Smile Designs by Flawless Dental
SPRING 2010
From the Dentists
We're Here For You
Keep Smiling
If we haven’t told you lately–you are valued, you are important to us, and as smile experts, our goal is to make sure your smile is bright, healthy, and happy! That’s why we encourage you to come in for your exams and to follow through with treatment plans–even in this very difficult economy.
Actually, keeping up with your appointments is an excellent money-saving strategy. The longer small problems are left untreated, the more serious the consequences to your oral health, appearance, and wallet.
No one is more aware than we are that to you, the oral health care of your family is a necessity–not a luxury. We will do everything we can to provide as many treatment plan, scheduling, and payment options as possible for you.
Please call with any questions.
Yours in good dental health,
Dr. Parisa Safaei and Dr. Ruhi S. Khanna
Our office will be closed for Summer Holidays starting July 5th, and will re-open on July 13th.
Jaw Joint Assessment
JOINT VIBRATION ANALYSIS
At Flawless Dental we’re determined that our patients receive the full benefit of exciting new discoveries as soon as they’re proven safe and effective. One such new technology provides a painless and foolproof way for us to assess the state of your jaw and facial muscles. If you suffer from headaches, earaches, ringing in the ears, dizziness, pain in your jaw or shoulder neck, noises in the jaw joint, have difficulty swallowing, have unusual wearing or cracking of teeth, then you may be experiencing disorders involving temporomandibular joint (TMJ).
This new technology is called joint vibration analysis, and it allows us to painlessly isolate and measure the vibration of the jaw and facial muscles. The test is simple and takes about five minutes. A headset (like a stereo headset) is placed over your head with the vibration sensors on the skin over the TMJ. You’ll be asked to open wide and close all the way about five or six times, and the computer will provide your specific vibration „signature“ for us to evaluate.
TMJ problems often worsen over time, so if you have any of the symptoms described above, or if by chance you’ve experienced even mild whiplash as a result of a car accident, it’s important that we have a chance to analyze your TMJ signature as soon as possible. We will now be offering TMJ exam as part of your regular oral health care exam.
Something To Chew On
THE REAL SKINNY
Eating low-cal fruits can help lower your calorie intake, reduce your risk of some chronic diseases like stroke, heart disease, and diabetes, and may protect against certain cancers, including oral cancer.
Besides providing vital nutrients, each fruit has its own unique qualities. Scientists believe that grapefruit, for example, contains a substance that’s a natural fat-fighter. And no wonder the pear is so popular: this low-cal member of the rose family is a good source of fiber, vitamins B2, C, and E, copper, and potassium!
Here are five fruit-friendly tips…
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Add fruit to hot or cold cereal.
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Top frozen yogurt with fresh fruit or compote.
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Keep fruit visible–you’ll eat more of it.
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Add fruit to salads and main-course meals.
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Request a complementary whole-fruit program at your place of work.
Strategies From H To O
YOU CAN DO IT!
It’s tough to judge your impact on the environment. Take global warming. In one study, participants ranked an eight-minute shower „low“ on a list of activities that generate greenhouse gases. The reality? Heating shower water produces more CO2 than a new compact car or a major appliance run for the same time!
A timer of your shower would help–and save water too! Here are some more conservation tips for you:
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Turn the tap off while brushing your teeth.
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Chill water in the fridge instead of running the tap.
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Collect rainwater for your garden.
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Wash your car with a sponge and bucket instead of a hose.
Our practice is committed to reduce, re-use, and recycle.
What’s Precious To You?
TELL THE WORLD EVERY DAY!
What you choose to place a high value on says quite a bit about you. For example, if you treasure your health and well-being and that of your family, that tells the world that quality of life really matters to you. An improved quality of life brings each of us a greater sense of self-confidence and mastery or our environment. And nothing says self-confidence and mastery like a healthy and beautiful smile.
Here are some smile flaws we’re often asked about. Many of the popular solutions we’ve suggested take only one or two visits without surgery and without anesthetic.
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Chipped or cracked teeth? Tooth-like materials can be bonded to your enamel so no one will ever notice.
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Discolored teeth? Supervised professional whitening can brighten your teeth. Versatile bonding and veneers can camouflage and whiten.
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Gaps in your teeth? Bonding or porcelain veneers can reduce unwanted spaces without braces.
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Crooked, crowded, or protruding teeth? Teeth with very wide gaps? Orthodontics can bring them back in line-in no time.
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Worn-down teeth and aging restorations? Beautiful natural-looking inlays and onlays, crowns, bonding, and veneers can whiten, re-contour, strengthen, and restore symmetry to your smiling face!
Some things are too precious not to value. Your beautiful smile is proof that you have chosen to become the best that you can be!
What Do You Expect?
GET THE MOST OUT OF LIFE - AND KEEP IT!
You have so much to look forward to. An environment to save, career and fitness challenges to meet, and the pleasure of mentoring people you care about personally and professionally. Still, you might be surprised by some of the things that can slow you down and take the joy away–like letting a little bit of gum disease develop into a serious problem. Gums? Serious? Definitely.
About The Mouth-Body Link
Science has linked gum disease with these disorders, among others: cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, cancers, diabetes, and arthritis.
About Progressive Discomfort
Although it begins with no symptoms, what’s virtually inevitable is bad breath, swollen tender gums, and gums that bleed when you brush or floss… eventually progressing to gums that pull away from the teeth, exposed roots, and loose or drifting teeth… And well, you can guess how comfy that is!
About Appearance
Swollen red gums and exposed tooth roots aren’t appealing, plus bone loss due to gum disease can alter your bite, change the fit of restorations, and make you look older than you are.
Please don’t postpone your regular visits. We can help you to prevent, arrest, and sometimes reverse gum disease. We can also show you how to brush and floss more effectively, including under the gumline and beneath your restorations, to remove the bacterial film that is gum disease’s root cause.
…And you can look forward to living your life to the fullest!
Secure & Versatile
SMILE WITH DENTAL IMPLANTS
Nobody wants to lose teeth, but let’s face it–it can happen to anyone. Maybe even you? Thanks to dental implants though, you can avoid further damage that would otherwise add insult to injury, like the inevitable shifting and tilting of surrounding teeth and the loss of bone in the jaw that can create a sunken prematurely aged appearance.
As if safeguarding your oral health and appearance weren’t astonishing enough…
- Implants require only normal brushing and flossing–no special home-care routines.
- There is no need to remove healthy enamel from surrounding teeth to accommodate implants.
- There is no metal visible above your gumline.
- Implants can be used for a single tooth replacement or as part of a major makeover.
Ask us about astounding, amazing, adaptable implants!
Oral Cancer Self-Examination
EARLY DETECTION A MUST
First the grim, then the good… Did you know that more people die from oral cancers that skin cancer? And because two-thirds of oral cancers are discovered in the late stages of the disease, prognosis is poor–the 5-year survival rate is a frightening 50%. It is imperative, therefore, that oral cancer is detected early, before the disease advances.
With each recall appointment you have with us, we always keep a keen eye for telltale signs like lumps and discoloration, and for suspicious areas or roughness or of any change whatsoever. We check your whole mouth (the top of the tongue and underneath, your lips, cheek lining, and gums). To help us out, make sure you play and active role in early detection too. Make it a habit to „know your mouth“ and regularly examine it for any changes.
- Lift you upper lip and check for discoloration or sores on your lips and gums. Then repeat your lower lip.
- Check your inner cheeks for white, red, or dark patches. Use your finger to feel the cheek surface for lumps or roughness.
- Look at the roof of your mouth. Any changes?
- Check your tongue–top, side, and bottom–for any color changes or swelling.
If you find an area of concern, call us right away. And always remember, like we do… the first step in prevention and successful treatment is awareness.
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