Wagner Oral Surgeon & Dental Implant Specialists

We all know that smoking is bad for our health. It can cause lung cancer, increased risk for diabetes, and other health problems but are you aware of the damage that smoking can do to your mouth?

It goes beyond just bad breath and yellow teeth. Smoking can cause a number of oral health problems that can have a major impact on your health. Smoking interferes with the normal function of the cells in gum tissue so they may be more prone to dental complications.

Including:

-Increased build-up of plaque and tartar on the teeth, which can increase cavity risk.

-Bone loss within the jaw.

-Increased risk of gum disease which can lead to tooth loss.

-Higher risk of developing oral cancer.

-Inflammation of the salivary gland openings on the roof of the mouth.

All of these risk factors can come together to complicate dental care. Smoking not only increases the risk of tooth loss but if that tooth needs to be replaced with a dental implant the bone loss from smoking may mean that the implant has a smaller chance of success. And because smoking delays the healing process any tooth extractions, periodontal treatments or oral surgery will have a prolonged recovery time.

The effects of tobacco can be reduced if a smoker gives up the habit. Eleven years after quitting former smokers risk of having gum disease is about the same as someone who never smoked. So see your doctor for recommendations of smoking cessation programs and kick the habit. 

I have developed a love affair with Guatemala.  Guatemala is a beautiful country in the middle of Central America.  The people are warm, loving and welcoming.  As they struggle to catch up with the “western world”, they carry an interesting mix of modern day cities and rural areas where they are still using techniques hundreds of years old.  They are hard working people who wish great things for their children.  There are many very poor areas where there is little law and order and where survival seems to be a daily battle.

We first came to Guatemala in 2006 at which time the Word of Life camp was at its infancy.  We have watched it grow in size, numbers of missionaries, and in its complexity.  Maybe the most interesting aspect, and something that keeps us coming back, is seeing the very people we help one year actually pulling themselves up and becoming leaders in subsequent years.  We have seen actual lives being changed and communities grow as a result of work that we have been privileged to be involved in there and believe me- it is not anything that we did.  We may have provided some catalyst for example or prayer – but what we have seen are nothing short of miracles.  Seeing that repeatedly not only drives you forward for more, it makes you realize that there is a loving God who works among his people who are faithful to his commands.

A typical Guatemala trip has us arriving in Guatemala City and spending two day stays in various communities (typically rural towns).  We provide medical, dental and practical care for anyone who wants to come.  We sent up in makeshift clinics, often setting up in open-air school rooms.  I have performed oral surgery in schools, in vacant buildings, in open-air markets, in the great outdoors on benches, in tents, and in municipal buildings.  The people will give us what is their best space.  We set up however we can and the people come by the hundreds, often on foot from many miles away.  We triage them, see what they need and we perform basic services that are within the time and scope of our supplies.  Occasionally, we are doing major surgical procedures, but for the most part we help them with basic needs.  All of our patients are evangelized to through the missionaries we work with.  The mountain and rural people of Guatemala are quite different from the city people; both ethnically and socially.  Many of them have never seen a doctor.  Most of them have heard religious messages, but they often do not have a strong “faith.”  As we have been involved in this work, I have seen the transformation of life-changing growth in myself, my family and my staff who have been involved in these trips.  Seeing my children grow up with this has been wonderful.  My children are now grown and they not only go on trips with Sue and I, but also have gone and continued to go on trips of their own.  My daughter actually met her husband in Guatemala on a mission trip.

Guatemala is relatively easy to get to.  There is no time change and the cost of the trip is not great.  I would encourage anyone who is interested in mission work to try a trip like this.  You do not have to be a medical person to go on a mission trip.  Even a medical mission trip like these need a lot of support personnel.  I would encourage you to become involved in this work.  It will change your life.  It certainly has transformed me.

-Dr. Richard Wagner

In the United States we’ve long been used to fluoride in our water, our toothpaste and other products to aid in cavity prevention. Iodine, a necessary nutrient vital for brain and body development, is found in salt and is also readily available in our country.

But in underdeveloped countries the threat of health issues from lack of both is being confronted in an interesting way.

According to an article in The Dental Tribune fluoridated salt is being used to prevent cavities (also called caries) and also deliver iodine to those who would otherwise not have access to either.

Fluoridation of salt has been used in Switzerland since the mid 20^th century and since the mid 80s about 15 European countries have adopted it as well. Now in Southeast Asia farmers are making the same salt in fields previously used for agriculture.

Saltwater is poured onto these fields and allowed to dry until only salt crystals remain. The crystals are then scraped up and processed in plants where its treated with a concentrated fluoride solution. The salt is then consumed by local peoples as a food and dietary additive. It’s estimated that this addition of fluoride and iodine could prevent both cavities and iodine deficiency. 

After initial successful trials in Cambodia the approach was introduced to other countries and supported by the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization, regional health groups and the World Dental Federation. It has had remarkable results with big reductions in cavities in 12 year olds, 84% in Jamaica, 73% in Costa Rica and 40% in Uruguay. All this for just 6 cents per capita per year. Hopefully this process will be carried over into other countries to prevent what we Americans can take care of with a simple visit to the store for flouride toothpaste or just by drinking our flouridated water.

At Wagner Oral Surgery we believe that one of our duties as human beings is giving back to those who are less fortunate than we are. It’s what moves us to partake in mission trips to countries where dental care isn’t readily available. Our gifts enable us to help those who suffer daily discover a new day without pain and perhaps with a little smile. It’s the smiles that keep us going.

For children born with cleft lip, cleft palate or other craniofacial disorders the medical challenges they face can be numerous and life-long. They can lead to issues with speech, feeding, ear infections and hearing problems. Social and psychological challenges can be just as difficult as we continue to place value on people based on what they look like.

About 1 in 600 babies in the U.S. is born with a cleft lip and/or cleft palate according to the Cleft Palate Foundation.

Surgery to repair this issue is often done when the child is between 6 weeks and 9 month old. Depending on the severity more surgeries may be needed as the child grows and matures.

These birth defects result from a genetic mutation and environmental factors. Problems with genes passed down from one or both parents, drugs, viruses, or other toxins can all cause these birth defects.

A study published earlier this year explores the link between PRDM16, a protein contained within a specific gene, and the development of the embryonic palate. It’s also essential to muscle and bone development and the study is significant to understanding birth defects leading to facial clefts. Identifying the cellular and molecular processes regulated by PRDM16 is an important step toward understanding normal development of the face and head.

This study is encouraging and may lead to the introduction of gene therapy that might reduce or even eliminate the occurrences of cleft lip or palate. 

We have been practicing for many years and from the start, we have had a practice philosophy of high quality comprehensive care in a comfortable environment with attention to detail in all aspects of your care.  We merge excellence in background and training with attention to detail.  This is a regular practice and not just words.  Consistence in this area over many years brings high expectations and we gladly accept this.

We are proud to have been voted in as the best in Racine over the past several years in a category (oral surgery) which does not even officially exist.  We are consistently rated high on the Internet rating sites and we sincerely appreciate everyone who has taken the time to rate us and we would encourage anyone who is considering an oral surgical procedure to look closely at those ratings and read what people have to say about us.

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I am at the same time humbled and also proud because I have been blessed with an excellent staff and a wonderful population to serve.  I truly appreciate all of those folks who have taken the time to rate us!

– Dr. Richard Wagner

Let’s say you’re playing a nice game of touch football with your friends but the big guy on the other team doesn’t quite get the “touch” part and accidentally hits you hard enough to knock out a tooth. Do you just keep going, thinking that a missing tooth just make you look tough?

Probably not. What you should do is take steps to get it back in your mouth where it belongs. If you want to look tough buy a motorcycle.

If you lose a tooth it’s critical to keep the ligament that trails off the end of the tooth moist. Be sure and handle it by the top and not by the roots to preserve as much as possible. You may have heard long ago to keep a lost tooth in milk. This isn’t exactly true. Milk does have neutral pH but it’s not the only option. Water can work but ideally a saline solution is the best environment, Just get any dirt or debris off as soon as you can. Don’t rub or scrape it just rinse off as best you can.

If at all possible try and insert the tooth back into your mouth and apply pressure to make it fit, bite down on something soft to reduce direct contact. If this won’t work you can try and place it in between your cheek and gum to keep it moist and protected.

The next step is getting yourself and your tooth to a dentist or emergency room asap. It’s critical to get wherever you’re going within an hour if it’s going to be placed back in correctly and stay where it’s supposed to be.

A tooth that just can’t be re-implanted needs to be replaced by a dental implant. When a tooth is missing the bone that supported it will begin to resorb or shrink. This can lead to serious consequences such a compromised facial structure, lost lip support, increased wrinkles and more. The opposing teeth will also feel the effect and attempt to compensate for the missing tooth and may even drop down or shift to fill the open space.

If you’ve lost a tooth and need re-implantation or dental implants head over to Wagner Oral Surgery. We specialize in tooth replacement and we can get your smile back in order. You may want to refer any other friends who find themselves in a game with that same big guy as well. Or maybe just take up ping pong.

A study published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research reports that a pattern of chromosomal changes can predict which patients with premalignant oral lesions will go on to cancer.

Researchers studied 296 patients with mild or moderate oral dysplasia and is encouraging news that may help with early diagnosis and prevention.

“The results of our study should help to build awareness that not everyone with a low-grade oral premalignant lesion will progress to cancer,” Miriam Rosin, PhD, of the BC Cancer Agency in Vancouver said in a statement. “However, they should also begin to give clinicians a better idea of which patients need closer follow-up.”

The study found that a loss of heterozygosity on the short arms of chromosomes 3 and 9 was associated with progression of oral lesions. That’s a really scientific way to say a loss of function in a portion of a gene can indicate progression toward oral cancer.

Information gathered from the test subjects resulted in the conclusion by the research team that two out of every three high-risk cases are progressing. Identifying which early lesions are more likely to progress will give doctors a chance to step in for high-risk cases and also prevent unnecessary treatment for low-risk patients.

This is a fantastic advance in treatment of oral cancers and we are hopeful that this will result in the reduction of cases.

“In the future we may be able to predict the risks of different types of oral cancer by a simple tissue screening.” Says Dr. Wagner, “And this will give us a bigger window for treatment options.”

If you have any questions about lesions or sores in your mouth contact us at Wagner Oral Surgery. We can examine you and see if you need further treatment.

If you’re a big drinker of energy and sports drinks you might want to reconsider just how much you’re consuming. A new study finds that people who drink these beverages are “essentially bathing their teeth with acid.”

The study published this past summer in the May/June issue of General Dentistry, examined the acidity levels in 13 sports drinks and 9 energy drinks to study the drinks’ effects on tooth enamel. The researchers determined the acidity levels not only vary between brands they can vary between the different flavors among those brands.

Researchers immersed human tooth enamel into each beverage for 15 minutes to see just what effect the drinks would have. After the initial immersion the samples were then placed in artificial saliva for two hours, four times a day over a five day period.

The results were alarming, as few as five days after exposure to both sports and energy drinks the enamel was damaged. Energy drinks were particularly harmful; double the amount of damage as the sports drinks.

This information is especially important for teens because between 30 and 50 percent of teens have reported consuming energy drinks and up to 62 percent of teens saying they drink at least one sports drink per day.

Dentist Dr. Jennifer Bone, spokesperson for Academy of General Dentistry, the organization that publishes the journal, said in the statement that teens and adults should curb their intake of these types of drinks, “”Both tactics increase saliva flow, which naturally helps to return the acidity levels in the mouth to normal.”

The American Beverage Association disputes the research saying that because the study was not performed on humans it is simply not valid.

Good dental care is necessary regardless of what type of food and beverages we consume but Dr. Wagner cautions that anything with high amounts of sugar or acid should be kept to a minimum. He recommends watching teeth for the signs of damaged enamel which include: sensitivity, discoloration, cracks or chips and surface indentations. All of these may be a sign of trouble.

One of the questions we’re asked frequently at Wagner Oral Surgery is whether or not to remove wisdom teeth if they’re not causing problems.

The Basics on Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth are the last four molars to come in. Problems are often caused when other teeth, bone or sections of gum are in the way. We want to be preventive and avoid these problems.

If a wisdom tooth encounters an obstacle it often causes pain, infection and may damage nearby teeth, gums, or roots. Some wisdom teeth may even come in at the wrong angle further complicating accommodation by other teeth.

When is the Best Time for Wisdom Teeth Removal?

Dr. Wagner suggests having wisdom teeth removed sooner rather than later for several reasons. When patients are younger the roots of wisdom teeth are shorter, basically less “grown in” so less resistant to removal. They are typically “looser” in the bone making it a less painful and less risky process. Lastly, removing them early means better and faster healing and an easier recovery.

How Do I Know if Wisdom Teeth Removal is Needed?

We recommend to parents to have their children’s teeth checked periodically for emerging wisdom teeth starting at around age 13 or 14. This can also be done by your dentist or orthodontist. This is on the early side of growth but it’s a good time to start thinking about it. As we said before, the earlier the better for wisdom tooth extraction!

From September 12, to the 15^th I attended the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons annual meeting.  We had four days packed with educational symposia and classes.  The subject matter included dental implants, dental implant surgeries, cosmetic and reconstructive facial surgery, treatment of facial trauma, anesthesia care and facial rejuvenation.  I strive to stay at the forefront of my specialty and these courses give us the opportunity to not only expand our skill base, but also to hone existing skills.  I am grateful that we still have a country where we are free to exchange knowledge and ideas.