Millennium Dental Technologies has Fantastic Customer Service

I dropped off my Periolase Monday at Millennium Dental Technologies before lunch. I was met at the door by Millennium co-founder Dr. Delwin McCarthy. We traveled to Millennium's new assembly facility where technicians immediately went to work on the Periolase; they dropped whatever they were doing to get my laser back online. The problem turned out to be a bad power supply. The Periolase was ready after being repaired, calibrated, and tested and I picked it up Wednesday morning at 8 am. This quick service did not allow me to miss a beat with my patient schedule. A special and heartfelt thank you to Drs Del McCarthy and Robert Gregg for making such a great product as a Periolase and their dedication and support for their customers.

....Two years later, the Periolase has operated flawlessly.

Cosmetic dentistry is a very hot topic in dentistry today. From Beverly Hills cosmetic dentists, to simple bleaching treatments that most dentists provide, cosmetic dentistry is available to all and exists at a great range of fees and complexities. The most simple cosmetic dentistry involves bleaching of the teeth. For someone who has nicely shaped and arranged teeth, bleaching can have outstanding results, often better aesthetically and more natural then all of the pure flat white "Hollywood Smiles" in People magazine. For people in a hurry, Zoom! whitening can whiten teeth very significantly during a 90 minute appointment Often silver amalgam fillings stain a tooth dark that shows during a smile. Simply replacing the filling with matching and complementary tooth-colored resin or "composite" filling will go a long way to whiten and brighten a smile. The high fee end of cosmetic dentistry can involve ceramic veneers and crowns which can easily get into the thousands of dollars per case, depending upon the number of teeth restored and the difficulty of the case. It is nice to have these expensive options available, but the real truth is these extensive cases are beyond the means of many people. Today almost all dental procedures can be performed in a cosmetic fashion that attempts to mimic natural, so one does not have to sign up for a complete mouth cosmetic makeover to be able to enjoy the benefits of cosmetic dentistry.

What Dental Floss is best?

In my practice a common question is what type of dental floss to use. Remember, the most important function is to remove plaque from the teeth. I find that Glide or other flosses with low friction that are easy to pass between the teeth, do not remove plaque as well as thicker floss. My personal favorite for dental floss is Johnson and Johnson Dento-Tape. It is a heavily waxed floss that is somewhat sticky to the touch. It really cleans well. I notice when a patient switches to this floss; their oral hygiene becomes much improved. If your teeth are close together and tight, the Dento-tape may be a bit uncomfortable in places. I still feel the benefits outweigh the occasional discomfort as plaque control in the mouth is the key to a healthy mouth.

Periolase Laser Periodontal Therapy

I had a couple of interesting cases this last week that underscore the nature of periodontal disease and our ability to treat it. In one case, pre-operative x-rays around the teeth showed what appeared to be generalized horizontal bone loss. Probing around the teeth under anesthesia revealed a different picture. There were scattered 9mm and 10mm defects that I did not expect to find. These deep areas may look clinically indistinguishable from 4-6mm pockets. These foci of infection are best treated with the Nd:Yag laser's ability to access and sterilize the periodontal pocket. I am very excited by this technology, now and in the future, many patients will benefit.