Follow up on Christmas Patient Giveaway Winner 2015- Nadine!

When Nadine came to see us, she had very limited eating ability and was very cautious about giving out a full smile to anyone. It had been about 6 to 8 years since she had seen a dentist and while, she is a positive person, who still believes in the good that her life has to offer, her teeth were starting to take a toll.

She was smiling less and was also becoming less emotionally responsive to people, in an effort to ‘cover up’ her poor teeth. She was relegated to eating only soft food and while she knew her teeth were bad, every time she would get ahead in the hopes of getting it taken care of, there would be another setback. Her friend, Jessica, paired with her landlady to nominate her for the 2015 Christmas Patient Giveaway because they could see the positive spirit and pure joy that was hidden underneath the lack of a smile. They both truly believed that this smile makeover would make a difference for Nadine. 

After several appointments through the first half of 2016, Nadine’s smile is brand new! She needed to have some teeth removed but after restoring additional teeth, Dr. Dowden made her upper and lower partials, which filled in the gaps of where she was missing teeth.

When talking with Nadine since her dental work it is impossible to not notice a difference in her. She is quick to smile and it seems as though her entire face lights up when she does! It is a beautiful smile and it’s easy to see how this is positively impacting her confidence and ability to communicate with others. She is also enjoying foods that she hasn’t eaten in years and likes that she can go out to eat without worrying about whether or not she’ll be able to eat her meal. 

 

Nadine was blown away by even being nominated for this and she is beyond grateful and thankful to Jessica, her landlady and everyone at Grand Avenue Dental Care for this amazing, life-changing gift!

 

We aren't just Sharing Smiles, we're GIVING one away!

Do you or someone you know need a new smile for the holidays? This year, we aren’t just Sharing Smiles, we are giving one away! This holiday season, we will choose one lucky person to receive a smile makeover, during our 2016 Christmas Patient Giveaway!

Simply nominate yourself or someone you know by filling our our online application and mailing it or dropping it off at the office. You can also join us on Facebook and post your responses to the application on our page. We truly believe in our mission of Sharing Smiles and the power of GIVING BACK. We are beyond excited to hear your stories, meet our finalists and choose ONE deserving individual to receive a SMILE MAKEOVER!

We are taking entries from 10/31/2016 until 12/02/2016. All applications must be received by December 2nd, 2016. We will announce three finalists on or around December 9th, 2016 and then we will announce the Grand Prize Winner on or around December 21st, 2016! Good luck to all of our applicants!

THE APPLICATION PERIOD HAS ENDED

Full Contest Rules

Healthy Teeth, Happy Heart. That's Sharing Smiles!

Not your typical 'cleaning'... What is a Debridement?

Occasionally, we have a patient in who hasn't been to see a dentist in a few years. Sometimes, this patient may need a service before they can have their prophylaxis, aka "cleaning". This service or treatment is called a debridement and we wanted to give a little more information about what this entails and why it is needed. 

Debridement: What is it and why do I need it?

Often times when we recommend debridement to a patient, their first question is “What is that?”. A debridement is defined as the “gross removal of plaque and calculus (tartar) that interfere with the ability of the dentist to perform a comprehensive oral examination”. What this means is that there is a buildup of plaque and calculus that has started to imbed itself in and around the gums and between the teeth. It is so much that the gum tissue is extremely inflamed and swollen and the buildup needs to be removed before the hygienist can complete the prophylaxis and sometimes even before the doctor can complete an exam. Essentially, it is a preliminary procedure that is needed to complete the additional procedures that are proposed for the patient. 

Why do I need it?

Often times this happens when a patient hasn’t had regular dental cleanings in quite some time and their at-home oral care routine is needing improvement. When the patient allows for this buildup to occur overtime, it can become very hard and makes it difficult for the dentist to gauge how your tooth structure andgum health are and what other issues might be lurking under the buildup of tartar. The buildup can not only grow on your teeth surfaces but also grow under the gum line on the roots of your teeth. During your appointment, your hygienist will use an electric scaler (piezoelectric scaler) to remove the calculus or tartar build up from your teeth. This machine uses vibration with water to break down the bonds of tarter and your teeth. In addition to pulverizing the calculus, the piezo can remove stain from your teeth surfaces, leaving your teeth clean and your gums able to heal. In some circumstances, patients may have heightened sensitivity in their mouth and around their gums due to the build up. In these circumstance, your hygienist can use anesthetic for your comfort. Just be sure to ask them!

How often will I need a debridement?

A debridement is not something a patient will get regularly. Ideally, a debridement only happens one time, to get a patient back to a healthy foundation and then we return to regular cleanings (or periodontal maintenance if there is gum disease present). Generally, it is done one time and one time only. 

What happens after?

After a debridement, your hygienist will usually teach you how to properly care for your teeth at home, brushing two times a day for two minutes each time and flossing once a day. Then she will schedule you for your next step or appointment (cleaning, periodontal maintenance, etc), approximately 4 to 6 weeks later. This gives your gums time to heal up if they were swollen, and time for you to improve your at-home care, so that when you return, both the hygienistand possibly the dentist, can clearly see what is going on in your mouth and make proper diagnosis and treatment recommendations.

A debridement is nothing to be scared of but we do hope that from it, we can help you to improve your overall dental health, which will undoubtedly improve your overall comprehensive health.

As always, if you ever have any questions about this treatment, or any treatment, please don’t hesitate to ask any one of us!

Join Us for the Pink Pumpkin Run!

This is the second year of the Pink Pumpkin Run and we kind of feel like the proud parents of this event! While the Pink Pumpkin Run committee has been running this for two years, the idea of painting the pumpkins pink and giving back to the breast cancer cause started right here in our office. 

Dr. Wilk's wife, Julie, is a breast cancer survivor of 6 years! Her and her daughter (our marketing director!), Erin, started painting pumpkins years ago and then the entire staff got involved. Since then, the Pink Pumpkin Run committee has taken it up a few notches, but we here at Grand Avenue Dental Care are still the HOT PINK SPONSORS and we still paint pumpkins and decorate the office in pink. This year, you will even see us donning some Pink Pumpkin Run scrubs in October as well to show our support! 

We whole-heartedly believe in the mission of the Pink Pumpkin Run: to help local families affected by breast cancer, by providing basic daily needs in the form of gift cards and services. We also hope to encourage, empower and inspire our community, and the families within it, through our efforts!

We encourage you to take part in the day's events by running, walking or signing your kids up for the new Kid's Dash this year! Or paint some pumpkins pink and donate them to the event. Lastly, you can go online and donate to their cause and know that ALL money raised is given back to local families who need it. 

If you have any questions about this great event or how you can get involved, don't hesitate to ask! For more information on the Pink Pumpkin Run OR to sign up, please visit their website or Facebook page:

www.PinkPumpkinRunHartford.com                          www.facebook.com/PinkPumpkinRun

To Floss or Not to Floss? That is the Question.

There has been much said in recent weeks about that pesky habit your dentist and hygienist talk to you about every time you go in for a visit with them. Recently the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) has decided to not include flossing in their five year recommendations. In an article from Associated Press (AP), it was stated that this was based on the fact that there are not enough dependable clinical studies that show major differences between patients who floss and those who don’t. So, the question is should you floss or should you not worry about it?

Now, let’s clarify something. 

First, the DGAC has said that their recommendation had little to do with a lack of evidence to support flossing and more to do with the fact that they were focusing more on food and nutrient intake: for example, added sugar.

Second, looking at the studies that the AP brought into question, none of them said that flossing had ANY negative effect at all. Rather, the results were “weak” and/or “unreliable”.  So the studies were still praising the activity of flossing, there were just “weak” connections to a healthy mouth and some unreliable conclusions. These studies are hard to do because to truly get strong and reliable results, one would need a group of people to NOT floss for a certain length of time, as well as need a group of people to floss consistently for that same amount of time. Both of these criteria are hard to guarantee and make the ‘ideal’ study hard to come by.

Lastly, both the American Dental Association (ADA) and the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) still continue to recommend flossing to everyone. Dentists and other health care professionals who see patients everyday and see the results of ‘proper oral hygiene’ versus ‘not caring for your teeth’, are still standing by the “floss once a day” standard. 

Our own Dr. Wilk weighed in on the matter, “Whether or not flossing is scientifically proven to fight plaque is of little consequence when I see patients on a daily basis who do and do not floss. I can tell you that those patients who floss have much better overall oral hygiene and a lower incidence of plaque and cavities between their teeth.”

Dr. Dowden estimated that of all the decay she diagnoses, “I would say that more than half is interproximal decay- decay between the teeth. It’s a major clinical problem.” 

While flossing is a cost effective, relatively easy and fast at-home treatment, we find that many of our patients don’t adhere to a consistent flossing routine, which in turn can lead to plaque build-up, cavities and sometimes gingivitis or periodontal disease.

At Grand Avenue Dental Care, we stand by the ADA and the AAP and recommend that our patients floss once a day, in addition to brushing for two minutes, two times a day. Perhaps there will be a study in the future that will strongly link flossing to a decrease in plaque build-up between teeth, but in the meantime, we see the results on a daily basis. We are confident that the practice of flossing your teeth is a good one and we encourage all of our patients to continue to make this a part of their daily routine. As always, if you have questions, please feel free to reach out to us or your dental health care professional.