Ask a dentist - Dr. Stephen Perry. My gums hurts! Tell me how to stop pain? Quickly see a dentist. Pain in your gums, particularly in the presence of bleeding is a serious symptom. Many people ignore it too long and end up with systemic blood vessel lining inflammation. Bacteria have overcome your local immune system in the gums and saliva and now can gain access through wounds to seed themselves within your body. Serious consequences have been identified. Treating it requires wound management. How do u stop gum pain and swelling? You need help. Gum pain and swelling is a serious symptom, particularly if bleeding is present. Bacteria have created infection that leads to open wounds that if you had them on your hand, you would be very concerned. In the mouth they are hidden from view. You just feel pain and see bleeding. You are at risk for transient … [Read more...]
Electronic Cigarettes and Your Oral Health
According to recent reports, cigarette smoke results in more than 480,000 deaths annually in the United States alone (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2014), and tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable disease and premature death (Benowitz, 2010). Despite the known risks for cardiovascular, respiratory, and perinatal pathoses associated with cigarette use, in addition to the direct correlation with various forms of cancer, the rate of new tobacco users annually is essentially equal to that of the number of successful quitters (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009). 80% of new smokers each year are under 18 years old. Adolescents are subject to many risk factors which can lead to experimentation with tobacco products[1] including; chewing tobacco, snuff, snus, dissolvable tobacco and electronic cigarettes. The smokeless forms of tobacco are of … [Read more...]
Amalgam Fillings: The Truth About the Metal in Your Mouth
Recently the Dr. Oz show came out with a segment entitled “Are Your Silver Fillings Making You Sick?” Within that segment they discussed the toxicity of amalgam, a.k.a “silver fillings” and the dangers they pose to the public. The safety concern raised by Dr. Oz surrounds one of the components of an amalgam filling: Mercury. Mercury is a powerful neurotoxin, and at certain levels can cause neurological disorders, autoimmune diseases and mental disorders. In an amalgam filling, mercury, silver, tin, copper and other metals are combined to form a hard, stable substance that fills in an area of tooth where a cavity has been removed. Mercury is used to make the filling more pliable when being fitted to the tooth, and once it is hardened, is a perfect surface to withstand the daily forces of chewing and grinding. Once the mercury is mixed with the other metals and molded to fit the tooth … [Read more...]
Root Canals and Cancer
There has been a lot of speculation recently about an article that has been making the rounds on social media websites from “realfarmacy.com” regarding a connection between root canal therapy and terminal cancer. As both doctors and scientists, it is important that we here at Dental Health set the record straight. The first thing we want to address is plainly this: There are HUNDREDS of websites out there with similar, oddly-spelled web domains at any given time that spew “information” that at best is controversial and at worst junk science -- meaning not conducted using the scientific method. You may remember those lab reports from high school or college science, in which you had to formulate a question, construct your experiment, gather data, etc. No? well luckily we have a nice brightly colored flow chart that will help jog your memory! While this is a very, very simplified chart of … [Read more...]
Oral Bacteria From Periodontal Disease Can Contribute Towards Hip or Knee Prosthesis Failure
A new Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine study suggests the possibility that oral bacteria from periodontal disease can contribute towards hip or knee prosthesis failure. These same bacteria may also be a factor in arthritis. In a recent university news release, Dr. Nabil Bissada of the department of Periodontics, noted that “For a long time, we’ve suspected these bacteria were causing problems in arthritis patients, but never had the scientific evidence to support it.” The study looked for oral bacterial in the synovial fluid of patients with arthritis, periodontal disease and failed prosthetic joints. The investigators found a correlation between the failed knee and hip joints and the presence of oral bacteria in these failed joints. The authors suggest that patients with arthritis or failed prosthetic joints be examined for the presence of periodontal … [Read more...]
Ask Your Hygienist – Pregnancy and Prevention
What to Expect at Your Dental Visit When You’re Expecting Pregnancy is not an isolated bodily experience, as any pregnant woman can attest to. From morning sickness to mood swings to leg cramps, pregnancy affects your body as a whole and your teeth and gums are no exception. Questions like “In what trimester should I have dental work done?” and “Is it safe to get my teeth cleaned while I’m pregnant?” may not be crossing your mind as you pray for the constant waves of nausea to pass. Rest assured, giving your mouth the attention it needs during these 9 months will be worth it, not only for you but for that beautiful bundle of joy as well. 1st Trimester This can be the trickiest time in pregnancy to have dental work done. Due to the massive amounts of hormones coursing through their bodies, most women are dealing with morning sickness, not to mention food and smell aversions. Another … [Read more...]
Ask a Dentist – Dental Bridge, Filling, Excess Saliva and Tooth Abscess
Dr. Howell answers this round in our "Ask a Dentist" blog. Increase your dental IQ and improve your dental health by staying up to date on health information from a trusted dentist. You can read more about Dr. Howell at Longmont Dental Health. What is the definition or description of: Dental filling? A filling is a dental material to replace a portion of the tooth lost due to fracture or decay. It can be composite (white), silver or gold. Does it hurt when using a dental ultrasonic scaler? Normally no. An ultrasonic scaler is normally not painful to use. If the gums are inflamed or covered with calculus it may be painful to use but hand scaling would also be uncomfortable. What is the definition or description of: Dental bridge? Replaces teeth. A dental bridge is a dental appliance to replace a missing or lost permanent tooth. Normally it is attached to adjacent … [Read more...]
Increase your Dental IQ with Dr. Bruce Howell – Longmont Dental Health
At Dental Health Colorado, we believe that increasing your dental IQ can increase your chances of maintaining good oral health. In order to accomplish this goal, oral health education should take place both inside and outside of our dental office, especially because access to dental care is declining in Colorado. Feel free to ask one of our Dental Health Colorado dentists an oral health question and they will get back to you as soon as they are able. Currently, we have two dentists, Dr. Bruce Howell of Longmont, CO and Dr. Stephen Perry of Boulder, CO signed up to answer your dental IQ questions. Dr. Bruce Howell of Longmont Dental Health has answered a number of oral health questions that are detailed below. Currently, Dr. Howell has been recognized for 70 awards for his responsiveness, reliability and peer recognition. You can learn more about oral health and ask your own … [Read more...]
Mommy & Me Raw Foods Lunches Class
In 2012, we accomplished a critical step on the road to deliver healthier food to our nation’s school children when the U.S. Department of Agriculture released new rules that will boost the nutritional quality of the meals eaten by school children every day. The rules represent the first major revision of school meal standards in more than 15 years and make sure our kids' lunches and breakfasts will have more whole grains, vegetables and fruits, and less fat and sodium in conjunction with sensible calorie limits based on the age of children being served. Based on recommendations from the Institute of Medicine, the new school meals include these changes: More whole grains, fruits and vegetables, low-fat milk dairy products and less sodium and fat. The right portion. Menus are planned for grades K-5, 6-8 and 9-12 and will demonstrate to your child the right size … [Read more...]
Coda Connect – Dentistry and Healthy Living
Welcome to Coda Connect --the healthy living and nutrition blog for Coda Kitchen. Hello Everyone, I’m Dr. Sondra Fields and I’ll be your Coda Connect host. My expertise is the psychological and spiritual empowerment of women as they age. In addition, health, primarily alternative health and nutrition, has been my avocation and passion for many years. When Dr. Stephen Perry invited me to write this blog, I was thrilled and jumped at the opportunity. read more: For our name, we visited the world of music. On a musical score the “coda” symbol tells the performer of a change or transition, a jump into something different or new. Coda Kitchen is definitely something new and different. More on the inner workings of Coda Kitchen in our next blog; here I want to give you an overview of our origins and a broad look at the leap we are in the midst of making. Coda Kitchen, you should know, … [Read more...]
Probiotics and Oral Health
You may be asking, "Why is a dental office writing about probiotics?" It turns out that probiotics may have the following benefits to your oral health and overall health: Displace plaque forming bacteria Anti-carcinogenic effects Reduction of inflammation Reduce halitosis Reduction of respiratory infections Lower serum cholesterol level Improve immune function Lactose intolerant individuals tolerate more lactose While research is continually developing on this topic, we recommend taking probiotics for the reasons mentioned above. There are many questions regarding what species of bacteria are important, what kind of communities are best for oral health and how to best stimulate and maintain a healthy community. There is however, a general rule that is currently agreed upon. The more diverse the bacterial community in your stomach and intestines, the more robust … [Read more...]
Preventive Health Basics – Juicing
"If you are not your own doctor, you are a fool." -Hippocrates "People don't get it. They think the answer is a pill." It's not a pill, it's a plant -- lots of plants." -Rip Esselstyn If you are not experiencing vibrant health, diet is your first place to look for change. A mostly raw foods diet can change your life. By popular demand, I taught another juicing class last week in the Coda Health Kitchen in Dental Health of Boulder. Only this time with a twist. I called it: Learn to Juice for a Healthier Life. I love teaching juicing classes because as time goes on, people become more educated on all of the benefits of juicing. Juicing is not some “weird fad diet” or considered “extreme” any longer. Finally, we are taking charge of our own health… and realizing that green juice actually tastes great! I decided to give juicing a real go after watching the film Fat Sick and … [Read more...]
Keeping Patients Relaxed in the Dental Chair
Did you know that between 5% and 8% of Americans avoid dentists out of fear, according to Peter Milgrom, DDS, Director of the Dental Fears Research Clinic at the University of Washington in Seattle and author of Treating Fearful Dental Patients. A higher percentage, perhaps 20%, experiences enough anxiety that they will go to the dentist only when absolutely necessary. With offices in Longmont, Boulder, Westminster and Denver, there are many options for comfortable dentistry. You can visit our dental contact page for our locations. Your Dental Health is Very Important We at Dental Health Colorado know that your trip to the dentist is incredibly important. You may know how essential regular dental visits are for keeping your teeth and gums in good shape. But what you might not know is that there is a strong relationship between your oral health and your overall health. Taking … [Read more...]
An Easy Healthy Meal for Dental Health
Growing up, I was the world’s pickiest eater. I ate nothing but chicken, cereal and salads. So when I was first taken out for sushi, I remember it clearly. One of my father’s friends took me out to a popular sushi place in Miami Beach, Florida. Surprisingly, I loved everything about my experience; the different flavors and textures were so different from what I ever had. As we all know, sushi is quite expensive. And so I thought I’d make a go at preparing sushi at home. Furthermore, why not teach a class at Coda Health Kitchen’s raw foods kitchen? The wheels started spinning. What were my goals in teaching a vegetarian and raw sushi class at Coda Health Kitchen? As we teach here at CHK, eating raw and vegetarian foods is extremely beneficial for our health. Cooking food destroys much of the natural enzymes in your food that are needed to break down nutrients. Incorporating raw … [Read more...]
Juicing Dental Office
Juicing is a wonderful way to improve your health and help maintain a nutritious raw lifestyle. As the Health Consultant here at Coda Health Kitchen, I'm always asked to name one thing that can be done right away to get healthier. With respect to food choices, the best suggestion I give is to drink freshly pressed vegetable juices. Drinking just one freshly pressed juice each day is a reliable way of infusing your body with a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that can protect your cells against premature aging and disease. Coda Health Kitchen has partnered with Dental Health Colorado to provide classes, information and services that offer preventive health and holistic care at the dental office. With so many people planning detoxes in the springtime, I thought what a better time to conduct an Introduction to Juicing Class. I spoke to some friends in town who … [Read more...]
Raw Foods Heart Healthy “Cooking” Class
Both of my parents suffer from heart disease so February’s Heart Healthy class meant something really special to me. I choose the recipes carefully, with my parents in mind. I asked my self what would they want to eat and what could they make that was easy enough and tasty enough to integrate easily into their diet. Many times people think healthy food can’t possibly taste good. Some even refer to it as rabbit food. They think that you can't possibly have all of the health benefits of eating raw and have tasty food at the same time. I am here to show you how to have both flavor and health! I teach these classes out of our Coda Health Kitchen, sponsored by and located in Dental Health Colorado, to educate people on how delicious and easy eating healthy really is. Our dentists have made it a point to support preventive oral health through healthy food alternatives and supporting these … [Read more...]
Make Your Own Face Mask Class
One of my favorite parts of teaching here at Coda Health Kitchen is seeing and feeling so much excitement from the attendees. Being part of their experience and knowing I taught them something new. It’s also rewarding to see them have so much fun. And teaching is fun for me too! Another part I love is making people feel both special and beautiful. This class was all about making your own face mask with all natural ingredients! Having worked in the skin care industry for the past decade has taught me so much. One thing it has taught me is that every woman wants to feel beautiful. And we all should. When we nourish our body with good foods and products, we feel and look so vibrant and healthy. Because let’s face it, you truly are what you eat. I taught a “Make Your Own Face Mask” class a few years ago and had so much fun I decided to do it again. Prior to the class, I gathered … [Read more...]
Improve Bad Breath with food!
Dental hygiene depends a lot on what we eat (which makes sense, since it goes through the mouth). Coda Health Kitchen and Dental Health Colorado want you to use food as your treatment for bad breath! Please read below for tips and tricks and ingredients that you can incorporate into your diet to get you on the better breath bandwagon. First, here's the problem, halitosis is usually caused by bacteria that live in your mouth that put off waste products called volatile sulfur compounds. When you (or your partner) smell your breath, you are smelling the by-product of hundreds or thousands of VSCs on your tongue produced as bacterial waste. You can tell by looking at your tongue; if it is covered by a thin white substance, bacteria has begun to flourish and you will need to do something about that. We offer tongue scrapers at Coda Health Kitchen to maintain this film as part of an oral … [Read more...]
New Dental Health Colorado Mobile Site
We at Dental Health Colorado strive to make your visit to our dental offices convenient and pleasurable. We have recently launched a mobile version of our webpage. If you are looking for a new dentist or are trying to find your current Dental Health office, simply go to our dental health page at www.DentalHealthColorado.com on your smart phone and you will be able to contact our dental office, find us on google maps, schedule an appointment and click-to-call. Our mobile site also describes our dental services such as preventive care, teeth whitening, advanced dental technology and more. Our oral systemic Coda Connect Blog is also easily accessible if you would like to look for our nutritious recipes that we recommend after a dental procedure. We keep our social media up to date with new deals on dental services, new oral systemic news and holistic health research. We even have … [Read more...]
Holiday Raw Foods – Celebrating the Oral-Systemic Link
Celebrating the Oral Systemic Link In the Dental Office By Bridget Hobart What do you usually take to a holiday party? Cheese platters are something that I often see (and feast on) at parties. I love cheese and it can actually be good for your dental health (more on that in a future blog!). But as we all know, it’s not the healthiest thing in the world to gorge on. People say they’d like to go vegan or raw but can’t because they feel they would miss cheese too much. I have to admit I am one of those people. Enter a raw foods dish called: Cucumber Roll, Goat Cheese, Mint Jam. But let’s go back here a minute and start from the beginning. We are teaching classes at Coda Health Kitchen, our attempt to bring nutrition into the world of health care and dentistry. Dr. Stephen Perry, a longtime dentist and owner of Dental Health Colorado, has a vision to integrate nutrition as … [Read more...]