Stories we think you'll find interesting...especially since you will
find us in them!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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?
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.”
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.
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.
The Glory Days Are Distant
For Day Traders; Sober Times
By SUSAN PULLIAM and RUTH SIMON
Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
NEW YORK -- In a small room at the midtown Manhattan headquarters
of Generic Trading, six young day traders sit hunched over computers,
staring blankly at screens showing their stock positions. The only
audible sound is the tapping of computer keyboards. Even the volume
on the television, tuned to CNBC, is muted.
By Dr. Linda Niessen -- Baylor College of Dentistry
Monday, May 26, 2003
Do you hate dental x-rays?
Do they set off your gagging reflex? Well, the newest x-ray device
in dentistry may be for you.
Dr. Linda Niessen shows us a latest way to detect cavities in
today's Dental Health Check.
"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.
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!
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..."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
NEW YORK – Biological, self-regenerated teeth may one day replace
dentures and dental implants as scientists investigate and cultivate ways
to grow teeth, according to a leading dental researcher.
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.
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.
How many of us are going to wind up without any natural
teeth after age 65? The answer may depend on where you live, your educational
level, your
income, and whether you smoke, according to a survey from the Centers
for Disease Control (CDC).
Dental
Equipment & Materials