PHASE 1
This is a standard of diagnosing that is uncompromising and does not ‘watch problems’ that are in need of attention. It is the commitment to ask WHY dentitions are breaking down, not just HOW to fix a problem. This is an extreme preventive paradigm that is unique in the dental profession and marketplace at this time, and is gaining national attention.

After a diagnosis and treatment plan is agreed upon, all restorative and cosmetic cases are then fully waxed to an initial proposed design in order to eliminate variables in the future fabrication process. These diagnostic wax-ups are then used to show a patient a potential ‘final result’ prior to beginning treatment.

PHASE 2
Our team has a passionate commitment to a specific set of standards that requires unique clinical, restorative and surgical protocols for the total removal of all pathology, decay, failing dentistry and the underlying ‘sepsis’ in order to save teeth for a lifetime. This sounds like a basic foundational principal, but there is a tremendous amount of ‘patchwork / pothole filling’ dentistry in our culture today. This has been encouraged by an educational mantra of always being ‘conservative’ in the design process.

This paradigm began in the early 1980’s. This was the time that dental bonding started to gain mainstream prominence in the profession, and the philosophy of less preparation of teeth is better, took hold. Philosophically this is a noble concept, born out of the desire to destroy less and less tooth structure to restore a problem. Then fill the small preparation with a plastic filling material (composite), and this is taught to be a final restoration that is acceptable.

The challenge, is that we have dentist’s today that lack the commitment to totally remove all pathology from teeth and are stuck in a ‘paradigm box of conservatism’ that leaves bacteria, sepsis, de-mineralization and decay under so called… ‘small / conservative restorations’. This is not serving many dental patients well in Dr. Gist’s opinion, and he is championing a more thorough and aggressive protocol of disease removal and prevention for his patients and the practices that he is teaching his techniques to.

PHASE 3
After total removal of pathology from teeth and gums, we then treat and scrub the remaining healthy biology with Dr. Gist’s Holy Triad of surgical scrubs. The complete sterilization of the tooth structure and gums to eliminate localized sepsis improves our patients systemic health as it allows the immune system to ‘catch up’ and be refocused on other insults and stresses to the body.

These protocols are the foundation of our practice. In short, sterile and healthy teeth and gums support systemic health in every way, and the research agrees with Dr. Gist… The research also agrees that low grade chronic inflammation, infection and sepsis under leaking and failing dentistry may be killing you.

PHASE 4
After teeth are sterilized, we institute protocols to temporize teeth with Interim Restorations (temporaries) in a world class manor to eliminate leaking and sensitivity as the final restorations are being fabricated in our laboratory by Dr. Gist World class ceramist and laboratory team.

PHASE 5
Involves the removal of interim restorations in a specific manor, and preparing the biology to place and bond final restorations. We re-sterilize all biology, and desensitize and seal the teeth with sterile primers and biologic resins. It is vital that we keep the environment clean, dry with NO inflammation or fluid contamination in order to fit and bond the final restorations to our standard. We do not cement final restorations; we bond final restorations to sterile tooth structure!

Note: If your current dental team is cementing your crowns, onlays and or veneers without profound local anesthesia, they are not able to control the sterility of the ‘clinical environment’ that this new restoration will be seated on top of. This lack of profound anesthesia, is a clue that these restorations are being cemented over contaminated fluids and bacteria! This results in ‘Septic contamination’ under your dentistry that can progress into serious dental and systemic health problems. This is a ‘lower standard of care’ that we see every day and is one of many differences that sets our restorative / cosmetic practice apart.

PHASE 6
We bond our final restorations with anti-bacterial dual cure resins that adheres the sterile biology (tooth structure) and to the restorative material we chose (ceramic or gold). The resin cements that we use are minimally soluble in oral fluids over time. On the other hand, traditional permanent dental cements are all extremely water soluble and tend to dissolves over time, in the presence of moisture. This is a problem because as the cement dissolves; fluid, organic debris and billions of bacteria creep under the restorations and into the cement void and a septic environment begins.

This is a problem for the patients teeth and gums but the bigger problem may be that this sepsis eventually makes its way into the blood and lymphatic systems and will compromise a patients systemic health over time. This bacterial invasion is potentially carried to organs of the body including the heart, brain, kidneys, liver, lungs, lymph nodes, pancreas, musculature of the head and neck and joints of the body. Oral bacterial infections have been shown to affect a pregnant woman and her unborn child in the womb. Studies have shown that odontogenic (oral) infections may induce low birth weight in the developing baby as the bacteria cross through the placenta barrier and infect the baby.