Blodgett Dental Care is pioneering dental care in Portland!
Click on a topic below to view detailed descriptions and even movies of our innovative approach to treatment and patient care.
New findings: You brush, floss, limit sugary foods, and visit a dentist regularly, yet you might still be at significant risk for cavities. Why? Your cavities are a symptom of tooth decay caused by a bacterial infection that is known to be a biofilm disease.
What is biofilm disease? Biofilm is a very thin, highly sophisticated film that grips the teeth and harbors bacteria. Twenty-five years of scientific research has shown that there can be several destructive bacteria that live and grow in the normal healthy oral biofilm. When these bacteria reach high levels, they cause a bacterial infection known as biofilm disease. Your tooth decay and cavities are symptoms of diseased biofilm that even your most diligent brushing, flossing and professional cleaning may not remove. Scientific studies show that the bacteria can be passed within the household, so it's important that all members of the family are tested and treated.
Fix the problem, alleviate the effects! The damage that biofilm disease causes leads to multiple cavities, fillings that weaken teeth, the need for root canals and crowns, and extractions. Filling cavities restores the teeth but does nothing to address the problem! Instead, be proactive – treat biofilm disease and keep your teeth healthy from the start!
Don't brush those teeth!! Now that we have your full attention, we want to let you know about our quick and simple test. The CariScreen test is easy and simple to take. We will swab two of your teeth to determine the levels of the decay-causing bacterial biofilm. Within one minute, it can be determined if treatment is needed. To obtain the most accurate information possible, please do not brush your teeth, eat or chew gum for at least one hour prior to the test. Since your risk factors change over time, it is recommended that you have this test once per year.
Inexpensive and easy treatment. If we determine that you are at high enough risk for decay, we will suggest treating the biofilm infection. The treatment consists of a 30 day program using the CariStat antibacterial mouth rinse that significantly reduces the harmful bacterial in your biofilm. Once the biofilm has reached a health state, the CariStat maintenance rinse is used to create an environment that prevents harmful bacteria from returning. Treatment costs approximately a third of just one small filling – a small price for preventing decay and keeping your teeth strong, healthy and attractive!
For more information, click on CariFree!
(a.k.a. "Gum Disease")
Dr. Kelly J. Blodgett was Portland's first dentist to introduce LASER PERIODONTAL THERAPY™, an amazing breakthrough in periodontal treatment, to Portland. If you have been told you need scalpel and suture gum surgery, there's a laser alternative you need to learn about.
If you're like 100 million other Americans, you could be one of 50% of Americans who have periodontal disease, the major cause of tooth loss in adults. Periodontal disease starts off as plaque, an opaque film which eventually hardens, forming tartar or calculus.
Calculus deposits harbor bacteria which infect the gums. In early stages, this is called Gingivitis, characterized by red, swollen gums that bleed when you brush your teeth. Many people experience bad breath and an unpleasant taste in their mouths as well. Unchecked, Gingivitis progresses to Periodontitis, a much more serious form of the disease where periodontal pockets are formed, separating teeth from the gums and supporting bone structure. Without treatment, infection becomes severe and the pockets deepen, resulting in tooth loss.
The way to repair the damage is to get rid of the infection and close up the pockets. Until now, that meant surgery and sutures. But today, Dr. Blodgett offers LASER PERIODONTAL THERAPY™ (LPT™), a patient-friendly, minimally-invasive procedure that's a great improvement over standard gum surgery.
For more information click on Laser Periodontal Therapy.
Until recently, our only option when taking a dental X-ray was the exposure of a small film packet, which then took between five and ten minutes to develop. Now, the digital era has brought us an exciting new technology called digital radiography.
With digital radiography, we use a small sensor connected directly to a computer instead of a film packet. Taking X-rays is faster because the sensor is merely moved from tooth to tooth; we don't need to reload a film positioner for each image. It's also faster because the X-rays are available immediately on the computer monitor, with no development step in between. Because the digital X-ray exposure is shorter than taking conventional X-rays, the amount of X-ray radiation is reduced by up to 90 percent.
Digital X-rays allow us to see details and make adjustments that are a tremendous help in our diagnosis. We can also save images in our computer system for instant retrieval at a later date.
Digital radiography is an advanced technology that speeds treatment and helps us make the most accurate and efficient diagnosis of your dental condition.
Sometimes, it's difficult for us to diagnose cavities, especially in the pits and grooves on the biting surfaces of your back teeth. The traditional way to check for cavities was by looking for visual signs of decay on the tooth, checking X-rays, or feeling for a soft area with a dental explorer. However, we now have a diagnostic tool called the Diagnodent that helps us locate even the smallest amount of decay.
Diagnodent is a laser technology that scans your teeth with harmless pulses of light. When a cavity is present, fluorescent light of a different wavelength bounces back to the sensor, which is translated to a digital read-out. In general, the higher the number, the greater the amount of decay in the tooth. When a cavity is present, the Diagnodent also produces an audible signal.
The widespread use of fluoride has made finding and restoring cavities early in their development more difficult in recent years. Fluoride hardens the outer enamel layer of your teeth, which means decay has a difficult time gaining a foothold. As a result, cavities are typically smaller and can be much harder to diagnose. Before, a dental explorer would catch on the decay, or the cavity would show up on a routine X-ray. Now, however, a small cavity can easily go undetected.
You'll benefit from our use of Diagnodent, because it helps us find decay that may have previously gone undetected. By diagnosing decay early in its development, we can prevent more extensive damage. Your restorations will be smaller and less costly, and you'll be able to retain more of your own natural, healthy tooth.
While X-rays provide valuable information that we can't get from any other source, they can't show you everything that's going on in your mouth. That's why we have invested in an intraoral camera -- a highly advanced piece of diagnostic equipment that allows you to see what we see inside your mouth.
The intraoral camera handpiece is approximately the size and shape of a dental mirror. It has a built-in light source, and serves as a tiny video camera that allows us to zoom in on one tooth with 25 times magnification, or give you a "video tour" of your entire mouth. The images are displayed on a television or computer monitor, so you'll be able to see problems such as worn or broken fillings, cracked teeth, plaque deposits, cavities next to fillings and excessive wear. We can also print an image for you to take home with you.
We find that when you can see what we see, it takes away all the mystery around what we're discussing! The intraoral camera allows you to be an active partner in your dental treatment by enabling you to see what we see inside your mouth. With a clear understanding of your dental conditions, you'll be able to make treatment decisions with confidence.
Teeth are small, and many of the problems associated with teeth are even smaller. And they're in the dark! That is why at Blodgett Dental Care we always use magnification and illumination to better visualize what's going on in your mouth. It is a fact that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to fix problems we cannot see. That is why all our clinical staff is equipped with magnification loupes. In addition to magnification loupes, Dr. Blodgett uses a surgical microscope to aid in vision during many procedures. When we can see smaller, we can work smaller. And this means saving vital tooth structure for you!
Closing the Gap on Occlusion
For years, dental occlusion had been largely a matter of guesswork for dentists. Articulation papermarks, waxes, pressure indicator paste, etc. were the only tools available to assess and balance the forces of the bite. These methods do not detect simultaneous contact, nor do they quantify time and force. This gap led Tekscan to develop technology, which provides data that allows dentists to better evaluate and assess occlusion.
With articulation marks, there is no scientific correlation between the depth of the color of the mark, its surface area, amount of force, or the contact timing sequence that results as that paper mark is made. Note in the clinical examples that the quality of the paper marks offers no hint as to the order of the contacts or the force contained within them. The T-Scan III Occlusal Analysis system quickly and precisely determines the amount of force within a given paper mark. The software graphically displays both forceful and time premature contacts to the user for predictable occlusal control during adjustment procedure.
Your Non-Surgical Gum Disease Solution
Have you been told that you need gum surgery or root planing to treat your periodontal (gum) disease or that you need to have "hopeless" teeth extracted? Before you go through painful, time-consuming treatments, consider RPE - Regenerative Periodontal Endoscopy - a revolutionary, highly effective, non-surgical alternative. Put an end to your periodontal infection, tooth loss, and gum recession with a simple procedure completed in one appointment.
RPE - Regenerative Periodontal Endoscopy - is an innovative non-surgical periodontal disease solution. RPE is a unique approach involving the synergistic use of advanced technologies, including a dental endoscope (miniature fiberoptic microscope) and regenerative proteins. This synergistic approach is a tremendous breakthrough in non-surgical periodontal therapy.
RPE is not painful. It is a non-invasive procedure that treats the source of periodontal disease so it won't recur. It is a conservative treatment program that emphasizes preservation of the teeth, gums and bone. RPE can dramatically reduce or even eliminate the need for periodontal surgery, as well as regenerate what has been lost to chronic or acute periodontal infection.
New breakthroughs in light-activated gels and high intensity lights now make it possible to achieve a whiter, brighter smile – right here in our office.
First, we thoroughly remove any plaque and tartar from your teeth. We then apply a whitening gel to your teeth, which is activated by a high-intensity light or laser. After each tooth has been treated, we rinse away the gel and repeat the cycle several times. To minimize the small amount of gum or tooth sensitivity you may experience for a few days following treatment, we may use a rubber dam or a special protective material applied directly to your gums.
Since every case is different, we carefully evaluate your individual results. We sometimes recommend additional bleaching at home or another session here in our office. Power whitening is an effective new technology that can help give you a beautiful new smile.
With bonding, we can close spaces between teeth, lengthen small or misshapen teeth, or whiten stained or dark teeth. We can shape and color a single tooth, or improve your entire smile. When teeth are chipped or beginning to wear, bonding can protect them from damage and restore their original looks.
Placing the tooth-colored bonding material Bonding your teeth with a material called resin requires just one appointment. First, we roughen and prepare the teeth and apply a conditioning gel. Then we place the resin, sculpt it to the desired shape, and harden it with a harmless, high-intensity light.
Once in place, bonded restorations are very strong. Bonding can drastically improve your smile -- the final result is beautiful and natural looking teeth.
LUMINEERS BY CERINATE is a terrific cosmetic solution for permanently stained, chipped, discolored, misaligned teeth, or even to revitalize old crown and bridgework. LUMINEERS BY CERINATE is a porcelain veneer that can be made as thin as a contact lens and is placed over existing teeth without requiring painful removal of sensitive tooth structure (unlike traditional veneers.)
LUMINEERS can only be made from patented Cerinate porcelain. This revolutionary porcelain is crafted through a proprietary process unavailable anywhere other than the Cerinate Smile Design Studios owned by Den-Mat Corporation. In just two or three visits to the dentist, LUMINEERS provides a custom-made smile clinically proven to last up to 20 years.
LUMINEERS BY CERINATE is painless because they don't require removal of painful tooth structure. Dentists apply these contact lens-thin "smile shapers" to teeth without any grinding or shaving, transforming misshapen, worn teeth into a naturally beautiful smile that looks perfect for every individual. LUMINEERS can even be placed on porcelain bridgework and crowns with the new Revitalize Kit available from your dentist. LUMINEERS BY CERINATE is the best of both worlds – ultra-thin, yet super strong for a radiant smile that resists any cracking, which can damage restorations. LUMINEERS are completely reversible. Get your perfect smile today!
Gingival recontouring
Healthy gums that fit tightly against the necks of the teeth are an important part of a beautiful smile. But sometimes the gums grow and extend onto the front surface of the teeth, disrupting the natural balance between the length of the teeth and the height of the gums. To restore balance to your smile, we can perform a procedure called a gingivectomy or gum reduction.
At Blodgett Dental Care, we use different types of lasers to perform this procedure, most often without the need for shots. The laser gently removes the gum tissue we need to excise with little to no bleeding. Post-operative discomfort is minimal, if not rare.
A gum reduction procedure is a safe and predictable way to remove excess gum tissue and improve the natural appearance of your smile.
The clear alternative to braces.
Invisalign uses a series of clear aligners that are custom-molded to fit you. The virtually invisible aligners gradually reposition your teeth into a smile you'll be proud of.
Why people prefer Invisalign
The convenience and ease of use of the Invisalign system have made it the choice of over half a million people. In fact, Invisalign has been effective in giving hundreds of thousands of people amazing new smiles.
No metal wires or bands to irritate your mouth, and best of all, most people won't notice you're in treatment. Invisalign®, the clear alternative to braces, has been chosen by over 500,000 people who want amazing smiles.
Lasers have long been the standard of care in medicine for many surgical and cosmetic procedures such as LASIK, wrinkle removal, hair removal and many others. Dr. Kelly J. Blodgett was Portland's first dentist to use the Waterlase® laser and is considered in the dental community to be Portland's expert on dental laser technology. The Waterlase® was first approved for hard tissue procedures in 1998 and since has been cleared for numerous additional dental procedures. Dr. Blodgett has performed thousands of laser procedures which has resulted in significantly fewer shots for patients, less drilling and fewer numb lips!
The benefits of Waterlase® dentistry are vast. Listed are a few of these benefits to help you understand the gravity of how much this changes the dental experience for the better.
Comfort: Heat, vibration and pressure are the primary causes of pain associated with the use of the traditional dental drill. Since removing both hard and soft tissues (teeth and gums) with the Waterlase® does not generate heat, vibration or pressure, many dental procedures can be performed with fewer shots, less need for anesthesia, less use of the drill and fewer numb lips! Additionally, using the Waterlase® for gum procedures reduces bleeding, post-operative pain, swelling and the need for pain medication in many cases.
Fewer Dental Visits: Since you often do not need shots or anesthesia, Dr. Blodgett can, in many cases, perform cavity preparations in many areas of your mouth all in one visit. The versatility of the Waterlase® also allows us to do many procedures in our office that we used to refer out to specialists.
Reduced Trauma to Teeth: High speed drills can cause hairline cracks and fractures in the teeth that eventually lead to future dental problems. Waterlase® reduces damage to healthy portions of the tooth and minimizes trauma.
In the past, the process of making an inlay or onlay involved a series of appointments in our office, followed by the fabrication of the restoration in a dental laboratory. Today, we have a new technology called CEREC 3D that allows us to custom create tooth-colored restorations, crowns and veneers right here in our office. In a single appointment, we can prepare your tooth, create the restoration, and cement it in place!
The procedure: First, we prepare the tooth. In the past, at this point we took impressions to create models of your teeth, and a dental laboratory would use those models to create your restoration. But with CEREC 3D, we use a special optical camera to record the exact dimensions of your prepared tooth, and enter these dimensions into a computer.
After we carefully design the restoration, we select an appropriate material, matching the shade to your teeth. We place this material into a miniature milling machine, and in just a few minutes, it's carefully and meticulously shaped into a beautiful, custom restoration that fits your tooth precisely.
Finally, we verify the fit of the restoration and bond it in place. After we check your bite and make any necessary adjustments, you'll have a new CEREC restoration, in just one appointment!
Glass ionomers chemically bond to tooth structure, have a toothlike coefficient of thermal expansion and release significant levels of rechargeable fluoride.
Composite resins
Resin fillings can be a good way to restore your teeth. Because they bond directly to teeth, they can provide added strength to damaged teeth. Also, we can match the color of the resin to your teeth to preserve your beautiful, natural looking smile.
The disadvantage to resins is that they shrink. The significance of this shrinkage is that the larger the restoration becomes, the greater the amount of shrinkage. This can be of particular significance with large fillings in the back teeth. Although resin fillings can look great after initially being placed, their average lifespan is only 4-5 years. If longevity is important to you, you'll want to consider other alternative restorative solutions such as veneers, inlays, onlays and crowns.
Whenever you lose a tooth, the biting forces change on the teeth next to the space, causing them to shift. Opposing teeth may even begin to extrude out of the socket, which means they too could eventually be lost.
Also, as your bite changes, it gets more difficult to chew your food, and you may suffer damage to your jaw joint. It's also much harder to clean teeth that have shifted. Harmful plaque and tartar collect in the new hard-to-reach places created by the shifting, causing tooth decay and/or periodontal disease.
If your goal is to keep your teeth for a lifetime, if a tooth should be lost for any number of reasons, you'll want to replace that tooth as soon as possible. An excellent option for replacing a missing tooth is an artificial tooth secured by a dental implant. Implants are titanium cylinders that are surgically placed in your jaw to serve as artificial tooth roots. Attaching a replacement tooth to an implant allows us to avoid placing a bridge. Bridges require that we prepare the adjacent natural teeth, and that weakens them substantially.
An implant and crown is practically indistinguishable from your natural teeth, and it fits so securely that you won't even notice it when you chew and speak. When we place an implant, it's not necessary for us to alter the structure of the adjacent teeth, so their strength and integrity is maintained. Also, an implant replaces the roots of a missing tooth, which helps to fend off the bone loss that occurs when a tooth is missing. In essence, an implant is the next best thing to your natural tooth.
Start-to-finish, the procedure may require a few months to complete, because it can take between three to six months for the implant to fuse to your bone tissue through a process called osseointegration. An implant may not be an option for you if you are in poor general health. Your gums and jaw bone must be healthy enough to support the implant, and you must be meticulous about your daily home care routine. You'll also need to visit us up to four times a year for cleanings.
We will caution you about implants if you suffer from a chronic illness such as diabetes, as this can interfere with healing. If you're a smoker, you may not be a good candidate for an implant as smokers are at greater risk for gum disease.
If you're interested in replacing a missing tooth with an implant, we will perform a thorough evaluation to determine whether your health and lifestyle make you a good candidate for this kind of restoration.
Mother nature didn't provide all of us with a stable, healthy bite. Some people have bites that have been affected by wear, changed by dental restorations, or that have shifted with time.
A healthy bite allows all of your teeth to hit simultaneously and evenly when your jaw joint is seated into its proper position at the base of your skull. In this position, your chewing muscles are also contracting evenly. One way to test your bite is to shift your jaw to the side. Your canine teeth, or eye teeth, should be the only teeth hitting and should absorb all the lateral biting force.
When you have a bad bite, also called a malocclusion, your teeth do not align properly. This can cause damage to your teeth and restorations, and can also set off a cycle of muscle spasms, pain and soreness commonly referred to as TMD, or temporomandibular disorder.
A malocclusion can also cause a condition called bruxism, which is the clenching or grinding of the teeth that occurs primarily while sleeping. The symptoms of bruxism are worn teeth, notching at the gum line (called abfraction), as well as all of the symptoms associated with TMD.
Abfraction is the notching of teeth near or even under the gum line. When your bite is slightly off, undue stress is placed on the involved teeth and they begin to flex. This continual flexing and stress eventually cause the enamel to separate from the inner dentin layer, forming abfraction's characteristic notch at the gum line.
We can perform a complete bite evaluation, which will help us address any potential problems early in their development. Adjusting, realigning or restoring teeth can prevent many future complications, and can help you gain optimal muscle balance and a comfortable bite.
This cycle of pain, spasms, and joint imbalance can be started by clenching or grinding the teeth, a bad bite caused by missing teeth or poorly aligned teeth, a blow to the joint, arthritis or emotional stress.
Clenching and grinding will often go away once a person's stress is reduced. In the meantime, there are other ways to break this cycle. You can reduce muscle spasms and pain with:
To restore balance to the joint, we can crown teeth, fill spaces, adjust the bite using a procedure called equilibration, or even move teeth. A splint, which is a plastic mouthpiece, can reduce clenching and grinding, which will also help restore harmony to the joint. In extremely severe cases, surgery may be necessary to repair the damaged part of the joint.
Millions of people suffer from TMD. Treatment and lifestyle changes can break the TMD cycle and restore harmony to the joint.
The bones in the jaw Temporomandibular disorder, known as TMD, is a cycle of pain, muscle spasms, and joint imbalance where the jaw meets the skull. The lower jaw meets the skull at the temporomandibular joint, known as TMJ. This joint connects the temporal bone of the skull with the mandible bone of the jaw. Cushioning these two bones is a thin disc of cartilage. Five muscles support the joint.