Drs. Salling and Tate is proud to announ

Drs. Salling and Tate is proud to announce we have an in house lab for crowns and bridges.
Steven Coetzer is a great compliment to the Cerec that mills crowns in one visit, together we can provide crowns in one visit; and have them custom characterized to blend in perfectly to your smile.

Drs Salling and Tate is almost ready to

Drs Salling and Tate is almost ready to go live with a new website.
Sneak peak here
http://www.sallingandtate.com
any feedback appreciated

Hey, guys. This Sat at 10:00am is the an

Hey, guys. This Sat at 10:00am is the annual Diminishing Republic party at the island beside the draw bridge (summer rest) Salling and Tate dental gets a steel drum band, shrimp, ice cream, etc Its a tidal event so its early this year. Get there close to ten and enjoy; there is a shuttle from summer rest. Just past the rest home. Email or FB for details….

If you or a friend are anticipating havi

If you or a friend are anticipating having a child, we especially encourage a dental exam and cleaning. When pregnant, hormones cause more gum problems. We prefer to do no treatment when pregnant, so its not a good time to get a toothache. Most importantly periodontal diseae increases the chance of having a low birth weight child. Call if you have questions.

Drs. Salling and Tate, proud to contribu

Drs. Salling and Tate, proud to contribute a professional bleach kit to the Tri-for-Amani charity event on Feb. 26th. Check the events on the link http://triforamani.blogspot.com/p/supporters.html
Great Job Jane!

Cosmetic Dentistry in Wimington, NC

The term cosmetic dentistry has always amused me, as if a dentist would put up a sign in the front of their office in Wilmington, NC  saying “Uncosmetic Dentistry”.

Cosmetic dentistry in its simplest form is dental work that aims to improve the appearance and function of ones teeth and gums. But that’s a  very broad statement, let’s break it down a bit more.

I like to separate treatment options as need based or want based, as a dentist in Wilmington, NC  I try to inform people of their overall oral health.  I find it nice to separate the two categories.

If someone points out that they don’t like their discolored front tooth; I try to inform them of their treatment options and to clarify that the wants are done after the need based treatment. (we don’t like to treat a cosmetic concern and leave diseased area untouched). Increasingly dentistry is becoming want based. “I want to bleach my teeth”, there is no health ”need” to whiten teeth. Or I want a set of Porcelain Veneers for my front teeth.

Occasionally the lines can be blurred, if someone slips on the boardwalk in downtown Wilmington, NC and cracks off part of their front tooth. Well, they may just ”need” a cosmetic porcelain veneer. That esthetic, want based treatment has now become a need based treatment.  But the lines get more blurry when someone has worn down their front teeth to the point they begin to break down look bad and begin to lose chewing abilities.  Now porcelain crowns are more want based but possibly needed to restore the bite and smile. 

There are lots of levels of cosmetic dentistry, the most common procedure is Bleaching or dental whitening. (see previous blog for all the details on this one).

The next level that I find most people fall into, is the need based treatments that can be done esthetically.  For example, you have a new cavity in a tooth or a silver filling that has decay.  Would you choose to replace with the silver/black mercury based filling? (state of the art circa 1895)  or perhaps a tooth colored composite or porcelain restoration? 

The full mouth rehabilitation aka “extreme makeover” is a more complex case, where many or all teeth are crowned, bridged (connected crowns), veneered or replaced with implants.  These cases are much more complex and require a great deal of forethought and planning from the restoring dentist.  Balancing great esthetics and long-term durability are key.  A few years back all porcelain restorations were not as durable as they are today, which made this  balancing act more difficult.

If you are in Wilmington, NC or the New Hanover County area;  A no charge cosmetic/esthetic consulatation could help answer questions you may have about your restorative options.  At Salling and Tate, we believe in providing you information to help you make an informed decision that best suits your needs and wants.  Oftentimes a mini-makever can brighten and strengthen your smile, without breaking the bank.

Feel free to give us a call to go over some options, we are in Wilmington, NC; located near Landfall and Wrightsville Beach. Dr. William Salling started the practice 23 years ago, I (Dr. Bryan Tate) joined the practice in ’97 and Dr. James Salling joined us in 2005.

Dr. Bryan Tate

Wilmington, NC

 http://www.sallingtate.com/

Salling and Tate is now offering appoinm

Salling and Tate is now offering appoinment confirmation via Text message and email!

http://www.sallingtate.com/

A few Halloween tips

Halloween is probably a dentists least favorite holiday; but a few small changes might make a difference in you or your childs dental needs. As an adult, one is more likely to have a crown or two (that childhood halloween candy didn’t help).  You may pass on the extremely chewing candies. (the taffy like kinds) They tend to pull upward on restorations and loosen things. We always see a few loose crowns the week after halloween.

For kids, of course you can’t not let them eat the candy; but how they eat it can make a big difference.  Sugar feeds the bacteria that cause cavities, the longer the sugar is in the mouth the longer the teeth are more likely to get a cavity.  The acids the bacteria make are neutralized by saliva, but it takes 30-60 minutes. You are better letting them eat a portion of the candy and stop; versus letting them continually feast on the sugary treats all thru the day. So the frequency of the exposure is the key to helping prevent cavities. 
You as a candy shopper/giver (the enabler…lol), could also buck the trend and consider something healthy or fun.
Stickers, playdough, popcorn, etc….there are tons of alternative treats to give out.

One last word of caution before the festivities begin, be careful with Xylitol type sugar free gums or candies.  They are alot better for preventing cavities; However they are highly toxic to dogs.  Yes, it’s true…. A pack of xylitol sugar free candy can kill a dog within a few days.   So please be cautious.

Thanks,

Dr. Bryan Tate

www.sallingtate.com

Bite-Tech from Under Armour

The cooling weather is now perfect for outdoor activities. We all enjoy running, biking, strength training, triathlons or sports like softball or golf. Everyone has different activities to work their minds and bodies; exercise is of course great for getting into shape and relieving stress. Unfortunately a lot of people have an unwanted side affect ….teeth clenching. Now this might not sound like the worst problem in the world, but it can have a strong negative impact on not only our dentition, but also our athletic performance level and endurance. Research has shown that during periods of physical activity clenching the jaws causes a release of the hormone Cortisol. However, Cortisol is the primary stress hormone (think “fight or flight”). These chemicals may help in an emergency situation (like a bear jumping out in front of you), but not in endurance events. High Cortisol level limits our peripheral vision, decreases metabolism, causes fatigue, reduces muscle building and suppress the immune system. Well I don’t know about everyone else, but this storm of hormones doesn’t exactly sound like its helping my performance. As a triathlete, I began investigating ways to reduce fatigue during training for a half iron distance race. I came across the new Bite-Tech appliance from Under Armour (yes the same company that makes the clothing is making a dental device). This bite guard also has some other interesting properties; it also opens our airway and has been shown to decrease lactic acid levels during endurance exercise. This I combed thru the research and decided I wanted to explore it further. I was excited to be one of the first to join the list of dentists providing this service. I was ecstatic that as a dentist I could make something that could help others reach a higher level of athletic performance. I fabricated an appliance for myself and one for a more seasoned and accomplished triathlete than myself. (in other words his name is at the top of the list for any given race, were as mine is down the list more than a few spots) I wore it for all three portions (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run) of the Wrightsville beach “Beach to Battleship” Half Iron distance race and the White Lake half. I found it comfortable to wear, the appliance fits securely but passively to your lower teeth. It was a thicker pad towards the back teeth and each pad is connected by a clear thin piece that fits along the lip side of your lower teeth. It doesn’t move around even when swimming. I am a firm believer that for me it helps. I realized there are times of increased effort that I was clenching hard. My cohort that also wore the appliance, reported after his first race he was in favor of wearing it, but didn’t believe he was clenching much; recently after another race he reported he had small worn spots from clenching down hard during some unknown parts of the race. He has a renewed confidence that the appliance is beneficial to him. So I suspect a higher degree of clenching occurs than we are aware of. As a dentist in a larger practice I have noticed that a very large percentage of people are grinding or clenching their teeth. Most all of the people grind during their sleeping hours and are for the most part unaware they are doing it, until they notice wear, broken teeth, sensitivity, recession, bulking of the bone surrounding the teeth (I will save the details for a future blog). I believe that people grind during sleep much more than reported and that we also unknowingly clench during exercise; similarly to how you don’t know you’re snoring until someone tells you. A simple demonstration can show how the appliance works. Place and spread out your hands on your temples. Clench down a few times like you are snapping into chewing gum. You will feel the large temporalis muscle jump on the side of your head. Now leave your hands on your temples and slide your lower teeth towards the your upper front teeth. Tap them together like you are biting into pizza or biting your finger nails (I cringe even saying that, as I think of all the chipped teeth that nail biting makes). You should notice your temporalis muscle is at rest and not jumping or firing. As you jaw is opened a small bit you joint is moved to a less favorable grinding position; as our body has a natural protective mechanism that comes into play that turns off the large powerful muscle to protect your teeth and jaws. The bite-tech works similarly to that demonstration, your bite is at a less than favorable position which stops the excessive release of Cortisol; which should enable you to enjoy longer, harder and more competitive athletic events. You can also experiment with your ability to breath, simply bite down on you back teeth and breath in and out, you will notice your breathing thru your teeth and your airway will feel constricted. Now slide to the forward position and even open a bit more, that is similar to the bite with the bite-tech (actually you aren’t that far forward, but you are open a good bit) but for demonstration purposes it gives you the idea. This one seems obvious not to breath with your teeth closed while exercising, but our bodies seems hardwired to find this biting position at various times. To date we have made them for a wide range of sports, including running, biking, swimming, martial arts and even golf. If we have any interest in hearing more about the bite-tech, I would be interested in seeing if we can help. More can be read at http://www.bitetech.com/wp/?p=327 and the research papers can be seen there also. Give us a call at Drs. Salling and Tate, 910-256-9040 Thanks, Bryan Tate, DDS

Teeth Whitening

As the summer passes in Wilmington, NC our sun drenched faces will begin to lighten. Unfortunately, our teeth don’t. In fact, over time our teeth seem to just get darker and darker. Coffee, tea, tobacco and the natural effects of aging on teeth all combine to gradually darken our smiles.

What can we do to whiten our smiles?
There are many products which are intended to reverse this effect. Store bought varieties range from a White Out-like paste to something akin to bleach-laden band-aids. To help decipher the myriad options one must understand that there are two basic types of tooth stain – extrinsic and intrinsic.

Extrinsic stain is surface stain. This type of stain is generally removed by the hygienist during a regular cleaning appointment. Extrinsic stains are also the target of popular whitening toothpastes on the market. While these products do have the American Dental Association seal of approval, they are generally approved for the “removal of surface stains” only (one must always read the fine print carefully). Unfortunately, this sort of over-the-counter whitening toothpaste has very little effect on the internally darkened portion of the tooth.

Intrinsic stain is the stain within the tooth. This is the type of stain that responds well to bleaching. If this is the first you’ve read about bleaching your teeth, it may sound harsh. It is actually quite a simple and generally harmless process involving peroxide – not household bleach – as the active ingredient. Peroxide enriched gels prescribed by your dentist can be applied directly to the tooth to remove both superficial (extrinsic) and deep (intrinsic) stains.

Can anyone whiten his or her teeth?
The simple answer is no, But this may be the wrong question. The more important questions, however, are whether to bleach at all and how to do it. First, ask your dentist if you are a candidate for bleaching. There are many things to consider: crowns, veneers and fillings do not lighten with bleach; any two healthy teeth can respond differently; and naturally occurring white spots and ridges may become more noticeable.

Without the proper professional guidance from a dentist, you may risk any of these possible consequences. Your dentist can measure the current shade of your teeth and develop a personally tailored program for your smile only.

The ADA seal of approval of a particular bleaching method and product is also important when considering a potentially permanent treatment involving something as important as your smile. This approval is only given to those materials shown to be effective and, more importantly, safe in a series of clinical trials.

The first step is a thorough dental exam to help find a plan to help brighten your smile!   www.sallingtate.com