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I have written this question and answer page, hopefully about topics relating to dentistry that are of interest to you. As you read these, please feel free to contact me with questions or ideas for topics about which you would be interested.
Dentistry has been a wonderful career for me. I enjoy it daily in our Cary dental office. It is a field that has made remarkable strides since I began private practice in 1979. At that time, porcelain veneers did not exist. Dental implants to replace missing teeth were very unpredictable. Root canal treatment took multiple visits to complete. Tooth colored fillings were very rough and stained easily. Today, tooth colored fillings are smooth and stain very little over time. Root canal treatment is generally completed in one visit. Implants are very predictable. Smiles are transformed with bonded porcelain veneers.
Even with all this change, most basic principles remain the same. Diseases of the mouth are still largely due to either bacteria or from mechanical stresses on the mouth system. Treatment is still focused upon reduction or elimination of the bacteria by removing decay and by removing the bacterial causes of gum disease, followed by the provision of restorations and gum tissue architecture such that the patient may effectively remove any future bacterial plaque accumulation Secondly, the bite relationship and forces on the teeth and gums are addressed and possibly altered so that “the gears mesh correctly and don’t wear down.”
The challenge for today’s dentist is learning how the new technologies can be implemented while retaining the basic standards that provide for longevity and predictability of treatment.
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