News Notes

Lenora Scores at LA Fair

Chairside nurse Lenora knocked out the competition with a number of wins at the LA County Fair this year.  She competed in jams, jellies, pickles and other preserved foods.  Her neighborhood must have smelled great while all this was in preparation! 

She also competed alongside her mother and grandmother.

Congratulations, Lenora!

The Agony of De Feet

We support the Avon Breast Cancer Walk

Cindi, Shari and Cindi's daughter Courtney raised many thousands of dollars to support research into the defeat of breast cancer.  1,650 women and men walked in this year's fundraiser and they collectively raised upwards of 4 million dollars.

Every three minutes someone is diagnosed with breast cancer in the US.

This year's 40-mile walk started and finished at the Queen Mary.  Great going, gals!

Julia Roberts tops toothy poll

GUESS whose celebrity's toothy smile is the most sought-after grin, copied in the most dentists' chairs, according to a new poll?

More cosmetic dental-health providers are asked to give their clients Julia Roberts' smile than that of any other celebrity, says a new survey of the 7,000 members of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.

The survey also revealed that dental pros voted Halle Berry the girl celebrity with the number one smile, while Matthew McConaughey was dubbed top boytooth guy.

Resources Page Added!

We've added an Online Resources page with links to a ton of information. Check it out here.

Meeting Room Space

Know anyone working with a community group?  Our upstairs classroom is available at no cost during most days and evenings.   It can easily seat over 35 people.

Just call our Front Desk to arrange your dates.

So you think you want your tongue pierced?

Check out the information on Dr. Steve Hendry's site: CLICK HERE!

                              And here's a real nice one...

Questions? Contact US!click here

Changing Toothbrush Recommendations

We are now recommending the Sonicare electric toothbrush as probably the best of its type on the market today.

In the past we've only been suggesting the Interplak type electric brush, but new data suggest this is now our number two recommendation in terms of effectiveness, convenience and reliability.

 We've come to this decision after reading a lot of the scientific literature and testing the brush for a half year.

Are other electric brushes OK? It's hard to comment at this time, since many have not taken the trouble to do the university testing that Sonicare and Braun have.

New Pre-Med Alert

Sometimes when we work on your teeth, germs can get into the bloodstream.  For most normally healthy individuals, this has no effect at all.  But, for sme people, this could be life-threatening.

So we will tell you to take ONE antibiotic dose prior to your appointment.  This is usually 2000 mg of penicillin taken an hour before the visit.

As promised for quite some time, the American Heart Association and several other medical evaluation panels have released new guidelines for those of you needing premedication with antibiotics prior to your dental appointments.

Who needs premedication?  Those with heart valve damage, heart murmur, mitral valve prolapse (not everyone) as well as new grafts in the body must take antibiotics prior to dental invasive visits.  

It's not automatic.  We have to decide for each appointment whether or not you should take your pre-med.  If you have any questions, please ask!

Otherwise, you could risk loss of your grafts or potentially lethal infections inside your heart.  So this is serious business!

If you even think you are in one of these categories, it is imperative that you check in with the office before your next appointment.

What is nice is that you don't have to take as much antibiotic to start with, and there is no second dose.

Questions? Contact US!click here

Increase in Lip Cancer

We are concerned with the number of people we are seeing with early stages of lip cancers.

Cancers of the lower lip are among the most frequent cancers, especially in sun-loving California.

Fortunately for most, the cancers don't just usually appear over night. We see many slow changes that eventually turn into something malignant.

The best prevention is to use a good lip cream with sun blocker.

Please examine your own lips at least every two weeks and look for areas where the skin is getting shiny, thin or cracks frequently. Watch for peeling in the same spot over and over again.

Note: mouth cancers are almost always painless.

Please call us immediately if you have suspicions about any area of your mouth.

Smart Business

How would you like it if you could get something for $1 instead of $1.50? Thanks to the infinite generosity of Uncle Sam, you can.

Smart companies have been setting up 'cafeteria plan' benefits for years, but are only recently realizing that they can provide dental benefits at significant savings this way.

The program works the very best for longer treatment programs like orthodontics. Simply arrange to have a set amount deducted from your paycheck each month.

Soon you'll be saving $50 for every $100 you spend.

Not a bad deal.

And the Dental Society can help employers set these plans up with a minimum of fuss.

On TV--and Off!

Some of you have caught a glimpse of Dr. D on TV during the last few months thanks to an interview by the Heartbeat of the City news program.

The show features some of the technical innovations going on in our local dental society as well as a new approach to dental benefits called DR (direct reimbursement).

DR allows employers to save money when buying a dental plan, yet most employees find that their benefits are better and much more flexible than with traditional plans. There is much less intrusion by the insurance company with DR: you and your dentist select the treatment that is best for you.

We had hoped that the show would be able to be broadcast more frequently in our local area, but fears of insurance companies have effectively muzzled our dental society's plans.

Caution Swimmers

Athletes swimming more than six hours a week may develop unusual brown stains on their teeth.  This special kind of tartar, "swimmer's calculus", most likely results from chemicals in swimming pools.  A good periodic cleaning seems to be the only answer to this unsightly problem. It's also important to recognize that pools that are improperly chlorinated may actually be so acidic that surfaces of the front teeth are attacked and turn chalky.

Weird Science-The Bedwetting Connection

We don't know why, but improving breathing for children may prove highly beneficial in eliminating bedwetting habits.

Several reports have indicated that expanding the airway by very simple orthodontic retainers may also cut down problems with frequent ear infections, allergy and asthma.

There are even articles detailing improvements in scholastic performance when breathing is improved.

Expanding the roof of the mouth can expand the nasal passage up to 75%. And cutting down on mouth breathing means air is better warmed and filtered. This may have profound effects on asthma and allergies.

A more open breathing passage keeps mucous from building up and stagnating in the nasal area and thereby reduces infections.

But we're still puzzled about why opening the nose cuts bedwetting. There is speculation that the mechanism has something to do with the tiny pituitary gland just above the nose at the base of the brain, but no one really knows for certain yet.

Questions? Contact US!click here