Wayland Dental Blog

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.

A trip to the dentist is not always felt by most to be the highlight of their day. After all, the dental profession operates in a very sensitive and difficult area, and for most people this can be uncomfortable despite the modern anesthetics, equipemnt and comforts to make the experience more pleasant. We are cognizant of this at Wayland Dental and are always trying to make your visits with us as easy as possible. One of the nuisances related to dental visits is when our team decides that you need to be seen by a specialist for a certain procedure. This could occur if you need a root canal, implant surgery, braces, or extractions for your wisdom teeth.  There are other reasons to see a specialist, but they all have one thing in common: the need to go to a different office, meet a new staff and establish yourself as a new patient there.  Most people have the preference to stay in the office where they are happy and have their treatment done there. At Wayland Dental, we have now made that a reality for many procedures. Now, when you have the need to have a root canal, implant surgery, wisdom teeth removal, gum grafts, or deep cleanings, you can stay right in our office to have these procedures performed. We have board certified specialists in endodontics and periodontics who are ready to take care of you in the comfort of your familiar dental setting. Although there will always be the occasional need for us to seek the help of those outside of our office, we are very proud to offer you the expert care you deserve right here!

Growing up, I can remember most of my friends at one point or another getting braces. It seemed to be a right of passage. But I cannot remember seeing adults walking around with metal gleaming from their teeth like we kids. Today, that is not the case. There are plenty of adults that had orthodontics as a child and let their teeth relapse into the old position, or those that never did have the treatment and are interested today. Depending on the goals of the patient, at Wayland Dental we can satisfy a patient’s needs for straighter front teeth in about 6 months. The system we use is called Six Month Smiles and it works in the same way as traditional braces at the orthodontist, but because we are only concerned with the cosmetic corrections of the front teeth and not the lengthy process of changing the bite in the back, most cases finish in 5-6 months. We are also a provider of Invisalign to straighten the teeth and this is a good option for those who are resistant to having any braces on their teeth or like the freedom to remove the aligners at times. In general, the use of Six Month Smiles is cheaper, faster, and more predictable though. So if you look in the mirror and feel that you would like to have cosmetic correction of your crowded, crooked, or spaced teeth, but felt that braces are just for kids; ask us all about Six Month Smiles and how it can give you that dazzling smile you have always wanted.

At times, we get questions from patients about why they need to visit us on a regular basis. We hear comments such as ” It seems like it would be ok if I just came when something started hurting.” When I hear questions about why regularly scheduled of dental visits are needed my first thought is, “Let me count the reasons why!”

There are a number of reasons why you should be visiting us on at least a semiannual basis. One of the most important is demonstrated by our old friend Albert Einstein.  At Wayland Dental we conduct a thorough oral cancer examination at each hygiene visit. This includes examining the tongue (Albert’s checks out ok), under the tongue, throat and palate. Oral cancer kills one person every minute, and we are dedicated to help reduce that number.  If you smoke and drink alcohol, you are at an increased risk of developing this cancer. Self screenings are difficult due to the difficulty visualizing any lesions and knowing what to look for. But, if you ever experience a swelling, sore area, discolored area, or any combination of those in the mouth, you should call us so that we can check it out. Ignoring the warning signs of oral cancer can be fatal. Unfortunately, oral cancer is typically painless until it is at an advanced stage, but with proper screenings and routine visits, it can be caught early and dealt with. Make sure you come to see us at least every 6 months! It could save your life.

Comedians have a great way of capturing the everyday experiences in life and making them humorous. Jerry Seinfeld made a whole career of it. Take a look at this article from Readers Digest by Billy Crystal and laugh along with me about his experiences at the dentist. Through the humor, he is absolutely correct, the dental profession along with the entire world has become specialized. At Wayland Dental, we ensure that our patients get the very best care, and often times that means utilizing a team approach to get the job done, just like Billy Crystal is going through. Enjoy: http://www.rd.com/funny-stuff/billy-crystal-goes-to-the-dentist/

This is the time of year when we are reminded that we have much to appreciate in our lives. Watching the evening news makes us realize how fortunate we are to live in the country we do and be associated with the communities we live in. We should also be very thankful for the personal and business relationships that enrich our lives. At Wayland Dental, we are flattered by your choice to visit us for your dental services. Each patient brings a unique perspective to our office and we truly love the opportunity to be a part of your “health care family”. This Thanksgiving, we at Wayland Dental wish you a festive and joyous holiday. We have much to be thankful for, including the privilege of serving our family of patients. Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

On September 9th, the Wayland Board of Health is discussing the efficacy and safety of having the town water fluoridated. As your dentist, I am in favor of this measure to help to prevent decay in children’s adult teeth as they develop. I am currently looking for Wayland residents to drop by to our office to sign a petition supporting fluoridation. I believe that this program is beneficial for the health of our children, which can help them to have a decay free life. We were highlighted recently in the Wayland Patch. http://wayland.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/board-of-health-plans-to-take-up-fluoride-question-sept-9?ncid=newsltuspatc00000001&evar4=picks-1-post&newsRef=true
Thanks for the support and choosing to keep our kids healthy. As a Wayland resident, you are welcome to drop by the meeting on September 9th to voice your opinion.

I hope that you have learned over the years that you cannot trust everything that you read on the internet. In fact, most of us have learned to be skeptical of almost everything we read. That is the way the world is now. The same can be said for me. In particular, with the dental studies that I read. Keeping up in this profession requires among many other things, a dedication to reading the most current literature about new products, studies, and procedures.
I came across a study recently that you might find interesting. It basically states that those with more teeth have better memories than those with fewer. It also suggests that not having teeth may actually create physical changes in the brain to catalyze such effects. Since it is well accepted that the mouth is not an isolated environment in relation to the rest of the body, this is entirely possible.
You can see the Fox news article about the study here: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/07/26/chew-on-this-fewer-teeth-linked-with-worse-memory/?intcmp=obnetwork
A link to the abstract is here: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/eos.12060/abstract
I’m not sure that I buy the conclusions just yet, but these results could indicate that the dentist may help you to stay sharp as a tack throughout your entire life! Brush, floss, stay smart.

For many years we have been blessed to have the majority of our local community water supplies treated with low levels of fluoride. The impact that this has on the health of our children’s teeth is well documented. When the tooth enamel is forming, long before the tooth pokes through the gums, the fluoride ion ingested by drinking the water becomes part of the tooth and renders the enamel much more acid resistant. This results in fewer cavities forming. Unfortunately, the level of fluoride in the water is not at a level that provides a topical protection for fully formed teeth already in the mouth. To protect these teeth, we use a professionally applied topical fluoride varnish, and we recommend the use of fluoride rinses and toothpastes. We are strong advocates of preventive measures to keep your oral condition healthy, and fluoride is one of the most effective means of doing so.