The Simple Secrets to Better Health

October 2007 Dental Measuring Tools


"If you can't measure it, you can't manage it."

"When you can measure something, it becomes a fact. If you can't measure something, it is only an opinion."

These two statements demonstrate how important it is for all of us to be able to measure things for the purpose of determining change or achieving new goals. Your dental team makes measurements to determine the state of your health and the progress of disease. Periodontal pocket measurements help us to determine if there are any crevices between the tooth and gum that are becoming harder to clean or the bone is breaking down. X-rays let us compare weak spots between the teeth with the same area 6 months ago to see whether cavities have progressed and need restoring. Orthodontic measurements tell us whether teeth will be crowded or spaced and how to best go about treating the situation for a beautiful smile. These are all measurements that we do for you to minimize disease and enhance health.

While being healthy or disease-free depends to a large degree on your dental team, wellness depends on each individual taking responsiblity for themselves. Here are some measuring tools to assist you-

Weigh scales and a tape measure- to help you manage your waist line and minimize risk of diabetes. Read about its implications and relationship to dental disease in Chapter 8.

Free Radical Urine Test- Excessive free radicals overwhelm your body's ability to manage inflammation. We can provide you with a home urine test kit to measure your free radical levels. Cost is $10.00. If they are high, more nutritional supplementation of antioxidants would definitely be a benefit. In the office, we use our Biophotonic scanner to determine your antioxidant levels. Read about it in Chapter 12.

Mercury Test Kit- Should mercury, especially in dental fillings, be a concern for you? Test to find out! We have not placed mercury containing fillings in over 20 years, but many silver/mercury amalgams still remain in function. Click to learn about our mercury hygien protocol and how to use the mercury test kit.

Acting on these three tests can add life to your years. Without you taking responsiblity, however, they are just tests. Without tests, your efforts are only opinions. Use them to help you enhance your wellness.

Proceed to Nov 07 Health Trends

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