- Living Wellness Dental
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common questions about our biological / holistic approach, services, and what to expect during your visit to Living Wellness Dental.
Payment is made directly to our office at the time of your appointment and the dental benefits company will reimburse you directly. We assist you by electronically submitting your claim to your dental benefits provider and ensuring you are well informed working with your insurance. You will be reimbursed within a few days. We have several payment options available for your convenience such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Direct Debit or cash.
A dental implant is a device, typically made out of titanium or zirconia, which is placed in the jawbone to replace a missing tooth. A crown or cap is then placed on top of an implant to complete the procedure. Implants can also anchor bridges or dentures. Implants are an effective way to replace a tooth in many cases when other options aren’t feasible. If you are interested, discuss with your Living Wellness practitioner whether or not you are a candidate for an implant.
TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorders, sometimes referred to as TMD. Signs or symptoms of TMD may include jaw stiffness, difficulty chewing, difficulty opening or closing the mouth, jaw clicking or locking and headaches. It is important to discuss your specific symptoms with your dentist to determine how it can be treated.
Living Wellness Dental uses several different types of fillings depending on the particular tooth and situation (such as size of filling). The most common types are porcelain fillings or a white composite filling made of acrylic and glass particles. In some cases, the patient will benefit from a gold filling if added strength is needed. Mercury/Silver Amalgam fillings are not available in our office. We discuss and recommend options for each patient based on their individual circumstances.
Three of our mentors have excellent websites that explain what we believe is the best way to straighten a child’s teeth. Below are those websites with a brief note about each of the clinicians.
Dr. John Mew is an orthodontist in England who developed the Biobloc approach. Our dentists have taken courses from Dr. Mew, and have used his approach on their own families. Since that time, Living Wellness Dental has gained considerable knowledge and experience through treatment of many orthotropic cases. View Dr. Mew’s website here.
Barbara Green is a myofunctional therapist in California who has taught us how to help a person change their mouth postural habits. If the habits that caused abnormal jaw growth and crooked teeth are not corrected, the results won’t be as good and will not be stable. Myofunctional therapy is like piano lessons. You have to come weekly, and if you don’t practice every day at home, it’s all a waste of time and money! View Barbara’s website here.
CEREC (Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramic) is technological device that allows Living Wellness Dental to design and manufacture dental prostheses and restore teeth for the long-term in a single visit. In many ways this technology has revolutionized dentistry. The CEREC milling machine, located within the dental office, designs and mills custom fitted restorations simultaneously, saving time while maximizing precision. The beautifully designed inlays, onlays, and crowns, carved from durable ceramic material look completely natural. CEREC technology aids in the creation of the most accurate fit without the need to remove excess amounts of tooth material.
Some of our patients have several sensitivities. All patients are put through a screening process to identify sensitivities already established and perhaps some that our patients are not even aware of. We are particular about the chemicals and materials used in the treatment of all of our patients. Living Wellness Dental has investigated several materials we feel are the most beneficial for patients with special sensitivities and goes to great lengths to minimize the risks of material and patient incompatibility. Just like shoes, one size does not fit all. Please ask us about how this is done in our office.
As no two people are exactly alike, we all have varying tolerance levels to the materials used to complete required dental services. This is why we perform Clifford Materials Reactivity Testing (CMRT). This screening helps your living Wellness Dental professionals to identify existing materials sensitivities you may have to different chemical groups and families of compounds. Upon completion of the testing process, a report is provided and maintained containing the results that guide our treatment plans.
Each person has a unique biochemistry. Some people experience serious health problems due to the effect of a certain substances, or even from their by-products, where others are unaffected by the same substances. Because each of us may respond differently to the effects of various substances, it is important that dental professionals take potential sensitivities into consideration. This is especially true for individuals with existing health concerns.
Biocompatibility testing provides client specific information that enables us to generate customized, accurate treatment plans involving materials highly compatible to your physiology, thereby increasing the likelihood of successful dental care.
Consider the following:
Galvanic current is not a new phenomenon. Dentists have been aware of this symptom for over a century. A galvanic current is created by the interaction of dissimilar metals that have been placed in the mouth. The current is generated when these metals come into contact with saliva.
- Galvanism leading to sensitivity and discomfort may result from the following scenarios:
A current may be created when a silver/mercury filling interacts with an opposing or adjacent gold filling and saliva. The contact between these two dissimilar metals shorts the energy circuit, sending an electrical current through the pulp of the tooth. - Contact between dissimilar metals may occur when upper and lower teeth come into direct contact when you chew.
- Restoring two adjacent teeth with dissimilar metals may create a pathway for the galvanic current to travel from tooth-to-tooth through the dentine, tissue fluids, and bone.
What is the Solution? Restoring balance to your oral system. You may require removal of the offending material(s) interacting with that particular tooth or teeth in order to reduce this unwanted electrical charge. We advise to “Keep it simple, and keep it safe.” A balanced body is a healthy body.
- Living Wellness
Myths vs. Facts
Commonly Held Myths about Dentistry | Facts that Challenge these Myths |
---|---|
As we age our gums recede. We get long in the tooth | Undue forces of a poor bite can cause bone loss |
If my gums are receding I must be brushing too hard | Bone and gums recede in response to bite forces (soft toothbrushes can’t do this) |
Worn teeth are a symptom of age | Worn teeth occur as a result of poor function or para-function (again a result of bite forces out of balance) |
My bone loss is because I didn’t take better care of my teeth | Bone loss can be because of bacteria but in most cases results mainly from the undue forces of an imbalance in the bite |
Orthodontics cured me of a poor bite when I was young | Orthodontics of the last 50 years was all about lining up smiles (not aligning chewing to true joint centered bites) The results of poor bites start to show up in midlife |
My jaw being misaligned is just something I have to live with | After careful diagnosis, it is often not difficult to align the bite so that it is self-protective |
The fact that my dentistry has worn out is normal | In a properly aligned and self-protective bite dentistry will last much longer |
My night guard protects my teeth and jaw joints | Most night guards cushion the teeth from each other but actually increase the muscle activity and can damage the joint |
My dentist should decide what is best for my mouth | We believe that a co-created treatment plan provides the basis of a trusting and long-term relationship. |