I am currently up in VT with a bunch of friends, and every hour or so, most of the group heads outside for their ritual cigarette. Smoking, although a declining trend , is still prominent in the USA, especially among my generation, those in their 20’s.

No matter what people claim, if they smoke, they are addicted. I know this because EVERYONE knows that smoking can kill you, yet if they still do it, thus they must be addicted.

Smoking causes lung cancer, which is the most common cancer in the USA and has one of the highest mortality rates of any cancer. If you get lung cancer from smoking (15x greater chance than a non-smoker), you have a 50% chance of being dead within 5 years . In addition to the obvious systemic dangers, smoking also has serious effects on your dental health such as:

1.) Oral cancer – this dangerous cancer has a higher death rate than cervical cancer, skin cancer, and others, making it extremely dangerous. Cigarette smoking has been directly linked to oral/pharyngeal cancer, so why smoke?

2.) Staining – smoking can cause serious, ugly staining of your teeth. This staining can ranger from a slight yellow, to brown, to black, and can become permanent if the smoking continues and oral hygiene is not sustained.

3.) Cavities – Long term smoking can lead to dry mouth, which is a high risk factor for cavities. We all know that you don’t want cavities.

Dentists today employ many means of smoking cessation, ranging from nicotine replacement therapy to providing information regarding the risks of smoking.

If you smoke, seriously think about and try quitting. Not only will it improve the health of your mouth, but it may well save your life.

President Obama’s most recent push to reform healthcare in the USA is the talk of the country.  At dinner tables, casual encounters, and town-halls nationwide, Americans are discussion how this healthcare bill, if passed, would effect the country.

In terms of dental care, this bill could be tragic to the current system in this country.  Today, dental care is one of the last free market medical professions left.  In NYC for example, you can find dentists charging from $20 for a filling to $500 for a filling, and both of them have patients that are more than willing to pay the costs.  That is because people are willing to pay for the best service, and other people, who can’t afford it, can get a procedure done, but not the same standards.

Buying a car is a fine example of the same system at play.  You can buy a $100,000 BMW, or you can buy a $15,000 Honda.  Both will get you around, but they have different standards.

Now if the government gets involved, they would take all of the free market influence away from the professionals, and give the control to the government.  Lawmakers would be setting dental fees, standards of care, etc.  Thus, all fillings would be, say $100.  Yes, everyone would have access, but all in all the quality of the work would decrease because THERE WOULD BE NO INCENTIVE!

Incentive is essential to the best care.  Doctors and dentist alike will provide the best service if they have incentive to do so.  Government run health care is not the way to go in America, not only because the cost would be prohibitive, but also because the quality of care would decrease drastically.

America has the best healthcare in the world, no matter what the politicians tell you.  People flock to America when they need the best medical and dental treatment. LETS KEEP IT THAT WAY.

These views are solely those of Zachary Linhart and in no way reflect the views of Dr. Linhart, his staff, his office, or any of his affiliates.

Your mouth is not just a hole used for eating and talking! Your mouth is truly a portal to your entire body, and health problems in the oral cavity can contribute, and are related, to health problems throughout the body.

For example, periodontal disease, or the loss of attachment of teeth, has been linked to heart disease, low birth weight of children, and other serious systemic diseases.

Whether it is the mouth causing the systemic problem, or vice versa, is difficult to discern. But this is irrelevant as any of these conditions should make you aware of possibly underlying health problems.

Therefore, it is again essential to visit your doctor AND dentist regularly so that you can not only keep your teeth and mouth healthy, but also so you can keep yourself in the best overall physical condition.

Let me know in the comments if you have any questions on this topic as I have only skimmed the surface about the oral-systemic link here.

One reason people don’t go to the dentist is because it is expensive. However, in the long run, going in for your regular 3,4, or 6 month dental visit will save you money in the long run, LOTS OF MONEY!

Say you get your regular checkup and it costs you $400 a year. That includes any x-rays that need to be taken, and maybe a filling. This should keep you in good oral health.

On the other hand, if you don’t go to the dentist for years, then you will likely need some major, EXPENSIVE procedures. A once small cavity that could have been repaired easily could now be massive, thus requiring a root canal in the tooth, and a crown. That will cost you multiple thousands of dollars.

Thus, taking care of your teeth and going to your dentist regularly will actually save you money in the long run, not cost you.

When acid producing bacteria build up on your teeth, trouble is sure to ensue.  Cavities are the bane of a dentist’s existence.  Without them, we would most likely be out of the job, living on the streets, injecting ourselves with the left over novocaine.

However, even the miracle chemical Fluoride has far from eliminated cavities.  So, what happens when the acid erodes your teeth and forms a hole, or cavity?

Well, the bacteria must be removed, and that is accomplished by the dreaded drills that strike fear into the eyes of most dentist-goers.  We drill out the cavities in different ways, depending on where they are.  Most cavities occur on the chewing surfaces of back molars.  Other usual suspects though are between the back and front teeth.

Once all of the tooth decay is drilled and scooped out of the tooth, a filling material is put in the hole in order to keep the tooth from getting recurrent (new) decay in the area.

“Silver fillings contain mercury which can cause serious birth defects and life-threatening illnesses,” some people say.  That is completely 100% false and there has been zero evidence to show it it be true.  The amount of mercury in amalgam (silver) fillings is minuscule, and it is in a form that is harmless to humans.  Amalgam fillings last a long time, and have a great success rate, however in today’s image conscious society, who wants metal in their mouth?

Composite fillings are the way of the future.  Tooth-colored composites can be matched exactly to a person’s natural tooth color, making them invisible to the untrained eye.  Although they tend not to last as long as silver fillings, and can leak if not inserted properly, advances in composite technology show that one day they will make amalgam obsolete.

So, composite or amalgam is packed into the drilled out hole in your tooth, and then shaved down to resemble the original tooth.

All said and done, and expert like Dr. Linhart can perform an average filling anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour, depending on its size.  For a newcomer like myself, a 2 hour filling gives me pride.

Have any questions about fillings?  Let me know in the comments.

The key player in dental caries (cavities) is a gram-positive cocci called Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans).

S. mutans attach to the surface of the tooth. When fermentable carbohydrates, like soda, candy, etc., are introduced into the mouth, S. mutans processes them and make acid.

This acid is what eats away at the surface of the teeth, causing dental decay.

Fluoride, regular cleanings, and sealants are some ways to keep your teeth safe from S. mutans and other cavity forming bacteria.

However once the area is cavitated (there is a hole) you need to have it drilled out and filled by a professional like Dr. Linhart, or myself.

What you fill the cavity preparation with, tooth-colored composite or silver amalgam, is a story for another day…

Unless your dentist has a numbing personality, dentistry is best performed under controlled local anesthesia.

Cocaine was one of the first effective local anesthetics used in dentistry, then came the all too popular novocaine, and today, lidocaine is the most commonly used dental anesthetic (although it is usually still referred to as novocaine by the layman).

These local anesthetics can be administered with epinephrine, to produce a longer effect, or without epinephrine, in patients with significant heart conditions or other medical issues.

Painless dentistry should be synonymous with dentistry in general, however many dentists do not provide the proper dose or location of local anesthetic.  In Dr. Linhart’s office, they use a device called The Wand, which controls the rate of injection, thereby reducing the pain of injection.  I have seen Dr. Linhart perform hundreds of procedures and never have I seen a patient in pain.  By giving injections in the proper location, with the correct technique, and getting patient feedback on their pain state, Dr. Linhart is able to eliminate pain from dentistry.

In my studies in dental school, I have learned how to inject and where to inject local anesthesia, but not until I have done in hundreds of times do I expect to become skilled enough to call myself a completely painful dentist, like my dad, Dr. Linhart, truly is.

My father, Dr. Jan Linhart, has now been practicing dentistry for 30 years. I myself, though, have only been practicing for about a month at NYU dental school!

The other day I saw a pretty young woman at the school for the first time. She had not been to the dentist in well over a year, and had some serious issues. One of her molars, which had previously been crowned (capped), had just fallen out a week prior to her visit. Why didn’t she come in earlier? Why did an otherwise health conscious woman neglect her mouth?

This brings me to the real question, why do people NOT go to the dentist? This usually stems down to three reasons:

1. Money
   
2. Time
3. Fear

Dental Costs

Money is a factor that influences most of our lives. The dentist costs a lot of money. Why? Because becoming a dentist, the supplies needed to practice dentistry , and the time needed to perform dental procedures, are very expensive. So many people do not go to the dentist because they would rather spend their money on other things. At NYU dental, we charge less than half of what most practitioners in New York cost. This low cost is compensated for by the amount of time it takes for the dental work to be done. Time is another reason why people don’t go to the dentist.

Time is Valuable

Time is money, and in NYC, time is precious. My dad is a master at performing the most intricate dental procedures in the shortest amount of time. At NYU, it takes us at least twice as long as it takes Dr. Linhart.

Dental Fears

Fear is another key reason people avoid the dentist. According to my dad, “most patients’ fear is derived from a bad childhood experience with the dentist.” Today, advances in anesthetics, lasers, and other developments allow us dentist to be as painless as possible, while still ensuring quality care.

So money, time, and fear are three reasons why people do not go to the dentist. But back to the original question, Why go to the dentist?

Regular visits to the dentist will keep your mouth healthy and clean. At Dr. Linhart’s office, 4 month recall for cleaning is the usual. This will ensure that your mouth stays cavity free. This healthy state of your mouth will keep it pain free, keep visits (time consumption) to a minimum, and keep costs low. So visit your dentist often!