David J. Martin, DDS Blog

Just got back form a wonderful weekend seminar with on of the most prominent neuromuscular dentist Dr Clayton Chan. Learning in small group setting with a group of dentist that have over 200 years of experience raised the level of learning. We spent the entire weekend refining out techniques for finding the most optimal “bite” for each patient. The ultimate goal is to gain quicker symptom resolution and pain free life. This was mainly directed to the chronic pain patient. It will help on all levels of restorative care but will really be a benefit to the TMD patient. These constant advances in the treatment of TMD make the possibility of being fully functional and pain free one of my professional goals. I just love contuning education.

A continuation of the prior discussion.
First the surgeon will discuss your medical history and assess which areas of your face to treat. During the treatment, a A continuation of the discussion of Botox. Enjoy!!!!

What happens during Botox treatseries of small injections will then be directed straight into the facial muscles that the doctor wants to relax using an extremely tiny needle. You will not need an anesthetic as the injections cause very little pain. The whole procedure should be completed within a matter of minutes. Rarely, these Botox injections can cause the side effect of bruising.
How quickly will I recover?
As soon as the procedure is completed, you will be able to return to normal activities. Some patients report a slight headache as a side effect of the Botox treatment but this should soon pass. Sometimes you will be advised not to lie down for 3 or 4 hours after the procedure as this can encourage the Botox to spread to other areas of the face. You should not rub the treated area for the same reason. You should also make use your muscles as much as possible so the Botox will be absorbed. Botox usually takes 3 to 7 days to take full effect, after which time visible improvement in facial lines should be noticeable. Your normal facial expressions should still be present. The beneficial effects of Botox usually last for 3 to 6 months.
Are there any Botox side effects?
Side effects of Botox treatment are usually mild. Some patients experience a slight headache for the first 24 hours after injections to the forehead area, especially after their first treatment. Mild bruising of the injected area can also occur. In very rare cases, excess Botox can cause the side effect of droopy eyelids, a condition known as ptosis. This is unlikely to occur when the treatment is carried out by an experienced cosmetic surgeon and will gradually correct itself as the Botox wears off. If you do experience drooping eyelids, you should tell your consultant.
Although very unlikely, a small percentage of patients may suffer the side effect of an extreme adverse reaction to Botox. You should seek medical help immediately if you experience difficulty in swallowing and breathing or develop a rash.
Your best defense against the side effects of Botox is to find a skilled doctor to administer it.
What are the advantages of using Botox?
Since its initial introduction, Botox treatment has quickly gained in popularity and is consistently one of the most requested cosmetic procedures. It is a relatively safe treatment for most people with few documented reports of serious complications. The treatment is very simple and quick and almost painless. Because no general anesthetic is required, recovery time is rapid with little or no side effects. The results of the procedure are fully reversible over time as the muscle weakening effect of the Botox eventually wears off.
Cost of Botox
Botox costs depend on numerous factors. Individual Botox treatment cost a reasonable amount varing from $400 to over a thousand dollars based on how many areas are treated.m The results last for 3 or 4 months, and do not have to be repeated too often. Some patients find that after several sessions, the time between treatments can be increased to about 6 months.
Where should I go to get Botox treatment?
Once you have decided to have Botox treatment it is important to choose the right cosmetic surgeon to perform the procedure. Botox has a proven track record for safety and good results but only when carried out by a reputable practitioner. Choose a fully qualified surgeon who has already carried out many Botox procedures. Look for a clinic where the surgeon is willing to carry out an initial consultation so that you have the chance to ask any questions and thoroughly discuss the implications of the treatment. A good cosmetic surgeon should always be happy to give you lots of information and may be able to show you photographs of past clients and the results of their treatment. It’s also a good idea to ask around your friends for personal recommendations.
What else is Botox used for?
Although Botox injections are most well known as a cosmetic procedure for the reduction of facial wrinkles, it is also used in the treatment of several medical conditions. Botox can be used to reduce muscle spasms and twitching of the neck or eyelids. It has also proved successful in the treatment of excessively sweaty armpits by blocking the chemical transmitters that cause the sweating. Depending on the reasons for treatment, sometimes the cost of Botox injections can be covered by medical insurance.

A few blogs prior I had remarked that we have added Botox and dermal fillers as a new part of the practice. I am really enjoying the ability to modify facial features and allowing patient to have rejuvenation of their appearance. I thought I would take the next several articles to discuss the actual materials and procedures. First I will address Botox and then the dermal fillers.

Botox (Botulinum toxin type A) injections have been used for wrinkle treatment over 15 years in the cosmetic industry as a popular treatment for facial wrinkles. Indeed, it has become the most popular procedure, in the world, with 10 million North Americans treated last year, alone.
Botox is derived from the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. It is a highly refined purified protein. There are absolutely no live bacteria in the Botox injection.it is extremely safe and can be used under the skin to act as a muscle relaxant.
How does it work?
Botox is used to treat frown lines and creases by injecting small amounts into the facial muscles. Normally, nerve cells release chemicals which cause the muscles to tighten, leading to frown lines. Botox blocks these chemical signals causing a slight weakening of the muscle contraction and a smoothing of the skin’s appearance. Contrary to popular belief, skillfully applied Botox does not paralyze the facial muscles completely, it just relaxes and reduces their response.
What can Botox do for me?
Botox treatment can reduce the appearance of frown lines, forehead wrinkles and crows feet around the eyes. It can also be used to treat creases around the mouth. When performed properly it should have a gentle relaxing effect while still allowing natural expressions like smiling and frowning. Botox treatment will not reduce lines caused by sun damage and may not be fully effective on very deep creases.
Is it safe?
A course of Botox injections is a well established and recognized treatment that is considered to be safe when carried out by a qualified practitioner. There are, however, some groups of people who should not use Botox. These include pregnant and breastfeeding women and anyone suffering from a disease that affects the nerves or muscles. Certain medicines can react with Botox and you should consult your doctor if you are taking antibiotics or drugs to control heartbeat irregularities, Alzheimer’s disease or myasthenia gravis (a chronic autoimmune disorder). If you are known to be allergic to any of the ingredients in Botox or if the area to be treated is infected, you should not have the treatment.
However, even in experienced hands, every medication, including Botox, has side effects.
The most common side effects are weakening of some muscles unwontedly. For example, some people get an eyelid droop when Botox is put into the brow. Fortunately, Botox side effects are rare and reversible.

There has been a new product introduced to the dental marketplace.You know how annoying numbness can be. It affects your speech, your smile, your ability to drink… In fact, you might even catch yourself drooling. After a dental procedure, OraVerse® reverses the annoying, unwanted, and unnecessary effects of lingering numbness twice as fast so you can get over it and get on with your day. OraVerse is the first and only product to rapidly reverse the effects of your local dental anesthetic so you can feel normal sooner. It is clinically proven to accelerate the return of normal sensation and function following routine dental procedures. Studies show that people who were given OraVerse not only feel normal twice as fast, but they can smile, speak, and drink sooner, and drooling is minimized!

We can administer OraVerse immediately following your procedure so that you can return to normal sensation and function sooner. Studies have shown that OraVerse won’t increase the amount of pain from the dental procedure. What OraVerse will do is help you get over that lingering numbness twice as fast, so you can do what you want to do without the limitations of numbness.

I have gotten started on an exciting new addition to the practice. I recently trained to be able to deliver botox and dermal fillers to our patients. It has been a goal of mine to be able to deliver the most up to date procedures, especially related to the aesthetics. The trend has been moving to the oral – systemic connection. We have been working here in the office toward integrating your physical health and oral health, I decided to carry that concept into the aesthetic arena. Once the teeth look good what about the areas around the mouth? If we ignore the rest of the face, then we have really limited what we have done in esthetic dentistry.
It is time to give serious consideration to extending the oral-systemic connection to the esthetic realms of the face, which we as dentist are more familiar than any other health-care practitioner.
Botox is used for smoothing facial wrinkles by eliminating dynamic wrinkles caused by muscles in motion. Dermal fillers are commonly used to add volume to the face in the nasiolabial folds, lip augmentations and other areas of volume deficiency.
If this something that interests you please give us a call and come in for a consultation.

Oral sex can get most men’s attention. The topic becomes considerably more relevant, however, when coupled with a new study linking the human papillomavirus (HPV) to an increased risk of a kind of oral cancer more often seen in men.

The study, which appears in the 2007 New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), shows that men and women who reported having six or more oral-sex partners during their lifetime had a nearly nine fold increased risk of developing cancer of the tonsils or at the base of the tongue. Of the 300 study participants, those infected with HPV were also 32 times more likely to develop this type of oral cancer than those who did not have the virus. These findings dwarf the increased risk of developing this so-called oropharyngeal cancer associated with the two major risk factors: smoking (3 times greater) or drinking (2.5 times greater). HPV infection drives cancerous growth, as it is widely understood to do in the cervix. But unlike cervical cancer, this type of oral cancer is more prevalent in men.

HPV stands for human papillomavirus, but there are actually more than 100 related viruses in this group. Each HPV virus is given a number or type. The term “papilloma” refers to a kind of wart that results from some HPV types.

The Importance of Early Detection

Your dentist has recent good news about progress against cancer. It is now easier than ever to detect oral cancer early, when the opportunity for a cure is great. Only half of all patients diagnosed with oral cancer survive more than five years.

We have the skills and tools to ensure that early signs of cancer and pre-cancerous conditions are identified. You and your dentist can fight and win the battle against oral cancer. Know the early signs and see our office regularly.

You Should Know

* Oral Cancer often starts as a tiny, unnoticed white or red spot or sore anywhere in the mouth.
* It can affect any area of the oral cavity including the lips, gum tissue, check lining, tongue and the hard or soft palate.
* Other signs include:
o A sore that bleeds easily or does not heal
o A color change of the oral tissues
o A lump, thickening, rough spot, crust or small eroded area
o Pain, tenderness, or numbness anywhere in the mouth or on the lips
o Difficulty chewing, swallowing, speaking or moving the jaw or tongue.
o A change in the way the teeth fit together
* Oral Cancer most often occurs in those who use tobacco in any form.
* Alcohol use combined with smoking greatly increases risk.
* Prolonged exposure to the sun increases the risk of lip cancer.
* Oral cancers can occur in people who do not smoke and have no other known risk factors.
* Oral Cancer is more likely to strike after age 40.
* Studies suggest that a diet high in fruits and vegetables may prevent the development of potentially cancerous lesions.

Regular Dental Check-ups Important

Oral cancer screening is a routine part of a dental examination. Regular check-ups, including an examination of the entire mouth, are essential in the early detection of cancerous and pre-cancerous conditions. You may have a very small, but dangerous, oral spot or sore and not be aware of it.

We will carefully examine the inside of your mouth and tongue and in some patients may notice a flat, painless, white or red spot or a small sore. Although most of these are harmless, some are not. Harmful oral spots or sores often look identical to those that are harmless, but testing can tell them apart. If you have a sore with a likely cause, your dentist may treat it and ask you to return for re-examination.

In the future we will talk about the various testing methods available to help in early detection.

Welcome to the new decade. We all here are looking forward to a very promising 2010. I hope all had a wonderful holiday period and the new year is beginning with a positive spin. I have great plans for the practice next year. Over the next couple of weeks I will release the new services and changes we are making to the office. They all are designed to improve your dental and physical health. Our goals for the next decade are to optimize your health. We want to know how important your dental and general health is to us. Just stayed tune and I will continue to update you all. This is an exciting time to be practicing and I am thankful for all of you who are a part of our family. Happy New Year.

When you’re learning about teeth whitening bleach, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of relevant information available. This cosmetic teeth whitening article should help you focus on the central points of Teeth Whitening.

There are many teeth whitening products available to consumers both from your dentist, grocery stores, drug stores, online Websites. Educating yourself about teeth whiteners before buying is a very smart decision. There are two ways to whiten your teeth: over – the – counter and with a dentist. There are benefits and disadvantages to both ways.

Over – The – Counter

There are two ingredients used in whiteners. Some whiteners use 10 % Hydrogen Peroxide. Hydrogen Peroxide is also used to bleach hair. Other whiteners use Carbamide Peroxide. This breaks up in your mouth into both carbamide peroxide besides urea. It is to your benefit to retain your teeth professionally cleaned and any cavities filled before starting to use teeth whitener. Most over- the – counter whiteners use either trays or strips. The cost of these products can perform anywhere from under $10 to $35 per container.

Problems with over – the – counter whiteners

Without a professional administering the whitener, there will be no help for you to adjust the amount and strength. If you encounter sensitivity of your gum, there is no way to adjust the strength for your needs. It can also be difficult to cover all the tooth surfaces with strips and trays.

Remedies

If you experience irritation, you can try to cut back on usage. Instead of daily, use the whitening every other day. You can also apply a product such as Orajel, to your irritated gum.

FDA

One thing you should know is that the FDA ( Food and Drug Administration does not categorize teeth whitening products as drugs and therefore does not regulate them. Because of this, the ADA ( American Dental Association ) has set guidelines for these dental products. These guidelines are standards for safety and effectiveness. They state that whiteners should not cause any harm to either the teeth or the soft tissues of the gum.

If your dental health facts are out-of-date, how will that affect your teeth whitening decisions? Make certain you don’t let important dental health information slip by you.

They state that the product should be effective in whitening teeth. As of January 2006, no teeth whitening products have met the ADA guidelines for safety or effectiveness.

At The Dentists

Your dentist clean your teeth, fill any cavities also check your gums to be sure they are healthy. The dentist will use between 15 to 35 % of either Carbamide Peroxide or Hydrogen Peroxide. Your dentist will adjust the amount based on how your gums adjust to the application process. Before applying the whitener, the dentist will clean your teeth with a pumice and then put a protective barrier on your gums.

The entire treatment generally takes about 40 minutes. The dentist apply a paste, take it off, and then reapply the paste. The dentist will repeat the process several times during the visit. Each application will result in your teeth being a shade lighter each time. Having your teeth whitened this way is faster than the over – the – counter products.

You can also opt for your dentist to make you a tray to take home that you wear over your teeth. The dentist will take a mold ( dogma of your teeth / gums ) so that the tray will fit properly. You will receive a gel to put into the tray. You then wear the tray for 2 hours during the day for 2 weeks and perhaps up to 6 weeks.

Using the professional services of your dentist to whiten your teeth can run anywhere from $300 to $1,000. You may also have to wait for an appointment, then go through the process of the examination. If the dentist finds cavities you will need to wait while the fillings are placed.

That’s the latest on teeth whitening methods. Now that you’re familiar with teeth whitening, you can make an informed decision, on how-to whiten your teeth.

Continuing with this important discussion in this blog I will try to give an overview of possible treatment options. I have broken it into early and later phases. The very important diagnosis that needs to be made is related to airway issues in the developing child. If these issues are not resolved, treatment becomes more difficult and overall results compromised. All children in the practice are evaluated visually and recommendations made.

Phase 1
Mixed Dentition (Orthopedic Phase)
Thumb sucking, digital habits, anterior and lateral tongue thrusts, airway problems including mouth breathing and snoring and jaw joint (TMJ) problems must be corrected early with functional appliances. Skeletal problems such as constricted maxillary or mandibular arches and prognathic or retrognathic mandibles are best treated as early as possible with functional appliances in the mixed dentition period of growth.

Phase 2
Permanent Dentition (Orthodontic Phase)
Dental problems are solved with straight wire appliances (fixed) braces in permanent dentition.

One of the main advantages of early treatment is the majority of malocclusions can be corrected without extraction of permanent teeth and non-surgically. Parents favor the use of functional appliances to correct under-developed mandibles in the mixed dentition stage rather than delay treatment until all the permanent teeth erupt. Dentists who are trained to use jaw repositioning appliances such as the Twin Block, Rick-A-Nator, and Schwartz appliances, find it ludicrous to wait when children can be treated in 7 to 12 months non-surgically using functional appliances.

The Benefits of Early Treatment
For those patients who have clear indications for early intervention, early treatment presents the opportunity to:

- Influence jaw growth in a positive manner - Simplify and/ or shorten treatment time
- Harmonize width of the dental arches for later corrective orthodontics
- Improve eruption patterns - Reduce likelihood of impacted permanent teeth
- Lower risk of trauma to protruded upper incisors - Improve some speech problems
- Correct harmful oral habits - Preserve/ gain space for erupting permanent teeth
- Improve aesthetics and self-esteem - Improved breathing / airway problems

Enter to win a $20,000 smile makeover! Simply visit our office and learn how you can win the LVI Smile® you’ve always dreamed about – whiter, straighter, healthier teeth. We are a participating office in the opportunity to win the smile you have always wanted. Both Dr Debbie and I are LVI trained and can deliver the smile that fits you. We would love everyone to fill out an entry form and allow us to enter for you. Call the office and arrange for your complimentary consultation and opportunity to partake in this great chance. We all are so excited to be able to offer this anyone who like to visit us. See you soon.