November 2006



	*Harry "Buzz" Waterston*

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“Going, going.....gone!”

During my childhood in NY, that was sportscaster Mel Allen’s cry whenever a Yankee hit a home run. It just occurred to me that the same could be said for this year...it’s going fast.

Do you have dental insurance? Are you aware that your annual maximum cannot be carried over into next year? It’s time to come in and see us if you have needed or wanted dental work that you need to complete this year, on your insurance company’s dime.

Did you know?

All metal instruments go through a lengthy sterilization process after each use. How do we know if the instruments are actually sterile after this process? Every instrument has a sterilization indicator packed with it in the sterilization pouch we use. In addition, we test both of our sterilizers with bacterial spore tests on a weekly basis (bacterial spores are the standard test because they are so difficult to kill).

Power toothbrushes

Twenty years ago I thought they were toys for guys who like to collect gadgets. Now, I can’t go on vacation without a power toothbrush, and you couldn’t take away my Braun Oral B and Sonicare brushes without a fight. If Caroline and Michelle are doing their teaching jobs well, you all know that thorough plaque removal is essential for optimal oral health. In the early 1960’s, consumers were given a new toothbrushing option with the introduction of electric toothbrushes. Research on the plaque removal effectiveness of these bulky, expensive, early models was inconclusive, leading most dental professionals to shy away from recommending them to patients.

Fast-forward to 2006, and the picture has changed dramatically. The electric toothbrush has evolved into the “power” toothbrush, encompassing the high-tech rechargeable models as well as the low cost battery-powered toothbrushes. Brush head and bristle designs are more advanced, based on oscillating/translating, vibrating, or ultrasonic technology. Power toothbrushes provide anywhere from 10-49% greater plaque removal than manual toothbrushes.

For those of you who still believe brushing your teeth should be like playing the cello, power toothbrushes require significantly less force to effectively remove plaque than is required for manual toothbrushes. Evidence suggests that the forces used with the power toothbrushes should be far less than with manual toothbrushes. Clearly, power toothbrushes are less likely to cause tooth and gumline abrasion and they deliver better stain removal than manual brushes (up to 82%!).

The bottom line is this: Power toothbrushes are now affordable. You can count on high quality performance

and a choice of several excellent products on the market. If you need help choosing the brush that’s right for you, ask any of my extremely educated, talented, loyal, dedicated, caring, well-fed, reliable, well-groomed, conscientious, attractive staff.

We order power toothbrushes in bulk and try to set our prices below retail. This way, you can take your brush home from the office and save a trip to the store.

Smiles for Life Correction

In a recent newsletter I had erroneously reported that we had raised $3835 for charity during Smiles for Life. The correct amount is $4135.

My thanks to Channel 6

Many thanks to medical reporter Anita Brikman and producer Dawn Heefner for airing my report on overdentures in mid-July. We had dozens of requests for new patient appointments, and the station had dozens of calls in response to the report. Most of the patients involved were amazed that no dentist had ever offered this service to them before. That surprised me as well. These techniques have been around in one form or another for many years, and recent refinements have made overdentures even more predictable than before.

More on bisphosphonates

There has been much in the news about bisphosphonates since I wrote my July newsletter article about this class of drugs. I recently received a letter from Novartis, manufacturer of Aredia (pamidronate) and Zometa (zoledronic acid). These potent drugs are used in the treatment of people who have had malignancies, including breast cancer.

The letter had some common sense advice for people who may be prescribed these two drugs, and I think the advice is sound for anyone considering taking a bisphosphonate, including Fosamax:

---Patients should receive a dental examination prior to initiating bisphosphonate therapy and, if possible, should complete any

necessary major dental procedures (e.g., tooth extraction or (surgical placement of)) dental implants prior to initiating bisphosphonate therapy.

---Patients should be encouraged to practice good oral hygiene and minimize possible jaw trauma;…minimize sharp edges on dentures and…ensure proper fit.

---If possible, patients should avoid dental surgery during treatment with bisphosphonates.

To this list I would add one more thing: if you are taking or have taken a bisphosphonate drug, avoid chewing things that can cause oral “puncture wounds,” such as pretzel sticks or potato chips. It’s not worth the risk of injury to bone.

Someone knows nearly everything you want to know

We tend to listen willingly to those who are older, better educated, and obviously wiser than ourselves. However, there are many other people without these qualifications who know something we could benefit from learning. How do we open our-selves to these learning experiences, especially when we have our needs to appear wise and self-sufficient?

---Make learning your passion. Even if you are older and wiser than those with whom you associate, you

still can’t sit back in your theoretical comfort zone. Soon you’ll discover that the world has moved on and deprived you of that comfort zone. So, it’s important to make continuous learning your goal. If you do that, you’ll never run out of mental enthusiasm and motivation.

---Value all people. Although others may have reached your same academic educational level, no two people have had exactly the same experiences and lessons learned. When you value every person, including your own children, you will fully get the spirit of learning.

---Identify people’s uniqueness and strengths. Ralph Waldo Emerson, a brilliant man in his own right, said that he had never met a man who wasn’t his superior in some way. If you subscribe to that philosophy you will seek to discover each person’s uniqueness and learn from it.

---Ask questions and listen. The person who asks the right questions learns the most, providing that he or she doesn’t let it end there. That’s because learning only occurs when behavior changes. So, change should be the ultimate goal of learning.

Now that you know that you can learn something from everyone, have a good time gaining your knowledge and enjoying the discoveries you’ll make along the way.

Office Hours

Mon 8:30 AM-1:00 PM

2:00 PM-6:00 PM

Tues 8:30 AM-12 NOON

2:00 PM-5:30 PM

Wed 7:30 AM-3 PM

Thu 7:30 AM-3 PM

Our team

Gina Albert

EFDA

Peggy Carroll

treatment coordinator

Beth Davis

terrific temp assistant

Lynn James

chairside assistant

Debbie Marker

chairside assistant

Michelle McClain

dental hygienist

Lisa Murphy

treatment coordinator

Caroline Talarico

dental hygienist