June 2014

Margaret Coleman Szott, DDS, PA
…. . B e c a u se A S mi l e La st s A Li f e t i me
“F ILLING ” YO U IN
A Dental Newsletter from the Office of Dr. Margaret Szott
New sletter Spotlight
Vol. 12, No. 1, June, 2014

Same-Day Crowns

Common Childhood Dental Injuries

Dr. Szott’s “Blog Spot”

Cavity-Free Kids

From Our Family To Yours
Questions or comments, e-mail us at: csellars@szottdds.com or call us at 336-286-9897
www.szottdds.com
E4D Brings You Same-Day Dentistry!
E4D Brings You Same Day Dentistry!
We live in a busy world and everyone can benefit from technology that helps us get through the
day a little bit easier and more quickly. E4D Technologies is a medical device company that has
produced a machine that can create same-day custom-built crowns. This machine eliminates the
use of traditional messy impression materials allowing dentists to obtain clean, fast, digital impressions in a few minutes using a laser scanner in the mouth. The laser is not only extremely
precise when capturing the details of teeth needing treatment, but it is as safe as the check-out
scanner at the grocery store. The restoration is made with a high-grade ceramic material that is
compatible with the natural tissue found in your mouth.
The procedure starts as a traditional crown preparation and still requires the
use of local anesthesia. Once the tooth is prepped and scanned with the
laser, Dr. Szott designs a restoration according to a tooth's appropriate form
and function on a laptop computer.
Laser Scanner
Computerized Crown Design
The information is sent wirelessly from the laptop to the mill where the E4D will use diamond
burs to mill a crown out of an ingot of lithium meta-silicate. The lithium meta-silicate crystal
structure allows for easy milling while maintaining integrity.
Lithium Meta–
Silicate Ingot
E4D Mill
Inside the mill
after crown is
made
Lithium MetaSilicate Crown
Fresh out of the Mill
This is considered the "purple" stage of the crown and is tried in the mouth in
this intermediary phase to check for proper fit. We also confirm marginal integrity at this time by taking a bitewing x-ray.
The restoration is then glazed by Dr. Szott
and heat treated in a porcelain furnace at 850
degrees Celsius. The meta-silicate is dissolved and the lithium disilicate crystallizes
resulting in a fine-grain glass-ceramic with
superior mechanical and esthetic qualities.
Dr. Szott glazing
the crown
Crown crystallizing
to Lithium Disilicate form in furnace
The crown is tried in the mouth again and the occlusion
(bite) is evaluated and adjusted if needed. The restoration is then bonded into place and excess cement is
cleaned.
Final crown
out of furnace
Final crown
seated in mouth
Advantages of E4D:
 Restorations can be completed in just one office visit.
 There is no need for a temporary crown.
 Faster recovery time with less tooth irritation.
 There is less chance for errors or variations during fabrication because the E4D scanner uses
laser technology to take an exact digital impression of the tooth.
 The restoration looks like the natural teeth. The ceramic blocks that the restorations are
milled from come in 17 shades so it is easy to match exactly the other natural teeth.
 The restoration feels like your natural teeth.
 The restoration is strong and durable. Milled ceramic is stronger than the traditional method
of layering and pressing.
 E4D uses bio-compatible materials that expand and contract like natural teeth.
A common fear for patients is that a crown processed through E4D technology will cost more than
a crown made the old fashioned way. In truth, the time and lab costs saved by this technique balance out the new technology. Patients receive all the worry-free convenience of a same-day dental crown at no extra cost.
While this technology was first introduced in 2008, Dr. Szott incorporated it into her practice in
January, 2014, now that the technology has been proven reliable and superior to traditional methods. Give us a call if you have any questions about E4D technology.
Common Childhood Dental Injuries
School is out and kids are outside playing, riding bikes, or active in sports. With physical activity
comes the risk of a dental injury. In fact, about 50% of children will incur some form of tooth
injury during childhood so it is good to know what to do in the event of a dental trauma.
Knocked Out Tooth:
When a tooth is completely avulsed from its socket intact, the following steps SHOULD be taken:
 Handle the tooth by the crown only (not the root). The crown is the part of the tooth that is
normally seen in the mouth.
 If the root is dirty rinse it very briefly in milk or water.
 If the child is conscious, immediately replant the tooth in the socket in the proper orientation.
Time is of the essence and re-implantation should not be delayed more than 30 minutes.
 Hold the tooth in place or have the child bite gently on gauze or a soft cloth.
 If you are unable to replant the tooth, keep it moist ideally by placing it in the patient’s mouth
next to the cheek (if possible). Alternatively, place it in a cup of milk.
 Seek immediate dental treatment. The tooth will need to be stabilized by a dental professional.
When a tooth is knocked completely out, AVOID the following:
 Do not touch, scrape, or rub the root.
 Do not let the tooth dry out.
 Avoid rinsing the tooth in water for more than a couple of seconds.
 Avoid storing the tooth in water.
 Do not remove any gum or bone fragments from the tooth.
Tooth Knocked Out of Position:
This type of injury is known as a subluxation. Often this type of injury will interfere with biting
properly. The tooth should be repositioned. This may be difficult to do if the child is uncomfortable and may need to be done by a dental professional. Once the tooth is repositioned, it most
likely will be very loose and need to be splinted to other teeth for support until it heals.
Chipped or Broken Teeth:
Often times small chips can be smoothed. However, larger fractures
may need to be bonded with white filling material to restore lost tooth
structure. Crowns or veneers are not recommended in children to
repair broken teeth until their growth stops. If tooth fractures extend
into the nerve of the tooth, a root canal will most likely be required.
If the root fractures, a splint may be required, but there is also a
greater chance that the tooth may be lost in the future.
Soft Tissue Injuries:
The lips, gums, and tongue have a very good blood supply and bleed
A LOT when there is trauma. But the great vasculature also means
more rapid healing. Sometimes stitches are required to facilitate healing and other times this sort of trauma is allowed to heal on its own.
Keep in mind that all tooth trauma can result in discoloration of the teeth involved and/or the need
for root canals. Athletic mouth guards are very important in all types of sports (even non-contact)
to avoid dental injuries. The bottom line on all injuries is to see the dentist immediately to get
treatment that is specific for the type of injury your child has sustained.
Dr. Szott’s Blog Spot
Every month I write a blog regarding something “dental” and post
them on our website. In case you haven’t seen our blog posts, here
is a list of what you have been missing.
December: Only Kids Get Cavities: True or False
January: Winterize Your Smile
February: Fluoride Toothpaste Use in Young Children: Updated
Recommendations
March: Dental Myth or Fact? Root Canals Hurt
April: April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month
May: Baking Soda As A Toothpaste Alternative?
If there is ever a dental topic you would like to learn more about, please e-mail me and I will try to
incorporate that into our biannual newsletter or our monthly blog.
Cavity-Free Kids
All kids 12 years of age and younger who are cavity free at their dental hygiene appointments now
get to enter their name into a monthly drawing for a $20 gift card to Toys & Co. At the end of the
month, a name is randomly selected and in addition to the gift card, the winner’s photo is placed
on the cavity-free board in our reception area for an entire month. All other cavity-free kids have
their name listed on the board as well. Congratulations to all of our Cavity-Free Kids. Keep on
brushing and flossing ….Because a Smile Lasts a Lifetime!
Cavity-Free Kid Monthly Winners:
Madison M.
December
Emma R.
January
Vincent T.
February
Kennedy N.
March
Caleb B.
April
Jacob C.
May
December Cavity-Free Kids: Kennedy B., Abby B., Jayla G., Noah M., Gabe M., Madison
M., Flora S., Daniel S., Andrew S., Matthew S., Abby T., Anna Reese T.
January Cavity-Free Kids: Bodhi B., Benjamin H., Ryan J., Ellie N., Will N., Emma R.,
Ava S.
February Cavity-Free Kids: Connor B., Tanner B., David B. Sophie B., Camryn G., Mia L.,
Isabella M., Lilly O., Vincent T.
March Cavity-Free Kids: Rapheal A., Rubell A., Leyna K., Henry K., Matthew L., Michael
L., Rachel L, Kennedy N., Micah O., Joshua S., Jack W.
April Cavity-Free Kids: Caleb B., Tristan B., Greyson B., Elizabeth C., Kinkead C., Mia E.,
Alex F., Brady J., Justin M., Elliott T., Grace T., Maddie W., Isaac Y.
May Cavity-Free Kids: Eli A., Anna C., Jacob C., Lucas C., Emma D., Cameron G., Trent G.,
Kayden G., Allison K., Noah L., Matthew M., Audrey M., Ava M., Savanna R., Abbie S.,
Hunter S., Carly S., Olivia T., Rebekah T., Evan T., Emily W., Jack W.
From Our Family to Yours
We would like to take the opportunity to welcome and introduce Martha Denny. Martha is our new office assistant and has been with us
since January. She grew up in Greensboro and Burlington and married her high school sweetheart, Mark. After a short career in banking
and accounting, she spent the next 20 years at home raising her three
children. While helping her daughter study for her Dental Assisting
courses, Martha realized her own interest in the dental field and returned to school as a grandmother. She graduated from the Dental
Assisting program at Alamance Community College with High Honors and is a Certified Dental Assistant with the Dental Assisting National Board. As the newest member, of our team, she gets to use
both her clinical and administrative skills to “jump in” wherever she
is needed most. Welcome Martha!
Martha Denny, CDA
Thanks to all of our Facebook friends for your support. If you haven’t “liked” our page yet,
please do so by visiting www.facebook.com/Margaret.Szott.DDS and clicking the “like” button.
We are close to getting 1200 likes! Thank you for your support!
And lastly, don’t forget to check out Dr. Szott’s monthly blog posted on our website. She writes
on interesting dental topics to keep you informed. If ever there is a topic that interests you,
please let us know.