J. Peter St. Clair, DMD, PC Blog

I have focused the majority of my career on family preventive and general dentistry. While I enjoy most aspects of what I do, I firmly believe that a good percentage of dental problems are avoidable, which means that dentists shouldn’t be as busy as we are with routine fillings, removal of teeth, and many other procedures. While there are other factors at play, such as genetics, personal responsibility is often at the head of the pack.  

Prevention often takes a back seat to fixing problems.  Decayed, broken and worn teeth all had nothing wrong with them at some point. Granted, you have to fix what is already broken, but “How could it have been prevented?”… (Read More)

Let’s use this hypothetical situation: You have not been to a dentist in a while (pick a time frame), you are well aware you need some dental work, you were given the recommendation of a dentist by a friend…..and, you decide to visit that dentist and four other dentists to compare and make a decision who is the best fit for you. (I realize that most people don’t want to and/or don’t have the time to visit five dentists….but play along).

You already have an idea of what you are looking for. It might be the dentist who says you need the least. It might be the dentist who is the cheapest. It might be… (Read More)

Sleep apnea can have many side effects that you may not be aware of. One example is the impact it can have on your dreams. Some people with sleep apnea find that they don’t dream at all, but others might start experiencing particularly vivid nightmares. Your dentist is here to explain more about the relationship between sleep apnea and nightmares – as well as what you can do to improve your dreams.

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It is not uncommon to get a second opinion, or a second or third quote for things like car repairs and home improvements. When it comes to our health, it usually depends on the nature of the issue. More complex issues in medicine, such as a diagnosis of cancer, an unknown diagnosis, or other major medical issues in which we have to make decisions about significant treatment, tend to stimulate people to get more than one opinion. In dentistry, it seems that the incidence of second opinions is not as great.

Routine dental care is generally not that complicated. There are many different ways to do the simplest things in dentistry. The method is a… (Read More)

Studies have shown a link between teeth grinding, clenching and headaches. There are also links to people who have sleep breathing disorders, and those who take serotonin uptake inhibitors (SSRI). Some brand names of these drugs are Celexa, Lexapro, Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft. Many people grind and clench their teeth for many different reasons – let’s not forget STRESS!

For people who grind or clench, the muscles that open and close the jaw can become painful from overuse, causing a range of symptoms from tension to migraine headaches to jaw joint (TMJ) problems to tooth pain. Here is a simple test – look at your tongue in the mirror without sticking it out. Are the… (Read More)

If you have kids, and you take them to the dentist, I am sure you have heard about sealants. Many, if not most dentists recommend dental sealants.

A dental sealant is a flowable resin, generally placed on permanent 6 and 12-year molars. It is placed in the grooves on the top of the teeth. Its purpose is to help prevent decay from forming in this area, which is the most common place for dental decay to occur. It does nothing in the prevention of decay between teeth, or on any of the other 20 teeth in the mouth – although the molars are generally the first teeth to decay.

Make sense so far? Now for… (Read More)

This is a phrase we hear far too frequently when patients call to cancel or change their dental hygiene appointments. When the patient is told that there are no open hygiene appointments for 4-6 months, the response is often, “Oh, that’s okay, it’s just a cleaning.” This lack of concern is only partly to blame on the patient; most of the accountability falls in the lap of the dental team.

If you read this column with any frequency, I am sure you have seen me report that 75% of the population has some form of periodontal (gum) disease. I’m sure you have also read that periodontal disease has been linked to heart disease, stroke, pre-term,… (Read More)

I’m sure we all agree that keeping up with technology is not easy. From computers to cell phones to cars, and everything in between, changes take place at lightning speed. No matter what we buy, there is always something right around the corner, or already there, that is better.

I purchased a digital x-ray system back in January of 2008 to replace film and chemicals to develop. By June of the same year, the same company came out with a smaller, thinner sensor.  This didn’t make mine obsolete, but my $10,000 investment made six months before could now be purchased for half the price. I thought I was “jumping in” at the right time.

As… (Read More)

You’ve had your dental visit planned for a few months now but suddenly, you discover that something else is vying for your attention and time. You know you shouldn’t reschedule, but it’s no big deal. After all, you’ll see your dentist in another few months anyway, right? Unfortunately, this mindset can spell disaster for you later on. Keep reading to learn about 3 potential repercussions that can occur should you choose to skip your dental cleaning.

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If you have read these columns in the past, you have seen me write about periodontal (gum) health and its relationship to systemic health. There is a slew of scientific evidence that poor periodontal health is not good for you systemically. It has been linked to heart disease, stroke, low birth weight babies, diabetes and more.

Gum tissue health is an easy thing for patients to be lax about, or even ignore. Why? The main reason is that gum problems do not hurt, unless they are so severe that tooth loss is inevitable. It is the chronic inflammation in the gum tissue, regardless of whether it hurts or not, that has the potential to affect… (Read More)