What are Eating Disorders?

Eating disorders can result from a variety of causes, both internal and external. These factors can include biological tendencies for developing an eating disorder, psychological and emotional issues, and the modern Western cultural desire to be thin, which is often equated to success and power. Eating disorders tend to be more common in teenage and young adult women, and manifest themselves in two main ways:

• Anorexia nervosa, a condition where individuals deprive themselves of food to the point of starvation due to an intense fear of gaining weight.
• Bulimia nervosa, a destructive pattern of binge eating followed purging behaviors, such as vomiting, in order to expel food and keep from gaining weight.

Long-Term Effects of Eating Disorders

Anorexia and bulimia are detrimental to long-term dental health.

With anorexia, an individual deprives his or her body from vital nutrients that keep all aspects of the body functioning properly, including the teeth. The deprivation of calories and nutrients – such as calcium, iron, vitamin B and vitamin D – cause teeth and gums to weaken and disrupts the proper balance of nutrients required for good oral health.

Bulimia, however, creates a different but just as destructive set of dental issues in individuals because of the cycle of binge eating and vomiting that characterizes the condition. A person suffering with bulimia tends to eat without regard for the nutritional value of the food, which is detrimental to teeth. Purging, the second part of the cycle, stomach acid passes through the mouth and erodes teeth enamel.

It’s impossible to hide these effects from a dentist, which is why dental professionals are the first to see the symptoms of an eating disorder. Both eating disorders lead to tooth weaking, tooth decay, enamel erosion, and gum disease.Additional symptoms that indicate an individual has an eating disorder include:

• Dry mouth
• Bad breath
• Mouth sores
• Dry, cracked lips
• Erosion of tooth enamel
• Tenderness of the mouth, throat and salivary glands
• Sensitive teeth

 Treating Dental Effects of Eating Disorders

Fortunately, seeing the dentist due to dental problems resulting from eating disorders can lead to long-term healing from the symptoms and conditions. It is imperative to seek professional help for both physical and emotional well-being.

Once the necessary overall treatment for the eating disorder has begun, your dentist can begin to treat the effects on your dental health. After a comprehensive dental exam, treatment may likely include restorations that include crowns or veneers depending on the state of an individual’s teeth. To help strengthen and protect teeth, an individual may need to use fluoridated toothpaste, fluoride applications, and a mouth guard.

Although the long-term dental issues can be treated, Dr. Todd Beck of Mt. Tabor Dental says the first step is getting medical help to treat the underlying eating disorder and the dental healing will follow.

Dental surgery and cleanings are often invasive to your mouth. The procedures usually cause bleeding in your mouth around the gums. The bleeding is what can cause an infection because it allows bacteria to easily get into the blood stream. If and when the bacteria enter into the blood stream, it can affect the heart and artificial joints causing services damage and life threating infections.

We recommend giving antibiotics to our patients before dental surgery because they can eliminate the bacteria. Do you have a heart condition or artificial joints? If so please let your dentist know before any surgery and even regular cleanings. The more you share with your health practitioners the easier it is for you to stay healthy.

All Dentists follow recommendations developed by the American Heart Association, so you can trust that your health is in good hands with your doctor.

For certain heart conditions, antibiotics are recommended about one hour before invasive medical procedures to prevent a condition called infective endocarditis, which is a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection of the inner lining or valve within the heart. But other patients with no heart conditions or artificial joints problems can get procedures without taking antibiotics.

In 2007 the American Heart Association changed the guidelines so that only people at highest risk for developing infective endocarditis are now advised to receive prophylactic antibiotics before invasive procedures.

Taking antibiotics before a dental procedure is not necessary is you

Patients and their families should ask their primary care doctor or their cardiologist if there is any question at all as to whether they should continue to take preventive antibiotics based on the new guidelines. Patients and their families should ask careful questions of their doctors and dentists anytime antibiotics are suggested before a medical or dental procedure.

Periodontal Disease Evaluation Procedures

During the periodontal portion of a comprehensive dental exam, the doctors or hygienists use an instrument called a “periodontal probe” to measure the depth of the gum “pocket” or sulcus circumfrentially around each tooth.  The pocket depth, in addition to other findings, can indicate several dental conditions, most significantly the periodontal status of your teeth.

Periodontal Pocket Depth Indicators

You may wonder what the numbers mean when your practitioner is calling them out to be recorded.  The number is the actual depth of the pocket from where the gums start to where the tooth is connected to the gums and bone within the pocket. In general, pocket depths in the 1-3 mm are considered healthy and normal, but many times there is still evidence of gingivitis with these depths.  Any pockets measuring 4mm in depth or greater can signify the start of the periodontal disease process, meaning the bone holding the tooth in the socket has become inflamed and may start to be resorbed.

Checking Teeth and Gums for Periodontal Disease

In addition to measuring pocket depths, Mt. Tabor Dental staff also record gum recession, which are areas that gum tissues have been lost around certain areas of teeth.  Gingivitis, or inflammation of the gum tissues, can also lead to bleeding in certain areas, so these “bleeding points” are recorded as part of the exam.  All teeth are checked for “mobility,” or movement, to ensure that the tooth roots are firmly anchored to the jawbones.

Finally, the exam includes detection of “furcations,” which is bone loss around the roots of the teeth, usually a sequela of more severe periodontal disease.  Using all of this information, Dr. Beck, Dr. Morrow, and the hygienists at Mt. Tabor Dental take pride in educating patients on their periodontal conditions.

Follow-Up for Periodontal Treatment

For conditions that would best be handled by a specialist, we have a number of trusted periodontist colleagues who take very good care of our patients.  Whether treated by a specialist or by our skilled hygienists in-office, our practice will provide customized periodontal treatment plans that will not only educate you, but help you overcome any problems you may have.  Please contact Mt. Tabor Dental if you have any further questions relating to your dental or periodontal health.

What is a Dental Rubber Dam?

A rubber dam is a simple piece of equipment in the form of a piece of latex or silicone. This material is then cut to fit around a patient’s teeth in order to provide necessary treatment. Although simple in form and practice, this important piece of rubber has many advantages.

Advantages of Dental Rubber Dams

Used in dentistry for over 150 years, using a dental rubber dam has three main advantages.  First, it helps improve patient safety and reduce dental anxiety by creating a physical separation between the patient and the dental procedure being performed.  Another advantage is that the rubber dam minimizes contamination of the root system by reducing the bacterial load in the operating field during endodontic therapy procedures. Last, dental dams keep the operating field isolated and dry, which is necessary for some dental procedures.  This advantage is especially important when placing composite (tooth-colored) restorations, which are technique sensitive and require a very dry field in order to achieve long term success.

Use of Dental Rubber Dams

Not all dental practices use rubber dams routinely, but Dr. Beck and Dr. Morrow take this extra step in order to protect our patients.  We spend a lot of time and put a lot of work into producing high-quality dentistry, and using  the rubber dam helps our restorations last longer.  Of course, not all situations necessitate the use of the rubber dam, but we always try our best to use them when indicated.  If you have any additional questions or concerns about the use of the rubber dam or about how it benefits our patients, please contact Dr. Beck or Dr. Morrow at South Waterfront Dental.

What Are Silver Fillings?

Silver fillings are not made of silver, but are called “amalgam,” and are used to fill cavities in teeth to prevent the

Image: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

spread of tooth decay. Amalgam used for fillings is a mixture of metal, including alloy composed of copper, tin, silver and mercury. These are known as “silver” fillings because of their appearance after placement.

Silver, or amalgam, fillings usually require the removal of more tooth structure than white fillings and often can cause some staining of the remaining tooth structure over a number of years.  That being said, amalgam fillings can last for decades because of their strength and ability to withstand hard biting forces.

What Are White Fillings?

While amalgam has been used for over 150 years and is still recommended for very large restorations, huge strides in materials science have been made with white, or composite, fillings.  Composite fillings resemble the natural color and texture of your teeth, and are made from composite resins. These fillings insulate teeth from extremes of heat and cold, and require less invasive preparation than amalgam.

Dr. Beck prefers to use white fillings when he can with smaller cavities because of the superior esthetics and the fact that newer composite materials have better longevity and adaptation than ever before.

Which Filling Should I Choose?

Dentists have many years of training in dental school placing both types of restorative materials. The decision to use white or silver fillings is usually made between the dentist and the patient after a discussion of the risks and benefits of each type of filling.

Next time you visit our dentist office, please feel free to ask Dr. Beck if you have any questions about the different materials used to restore your teeth.

We also have nitrous oxide (laughing gas) available. Depending on your health, Dr. Beck may also prescribe an oral sedative to help you relax.
What are Dental Implants?
Dental implants are biocompatible metal anchors that are positioned in the jaw bone underneath the gums to support an artificial crown or bridge, as well as complete or partial dentures, where a natural tooth or teeth are missing. Dental implants are a great alternative to bridges because they feel and work most like our natural teeth.

Dental implants are usually done in two phases; first you will see an oral surgeon to have the implant placed. After 4-6 months of healing, Dr. Beck will fit a custom restoration on top of the implant post to replace your missing tooth or teeth. Every case is different, so you should ask Dr. Beck if you have any specific questions about your mouth and implants.
What is Root Canal Treatment?
The root of a tooth includes a nerve. When the nerve dies it can become infected and can cause discomfort, swelling and complications that if left untreated will cause long term damage to your mouth. Dead nerves are more commonly caused by deep decay in the tooth but can also be caused by an injury to the tooth such as getting hit in the mouth.

Root canal treatment requires removal of the nerve, which is done through the biting surface of the tooth. After root canal treatment the tooth will require a crown to function properly and to protect it from fracturing.
Can I Get Fillings that are Not “Silver”?
Yes! Dr. Beck places composite or tooth colored fillings that look natural. Silver or amalgam fillings expand and contract with variations in temperature, acting like a wedge in your tooth that can cause a fracture, composite fillings do not.
Do I Get a Cleaning on My First Visit as a New Patient?
Dr. Beck and his team are dedicated to your entire oral health. At your first visit we reserve 2 hours of our time so that we can do a thorough job of assessing your oral health. This first appointment will include a full mouth series of digital radiographs (X-rays), a periodontal evaluation by the hygienist (checking for the health of your gums) and a comprehensive examination. This will allow Dr. Beck and your hygienist to determine the type of cleaning that is best for you. We will try to complete a cleaning that day; however, depending on how long its been since your last cleaning and the condition of your teeth and gums, it may require additional appointments.
Do I Have to Have X-rays?
Just as lab work is often needed at your physicians office to fully assess your condition, radiographs (x-rays) are critical at the dental office to fully assess oral health. Please keep in mind that two thirds of your tooth (the entire root system) is located below the gum line and is not visible without radiographs. In addition, only a small amount of decay, infection and abnormalities are visible without radiographs.

We strictly adhere to the American Dental Association’s guidelines and never take radiographs unless they are needed for a proper diagnosis. We are also mindful of your concerns about radiation. That’s why our radiograph units are regularly inspected by the State. We also use the most advanced digital x-rays to further cut down on your radiation exposure. You get more radiation from being in an airplane for a few hours than you do from a complete series of dental radiographs.
Glossary of Terms and Helpful Links
Glossary of Dental Terms

American Dental Association

Academy of General Dentistry

OHSU School of Dentistry

…. there will be more links in the future.

During this exam we collect data, which will allow us to determine your level of gum disease, tooth decay, tooth trauma, TMJ health, occlusion and oral cancer screen. Radiographs are a critical part of this examination as they allow us to evaluate your jawbones, sinus cavities and the two-thirds of the tooth that cannot be seen in the mouth!

While we encourage all our new patients to have a comprehensive examination, if you are in pain we will do site specific exams to diagnose and treat the source of your discomfort.
Gentle yet Thorough Cleanings and Dental Hygiene
The best way to prevent tooth decay and gum disease is to have your teeth cleaned regularly. Our dental hygienists will remove plaque and tartar, keeping your teeth and gums healthy and clean.
Tooth Colored Fillings
Also called a “white” filling, these dental restorations are composite resins containing a mixture of acrylic plastics and quartz fillers.

These restorations differ from amalgam (silver or mercury) fillings in that they are held in place by a bonded resin rather than mechanical retention. These materials have evolved to the point that they will last as long and are as durable as sliver fillings.