We're Getting Better All the Time...

On our website, we talk a lot about continuing education. Here is what’s been going on so far
this year:

•January—Carol’s study club of 8 dentists from around the country meet in January every
year—it’s too cold to go anywhere else. The last two years, we have been mentored
by Dr. Herb Blumenthal, an expert in the field of TMJ treatment. We have focused our
learning on the muscles involved in TMJ problems, the diagnosis, and the treatment.

In September, Dr. Blumenthal will be returning to Tucson to work with some of our TMJ
patients. Carol and “Dr. B” will be diagnosing and providing treatment for some of our
patients who have had long-standing TMD problems.

•February was a busy month. First, Carol, Jenifer, and Brynda headed to Las Vegas to
learn about Sleep Apnea. In addition to learning to recognize some of the signs of this
deadly disease, we also learned how to work with medical insurance to help you with the
cost of treatment. The LV Chamber of Commerce was happy to see us go—none of us
put so much as a quarter in the slot machines.

Later in the month, Carol was off to Salt Lake City on an update course on dental
materials. The course covered the latest innovations in techniques and materials.
That’s on the list of fun things dentists get to do—after the class, we get to go shopping
for all the new “toys”. One of the best things that came back was a new curing light to
harden the tooth-colored filling material. Instead of 40 seconds to harden a little bit, it
only takes 4 seconds!

•April brought a trip up to Scottsdale for a course on treating complicated cases. Many
people with extensive treatment needs are best served with the combined expertise of
the restorative dentist (Carol) and the appropriate specialist. Carol made the trip with Dr.
Mittida Raksanaves, our very-talented orthodontist, and Dr. Graig Brown, a great local
periodontist.

That trip was followed by a chilly trip to Chicago—don’t they know that April is spring?!
Carol huddled in a workshop on facilitation and group learning, which is helpful in her
work with dentists and their teams.

•In May, Jenifer and Carol went to Reno for the first of two weekends for hands-on
training in the treatment of sleep apnea. (Please see the website for more information
on this disease.)

•In June, Carol racked up a few more “Frequent Flyer Miles”. The first was a hot, steamy
trip to San Antonio for the annual meeting of the Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine.
This 3-day session was an overview of all the current research in the field of Sleep
Apnea. The following weekend, it was back to Reno to complete the hands-on course.

•July brought both exciting learning and a break in the heat. Carol took a 3-day Leadership workshop outside of Seattle. The focus this year was on how organizational
change is manifested through the individual’s change. A great book on the subject is
Immunity to Change, by Kegan and Lahey.

We'll keep you updated as we learn more!

Tooth Art

Here’s something you might not know about being a dentist—it’s fun! I get to hang out with
my friends all day (team and patients) and talk or do art projects. OK, it’s tooth art, but it gives
me a chance to work with my hands, which I love.

Dentistry is the perfect profession for the Type A artist. (Is that an oxymoron?) The
perfectionist gets to work on the smallest details of comfortable bite, seamless blend of tooth
with filling and ease of cleaning. The artist in me likes to recreate the natural beauty as closely
as possible. It might seem that teeth are monochromatic, which would make tooth art a little
boring. Actually, teeth are many different colors. You might hear us describe teeth in colors like
blue, red, orange, grey, or brown. Admittedly, the colors are a little subdued, but capturing them
accurately is definitely an art form.

On my team, the person who does that best is Russ, my lab technician. He is the one who
creates the better-than-natural crowns and veneers that keep many of our patients smiling.
Whenever we create a smile enhancement, Russ is there with his little color wheel to make sure
our patients don’t get an “Extreme Make-Over”!

- Carol

YOGA as anti-inflammatory!

Several of the team members at the office love yoga (especially Bikram), so when we saw this blog entry by Dr. Weil, we were excited to add one more thing to the list of yoga benefits!

P.S. Carol gets back from New Zealand tomorrow...maybe she'll tell us if yoga is different in another hemisphere...

Heart Health

We found this great website educating women about the link between heart health and a healthy smile.

Every chance we get we like to remind our patients that dental health is not just about your mouth. If you take care of your teeth, you are being pro active and preventative for your entire body, just they way you are when you take vitamins or exercise.

The stats on this site were interesting and eye opening, so take a look! We also love that this organization is working hard to educate women everywhere! We plan on doing are part for our patients, so please let us know if you have any questions about preventative oral care.

Eat Your Veggies!

Here is a new post from Dr. Weil's blog that we would like to share. Its all about a "make-over" at the grocery store. We try our best to eat lots of veggies and limit sugar, and think this is a great simple guide to get an easy start!

Carol's Post on Sleep Apnea

The subject of the first seminar I went to last week was Dental Sleep Medicine. I chose to pursue this study for a very personal reason—I have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). OSA is a condition where during sleep, the soft tissues of the airway collapse, causing a disruption of breathing and, as a consequence, an interruption of sleep. Apnea can affect anybody, children or adults, men or women, fat or thin.

Apnea is more than just an interruption of sleep. During an apnic event, the body is deprived of oxygen. This may happen hundreds of times per night. That can’t be good! Apnea has been linked to a host of common adult diseases, such as hypertension, heart disease and stroke, diabetes, and many others. Because of this, I believe it is important to get a proper diagnosis from a certified sleep physician, who will then oversee the treatment plan.

So where do I come in? Many people are unwilling or unable to tolerate the first line of defense for apnea, a CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) machine. The CPAP works by oxygen blowing into the airway, forcing the soft tissue open. More significant apnea requires higher air pressure, which is even more difficult to endure. Surgical solutions are available, but they are invasive and unreliable. As a dentist, I am already the guardian to the opening of the airway—the mouth. I can make a custom-fitted appliance, worn on the teeth at night, that gently repositions the lower jaw forward, opening the back of the throat. For mild to moderate OSA, that may be the only treatment that is needed or, for more severe cases, it may be used in conjunction with the CPAP to reduce the air pressure of the machine.

The appliance is adjusted at home by the patient, until the optimal level of comfort and efficacy is reached. Better health, better concentration, better relationships—these are just a few of the benefits of a better night’s sleep.

Coming Soon...

Carol is writing about her recent experience at two amazing seminars! She had a great time and learned a lot about two of her favorite topics, dental sleep medicine and patient care!