You know it never ceases to amaze me that people will spend more money hurting themselves every year than they spend helping themselves.  This applies to lots of things that we do every day and every year, but in this particular case I am talking about smoking.  Now we all have heard by now that smoking is not good for our health, but did you know how bad smoking is for your dentistry?  It is terrible on your dental health as it is on the rest of your health too.  Smoking harms the bone and gum tissues significantly, but it also harms the teeth and dental restorations.  It decreases the saliva that protects the teeth and gums.  It alters the tissue and bacteria in the mouth and make it harder to fight infections.  All the other stuff it does too, well you get the point.  

The patient that I was talking to the other day said that she smokes 2 packs per day and pays about $5 per pack.  That means that she spends $10 every day to hurt herself.  That translates to about $70 every week, $300 per month, $3600 per year.... She doesn't spend that kind of money on anything that helps her to the degree that this hurts her.  Do you know what kind of extreme makeover she could afford if she put that few thousand dollars per year toward her teeth?  What if she put it toward the other aspects of her health?  Soon she would have all her dentistry done that she needs and that surplus money could go toward college education or gym membership and health insurance or any other facet of life that is important and seems to always need money to make it work.  Hey, pay off that high interest credit card balance.

The following article was written by Kent Bush, publisher of the Augusta Gazette, www.augustagazette.com.

Diabetes affects every part of person's life after the initial diagnosis.

According to reports, diabetes affects about 15.7 million Americans and nearly 800,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.

"If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, you may know that the disease can cause problems with your eyes, nerves, kidneys, heart and other parts of your body. Diabetes can lower your resistance to infection and can slow the healing process," said Dr. Rob Colt of Augusta Family Dentistry.

But Dr. Colt pointed out that there are dental implications for those suffering from the dreaded disease, as well.

"People with diabetes are more prone to have gum disease, gingivitis, periodontal disease," Colt said. "Because of that, they are more likely to have a high risk of losing their teeth."

Colt said he sometimes asks patients who suffer from diabetes to schedule regular check-ups more than the normal twice a year.

He said the irony of the disease is that higher blood sugar levels mean more sugar in the fluids in the mouth which fuel bacterial growth. So instead of helping clean the teeth, saliva actually becomes an agent of supporting tooth decay. 

The American Dental Association recommends telling your dentist if you have diabetes because any changes in your medical history can also affect your dental care.

It is also important to let your dentist know about you disease because infection is a risk for the diabetic patient and can make it more difficult to control blood sugar levels.

If you are having oral surgery, your dentist may prescribe antibiotics to minimize the risk of infection. To help the healing process, keep your blood glucose levels under control before, during and after surgery.

Diabetes is just one disease whose affects also affect your dental care.

Good treatment is easier with good information. Keep your dentist informed about any significant changes in your health.

The other day I had a new patient in our office.  She had a few dental needs and over the course of a few appointments we treated all of those needs.  She was a great patient who had a huge phobia of dentistry and certain aspects of care.  She seemed very pleased with our care at Augusta Family Dentistry and her family who had accompanied her to her several appointments seemed pleased too.  

On the final appointment of this phase of her care her mother announced that I had passed the test as a caring dentist and that the mother of the family was not only glad that her daughter was a patient but was going to become a patient herself.  She had a large family and was deciding to bring her whole family into Augusta Family Dentistry to become regular patients.  That is thrilling for a dentist to hear because that is the focus of our whole campaign in dentistry.  See your dentist and hygienist at least every six months.  This is preventative dentistry, here we call it PREVENTISTRY. We try to provide the routine preventative care to prevent problems before they happen and fix the problems that do happen while they are simple, small and inexpensive.  Hearing the decision that this family made to return to the dentist actively was the highlight of my day to that point.  Yet it gets better, as you'll hear.  I was very pleased that this family saw that I was really applying for the job to be their dentist.  In fact, that is the mindset that I try to use during every moment of patient contact.  I ask myself, "Am I treating this patient in a way, so that they will choose me to be their dentist today and always?"

The following article was written by Kent Bush, publisher of the Augusta Gazette, www.augustagazette.com.

You don't just have a fever on your forehead.

In the same way, inflammation affects your entire body.

"That inflammation is systemic," said Dr. Rob Colt of Augusta Family Dentistry. "If you have inflammation in your gums, you will have problems throughout your body."

The biggest problem with inflammation is the way your body reacts to it - by producing c-reactive protein (CRP).

This protein is responsible for several serious health problems.

"Heart disease - atherosclerosis - is caused by plaque build up in arteries," Dr. Colt said. "CRP allows small amounts of this plaque to break away from the artery wall and travel through your blood vessels."

Colt said these clots cause strokes and even heart attacks.

"Without gum disease or other inflammation that plaque would stay put," Colt said. "But the CRP significantly increases the risk for strokes and heart attacks."

The American Heart Association has released the results of studies that show people whose CRP levels are in the top third of those tested have twice the chance of suffering heart attacks.

Gum disease is joined by cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, and hyperglycemia as leading causes of inflammation and CRP production in the body.

One of the easiest ways to keep from getting caught off guard by these health problems is to see a dentist or hygienist regularly.

"Any patient we see with gum disease requiring scaling and root planning is given a blood test to measure CRP levels," Colt said. "Then we do a follow-up test to make sure we have solved the problem in future visits."

Colt said sometimes the inflammation improves but doesn't go away completely.

"We refer those patients to physicians," he said. "That is the only way to be safe."

A visit to the dentist is no longer just a chance to brighten up your pearly whites and fill potholes in your smile. Thanks to advancements in medical science and technology, it could save your life.