The concept of dental age is surprising to people when they first ear it. Dental age is independent of chronological age. From a biological stand point, we are youthful until we reach maturity around age thirty, we are adults from thirty to sixty years, and elder from sixty on. From a dental stand point, we […]
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a potentially dangerous disorder with fairly benign symptoms—loud snoring at night, and morning headaches or daytime bouts of sleepiness. The cause? Intermittent periods throughout sleep when an individual actually stops breathing. Breathing cessation, or apnea, lasts from seconds to nearly a minute. When breathing resumes—the brain senses lack of oxygen and wakes […]
Xerostomia (Dry Mouth)
News to Make a Mouth Water… A thick, juicy prime rib of beef surrounded by a baked potato—all the trimmings—asparagus with drawn butter, fresh apple cobbler a la mode. Got your mouth watering? Good. Your salivary glands have been stimulated. And saliva’s a whole lot more important to you than helping you enjoy that special […]
No More Metal Mouth
You don’t have to be a dentist to know that metal is NOT a normal component of teeth. Used to be, gold or silver amalgam was necessary to restore structural integrity to damaged teeth (especially molars) that would be subjected to the great stress caused by chewing. Today, there are new materials that stand up […]
Sense about Sensitivity
When teeth hurt, the sooner we reach the root of the problem, the sooner the pain disappears. What triggers tooth pain? Heat, cold, touch, air, sweet or sour foods. If you recently had a cavity filled, that area may be sensitive for awhile. Other causes of sensitivity are: Erosion of tooth enamel. Gum shrinkage down […]
Healthy Gums—Healthy You!
Fighting periodontal (gum) disease through meticulous daily hygiene and regular dental appointments is brilliant. You preserve your beautiful smile and sweet breath, maintain the health of your teeth and gums, and protect your overall health in the bargain! Periodontal disease—a chronic inflammatory disease that can destroy gum tissue, ligaments, even the bone supporting the teeth—is […]
Fluoride—You Never Outgrow Your Need
You grew up with fluoride. Your teeth show it in the very fact that you still have them. Before 1945, by the time your nest was empty, your mouth was often empty as well. But when cities began adding it to water supplies, tooth decay took a nose dive. Most of us never gave it […]
Who Wants Whiter Teeth?
Whitening, or bleaching, is a way to lighten teeth without bonding material to the teeth or removing any sound tooth structure. In this respect, it’s one of the most conservative cosmetic procedures we have. Here’s how it works. How does whitening work? Typically for in-office appointments, we’ll fit your mouth with a special mouthpiece filled […]
Sterilization
Keeping Our Office Safe For You We follow all guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and American Dental Association, particularly sterilization procedures for instruments used in the mouth. This means high speed drills too. Our autoclave is state-of-the-science—it’s monitored regularly by an independent testing laboratory to verify complete effectiveness. All clinical personnel wear […]
On Guard Against Oral Cancer
Oral Cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the world, it kills about one-third of those diagnosed with it, and 28,000 new cases occur each year. And over 25% of oral cancers occur in people who don’t smoke or have other lifestyle risk factors. Now that we’ve got your attention—there’s hope. Trouble Spots—Oral Lesions […]