Spring Cleaning

We are all familiar with Spring Cleaning. It’s a great way to get yourself organized and back on track. Out with the old; in with the new. Time to straighten up for the rest of the year and get things looking good again.

While you are in the mood for Spring Cleaning, why not consider your dental health schedule for the year. Regardless of how you pay for your dental health care, an annual schedule for basic care for you and your family should be the basis of your annual plan. As part of getting organized this spring, I suggest you make your schedule for cleanings and exams.

Regular cleanings are the best way to ensure that placque build up does not damage your teeth or gums. Your daily brushing routine gives you a good basis for a healthy mouth, but professional cleanings give you a deep cleaning necessary to avoid gum disease and weakened teeth enamel.

Your annual exam is important for a variety of health reasons. One of the most important reasons for regularly scheduled exams is to have a proper oral cancer screening. This painless screening for the first signs of oral cancer is just as important as any skin cancer screening you would get at your primary care physician or dermatologist.

So, as part of your Spring Cleaning and organization, why not plan out cleanings and exams for youself and your family members? It’s a great way to prioritize your dental health. If you have any questions about any of this, especially oral cancer screening, please feel free to contact me today.

Interesting trend in sports

In my blog, I frequently talk about TMJ pain and the Tempromandibular Joint Disorder. Normally, the discussion of TMJ or jaw alignment centers around the wide range of pains and discomforts caused when the jaw is not aligned. But, recently, anyone who has been paying attention to sports has seen the positive effects of aligning the jaw.

Many key players, like Tracey Porter, from the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints football team used a special mouthpiece called the Makkar PPM that aligns the jaw. Users of the Makkar PPM note an improvement in strength, speed, balance and agility as demonstrated in a recent study at Rutgers University. In the Olympics, US skier Bode Miller also used the Makkar PPM in his Gold medal winning performance in the Vancouver Olympics. The spotlight is now on the Makkar PPM and for the past several years, athletes seeking improved performance in their training and competition have utilized this simple, yet profoundly effective technology.

For those of you wishing to see an improvement in your athletic performance, I offer Makkar PPM mouthpieces which can unleash your true potential. This neuromuscular technology can improve your performance in any athletic endeavor including golf. If you want to learn more about the Makkar PPM, please visit www.makkaradvantage.com , you can contact me directly or through their site as one of the Certified PPM dentists in Spokane.

The Makkar PPM and the recent success enjoyed by some of its users is a real lesson about neuromuscular dentistry. The alignment of the jaw, neck, and shoulder muscles, are critical to peak performance. If your jaw is out of alignment to the point where it is causing pain and numerous other symptoms, you can imagine how much your potential is decreased every day. No matter what your game is, even if it’s just day to day life, perhaps there is a championship-level of improvement just waiting for you.

Occlusion Confusion

I wanted to first of all, express my sincere appreciation to all of you who follow my blog. Please click on this link to the recent Dental Town article that my good friend and mentor, Prabu Raman, recently contributed. His article will help anyone who has any “confusion about occlusion” to really see what philosophies are out there and will help you understand the choices each clinician is faced with when deciding how to care for their patients.

As always, I’m open to any opportunity to learn and understand the needs of my colleagues, so please feel free to comment in any way.
Sincerely,
Doug Brossoit DDS

Living with TMJ

Do you know someone who is making excuses about living with TMJ pain? It happens all the time. Whether it is the popping and clicking jaw, the soreness caused by grinding teeth during sleep, headaches or other pain in the head and neck area, for some reason people tend to live with chronic upper body pain, not knowing that it could be directly related their jaw joints or their bite. So they take pain relievers or prescription medicines to mask the pain, and count on their body’s ability to cope and adapt to get through another bad day. Coping won’t last indefinitely, and things tend to get worse if not treated correctly.

One of the main reasons why people tend to put off treatment is that they think major surgery is needed to repair the problem. They may have read this in their research or have been told that by a doctor. If they are thorough in their research, they will also discover the non-invasive neuromuscular treatment. This is the treatment that neuromuscular dentists administer for TMJ that does not include surgery.

My neuromuscular training comes from the world’s leading post-graduate institute on the subject: The Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies. Every day, TMJ suffers are treated successfully by LVI graduates without one jawbone being broken and reset. Our specialized treatment resets the jaw without surgery and places the jaw and all the interconnected tissues back to a normal, functioning position, eliminating the pain and discomfort.

This is good for you to know because many of us know someone who suffers with this condition. They think surgery is the only option and therefore decide to live with their pain. Sometimes simply mentioning the non-invasive neuromuscular option is all that is needed to make a difference.

Cope or Cure…. There is a choice!

Special Note: I want to introduce something unique and special for all of my faithful readers. I will be adding a section to my Facebook page and my blog that is non-dental and is called “Practical Pearls”, I have always liked coming up with easier ways to fix things, or make life a little easier and I plan to share these ideas, and others that I have accumulated from many sources over the coming weeks and months with all of you. Perhaps some of you have some ideas you would like to share with others, and if you wish I can feature them here with or without your name. Let me know what you think, and I’ll take all your input to make this fun and give me an opportunity to give
something back to all of you that doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with teeth. Let me know what you think, I’m open to all positive feedback,

New Year’s Dental Resolution

Here's a great idea for the new year put a little extra emphasis on your health care in 2010. Isn't it time to do some of the little things that can lead to better health. Ok... Good idea. So how about starting with a new years dental resolution?

It is so easy to affect a more positive dental health. Most of the steps can be routine. We all know brushing after every meal and flossing daily are everyday tasks you should be doing. However, rushing through brushing and skipping flossing can undo your efforts. Done properly and regularly, brushing and flossing keep your mouth clean but also stimulate the gums. Unhealthy gums are medically connected to heart disease, which is something most people do not realize. So, being more diligent with brushing and flossing can have a huge impact on your health. So, maybe add that to your new years dental resolution.

Regular visits to see me for cleanings will also help nip emerging problems in the bud. In deep cleanings, we make sure that the plaque that causes tooth decay and gum disease is completely removed. I strongly suggest making your cleaning appointments a priority in the coming year.

And, for anyone suffering from symptoms of TMJ, maybe this will be the year when you have had it living with the pain and the headaches. If you are ready to start the year headed toward a pain-free 2010, why not schedule an appointment for a neuromuscular exam. I am trained to treat TMJ pain with non-invasive techniques that change lives. Treating TMJ can do much for your mental health as well if the burden
of the pain is affecting your functioning or your moods.

And, one last idea for your new years dental resolution. If you or someone you know snores, or who just does not feel rested when they wake up, it could be masking a more serious, life threatening condition, called Sleep Apnea. We can help you find out if you or someone you care about has this condition and help htem get a medical diagnosis. Once this problem has been identified, we can team up with your physician and provide supportive oral appliance therapy. Again, non-invasive neuromuscular treatments I offer can treat sleep apnea and improve your overall health.

So, what sounds good for your new years dental resolution? Email me and let me know.

Looking your best for the holidays

As the holidays approach, holiday pictures, parties and social events come up on most of our schedules. It’s a time for your holiday dress, your new haircut or hairstyle and for a beautiful smile.

Keep in mind that you can give your smile an immediate boost with teeth whitening, which is the easiest way to quickly improve the cosmetic appearance of your smile. If you want that little extra boost for your smile and your family photo or holiday party is right around the corner, we can brighten your smile in just one day. In fact, we can do it on your lunch hour.

If you are interested in a more dramatic and permanent improvement, why not take a little time during this holiday season to learn about cosmetic reconstruction. With my LVI (Las Vegas Institute) training, I have the finest education and experience with cosmetic reconstruction. Maybe you want to consider this as a gift for a loved one or maybe this is something you have always dreamed of for yourself. Either way, why not start asking some questions now. A new, beautiful, confident smile may be an important part of 2010 for you.

If you have been thinking about improving your smile, please contact me today.

Taking Care Of You !

Something as regular as a dental cleaning can impact your health dramatically. It is so important, I am doubling my efforts to encourage everyone to do this important maintenance for their teeth and gums twice each year.

Periodontal disease, or gum disease, has links to heart disease, strokes, diabetes and more serious health issues. If you do not clean your teeth properly, you are inviting all the immediate symptoms of gum disease and increasing the risk of other health issues. Warning signs include bleeding gums, red gums and bad breath. Here are some additional facts about your risk of gum disease.

- Receding gums are a symptom of gum disease. If you have noticed your gums receding making your teeth appear longer, this is a warning sign.
- Tobacco use is a risk factor for gum disease and even oral cancer.
- The older you are, the greater your risk for time related problems.

The best thing you can do is to schedule your cleanings with me twice each year. Many of you reading this have completed all your planned treatment, and you are to be commended for achieving that goal.

Please allow us the continued privilege of taking care of you and helping you keep everything healthy. The nicest complement that we get from our patients is that they refer their friends and family to us. Perhaps we can help someone you know get back on track!