Education and News
Stories we think you'll find interesting...especially since you will
find us in them!
Poor Sleep May Age Your Brain
MONDAY, July 16 (HealthDay News) -- Evidence is building that poor sleep patterns may do more than make you cranky: The amount and quality of shuteye you get could be linked to mental deterioration and Alzheimer's disease, four new studies suggest.
Click here for the rest of the story |
Acupuncture May Cure Gag Reflex in Dental Patients
For many people, a visit to the dentist's office can be a frightening experience. In fact, some health experts estimate that up to half of all American adults will not seek dental care for fear of going to the dentist. Some patients are particularly sensitive to dental equipment, which can cause them to gag uncontrollably when an instrument such as a drill or mirror is placed in the mouth. Others are so terrified, either due to a bad prior experience or to stories they've heard about bad dental experiences, that the mere thought of dental treatment may cause them to gag even before any work has begun.
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Whoopi details dental regrets on the View
On October 23, 2008 on the National Television show, The View, Whoopi Goldberg confesses her dental disaster! You can watch the original clip on You Tube
A partial transcript :
Whoopi: Welcome to “The View” and boy am I glad to be back
Click here for the rest of the transcript
The 'Four Seasons' Practice
Often it's the little things that make the difference. The most popular extras in Dr. Kent Smith's Dallas-area practice, 21st Century Dental, are the milk shakes he offers patients after they've undergone long procedures.
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*for dentists
Taking a Nocturnal Look at the Neglected Health History
by Kent Smith DDS -
International Academy of Comprehensive Aesthetics
As we look at the new patient paperwork, we see “interested in a smile makeover”, and suddenly, we are blinded to any complications in their health history. If we bother to glance at that part of the form, it’s only our moral nature assuaging ourselves of any guilt by reading, but not seeing, the written clues to our patient’s overall health status.
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*for dentists
Sleep Disordered Breathing - The Missing Puzzle Piece
by Kent Smith DDS -
International Academy of Comprehensive Aesthetics
Something isn’t right. You have done everything your education (which is vast) has taught you, added that to your years of experience, and then supplemented the results with compassion and resolve. Although Amber has a beautiful smile, built to a neuromuscular position to resolve her temporomandibular pathology and erase her pain, she remains uncharacteristically ambivalent.
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*for hygienists
Sleep Breathing Disorders - Hygienists on the Front Line
by Kent Smith DDS -- RDHMag.com
The clock reads 1:00 as you walk into the reception area to claim your first patient after lunch. Mr. Pickwick, however, seems to be disinterested. Who would go to sleep when he is about to be retrieved by his favorite hygienist? If Joe is in REM sleep, he is already inappropriately dreaming about the voluptuous hygienist who cares. He has most likely drifted into Stage 1 sleep and can be easily awakened for his appointment. Maybe he stayed up late to finish a report. Maybe he was kept awake by a newborn. Or, maybe he has a sleep disorder that has yet to be identified by a physician.
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Here’s a New Years’ Goal – Stop Snoring!
by Kent Smith DDS -- The Irving Journal
I’ve heard it many times. Sharon comes in for her cleaning appointment and tells me I need to talk to her husband Ted about his snoring, because it’s been years since they’ve slept in the same bed all night. I dutifully say I’ll do my best, knowing full well Ted will deny that he engages in this nocturnal ritual. Click here for the whole story
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Detecting Cracked Tooth Syndrome
Three months ago, Carla Obara developed a pain in her lower back molar. It hurt when she chewed.
"I thought it was just a sensitive tooth," she said. "Then it started hurting when I bite down on food. From there, it just got worse. Every time I would chew anything, it would hurt—even gum."
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Sedation Dentistry
For more information about sedation dentistry, visit www.DallasSedationDentist.com
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Dallas dentists pitch in to help evacuees
09:38 AM CDT on Monday, September 12, 2005 By DR. LINDA NIESSEN / Baylor College of Dentistry
In Dallas alone, dentists have found more than 1,500 serious dental cases among the evacuee population.
North Texas dentists are volunteering their services to treat these new patients.
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Do You Have a Drinking Problem?
By Kent Smith DDS -- The Irving Journal
When you awoke this morning, there were roughly one billion bacteria taking up residence inside your mouth. Did you notice? Probably. If you brushed your teeth and tongue enough to make your dentist proud, that would leave about 400 million. Add some flossing and the number drops to a palatable 80 to 200 million. You can spit now.
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Dental Injuries – Avoiding That “Hockey” Look
By Kent Smith DDS -- The Irving Journal
With the beginning of summer comes the beginning of dental injuries.
Well, not the beginning, but we certainly see a rise in the incidence.
Children are out of school, the weather calls them outdoors,
and they love to go fast. Water skiing, baseball, trampolines
and bunji-jumping from your apartment balcony can all give you
that “hockey” look. So, what’s a conscientious
parent to do?
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Cracked Tooth Syndrome
By Kent Smith DDS
The Irving Journal
Do you have a tooth that you tend to avoid when chewing? If you have looked closely in a mirror and can’t see anything wrong, and you are puzzled because your last checkup did not reveal any cavities, you may be dealing with what we call “cracked tooth syndrome.”
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Spa dentistry — an accessory, not an identity
By Kent Smith, DDS --Dental Economics If you are reading this article, you must have at least a passing
interest in the concept of spa dentistry. My job is to get you
to see how it might prove to be a valuable complement to your practice.
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here for the whole story
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Dental spas offer more services
By Dr. Linda Niessen -- Baylor
College of Dentistry
Monday, March 29, 2004
Good oral health can promote an overall sense
of well-being. The latest trend among dentists is to offer a
variety of treatments
in a relaxing spa environment.
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Something
to Smile About
By Kyle Roderick
Spa Magazine
"I love offering spa services because in dentistry it's hard
to make people feel good," says Dr. Kent Smith of 21st Century
Dental in Irving, Texas. "When our patients feel good, we feel
good, too, so everyone's happier"……"we dim the
lights in the rooms, burn aromatherapy diffusers and candles, and
play the patient's favorite music," explains Smith…"vanilla
is by far the most requested scent"…What's more, dentists
around the country are scrambling to deliver similar services in
an attempt to draw in more patients. "I'm starting to get calls
from colleagues asking how they can create spa environments in their
offices," says Smith.
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Spa
Dentistry (3.5 mb)
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Yikes! I'm Still Afraid Of Going To The Dentist
Wednesday, March 6, 2002
NEW YORK -- If the sight and sound of a dentist's drill still
sends you running for the hills, Early Show Contributor Lisa Birnbach
may have the answer in Wednesday's "Yikes, I'm A Grown-Up."
Click the link to the left to watch 21st Century Dental in
the news along with host Bryant Gumbel!
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Dentists brush up on spa therapy to relax patients
By Olivia Barker
USA TODAY
Open up and say ''Aaaahhh.''
Dentists across the USA are turning their offices into veritable spas,
complete with massages, personalized music and facials. Patients getting
a root canal can watch DVDs while indulging in foot, leg, back and hand
rubdowns.
"...At what's been touted as the Four Seasons of dentistry, 21st
Century Dental in Irving, Texas, patients receive sterling service..."
Click here for the whole story
Office Spotlight
Dental
Equipment & Materials
September, 2000
by Kevin Henry, Editor
Combining High-Tech With High-Touch
When more than 500 of your customers work at Microsoft, your office has
to be high-tech. But, for those 500+ patients to refer their friends and
coworkers to your practice, your office had better be high-touch as well.
This is the line that Dr. Kent Smith and Dr. Jeff Roy walk every day
at 21st Century Dental in Irving, Texas.
Click here for the whole story
This a Dentist's Office or a Tooth Spa?
21st Century Dental Makes Dentistry a Luxurious Experience
If a tooth
ever needed liposuction, 21st Century Dental would be the first to
offer it in DFW. That's because this practice is committed to
providing the highest quality cosmetic dentistry in the most plush
and relaxing of settings. Patients entering 21st Century Dental are instantly
breezed by a calm and curiosity.
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Tooth Bleaching Solution Helps Banish Halitosis Bacteria
WASHINGTON, July 14-Low concentrations of the same chemical solution dentists use to bleach patients' teeth can significantly reduce chronic halitosis, according to a clinical demonstration presented here.
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Cigna and Pregnancy - Help for Periodontal Disease
CIGNA Dental has followed the research that shows women with periodontal (gum) disease may be at increased risk for pre-term babies. That's why we are launching our new CIGNA Dental Oral Health Maternity Program, which enhances benefits for pregnant members with CIGNA medical and fully-insured dental coverage.
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Bad Teeth Link to Dementia
Having missing teeth and gum disease at an early age may be linked to an increased risk of getting Alzheimer's disease when you are older, according to new research.
The study was presented a recent major conference on dementia held in Washington DC.
It examined lifestyle factors of more than 100 pairs of identical twins. All of the pairs included one twin who had developed dementia and one who had not.
Because identical twins are genetically indistinguishable, the study involved only risk factors that could be modified to help protect against dementia.
It was discovered that twins who had severe periodontal disease before they were 35 years of age had a five-fold increase in risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
The lead author of the study, Dr Margaret Gatz, said missing teeth and gum disease may be a signpost for chronic exposure to disease that provokes an inflammatory response.
Chronic inflammation can damage tissue, including the brain, and this may contribute to the development of dementia,according to the Los Angeles Times.
Secondhand Smoke Could Cause Cavities in Children
May 31, 2002
A new study shows that children whose parents smoke are more likely to
develop cavities, according to a May 29 press release from the University
of Rochester Medical Center.
Click here for the whole story
New Survey Reveals Americans Need To Polish Up Their Dental Habits
**Tooth
Alert**
-- (INTERNET WIRE) -- 05/30/2002
Healthy Habits Get Brushed Aside. Americans need to brush up on oral
health, according to the new Mentadent Smart Mouth Survey.* The national
survey provides a snapshot of daily dental habits and reveals that most
adults in this country need a refresher course on oral hygiene. According
to the survey, two out of three (67%) adults do not know or do not practice
proper brushing techniques – a habit that may be far riskier than
they realize.
Click here for the whole story
Study Links Snoring, Deficit Disorder
By LINDSEY TANNER
AP Medical Writer
CHICAGO (AP)--New research suggests children who snore face nearly double
the risk of being inattentive and hyperactive, providing fresh evidence
of an intriguing link between sleep problems and attention deficit disorders.
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Check Menstrual Calendar For Tooth Extraction
Women who use birth control
pills are twice as likely to develop dry socket after a tooth extraction.
Click here for the whole story
Tongue, Lip Piercing Proves Almost Fatal For Chicago Man
CHICAGO, Aug
31 (AFP)
A 31-year-old Chicago machinist and dedicated fan of flamboyant basketball
player Dennis Rodman known for his facial jewelry, figured it was cool
to sport pins and studs -- through his navel, his eyebrow, his ears and
even his tongue.
But a slow moving infection which doctors believe infiltrated his blood
stream through the piercings in his mouth and brought him to the brink
of death has disabused him of that notion.
Click here for the whole story
Chewing Gum Puts Clamp on Tooth-Decay Bacteria
CHICAGO -- Chewing gum containing xylitol, a sweetener with antimicrobial
properties, temporarily suppresses bacteria that cause tooth decay, according
to university researchers in a study published in the July issue of The
Journal of the American Dental Association.
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Gum Disease Raises Stroke Risk
By Penny Stern, MD
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Gum disease, apart from being unsightly and
uncomfortable, might significantly increase a person's risk of stroke,
according to results of a national study.
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Toothlessness Rates Vary State To State
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)--If you want to keep all your teeth as you
age, it helps to live in Hawaii and to be a nonsmoker, according to a
report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta,
Georgia.
Click here for the whole story
