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If you suffer from dental anxiety, we understand that paying a visit to our office can seem like a nearly impossible mission. Regardless of what the root of that anxiety might be, we’re here to tell you that at Champlin Family Dental, you have no need to be nervous. Our office is dedicated to making your dental experience as comfortable and stress-free as possible.

One of the best things to do if you experience dental anxiety is call our office in advance to let us know. By notifying us in advance, you give us the opportunity to provide you with the dental care you need in the way you need it.

We can prescribe a relaxation medication for you. During your appointment, we can provide a little bit of laughing gas to put you more at ease, teach you some behavioral techniques for relaxation, and make sure you’re never in the dark about what’s happening.

If dental anxiety makes you feel embarrassed, please be assured that you’re not alone. Studies show that as much as 75% of adults suffer some degree of dental anxiety! It might be helpful to remember that your doctor’s goal is the same as yours: We are here to keep your oral health in check so you can be your healthiest self. We certainly don’t want to make you uncomfortable in the process.

If you have any questions about other ways in which we can accommodate you during your visits, please don’t hesitate to contact our Champlin, MN office!

You and your oral surgeon are partners in making sure you have the best medical and dental care. You do your part by eating a tooth-healthy diet, brushing and flossing as recommended, seeing your dentist regularly, and making an appointment with Doctors Bauer, Lawrenz, and Stark when you need specialized care.

And one more essential step you can take for your dental health? Let your oral surgeon and your dentist know which prescriptions and over the counter medications you’re taking.

Medications Have Oral/Dental Side Effects

We’ve all grown used to hearing “Possible side effects include . . .” at the end of every pharmaceutical commercial. That’s because those unintended side effects can affect our health in any number of unexpected ways—and this includes oral health.

For example, a common side effect of many medications is xerostomia, or “dry mouth.” Because saliva helps keep our teeth and gums healthy by washing away food particles and oral bacteria and by reducing acidity in the mouth, a reduction in saliva production means a greater risk of cavities, gum disease, oral infections, denture discomfort, and bad breath.

Knowing a patient is taking one of the hundreds of medications that cause xerostomia allows a dentist to both monitor the condition and suggest the most effective treatment options to counteract these unpleasant symptoms.

Medications can cause not only dry mouth, but excessive gum tissue growth, oral sores, tooth discoloration, and changes in taste, among other side effects, so knowing which medications you are taking can provide essential information for your dentist to diagnose and treat these conditions.

Medications Interact

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are experts in diagnosing and treating medical conditions of the face, mouth, and jaw. Medication might be a necessary part of that treatment. Because certain drugs and supplements can affect the way our bodies metabolize, absorb, and respond to other medications, your oral surgeon needs to know which medicines you are taking to arrive at your best treatment options.

• There are different classes of antibiotics used to treat oral infections. Knowing your medical history enables your oral surgeon to choose an antibiotic option that won’t interact with your other medications.
• Local anesthetics such as lidocaine, which numb the area to be treated, can also interact with certain medications. Doctors Bauer, Lawrenz, and Stark can prescribe an alternative local anesthetic or adjust the dosage as needed.
• If you will be using sedation during your procedure, you have several options, including nitrous oxide gas, oral sedation, or IV sedation. Be sure we know about all of your medications beforehand because of possible interactions. Oral surgeons are experienced in all types of sedation, and can make changes to the type of sedation and/or the dosage as needed.

Medications Impact Treatment

It’s important for Doctors Bauer, Lawrenz, and Stark to know if any of your medications will affect your treatment.

Anticoagulants, for example, are medications which prevent blood clots from forming, and are often prescribed for certain heart conditions, after joint replacement surgery, or for anyone at risk for developing clots. Because these medications prevent the blood from clotting normally, your oral surgeon will need to know if you are taking any such drugs before surgery.

If needed, Doctors Bauer, Lawrenz, and Stark can work with you and your doctor to create a treatment plan which will be safe, effective, and designed to work with any of your medications. You should never discontinue taking your prescribed medications before dental work or surgery without medical approval, as this can be dangerous.

We need the most up to date information about your health to provide you with the best care possible. Knowing which medications you take and why you take them can help us:

• Diagnose and treat any side effects from non-dental medications which have affected your oral health,
• Prevent drug interactions from occurring, and
• Tailor your treatment to your specific medical needs.

Your prescriptions, over the counter medications, and even herbal supplements and vitamins are essential information. It’s a good idea to make a list before your next appointment at our Champlin, MN office so you have specific medications and their dosages at hand. It’s one small—but vital—step you can take to partner with Doctors Bauer, Lawrenz, and Stark for your best medical and dental health.

It’s possible to develop tooth decay even when you take great care of your teeth. Brushing and flossing may not be enough to keep your teeth healthy, depending on your diet. Cavities, discoloration, and decay are still possible when certain foods feature in your daily intake. Keep an eye out for foods that will damage your enamel and cause the very issues you’ve been trying to avoid.

What causes enamel damage?

Tooth enamel is the hard outer layer of your teeth that is made of various minerals. Tooth decay results when the acids in your food react with the minerals in your enamel. Strongly pigmented foods may also cause unsightly discoloration on the surface of your teeth. Avoid wreaking havoc on your beautiful smile by identifying the foods that can harm your enamel.

Acid

Acidic food is your teeth’s worst nightmare! This is the greatest cause of enamel damage, even if you brush and floss regularly. To avoid damaging your teeth, make sure you can determine whether a food is acidic or not.

The pH levels are a way to determine acidity on a one-to-seven scale. This defines the relative acidity or alkalinity of a food or substance. Foods with high pH levels are not as likely to harm your enamel.

It’s wise to avoid or minimize foods that are high in acids. Highly acidic food can include fruits such as lemons, grapefruit, strawberries, grapes, and apples. Moderately acid foods may surprise you; they include tomatoes, maple syrup, pickles, and honey.

Not surprisingly, eggs and dairy products such as milk and cheese contain the least amount of acid. Red wine and coffee can also discolor your enamel if they’re drunk in excessive amounts.

What can I do to prevent enamel damage?

There are plenty of ways to avoid discoloration and decay of your enamel. The best thing to do is limit the amount of high-acid foods, including sugary juices and soda, in your diet.

Another way is to brush and floss regularly, an hour after each meal. If you can’t make time to brush, an easy solution is to swish your mouth with water or mouthwash to rinse away any leftover acidic particles.

Damaged tooth enamel may be common, but is avoidable when you know which foods to stay away from and the steps to take after you do eat highly acidic foods. Take our advice and you’ll be sure to slow down any future discoloration and decay that happens in your mouth.

For more advice on protecting your enamel, give our Champlin, MN a call to learn more!

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons like Doctors Bauer, Lawrenz, and Stark are specialists in diagnosing and treating complex conditions of the face, jaw, and mouth, using the most advanced medical and surgical procedures to treat their patients. They also make use of the most advanced technology to provide the best care for their patients, so when it comes to the latest in X-ray technology, digital X-rays are rapidly replacing traditional radiographs. 

Traditional X-rays

Traditional X-rays, or radiographs, make use of film just like traditional cameras. When you have an intraoral X-ray, for example, the film is sealed in a moisture- and light-proof packet, and placed inside the mouth to capture images of specific teeth and the bone around them.

The X-ray machine is aligned precisely with the film and an exposure is taken. The image at this point is latent, and won’t show on the film, because, just like photo film, traditional radiographs need to be chemically processed before they produce a visible image.

Digital X-rays

Digital technology, on the other hand, uses an electronic sensor instead of film. For an intraoral digital X-ray, a small sensor is positioned in the mouth just like a film. When the X-ray is taken, a digital image capture device produces an image which is formed by a matrix of pixels instead of a photo-like film exposure. This format allows the image to be sent directly to a computer for immediate display without requiring processing.

Even though these methods seem very similar, digital X-rays offer some significant advantages over traditional films. Let’s look at how they compare, more or less.

• More Diagnostic Advantages

A traditional X-ray is a fixed image. It cannot be modified or enhanced. Here the digital X-ray offers a clear advantage in diagnosis.

Just as you can enlarge certain types of images on your computer without blurring or losing detail, a digital X-ray uses computer software to magnify images while keeping their details sharp. They can also be enhanced through brightness and contrast applications to make details stand out even more. Both of these benefits are extremely helpful for diagnosis, especially when looking for small injuries, subtle irregularities, or early stages of disease.

There is even digital subtraction radiography software available that can be used to compare recent images to older ones, removing (“subtracting”) all the similarities in the two images to display only the changes in the two—even small changes—that have taken place over time.

• Less Exposure to Radiation

Even with modern improvements in traditional X-ray technology, digital X-rays expose patients to significantly less radiation. A patient can reduce radiation exposure by 10%, 20%, or more with a digital radiograph. And while all types of dental X-rays expose you to very little radiation, it’s always best to reduce exposure whenever possible.

• More Convenient for Sharing and Transmitting

If you need to share your X-rays with another dentist or physician, digital technology allows you to simply have them e-mailed to another office or multiple offices. You no longer need to worry about preserving physical copies, either.

• Less Waste

Unlike traditional X-rays, digital X-rays don’t need to be processed, so you save time in the office. And while the processing time is not significant (usually several minutes), if you need to repeat some X-rays for a clearer picture, or require different images for several teeth, this time can add up.

Digital X-rays are also more eco-friendly.  The fact that they don’t need to be developed means that the chemicals used to process traditional films are no longer necessary—which also means that there is no need to dispose of chemical waste products afterward.

Why Are X-rays Necessary?

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons treat a great variety of medical issues. An X-ray can be an important tool for discovering and/or evaluating a number of dental and jaw concerns, including:

• Abscesses
• Bone Loss
• Congenital or developmental abnormalities
• Cysts and tumors
• Fractures or other injuries to tooth or bone
• Implant placement
• Wisdom teeth

Our goal is to provide you with the safest, most efficient, and most effective care possible. Digital X-rays are an important tool for oral and maxillofacial surgeons, enabling us to discover and to treat injuries and potentially severe conditions before they have the chance to become more serious. If you have any questions about digital X-ray technology, contact our Champlin, MN office. We’re happy to explain the science—and the benefits—behind this high-tech diagnostic tool.