Diamons

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Photography by Dr. Padval

Tongue-Thrusting

Train that Tongue Without therapy, the wrong oral habits, sooner or later, will cause tooth movement, breathing and speech problems You'd think swallowing is easy as falling off a log. But some of us need help retraining muscles that we've been using wrong all along. A "bad" swallow is just the luck of the draw, usually caused by unbalanced facial muscles or enlarged tonsils. When you swallow normally (and we do it about 2,000 times a day), the tip of the tongue is against [...]

By |2017-04-11T00:00:14-07:00April 11, 2017|Patient Education|

Save Money By Preventing Dental Expenses

Everyone is concerned about money these days. But the only way to save wisely is to calculate your net gain (or loss). We agree that it's silly to drive 20 miles to save 3 cents a gallon on gas, but it's just as foolish to skip your dental appointments. With the cost of everything increasing, an excellent way to save money is to prevent potential problems before they become big ones. Regular dental exams and cleanings are the best way to avoid a big [...]

By |2017-04-04T00:00:12-07:00April 4, 2017|Preventative Dentistry|

Root Surface Caries

We are Growing Older... As the population ages—more gracefully than ever, of course— we're keeping more teeth. Along with wisdom and experience, however, come different health problems. Among them, cavities on the surface of the tooth root, what we call root caries. Growing up, most decay is found on the surface of teeth, usually the crown. But gum tissue has a way of receding as the years go by, and this exposes the root to bacteria that cause decay. Periodontal (gum) disease worsens the [...]

By |2017-03-28T00:00:59-07:00March 28, 2017|Restorative Dentistry|

Do You Have A Salivary Stone?

A healthy flow of saliva is critical for chewing and digestion, bathing gums, and bacterial control. And we owe it all to salivary glands, three pairs of organs in the cheek and floor of the mouth. Each gland secretes saliva into the mouth via a tube, and this is where trouble can begin. Sialolithiasis—whew—names the condition that results from a small calcified stone blocking the salivary duct. Clearly, a kink in the duct will cause swelling of the gland itself. And swelling usually means [...]

By |2017-03-21T00:00:10-07:00March 21, 2017|Restorative Dentistry|

Alcohol and Your Health…

Just the Facts There's so much conflicting information regarding drinking alcohol blasting at us these days. A glass of red wine is good? Is even drinking at all a good idea? It's a matter of proportion. The facts are these. First, alcohol affects women more than men. Because men tend to be heavier in muscle mass, their bodies can process slightly more alcohol with fewer negative consequences than women's. But there's something else: the amount of an enzyme known as gastric alcohol dehydrogenase that's [...]

By |2017-03-14T00:00:35-07:00March 14, 2017|Patient Education|

Making Bad Breath Go Away

Where Bad Breath Comes From Most, but not all, bad breath comes from bacterial plaque and food accumulated mainly towards the back of the tongue. The problem is, there are all sorts of not-likely-but-possible other reasons for halitosis: upset stomach, anxiety, inflamed gums, saliva deficiency, infections and removable dentures are among them. What Not To Do Because nobody—but nobody!— wants bad breath, a billion-dollar industry has sprung up hawking a variety of mouthwashes, rinses, drops, pastes and mints to mask halitosis. But there's a huge [...]

By |2017-03-07T00:00:20-08:00March 7, 2017|Restorative Dentistry|

Dental Implants: The Next Best Thing to Natural Teeth

Once teeth are missing from the jawbone—whether one or many; whether from accident or disease—something very important is missing as well. That's tooth stability. Any denture wearer will tell you there's nothing more upsetting than a slipping lower denture and the anxious uncertainty it brings. That's because once one or more teeth are removed, the jawbone that previously anchored the roots begins to dissolve. Dental researchers worked for years to find ways to keep bone from shrinking. Now we're proud to offer a solution [...]

By |2017-02-28T00:00:46-08:00February 28, 2017|Restorative Dentistry|

These are Times that Stress Kids’ Mouths

What does a student facing exam pressure have in common with a World War I soldier—or an 18th-Century British sailor? More than you might think. Kids surviving on junk food and stress are at risk of two retro tooth-and-gum woes: trench mouth and scurvy. Trench Mouth (named for the soldiers) is better known today as ANUG, or Acute Necrotizing Ulcerative Gingivitis. While it's similar to periodontal disease, what sets ANUG apart is its immediate onset. Suddenly the mouth is sore, gums bleed easily, and…bad [...]

By |2017-02-21T00:00:06-08:00February 21, 2017|Patient Education|

Diabetes

The first clue to diabetes may be in your mouth! In many cases it's the dentist–and not the physician–who has the first opportunity in the early detection of diabetes, because diabetics are especially prone to dental problems. Swollen, tender, bleeding and receding gums, loose teeth, and a sore tongue may not just be signs of poor dental health. They may be danger signals for diabetes, too. If you have any of these symptoms, you may be one of the millions of Americans who has diabetes. [...]

By |2017-02-14T00:00:46-08:00February 14, 2017|Patient Education|

The Makings of a Better Smile

One of the best things about today's cosmetic dentistry is how dramatically your smile can be enhanced with very simple, conservative procedures. All of us differ in terms of our appetite for cosmetic improvement. But a custom plan can be developed that fits your own particular desire—and comfort level—to a "T." A great smile is the sum of its components. These include color, tooth spacing, size, straightness, gum line, and more. As we age, all of these components can be negatively affected: teeth darken, [...]

By |2017-02-07T00:00:20-08:00February 7, 2017|Cosmetic Dentistry|