Happy Halloween!

Dear Moms and Dads,

Halloween is coming, and normally it’s hard for your dentist to get excited about that day because of all the candy your kids will eat. However, this year will be different. Don’t you just wish that on the day after Halloween that your kids’ sacks full of candy would just disappear? Well we can help, and this is something we are very excited about! This year we’ll take the candy back from your kids and reward them for it. We’re not kidding! Sure, they can have a few treats on Halloween night and maybe even keep a couple more for later in the week. But we’ll take the rest of it and reward them for it! The candy will be shipped overseas to our courageous troops (who could sure use a treat or two!) serving our country in the Middle East . In return, we’ll give your kids 1 raffle ticket for every pound of donated candy and a Firefly flashing toothbrush. The raffle tickets can be used toward many exciting prizes including a new bike!

Global sugar consumption for kids increases by about 2% annually and currently sits at 50 million tons per year, which means parents need to be very watchful now more than ever before. Too much candy can lead to hyperactivity and weight gain, as well as cavities or worse. In some cases, the wrong types of candy can also lead to broken teeth and damaged braces.

Kids should still dress up, go out, have fun, and yes, even eat some candy. But after picking out the best of their stash, they will probably have about 10 pounds left, and nobody needs that much candy!

Bring your kids and your candy in November 1- 8 (Monday – Thursday) between 8:00a.m. and 5:00 p.m., and spread the word! 

23326 Hawthorne Blvd, Bldg 10 Ste 190, 
Torrance, CA 90505

For more information call us at: 310-378-8209. 

Sincerely,

Steve Sutherland DDS
Torrance Dental Arts
http://torrancedentalarts.com/

Diabetes and Your Health

As you’ve probably heard in the news more and more Americans are at risk for Diabetes. Here’s the Data from the 2007 National Diabetes Fact Sheet
Total prevalence of diabetes:
Under 20 years of age;

* 186,300, or 0.22% of all people in this age group have diabetes
* About 1 in every 400 to 600 children and adolescents has type 1 diabetes
* About 2 million adolescents aged 12-19 have pre-diabetes


Age 20 years or older:

* 23.5 million, or 10.7% of all people in this age group have diabetes

Age 60 years or older:

* 12.2 million, or 23.1% of all people in this age group have diabetes

Men:

* 12.0 million, or 11.2% of all men aged 20 years or older have diabetes

Women:

* 11.5 million, or 10.2% of all women aged 20 years or older have diabetes

Are you aware that diabetes is the #1 growing medical problem in North America? An estimated 23.6 million people are afflicted by this disease and worse yet over half do not know they are afflicted!

Here are some warning signs of diabetes so you can keep a look out:

* Frequent trips to the bathroom - when you have too much glucose in your blood urination becomes much more frequent. If your insulin levels are insufficient or nonexistent, kidneys can’t filter glucose back to the blood. In response they try to dilute the glucose by drawing extra water from your blood. This keeps you running to the bathroom
* Unquenchable thirst - with your kidneys drawing the water out of your blood stream, you can become dehydrated. This is conjunction with frequent urination means you should be check out for diabetes.
* Weight loss - if you're not trying to lose weight and eating regularly, but you still are... This could be diabetes. This is because the pancreas stops producing insulin, and this may cause a viral attack… or our autoimmune response makes the body destroy the insulin producing cells. Your body then looks for an energy source since the cells aren't getting sufficient glucose. So you break down fat and muscle for the needed fuel.
* Weakness and fatigue - your cells use glucose to produce energy. Insulin is supposed to help transfer the glucose into the cells. When the glucose is not absorbed your cells lack the required energy, making you sluggish and sleepy.
* Tingling in your hands, legs or feet- this is called neuropathy. This happens because high levels of glucose in the blood can damage the nervous system, causing the tingling sensation.

Remember, if you have these symptoms get checked out as soon as possible.
Another side effect of diabetes is increased oral health problems. On top of being tired and having to go to the bathroom constantly, you stand a much greater risk of periodontal (gum) disease and gum recession. Not to mention tooth loss!

You can take care of diabetes, you can hide missing teeth. But you cannot hide the pain and discomfort cause by improper health of any sort, including your mouth. Remember to take proper care and have regular dentist appointments to avoid this problem.

Dental Implants

If you are missing one or more teeth and would like to smile, speak and eat again with comfort and confidence, there is good news! Dental Implants are teeth that can look and feel just like your own! The most natural, comfortable and effective way to replace missing teeth is with dental implants, they restore normal chewing ability and a beautiful natural appearing smile.

A dental implant is an artificial tooth root placed into your jaw to hold a replacement tooth, bridge or denture in place. While high-tech in nature, dental implants are actually more tooth-saving than traditional bridgework, since implants do not rely on neighboring teeth for support.

Every way you look at it, dental implants are a better solution to the problem of missing teeth.

Esthetic – Dental implants look and feel like your own teeth. Since dental implants integrate into the structure of your bone, they prevent the bone loss and gum recession that often accompany bridgework and dentures. No one will ever know that you have a replacement tooth.

Tooth-saving – Dental implants don’t sacrifice the quality of your adjacent teeth like a bridge does because neighboring teeth are not altered to support the implant. More of your own teeth are left untouched, a significant long-term benefit to your oral health.

Confidence – Dental implants will allow you to once again speak and eat with comfort and confidence. They are secure and offer freedom from the irksome clicks and wobbles of dentures. They’ll allow you to say goodbye to worries about misplaced dentures and messy pastes and glues.

Reliable – The success rate of dental implants is highly predictable. They are considered an excellent option for tooth replacement.

Oral Cancer and You

ORAL CANCER IS ON THE RISE BUT EARLY DETECTION SAVES LIVES


Most people are surprised to learn that each year one American dies every hour from oral cancer, making this type of cancer deadlier than cervical, brain, ovary or skin cancer. In fact, recent statistics published by the American Cancer Society estimates that while the incidence and death rates for cancers overall have decreased, new cases of oral cancer and deaths associated with oral cancer are increasing. However, oral cancer is one of the most curable diseases when it’s caught early. When premalignant lesions or early stage oral cancer is found, treatment is simpler, less invasive and more than 82% successful.*

Many people die from oral cancer because it is not detected at an early stage. With the technology of today, this tragedy no longer has to be accepted in society. ViziLite Plus now offers us a more advanced way to screen and detect oral cancer earlier than ever before.

ViziLite Plus is an oral lesion identification and marking system that is used as an adjunct to the conventional head and neck examination. It is comprised of a chemiluminescent light source (ViziLite) to improve the identification of lesions and a blue phenothiazine dye to mark those lesions identified by ViziLite. ViziLite Plus uses technology that has proven successful in identifying soft tissue abnormalities in other areas of the body.

Early detection of oral cancer saves lives.

ViziLite Plus® is a proven screening technology that assists in the early detection of oral abnormalities, including premalignant lesions and oral cancer. Early detection tools such as Pap smears, PSA tests and mammograms have greatly reduced death rates for cervical, prostate and breast cancers. ViziLite Plus improves the dentist’s ability to identify, evaluate and monitor abnormal areas that are difficult to see under conventional lighting. By incorporating this simple, quick and painless exam into their practices, dentists are our first line of defense in fighting this deadly disease. The ViziLite Plus exam can potentially help save lives. And, it shows our patients that their overall health is important to us and that we do so much more than just check for cavities.

Oral Cancer Risk Factors

Age is the primary risk factor for all types of cancer, and 90% of oral cancer occurs in adults over age 40. However, all adults age 18 and older are considered to be at increased risk. Alarmingly, over 25% of oral cancers occur in people who don’t smoke and have no other lifestyle risk factors.**†

Another reason for concern about oral cancer is the human papilloma virus (HPV). HPV is an extremely common sexually transmitted infection and especially prevalent in young adults 14-24 years old. Few people even know they have it. HPV has long been known to cause cervical cancer and now studies suggest it also plays a role in as many as 22% of oral cancer cases.***

Dentists and hygienists are the best overall defense against oral cancer; they are in fact, lifesavers. No other medical professionals are as well positioned to address this potentially deadly disease at its earliest stage. The key is to identify oral abnormalities at their most easily treated stage of development. ViziLite Plus should be offered annually to all new and re-care adult patients following the standard head and neck exam. Patients with a history of oral cancer should receive at least semi-annual ViziLite Plus exams. The ViziLite Plus exam is painless and fast, and could help save your life.


*ACS Cancer Facts & Figures 2006
**2006 SEER data