Griffin Smiles Giving Smiles

 

 

One of the greatest rewards of our profession is helping others acheive their goals. Granted, the goals we typically deal with are "keeping me teeth" or "staying healthy".  But, what about the people that don't come to our office.  They have goals, too.  Don't they?  The question is - can we help them?

 

Every member of our team has a huge heart for helping others. And we wanted to find a way to help those that live beyond the doors of our practice.  So, we are starting a charity campaign for the remainder of 2013.  Because we want everyone to be involved, we are impowering our patients to help drive our donations.  We will select charities that have a direct impact in our community.  We will focus on one charity for three months at a time.  To help us raise awareness and donations, we will ask our patients to check-in on facebook during their appointments.  Then we will donate five dollars for every check-in during the campaign.  So, for the months of April, May and June, we will donate $5 per check in to the National Federation of the Blind of Oklahoma.

 

Why NFB of Oklahoma?  We have a team member directly impacted by blindness.  Until I knew her and her husband, I was unaware of the profound impact of vision loss.  Not just the loss of sight, but the impact on the lifestyle of the blind and their families.   The NFB improves blind people's lives through advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs encouraging independence and self-confidence. It is the leading force in the blindness field today and the voice of the nation's blind.  And, there is an Edmond chapter meeting our local criteria!!

 

To learn more about the National Federation of the Blind visit: https://nfb.org/

 

Please help Griffin Smiles, Give Smiles as we share our blessings with others.



Dental Amalgam. Where do we stand?

Today Dr. Oz is doing a segment on dental amalgam.  Dental amalgam - the silver or black fillings - are a mixture of several metals, one of which is mercury.  These types of fillings were banned in many European countries in the 1990's when Dr. Griffin was in dental school.  The ADA has remained firm in their stance that dental amalgams are safe.  Yet, Dr. Griffin made the choice over 14 years ago to have an "amalgam free" practice. 

There was a shift in dental sciences following the ban of dental amalgam in so many countries.  The white composite resin materials were initially unstable and often unreliable.  Since this ban and the investment of dental material companies in the improvement of mercury-free filling materials, the predictability of these materials has greatly improved - often surpassing the amalgam as the material of choice for the replacement of missing tooth structure.  These white fillings are made of either a resin with glass particles or entirely of a crystalline, ceramic structure and are bonded directly to teeth with means that can fortify a tooth.  Since these are bonded to a tooth, they help preserve tooth structure as the dental amalgam fillings require additional tooth removal to create undercuts for retention.

For fourteen years we have been striving to provide excellent care for our patients.  And we have done so without placing new dental amalgams in teeth.  The decision to electively remove existing amalgams remains in the hands of the patient - that is never our recommendation.  We only recommend removing an existing amalgam when there is evidence of decay, fracture or breakdown. 

The Dr. Oz show hasn't run yet this afternoon.  We are taping it and are looking forward to watching it.  Much of it may seem sensational.  But some of it may hit home. 

About Dr. Phoebe – The New Dentist

Dr. Phoebe Brown joined our team a few short months ago. She is a rising superstar, but you can read all the “usual” information about her on our website. Here is the “rest of the story.”

Most young dentists are ready to go take on the world with four years of clinical work at the dental school. That is fine, but there are other options.

I met Dr. Phoebe when she was nearing the end of her training at the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry (OUCOD) more than two years ago. I urged Dr. Phoebe to apply for and ultimately become a resident at the Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) program at OUCOD. Okay, we know you are asking what does that mean.

AEGD is a year of advanced learning; diagnosing and treating complex cases in an academic environment. The OU AEGD is very special to me as I completed the program a very long time ago, and I still serve on the faculty.

I have watched Dr. Phoebe work and grow in the two years since we met, and I look forward to working closely with her in the years to come. Over dinners and meetings, we feel we can forge a long-term partnership. I hope she is as thrilled as I am.

Another great thing is there are many different aspects of dentistry.  She has allowed us to expand our treatment options for you, our patients. For example, what we call “endo” – the dreaded root canal. I don’t like to do them. Dr. Phoebe loves them and her outcomes are really good. 

One very interesting question keeps popping us since Phoebe joined our team. I believe it is VERY important to address this and clear things up – once and for all. Yes, we favor each other, but no we are not related.

 

Shannon Griffin, DMD

 

Click here to learn more OU’s AEGD program - OU AEGD

Fall into CHANGE - its new and fun!

Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer, and we just can’t believe 2012 is flying by so fast.  Before we even blink the leaves will be changing as the trees prepare for winter.  While 2012 has gone by quickly, it has also been very busy. What a great year we are having. 

 

Our dental home has two significant areas of growth and change this year:

• A new website. Thanks to the amazing work by the team at Liquidfish. They are great, and we love what they have done for us. We hope you do too.  Visit www.griffinsmiles.com and take a look around.
• Dr. Phoebe Brown has graciously joined our team. We are certain that you will grow to love her the way that we do. We couldn't be more thrilled.

Holidays can be a great time to reflect, look back and plan for the future.  At Griffin Smiles, we are honored to have great patients and a great team– many of whom we consider friends.

We are excited about Dr. Phoebe, the new website and all the amazing things our futures hold. So from all of us, have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend

Shannon Griffin, DMD

 

Can Tooth Brushing Go Bad?

Most of my dental patients are relatively healthy and want to stay that way. Did you know that when it comes to brushing your teeth that sometimes too much of "good" thing can be damaging?

 

A big red flag that a patient needs coaching in brushing is sensitivity. Typically this patient schedules an emergency visit or has waited until their regular hygiene appointment to discuss this excruciating sensitivity to hot, cold, and sometimes sweets. Rarely does the pain persist after the stimulant (hot, cold or sweet) is gone. And, often, the sensitivity is worst when brushing their teeth or drinking.

Of course, when we think of sensitivity we think of cavities (decay). But not all sensitive teeth have cavities.

We search for the source of sensitivity in a thorough evaluation. In the absence of decay, 99 times out of 100 the sensitivity is isolated to the area where the crown meets the root. Often there is recession (gum loss) exposing this area to the oral environment. Root surfaces are very soft when compared their tooth crown counterparts. By scrubbing this soft tooth structure with a tooth brush combined with the abrasives found in tooth paste it is possible to actually sweep away some of the crystalline surface of the root leaving a highly porous surface that has a direct line to the nerve. Every time hot, cold or sweets comes into contact with this area it sends a zinger to the nerve and OUCH – tooth pain.

Here are a few things you can do to prevent or reduce this type of sensitivity:

1. Choose a "soft" or "very soft" bristle tooth brush.
   
2. AVOID long HORIZONTAL brushing strokes. Focus on creating vertical or circular brush strokes.
   
3. Quit using tooth paste in that area. Brush with a wet tooth brush in that area (dipped in Listerine is a good start), then apply the tooth paste and brush in the rest of your mouth.
   

On our side, we will look at the following – if the sensitivity persists:

1. We may need to check your BITE.
   
2. We always evaluate your gums for recession. Sometimes treatment will help if the gum tissue is thin or frail.
   
3. If all else fails, we can apply a desensitizer to the area that will temporarily bring relief. But, without addressing the way you brush or any problems with your bite – this will only be a temporary fix.
   

   
    

Can I wait until next year?

This time of year I hear this question just about every single working day. And, this may surprise most of my dental peers – but my answer is always "Sure." In our dental family, our patients are always in control of their treatment. So, to wait until next year is ultimately their decision. This is the season for utilizing insurance benefits if they remain – and making the decision to wait for benefits to renew if this year's benefit has been maximized. There are times; however, I feel this is not the best advice.

1. When treatment needs exceed the allowable for next year, too. Insurance allowable benefits have remained the same for decades. Literally. We are starting to see some annual benefits creep up, but they were so far behind on the cost of actual dental treatments the difference is negligible. If insurance allows $1500 a year for dental treatment and the remaining estimated cost of treatment is $3000 there will be an additional out of pocket expense. In these cases to wait doesn't gain us any financial benefit. It is better for our team to find a way to spread the estimated cost into balanced payments so that our patients can get the treatment they want, need and deserve.
   
2. Postponing treatment jeopardizes outcome. Often patient's have advanced disease that needs immediate attention. Cases such as deep decay, painful gum infections and painful toothaches. Mouth pain most often is related to bacterial infection. Bacteria live and thrive in warm, dark places like under the gums and inside teeth that have been weakened by decay. This pain can be relieved with the use of antibiotics. But, seldom is the source of the infection alleviated and once the antibiotics have run their course, the infection quickly returns and often with much nastier results. We live in a world where we hear about drug resistant strains of bacteria developing. And this is how it starts. We have an infection; we reduce the infection with the antibiotics. But, since we don't remove 100% of the bacteria, some of those are likely to be resistant to the antibiotic. When the medicine kills all the bugs that are susceptible to that particular medicine, only the resistant ones are left to infiltrate the infected area. We get bigger, meaner colonies of bacteria. And these are harder to alleviate later. So, in painful situations directly related to bacterial infection, I will follow my "Sure" answer with a "but….".
   
3. It's been years, Doc. Wow. I honor and appreciate those folks that have worked up the nerve to get to the dentist after years of fear. This is similar to a fear of flying – or falling off a horse. Many times to wait another three months will put this person right back in the holding pattern they just overcame. Finding the right steps to take for this patient are critical in making sure they proceed toward complete treatment. In these instances, let's make a plan to bite of a little at a time and keep taking small steps forward.