DENTAL CARE

Q: It’s All About Balance. .

A: That’s what I thought this week as a patient spent an inordinate amount of time sitting down in my chair. She has been a wonderful patient for years and has a beautiful set of teeth to prove it. Something was wrong this week as her normal beaming face was not as radiant as it usually is. When I asked how she was doing, she replied that she has been in pain for weeks due to a herniated disc. Movement was difficult... no, let me correct that! Even sitting was a problem. For those of you who are unfamiliar with a herniated disc, let’s spend a little talking about it. Our spine in our backs are composed of a stack of bones call vertebrae. Running through these bones is our spinal cord. This is the main nerve trunk from which which smaller nerves branch off and go to the rest of the body. It is like the main internet cable line coming into your house and carries all kinds of information. The bones of the upper spine help support the upper body and aid us in standing erect. If these bones would be stacked directly upon each other, the hard surfaces would rub together and movement would be difficult. Therefore these bones are separated by soft tissue discs that allow the spine to move freely and happily. Translation – we are free of pain. Ligaments and muscles in this area will influence on how erect the spine is. When one pulls one way or another the bones will move in that direction. It then applies uneven pressure to the discs. If these discs after time start to bulge or become displaced, they can press on the spinal cord and we have pain.

In the February, 2017 issue of Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, studies looking at over 6000 patients with back issues were looked at. They were determining the role of pain meds in back pain issues. They found that clinically these drugs were not that important in helping the patient. The president of the The American Chiropractic Association urges people to try non-drug approaches. In other words, let’s try to achieve a balance to fix our problem and alleviate the pain.

When everything is in balance, the body in general and especially the spine are very happy. This concept of balance is true in the mouth also. Let’s look at a simple example. If a filling is placed and the bite is “off ”, we are definitely aware of it and require that the dentist smooth and adjust the filling. If it’s only off a little bit, then we may not notice or decide to live with it. After a period of time, we may develop a soreness in the jaw. This can be mild or very severe. It feels like a toothache, but actually can not be pinpointed to a tooth. It’s just a general feeling of discomfort. If we get through this stage and still don’t find the cause, then our next issue may be a cracked tooth as we bit on it too hard, If we don’t crack the tooth, we may develop serious pain as we beat the tooth into oblivion with our filling that needed an adjustment. Well now we are either doing a root canal to save the tooth or we opt to remove the tooth.

Well, removal is good, because we now have removed the offender. Let’s not bother to replace it because , well just because. . .(you can fill in your own rationalized reason). Now we have a new imbalance. We have more teeth on one side than the other. The problem just keeps on going. Balance in life is so crucial. Whether it is a spinal alignment, yoga, balance between good and bad bacteria in our guts or my favorite balance in the mouth, it all the same. We reach a state of physical or emotional harmony when we create and maintain a balance.

My patients with the least amount of disease in their mouths are those who have allowed me to help them and guide them to create balance. These patients have the least issues and the healthiest looking mouths. I see these patients twice per year and take personal satisfaction that I have achieved a balance and harmony that promotes their well being. If you feel like your mouth may be out of balance or are missing teeth and causing your own inbalance, please call me and let me either fix an issue or stop an issue from going out of control. Please call me at 440.951.7856 I look forward to speaking with you.

Jeffrey Gross, DDS, FAGD is an Ohio licensed general dentist and is on the staff of Case Western Reserve School of Dental Medicine. The Healthy Smile 34586 Lakeshore Boulevard (¼ mile west of Route 91 on Lakeshore Boulevard) Eastlake, Ohio 44095 440-951-7856 Severance Medical Arts, Suite 603 5 Severance Center Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118 216-371-2333 www.jeffreygrossdds.com