Do You Grind Your Teeth?

Do wake up in the morning with pain and tightness in your jaw? Have you ever awakened yourself in the middle of the night with a loud clenching or grinding sound?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need to come into our Tempe, Arizona dental office to see Dr. Christopher Drew.

Bruxism is a habit of grinding or clenching the teeth. Clenching means you tightly hold your top and bottom teeth together. Grinding occurs when you slide your teeth back and forth over each other.

Here are some symptoms you may be experiencing if you are grinding or having jaw problems at night.

-headache

-soare jaw

-frequent toothaches

-facial pain

-worn or fractured tooth enamel

-loose teeth

-earache

-insomnia

How are how some jaw problems are treated.

Dr. Drew may suggest a night-gaurd to wear while you sleep. Night-gaurds sre helpful for bruxism caused by sleep, disorders, crooked or missing teeth or stress.

Pain from clenching and grinding can be relieved by paying attention to the symptoms, frequent6 visits to Dr. Drew's Tempe Dental office and good communication with Dr. Drew.

Oral Cancer Screening

Are you at risk for oral cancer? Virtually everyone is. Oral Cancer is one of the most curable diseases when caught early.

Increased Risks:

-Patients age 18-39 without lifestyle risk factors

High Risk:

-Patients age 40 and older without lifestyle risk factors

-Tobacco users (any age, any type)

Highest Risk:

-Patients age 40 and older with lifestyle risk factors (tobacco use/alcohol consumption)
-Patients with history of oral cancer

In an effort to detect oral cancer early, Dr. Drew can perform an annual Vizilite Plus exam, in combination with a conventional visual exam. Vizilite Plus uses technology that has been proven successful in identifying precancerous and cancerous abnormalities.

Vizilite Plus helps Dr. Drew identify oral lesions at their earliest stage of development. When premalignant lesions or early stage oral cancer is found, treatment is simpler, less invasive and more than 90% successful.

Here is how it works:

#1) First, you rinse with a cleansing solution.

#2) Then, your Dr. Drew will examine your mouth using Vizilite, a specially designed light.

#3) If a suspicious lesion is detected, it will be marked by a blue dye, and documented.

Call us today to come in for your oral Cancer screening! 480-839-0502

Tour de Tucson

Dr. Drew, Dr. Smith, & Melissa finished the Tour de Tucson on Saturday, November 21st! The Tour de Tucson is a 109 mile bike race around the town of Tucson. It took all day but they all finished with great times! Here is some pictures of the race day! Congrats guys!

Thanks Dr. Drew

Last week Dr. Drew took us (the whole staff) to see Phantom of The Opera at ASU Gammage! We loved it and were so grateful to Dr. Drew for getting us all tickets!

Thank You Dr. Drew

Baking Soda?

Baking soda has been used to clean and whiten teeth and fight bad breath. Several dental products on the market use it as their main ingredient. but is it really good for your teeth?

Some say baking soda is too abrasive, and that it can erode the enamel on teeth if used for too long. But with so many products on the market containing it, someone must think baking soda is good for your teeth. But does the research support this theory?

Research has shown that baking soda is the least abrasive polishing agent when compared to the other common ones used in commercial toothpastes. It also is extremely soluble in water, making it gentle on enamel dentin and soft tissue. Baking soda has been proven to buffer the acid produced orally to help maintain the mouths neutral environment, after brushing.

How Harrmful is Cola?

Coca-Cola is one of the most recognizable brands in the world. It's delicious and refreshing. It's also been known to clean motor engines, remove gum from hair, and even preserve naval subs! A soft drink that rivals liquid cleaners should make you think twice about the effects of your daily soda intake!

Coke is undoubtedly acidic. But it is not acidic enough to dissolve a tooth in just a few hours. Other drinks such as cranberry juice, Sunny Delight and Gatorade are even more acidic that Coke. Given weeks during which a tooth is exposed to Coke, the results may differ. The enamel will eventually break down and the tooth will decay, which could ultimately lead to its destruction.

Putting a tooth in Coke overnight will mainly create a stain. Leaving a tooth in Coke for a few months can do some serious damage. So the next time you crave caffeine, remember that Coca-Cola can rust a steel nail in four days. Opt for something a bit more enamel-friendly!

Is a dog's mouth cleaner than a human's mouth?

Is kissing your dog really better than kissing a human? According to the show "MythBusters, " it is. On the show a dog licked a petri dish and a human licked another. When compared the human's dish grew much more bacteria than the dog's. This must mean that the dog's mouth is cleaner, right? Not necessarily!

According to Colin Harvey, a professor of surgery and dentistry at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary medicine, the two cannot be compared. The bacteria in a dog's mouth is species specific and often would not be able to survive in a human mouth!

The biggest argument for this myth is that human's bite is more infectious than a dog's bit. But the likelihood of an infection depends on the location of the bite, the kind of bacteria present, and the depth of the bite .Not who gave it!

So for all you animal lovers out there....go ahead and kiss your dog!!! Just ask yourselves: Where has that mouth been?