Yesterday was a perfect example (although this patient has been with us for some time and we've already established that trust, plus she was having some pain). This old silver filling had provided many years of use for Mrs. X, but she was having off-and-on soreness and throbbing and wanted it looked at. When we took the picture and showed her the tooth, it was easy for her to understand why it was bothering her, as well as why we recommended a crown to save it; a root canal may well be needed, too, but we're keeping our fingers crossed for her that she won't. Remember my last post about cracked teeth? Take a look at this tooth -- SEVEN CRACKS! No wonder it was hurting. It's almost a miracle that the tooth had not split in 1/2, to [...]

By Charles Payet| 2010-11-08T21:07:00-05:00 January 8th, 2009|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Silver (amalgam) fillings: still a good choice in 2008

Are Silver/Mercury Dental Fillings Safe? For many years, the dental profession has been moving away from gold and silver restorations to composite (plastic) and porcelain/ceramic restorations. However, they are not always the smartest options for certain circumstances. While there is a lot of misinformation out there about the alleged dangers of (mercury) silver fillings, here's the simple truth: Silver fillings are perfectly safe, and there is not ANY reputable research by any reputable organization that has shown that the mercury from the fillings causes ANY harm. PERIOD. All that misinformation is simply that - misinformation. 'Nuff said. When Are Silver Fillings Better? There are just a couple circumstances in which I actually recommend silver fillings instead of a tooth-colored restoration (composite or porcelain): Patients who have high rates of decay; IOW - anyone who seems to get cavities frequently no matter how hard they try to care for their teeth. These include patients with acid reflux, who drink a lot of sodas, who are on medications that dry up their saliva, who have recently been through radiation treatment of the head/neck, or similar conditions. In my experience, while there are steps that can be taken to reduce that risk, silver fillings last longer with fewer problems. Patients who grind their teeth and who do not wear a nightguard. Again, in my experience and in a fair amount of current research, composite fillings do not last as long. While the ability of composite fillings to withstand significant wearing forces is definitely improving, in the teeth of patients who really grind, they're just not there yet. Patients who need a lot of work and need to stage it over time due to cost: in our practice, silver [...]