Annual Meeting

I recently attended the annual meeting of the national bioesthetics organization. The theme this year was “The Airway”. We spent two days learning about the passageway which allows air to travel from the outside into our lungs.

You may ask yourself, why a dentist needs to know about this. I would have asked myself the same question 5 years ago. With my bioesthetic training, I realize the airway is an integral part of chewing system function.

The topics covered anatomy of the airway, sleep apnea, growth and development as influenced by the ability to breath, and even how an obstructed airway can contribute to attention deficit disorder.

If you have contact with children, watch them and see if they can breathe through their nose. If they hang their mouth open to breath they may have a problem. Also if they have dark circles under their eyes, they may also be having trouble breathing. Snoring at night is another symptom. If the breathing problem can be corrected early in life, it may save having many problems later on.

Have a wonderful thanksgiving.

why are my gums receding?

In some of my patients, gum recession occurs. This leads to exposed roots. Often, these roots become sensitive to temperature, In our older patients we are seeing more decay on these exposed roots. Why does this happen?

The gums are in place to cover the underlying bone. When bone is lost, the gums follow this loss, exposing the roots of the teeth.

So how is bone lost? There are two reasons for this. Gum disease and bite trauma.

The end result of gum disease, is loss of the bone around the teeth. This can be one cause of gum recession. So floss and brush every day to keep your gums healthy.

The forces of a misaligned bite can cause bone loss. This is similar to wiggling a fence post in the ground. As the post is moved, the hole in the ground gets bigger. The same happens with your teeth. If the forces are incorrect on the teeth, the socket in the bone gets bigger leading to bone loss.

If you have gum recession, and your gums are healthy, consider your bite as the culprit.

Have a great spring.

Mark Luttrell

Remember to floss only the teeth you want to keep

Why does this happen?

Dental problems are faced by everyone from gingivitis to tooth loss. What causes these problems? How can they be prevented? I hope to answer these questions in this entry and those to follow.

Dental problems are caused by two different factors. One is bacteria. The bacteria in the mouth can attack both the gums and teeth. Daily cleaning, prescribed by a dental professional, is meant to disorganize the bacteria so that problems are averted. If the bacteria is not removed, both gum disease and tooth decay may result. It is the goal of my team to make sure each patient understands the reason for daily cleaning, and also how to clean the teeth and gums properly.

We are seeing more and more folks who are living longer, and also keeping their teeth for their entire life. We are also seeing many whose daily cleaning habits are inadequate. As these patients age into their 70's and 80's, this inadequacy is causing increases in decay and gum disease. We don't see as much decay in children, but now we are seeing an increase in decay in the older patients.

If this concerns you, then you must be diligent in your daily care. Daily Brushing and Flossing are a must. You must keep the teeth and especially the gums clean every day. If you are unsure about how to do this, talk with your dental hygienist. She will be happy to help you become accomplished at the art of bacterial removal.

Treating bacterial caused disease, is what every dentist in the land does every day. The decay in teeth is caused by bacterial infection. The gum disease and resulting bone loss is caused by bacterial infection. This however is not the only factor in dental disease.

The second factor is force. The way the teeth come together and strike each other is responsible for other dental problems. The wearing of teeth, bone loss, receding gums, TMJ, sensitive teeth, and head and neck pain are some of the problems caused by misaligned force on the teeth. Unfortunately, there is nothing a patient can do to help these situations. They are a result of your acquired bite.

Most dentists don't have the knowledge to deal with force problems. This is not tought in dental schools. This is why I have dedicated myself, for the last five years, to studying bioesthetic dentistry. Bioesthetics has given me the knowledge to solve the problems caused by force. I am honored to be the first dentist in central Vermont to offer this treatment.

Our body has the ability to adapt to many things. Once the ability to adapt is overwhelmed, breakdown occurs. Think of all the knees being replaced with titanium. The mouth is much the same. I used to think that we wore our teeth down as a result of aging. Now I understand that this is a result of the teeth having too much force. Tooth enamel is the hardest structure in the body. However, with enough misdirected force, even enamel can be break down. I used to think that aggressive brushing caused gum recession. Now I know that it is the bones' response to excessive torque on the tooth.

I am going to expand on these thoughts in future blogs. I want you to think about the health of your mouth. Is it as healthy as you would like? What is keeping you from having your mouth in a state of optimal health? You are meant to have your teeth for your entire life. This is possible with proper care. Are you flossing every day? Are you having regular cleanings and checkups? Did you know that there are studies linking heart disease with gum health. It is also believed that the health of the gums is a window to the health of the body.

email me with your thoughts.

Mark Luttrell D.D.S.

Remember, floss only the teeth you want to keep.