How does your garden grow?

 This is a somewhat strange tittle for a dental blog post, but more and more, when I examine my patients mouths I often feel like a gardener examining the flowering plants and shrubs that he has taken care of for years. My patients mouths, especially those who follow my recommendations have done quite well and even though many are over 70, they have retained most or all of their teeth. Alright, I should admit that I am fortunate to be practicing in Manhattan and many of my patients are relatively affluent compared to others. They feel like they can afford to come in frequently for recall and restore their teeth according to my recommendations. 

Although treating caries and performing restorative dental procedures are part of my practice, education and preventive dentistry play a larger role in maintaining my patients oral health. I encourage all my patients to use an electric tooth brush, clean interproximally and have at least two cleanings per year. For many patients oral health can be maintained without their need for many restorations to treat caries and most are free from periodontal disease.

Two days per week I teach at NYU College of Dentistry and many of the patients we see there are not as are not as diligent in taking care of their teeth.  Many of the patients seen in our clinic are in need of extractions, partial dentures or full dentures. A significant proportion are medicaid recipients or do not have the discretionary income that can be needed to choose more expensive dental solutions ( multiple implants, crowns esthetic dentistry. That being the case, education and preventive dentistry are some of the most effective and affordable dental measures available to all patients. Good dental care starts at home and  really helps maintain dental health and may prevent the need for many future dental interventions. 

When I discuss oral hygiene and spend time educating the patients at the school, most are grateful, especially since just using an inexpensive electric brush ( Oral B Vitality purchased for around twenty dollars) can make a big difference. This is especially important for the children who go there for their dentistry.  The proper diet also can make a huge difference for children dental health. Snacking on junk food loaded with sugar and carbohydrates can lead to increased tooth decay and drinking sugary drinks can have a similar effect. 

In addition to practicing dentistry, I enjoy taking care of my terrace garden in my spare time and I know that  keeping my plants healthy by providing  the proper lighting conditions and watering schedules , is a lot simpler than saving one of my plants once it becomes bug infested. . ...An ounce of preventions is always worth a pound of cure.

 It is my honor to have the opportunity to give something back to my community by teaching at NYU College of Dentistry but it sometimes saddens me to see how neglected  many of the patient  mouths are. Many of their problems are associated with a lack of education concerning preventive dentistry when they were younger. Diet, proper home care and frequent cleanings can make all the difference over the long haul for all segments of our society. While Preventive dentistry is reasonably affordable,   root canals, crowns and implants are not. Even though it can be expensive taking your kids  to the dentist, most people can afford purchasing the Oral B vitality brush and most have access to the internet and there are plenty of videos available will help our children and their parents establish good oral health habits. 

Pediatric preventive dentistry is relatively simple to put into practice. It mostly involves developing good oral hygiene habits and a minimum of a once year per year visit to the dentist. Properly implemented, These early visits, along with proper education and support from parents can lead to a lifetime of dental health!