Techniques to reduce gagging during dental appointments for dental patients in Highlands Rach

Gagging during dental visits is a problem for a few patients but for those who suffer, it can be  significant. Here are a few techniques that may help you to get through your next visit.  One of the most difficult appointments appears to be the taking of dental x-rays (dental radiographs).  Manipulation of the tongue and placing the dental sensor seems to cause problems for many dental patients. Our Highlands Ranch Dentists are dedicated to providing our Highlands Ranch Colorado dental patients as well as patients living and working in Denver, Parker, Centennial, Castle Pines and Lone Tree with individualized family dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, and other customized dental services.  Dr. James DeLapp and Dr. H. Candace DeLapp are family and cosmetic dentists who strive to meet your specific dental needs and working to reduce gagging is one of them.

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Techniques for “decreasing” gagging during dental appointments include but are not limited to:

• Temporal Tap- lightly tap on your temples.
• Pressure point on your hand.  Firm pressure between the thumb and first finger.
• Guided Imagery- thinking about something else!
• Nose breathing!
• Salt under the tongue (we don’t know why this works but it “may”).

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• Highlands Ranch Dentist …Dental Implants for Replacing Missing Teeth.

Patients who wish to improve their smile by replacing missing teeth with dental implants have an option that was not available years ago. Secure dental implants can give you the confidence to smile and chew that removable partial or full dentures fail to do.  Our Highlands Ranch Dentists and staff are here to help you achieve that secure smile with dental implants for dental patients living in the Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, and Castle Pines area along with dental patients in the Centennial, Englewood and the Greater Denver area.

Advantages of Dental Implants for patients in Highlands Ranch

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There are many advantages of dental implants, which include but are not limited to:

• Dental Implants replace a single missing tooth without drilling or crown and bridge placement on teeth on either side of the missing tooth.
• Two or more dental implants may be placed to give tooth coverage over a broader area where a fixed bridge or removable partial denture exists.
• If your are missing “all” your teeth dental implant options may include:
• Place two implants in the lower jaw for better retention of a lower denture
• Place four to 6 dental implants and a bar placed between them makes a removable denture have greater resistance and retention

Place a “mouth full” of dental implants and non-removable bridges and crowns can be placed over the implants.  This can give the look and feel of a mouth full of teeth!

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Costs of Dental Implants

Costs of Dental Implants for a single tooth can run “around” $4,500.00 per tooth (circa 2007) and in full mouth cases can range from $30,000.00 up to the price (or exceed) the cost of a condominium. Of course this depends on the requirements of the case, some need more implants… some less. A few patients are not candidates for implants while other patients need some type of modification.  The vast majority of patients are in this “routine” situation.

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Why does a “lower denture” fit so poorly?

For Highlands Ranch Dental patients who are missing their upper and lower teeth full dentures may be your answer. Dr. James DeLapp and Dr H. Candace DeLapp are Highlands Ranch Cosmetic Dentists serving the Lone Tree, Centennial, Castle Pines, Englewood and the Greater Denver area. Dentures may be one of several options available. As a general rule, lower dentures are more complex to do that upper full dentures and much more difficult to wear than upper dentures.

Complementary Denture Consultation… take advantage of this!

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A complementary denture consultation provides the following:

1. It provides a no-cost visit to discuss your case with Highlands Ranch Dentists Dr.’s DeLapp to see if dentures, a new denture or an implant supported denture is for you.

2. Consultation with these Highlands Ranch Dentists allows you to have your questions answered ahead of time and to decide Cottonwood Dental Group is the right fit for you.

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• Health Risks from Dental Amalgam FDA position statement (silver fillings)

Over the years there has been much controversy regarding the safety of dental amalgam or what you know as silver fillings.  This controversy revolves around the fact that dental amalgam is made by combining silver and mercury.  The concern or issue of this dental material revolves around the inclusion of the mercury in its formulary.

The position of the American Dental Association has been that it is a safe material and is extremely cost effective and readily available The U.S. Food and Drug administration June 2008 opinion basically states that mercury from dental amalgam “may” be toxic to children and developing fetuses.  Many dental experts have weighed in on this subject and half say that there is no proof that silver dental fillings cause harm to consumers.  However, they also say there is no proof that the fillings (which are approximately one-half mercury by weight) are entirely safe.

The FDA web site states, “Dental amalgam (silver fillings) which contain mercury, may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses”.

 In addition the web site states that “pregnant women and persons who may have a health condition that makes them more sensitive to mercury exposure, including individuals with existing high levels of mercury bioburden, should not avoid seeking dental care, but should discuss options with their health practitioner”.

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Bacteria causes tooth decay

Bacteria in your mouth contain several different species of bacteria with many being beneficial for the mouth.  Dentists call this the bacterial flora of the mouth.  If the mouth becomes free from bacteria, yeasts and fungi can overtake your mouth and can cause dental discomfort and dental problems. Streptococcus mutans  (a species of bacteria) causes the most of the damage. It produces acid after it attaches to your teeth in the form of plaque. It is these acids that cause the demineralization that eventually leads to decay (cavities).

Our dental practice video (click here)

Dr. James DeLapp and Dr. H. Candace DeLapp are Highlands Ranch, Parker, Lone Tree, Castle Pines and the Greater Denver area dentists who strive to improve your dental health through education seen in this Blog. We want you to appreciate the significance of bacteria to the dental decay process.

Your mouth contains many different kinds of bacteria with some being beneficial for the mouth. These helpful bacteria help control destructive bacteria, fungi and yeasts.

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Risks of Osteoporosis in Dentistry

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Bisphosphonate medications are used to prevent or treat osteoporosis or as part of certain types of cancer treatment.  They are taken either orally or I.V. and it appears that the I.V. route can have significant dental side effects.  In rare cases, it can cause osteonecrosis of the jaw.  Osteonecrosis might be simply described as the jawbone eroding away.  Dr. James DeLapp and Dr. H. Candace DeLapp are dentists in the Highlands Ranch, Parker, Lone Tree, Castle Pines, and the Greater Denver area who treat a variety of patients with significant medical problems. In addition, please be sure to let our office  know if you have taken these medication before any invasive dental procedure especially having teeth extracted.

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• Periodontal disease (gum disease)

Periodontal disease in some form is very common in the population in general.  Fortunately for most, early periodontal disease (gingivitis) is exceedingly treatable and reversible.  The issue is when this disease is left untreated it becomes difficult to “manage” and control resulting in gum and bone loss. Dr James DeLapp and Dr. H. Candace DeLapp  general and cosmetic destists work with you on “mitigating” the effects of periodontal disease for their Dental Patients in the Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree Parker, Lone Tree, Castle Pines and the Greater Denver area.

Gingivitis:  Is considered the earliest stage of the disease and as its name implies is mostly localized to the gums (gingivae). The gums may become infected with bacteria and one of the many responses is inflammation.  The signs of inflammation are swollen gums, bleeding on brushing and flossing, as well as bad breathe.  Healthy gums should never bleed when you brush and floss. Unfortunately, for some patients, their gums have bleed so long when they brush and floss that they mistakenly believe that this is “normal” or unique to them.  The category of gingivitis may be broken down into several “different” categories with each becoming more severe and its early treatment is paramount.

our dental practice video (click here)

Treatment of Gingivitis.  The good new with gingivitis is that is it treatable and for the most part reversible. Its treatment involves:

• Diagnosis and recognition that it is an infectious disease!
• Proper brushing and flossing techniques
• .Professional dental cleaning to remove plaque and calculus by our office.
• Diet control-limiting the intake of sugars.
• Prescription medications and pregnancy may make control of gingivitis difficult.

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Dental crowns and Bridges (dental caps) for Dental Patients in HIghlands Ranch Colorado

Dental crowns and bridges are prescribed to help strengthen the tooth or fill in a space where a tooth has been lost. Dr. James DeLapp and Dr. Candace DeLapp provide dental crowns and bridges to our Colorado Dental Patients in the Lone Tree, Highlands Ranch, Castle Pine, Centennial, Englewood and Greater Denver area.

Our dental practice video (click here)

Reasons for a dental crown include but are not limited to:

• A large cavity in your tooth
• Restoring a failing, decaying, or broken filling.
• Crowning a cracked tooth.
• Restoring a tooth affected by “cracked tooth syndrome”
• Replacing and existing crown where decay has infected the area where the crown meets the natural tooth structure.
•  tooth which has been Endodontically  (root canal) treated

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Nitrous Oxide (Happy gas) for Dental Patients in Highlands Ranch Colorado

Fear and anxiety of dentistry is one of the reasons many patients either delay necessary dental treatment or avoid care altogether. Highlands Ranch Dentists, Dr. Candace DeLapp and Dr. James DeLapp provide fear/anxiety-lowering treatment using nitrous oxide/oxygen sedation for our Colorado dental patients in the Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Centennial, Englewood, and Denver areas. Nitrous oxide/oxygen sedation provides for many, “just enough relief” from the anxiety and fear that they have. For many dental patients this relief is all they need to have to accomplish their care.

Nitrous oxide/ oxygen sedation has been used in dentistry and medicine since the 1700’s.and was “discovered” by Joseph Priestley. In the late 1700’s and early 1800’s “laughing gas” was a popular source of entertainment and enjoyment for the youth of this period. In 1844 a local dentist, Dr. Horace Wells, made the intellectual jump from entertainment to medical and dental procedures and is considered to be the “Father of Modern Anesthesiology”. Today nitrous oxide is used extensively in both medicine and dentistry.

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Advantages and Indications of Nitrous oxide/oxygen Sedation in Dentistry

Nitrous oxide has several advantages and indications in the dental setting and includes but are not limited to:

• Nitrous oxide/oxygen is well tolerated by “most” dental patients
• The dental patient “may” drive to and from the appointment
• It is simple to administer and monitor
• It is exceedingly safe with few side effects
• Is effective in mitigating the anxiety of “most” patients
• Helps effectively manage medically compromised patients (cardiovascular, respiratory, and cerebrovascular diseases to name a few)
• Helps reduces gagging in many dental patients
• Recovery from the effects of nitrous oxide/oxygen sedation occurs in minutes
• There appears to be no hangover or lingering effects once the nitrous is flushed from the patients system.

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• Hospital Dentistry for Dental Patients in Highlands Ranch and Parker area
  

For extreme dental phobia or medically compromised dental patients… hospital dentistry may be the resort of choice. Highlands Ranch Dentists Dr. James DeLapp and Dr. Candace DeLapp provide hospital dentistry for our Colorado dental patients in the Lone Tree, Parker, Centennial, and in the greater Denver area. Hospital based dentistry provides for a select few a way to fulfill their dental needs that cannot be met with procedures in the dental office.

General anesthesia whether it is for heart transplant or dental procedures carries the “same” anesthetic risks. While unintended outcomes are uncommon, care needs to be taken to make the prognosis as favorable as possible.

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