Dr. Wilhelm’s Caries Management Program provides patients with an affordable and painless way to treat and reverse dental caries, a disease that causes a decay-inducing bacteria to form on your teeth and increases your risk for tooth decay and cavities. The program tests, treats and alters the biofilm where dental caries resides to provide you with a confident and cavity-free smile. The test Dr. Wilhelm performs takes less than a minute and treatment consists of quick and easy maintenance rinses.
Often we meet patients who take excellent care of their teeth but are still plagued with tooth decay and frequent cavities. It is very important to understand that cavities are not necessarily related to how many times a day you brush or floss your teeth but are instead a symptom of the disease. Dental caries infects the biofilm present on your teeth, which promotes decay and causes cavities to form. Everyone has biofilm on his or her teeth but not all biofilm is infected.
If you have suffered from chronic tooth decay give Dr. Wilhelm a call at 651-227-2427 or email him to see how easy it is to get on your way toward a beautiful and healthy smile. Dr. Wilhelm is the first to bring this new approach to Minnesota and is currently the leader in advanced caries diagnosis and treatment.
Why am I always getting cavities?
For the past one hundred years dental treatment focused on eliminating cavities through regular tooth brushing and adding fluoride into toothpaste and drinking water, instead of eliminating the cause for the cavities. When brushing or fluoride treatments failed, a filling or crown was provided to restore the tooth. However, these procedures do not eliminate the caries infection that continues to attack your biofilm and dissolves and damages your teeth. And so the symptomatic-cycle occurs, dental caries patients continue to get cavities and restoration treatment without addressing the root cause of the cavities.
How does Dr. Wilhelm’s Caries Management Program work?
Dr. Wilhelm measures and treats the infected biofilm present in your mouth by performing a test that takes less than a minute and targets the areas where cavity-creating bacteria grows. It works like this. There is a biofilm present on your teeth and if infected it becomes quite acidic. The bacteria that cause caries and eventually cavities have a special built-in adaptation process, which permits them to survive in the acidic environment. Fortunately, it is this same adaptation process that reveals a trace chemical that allows caries-causing bacteria to be tested for and tracked. The test Dr. Wilhelm performs identifies the presence of this active chemical and provides a number that measures its severity and progress. If your test number reaches a particular level you will be given a rinse that chemically shocks the biofilm in your mouth and actually changes your mouth’s pH balance from acid to a healthier neutral pH. With this new test and treatment program many patients will drastically reduce ongoing cavity problems and some may even eliminate caries completely. The test is simple and quick as it is done in our office and takes less than a minute of your time. The treatment consists of easy-to-use rinses that you use at home. Unlike other new technologies, the program is very cost effective and affordable.
What should I expect when I schedule an appointment?
Dr. Wilhelm has found that the most consistent results occur when the test is performed in the afternoon. Prior to your screen you will be instructed to make sure that you have NOT brushed your teeth, drank any beverages, chewed any gum or smoked tobacco for at least two hours prior to your visit. Then one of his trained staff will use a sterile swab obtained from your screen kit to rub two of your teeth. Next, the swab is placed in a special container that adds a precise amount of reagent (reacting chemical) and the tube is inserted into the machine and your score is displayed after only 15 seconds.
What happens after I am screened for dental caries?
If your test score is above 1500 then you will be given a treatment rinse to use twice a day for four weeks. The treatment rinse will alter the pH of the biofilm on your teeth to create a healthier environment in your mouth. Following completion of the treatment rinse you will use a pleasant tasting maintenance rinse once daily. After 6 months you will be retested and possibly repeat the cycle until your score becomes healthy. Most people convert to a healthy score in one to two cycles.
What is caries susceptibility and is it transmittable?
Dental caries is a disease of susceptibility, which means that once you have been infected you are less resistant to dental decay. It also means that dental caries can be passed on to other family members or persons coming into direct oral contact with you. For this reason Dr. Wilhelm recommends that you don’t share eating utensils or other activities allowing mouth-to-mouth contact. He also recommends that if your results are high then your spouse, partner, or other family members should also be screened for caries.
What can be done for the cavities I currently have?
If you currently have cavities they will still need to be restored but now you can be more optimistic about your future dental health. Dr. Wilhelm’s Caries Management Program has the ability to treat and fight the root cause for the tooth decay, which greatly reduces your risk of getting new cavities.