April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month - Free Oral Cancer Screening Morning Coming Soon

Oral Cancer is not a rare disease.  Approximately 37,000 people will be diagnosed with oral cancer every year in the U.S.  It kills one person every hours of every day.  The good news is that it can often be found early in its development, through a simple, painless and quick screening. 

Every adult should get screened.  Oral cancer can often be caught early, even as pre-cancer.  With early detection, survival rates are high and the side effects from treatment are at their lowest.  Like other screenings, oral cancer screenings are an effective means of finding cancer at its early, highly curable stages.  Make them part of your annual health check-ups.

We will be announcing a Free Oral Cancer Screening morning soon.  This will take place in April and will be open to the public.  Registration will be required as time slots are limited.  Stay tuned!

Bruxism - Grinding or Clenching

Bruxism is when you clench (tightly hold your top and bottom teeth together) or grind (slide your teeth back and forth over each other) your teeth.  People can clench and grind without being aware of it during both the day and night, although sleep-related bruxism is often the bigger problem because it is harder to control.

The cause of bruxism is not completely agreed upon, but daily stress may be the trigger in many people. Some people may clench their teeth and never feel symptoms. Whether or not bruxism causes pain and other problems may be a complicated mix of factors including stress levels, how long and tightly you clench and grind, whether your teeth are misaligned, and sleeping habits. 

Clenching the teeth puts pressure on the muscles, tissues, and other structures around your jaw. The symptoms can cause temporomandibular joint problems (TMJ).  Grinding can wear down your teeth. Grinding can be noisy enough at night to bother sleeping partners.

 To prevent damage to the teeth, mouth guards are used to treat teeth grinding, clenching, and TMJ disorders. Bruxism is not a dangerous disorder. However, it can cause permanent damage to the teeth and uncomfortable jaw pain, headaches, or ear pain and a mouth guard can prevent this.

See a dentist immediately if you are having trouble eating or opening your mouth. Keep in mind that a wide variety of possible conditions can cause TMJ symptoms, from arthritis to whiplash injuries. Therefore, see your dentist for a full evaluation if self-care measures do not help within several weeks.

Look Younger and Feel Healthier with Dental Implants

Dental implants are like having a new set of natural teeth.  Enjoy the comforts of healthy eating, speaking and socializing without the embarrassment of missing teeth or slipping dentures.  In a survey of over 50,000 adults, only one-third of the respondents were aware that missing teeth can actually alter facial contour.  Over time, even a single missing tooth can lead to bone loss which, in turn, can alter the bone structure causing teeth to shift.  This can actually change the shape of your face.   Once the tooth roots are no longer in place, bone recession in that area can gradually develop into a sunken appearance.  Tooth replacement is necessary to maintain facial contour.  Dental implants are the only tooth replacements that substitute your tooth’s crown and root.    Studies have shown that failing to replace lost teeth can also affect your eating habits, speech, self-esteem, quality of life and your overall health.  If you have any questions regarding Dental Implants, please call my office to set up a free consultation;  I’m happy to discuss this with you!

Great Teeth Improve Confidence and Success

You do not have to be a celebrity to have great teeth. White and aligned teeth play a large role in self-confidence. Every time you take a picture your face and mouth are the focal points. Every word you speak comes out of your mouth and your teeth give your words diction. The smile of your dreams does not have to be a dream.  Having a straight and pearly smile will build your self-confidence and self esteem by giving you the tools you need to speak up and promote yourself. Smiles are very important, even if only on a subconscious level. People respond favorably to a great smile. It is an unwritten confidence and knowledge that you take care of yourself and people will notice. Many sales representatives will tell you, great teeth are a must have in the sales world. With a new smile there is no reason to be shy or have a lack of self-esteem. A new smile and self confidence means a new you; a confident and improved you.

Improve Your Life With the many reasons to improve your smile, improving your life should be an important one. You will no longer have to smile with your mouth closed or airbrush your teeth in your wedding pictures. A new smile will make you want to take pictures laughing out loud and gleaming from cheek to cheek. Not only will you have confidence and a great self-esteem with a new superstar smile, your life in general will improve as well. First impressions will no longer be turmoil; it will be just another person who gets to see your beautiful smile. With more self-confidence your life could make a complete 360. Think of the things you could achieve if you were no longer afraid to smile and speak up. You have the potential to elevate your income, to meet someone new, maybe even your future partner, all from designing your smile to fit to your inner you. Are you ready to light up a room with the smile of your dreams?

Make Sure Your Athlete is Protected - Now is the Season

With our high school athletes going into pre-season training, don’t underestimate the value of a custom fitting mouth guard that will not only provide the proper support to protect the teeth, but also help absorb shock that could potentially prevent a concussion.   Check out our website at www.doctorpauldionne.com for more detailed information about custom fitting mouth guards.   After all, what’s more important than protecting our children?