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William L. Hand III, DDS PA Cosmetic and Restorative Dentistry for Adults
218 B South Front Street Downtown New Bern, NC 28560
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Asked Questions Check this page frequently as questions are submitted and answered!
How do I know if I am receiving quality dental care? In most cases, evaluating the quality of the care you receive is based more on intangibles that have nothing to do with actual dental procedures, but are nevertheless good indicators. Is the office clean, well maintained, and up-to-date in appearance? Is the staff knowledgeable and competent? Are they genuinely concerned for your comfort? What is the experience level of the dentist and staff? Are your questions answered completely and in clear terms? Does the dentist have a commitment to further education? Were you referred by a satisfied patient? Deficiencies in these areas often correlate with clinical skill. What infection control measures are taken in your office? Following are measures we have taken in our office to reduce the chance of disease transmittal among patients and staff. - Facemasks: All of our clinical personnel wear facemasks and eye protection during patient care. - Gloves: New disposable gloves are worn for every patient. Nitrile gloves are used for patients with latex sensitivities/allergies. - Disinfection of Counters and Other Surfaces: You may notice a mild chemical odor associated when wiping surfaces. These chemicals disinfect surfaces that have been touched during patient treatment. - Items Attached to Dental Operating Units: Handpieces, air blowers, suction equipment, etc., are sterilized with a combination of heat and chemicals, or are disposed and replaced with new after use. - Barriers: Plastic or rubber is placed on chairs, switches, etc., for each new patient. - Instruments: All metal instruments placed in your mouth have been sterilized by a combination of heat and chemicals. Our sterilizer is tested weekly to insure proper operation. Every possible precaution is being taken in our office to avoid any cross-contamination from patient to patient. Our infection control procedures are among the most stringent in the entire health care system. (Something to ponder - glasses and tableware in restaurants are cleaned with soap and hot water!) We welcome your questions and suggestions. Why should I have my teeth cleaned on a regular basis? Hard deposits form on the teeth which cannot be removed with flossing and brushing. These deposits irritate the gums, causing the seal around the teeth to break down and eventually leading to gum disease. Cavities form from exposure to sweets and acids. Fillings and crowns wear out. Teeth chip, break, and crack. Tooth and gum problems are more easily treated if caught in the early stages. Commonly, a small cavity that can be easily filled initially can require major and expensive treatment if allowed to progress for as little as 6 months without detection, which is the recommended interval between cleanings for most people. Truly, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". Absolutely! They show areas that cannot be examined with the naked eye. Various images allow us to examine between the teeth where cavities form, the roots of the teeth, the supporting bone, your jaw joints, and to some extent the sinuses. Our office is fully digitized, employing computer sensors that require a fraction of the radiation of older conventional films. In addition the images are instantly available without chemical processing, and we can make as many copies as needed at any time. Will the dentist examine my teeth every time I have my teeth cleaned? This depends upon your dental history and personal preference. Some people prefer to be examined every time. Others, with a history of few dental problems or who have been stable for a while, can be examined once a year. What is the best way to lighten my teeth? Answering this question in detail would require a book, but here is the simple version. How much teeth whiten, and how long it takes, depends upon two factors – the strength of the bleaching agent applied and how long it remains in contact with the teeth. Mouthwashes and tooth pastes do little, if anything, to lighten teeth and are mostly a waste of money. Drug store kits and strips work for some people, but can be difficult and unpredictable. Laser, zoom, or "power" bleaching utilizes a very powerful bleaching agent that can easily burn soft tissues and is done entirely in a dental office under direct supervision, which makes it the fastest (and most expensive) technique. Our preference is bleaching at home using custom made trays and bleach gel provided by our office. This is safe, gentle, and effective, with the major benefit of being reusable. Teeth can be “touch up bleached” at a later time with fresh beach, obtained from the dentist. At-home bleaching with your dentist’s assistance employs thin clear trays similar to orthodontic retainers or athletic mouth guards that are custom fitted and hold a bleaching gel on the tooth, usually for an hour a day. Results are typically noticeable within days with best results occurring within a couple of weeks. Note: No bleaching method will change the color of restorations like crowns, bridges, fillings, or plates. Some restorations may no longer match after the natural teeth are lightened. Some tooth colors are much slower to respond. These issues should be evaluated by the dentist and discussed. Should my silver fillings be replaced? Extensive unbiased research has failed to prove that silver fillings, and the mercury bound within, is harmful to one's health. Nevertheless, silver fillings are rarely used today due to advances in tooth colored materials, which are typically used when silver fillings must be replaced due to wear, breakage, or decay. Many people choose to replace their unattractive silver fillings with tooth colored fillings strictly for esthetic reasons. Cavity formation can be the result of a myriad of factors. Sugar and acid consumption, the natural hardness (or softness) of your teeth, oral hygiene habits, salivary flow, medications taken, and exposure time can each or together have a huge impact. Acids contained in the item consumed or produced by sugar loving bacteria dissolve tooth enamel. Many people unknowingly consume substances that cause cavities, such as cough drops, breath mints, throat lozenges, and antacid tablets. Sports drinks, citrus fruit juices, and all carbonated beverages are acidic and can contribute to decay. Of great importance is the exposure time. Having a soda with lunch is seldom harmful, but taking small sips over an extended period of time will constantly splash fresh acid on your teeth and can do significant damage. A breath mint slowly dissolving in your mouth is providing acid producing bacteria their favorite food- sugar. Why am I breaking so many teeth? Unfortunately, teeth become brittle with the passage of time, especially when large fillings are present. Additionally, the bite may change as teeth wear, placing additional stress on the teeth that may result in breakage. For some people, stress or medications will increase clenching and/or grinding which may break teeth. When breakage becomes a recurring problem, it is important to determine why. Typically broken teeth are restored with crowns, which surround, reinforce, and protect the tooth. In many cases, your dentist may recommend a crown be placed before a weak tooth breaks to avoid possible root canal treatment or losing the tooth from root fracture. Proactive treatment with a crown is an especially good idea when cracks appear in the enamel. Large fillings and cracks can be seen on images your dentist may capture with a special intra-oral camera. Can my missing teeth be replaced with implants? Dental implants are now frequently used to replace the root of a diseased natural tooth with a poor prognosis, or a tooth that has been missing. The best sources of information on dental implants are the Institute for Dental Implant Awareness and the local Carolina Implant Center, with whom we frequently team for complex or difficult implant placement. Dr. Thomas, founder of the CIC, is one of the most skilled dental implantologists in the country. What is "Site Preservation" after tooth removal? When a tooth is removed, the bone and gum tissue in the area immediately begin to shrink, and continue to do so for quite some time. The resulting defect can make it difficult to place an acceptable replacement tooth. “Site Preservation” involves special measures to minimize the loss of gum and bone. This may include very careful removal of the tooth to protect the surrounding tissues, placement of freeze dried bone or bone-like materials into the socket, and use of special permeable membranes to guide the healing response. Several follow-up appointments are usually necessary to remove stitches and monitor healing. Benefits of site preservation include: - The bone and gum retain a more natural shape and appearance - Eliminate or minimize an unsightly defect - Better looking and more functional replacement teeth - Retain more options for replacement teeth with implants, bridges, or partials - No food packed into the socket - Less painful healing ( a closed wound versus an open wound) - Fewer incidences of “dry socket” - Eliminate or minimize need to rebuild the bone and gum later, saving time and money Site Preservation is very important if you are interested in replacing your missing tooth with an implant, which requires bone for stability and healthy gum tissue for a good seal. Even if you are not presently a candidate for an implanted tooth, preserving the bone and gum tissue now will give you more and simpler options later. Why should I have my tooth crowned in your office rather than the discount clinic? Many people do not realize there are significant differences among crowns that may not be readily apparent. Let’s use an example of something with which people are more familiar – tires for a car. Though they may all look pretty much the same, some tires last longer, handle better, and ride better. Some manufacturers have better warranties and better dealer support. You basically get what you pay for. Providing quality and excellent service costs more. In our office, we use the best materials available for every aspect of the procedure - anesthetic, temporary crowns, impression materials, and the crown itself. Each crown is custom made by hand from scratch, requiring great skill and no small amount of artistry by a local laboratory technician with over 30 years of experience. We know him, and he knows us – very well – and we are accustomed to working together. In contrast, many discount laboratories have their crowns made in China, by technicians with little formal training and with no control over the materials used. What may look fine now, may not be durable or even safe. Take no chances for something that is going to be in your body 24 hours a day for a long time! Using the best techniques and materials to assure highest quality may cost more initially, but is worth it in the long run. Additionally, there is the value of an established doctor-patient relationship in which your overall dental health needs are a consideration. Rarely is there one dental problem that is not related to another, and addressing one without addressing the other will result in problems later that will only grow in severity. (For example, a tooth may break because of a bad bite. If the bad bite is not corrected, the new crown or other teeth may break.) Tell me about one-visit crowns? One visit crowns are fabricated by a sophisticated computer-managed machine that mills crowns from a solid block of ceramic material. In comparison, hand-made crowns (typically with a metal thimble covered with porcelain) still offer better durability and esthetics than machine milled crowns, especially on back teeth that are subjected to the greatest biting forces. For front teeth, the color gradients, natural translucency, and minor characterizations of a natural tooth are still best created by hand. The material failure rate on a machine milled crown is many times greater than a hand-made crown. This technology is improving rapidly and shows great promise, but it "isn't there yet". Dentists participating in a plan as a "preferred provider" or "network dentist" agree to accept a greatly discounted payment for services. This limits the dentist's ability to provide services at the usual level. One of several scenarios result, none of which are conducive to quality care: - Other non-plan patients must pay more to make up the difference. - The office must reduce expenses, usually by cutting corners on materials or employees. - Additional charges get "tacked on" to make up for the discounted fees. We treat all of our patients the same and do not discriminate. Everyone is charged the same fees, gets treated the same, and fairly. We do no charge any patient more in order to support reduced fees that others might be paying. You are not in my plan. Can I still be your patient? Absolutely! The choice of dentist and treatment is yours to make, and not a legal requirement, though filing claims and receiving payments can be more challenging. If there is a difference between your dental benefits and our fee, we will do our best to work out a financial plan that will allow you to receive the quality care you deserve.
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