When you have a dental emergency, we are here for you
December 10th, 2012
We know dental emergencies are never convenient nor timely. If you are a patient of record, we are committed to your dental health and are happy to see you.
When your dental health is at risk, we will do everything we can to make sure that you’re treated as soon as possible. While dental emergencies are certainly rare, we know they can happen at any moment, and it’s important to know how to deal with them.
Common dental emergencies may include:
• A bitten lip or tongue
• Broken or cracked tooth/teeth
• Permanent tooth that has been knocked out
• Object caught between teeth
• Severe toothache
If you have a dental emergency after regular office hours, please give us a call.
We hope you’re all having a great holiday season!
Fun fact time! Human and animal teeth
December 4th, 2012
Looking for ways to motivate your child to brush his or her teeth? Why not compare their teeth to those of their favorite animals? After all, everyone loves fun facts. Like people, some animals have several different kinds of teeth, while others have only one kind. Others don't have any teeth at all! Animals’ teeth also give us clues about what they eat. Here are some fun facts comparing human teeth and animal teeth we thought you might enjoy, courtesy of the American Student Dental Association!
- Humans form two sets of teeth over the course of a lifetime, with baby teeth being replaced by adult teeth between the ages of 6 and 12.
- An average human being has around 32 teeth. This includes four wisdom teeth, eight incisors, four canines, twelve molars and eight premolars.
- When you see a hippopotamus opening its mouth, it seems as though they have only four teeth! But they actually have 40 pearly whites.
- Dogs rarely get cavities because their saliva has an extremely high pH, which prevents demineralization.
- An elephant’s molars can weigh up to 10 lbs.
- The teeth of the pocket gopher grow up to 15 inches a year!
- The blue whale is the largest mammal on earth, but it dines exclusively on tiny shrimp because it has no teeth
- Armadillos, common in the southwest, have 104 teeth.
- Snails can have more than 25,000 teeth, which are located on the tongue.
- Dolphins only get one set of teeth to last a lifetime!
- And here’s one from prehistoric times! The Tyrannosaurus Rex, or T-Rex, had more than 60 thick, conical, bone-crunching teeth that were up to 9 inches long. Its jaws were up to 4 feet long.
We hope you enjoyed these fun facts! Stay tuned for more soon!
Don’t throw those insurance benefits away!
November 26th, 2012
We would like to give those patients with flex spend, health savings, or insurance benefits a friendly end of the year reminder that it’s about that time to schedule your last dental visit of 2012 so you can optimize your benefits!
Now is the time to reserve you appointment with us. Space is limited and we get VERY busy around the holidays, so don’t wait to give us a call! Happy holidays!
How do your gums affect your heart?
November 21st, 2012
Believe it or not, an estimated 80 percent of adults currently have some form of gum disease. Periodontal diseases range from simple gum inflammation to serious disease that result in major damage to the soft tissue and bone that support the teeth. In gingivitis, the milder form of gum disease, infection leads to chronic inflammation—gums are swollen, red, and sometimes bleeding. In the worst of cases, teeth are lost.
We know that gum disease is a threat to your oral health, but research is also pointing to health effects of periodontal diseases that go well beyond your mouth. We found anarticle that reported a study that indicated an association between gum disease and heart disease.
In a recent report published in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, researchers found that the more severe the gum disease, the thicker and harder the walls of your arteries are. We encourage you to check out the rest of the article for tips on how to improve your overall oral health. If you have any questions, please give us a call and we'll answer any concerns you may have!
