During the past few months we have had some positive changes with our hygiene team and we wanted to take a moment to update you on these. We also wanted to brag a little about each of our great hygienists! It is always our goal to appoint you with the hygienist of your choice, but if there are scheduling conflicts, we want you to feel comfortable knowing another hygienist and what is special about them. They all deliver gentle but thorough care which is so important in helping you maintain your teeth and gums for a lifetime of use.

OUR HYGIENE TEAM

We are proud to introduce you to our newest addition of our dental hygiene team:

Catherine comes to us with 10 years of experience. She is qualified to deliver laser assisted dental cleanings as well as conventional hygiene cleanings. It is her desire to use her dental skills to prevent costly dental disease. Someday Catherine would like to serve in less developed countries in some capacity during her career. She is a native of Washington State and has lived in many states. When she isn’t working she loves spending time with her family and enjoys hiking, cooking, and going to concerts.

Vanessa has been with us for 4 years. We were lucky enough to hire her when she first moved to Colorado Springs. Those of you who have become one of her patients know her skills as a hygienist to be gentle yet very effective. Her goal is for her patients to achieve a healthier mouth and body. She loves the relationships she has with her patients and their families. Vanessa has 2 children and in her spare time enjoys teaching Zumba Fitness classes.

Many of you are loyal patients of Alesia. She has been with us for 11 years and we are blessed to have the stability of her long term dedication to this practice and to our patients. Her mission with patient care is to listen to the needs and concerns of her patients regarding their oral health. Collaboration and education are key steps in the successful healing of the teeth and gums. She understands that a healthy mouth is vital to helping the whole body shift towards harmony. Alesia is spending a little less time working this year so that she can enjoy more time with her children.

Patti Bloss has been with us for 8 years. Patti’s story is unique and we certainly all benefit from it. She practiced dental hygiene for several years and then earned her dental degree (DDS) from the University of Michigan. She then moved to Colorado Springs and ran a very successful dental practice from 1982-2001. Patti decided, after selling her practice, to work as a hygienist.

We have been fortunate to have her in our practice. Patti is a wife and the mother of two adult children. She values her family time and enjoys traveling, scrapbooking, and gardening. Patti has taken special interest in the use of lasers in dental hygiene. This is cutting edge dentistry and we are pleased to introduce this into our practice in the near future. Ask us about the benefits of laser assisted dental hygiene.

We are proud to have this team of professionals in our practice. Our intention is to deliver excellent dental care to our patients in the most comfortable and efficient manner. We truly appreciate your business, trust and support.

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Every year during the month of March I turn into a huge college basketball fan. I fill out my bracket and with millions of other fans, try to predict the tournament games. This past weekend was full of crazy games and fierce competititon.

While watching Harvard play Arizona during the third round game, fans everywhere watched Harvard point guard Siyani Chambers take a forarm to the face and suffered a chipped front tooth. Siyani’s team mate was able to find the piece of broken tooth on the floor and save it for a future dental repair (those Harvard guys are smart). Watching this on live TV reminded me that this type of thing happens all the time and many people don’t know quite what to do when trama happens to their tooth.

The first thing is to assess wheather the tooth is knocked loose, chipped, or knocked totally out. If the tooth is chipped and not loose, like our Harvard basketball player, the best thing is to try to find the piece(s) that broke off and put the piece in saline, milk, or even water to keep it hydrated. Often times this piece can simply be bonded back onto the tooth and be undetectable to the eye…good news for this basketball player! If the chipped tooth exposes the tooth pulp, then a root canal is likely needed. If the chipped off piece cannot be found or there is a lot of the tooth missing, a porcalain crown or a porcelain veneer, or even bonding with tooth colored resins will be indicated to restore the tooth.

If the tooth is loose after trauma, it is very important to get to a dentist quickly. The dentist can stabilize the loose tooth/teeth by splinting them together for a short time and prevent the teeth from getting more loose or even shifting further after the accident. If the tooth gets knocked totally out…the treatments get more sophisticated. Save the tooth if possible and keep it hydrated. Handle it as little as possible until you get to the dentist. It will be evaluated for re-implanting or replacement with an implant, bridge, or removable appliance. Lets avoid this problem!

So, the true moral of the story is to avoid trauma to your mouth as much as possible by using sports mouthguards. But, when an accident does happen, save the tooth or the chip of tooth and get to a dentist as soon as possible. Please call us immediately if you chip or damage your teeth, even if it is in the middle of a basketball game! –Dr.P

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Every so often I get asked by a patient “why would I pay over $500 for a night guard when I could go to the drugstore and pay $40?” It is a legitimate and good question and below are just a few of the basic differences:

1. Drugstore night guards are not made for the specific shape of your mouth or teeth. I remember as a kid getting the ‘boil and bite’ type of generic sports guard and I could keep it in my mouth for only minutes at a time. I have never had anyone who has tried an over the counter (OTC) night guard tell me they keep it in their mouth comfortably all night. We have seen damage to the oral tissues and gums caused by OTC night guards roughness and large size.
2. Soft versus Hard. Sticking a soft or chewy material between your teeth makes you want to chew. Chewing muscles tend to get very tired when they not allowed to rest properly. When we build a precise bite on a hard plastic night guard, your chewing muscles will get relief.
3. Generally speaking, you get what you pay for. You have been recommended to wear a night guard because of either loose teeth, tooth wear, TMJ problems, or to protect your dentistry. A night guard should be worn every night for these reasons and should last you more than 5 years.
4. A night guard needs to be made so that it does not damage or move the teeth. It also needs to support the jaw joints (TMJ’s) and decrease the clenching and grinding forces on your teeth.

In order to make you a good night guard, we first make very accurate impressions of both the upper and lower teeth. Next we record how your teeth fit together when your jaws are in the most aligned and comfortable position. Then we have a local laboratory fabricate the night guard on either the upper teeth or the lower teeth. There is a separate appointment scheduled for the doctor to fit your night guard to your teeth and adjust the bite until its perfect.

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