Happy New Year

I wanted to take a moment to wish all of you a happy new year. Going into 2009, you are assured to get the same high-quality attention and dental care from me and my team. Each year, we all do our best to improve our skills and our practice to offer you the best dental service in the area.

And, as we head into the new year, I’d like to remind you to make sure and prioritize dental health for you and your family. The little things you do for home care and with your regular cleaning and prevention visits are very important.

Best wishes for the new year. I hope that you will continue to tell your family and friends about our practice and let people know about the excellent dental care your receive from us.

Back to basics

It is definitely one of the themes you are hearing a lot about lately. People are refocusing on the basics on a lot of topics. And, one that should be top of your list is dental care.

Dental care could be one of the easiest parts of your day. Simple brushing and flossing can keep your teeth in good condition and help you avoid long-term problems. But it is also important to visit your dentist for routine cleanings, screenings and care.

One of the basics you should be considering right now is ensuring good dental health for yourself and your family. If you have not had your regular appointment in more than six months, you need to put that on your calendar. If it has been more than a year since you have visited me for oral cancer screenings and a check for gum disease, this should be placed as a priority, too.

Remember the basic warning signs, too. Sore or bleeding gums, sensitive teeth and bad breath are all signs that you should be addressing some of your basics when it comes to your dental health.

Holiday Idea

We are all being affected by the slowdown right now. And, this, with the holiday season just around the corner. I am sure that you have had some thoughts already about how this might affect your holiday gift-giving.

When you are considering gifts that are long-lasting and meaningful, you should think about teeth whitening for teenagers and adults. We offer a number of options for teeth whitening and it can be a gift that affects lives for years. Improving a smile with whiter teeth can make a professional difference for a person, as well as personal differences. Plus, it can make people happier.

Begin your holiday planning now. If you want a gift that keeps on giving, consider teeth whitening.

What does biocompatible dentistry mean?

Biocompatible dentistry is an approach to dentistry that focuses on keeping toxic substances out of your mouth and, therefore, your body. And, with modern dentistry, there is no reason why any toxic substances should be used.

Many people come in wanting to have their old, grey or black fillings removed for aesthetic purposes. The new white composite fillings that blend with the teeth simply look better. That may be true but the better reason to replace black/grey/silver fillings is because the amalgam that is used contains Mercury, a highly toxic metal.

Mercury can leech out of these fillings in very small does into your system. And, this sort of filling expands and contracts, endangering the stability of the tooth. In general, we can do better. The composite materials we use in white fillings are stronger, do not expand and contract and are fully biocompatible.

For biocompatible reasons, I would like you to be motivated to have your black/grey/silver fillings replaced. If you need the extra motivation, it looks much better but I would be more concerned with getting the Mercury out of your teeth.

If you have any questions about your fillings or biocompatible dentistry in general, please email me today.

Ringing in the ears… might be TMJ

Every once in a while, I am reminded how random the symptoms of TMJ can be. As you know, I am a neuromuscular dentist and I treat Tempromandibular Joint Disorder. Is this always characterized by straight up jaw joint pain. Absolutely not.

It takes a neuroumuscular dentist to recognize that Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, is another symptom of TMJ that is commonly misdiagnosed and often goes untreated or is treated ineffectively. In many cases ringing in the ears is one of the results of having a strained bite in which the jaw is not aligned. The jaw area of the face is a complex network of muscles and nerves, and when the bite is misaligned muscles and nerves throughout the head, including the ears, can be affected.

Tinnitus can also be one of the most alarming and hard to live with conditions a person can have. If you are experiencing a ringing in your ears, please make an appointment with me for a TMJ screening.

Bad Breath? Just Read This Blog.

It is a topic that most people don’t want to discuss too readily, but bad breath is more than just a social problem. Studies show that more than 80% of people deal with bad breath on an ongoing basis.

Usually, bad breath can be remedied with good attention to cleaning and dental hygiene. Regular visits to see for check-ups and cleanings will keep you on a good path for oral health. And, regular visits allow me to make sure than symptoms like bad breath are not the signs of something more serious like gum disease.

Proper brushing and regular flossing will keep your teeth clean. This is one of the main causes of bad breath. Brushing after each meal and flossing to clean out between teeth removes any food remains that can be a breeding ground for bacteria, which is what can cause bad breath.

And, when you are brushing, brush your tongue. Bacteria can accumulate on your tongue, too, and this can cause bad breath, as well.

If you are a smoker, here is another good reason to quit. Tobacco products leave behind a smell that will give you bad breath. This one is a particularly hard-to-cover odor.

See, it is not that uncommon. If you contend with bad breath of one degree or another, then you are not alone. If you have any questions, please come in to visit me for a cleaning or a check-up and we can talk about it.

Showing some passion for your smile and dental health.

As a dentist, my passion for my patients’ smiles and their dental health is pretty apparent. If I did not love what I did and I did not think it was important, you would feel like just another patient with just another mouth when you visit me. However, part of the reason I write this blog and part of the reason why my team works so hard to make you feel at home in our office is because we have that passion for your smile and dental health. And, we want you to have it, too!

One of the reasons I have taken advanced training as a dentist is to make the experience as beneficial as I can for all my patients. I believe in the saying that “Anything worth doing is worth doing well.” This is why I pursued cosmetic and neuromuscular dentistry and it is why I invest in the latest treatments and training. It is all part of my passion to offer you the best. My office team takes the extra time and effort to make sure that when you visit us you feel like a guest and that you are appreciated.

We are passionate about what we do, no surprise there !! Perhaps you share our passion with regards to your own teeth, perhaps not, and that’s OK! After all, they are your teeth.

We do our best to let everyone know what their options are and as long as I’m certain that they understand the consequences of those choices, then we will support their decision. For many of you reading this, I’m sure that everything in your mouth looks and feels as good as you want it to be. If that’s not the case for you or someone you care about, we can help. Some of the common requests we receive are whiter, straighter teeth… a healthier smile… eliminating little pains or discomforts in your mouth, as well as muscle related pains in the neck and face that come from chewing muscles and a bite that don’t agree on where things should be.…. If you want any of these things but are not doing anything about it, join my team and let’s share our passion and see just how good you can be, but only if you feel it’s the right thing to do for you now.
Call me if there is anything I can do for you.

Diet and Dental Health

Summer is almost here and I have a great summer project for you. That project is your health!

I’m not talking about toning up, dieting or anything else that is so ambitious. What I suggest is that you observe your health over these summer months. That might provide you with an idea of just exactly where you and your family members are when it comes to your overall health.

Here is the project I propose. Take the next three summer months to keep a food journal. Simply make a log of what you eat and when you eat it. This usually gives people a pretty good insight into areas they might be able to improve nutritionally.

In terms of your dental health, you may want to look for how and when you eat certain foods. Look for times when you eat certain foods. It is commonly known that sugar causes tooth decay. So, you should know that a good habit is to brush within 20 minutes of eating a big sugary snack or treat. This cuts down on the amount of time the sugar will attack the teeth. Acids caused by sugar breaking down attack the teeth for up to 20 minutes. On a food journal, you will see when you routinely leave yourself open to greater effects of high sugar foods.

Also, watch for those isolated snacks. Foods that are eaten as part of meal cause less harm on teeth because more saliva is produced during a meal. This helps wash foods from the mouth, thus lessening the effect of sugars on the teeth.

You will learn more about yourself if you try this summer food journal. No need to be perfect. Just give it a try and if you want to bring it in to review with me on your next cleaning visit, then I will be happy to help you interpret the results and, hopefully, help you continue good oral health.

What are you doing with your tax rebate?

Last week, the first tax rebate checks started to arrive. So, what are you going to do with your piece of the economic stimulus? Many people are taking care of some basics that have been put off. If your dental health or appearance has fallen into that category, this could be your opportunity to care for yourself a little.

In the past few months, I have blogged about replacing black or grey fillings with white resin fillings. This has a direct relation to you long term health. If you short-term dental health needs include cleanings, routine checkups and screenings or if you have been putting off asking me about a pain or problem, why not spend a little of your rebate on your dental health.

If you are up-to-date on your dental health maintenance, are feeling now jaw, neck or head pains that could be associated with TMJ and you generally feel good, you may want to consider visiting me to whiten your teeth. If you have never tried it or if you are ready for another whitening after a few years, just contact our office to schedule an appointment.

Concerns about toxins?

The recent concern about lead on imported toys and products from China is a warning for all of us to be concerned about our immediate environment. I am sure that you checked the packaging on gifts you gave and got for the holidays and that is a good start.

But, in your vigilance over toxic substances, don’t forget your fillings if you have old, blackened, silver (amalgam) fillings. These fillings contain unknown levels of mercury unlike modern “white” bonded composite fillings that are biologically inactive.

If you have old black fillings, they may be causing you some degree of risk due to residual levels of mercury left in them. There have been many university studies done to study the health risks of these fillings and those studies have not been able to reach any firm and consistent conclusions about the affect they have on our health.

Does that mean they are safe? Consider for yourself the fact that those same studies have raised even more questions about the safety of amalgam fillings and that they may be linked to some diseases that we still know very little about.
Consider also that when we remove old silver fillings from our patient’s teeth, we are not allowed to dispose of the old pieces and particles down the drain. We are required to catch all of this debris in special traps for hazardous waste, so as not to contaminate our environment.
Perhaps you would like to know my main concern about old silver fillings. This filling material leaks like a sieve, soon after it has been placed, thus permitting bacteria to get in between the filling and the tooth. For that reason, is it any surprise that 9 out of 10 old silver fillings that I take out have decay under them? Since x-rays don’t go through the filling material, I can’t tell if there is anything wrong or not, until the decay gets much more advanced.
This outdated material also expands and contracts with temperature changes, and leads to additional cracks and fractures in the tooth. These teeth often break again years later, needing even larger fillings, which break again, and eventually need crowns (caps) done.

We consider the condition of each person’s oral health individually. We can discuss the importance of replacing old blackened, silver (amalgam) fillings if you think it’s the right thing to do.

Have you thought about Cosmetic Dentistry?

Never underestimate the advantage a cosmetically enhanced smile can give you. Even something as easy and quick as whitening your teeth can improve your overall appearance. Every once in a while, I ask people to think about the advantages.

The choice of porcelain veneers or other cosmetic dental treatments is sometimes tied to an event: a wedding, an important business function, a holiday, a graduation or some family event. But, if you think about it, there are so many ways an improved smile can impact your life on an every day basis.

There is no doubt that a better smile is an advantage in business. This can impact promotions, sales and career paths. In a society that has learned that teeth can be improved, when you see a misshapen smile or misaligned teeth, you often can’t help but wonder why the person has done nothing to fix their smile.

If you know someone who might benefit from cosmetic dentistry, this is why you should think about referring them to me for a cosmetic consultation. A better smile can mean a better presentation at work. Makeovers of all kinds lead to promotions all the time. It can improve a person’s social prospects. It can also give a new sense of inner confidence that can manifest itself in many ways.

Perhaps you know someone who might be interested in cosmetic dentistry to gain an advantage or enhance their life. If so, your kind referral to me may be all that’s needed to help them take that step to a nicer smile.

The Cosmetic Channel™

Questions about Cosmetic Dentistry? Ask at The Cosmetic Channel™.

We start off the new year with a new way for you to use the Internet at TheCosmeticChannel.com. By now you have seen the new videos on our web site brought to you by The Cosmetic Channel™.

Last week, The Cosmetic Channel™ unveiled a new web site that includes a Chat Community. You can see links posted to this chat board on Craig’s List and it is beginning to get some questions and comments about both cosmetic dentistry and cosmetic surgery. You can visit the chat at www.TheCosmeticChannel.com/chat.html.

If you or someone you know is interested in gathering information on cosmetic dentistry or cosmetic surgery procedures, this is a good place to ask questions. Cosmetic dentists and cosmetic surgeons are being recruited to monitor the chat and answer your questions.

And, you know you can always contact me directly if you have any questions.