By giving our patients a thorough and informal understanding of dental health care and dental procedures, Dr. Rodriguez and his friendly staff hope to proactively increase patient participation in taking care of their teeth to be able to avoid having to pay for costly procedures due to neglect.

Dr. Rodriguez and his staff will always thoroughly discuss all of your necessary dental procedures with you to reduce your anxiety and stress that normally comes along with your visit. Understanding the procedures we perform lessen apprehension and not only make your visit more enjoyable but more exciting, knowing that you’re one step closer to having a clean, healthy smile!

MAINTAINING PROPER DENTAL HEALTH …

Select from any of the following categories below to learn more about dental health care and procedures:

WHAT ARE CAVITIES?
By definition, a cavity is a “hole”. In dentistry, a cavity is a hole in your tooth. That’s not a good thing. Cavities can be visibly seen on the surface of your tooth, but they can also be hidden on tooth surfaces between your teeth. That’s why regular checkups at the office of Dr. Robert Rodriguez are necessary to keep those potential cavities “in check”. Treated early, the cavities that do manage to form can be removed and filled in. Cavities are also financial problems waiting to happen … the longer you allow a cavity to form, the more extensive the damage, the more costly the treatment is on your pocketbook.
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WHAT CAUSES CAVITIES?
Your teeth are composed of a surface layer of very hard-wearing enamel. The enamel covers up a softer layer called dentin. Beneath the dentin is the pulp chamber, which contains the nerves and blood vessels of the tooth. Having a cavity in your tooth means that an excess amount of plaque built up on the enamel surface of your tooth and the acids that are produced in the plaque ate away at your tooth. Plaque is the #1 cause of tooth decay.

More specifically, plaque [that sticky food film you missed when brushing your teeth] formed a corrosive acid that went to work digging a hole. Plaque contains naturally-existing bacteria. This bacteria breaks down the starches and sugars in the food you eat. However, when the plaque is left on the surfaces of your teeth, a chemical reaction occurs, which forms a corrosive acid that eats away at the enamel surfaces of your teeth. The more you allow that acid to keep digging away and causing decay, the worse your teeth will get. If the cavity manages to reach the dentin, it will spread even faster and get into the pulp chamber where the real trouble begins. [See root canals.]
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RESTORING A LARGE CAVITY
In most instances, where the cavity causes minor damage to the tooth surface, simple removal and replacement with a filling will generally take care of the problem, along with regular dental health maintenance and brushing. What happens though, when the cavity spreads into the dentin and even worse, the pulp chamber?

When the acids that caused the cavity reach the pulp chamber, they damage the soft tissues, which contain the nerves and blood vessels that are necessary to keep your tooth strong. Without a regular flow of blood supply to your tooth, it becomes weak and brittle and could break more easily. A root canal procedure would have to be performed to remove the nerve roots and endings in that tooth and medicine would then be applied to stop the infection from spreading into the surrounding bone.

If there is enough tooth surface to work with, the tooth can be covered with a crown, an inlay or an onlay. A visit to Dr. Rodriguez can determine how severe the damage is and what treatment will be necessary to remedy the problem.
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PERIODONTAL DISEASE
Click here to read this information on our "Periodontal Disease " page.
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PERIODONTIC THERAPY
Click here to read this information on our "Peridontic Therapy" page.
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INFECTION CONTROL
At the office of Dr. Rodriguez, rest assured that we do everything possible to control the spread of germs and the infections they might cause. Besides always washing our hands between each patient and putting on a new pair of disposable gloves, we also wear masks and protective eyewear. All instruments are sterilized in an autoclave and our hand instruments are always heat sterilized between patients.

Protective barriers have been installed on exposed surfaces, like the handles on the light fixtures and other equipment. We disinfect all other surfaces according to government standards. Biodental waste and sharp instruments are disposed of in safe containers and are disposed of through a biomedical disposal company. All of our staff members are vaccinated against Hepatitis B. To eliminate any possibility of the spread of any germs, we also use disposable paper cups and bibs and cotton rolls and gauze pads. We’re doing everything we can to not only make your visit to our office comfortable and enjoyable, but also safe.
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BRUXISM
Do you ever wake up with a sore, tired jaw or with pain in your jaw joints? Or maybe you’ve noticed that your teeth are more sensitive? You might even have difficulty opening your mouth. It’s possible that you may be suffering from a condition known as bruxism, which is the clenching or grinding of your teeth while you sleep. When you “brux”, the forces on your teeth are many times greater than when you’re chewing. This condition can lead to flattened, worn-down, fractured or loose teeth, a loss of tooth enamel and can even cause damage to your jawbone or the jaw joints, known as the temporomandibular joint [TMJ].

Although the causes of bruxism are not known, stress is often suspected. Restoring your bite through various dental treatments can help to eliminate bruxism. Another method to control bruxism is by wearing a nightguard. This device is custom made for you to wear while you sleep, offering the best comfortable protection for your teeth. We may also recommend medication to temporarily reduce the stress, relieve your pain and maintain that healthy smile.
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ROOT CANALS
In previous sections, we discussed what happens if a cavity is allowed to spread into the inner layers of your tooth. You may have noticed that you had an infected tooth because of sensitivity to hot and cold or it was swollen and painful. You may have even had a bad taste in your mouth. You may have noticed absolutely no symptoms whatsoever. If the infection is left untreated and gets worse, it could even affect your body’s immune system. Years ago, when an infection got that bad, the only thing the dentist could do is extract the tooth. Today however, a treatment called a root canal can remove the infection and save the tooth!

The main causes of infection are deep cavities and fractured or broken teeth. When the pulp chamber gets infected and continues to be neglected, it can result in an abscess (pus pocket) forming. The result … major pain … and if left untreated … this condition could be life-threatening.

Dr. Rodriguez and his staff will do everything they can to make your visit enjoyable and comfortable, especially during this procedure. X-rays will tell Dr. Rodriguez how deep the infection is. Using special instruments, Dr. Rodriguez will clean out the root tips and roots in the pulp chamber, thereby removing the infection and place a special medicine down in the tooth to prevent the infection from recurring and to promote healing and then place a crown on top of the tooth. For more information, please see the section on Crowns.

There is an upside to this procedure … the entire procedure, including the placement of a crown, can be done in one visit. This is because of the latest technology that is available. Dr. Rodriguez is one of only a handful of dentists in San Antonio that has this technology available. That’s why we’re glad you’re here to take advantage of this technology, which saves you time … and money!
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IMPLANTS
One of the most important revolutionary technologies in dentistry today is the single tooth implant. If you’re a candidate for an implant, here’s what you can expect:

(1) The space where the implant is to be placed is surgically opened up at the gumline and a channel is made in the bone to receive the implant. After the implant is firmly in place, the gums are closed over the implant with sutures. Over time, the implant becomes securely attached to the bone.

(2) After a few months have passed, the implant is surgically re-exposed and a small extension is placed inside the implant which brings the extension itself above the gumline.

In normal instances, you would have to visit the dentist several times to have the crown designed, including impressions and fittings. With the latest technology available to Dr. Rodriguez, once the implant extension is fitted, he can custom design your crown and put it into position generally in just one visit. Follow-up visits and regular home maintenance will keep your implanted tooth in great condition, along with the rest of your healthy smile!
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CROWNS
Crowns are a necessary part of tooth restoration. Like inlays and onlays, which are essentially partial crowns, the crown prevents further damage to the tooth, especially after a root canal procedure, when the tooth is brittle and weak. As was mentioned in the Root Canal portion of this educational section, once the nerves and blood vessels are removed from the tooth and medicine is placed down inside the pulp chamber to stop any more infection from occurring, a crown is placed on top of the tooth to make it more strong and durable. If that tooth wasn’t crowned, the tremendous amount of force you use to chew your food (masticate) could cause some of the tooth to break away. If too much of the tooth breaks away, it makes it more difficult to repair. A crown is necessary to reinforce the natural tooth and make it strong and useable again.

In the past, metal and porcelain crowns had to be built on a metal core, which is a spindle that sits down in the core of your tooth. As a result, that metal core created a dark blue line at the edge of many of the crowns.

Because of the latest technology available to Dr. Rodriguez [and only a few other dentists in San Antonio], you can have a crown placed on your tooth while you wait in the dentist’s chair … in one visit …. with no metal core! Imagine that … no more repeated visits to the dentist like you used to have to do.

For those who want to maintain the highest integrity smile, Dr. Rodriguez offers you the option of an all-porcelain crown! All-porcelain crowns maintain a translucent finish that makes it hard to tell the crown from your natural teeth. If you want to improve your smile, consider having all-porcelain crowns, custom made by Dr. Rodriguez while you wait … in just one visit!
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BRIDGES
The teeth in your mouth need each other for support. When one or more teeth go missing, the rest of your teeth have to pick up the slack, which generally means that if the teeth on the opposite arch have nothing to grind against, you’ll eventually lose them too.

As your bite changes, it gets harder to chew your food. As a result, your jaw joint [TMJ] could become damaged. Teeth that have shifted are also harder to clean, resulting in more plaque and tartar deposits.

Placing a bridge in the space where a tooth was lost can help maintain stability in your mouth. In this procedure, a bridge is attached to the adjoining teeth, which act as supporting abutments. An impression is taken and models are made of your mouth, from which your bridge is then carefully laboratory crafted. Once inserted, you’re back on track to achieving that healthy smile!
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For more information and news on the latest technologies in dentistry, pick up a copy of TOOTH TALK the next time you’re in to see Dr. Rodriguez!

©2006 Robert L. Rodriguez. DDS