Highlands Ranch Dentists

Highlands Ranch dentists

Genetic and Salivary factors for dental cavities in Highlands Ranch dental patientsIt has been known for some time that saliva plays an integral role in the formation of cavities by acting as a buffer.  Saliva can buffer the pH or the acidity of dental plaque and provide the mineral needed to re-mineralize a tooth. Highlands Ranch dentists Dr. James DeLapp and Dr. H. Candace DeLapp work on developing a customized preventive care dental plan to reduce the incident of dental decay in their Highlands Ranch dental patients.

Salivary flow is Critical to preventing dental cavities

It has been noted that shifts in salivary flow may be the result of any of the following:

• Congenital issues
• Acquired conditions
• Surgery especially of the Parotid or other salivary glands
• Radiation treatment of the head and neck
• Medications (Parkinson’s Disease e.g.)
• Age related … as we get older… less saliva
• Xerostomia or Dry Mouth

Genetic predisposition to dental cavities

Our Highlands Ranch dentists  research have found there is a strong genetic component for dental cavities that has been reported.  These studies fave com from monozygotic and dizotic  reared-apart studies.  Leon and Oppenheim (2001) in the “Journal of Dental Education” found that genetic contribution to dental cavities may be reported as high as 40%.

Call our Highlands Ranch dentists today for an appointment

Please feel free to call our office today for an appointment at (303) 694-9740.

Thanks to Matt and Scott of US Web Central for their help with our websites an Blogs.  The can be reached by clicking on the following link Denver web design and SEO.

Teeth Whitening in Highlands Ranch

Teeth whitening is turning out to be a very popular and accepted treatment for many patients.  Over time minerals and stains from food or drink darken or stain teeth. Highlands Ranch dentists Dr. James DeLapp and Dr. H. Candace DeLapp provide Cosmetic and Family dental services for patients in the Lone Tree and Highlands Ranch areas of Colorado.

Difficult colors to bleach

There are a variety of colors of teeth that are easy to bleach and other colors very difficult.  Colors that are generally considered easy to bleach are yellows.  Most systems respond favorably to most bleaching protocols.  However… gray colors are very difficult to bleach and at times our Highlands Ranch dentist need to combine techniques. Colors that are impossible or very difficult to bleach include colors that are a result from tetracycline staining or fluorosis (too much fluoride in the water).  In these situation bleaching may “mitigate” the very dark color but really does not whiten them. In this situations some type of dental veneers may be needed.  A dental veneer is a small piece of porcelain that is bonded onto the from surface of your tooth.  Even veneers can be difficult to mitigate the underlying color.

Types of teeth bleaching

There are many different types of tooth whitening or teeth bleaching.  All the systems currently available use hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide as the bleaching agent.  These solutions are delivered to the tooth as one of the following

• Toothpastes (not very effective)
• Whitening strips
• Generic trays
• Custom Trays
• One-hour whitening

What is seen in all of these is the lowest concentration is in the tooth pastes and the highest concentration is in the one-hour bleaching systems. What can be “generally” stated is… bleaching is a combination of concentration and time on the tooth.  A higher concentration (one-hour whitening) needs less time than whitening strip (lots of time on tooth).

Combined techniques for tooth whitening

Our Highlands Ranch dentist have found using a combination of techniques can be most effective in whitening your teeth especially hard to whiten colors (grays).  In this scenario we first use one hour teeth whitening and then f9llow up with custom tray whitening. Some of the issues seen is tooth/teeth sensitivity.  Whitening DOES make teeth sensitive to some degree or another.  If you teeth are very sensitive to hot or cold you most likely are “not” a candidate for tooth whitening.

Call an make an appointment at our Highlands Ranch Dental office today

Please call (303) 69-9740 and make an appointment today

Thanks to Matt and Scott of US Web Central for their help with  our websites and Blogs.  They can be reached by clicking on the following link Denver Web Design and SEO.