Wagner Oral Surgeon & Dental Implant Specialists
What To Do If You Lose A Tooth
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.
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Nov 21st, 2012
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Tags: bone loss, dental implant, facial trauma, lost tooth, tooth loss
The Link Between Genes and Oral Cancer
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.
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Nov 12th, 2012
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Tags: chromosomes, genes, oral cancer, oral surgery
Beware Of Over-consumption Of Sports And Energy Drinks
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.
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Nov 2nd, 2012
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Tags: tooth decay, tooth enamel, tooth loss
Early Rather Than Later Is Best For Wisdom Teeth Removal
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!
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Oct 18th, 2012
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National Meeting
From September 12, to the 15th 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.
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Oct 9th, 2012
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Five Genes For Face Shape Identified
Researchers have discovered five genes that determine our facial shape and this could one day provide valuable information for both doctors and crime fighters.
A study involving almost 10,000 individuals was recently published in the journal PloS Genetics and could open the door to a variety of uses. In the past virtually nothing was known about the genes responsible for our dimples, foreheads and ears and how they come together.
Lead author from the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, Manfred Kayser said, “There are exciting first results that mark the beginning of the genetic understanding of human facial morphology. Perhaps some time it will be possible to draw a phantom portrait solely from his or her DNA.”
Researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of subjects together with portrait photographs to map the various facial landmarks to extrapolate facial distances.
This was followed by what is known as a genome-wide association study, which is designed to search for genetic variations that occur more commonly in people with certain facial types.
As the research progressed Kayser and his colleagues were able to indentify five candidate genes associated with different facial shapes. These associations increase the liklihood that a certain face shape can be estimated.
The research is still in its infancy and actual projections of what someone looks like simply from a DNA sample is a long way off. But the research may eventually lead to advancements in forensics as biological evidence left behind by the perpetrator could presumably lead to a reconstruction of his or her face.
But maybe even more promising is the possibility that we may eventually understand and perhaps prevent facial birth defects, growth abnormalities, and disfigurements. For now we continue to provide orthognathic surgical care and compensate for these issues surgically.
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Oct 8th, 2012
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Tags: disfigurement, DNA, genetics
Promising New Medical Technology For Facial Trauma
We’ve talked before about facial disfigurement and how we react to it. Humans tend to classify who and what they see to bring order to our world and we tend to shy away from anything that doesn’t fit our idea of “normal”.
Soldiers returning from war often come home with facial disfigurement resulting from injuries sustained while deployed. Defense technology combined with medical advances mean that what once may have been a mortal head wound is now survivable but with major trauma to the face.
An article in Science Blog highlights new research from biomedical engineers at Johns Hopkins University who are developing a new liquid material that is showing tremendous promise in restoring damaged soft tissue. The material is a composite of biological and synthetic molecules that is injected under the skin and then “set” using light to form a more solid structure. Researchers are hopeful that one day the product could be used to reconstruct a soldier’s face damaged by blasts, bullets, or other injuries.
It contrasts with biological materials used in the past that were broken down by the body too quickly. Other synthetic products were rejected by the immune system and also didn’t bond well with surrounding organic material. This material has a biological component more readily accepted by the body with a synthetic element for durability.
The research team also has high hopes for the composite’s use for people with facial deformities as it may help avoid repeated surgeries that often result in scarring. The multiple uses for abnormalities as well as accidents or injuries from war keep the team at Johns Hopkins working for a future where this component will be an everyday tool for maxillofacial surgical practices like ours.
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Oct 1st, 2012
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Unused Medications Get A Second Life
Every year hundreds of millions of prescriptions are written for hundreds of millions of Americans. We are a nation of medication. Fortunately, medical care in the United States is the best in the world and we have access to the remedies that will make us better.
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Sep 20th, 2012
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Promising Advance In Dental Implants
At Wagner Oral Surgery we’ve been performing dental implants for years so we’re always excited when potential improvements appear in the industry.
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Sep 14th, 2012
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Tags: bone loss, dental implants, tooth loss
The Importance Of Oral Biopsies
A small sore on the inside of your mouth may just seem like an minor annoyance. But if it persists it may be a good idea to see a specialist like Lakeside Oral Surgery & Implant Solutions. Many disease processes, conditions and even cancer can present with oral findings, like a little sore, and a simple tissue biopsy may help with a diagnosis.
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Sep 10th, 2012
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Tags: cancer, in, oral biopsy, oral cancer, oral surgery