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The Blog
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Caries - the disease that causes tooth decay...
Tooth decay is caused by a disease and it is preventable!
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Where do bugs go when they die?
New infection control guidelines and our new decontamination room!
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Why I like white fillings.....
..actually they are not white. They are tooth coloured fillings because teeth are not white - anything but white. A pure white filling would stand out like a sore thumb if the tooth itself is not pure white, and so for this reason a properly placed filling should be invisible and not draw attention to itself. The correct name for them is 'composite restorations' and 'glass ionomer restorations'. At Haynesdental we only place white fillings.
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Carifree
Are you fed up of carefully looking after your teeth only to find you still need a filling? At Haynesdental we are pleased to announce the introduction of the complete CariFree system. Carifree is a new diagnosis and treatment tool that allows us to better anticipate your likelihood of getting caries and hopefully prevent them, and the need for fillings. Pictured below are some of the products in the range - please read further to find out how it works...
Carifree has been developed in America and we are one of fifteen dentists offering this treatment in the UK. We have decided to introduce it because we sometimes see patients who have very good oral hygiene, they visit us on a regular basis, they eat the right foods and they follow our advice, and yet they still develop dental caries. We find it very frustrating that patients with otherwise brilliant oral hygiene end up having to have fillings – and finally we feel that we might have found the answer! If you are one of those patients who develops cavities regularly for no apparent reason, then maybe you need to come to us for a Carifree risk assessment!
This assessment and screening provides us with valuable information that we can use to practice minimal invasive dentistry. It also reduces your time and money spent in the dental chair. We think it is a win-win situation!
What are cavities caused by?
Cavities are the holes (or demineralised areas) that form in teeth as a result of a bacterial infection on your teeth called dental caries. Dental Caries starts with an infection of the ‘biofilm’ that covers the teeth –this infection takes place when the normal healthy bacteria in the mouth are replaced by acid-producing bacteria. This shift in bacteria is primarily caused by a prolonged acidic (low PH) oral environment: contributing factors include a lack of saliva, some medications or medical conditions and/or a sugary/acidic diet that favours acid-producing bacteria.
Drilling and filling has been the traditional method of treating cavities, but it doesn't treat the bacterial infection,just the symptoms. Brushing and flossing has been the traditional method of prevention, but it does not change the pH (acidity) of the oral environment or treat the infection once it exists.
So, how does CariFree work?
CariFree is a complete system of products that alters the structure of the biofilm and therefore limits the disease responsible for carious lesions.
Treating the biofilm infection involves eliminating the current infected population of bacteria from the biofilm, and then altering the environment to ensure that they don't return. CariFree is a therapy that will promote the regrowth of healthy bacteria, re-establishing the natural microflora of the mouth.
Broad spectrum antimicrobial agents are used to treat the infection, and then alkaline products are used to change the PH of the mouth and ensure cariogenic bacteria cannot flourish – in fact CariFree will promote the growth of healthy bacteria so enabling the mouth to fight off tooth decay more effectively.
Fluoride can also be helpful in remineralizing white spot lesions and the incipient decay that may have resulted from the infection.
So how do I get CariFree?
If we think you are at risk of having or developing ‘caries infection’ we will offer to test you. Normally the test costs £35 but as a part of our service to you, we at Haynesdental are waiving this fee for those patients we know might be at risk- so the first test will cost you nothing. You dentist will fill out an evaluation form with you and then you will undertake a swab test.
Is the test painful?Absolutely not! The CariFree test is a simple screening device (pictured above) which uses a swab sample of your plaque in order to measure the levels of bad bacteria on your teeth. The test is painless, takes less than one minute, and will help us to make a diagnosis as to whether you have acidic biofilm or not. Cavities are known to be caused by this acid biofilm infection. A screening test is part of an overall Caries Risk Assessment we will perform.
We can then make preventive recommendations, with the goal of lowering your risk of decay, and ensuring a longer life for the dental work you have already invested in and may opt for in the future.
What treatment will I need if I have a bad test result?
If your dentist feels you are at risk from dental caries, then he or she will evaluate what factors are contributing to you getting cavities, and then offer treatment through use of specific CariFree products.
We will provide homecare recommendations, dietary counseling, re-mineralization for cavities that have just started, and treatment of biofilm infection. All this with the goal of lowering your incidence of tooth decay, and creating more predictable results for the future.
Please be assured that Carifree is a programme that is suitable for all, and it includes products for both children and adults that treat and prevent the infection lowering the risk of future decay. All CariFree products combine the proven benefits of flouride and xylitol along with proprietary neutralizing pH+ technology.
Treatment Kit
If you have cavities, or have had them recently, this is the kit you need to treat the caries infection. This kit includes all the products you need to initiate a 3-month treatment plan that will kill the caries infection and then allow the biofilm to repopulate while supporting the regrowth of healthy, non-acid-producing strains of bacteria.
The first kit which will last 3 months (longer for a child) costs £99.40 - about £33.15 in the first 3 months. Included in the kit (pictured) are:
- 2 boxes of Treatment Rinse worth £24.75 each
- 2 bottles of Oral Neutralizer Gel worth £13.20 each
- 2 bottles of Maintenance Rinse, choice of mint or citrus (worth £13.20 each)
- 1 bottle of Boost Mouth Spray (worth £5)
- 1 pack of Sugarfree Xylitol Gum (worth £5)
We also advise that you:
- Limit not only sugary/carbohydrate containing items in your diet, but also even non-sugar containing acidic beverages such as diet soda, coffee, tea, sparkling water, alcohol.
- Consider the acidity/pH of the dental products you are using. Do they neutralize your mouth? Know your pH. Don't just brush and floss. . . neutralize!
- Understand that fluoride is still important, but is used to primarily remineralize your enamel and make it stronger. Fluoride can help treat the symptoms (cavities), but fluoride's effectiveness at stopping the bacterial infection has limits.
- Xylitol has been shown to make fluoride more effective and is a very effective agent for limiting the acids produced by bacteria and comes in a variety of gums, mints, rinses and toothpastes etc.
After the initial 3 month treatment course, we advise that you start the maintenance programme for which we provide a further kit.
Maintenance/Prevention Kit
The maintenance/prevention kit is a 3-month supply of products designed to prevent the infection that causes cavities and it costs £72.80 (this works out to about £24.26 per month). This kit features the CariFree daily anti-cavity, pH elevated fluoride and xylitol-rich Maintenance Rinse. A non-abrasive, pH elevated xylitol-rich Oral Neutralizer Gel is also included, along with a sample of Sugarfree Xylitol Gum.
Included in Kit:
- 3 bottles of Maintenance Rinse, choice of mint or citrus (worth £13.20 each)
- 2 bottles of Oral Neutralizer Gel (worth £13.20 each)
- 1 pack of Sugarfree Xylitol Gum (worth £5)