It has been such a busy summer so far! We are enjoying the longer days and warmer weather. Dr. Johnson got a new puppy. Her name is Joelle. She is a Drahthaar. She is growing quickly and likes to get into trouble. Sometimes she makes a guest appearance at the office.
She is a sweetie!
At Johnson Dental, we have had so many patients come in lately who have a serious dental fear. Dental phobia is more common than you might think. I would say that 60-70% of people who call in on their first call describe anxiety when going to the dentist. Sometimes it comes from a previous experience and sometimes it is unexplained. People describe not liking the sounds or smells in a dental office. Many times, just calling the dental office and the anticipation of actually coming in is more than people can take.
We really try to be sensitive to this. Sometimes, if we feel a patient has a high level of fear, we will schedule a meeting first. It makes sense to allow someone to decide if they like us enough to let us even do any dentistry. We are a good fit for most patients.
We also offer Oral Conscious Sedation. So, if the patient feels they still can not relax enough for work to be done, we can make it even more comfortable by offering this option. Oral conscious sedation relaxes a patient enough that they are still able to answer questions but really have no connection to what is going on. People who have had it have little or no memory of the procedure.
If you know someone or if you suffer from dental fear, please give us a call. We can make this comfortable for you so that you can have your necessary dental care.
Puppies make people happy, too. So I will include one more picture of Joelle just to end on a really cute note:
She has not even had sedation, just too much fun!
Happy Summertime,
Kristine
Hi Flossie Posse,
I received a letter in mail from GlaxoSmithKline today stating a "potential health risk" for people who use denture adhesives such as Super Poligrip 'Original', Super Poligrip 'Ultra Fresh' and Super Poligrip 'Extra Care' regularly. The implications are severe, though they state that the occurrences are "rare" based on the millions of people who wear dentures. Regular use over an extended period of time can cause neurological symptoms such as "sensory disturbance, limb weakness and difficulty walking." GSK recommends seeing your dentist for an oral evaluation if you are required to use denture adhesive regularly or if you use it more than once a day.
We are able to assist in our office by evaluating your current denture to see if you are a candidate for a better fitting denture or an implant secured denture to enable you to eliminate the need to use potentially hazardous denture adhesives.
If you know someone who wears a denture and uses denture adhesive, please forward this information to them and they will receive a discount on a denture evaluation in our office for mentioning this article. If you are currently a patient in our office who has a denture, call to schedule an evaluation to see how we can be of service to you.
Having a denture that fits can not only improve your health, but increase the quality of life you experience by making it easier to talk, eat and by preventing embarrassing social situations.
We will keep you posted on this important matter.
Warmly,
Kristine
Dear Flossie Posse,
I have good news. We are changing the blog format. See, what happened was that the Internet Marketing Company told us that the blog should be totally informational. They said we can't really talk about our office and what's going on around here because that would mean we were being "self promotional." Blogs are supposed to be "informational." But then, Dr. Johnson was watching the movie, Julie and Julia with his wife and he thought that Julie's blog was much more fun and interesting than ours. Ours was pretty boring to write and therefore would have been EXTREMELY difficult to read were it not for the impeccable writing skills. Getting the other team members to help me come up with topics was like pulling teeth. (C'mon, corny is the new clever.) I had to agree with Dr. Johnson because all of the hours I worked on writing that blog, I dozed off a few times and whacked my head on my computer keyboard, leaving an imprint of the keys T, Y, G and H on my forehead. So he gave me permission to write something that people might actually like to read.
So, I am asking for some dentistry topics from our WAY smarter and funnier than average readers. It can be anything from how your smile changed your life to stories that start out with, "You know what is so gross..." Believe it or not, we have a few of those and we look forward to sharing them with you in the future. Don't worry, you'll get the same great content, but maybe not so tightly wrapped.
Ciao!
Kristine
PS Thanks for sticking with us during our uncharacteristically "boring phase" which I will now refer to as The Dark Ages. Don't ever let an Internet Marketing Company tell you how to write. Have you ever read their blogs? YAWN.
Transitory Bad Breath is usually caused by food that you eat such as garlic or onions.
Chronic Bad Breath is the long lasting type that makes people wince.
Bad breath is caused by bacteria building up in the mouth. The crevices in your tongue harbor a lot of bacteria and if not brushed or scraped properly, can become the source of very bad mouth odor.
If you have gingivitis or periodontal disease, you will harbor a lot more bacteria than usual. Bacteria constantly reproduces in your mouth and keeping it at bay requires diligence, the right tools and regular dental visits. Some people are more at risk for bad breath than others. Certain medicines can dry out your mouth. Since saliva keeps bacteria under control, in a dry mouth, bacteria reproduces much more quickly.
Smoking and alcohol can give you bad breath. Ironically, many commercial mouth rinses contain large amounts of alcohol, which dries out your mouth and causes bad breath! Make sure you read the label and use mouth wash that contains no alcohol.
How can you fix bad breath?
Practice Regular dental hygiene Brush your teeth twice a day, preferably three times a day, and floss, too! And don’t forget to scrape that tongue. That’s where most of the bacteria that cause bad breath live.
Drink plenty of water Throw back at least eight glasses of water a day. You can’t make saliva if you are not well hydrated. Cut down on coffee, which not only gives you “coffee breath” but stains your teeth as well.
Change your diet Some foods are tougher for your body to break down than others. Beans, onions and garlic produce gases that cause bad breath. Eat more fresh fruits and veggies. Carrots and apples naturally help to clean out your teeth and your breath.
Change your mouthwash Select an alcohol free mouthwash and use it regularly.