Bacteria causes damage to your teeth by feeding on carbohydrates left on your teeth, organize themselves into colonies, called plaque, and excrete acid waste products. These acid waste products dissolve the enamel on your teeth resulting in a cavity. The acid waste products also cause gum disease.

This process of tooth decay is controlled or eliminated by brushing and flossing which never allows the bacteria to colonize (get organized) into plaque and raise the acid levels in your mouth to a point they can become harmful.

You can mimic this bacterial process by ingesting acidic foods on a daily basis, even if it is a small amount. Ingesting acidic foods 5 or more days a week will cause the same damage the bacteria causes resulting in cavities and gum disease. The higher the volume the more rapid the process. As little as a juice glass size of orange juice everyday will cause cavities and gum disease.

The most common source of dietary acids is the citrus family - oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes, and tomatoes or their juices found in other products. Citric acid is found in every artificial beverage made. It is the bulk filler used which is then colored, flavored, and given a name such as: Gatorade, Powerade, Kool-Aid, Sprite, Mellow Yellow, Mountain Dew, etc. None of the aforementioned drinks are in themselves bad for you. But, when you ingest them EVERYDAY (individually or in combination), this is when the destruction of your teeth and gums begin. Orange juice twice a week will not hurt your teeth.

A medical condition, acid reflux, can create the same problem.

Soda pop in volumes greater than 2 liters per day can have the same effect due to the acid in them.

Notice, up to this point, nothing has been mentioned about SUGAR! Remember, the bacteria has to convert sugar to acid. If you practice good oral hygiene, sugar never becomes a problem. But, if you ingest acid beverages or foods everyday, you are bathing your teeth in the end product - TOOTH DECAY and GUM DISEASE.

Symptoms that you are having this problem are small white marks on your teeth along the gum line, bleeding gums, never having a cavity-free checkup, fillings or crowns falling out, and loose teeth.

What is the Solution?

1. Stop all offending foods immediately.

2. Improve brushing and flossing habits. Especially, before bedtime.

3. Use Listerine toothpaste, if you are an adult and a fluoride toothpaste for children. Adults must add baking soda to their Listerine toothpaste by buying Listerine with baking soda or by dipping the brush and toothpaste in regular baking soda before brushing.

4. Floss.

5. Rinse your mouth thoroughly of all the loosened bacteria and plaque.

6. Finish with Listerine mouthwash.

7. At bedtime, do all of the above and add Phosphlur at the end, which may be obtained only from a pharmacist without a prescription. Use 1/2 the recommended dose on the bottle and lick your teeth and gums thoroughly. No more eating and drinking. Let this solution stay on your teeth while you sleep.

8. Keep regular dental check-ups so early detection of damage can be restored.

If you do this, it will be two years on average before you will stop getting cavities from acid damage. Don't do it, and you will suffer major damage to your teeth and gums, and will lose some or all of your teeth!

PAYMENT PLANS Short-term interest-free plans and longer-term plans with interest are available. You must fill out an application, which we supply, and apply with a third-party financial institution to qualify for the loan. Another service offered to our patients help them get the smile they deserve and want. Dental insurance is falling short, and you must invest to get the smile you want.

Cancelled
Appointments
Starting January 1, 2006, appointments not cancelled 24 hours in advance will be charged to the patient at the rate of $25 per half-hour of reserved appointment time.

The purpose of this new policy is based on the reason that missed appointments or last minute cancellations without giving us a chance to fill that time is the Number 1 reason for the increase in dental fees. Remember, when you do not attend your dental appointment which you reserved, there is still staff, utilities, and supplies that have been laid out for your appointment in advance that must be paid for, if you do not attend your appointment. These cannot be recovered when you miss. It would be unfair to raise the fees to the patients that are conscientious and attend their appointments or responsibly re-schedule them in advance of 24 hours.

Thankfully, most of our patients are very responsible with their appointment times, but there is a significantly growing number of patients who are not doing so well with attendance and not giving us 24-hours advance notice to allow the time and costs to be recovered.

If you realize you cannot attend your appointment, call the moment you realize it, and our receptionist will re-schedule your appointment. After hours, you can call our answering service which has a day and time stamp to verify the time of your call.

Thanks for your help in containing the costs of your dental treatment!

Whitening your teeth is not a permanent process. It must be done at various intervals to maintain the whiteness you desire.

There are three main processes to whiten your teeth:

1. Over the counter products you can obtain on your own:

2. Tray Systems from the dentist.

3. "One-Day Systems" only from a dentist

Over the counter products are limited in the concentration they are allowed to sell you as opposed to the concentration of solutions the dentist can use. Therefore, they are not as effective, and over time, actually cost more than the tray system from the dentist.

"One-Day whitening systems: can whiten your teeth very rapidly in one sitting. Remember, whitening is not permanent, and you must return periodically for "touch ups" at additional charges. Also, it can be very costly starting at $600 or higher with touch ups costing about $200. It is performed with professional strength solution in combination with a light or laser. The light or laser's only magic is that it warms the solution in your mouth causing the chemical reaction to occur faster. So, don't be deceived that laser whitening is magical or better and thus worth the money. Besides the cost factor, one day whitening will cause your teeth to be extremely sensitive to temperature for a long time. We have tried this in our office, and my teeth were sensitive for six months. My 16-year-old daughter broke into tears at her appointment. Her teeth hurt so much, we had to stop the procedure.

I have chosen the tray system with various professional concentrations during the process.