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Tooth Extraction without the Trauma? Yes, it's Possible!

Guest Post by Kolleen Shallcross

Emergency dental procedure. The words strike fear into just about everyone. I’d been having trouble with a tooth, and as many of us do, hoped it would magically resolve itself. I was busy with work and life and tried to ignore it, but when it began hurting more, oozing pus and swelling, I resigned myself to the appointment.

I headed to Dr. Golden’s office, hoping that she could fix whatever was wrong without too much pain. My heart was thumping, but as I relaxed into the chair and looked up at the wall mural, it slowed down a little. It’s a painting of a smiling blonde lady holding an armful of roses, surrounded by butterflies, sunflowers and daisies. In the background are green hills with a cheerful sunrise and a rainbow, and I was momentarily distracted, wondering if she might be Mother Nature, reassuring me that the world is a wonderful, healing place. Maybe she was the artist’s vision of Dr. Golden herself, always smiling and ready to make you feel at ease. My reverie was interrupted with the news that although I did come in before the bone and an adjacent implant were damaged, the tooth would have to be extracted. Ouch.

Dr. Golden reassured me that she had instrumentation that would make this trauma-free. I felt some cautious optimism as she explained about Piezosurgery. In a nutshell, piezoelectricity uses an electric charge to build pressure and ultrasonic frequency to cut through bone in a minimally invasive way. Piezosurgery is used in all sorts of bone surgeries, but has found a niche in the dental world for extractions, crown lengthening, tissue removal, scaling, and osteotomies/osteoplasty (when bone needs to be removed or replaced).

In her holistic dental practice, Dr. Golden’s number one goal is biocompatibility, ensuring that every treatment is nontoxic and safe for your whole body. She also knows that the health of your mouth connects to your overall health, as well as the reverse. She explained that Piezosurgery has been proven to result in fewer proinflammatory cytokines as well as earlier increases in BMP levels in patients than when dentists use traditional drilling. BMP is a patient’s basic metabolic panel, and while cytokines are proteins in our body that promote healing responses, proinflammatory cytokines, as the name suggests, actually boost inflammation responses and can cause progress in a disease. I was starting to have hope that this would be okay after all.

She explained that the device circles between the tooth and gum and uses saline to separate the tooth. No tugging pliers, no grisly wrenching. After she made sure I understood and was on board with the procedure, she got started.

I am now free of that infected tooth, and I can tell you I couldn’t be more pleased. The procedure was quick, and with the Piezosurgery technique, the noise and vibration of drilling were absent. The psychological effect of that is great all by itself, but when you add in that I was as comfortable as having a tooth extraction allows and the fact that pain and swelling were minimal, I can’t stop telling people to go see Dr. Golden. Your mouth will thank you!

Dental surgery are two words that, when used together, can inspire a lot of dread. Nobody likes pain, and recovering from surgery often brings swelling, discomfort and the use of prescription medications many would rather avoid. People are used to applying ice to help swelling, but this is often uncomfortable, messy as it melts and not as effective as you might imagine. Ironically, ice can be too cold and increase discomfort. In addition, holding it on the affected area doesn’t allow the patient the rest required for recovery.

Dr. Golden, always interested in the latest technology, has discovered a way to help her patients recover faster.

The Swiss Dental Solutions Hilotherm cooling mask promotes safe, natural healing by reducing pain, swelling and bruising. This means that anesthesia and painkillers don’t have to be as widely used, sometimes even avoided. Patients can return to normal life faster, with less pain and metabolizing less medication. 

To understand why the Hilotherm cooling mask can help so much, it’s useful to understand that when a patient undergoes surgery, the affected area endures a disruption in the supply of oxygen and other nutrients. The patient’s metabolic rate increases, which makes the skin inflamed. This creates a cycle where the area needs more oxygen than the body can provide, which leads to ischemia, or reduced blood flow that causes a further shortage of oxygen to the surrounding tissue. That in turn leads to cell death and edema, which is more swelling caused by excess fluid. Cooling the affected area reduces the need for oxygen in the damaged tissue, and this is where the Hilotherm cooling mask comes in.

Hilotherapy cools the skin at the perfect temperature to help the patient’s metabolism dispose of dead cells and accelerate the healing process. When used for 72 hours following a procedure, it reduces swelling and keeps the patient comfortable, often without pain medication. The mask contours to the patient’s face and provides cooling without dripping ice packs, allowing for rest or sleep.

The Hilotherm device circulates fluid through the mask, placed on the patient before swelling develops after dental surgery. The mask connects to the Hilotherm device with two small tubes, and the circulating water is kept at 62.5°, a soothing temperature that reduces swelling but doesn’t cause discomfort the way ice can. It benefits patients who might otherwise experience pain and swelling that make swallowing difficult and allows them to eat and drink, which in turn helps healing. 

Dr. Golden uses the Hilotherm mask in the office, but also allows patients to use it at home after a procedure, if necessary. She will also advise on holistic healing methods, such as nutritional supplements, which foods to eat and to avoid, the use of arnica, natural sleep aids and probiotics to ensure healthy intestinal flora that will aid in healing. You can trust that she will do everything she can to make your experience as painless as possible.

For more information about Hilotherapy, call 516-627-8400 or visit GoldenSmile.com

Autologous Bone Grafting from Extracted Teeth Supports Fast Bone Healing

What happens to your extracted teeth? Do they go in the garbage? Do you save them for the tooth fairy? What if that tooth of yours is actually the most sophisticated source for bone grafting in dentistry? 

The dental experts at KometaBio have found that these little pearls should be utilized, not discarded. Extracted teeth can be cleansed, grinded, treated, and ready for use in just 15 minutes. 

Why is this significant? Dentin, which is the material that makes up the bulk of your tooth, is virtually identical to bone in composition. When preparing your gums for an implant after an extraction, using a dentin graft provides faster bone healing and regeneration. This, combined with soft tissue response and immediate attraction of osteogenic cells, creates a stable base for your dental implant.

Not only does this approach enhance the aesthetic outcome of your implant by restoring proper facial contour, it minimizes the risk of infection and implant rejection. “Dentin attracts Osteoprogenitors from the site, undergoing ankylosis (fusion) with the bone,” according to the KometaBio website. “Containing growth factors and BMPs, it makes a strong, slow resorbing scaffold.” The whole process saves time, frustration, and allows you to put those extracted teeth to good use. 

Why Use Extracted Teeth?

1. Teeth are made of Dentin, which is like bone

2. Dentin will graft onto your bones faster than other material

3. Your implants will have a stable base

4. Minimize infection risk

5. Saves healing time

The device that makes this all possible is KometaBio’s Smart Dentin Grinder, which features a powerful and durable motor, surgical steel stainless steel blade, and multiple safety features to output two graft modalities: 1. Mineralized Dentin Graft and 2. Partial Demineralized Dentin Graft. 

“This is a natural procedure that actually crushes and sterilizes your teeth so that they are ready for use as an autogenous bone graft,” says Linda Golden of Golden Dental Wellness. “It is really interesting and is innovating dentistry.” KometaBio’s Smart Dentin Grinder is among the amazing equipment available at Golden Dental Wellness. 

There are numerous clinical cases to speak for the efficacy of this approach, backed by the research and evidence published in numerous renowned science journals, such as Dentistry Today, Periodontic and Restorative Dentistry, Annals of Anatomy, and more. More than a dozen clinical cases are available to review on KometaBio’s website.

To learn more on how Golden Dental can bring your smile back, call 516-627-8400 or visit GoldenSmile.com.

The antioxidant value of rosemary has the same potent free radical-fighting power of goji berries. Rosemary is rich in carnosic acid, an antioxidant that fights oxidative stress in the brain (helps with memory). Another rosemary constituent, carnosol, is strongly antioxidant and anti-inflammatory as well.

Using Rosemary oil is also a simple way to protect your body from the increasing levels of radiation! For two weeks or longer, twice a day after exposure to any x-rays, or radiation of any kind, place in your palm a quarter size amount of coconut oil and 1-2 drops of rosemary essential oil. Massage into soles of your feet for 30 seconds.