Making the Right Dental Choice

Key Questions to Ask Your Dentist Before Getting Dental Work Done

1. Does the dentist use a digital X-ray system? (less radiation)

2. Does the dentist use Septocaine as the anesthetic? (Lidocaine and
Carbocaine are extremely toxix, carcinogenic and can cause infection
in other teeth.)

3. Does the dentist use a rubber dam when removing mercury amalgam
fillings?

4. Does the dentist use dye-staining (which rinses away) to identify
infection in the teeth? (Dental X-rays are notoriously inaccurate
in terms of showing dental decay.)

5. Does the dentist use a dental laser to disinfect a newly drilled tooth?
(Hydrogen peroxide is only about 30% effective, meaning infection will
often remain.)

6. Does the dentist use low-fusing ceramics or ceramic hybrids to replace
fillings and crowns. (Low-fusing ceramics are biocompatible and
nontoxic. Always avoid metal fillings or crowns with metal components.)

7. Does the dentist use a laser to permanently bond a new inlay or crown?
(If the dental restoration is not bonded by laser, the typical dental
cements that are used will commonly wash out from underneath the crown
or filling within 5 years, causing slow decay underneath the crown or
filling and more loss of the tooth. Laser bonding is permanent and
will not do this.)