My last post referenced the exciting technology that we have here at Wayland Dental. No longer is it necessary to wait 2-3 weeks for your porcelain crown or filling to be made by a laboratory. With the most recent advancements available in the office, we take a time consuming and annoying procedure and turn it into an efficient and awe inspiring appointment.

First, let me refresh your memory to describe the “old” method of making a crown. The area is numbed with novocaine and the tooth is drilled into the proper shape.  A goopy impression tray is inserted into your mouth to take the mold of the tooth. As long as the impression comes out properly, a plastic temporary can be made to cover the tooth until the next visit. If not, more goop for another impression. The temporary crown is designed to protect the tooth until the laboratory can create the new crown which typically takes about 2 weeks. They tend to be sensitive at times, and can come off, requiring an emergency visit to have it recemented. After 2 weeks, you return to the dentist, have more Novocaine, take off the temporary, clean the cement off of it and cement the permanent crown. That is , if it fits properly.

My CEREC technology cuts out a bunch of that annoying stuff. Yes we still need to numb the tooth, and drill it to the proper shape. The difference is that the permanent crown is made in the office during your visit so there is no need for a temporary, return visit or even that goopy impression. The crowns are made from a variety of very strong dental ceramics and are very esthetic. We love to see the surprise on the faces of our patients who have had crown work the old-fashioned way when we tell them how we can simplify their experience in our office!

So for those that have had multiple visit crown appointments in the past and are hesitant to go through it again due to the time and aggravation, fear not! At Wayland Dental we can help you to get the restoration that you need to protect your tooth but minus a lot of the downside that goes with it.

With the recent death of baseball legend Tony Gwynn due to oral cancer brought on by chewing tobacco, we are reminded that this is certainly not a safe alternative to smoking. The tissues of the mouth are very sensitive and respond to chemicals and injury by changing their structure. In severe instances the tissues can become cancerous. Smokers and users of smokeless tobacco are many times more likely to develop oral cancer than non users. Add alcohol to the mix and the likelihood of developing cancer is even greater. At Wayland Dental we check for oral cancer at each hygiene visit by inspecting the tissues under your tongue, sides of the tongue, back of the throat, palate, and lips. These are the most common areas where oral cancer can occur. Any ulceration that does not heal by itself within a week or any discoloration that concerns you should be checked by our professional staff. If you would like to read an article regarding oral cancer, click on this link: http://www.masslive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/07/viewpoint_the_time_to_change_t.html#incart_river

Do you frequently wake up at night due to a sharp elbow to the ribs? Do your neighbors complain of the sound of sawing coming from your house late at night? Does your significant other refuse to sleep on the same floor of the house as you? If the answer to these questions is yes, you likely have a problem with snoring. Snoring is caused when the soft tissues of the back of the throat collapse upon the airway and then vibrate to produce that distinctive noise during breathing. This condition is not always just a nuisance for your family, but can be a very serious medical condition called sleep apnea. With apnea, the occlusion of the airway actually prevents air from reaching the lungs, which then stimulates the brain to wake the person up. This is characterized by a gasping or wheezing to force air into the lungs. If this occurs frequently over the course of an evening, you will feel very tired the next morning as if you got no sleep the night before; because you didn’t! Your body was waking you up constantly allowing you to breathe. There are direct links with sleep apnea and hypertension, stroke, and heart attack. The good news is that today there are multiple methods to prevent apnea from ruining your life. A Continuous Positive Air Pressure device is the gold standard to alleviate your issues, but for some they have difficulty using it. For those patients, a dental mouthpiece that gently positions the jaw forward, opening the airway, may be the answer. A sleep study is always advised to determine your condition and working in conjunction with that physician, we can tailor a solution to help you get a good nights sleep again.