Suffering From Head, Neck, Or Shoulder Pain?
Posted on March 30, 2009 | Filed Under Dentistry
Chances Are There’s A Dental Connection!
New patients sometimes comment on the comprehensive set of x-rays we take at Artistic Dentistry. You see, I not only treat the health of your gums and teeth, but the foundation that they sit in as well. Dentistry is like engineering on a much smaller level. When something is off balance, you can experience all kinds of odd symptoms that you might not connect with a dental condition. Popping and clicking jaws are obvious, but when it pain stemming from a dental condition is referred to other parts of the body, that cause is often missed. A full set of x-rays allows me to give you better treatment.
Why Invest Your Tax Refund Into Your Smile?
Posted on March 28, 2009 | Filed Under Dentistry
You Can’t Beat The Return On Investment!
According to research and polls conducted in the last few decades, your smile greatly determines how you are viewed and even treated by others. 74% of Americans believe an unattractive smile can harm a person’s career success. Also, maintaining the height of your teeth is one of the best anti-aging steps you can take.
As you age, your teeth get shorter, thus collapsing the lower face area. For more information on aging and dentistry see our midlife dentistry page.
TIME Magazine Reports Dental Visits Shouldn’t Be Cut in Lean Times
Posted on March 24, 2009 | Filed Under Health
A February issue of TIME Magazine reported that the effort to save a few bucks by skipping cleanings or needed dental work was not a wise financial decision. “Patients who’ve skipped checkups now have achy teeth and have no choice but to undergo a more expensive procedure,” the magazine reported.
Consider your cleanings like you would regular oil changes and maintenance on your car. When you keep these up, your maintenance expenses in the long run are actually less. Just because the car is running well today doesn’t mean you should skip your scheduled oil change.
Maintenance of oral health has far more impact on your health and pocketbook than your car. The condition of your gums and teeth affect the comfort of your chewing, how you present yourself to the world and your overall health. Most people don’t actually realize that each tooth is energetically connected to the rest of their bodies. When you do, you can see that allowing teeth and gum health to deterioriate is tantamount to inviting illness.
Sedation Or Sleep Dentistry May Not Be The Magic Bullet It’s Cracked Up To Be
Posted on March 19, 2009 | Filed Under Dentistry
Sedation or sleep dentistry has several meanings, which can make it confusing to understand.
Basically, it describes varying degrees of unconsciousness, from the use of laughing gas, to relaxation pills to general anesthesia to IV sedation.
There’s lots of marketing hype about sedation dentistry and I’m sometimes asked why I don’t offer it. In my early years of practice, I used laughing gas and oral sedation. I noticed over the years that patients became dependent on sedation and required higher doses. Eventually some form of sedation was demanded and required for more procedures, even cleanings.
In addition, the deeper the sleep, the more traumatic is the procedure and subsequent healing process. During sleep, your lips can get pinched and your jaws can get overstretched and their ligaments taken beyond their limits. Thus the post-operative swelling and pain is greater than with local anesthetic. In addition, the respiratory risk, or the risk of slipping into a deeper anesthesia, are not risks I’m willing to take with my patients in the office. All of these factors, in my opinion, make sleep dentistry more traumatic.
Want a Relaxing Dental Experience?
Posted on March 4, 2009 | Filed Under Dentistry
Follow This 3 Step Prescription
An old proverb states “simplicity is the seal of truth.” What I’m about to reveal here may be perhaps the most simple advice you’ve ever heard. It may sound so simple to you that you have a hard time believing it could actually change your entire dental experience. Well, I promise you this: if you try it, the worst result you’ll experience is an improved day.
Ok, so most people would agree that the skill of the dentist has everything to do with how pain-free your dental experiences are. But…and this is where I’m asking for a leap of faith…even if you have a skilled and experienced dentist who knows how to minimize discomfort, there is still another factor in the comfort/pain-free equation: YOU. Yes, there ARE steps you can take to face your appointments without apprehension. Here are my best-guarded secrets. Read more
Can Tattoos Slow Recovery Time From Dental Procedures?
Posted on March 2, 2009 | Filed Under Dentistry
I recently removed the wisdom teeth from a 25 year old female patient with multiple bright colored tattoos. Her recovery time, compared with similar impacted wisdom tooth cases, age, health, etc. was slower. I’d seen a similar slow pace of recovery in another patient who also has tattoos.
Considering that tattoo ink contains many heavy metals like lead, arsenic, beryllium, chromium and others, and that metal toxicity is a factor in immune function, I suspected my two tattooed patients’ slower recovery could be connected to their tattoos.
In October, the FDA decided to launch a study to determine the connection between tattoo dyes and health risks. We’ll look out for those results.
Meanwhile, if you or any of your children are considering tattoos, I urge you to research any health risks not only of the needles used, but the permanent affect of putting toxic metals into your system and how that could affect your immunity.
