General Dentistry
Our philosophy here at Bogey Hills Dental- “preventative dentistry, personalized care, clinical excellence” begins with the idea that preventative dentistry is the most important part of what we do every day. It is the best investment you can make toward your future quality of life. Damaged, infected, or lost teeth can cause pain now, but they will also lead to more health problems in the future.
While a dental emergencies can strike at any time, our patients who commit to regular preventive care present with significantly fewer problems over time. Professional cleanings every 3-6 months with our dental hygienist allow us to help keep your teeth at their healthiest. Mineralized plaque, also known as tartar, adheres to certain areas of the teeth, even with the best homecare. These deposits allow millions of harmful bacteria to reside on the teeth. Without regular professional cleanings, they sit undisturbed and produce a flood of toxins into the gums. This often develops into periodontitis, a devastating chronic form of gum disease that can result in the loss of teeth.
At your routine cleaning appointments we can gently remove the tartar deposits from the tooth surfaces. When tartar is regularly removed, the bacteria doesn’t have the opportunity to produce irreversible damage in the form of bone loss and gum recession. Our hygienist use professional-strength polishing paste that removes stain and plaque, leaving your teeth smooth and shiny. The discoloration of your teeth is caused by the settling of stains into the enamel of your teeth. Polishing of the teeth helps slow yellowing by removing surface stains and maintaining a smooth surface for better cleansing.
Oral Cancer Screening
Oral cancer doesn’t always show any symptoms, but you should report any unusual symptoms you experience to your denist, such as:
- Sores or lumps in your mouth or throat
- Red or white lesions on gums, lips, or tongue
- Any abnormal swelling in your mouth
- Numbness or pain in your mouth
- A Sore throat or hoarseness for extended length of time
At our office we can evaluate the area of concern and determine whether a biopsy is necessary or if there are other causes of symptoms.
Risk Factors for Oral Cancer
Oral cancer can affect anyone, but the use of tobacco puts a patient at a significantly higher risk. Both smoking and chewing tobacco significantly increase your risk for oral cancer. In addition, alcohol use can increase your risk of oral cancers. A compromised immune system, gum disease, a history of previous cancers, and HPV infection are other oral cancer risks. The HPV vaccine is our newest form of defense against some forms of oral cancer, as there has been a documented increase in HPV related oral cancer in the past 5 years.
Benefits of Early Detection
Unfortunately, the cellular changes below the surface in the beginning stages of oral cancer aren’t always detectable until they have reached the critical stage. Early detection and treatment of oral cancer significantly increase the chances of a positive outcome. The American Cancer Society reports that about 7,000 deaths result from oral cancer out of 30,000 cases diagnosed annually. If Dr. Pollard suspects any unusual changes in your mouth, he may suggest a biopsy and analysis. The early diagnosis of oral cancer dramatically increases a patient’s chance of survival and better quality of life. When oral cancer is detected in the early stages, the survival rate is about 84%. Oral cancers that are not diagnosed until stage 4 only have a survival rate of 50%.
Composite Fillings
Research advancements in dentistry have created outstanding alternatives to amalgam fillings with similar strength and durability. Composite filling materials that are similar to natural tooth structure are readily available. Dr. Pollard is committed to restoring teeth with metal-free options whenever possible. However, amalgam holds a long track-record in dentistry, and the majority of research supports the safety of this restorative material. Composite fillings look more natural while replicating the tooth structure they are replacing. This results in less stress and cracking of the supporting tooth structure, and fillings that look and feel great.
Cavities and small fractures leave teeth with defects that progress over time if left untreated. Tooth colored composites blend into the tooth structure to provide a great option for restoring teeth. Composites can often be placed in small layers, which preserves more of your natural tooth. Composite fillings have many uses, from a cavity along the gum line to chipped front teeth. Composite filling material contains a mix of liquid resin embedded with finely ground glass filler particles. After being shaped against prepared tooth structure, UV light is applied directly to the composite. The filling is then shaped and polished to reflect the beauty of natural enamel.
Crowns and Bridges
Do you have a tooth that is discolored, decayed, cracked, or chipped? Is your tooth sensitive to temperature or pressure when chewing? In many of these situations a crown can solve all these problems and restore your beautiful smile.
- A crown may be required instead of a filling is some situations like:
- A heavily decayed tooth
- The failure of a large filling
- A cracked tooth
- Protecting a tooth after root canal treatment
When you have a small cavity a composite filling can be used to restore the tooth. But if the tooth is too broken or decayed, a dental crown is recommended by Dr. Pollard to support and protect the tooth. A tooth may be cracked by trauma, excessive bite force or the weakening of the tooth due to decay. Minor cracks are restored with a full coverage dental crown. Serious cracks causing significant discomfort will require a root canal to relieve your pain, and a crown to ensure the treated tooth does not fracture further.
Dental crowns can be used to restore the appearance of your tooth. Anterior teeth with large fillings and/or fractures are often restored to their previous form and function with full ceramic crowns. At Bogey Hills Dental all anterior crowns are shade matched with custom shading at Bookout Laboratory in St. Charles. This allows for your crown to perfectly match your natural teeth and be completely unnoticeable to the untrained eye.
In the past, we used to rely on metal crowns in posterior where the crown was subjected to heavy bite forces. Although these crowns were durable, they were noticeable and extremely unattractive. In order to solve that problem, porcelain fused to metal (PFM) crowns were developed by our labs. Although these crowns are still being used, they lack durability as the porcelain often chips away from the metal. The future of dentistry is here with zirconia crowns, as they are as strong as metal, but have the beauty of porcelain. These crowns can be used anywhere in the mouth with great long term success.
Gum Disease Treatment
A significant portion of population has some form of gum disease, and most are not aware of it. Gum disease is defined as a bacterial infection that surrounds one or more teeth. In most cases gum disease causes little to no discomfort and has few obvious symptoms in its early stages. However, it can quickly escalate to cause significant problems for your oral health as well as your overall health. Beyond compromising your oral health, gum disease has strong correlation with stroke, heart disease, autoimmune disorders, as well as complications in pregnancy, and problems controlling diabetes.
Dangers of Gum Disease
Gum disease is an infection of the gums around your teeth. It is a progressive condition and over time it will irreversibly damage the gums and the bones that support your teeth. Gum disease not tooth decay is actually the leading cause of tooth loss among American adults. Gum disease is a chronic infection, and it threatens your overall health in several ways. Bacteria is spread through your body through your blood stream, infecting your heart or lungs. Which is why there is a strong correlation between gum disease and life threatening events such as heart attack and stroke. Gum disease creates a state of chronic inflammation in your mouth and it is then spread throughout the body. This inflammation can contribute to your risk of different types of cancer and autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis.
Risk Factors for Gum Disease
Gum disease risk factors include are divided into three areas. First is oral hygiene, and poor homecare is the number one cause of periodontal disease. However, in some patients good oral hygiene alone is not enough. The second risk factor is genetics, if either of your parents were diagnosed with gum disease you may have elevated levels of the bacteria that cause gum disease. Just because your parents lost teeth to gum disease does not mean you have to as well. Interventional gum therapy at Bogey Hills Dental will help fight the bacteria and help you keep your teeth. The third risk factor is environmental: tobacco use, hormonal problems, certain medications, teeth grinding, stress, nutritional deficiencies, and immune system problems all make it harder to control gum disease. It’s important to regularly assess gum health so that gum disease can be caught early, treated, and the most importantly maintained.
Treating Gum Disease
Bogey Hills Dental has one of the most immersive and successful gum therapy programs in St. Charles County. When gum disease is caught and treated early enough, periodontal problems may be reversible without surgery. Periodontal treatments for early stage gum disease depend on the risk factors for each individual patient but may include recommendations for a better oral hygiene care as well as professional scaling and root planing or “deep cleaning”. Immediate improvement is often experienced by many patients after treatment, but in cases where symptoms and gum condition doesn’t improve significantly, we may recommend surgical treatments to stop the progression of the periodontal disease.
Pediatric Dentistry
Pediatric dentistry is a specialty practice in dentistry, but having your child in for a professional cleaning and checkup doesn’t have to cost you a fortune. At Bogey Hills Dental Dr. Pollard is great with children of all ages. Many procedures from extractions to fillings are performed on children ages 3-16 every day in our office. In rare cases when a child is extremely young and has extensive dental work to be completed, Dr. Pollard will refer out to a pedodontist for treatment. We would love to see your entire family at Bogey Hills Dental!
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