Cavities, Acid, and Ozone

I’ve explained how we use ozone in our dentistry in previous posts. After all this talk of nasty acid-making bacteria wreaking havoc on teeth, it becomes essential — for my ozone-using practice — to bring the greatness of O3 into the picture!

Ozone eliminates bacteria, and is, therefore, the perfect solution to cleaning an infected tooth. What’s even better, is that ozone treatment will just come in the form of ozonated water or an ozone gas. Continual application of ozone to the surgical site promotes sterility, while also speeding up the process and recovery. Ozone therapy does not cause any negative side effects or allergic reactions in patients. It simply allows the natural immune system to fight off infection.

Using ozone for cavity treatment makes the filling or restoring process much easier and smoother. Guaranteeing sterility to avoid worse problems later is crucial during any serious dental work, and ozone does the job well.

Dr. Boyajian, Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

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CEREC Dentistry & CEREC Veneers

Veneers, unlike crowns, inlays, or onlays, are used for a more cosmetic purpose. Veneers are not used primarily for cavities, tooth decay, etc. They are excellent remedies to discolored, chipped, worn, and/or mildly uneven teeth. Veneers are very thin and are applied to the tooth’s surface. They can be colorized, slightly textured, sized, angled, and even given a touch of translucency to look exactly like your natural teeth.

CEREC veneers do wonders for worn, tired teeth; they are strong, reliable, long-lasting, and they preserve their beauty. A whole set to drastically improve the attractiveness of your entire smile can be designed, milled, and bonded in a single visit!

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

CEREC Inlays and CEREC Partial Crowns

The CEREC process for designing inlays and onlays is similar to the designing of a crown, only the function is different.

CEREC inlays are the superior versions of composite plastic cavity fillings; superior due to the strength and aesthetics that the ceramic brings. Inlays milled from this ceramic material last far longer than any other cavity solution. They also behave most similarly to natural tooth enamel, in both appearance and feel.

Onlays (a.k.a. partial crowns) are the remedy to extensive cavity damage, covering a larger area of the tooth. In past cases, the weaker disposition of composite — or the porcelain restorations that contained metal — would require a full crown to be designed in order to maintain the tooth’s strength. Because CEREC onlays are so strong, one that is well-built will do everything it needs to do, causing minimal extra tooth damage and eliminating the need for a full crown.

Best of all, CEREC high quality porcelain inlays and onlays can be done in one visit, just like their plastic counterfeits… I mean counterparts.

Dr. Boyajian, Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

CEREC Dentistry: Crowns

Using the CEREC unit, a crown is first made by the CAD/CAM (computer-assisted design/computer-assisted manufacture) digitally recording an image of the tooth. Calculations are processed, and the computer designs, then mills a crown perfectly suited to the shape of the tooth. The crown is then bonded on, and, voila! The patient’s visit is complete.

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

CEREC Inlays + CEREC Partial Crowns

One of the greatest perks that comes with CEREC technology is the speed at which we can formulate restorations. In comparison to barely twenty years ago, forming a crown or veneer required a painful series of several dental visits. There were molds to be made, pictures to be photographed, temporary crowns to be endured, a perfectly fitted restoration to be slowly developed in a lab, and bonding to be done. CEREC accomplishes all of this in a single visit, in just a few hours!

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

Ozone: A Solution for Cavities

Prevention is definitely your best bet for avoiding cavities… but what if it’s too late for you? What if the cavities have already formed, or you thought your mouth’s health was top-notch and sneaky cavities still wormed their way through your teeth? We’ve already discussed a little bit about fillings, but if the damage requires more than a small composite filling, a larger, stronger restoration is needed.

This is where the CEREC system comes in handy. A crown, inlay, or onlay will be formed for the damaged area out of a strong ceramic material. This ceramic behaves similarly to natural tooth enamel, therefore maintaining (or, in this case, restoring) a tooth’s natural strength and durability. It is also minimally invasive, meaning far less of the healthy tooth is “shaved down” to fit something such as a toxic and malleable amalgam restoration. Results are both functional and beautiful.

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

Cavities Prevention

So what is the best “remedy” for these little monsters in your mouth? You guessed it — prevention! Taking precautions seriously is always the best way to avoid any kind of disease or infection.

Keep your teeth clean! Brush at least twice daily and be sure to floss thoroughly. Brush every single surface of your teeth that you can possibly reach. Flossing cleans out the old food particles and plaque from the places a toothbrush can’t reach.

Eat well! Nutrition largely impacts the overall health of your mouth and determines which bacteria dominate the environment in your mouth: the health-promoting, good bacteria, or the acid-producing, bad bacteria. Avoid refined sugars, refined flours, and heavily processed foods.

Visit the dentist regularly! Be sure to have regular cleanings and thorough inspections of what’s going on with your teeth. Be open to new suggestions and forming better habits. Take care of yourself.

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

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Dangers of Leaving Cavities Too Long

So what happens to cavities if you just leave them there? Well, cavities in their early stages cannot be felt by the person, but they can be spotted visually by the dentist. It’s a fairly uncomplicated fix at this point — a filling and regular cleanings to prevent further damage. But if the cavity has worn its way through to the dentin, the tooth is noticeably sensitive to heat, cold, or touch. At this point, a barrier must be laid over the damaged dentin, and then filling material to cover and seal the opening. If a cavity is yet still left untreated, the tooth’s nerve and pulp become infected and immense pain is experienced. A full root canal is required to clean out and seal off the tooth, along with reconstruction and reinforcement to rebuild the tooth’s strength, and a crown to replace the tooth loss.

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

How Cavities Begin

“Cavity.” The word does not sound as menacing as “rotting enamel” or even “tooth decay”, but that’s exactly what cavities are. Unfortunately, cavities are so common amongst individuals ranging from young children to the elderly, that everyone dismisses them as normal and easily repaired.

But is there something we aren’t considering? We were made with teeth, and we need them to chew and digest our food to survive… so something is wrong if they are showing signs of decay!

Cavities form from acid-producing bacteria and their acidic waste caused by sugars that they consume. Plaque, the substance left behind by these bacteria, accumulates all around the tooth, down along the gum line, and in all the cracks ‘n’ crannies (large or microscopic) that compose of the enamel crown. Tooth enamel is made mostly of calcium, and this acidic plaque nesting against it causes it to literally rot and wear away. When the decay forms a breakthrough — a completely hole through the enamel — it is now a cavity and must be filled before the vulnerable dentin & pulp inside becomes infected.

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

Upcoming Announcements and Events

Here are a few classes, seminars, and/or meetings that I am excited to attend this spring, starting tomorrow:

Premier Research Labs by Dr. Bob Marshall
Irvine, CA
January 29-31

The Shepherd’s Conference
Grace Community Church
Sun Valley, CA
March 3-7

IAOMT Spring Meeting
Galloway, NJ
March 18-20

California Dental Association
Spring Scientific Sessions & Annual Meeting
May 14-16

I will be reporting back on some new findings really soon.

Dr. Boyajian
Los Angeles, CA

www.dentalwellnessarts.com