tessierdds.com

 Saw a new patient the other day. Nice lady in her middle 60's. When we did our normal new patient intra-oral examination, her teeth appeared to be healthy, both visually and on x-rays. But, when we checked her gum health, things were not good. In fact, several of her teeth were in jeopardy of being lost. Here's what has happened.

Inadequate oral hygiene (not flossing or brushing regularly enough and well enough) can allow a chronic gum inflammation to occur. This can cause the boney socket that the tooth sits in to deteriorate. When that socket has deteriorated too much, the tooth will fall out.

Just got back from another California Center for Advanced Dental Studies cosmetic dentistry seminar weekend. You could sub-title these seminars 'Smile Design Seminars', or even 'Life-Changing Face Changing Seminars'. That sounds like hyperbole, but let me describe for you one of the cases I saw.

The CCADA doctor/instructors showed us, with slides, a lady who looked to be in her late fifties. She was tired. Her face sagged. Her hair was not done well; neither was her make-up. Turned out, her teeth were ugly and she never smiled because she was so embarrassed by how crooked and discolored those teeth were.