Newspaper Page Text
THE ISLANDER, JUNE 15, 2009, PAGE 15
You Teef Cjreat. . . Look Cjreat. . . ‘Enjoy Life . . .
New Technology in Dentistry
By Joe N. Garner, D.M.D.
This is a great time for dentistry.
Tremendous changes have taken place
in the last 15 years, which have made
dentistry much less traumatic for the
patient and much more efficient for the
dentist.
How many of you like to go to the
dentist? You are not alone. Approxi
mately 12% of the population (20 to
30 million) has never visited a dental
office. Even more visit the dentist only
once or twice in their lifetime.
With the introduction of sedation
dentistry and better local anesthetics,
dentistry can be faster, more comfort
able and almost painless.
The revolution in dentistry has been
in the field of cosmetic dentistry. One's
appearance can have dramatic effects
personally and even in the workplace.
Confidence shows. Are you self con
scious when you laugh or smile? Do you
cover your mouth while talking or even
refrain from smiling because you don't
like the appearance of your teeth?
In as little as two visits, you can
look younger, smile without being self
conscious, laugh with abandon and be
the real you.
One Visit Restorations
Anyone who has had a crown knows
that you must wear a temporary for
two to three weeks. The temporary
crown usually comes off or breaks,
requiring you to go back to have a new
one made and re-cemented. Temporar
ies are sensitive and chewing on them
is unpleasant or uncomfortable.
New all-ceramic crown technology,
such as the Cerec® System has now
eliminated much of the discomfort and
allows fitting of a permanent crown
in a single visit. With this system
a damaged tooth can be repaired in
about 90 minutes using natural tooth-
colored ceramic with characteristics
more closely resembling those of natu
ral teeth.
What This Means for You
When you eat hot or cold foods or
drink the all ceramic crown or veneer
restoration contracts and expands at
almost equal rates as the real tooth,
so your tooth doesn't crack. Another
advantage to the all ceramic restora
tion is that it is bonded directly to your
tooth, so healthy tissue is saved and
provides you with a strong restoration
that strengthens your tooth. By doing
onlays and inlays instead of tooth col
ored fillings, the tooth is sealed and
much stronger. This reduces the possi
bility of leakage around the filling and
potential problems down the road.
The ceramic material used has twice
the compression strength as enamel
and wears almost at the same rate. It
is very easy to polish and does not wear
away the opposing occlusion. There
are all ceramic restorations for grind
ers and clinchers as well. Many think
because they clinch or grind that a
ceramic restoration will not work.
During this procedure, an infrared
camera captures an accurate image of
the damaged tooth or teeth. The image
is transferred to a computer screen
where the dentist uses CAD technology
to design the restoration. That infor
mation is then transferred to the mill
ing unit (CAM) equipped with software
which creates perfect fitting ceramic
restorations. The whole process usually
takes about an hour.
The ceramic material has the abil
ity to either be finished indirectly in a
glazing furnace, (for those challenging
aesthetic cases) or polished directly to
a more then acceptable clinical finish.
There is no other material that more
closely resembles the natural enamel
on your teeth. Not even gold which has
proved to be the standard of the past.
All ceramic restorations are avail
able for more than crowns and fillings
- chipped or discolored front teeth can
be restored with veneers or crowns.
In the past the only negative of the all
ceramic restoration was that the block
material was only one color through
and through making cosmetic res
torations impossible. Through more
advanced technology, that obstacle has
been removed which makes cosmetic
crowns and veneers for front teeth pos
sible with fantastic results.
Heart Disease and Stroke
The next revolution in dentistry is
coming. A strong link exists between
dental diseases and heart disease and
stroke. Numerous research articles
from prestigious publications like the
New England Journal of Medicine and
the American Heart Association state
that chronic infections such as dental
infections or chronic bronchitis may
more than double the risk for stroke
and heart disease. Periodontal disease
is listed as one of the risk factors for
heart disease and affects at least 50%
of the population.
There are roughly 24,000,000 dia
betics and another 57,000,000 pre-dia
betics in America.
Evidence exists of a "loop" between
gum diseases, undiagnosed, low grade
infections hidden in the gums and a
worsening of blood sugar control.
Before we could tell people to brush
and floss or you might lose your teeth.
Now, we are saying Brush and Floss, it
could Save Your Lifel
For more information on periodon
tal care, implant dentistry, restorative
dentistry or even a smile makeover,
contact Dr. Gamer at 288 Redfem Vil
lage, St. Simons Island, 31522 or call
him at (912) 638-9090.
Dr. Joe Gamer has practiced gen
eral dentistry for over 30 years and has
practiced on St. Simons Island for the
past 15 years. He has been a member of
the Academy of General Dentistry since
1982 requiring continuing education; a
member of the Center of Advanced Den
tal Studies; was president of the Cobb
County Dental Society 1990-1991; a del
egate to the Georgia Dental Association
and Peer Review Chairman, Northwest
District, for five years. His practice is
general dentistry with emphasis on cos
metic and restorative dentistry. “I
SGHS honors 2009 Nurses of the Year
Top: Linda Joines,
RN, was named
Nurse of the Year at
a reception held at
the Brunswick Cam
pus. Joines is the
team leader for the
Cardiac Rehabili
tation Department
and has 33 years
of service with the
Health System. Pic
tured with Joines
are Vice President
DelRia Baisden, (left
to right) Director of
Cardiopulmonary Services, Brunswick Campus, Gerard Kilroy, MBA, RRT; and
Vice President of Patient Care Services Ellen K. Hamilton, RN, MSN, FACHE.
Bottom: Bridget Williams, RN, was named the Nurse of the Year at the Senior
Care Center reception. Williams is an MDS coordinator who interacts with staff
to coordinate the assessment and care of residents and has six years of ser-
There’s no
need to be
your friends and neighbors work, play and live without shoulder pain.
Dr. Ralph W. Morales is a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon who was
fellowship-trained at the renowned Hughston Clinic. And Dr. Morales
always takes the time to listen.
Advanced arthroscopy and laser procedures available • Recovery time reduced
Postsurgical discomfort minimized • Insurance accepted and filed
And as always, nonsurgical solutions are explored first
Visa and MasterCard accepted • Participation in most insurance plans
i j Dr. Ralph W. Morales
““‘ZT SOUTHERN ORTHOPAEDICS & SPORTS MEDICINE, PC
—lul Peak-performance results with a personal touch.
3231 Glynn Ave. • Brunswick
Call for a consultation or
ask your doctor for a referral
SHOULDER HURT?
vice with the Health
System. Pictured with
Williams are Vice
President of Patient
Care Services Ellen K.
Hamilton, RN, MSN,
FACHE; (left to right)
Senior Care Cen
ter Nurse Manager
Ruth Giannoumis,
RN, MBA; and Senior
Care Center Direc
tor Tom Cronemeyer,
RN, MSN.
