Tag Archives: Dentistry

Update on Dental Infection Control Protocol

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In April 2013, Tufts University and the Forsyth Institute released the results of a new study that shocked even me. It was on the cleanliness or sterility of bib clips. Yep…those chains or rubber clips that go around your neck and hold your bib on while you are at the dentist.bibclip

The research looked at bib clips that were disinfected properly after being used on a patient and the results showed that 70% of bib clips still harbored potentially infectious bacteria. This link will take you to the results of the study. http://dentalbibclipbacteria.com/

Blog Pictures 008So what does this mean for your next dental visit? As soon as we found out about this study, we changed our infection control procedures at Ford Dental Group. We now use disposable plastic bib clips, as seen in this pictures. The clips are made from 100% recyclable material and are for one time use only.

As always, feel free to contact us with any questions that you may have through our website, www.FordDentalGroup.com or call us at 714-842-7431. Dentist Huntington Beach 16511 Goldenwest St. Huntington Beach, CA 92647

What’s the deal with Oral Cancer?

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Since April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month, I wanted to dedicate this blog post to oral cancer. Let’s start with some dreadful statistics. Last year, 42,000 people in the United States were diagnosed with oral cancer; and just over half (57%) have a 5 year survival rate. To put that in prospective, thyroid, cervical, testicular, skin and lymphoma cancers all have higher long term survival rate than oral cancer.

Peter Franta 004So, how do you know that you have oral cancer? Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing that you have oral cancer by appearance. The only definitive way to find out is through biopsying an area deemed suspicious by a medical professional. Dentist and medical doctors looks for a variety of lesion on your tongue and in your mouth. We are looking for lesions or wounds that do not heal within two weeks. We look for lumps and bumps in your mouth. We look for white, blue or red patches. We even ask patients if they have difficulty swallowing; that is a sign of a growth on the base of your tongue and throat.

What causes oral cancer? Oral cancer is caused by repeated irritation to the soft tissue or the oral mucosa. The number one irritant is tobacco. In fact, 75% of people who have been diagnosed with oral cancer have used tobacco in some form. Another irritant that causes oral cancer is heavy alcohol use.

Historically, the stigma attached to oral cancer patients has always been that they were older heavy drinkers and smokers. Recent studies have turned the stereotype 180 degrees. Research is now showing the fastest growing segment of oral cancer patient are young, non-tobacco users. The cause of this trend is the human papillomavirus (HPV). This is the same virus that causes cervical cancer. HPV oral cancers usually appear on the tonsils or base of the tongue. Fortunately, the survival rates are much higher than oral cancers caused by heavy tobacco and alcohol use.

The key to successful treatment is catching the oral cancer early. Every dental exam should consist of a quick and painless oral cancer exam, and if anything suspicious turns up, a quick biopsy to rule out oral cancer. As Benjamin Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

As always, feel free to contact us with any questions that you may have through our website, www.FordDentalGroup.com or call us at 714-842-7431. Dentist Huntington Beach 16511 Goldenwest St. Huntington Beach, CA 92647

A Child’s First Dental Visit Part II: How should you talk to your child about the dentist?

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jonathanbaseball.jpegNow that a child’s first visit has been described in the previous post, let’s review the do’s and don’t of preparing the child for his or her first dental visit. The most important thing to remember is that a child has never been to a dentist before, so they have no idea what to expect. Parents are usually surprised that children have fun at their first visit. The dental chair goes up and down, just like a roller coaster. The instruments spray water, just like water guns. The toothbrush makes fun noises and tickles their teeth. Parents- it is essential that you keep your own feelings about a dentist in check (especially, if they are negative). Avoid words like shots and drills because they won’t even come up during the first visit; and hopefully, for several subsequent visits. Also, please do not threaten your children with visits to the dentist, it only makes the visits harder on the child and dentist. The most important thing is to remember that children have never been to a dentist before. So, if the first visit creates a positive, upbeat, painless atmosphere, it makes a trip to the dentist much easier for everyone in the future.

Here are some other suggestions that make the first trip more enjoyable. There are lots of children’s books available that discuss brushing your teeth, taking care of your mouth and going to the dentist. Reading any of these books introduces the dental world to children and makes it real to them. Dora the explorer has a book on going to the dentist (link to it here) or I remember a book with  the Berenstain Bears (link to it here) that I grew up with.

Another suggestion would be to work on brushing the child’s teeth at home. Getting the child used to something in their mouth is extremely important. The earlier that you can do this, the easier it is for the parent and dentist to brush the child’s teeth.

Lastly, telling the child what to expect is a big help. Describing the dental chair, the mouth mirror and that the dentist cleans their teeth helps tremendously in preparing the child. The more a child knows about the dentist, the easier it will be.

I hope this helps and can alleviate some of the stresses involved in a child’s first dental visit. Please email me at drjonathan@forddentalgroup.com or call us if you have any questions.

 

 

Ford Dental Group Huntington Beach Dentist 

www.FordDentalGroup.com 16511 Goldenwest St Huntington Beach, CA

A Child’s First Dental Visit

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A guide on what to expect and how to prepare your child for his or her first visit

The first visit’s goal is to introduce the child to a dental environment. It is more of a meet and greet for the child and the dentist. If the child is able to sit in the dental chair by him or herself, that’s fantastic; however, most of the time, a parent will sit with the child, while the dentist describes what each tool is used for. Simple things like a dental mirror, air/water spray and suction are completely foreign to a child. So it is important that each instrument is shown to a child so they become comfortable with them and the surrounding environment.This guy look familiar?

The next step in the visit is a bonus during a young child’s first visit. A dentist will “count” the child’s teeth to see how many teeth have erupted. The primary purpose for counting a child’s teeth is to check for any cavities. It is extremely important to catch decay in children’s teeth early. Children’s teeth are much smaller than adult teeth and the outer layer of a child’s tooth is much thinner. These reasons make children’s teeth more susceptible to decay.

The last step during a child’s visit is to clean their teeth. This can be done several different ways. In my office, I prefer to have the child sit in a parents lap facing the parent, and have the child lean back with their head in my lap. The dentist can then go around with a toothbrush and fluoridated toothpaste and really clean the child’s teeth. It also allows for an opportunity to teach the parent and child the proper brushing techniques. If this goes well, a dentist can eventually start using some of the dental instruments on the child and get him or her acclimated to the dental environment. Lastly, if the child is older than 2, a dentist will apply a fluoride gel to the child’s teeth. The gel is painted on the child’s teeth and is very well tolerated. The fluoride helps prevent cavities from forming.

In most cases, young children do not need x-rays. They are not needed due to the fact that most children naturally have spaces between their teeth. The spaces allow the dentist to view the entire tooth. In adults, there are not spaces between teeth; the only way to check for decay between someone’s teeth is through x-rays.

The next blog post will be on how parents can help make their child’s first visit a little bit easier.

As always, feel free to contact us with any questions that you may have through our website, www.FordDentalGroup.com or call us at 714-842-7431. Here is another great resource for question about children and their teeth, http://www.aapd.org/.

Dentist Huntington Beach 16511 Goldenwest St. Huntington Beach, CA 92647

What’s the deal with fluoride?

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Every quarter we send out a digital newsletter. Here is this quarters’.

Flouride: Why is it important?

What is fluoride, how does it protect my teeth and where can I find it? These are the three most common questions I get regarding fluoride. However, I also get questions about why fluoride is so controversial. I will address all of these questions in this quarter’s newsletter.

First, Fluoride is an element found in the earth’s atmosphere and is listed in the periodic table of elements.  It is a building block that forms many salts and crystals. It is so common that it probably sits on your kitchen table. Fluoride can be found in many types of table salt.  It can also be manufactured by pharmaceutical companies and put in many common dental products.

Fluoride can help prevent cavities from forming in several different ways. The first way that fluoride protects your teeth is by acting on the bacteria found in your mouth. The bacteria in your mouth break down sugar into acid. The acid then demineralizes your tooth and creates a cavity. Fluoride prevents the bacteria from digesting the sugars in your mouth. If the bacteria cannot process the sugar, it cannot create the acidic byproducts that cause cavities.

The second way fluoride works is by protecting your teeth directly. When fluoride is applied to your teeth, it alters the chemical composition. The tooth structure becomes stronger and more resistant to acid; preventing cavities from forming.  Therefore, fluoride is an essential tool in cavity prevention. Now, that you know how fluoride works; where can you find fluoride?

Huntington Beach Pier

Well, if you live in Huntington Beach or the surrounding areas of Southern California, you don’t have look for it, it comes to you. Fluoride is found in our tap water. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California regularly monitors the level of fluoride in the water to make sure it’s at the optimal level to help prevent tooth decay. However, in most patients an additional source of fluoride is needed to prevent tooth decay.  It can be found in almost any type of over the counter toothpaste. It can also be found in certain mouthwashes like Act.  Fluoride can be found in an array of dental products, and in whichever form you use, it prevents tooth decay.

So, why does fluoride create such controversy when the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) list water fluoridation as one of the top ten public health achievements of the 20th Century? People against water fluoridation often site research that relates the consumption of fluoride to cancer and broken bones. Well, these papers are correct when the dosage levels of fluoride are 10 to 100 levels higher than the recommended doses.  Before you freak out and tell people your dentist in Huntington Beach is poisoning you, let me put this in prospective. If you eat one bag of skittles, it will have virtually no affect on you. If you eat 100 bags of skittles every day, you will start to develop diabetes and become obese. For those patients on Coumadin or blood thinners, your medication is closely monitored. If the dose is too high, you will bleed to death, but at the correct dosage levels, it will protect you and allow you to live a longer, better life. Whether it is sugar, medication or fluoride, the dosage is key and at the dosage levels in our public water supply, fluoride will aid in cavity prevention and have no adverse health affects.

Hope this newsletter gives you insight into the importance of fluoride on your dental health. As always, feel free to email or call us with any questions you have. You can always check out our blog, www.FordDentalGroup.com/blog, for updates or even friend us on www.Facebook.com/forddentalgroup.

Lastly, the biggest compliment our office can receive from you is the referral of a friend or family member. If you want to go one step further, you can also give us a great review on google, http://goo.gl/6iBx4 or yelp, goo.gl/Yp24n. We look forward to seeing you soon.
With your dental health in mind,

Ford Dental Group

16511 Goldenwest St

Huntington Beach, Ca 92647

 

What is gum disease and do I have it?

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Gum disease (periodontal disease) is a slow progressing, chronic disease that infects your gums and the bone surrounding your teeth. If it becomes severe, it will ultimately lead to the loss of your teeth. If your gums become inflamed, irritated, infected or bleed easily, you have the beginning stages of gum disease.

perio xray

Gum disease is caused by bacteria. The bacteria feed off the food that we eat and break it down to form plaque. Plaque is a film that forms on our teeth and is composed of food, bacteria and bacteria waste products. Our body’s immune system is unable to fight the infection by itself. By removing the plaque through brushing and flossing and routine dental cleanings (prophy), we maintain healthy gums and help our bodies flight off the residual infection. If the plaque stays on your teeth for more than a couple of days, it begins to calcify and become calculus or tartar. The x-ray is an example of active periodontal disease.  Once calculus develops, it becomes visible on an x-ray (see red circles) and the only way to remove it is through a dental cleaning. Additionally, this x-ray shows how the bone level changes and gets lower in periodontal disease (see blue arrow).

Just like the bacteria that cause common cold, the bacteria that cause gum disease can be transferred between people. Kissing, drinking out of the same glass or sharing the same utensils are all ways periodontal pathogens can be transferred between people.

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So, how do you know if you have gum disease if it does not hurt?  Most patients who have gum disease have teeth that look longer than normal and/or have big spaces between their teeth. This occurs because the gums and bone have receded leaving more tooth showing. The picture shows a perfect example of this. This patient has teeth that look longer, which is shown by the blue lines.  The yellow boxes help display the bigger spaces between your teeth.  Another sign that you have gum disease is if you have teeth that are loose or mobile. If your gums bleed while you brush or floss them, you can also have the beginning stages of gum disease.

Lastly, gum disease is a chronic infection that affects the rest of your body as well. There is an abundance of scientific research relating gum disease to premature/low birth weight babies, diabetes, and heart disease. A healthy body means a healthy mouth as well.

If you have any questions about gum disease or would like to start treatment for it, please contact us through our website, www.FordDentalGroup.com or call us at 714-842-7431. We are a family dental practice located in Huntington Beach, CA. 

 

Dentist Huntington Beach

How long have you been using your toothbrush?- Dentist Huntington Beach

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We always ask every patient if they would like to have a new toothbrush after each dental cleaning. Most people say yes; however, there are some that delcine. Recently, I started to ask patients who did not want a toothbrush why they did not need one. Some say they have mechanical one (YAY!!!), others say that their toothbrush looks fine, so they don’t need a new one.

Even though a toothbrush looks normal, a toothbrush contains millions of bacteria that are introduced into your mouth each time you brush. So with that in mind, there are certain key times during the year when you want to replace your toothbrush. The easiest one to remember is when you get your teeth cleaned. When you see your dentist and hygienist, they are removing plaque and bacteria from your mouth. By replacing your toothbrush then, you keep your mouth cleaner and don’t reintroduce the bacteria that the dentist or hygienist just removed back into your mouth. Another good time to replace your toothbrush is right after you have been sick. Saliva harbors a lot of bacteria and viruses that cause the cold and flu and by replacing the toothbrush, you don’t introduce those bugs back into your mouth.

Here is a link to an article from U.S. News a couple of years ago that also talked about tips to keep your toothbrush clean. http://www.usnews.com/news/50-ways-to-improve-your-life/articles/2008/12/18/change-your-toothbrush-more-often 

As always, feel free to contact us through our website, www.FordDentalGroup.com, if you have any questions or give us a call at 714-842-7431.

Ford Dental Group- Dentist in Huntington Beach, CA

Do you grind your teeth?

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I was surfing the web this morning and came upon a blog that can be found on cnn.com under their health tab. http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/06/teeth-grinding-could-signal-sleep-problems/?hpt=he_bn1

It is a short article on bruxism or teeth grinding. The constant grinding of your teeth against each other can have a drastic impact on your mouth. Tooth structure begins to wear away, and once tooth structure is removed, nothing can be done to grow tooth structure back. The outer layers of your teeth, enamel, is the hardest structure in your body and the underlying layers, dentin, is really soft. Once, the enamel wears away, grinding your teeth can cause rapid wear and ultimately causes a tooth to break or fracture. Bruxism can not only cause tooth loss, it can cause headaches, muscle spasms and jaw joint pain.

Unfortunately, grinding your teeth is neurological in nature and some people can be completely unaware that they do it. Most times, the person’s partner tells them that they are grinding or a dentists notices wear patterns on a person’s teeth. Since it happens while people are sleeping, it is not something that a person can just stop doing. Dentists can make a mouth piece known as a night guard that can help prevent the teeth from wearing away or breaking. The mouth piece is worn at night and absorbs the pressure people put on their teeth from grinding.

Grinding your teeth can also occur more frequently when you are stressed. It is your bodies’ way of relieving the stress; unfortunately, it causes damage to your teeth.

If you have sore muscles or jaw joints when you wake up in the morning, it is probably a sign that you are grinding your teeth. If you are in the Huntingon Beach area and need a dental evaluation for a bruxism, feel free to schedule an appointment through our website, www.FordDentalGroup.com.

16511 Goldenwest St, Huntington Beach, Ca 92647 714-842-7431

Are your lower teeth getting more crowded?

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Over the past few months, I have had several  patients ask me why their lower front teeth are getting more crowded? Some think it is because they have never had their wisdom teeth removed, and the wisdom teeth are pushing all their teeth forward. Well, we now know it happens to almost everyone, even if you still have your wisdom teeth. Nature just published an article discussing why. http://www.nature.com/bdj/journal/v211/n12/full/sj.bdj.2011.1064.html

Researchers at a dental school in Sweeden took jaw study models of 30 dental students in the 1940′s and recently took the same study models on 18 of those original 30 dental students. The researchers found out that people’s lower jaws shrink over time, especially in the lower mandible region. As the jaw shrinks, the teeth move back and become more crowded.

Unfortunately, the researchers can’t point to one thing that causes the jaw to shrink. It appears to be multifaceted. My hypothesis has to do with bone density. As we get older, we lose bone density; sometimes it can be more severe in patients with osteoporosis. The bone loss is usually thought to occur in your back or hips, but it really happens everywhere, including your jaw. So, if your teeth need bone to stay firmly in place and the bone is being lost from the front of your jaw, your teeth move slightly inward and become more crowded.

To help prevent some of the anterior crowding, we can make you a lower retainer, that will help keep your teeth in place. Ask us about it at your next appointment.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact us through our website, www.FordDentalGroup.com.

16511 Goldenwest St, Suite 107, Huntington Beach, CA 92647

Dentist Huntington Beach

Thoughts on Dentistry and marketing in response to LA Times Article

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I wanted to write a quick response in regards to the article that was on the front page of the LA Times this morning. Here is the link.  I am going to focus on the article itself and not the comments about the article that you can find online. (That can be a blog post by itself…I knew people hate dentists, but the comments are overwhelming.) One of the things that drew me to dentistry over medicine was the opportunity to own and manage my own small business. As dentist, our primary focus should be the patient’s best interest. However, we do need to run our small business and do what’s best for it. Sometimes that does include marketing. I think everything that the dentist in the article is doing is something that every small business in America has to do to stay in business in the modern computing age.

1) You need to have a website. That website needs to be updated regularly, look modern and stand out from your competition. The world is evolving. People used to look things up in the yellow pages or the phone book. Now, people go online and look things up on websites. Google is the new phone book, your website is your advertisement in the phone book.

2) You need to be on Facebook, Twitter or some form of social media platform. Small businesses stay in business because people in local communities visit and use their goods and services. They become popular through word of mouth reviews. People talk about certain places with their friends in person; or people can now tweet and facebook their friends and give reviews through the internet. Most people now stay in touch via Facebook or Twitter rather talking on the phone or having lunch or coffee. By being involved with social media, your practice  can be apart of those digital conversations. My office gets a majority of our new patients from our existing patient base. When patients post that they visited our office, their friends see that. By posting articles or comments on dentistry, it provides awareness to people and educates the public that regular dental check-ups are needed. 

3) You need to take care of your customers. The dentist in the article talks about pampering their patients with warm towels and bottles of water in the waiting room. You don’t necessarily have to do these things; however, you do need to take care of them. Remember, dentistry is a people business. Your patients are your number one priority and you need to treat them well.  If you don’t have patients, you don’t have teeth to work on and your practice won’t survive. 

I think the article is trying to feed off the notion that dentist make a lot of money and are using marketing gimmicks to maintain their plush incomes. I see these gimmicks as something every business in the 21st century must do to survive.

I appreciate your comments and feedbacks. Please let me know if you have any questions by reaching me through my website, www.FordDentalGroup.com.