Smiles By Glerum

Everything has its price, including dental care – especially when it’s a lack of dental care.

A study in the Journal of Periodontology discovered that cumulative health care costs were 21 percent higher for patients with severe periodontal (gum) disease than for those without gum disease. While the immediate conclusion might be that the higher costs were attributed directly to tooth and gum issues, it’s important to recognize that dental disease and infections in the mouth can easily travel into the body, and cause havoc with many other, seemingly unrelated, health issues.

While more research continues to be conducted, findings to-date confirm a link between gum disease and diabetes, and a possible link between gum disease and a higher risk of heart disease, stroke and preterm births. People with respiratory diseases or osteoporosis may also be threatened by existing gum disease.

And then there’s the issue of taking time off from work and school. Statistics released by the Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Resource Center show that over 164 million hours of work were lost in a single year by employed people in the United States, and over 51 million school hours were missed annually by school-aged children due to a dental problem or visit to a dental office.

The price of poor dental care can also be felt on a social level, made evident on the employment front. For example, employers have been known to view potential job candidates with missing front teeth as less intelligent, less trust-worthy and less desirable than ones with a full set of healthy teeth.

A good oral hygiene program, including regular, professional cleanings in our office, can go a long way toward preventing gum disease, and all its associated medical, economic and social issues.

If you haven’t already scheduled your next dental visit, please take a moment to call today.

Why Cosmetic Dentistry?

According to a 2011 cosmetic dentist survey, the following are the most common reasons that people decide to improve their smile with cosmetic dentistry:

1. Improved appearance.
2. Self-esteem.
3. Professional success.
4. Health.
5. Improved relationships.

While certain cosmetic procedures, like tooth whitening, can only be done on healthy teeth, there are other procedures that are performed in order to strengthen and improve teeth, and, in the process, they improve the overall appearance of your smile.

For example, dentists agree that chipped teeth are a common reason patients ask for a cosmetic update. Chipped or otherwise damaged teeth can easily be covered with porcelain veneers, mended with dental bonding or covered with crowns or onlays. Your teeth will not only be stronger after most of these procedures, they’ll also look great!

In addition to chipped teeth, we regularly perform cosmetic improvements to fix discolored, uneven, and missing teeth, or gaps in-between teeth. Inevitably, the result is a younger, brighter smile, with the confidence boost that comes from an improved appearance.

Wondering if your smile could use a boost? Please ask us to explain all your options!