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Dr. Thomas Sammons – Dental Artistry

Dr. Thomas Sammons – Dental Artistry

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Dr. Thomas Sammons – Bringing Technology, Compassion and a Preventive Approach to Dentistry Dr. Thomas “Tom” Sammons of Dental Artistry joins Discover Lafayette to discuss his path into dentistry, his commitment to continuing education and advanced technology, and his philosophy that good dental care is about far more than simply fixing teeth. A Youngsville native and UL Lafayette graduate, Dr. Sammons grew up in Acadiana after his family moved here in 1995. His father, Tom Sammons, taught architecture at UL Lafayette, and education was strongly emphasized in the Sammons household. Dr. Sammons graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from UL Lafayette before earning his Doctor of Dental Surgery from LSU School of Dentistry in New Orleans. His connection to UL Lafayette runs deep. As a student, Dr. Sammons was active in the pre-professional society, student government and honor society, and participated in Up ’til Dawn, which supported St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He says UL is where he truly found his community in Lafayette. Today, that sense of community remains important. Dr. Sammons and his wife, Abby, both grew up here and even attended the same church, where Abby’s father once taught him in Sunday school. Their parents live nearby, and Dr. Sammons and Abby are raising two energetic young sons, Gabriel and Everett. “I love being with them. I love being with my family.” A Childhood Spent in the Dental Chair Led to a Career Dr. Sammon’s decision to become a dentist was shaped in part by his own difficult dental history. His permanent teeth erupted with enamel hypoplasia, leaving them soft and yellow and requiring extensive dental work. He also admits he did not take particularly good care of his teeth as a teenager. Fortunately, he had dentists he genuinely liked, Drs. Thomas and Harmon in Youngsville. “I actually loved my dentist. I didn’t like being in the dental chair, but I liked him,” Tom recalled. For years, Tom thought he would become an engineer. Then he attended orientation at UL Lafayette, toured the engineering program and abruptly announced to his parents that he was going to become a dentist. The more he learned about dentistry, the more certain he became that he had found the right profession. That personal history also helps explain the empathy Dr. Sammons brings to patients who fear dental treatment. He discovered early in his career that many people had experienced frightening or painful dental care as children. For some patients, he says, simply opening the front door of a dental office can feel like “a very heavy weight.” When Dr. Sammons joined the practice of longtime Lafayette dentist Dr. Ann Laurent, he found a mentor whose philosophy closely matched his own. Dr. Laurent had built a practice around caring for patients with dental anxiety and treating their fears with empathy. “It’s not the most fun place to be. I understand that,” Dr. Sammons said of the dental chair. “It doesn’t have to be the worst place to be. We can make it comfortable. We can make it fun.” That philosophy is reflected throughout Lafayette Dental Artistry. Patients who need additional help with anxiety can receive nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, at no additional charge. The practice also offers oral sedation and, when appropriate, IV sedation administered with a nurse anesthetist. Your Mouth Is Connected to the Rest of Your Body One of Dr. Sammon’s strongest messages is that oral health should never be viewed in isolation. “The mouth is also connected to the whole body. It is systemic health. It is not just oral health.” Dr. Sammons and his team spend considerable time educating patients about brushing, flossing, diet and the habits that contribute to dental disease. Chronic infection and inflammation in the mouth can have consequences beyond the teeth and gums, and periodontal disease can progress without causing significant pain. One of the biggest misconceptions Dr. Sammons sees today involves sugar-free beverages. Eliminating sugar does not necessarily make a drink tooth-friendly because acidity can damage enamel. “Acid is worse,” he explained. Energy drinks, soft drinks, coffee and other acidic beverages can create an environment that promotes enamel erosion and decay. Dr. Sammons explained that when bacteria consume sugar, they produce acid, but drinking an already acidic beverage exposes teeth directly to that damaging environment. He sees the consequences particularly among younger patients. Someone can leave high school with few or no cavities, head to college, develop a habit of consuming energy drinks throughout the day, and return with significant decay. The problem is compounded when a person sips the beverage over several hours. After each exposure, saliva needs time to buffer the acidic environment. Dr. Sammons’ advice includes limiting acidic drinks, drinking water and, for some patients, ...
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