We live in an amazing time. Science and technology are moving at a breakneck pace. Innovation happens daily. The medical world is evolving, for better or for worse, at a faster rate than at any time in history.

Dentistry is no different. New procedures and techniques and materials evolve daily. Keeping up with the state-of-the-art can no longer be done by attending one or two weekend conferences a year. Learning and trying to become better is an ongoing exercise. Fortunately, the internet does an excellent job of aggregating, sorting, and explaining all those breakthroughs.

Every day, I find myself astonished at the cool things dentistry can do. Dental implants give people lost teeth back. We have the technology to re-build whole mouths full of teeth, giving sixty-year-olds the smile and function of twenty-year-olds. We can grow gum tissue and move gum tissue and treat gum disease that used to cause people to lose their teeth by age thirty. In a few hours, we can take a set of dentures that have flopped around for years and anchor them in place. We can eliminate dentures altogether and build entire mouths full of teeth, supported by titanium roots. We get to help people sleep better and help kids breathe better. We can help to eliminate headaches in adults and prevent them in kids by guiding their growth and positioning their bite. Most importantly, we have the ability to get rid of tooth pain and problems in a more comfortable way than at any other time in history. And…we are getting better every day.

So what can we dentists do for you? Do you want a Hollywood smile? We can do that. Do you want some back teeth to chew with? We can do that, too. Do you want to prevent future problems like cracked or broken teeth or abscesses? Check, check, and check. We can do that.

Oftentimes, the question is not so much, “What can dentistry do?”

The real world question is, “What do you want from your teeth?”

The answer is as individual as you are. Every patient wants to be pain free. Some want the perfect smile framed by pink healthy gums. Some just want to be able to eat again. There is no right or wrong answer. Dentistry has to find a place in your life, on your terms, and within your priorities.

When the time is right, we’ll be here to help. Hopefully, we can do some of these amazing things for you and your smile.

Until next week, keep smiling.

-Please send comments to Drs. Parrish at www.ParrishDental.com.