Las Vegas Cosmetic Dentistry Blog - Drs. Bryson and Margio

Dentistry is a rapidly changing profession where advanced techniques and technology have allowed us to provide the very best care for our patients. However, even with all of this improvement, periodontal disease (gum disease) is still the #1 cause of tooth loss in adults today. Our life expectancy today is nearly 80 years old. Twenty to thirty years ago, it was not uncommon to be an adult and be missing all of your teeth. Today studies have shown that less than 4% of adults are missing all of their teeth.

With our patients living longer and maintaining most of their teeth, this makes it important for dentists to help make their patients aware of the importance of avoiding developing periodontal disease. Statistics show that over 75% of adults have some form of periodontal disease. More importantly over 50% of adults are unaware that they even have it. Periodontal disease normally doesn't cause pain, unless patients have developed an abcess. However, many adults believe that "bleeding gums" is normal. Think about it, you would obviously be concerned if you had a swollen, infected area on a part of your body that bled every time you washed it. This is what happens to many people when they brush or floss their teeth.

One misunderstanding about periodontal disease is that it only develops in patients that are not diligent with their home care. Over 30% of adults are genetically susceptible to developing periodontal disease. An analogy would be the person who works out regularly and is in good shape, but still has heart disease and is at higher risk for a coronary problems.

As part of our comprehensive exam at Drs. Bryson & Margio Dentistry, we do a thorough periodontal evaluation on all of our patients regularly. We believe in order to provide long lasting and successful dental restorations, we must first work together with our patients to achieve periodontal health. You would never want to build a house on an unstable foundation; your gums are the foundation for your fillings and crowns. We are also now aware of the health problems associated with patients who have periodontal disease. They are at a greater risk for:

• dangerous bacterial infection
• heart disease
• stroke
• low birth weight for pregnant patients

We want to provide the very latest in treatment when addressing periodontal disease for our patients. In addition to many other advanced techniques and materials we use the Odessy Navigator Soft Tissue Diode Laser during our periodontal therapy visits.

Benefits of using a laser:

• faster healing
• less bleeding
• minimal post-op discomfort
• reduced chair time
• reduced chance of infection

We have had great success using the laser to help our patients to improve their periodontal status. Remember that not all dental offices provide the laser therapy as part of their periodontal treatment. We want to provide the best for you at Drs. Bryson & Margio Dentistry. So if you feel that we can help you determine if you have periodontal disease or want to discuss if our periodontal therapy would help your problem with your gums, give us a call or e-mail us today!

Before

Cosmetic dentistry is typically not taught in dental schools. That means that to become proficient at performing cosmetic dentistry procedures, a dentist must obtain post-graduate training, both theoretical and hands-on.

Therefore, before you choose a cosmetic dentist, make sure that they are properly trained and qualified. Both Dr. Bryson and Dr. Margio have received training at the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies, the premiere school for cosmetic dentistry training.

If you are in the stage of scheduling consultations with a number of cosmetic dentists who could potentially be your choice, write up a list of questions to take with you. Make brief notes on the answers you receive. If the answers are not clear, ask more questions until you understand. You would want to choose a cosmetic dentist who communicates clearly and who is happy to take time with you.

If you are offered an office tour, think about how you would feel if you were coming to this office regularly. Would you feel welcomed? Safe? Relaxed? Also notice how the dental staff works together. Do they seem well-organized? Busy but not over-stressed? Friendly with each other?

Although patient education is a high priority for the best cosmetic dentists and they will take time for it, you can educate yourself to some extent by reading web pages about the procedures you are interested in. You can also read the biography or credential pages of each cosmetic dentist you are considering.

When you finally make your choice, place your confidence in that dentist and follow his or her advice and instructions. That is especially important when you have had a procedure such as a porcelain crown or dental implant and must follow directions during the brief recovery periods.

If you would like to schedule a personal consultation with Dr. Bryson or Dr. Margio, please call or email our cosmetic dentistry office today. We serve the areas of Las Vegas, Summerlin, and Henderson in Nevada and we hope to meet with you soon.