Do I need an Xray?
Often when a patient comes in for a tooth ache, we will take an xray. Some patients ask how will an Xray benefit finding the problem. As you can see indicated in the images, if there is a nerve issue going on it will often show up as a ‘dark’ area around the end of the root of the tooth(the apex). Sometimes, a patient can have a difficult time narrowing the discomfort down to an individual tooth due to referred pain. This is another reason the use of an Xray can help to pinpoint the specific problem. In some cases what we find is a patient has an abscess.
There are at least three types of dental abscesses that resemble each other. It is their point of origin that differentiates them.
A gum or gingival abscess is the result of injury to, or infection of, the surface of the gum tissue.
If an infection moves deep into gum pockets, drainage of pus is blocked and a periodontal abscess results.
A periapical abscess refers to a tooth in which the pulp is infected, usually secondary to tooth decay.
MDA Campaign ‘Take a Bite Out of Cancer’
During the month of May, participating offices are invited to register patients with the international bone marrow registry and sell paper icons to raise money for cancer research. MDA has partnered with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and former Detroit Red Wing, Shawn Burr, to conduct a statewide bone marrow drive in conjunction with the fundraising initiative. Both the drive and the icon sales will take place in the month of May.
WHY:
To register at least 1,000 new names with the international bone marrow registry and raise funds for the ongoing work of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
- Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children under the age of 20.
-Blood related cancers have touched the lives of so many of us; more than one million Americans are presently living with leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma.
-Every four minutes, someone in the U.S. learns that they have a blood cancer, every ten minutes someone loses their battle.
HOW you can participate-
Visit your dental office and receive a brochure about the details of the campaign and any other information any one here at the office can answer for you. There area paper icons featuring former Red Wing, Shawn Burr, Honorary Chair of the Take a Bite Out of Cancer campaign, which will be offered for patients donation of a $1. We are trying to sell at least 250 of these icons over the month of May and possibly into June to help contribute to the campaign. Its easy! If you are looking to get swabbed- please come on in! I have posted a link to the MDA website regarding the campaign as well as our contact/location information below. Hope to see you soon!
www.SmileMichigan.com
We are in the office
Monday 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesday 7:30 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday Closed
Thursday 7:30 am – 5:00 pm
Friday 7:30 am – 12:00 pm
We are conveniently located at:
34210 Ryan Road
Sterling Heights, MI 48310
(586)939-8800
We are on the east side of Ryan Road approximately half way between 14 & 15 Mile Road.
Enter your starting location below to get detailed driving directions to our office.
Fluoridated water reaching more U.S. residents
Milwaukee—Almost three-fourths of U.S. residents who receive water from community water systems—about 204 million residents—now receive fluoridated water, according to the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., announced the agency’s latest water fluoridation statistics April 30 via a taped video presentation at the National Oral Health Conference in Milwaukee.
Between 2000 and 2010, the percent of the U.S. population on public water supplies receiving fluoridated water increased from 65 percent to 73.9 percent, just a percentage point under the Healthy People 2010 national health initiative objective. A total of 26 states and the District of Columbia have met the objective and state percentages range from more than 99 percent in Kentucky, Maryland and Illinois to 10.8 percent in Hawaii.
Fluoridated water is reaching nearly 9 million more people than in 2008, when 195.5 million or 72.4 percent were receiving fluoridated water, said the CDC.
“These new figures show that since 2008, nearly 9 million additional Americans are now receiving the cavity prevention benefits of fluoridated water,” said. Dr. William Bailey, acting director, CDC Division of Oral Health. “Water fluoridation continues to be one of the most important community measures to prevent tooth decay. All people can benefit from fluoridation, regardless of age, personal financial resources and access to dental services.”
The latest Healthy People fluoridation objective set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is for 79.6 percent of the U.S. population served by community water systems to receive optimally fluoridated water by 2020.
“The American Dental Association is pleased to see that the number of U.S. residents with access to fluoridated water continues to grow,” said ADA President William Calnon. “The CDC has identified fluoridation as one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century and we hope to see the number of people receiving the benefits of water fluoridation continue to increase to meet the Healthy People 2020 objective.”
CDC’s 2010 statistics show nearly 9 percent increase since 2000
By Stacie Crozier, ADA News staff
Meth Mouth
Methamphetamine is a potent central nervous system stimulant that can cause shortness of breath, hyperthermia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, irregular heart beat, high blood pressure, permanent brain damage and rampant tooth decay. Some users describe their teeth as “blackened, stained, rotting, crumbling or falling apart.” Often, the teeth cannot be salvaged and must be extracted.
The extensive tooth decay is probably caused by a combination of drug-induced psychological and physiological changes resulting in dry mouth and long periods of poor oral hygiene. A methamphetamine “high” lasts much longer than that produced by crack cocaine (12 hours versus one hour for cocaine). This can lead to long periods of poor oral hygiene. And while they are high, users often crave high-calorie, carbonated, sugary beverages or they may grind or clench their teeth, all of which can harm teeth.
Heavy users may appear malnourished because methamphetamine acts as an appetite suppressant.
According to the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, methamphetamine use is declining (from an estimated 731,000 past month users in 2006 to 353,000 past month users in 2010). However it is still a concern, particularly in rural areas and in the western, southwestern, and midwestern U.S.
Sjogren’s Syndrom link to dentristry and additonal information
Dry Mouth (Sjogren’s Syndrome)
Sjögren’s syndrome is a chronic inflammatory disease in which the mucous membranes, especially the eyes and the mouth, become extremely dry. Primary Sjögren’s occurs alone with no other associated conditions, while secondary Sjögren’s is often accompanied by other autoimmune disorders such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.
Dental Patients with Sjögren’s Syndrome
You may already know that you have Sjogren’s syndrome when you visit us at Johns Hopkins. Or, you may have symptoms of dry mouth and are not sure what to do. We may begin your evaluation, but will probably send you to a rheumatologist for confirmation of the diagnosis.
Sjogren’s Syndrome Symptoms
Dry eyes
Dry mouth
Swollen salivary glands under the mouth or behind the jaw
Dry cough
Fatigue
Sjogren’s Syndrome Diagnosis
Your doctor will do a complete clinical exam and ask for a thorough medical and family history. He or she will probably order:
Blood tests to see if any of the markers of Sjögren’s are present in your blood
Eye tests to see if the dryness in your mouth also occurs in your eyes
Chest X-ray to examine your lungs for any sign of inflammation caused by the syndrome
Salivary exams, to closely examine the functioning of your saliva glands
Sjogren’s Syndrome Treatment
From a dental standpoint, your dentist will want to carefully monitor your oral health if you are diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome. Because the condition causes reduced saliva in the mouth your chances of developing dental cavities increase. Our team of dentists will work closely with you and your doctor to help with your symptoms and manage your oral care. Our dentists will probably recommend more frequent cleanings to maintain your oral health.
For more information please visit www.sjogrens.org
Irreversible Damage To Teeth Caused By Sports And Energy Drinks
A recent study published in the May/June 2012 issue of General Dentistry, the peer-reviewed clinical journal of the Academy of General Dentistry, found that an alarming increase in the consumption of sports and energy drinks, especially among adolescents, is causing irreversible damage to teeth – specifically, the high acidity levels in the drinks erode tooth enamel, the glossy outer layer of the tooth. 
“Young adults consume these drinks assuming that they will improve their sports performance and energy levels and that they are ‘better’ for them than soda,” says Poonam Jain, BDS, MS, MPH, lead author of the study. “Most of these patients are shocked to learn that these drinks are essentially bathing their teeth with acid.”
Researchers examined the acidity levels in 13 sports drinks and nine energy drinks. They found that the acidity levels can vary between brands of beverages and flavors of the same brand. To test the effect of the acidity levels, the researchers immersed samples of human tooth enamel in each beverage for 15 minutes, followed by immersion in artificial saliva for two hours. This cycle was repeated four times a day for five days, and the samples were stored in fresh artificial saliva at all other times.
“This type of testing simulates the same exposure that a large proportion of American teens and young adults are subjecting their teeth to on a regular basis when they drink one of these beverages every few hours,” says Dr. Jain. 
The researchers found that damage to enamel was evident after only five days of exposure to sports or energy drinks, although energy drinks showed a significantly greater potential to damage teeth than sports drinks. In fact, the authors found that energy drinks caused twice as much damage to teeth as sports drinks.
With a reported 30 to 50 percent of U.S. teens consuming energy drinks, and as many as 62 percent consuming at least one sports drink per day, it is important to educate parents and young adults about the downside of these drinks. Damage caused to tooth enamel is irreversible, and without the protection of enamel, teeth become overly sensitive, prone to cavities, and more likely to decay.
Amalgam TATTOOS?!
These are harmless lesions caused by the inclusion of a piece of dental amalgam, or a tiny amount of amalgam dust under the oral mucosa due to some form of surgery or injury. These are almost always flat and cannot be felt by the finger. On occasion, the amalgam scrap is visible on an x-ray film of the area.
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These images show a amalgam tattoos, which are the blue-gray spots on the pink oral tissue. Amalgam tattoos can occur any place in the mouth where there has been a break in the mucosa during a procedure in which amalgam dust has been produced. This happens very commonly during the removal of old amalgams, or the preparations of teeth with amalgams for crowns. An errant bur stroke abrades the mucosa and amalgam dust is introduced into the wound. When it heals, the amalgam dust shows up through the healed mucosal surface. Amalgam tattoos are harmless, and no treatment is indicated.
Foods to Soothe Sore Muscles
These 4 foods can help ward off and minimize exercise-related muscle soreness.
If you’ve been exercising more, you may be suffering from the aches and pains of having overdone it at the gym. Making sure your workout is challenging without overdoing it is one way to prevent muscle soreness. But research also points to some foods and beverages that can help ward off and minimize exercise-related muscle soreness.
1. Blueberries
New research out of New Zealand suggests that the antioxidants in blueberries may help ward off muscle fatigue by mopping up the additional free radicals that muscles produce during exercise.
2. Tart Cherries & Pomegranates
British researchers recently found that people who drank 1 ounce of concentrated cherry juice twice daily for 10 days bounced back faster from their workout than those who skipped the juice. The reason: The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in tart cherries—and other fruit juices like grape, pomegranate, acai, blueberry and cranberry—essentially act as natural NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen and aspirin), reducing exercise-induced muscle damage.
3. Ginger
Ginger is rich in inflammation-fighting compounds, such as gingerols, which may reduce the aches of osteoarthritis and soothe sore muscles. In a recent study, people who took ginger capsules daily for 11 days reported 25 percent less muscle pain when they performed exercises designed to strain their muscles (compared with a similar group taking placebo capsules). Another study found that ginger-extract injections helped relieve osteoarthritis pain of the knee.
These 4 foods can help ward off and minimize exercise-related muscle soreness.
—Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D., Associate Nutrition Editor, EatingWell Magazine
Dental Insurance, Who Knew?
It always surprises me how little information is communicated between employees and employers about their insurance, especially about their dental insurance. Usually once a year you are handed a booklet or sent an email giving you an overview of what plans are available to choose from along with a chart indicating what your costs are. And let’s be honest, for most of us our eyes automatically jump to the least expensive plan. A lot of times there will be a snazzy looking graphic showing the cost of a routine dental visit or simple filling and a column indicating your out of pocket expense. In bold numbers there will be a minimal fee or even better yet $0.00. Sounds awesome?! Well, maybe.
We are all familiar with the saying if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. This is the point where you need to look for some additional information. There are some key questions I think are important when choosing a plan:
- Where can I receive care?
- Do I get to choose my own dentist or do I have to choose from a list of their dentists?
- What kinds of treatment are covered?
Dental plans are kind of like cars, you can buy your basic transportation, the sports car you’ve always dreamed of or something in the middle. What it boils down to is what are your needs, how much can you afford and are you comfortable seeing any dentist? In future blogs I’ll be expanding on these topics.
Do you have question about dental insurance? Please feel free to post it, email me insurance@drjeart.com, or even call the office (586)939-8800.
Dr. John Artemenko, Sterling Heights MI
California fluoride lawsuit dismissed
San Diego—A U.S. District Court judge has granted a motion to dismiss in the case of Foli v. Metropolitan Water District, a lawsuit seeking to stop the water district from adding fluoride to the water.
The suit, filed in August 2011, called on the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to stop adding hydrofluosilicic acid to the public’s drinking water because it constituted unlawful and unconstitutional medication of the plaintiffs since the compound has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of disease or dental cavities.
The suit also alleged that the MWD had engaged in unfair and unlawful business practices.
District Court Judge Janis Sammartino dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice, giving the plaintiffs 14 days to file an amended complaint.
“We are pleased to see once again that the court has reaffirmed the ability of water suppliers and agencies to protect the oral health of residents in their communities,” said Dr. Dan Davidson, California Dental Association president. “This is a significant step toward ensuring that customers of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California will continue to receive the benefits of community water fluoridation.”
The MWD serves nearly 19 million water district customers in Southern California.
Information from the American Dental Association
