Sip All Day, Get Decay

How much soda do you drink in a week? Soft drinks are no longer an occasional treat. They've become a daily habit, especially among kids & teens. A steady diet of soft drinks is a leading cause of decay. How you get cavieties: Sugar in soda combines with bacteria in your mouth to form acid. Diet or "sugar free" soda contains its own acid. The acid attacks your teeth and weakens your tooth enamel. Bacteria in you mouth cause cavities when tooth enamel is damaged. How to reduce decay: Drink soft drinks in moderation. Don't sip for extended periods of time. Ongoing sipping prolongs sugar and acid attacks on your teeth. Use a straw to keep sugar away from teeth. After drinking, swish your mouth out with water to dilute the sugar. Never drink soda or juice before bed; the liquid pools in your mouth and coats your teeth with sugar and acid. Get regular checkups to remove bacteria, floss and use flouiride toothpaste. Some hard facts: In addition to cavities, heavy soda consumption has been linked to diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis. One fifth of one and two-year-old children drink soda. Teens dirnk three times more soda then 20 years ago, often replacing milk. Soft drink compainies pay schools big bucks to offer their products. For more information log on to www.wda.org.

Continuing Education Update

Several staff members recently attended the Chicago Midwinter Dental Convention. Classes taken by staff members included: Aging Sucuessfully: Oral Health for the Prime of Life (This class provided an overview of aging and oral health issues.); Treating the New Millennium Dental Patient; Medicated and Complicated; Splint Fabrication; Record Keeping; Common Reoccurrences of Ulcers; Radiographic Imaging; New Techniques in Composite Restorations and Digital Photography. In March Dr. Esser attended the Dawson Center for Advanced Dentistry in Florida where she studied advanced restorative techniques. Dr. Borja recently returned from San Diego whre he participated in classes on occlusion and treatment planning.

Check out or new sign!

The doctors recently installed a new exterior sign to help patients locate the office. Although we're happy to have the helpful hardware man next door, we no longer have to tell our patients that we're across the street from Hardware Hank!

Thank you for referring your friends and family to our practice. Your confidence and trust is very much appreciated.




Detecting Cavities Just Got Easier

Although great strides have been made in cavitiy prevention, tooth decay still affects most of the population. In fact the ADA reports cavities in children are ballooning back. Therefore, it is important that we detect decay earlier than at the point where it can be detected on x-ray or by a dental instrument. By then it is too late for conservative restorations.

Among the new technologies available to help in early detection is the DIAGNOdent, the only such laser unit available on the market today.

The DIAGNOdent is an effective device that will make the task of diagnosing pit-and-fissure cavities as well as smooth-surface cavities much easier.

TheDIAGNOdent system consists of a very small, self-contained, low intensity diode laser that is directed at the area of the tooth being diagnosed by a small fiberoptic handpiece. The handpiece collects the reflected fluorescence from the tooth, which is filtered and measured.

Of clinical importance is the degree and effectiveness of this unit's diagnostic ability to detect hidden dental cavities(existing underneath what appears to be an otherwise intact tooth).

The DIAGNOdent has been in use for the past three years and the results have been outstanding, especially when used in conjunction with radiographic analysis(x-rays) to detect cavities between teeth.

We are very excited to offer this new technology to you. Our office continues to stay on the cutting edge of technology to offer the best dental care available.


Remember to use yourBENEFITS before time runs out!

The end of the year will be here before you know it. Don't let your flexible spending funds or insurance benegits go to waste. Now is a great time to complete that dental work that you've been putting off.

Please note: If you need a procedure which requires more than one appointment, such as a crown or bridge, many insurance companies require that treatment be completed before the end of the year in order to qualify for benefits this calendar year.

To assure we have the proper time to complete your dental work, call today for your appointment.


Thank You!

We appreciate your referring of friends an family to our practice. Rest assured that we will provide the same quality care and personal attention you have come to expect from us. We strive to earn the continued trust of all our patients, and appreciate your recommentation. Thanks again!