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BLOG ARTICLES FROM KARI ANN HONG, DDS
 | Kari Ann Hong is a General and Cosmetic Dentist at Thousand Oaks Family Dentistry. She focuses on family dental care and graduated from UCLA School of Dentistry in 2003. |
When children get cavities they are quicker to appear and
faster in their progression than cavities on an adult. Mostly this
has to do with the anatomy of a baby tooth versus a permanent
tooth. I recommend that children start seeing the dentist at age
one and then every six months thereafter. It is much easier to fill
a small cavity then to deal with a large hole on a tooth.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of seeing a six year old girl that had a hole in-between two of her baby teeth. I had seen her last week to attempt to fix the hole, but it was a no go. Yesterday I was successful in filling the cavity and it brought to mind some important points on treating children: parent selection, timing, patience, and choices.
Parent selection is a key factor. As parents we bring our own anxieties with us to the dental office and we are experts at transferring these anxieties to our children. In the case of my six year old patient, it was her father that had brought her the week prior. The dad has a severe gag reflex and previous traumatic dental experiences. While he was being supportive of getting the cavity fixed, there was an aura of "is this going to hurt my daughter?" in the room. The mom was much more relaxed and matter of fact. From the onset of the appointment yesterday the mom's attitude was that we were going to get the cavity filled.
Timing when treating children makes a huge difference. If your kid is cranky or tired at certain times of day, then that is a bad time to be doing dentistry. For instance, my four year old is exhausted by 3 or 4 in the afternoon. He is much harder to reason with at that time of day. Early in the morning my son has boundless energy and he has a hard time sitting still. The best time to treat most kids is mid morning or after lunch. Also, it is important to keep in mind that when you are numb it is hard to eat and kids are more likely to bite their cheeks when numb. Thus, is important that your child is well fed before having a cavity filled.
Patience is the answer to finishing all types of dental treatment. It is important to take the time to walk a child through the steps of the procedure. In addition it is necessary to wait for them to overcome the crying that comes with anxiety of not knowing what is going to happen next. At the beginning of the appointment, my six year old patient was crying and refused to open her mouth. Once she realized that her tooth was going to get filled no matter what and I fully explained each step, she stopped crying and opened her mouth.
Choices are a funny thing when it comes to kids. The appointment with the six year old went something like this, "we can use this white and pink Mr. Thirsty or this clear Mr. Thirsty.". The point being that one way or another I needed suction while cleaning out the sugar bugs. Then I used a blue liquid, followed by a glue that was hardened by a blue light saver light and topped off with a white liquid that filled the hole. Success!
Kari Ann Hong, DDS1000 Newbury Rd. #190Thousand Oaks, CA 91320www.thousandoaksfamilydentistry.com
Yesterday I had the pleasure of seeing a six year old girl that had a hole in-between two of her baby teeth. I had seen her last week to attempt to fix the hole, but it was a no go. Yesterday I was successful in filling the cavity and it brought to mind some important points on treating children: parent selection, timing, patience, and choices.
Parent selection is a key factor. As parents we bring our own anxieties with us to the dental office and we are experts at transferring these anxieties to our children. In the case of my six year old patient, it was her father that had brought her the week prior. The dad has a severe gag reflex and previous traumatic dental experiences. While he was being supportive of getting the cavity fixed, there was an aura of "is this going to hurt my daughter?" in the room. The mom was much more relaxed and matter of fact. From the onset of the appointment yesterday the mom's attitude was that we were going to get the cavity filled.
Timing when treating children makes a huge difference. If your kid is cranky or tired at certain times of day, then that is a bad time to be doing dentistry. For instance, my four year old is exhausted by 3 or 4 in the afternoon. He is much harder to reason with at that time of day. Early in the morning my son has boundless energy and he has a hard time sitting still. The best time to treat most kids is mid morning or after lunch. Also, it is important to keep in mind that when you are numb it is hard to eat and kids are more likely to bite their cheeks when numb. Thus, is important that your child is well fed before having a cavity filled.
Patience is the answer to finishing all types of dental treatment. It is important to take the time to walk a child through the steps of the procedure. In addition it is necessary to wait for them to overcome the crying that comes with anxiety of not knowing what is going to happen next. At the beginning of the appointment, my six year old patient was crying and refused to open her mouth. Once she realized that her tooth was going to get filled no matter what and I fully explained each step, she stopped crying and opened her mouth.
Choices are a funny thing when it comes to kids. The appointment with the six year old went something like this, "we can use this white and pink Mr. Thirsty or this clear Mr. Thirsty.". The point being that one way or another I needed suction while cleaning out the sugar bugs. Then I used a blue liquid, followed by a glue that was hardened by a blue light saver light and topped off with a white liquid that filled the hole. Success!
Kari Ann Hong, DDS1000 Newbury Rd. #190Thousand Oaks, CA 91320www.thousandoaksfamilydentistry.com
Did you know that if you have sleep apnea that it can shorten
your lifespan by 7 to 8 years? Did you know that having sleep apnea
puts you at greater risk for stroke or heart attack?
Obstructive sleep apnea is defined as someone that stops breathing while sleeping. Sometimes this can be accompanied by loud snoring. The cessation of breathing is caused by muscles in the throat area relaxing and the tongue falling back in the throat, blocking the airway. The severity of sleep apnea is defined by the number of times per hour someone stops breathing in their sleep. Someone with severe sleep apnea stops breathing more than 25 times per hour while they are sleeping. The body subconsciously wakes up when it realizes it isn't breathing, leaving the person to wake up the next morning feeling unrefreshed.
My dad has sleep apnea. In his quest to treat his own condition he took a continuing education class on treating sleep apnea with dental appliances. After taking the class, he decided to invest in an airway evaluation device as well some take home sleep monitors. In the past couple of months he has successfully treated a number of mild to moderate sleep apnea patients with dental appliances. (If someone is found to have severe sleep apnea, then a continuous positive airway pressure machine is recommended.)
As a part of our sleep apnea screening we ask the following questions:
1. Are you likely to fall asleep or doze off if you are:
a. Sitting and reading
b. Sitting in a public place
c. Driving a car stopped for a few minutes in traffic
d. Sitting down quietly after lunch without alcohol
e. Watching TV
f. As a passenger in a car for one hour
g. Sitting and talking to someone
h. Lying down to rest in the afternoon
2. Have you gained 15 pounds or more in the last six months?
3. Have you ever been told that you snore?
4. Does your snoring occur almost every night?
5. Would you or someone hearing you sleep consider your snoring louder than a person talking?
If you answer yes to two or more of the above questions, then you could be at risk for sleep apnea and an evaluation of your airway opening would be a good idea.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Rd. #190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.thousandoaksfamilydentistry.com
Obstructive sleep apnea is defined as someone that stops breathing while sleeping. Sometimes this can be accompanied by loud snoring. The cessation of breathing is caused by muscles in the throat area relaxing and the tongue falling back in the throat, blocking the airway. The severity of sleep apnea is defined by the number of times per hour someone stops breathing in their sleep. Someone with severe sleep apnea stops breathing more than 25 times per hour while they are sleeping. The body subconsciously wakes up when it realizes it isn't breathing, leaving the person to wake up the next morning feeling unrefreshed.
My dad has sleep apnea. In his quest to treat his own condition he took a continuing education class on treating sleep apnea with dental appliances. After taking the class, he decided to invest in an airway evaluation device as well some take home sleep monitors. In the past couple of months he has successfully treated a number of mild to moderate sleep apnea patients with dental appliances. (If someone is found to have severe sleep apnea, then a continuous positive airway pressure machine is recommended.)
As a part of our sleep apnea screening we ask the following questions:
1. Are you likely to fall asleep or doze off if you are:
a. Sitting and reading
b. Sitting in a public place
c. Driving a car stopped for a few minutes in traffic
d. Sitting down quietly after lunch without alcohol
e. Watching TV
f. As a passenger in a car for one hour
g. Sitting and talking to someone
h. Lying down to rest in the afternoon
2. Have you gained 15 pounds or more in the last six months?
3. Have you ever been told that you snore?
4. Does your snoring occur almost every night?
5. Would you or someone hearing you sleep consider your snoring louder than a person talking?
If you answer yes to two or more of the above questions, then you could be at risk for sleep apnea and an evaluation of your airway opening would be a good idea.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Rd. #190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.thousandoaksfamilydentistry.com
Cavity prevention with mouthwash
I pulled this pH scale image from the CariFree website. What is CariFree? CariFree is an entire product line of mouthwashes, toothpastes, gum, and mouth sprays that were developed to have basic pH content, xylitol, and fluoride. The most impressive part of their product line is the mouthwashes. They have a CariFree treatment rinse and a CariFree maintenance rinse. What sets apart the CariFree rinses from others on the market is that they are basic in their pH. The CariFree system of products is a relatively new product line and something that I have only had in my office since May of this year.
I have a patient that has recently been struggling with dry mouth and tooth decay. We set up an appointment so we could further discuss treatment options for prevention of future tooth decay. My patient took it upon himself to bring in some pH strips and the Biotene and ACT brands of mouthwashes to his appointment. I was surprised to find out that the Biotene rinse was a 4.5 pH which is quite acidic. The ACT brand was neutral at 7.0 pH.
It is scary that a rinse like Biotene which is marketed to dentists as a treatment for dry mouth, could actually be causing more harm due to its acidic content. It would be like rinsing your mouth with 7-UP soda. There are many other mouthwashes out there that contain alchohol which apparently is meant to kill bacteria, but it leaves the mouth dry which ultimately encourages bacterial growth.
Since we started distributing the CariFree rinse in May, I have had a number of patients use the rinses. The most common testimonial I hear is that it helps with dry mouth and it makes the teeth feel cleaner.
My recommendation to my patients is that if you are going to use an over the counter rinse, the ACT rinse is your best bet. It has fluoride and it is at least neutral in its pH. If you want a rinse that will help neutralize the mouth and stop de-mineralizing your teeth, then I recommend taking a look at the CariFree product line.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS1000 Newbury Rd. #190Thousand Oaks, CA 91320www.thousandoaksfamilydentistry.com
There are three groups of people that tend to get new
cavities on a routine basis. The first group are children under 10,
the second group is teenagers, and the last group is mature adults
(the 60 and over crowd). My least favorite thing to do in my office
is to inform someone that they have another cavity.
On a routine basis now I am asking a couple of key questions as part of my patient health history review. The purpose of the questions is to initiate a dialog as to what causes tooth decay and how to prevent it from happening in the first place.
The risk assessment for cavities includes the following: Acidic beverages, frequent snacking, inadequate salivary flow, appliances present, deep pits and fissures, hyposalivary medications, visible plaque, cavity in the last three years, visible cavitations and radiographic lesions.
Basically in order to get a cavity, something acidic sits next to the tooth structure and eats away at the tooth structure to form a hole in the tooth. What we eat and drink and how often we eat and drink it plays a large role in how much acidity is in our mouth. Anything other than water such as: soda, juice, energy drinks, vitamin waters, and carbonated beverages are acidic. Anything dry, pasty or sugary contributes to the food particles staying in the mouth for a longer period of time. The solution when it comes to tooth decay, is to limit food consumption to meal time and only drink water outside of meal times.
Braces, inadequate salivary flow, deep pits and grooves on the teeth, and lots of plaque on the teeth are all things that contribute to the acidity having an easier time to stay next to the teeth for a longer period of time. I recommend an electric tooth brush for all of my patients, as well as a daily flossing routine in order to maximize the cleanliness of the teeth.
A cavity in the last three years, visible cavitations, and radiographic lesions are important because it means that the cavities are significant enough that they must be removed and filled by the dentist. Even though a tooth has had a filling or a crown, it can still get new tooth decay in the future. Basically any part of exposed tooth structure is susceptible to tooth decay.
Wonder why the three age groups I mentioned at the beginning tend to get the most new cavities? The under age 10 group is at risk because of drinking milk right before bedtime or other non-water beverages throughout the day, eating sugary snacks and candies like gummies or fruit rolls, and not being able to effectively brush or floss their own teeth. The teenager crowd is at risk because of braces, consuming large amounts of alcohol and not brushing before bedtime, and snacking or drinking awakening beverages while studying. The mature adult is at risk because of the medications that they take that changes their body chemistry and dries out the mouth.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Rd. #190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.thousandoaksfamilydentistry.com
On a routine basis now I am asking a couple of key questions as part of my patient health history review. The purpose of the questions is to initiate a dialog as to what causes tooth decay and how to prevent it from happening in the first place.
The risk assessment for cavities includes the following: Acidic beverages, frequent snacking, inadequate salivary flow, appliances present, deep pits and fissures, hyposalivary medications, visible plaque, cavity in the last three years, visible cavitations and radiographic lesions.
Basically in order to get a cavity, something acidic sits next to the tooth structure and eats away at the tooth structure to form a hole in the tooth. What we eat and drink and how often we eat and drink it plays a large role in how much acidity is in our mouth. Anything other than water such as: soda, juice, energy drinks, vitamin waters, and carbonated beverages are acidic. Anything dry, pasty or sugary contributes to the food particles staying in the mouth for a longer period of time. The solution when it comes to tooth decay, is to limit food consumption to meal time and only drink water outside of meal times.
Braces, inadequate salivary flow, deep pits and grooves on the teeth, and lots of plaque on the teeth are all things that contribute to the acidity having an easier time to stay next to the teeth for a longer period of time. I recommend an electric tooth brush for all of my patients, as well as a daily flossing routine in order to maximize the cleanliness of the teeth.
A cavity in the last three years, visible cavitations, and radiographic lesions are important because it means that the cavities are significant enough that they must be removed and filled by the dentist. Even though a tooth has had a filling or a crown, it can still get new tooth decay in the future. Basically any part of exposed tooth structure is susceptible to tooth decay.
Wonder why the three age groups I mentioned at the beginning tend to get the most new cavities? The under age 10 group is at risk because of drinking milk right before bedtime or other non-water beverages throughout the day, eating sugary snacks and candies like gummies or fruit rolls, and not being able to effectively brush or floss their own teeth. The teenager crowd is at risk because of braces, consuming large amounts of alcohol and not brushing before bedtime, and snacking or drinking awakening beverages while studying. The mature adult is at risk because of the medications that they take that changes their body chemistry and dries out the mouth.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Rd. #190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.thousandoaksfamilydentistry.com
We are launching our new website design this week for
Thousand Oaks Family Dentistry. The new site will feature patient
reviews, commonly asked questions, services we provide, online
appointment requests, and a video of our practice. I am excited
about our latest improvements to our internet presence. I think the
website gives a great snapshot of my office.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Rd. #190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.thousandoaksfamilydentistry.com
My goal in patient care is to provide personalized, individual care to each of my patients. Also, I believe in respecting people's time, so I don't double book and I do my best to run on time all day. I make treatment recommendations based on a comprehensive approach to patient care. I want all of my patients to be able to achieve optimal dental health.
Take a look at my new website and let me know what you think!
drhong@thousandoaksfamilydentistry.com
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Rd. #190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.thousandoaksfamilydentistry.com
With two young kids, I have baby teeth on my mind. Children
usually get twenty teeth by the age of two, ten on top and ten on
bottom. The first baby teeth a child gets are the lower two central
incisors. The first adult teeth a child gets are the lower first
molars and they come in behind the baby teeth. The first teeth a
child looses are the lower incisors and that usually happens after
adult molars erupt.
As a mom I worry that my kids will end up with poor skeletal/tooth/facial development and that they will get cavities. Prevention is always the best medicine in dentistry. It is always easier to stop something from happening then to fix it once it has happened. When it comes to facial development, the biggest problems are bottles, pacifiers, and thumb sucking. Any of these things by themselves can cause a significant overjet of the upper teeth over the lower teeth. I recommend stopping bottle and pacifier use by age one. Thumb sucking is the most difficult thing to prevent because as a parent you can't take that away. If a child hasn't stopped sucking their thumb by age 4 or 5, then there is a dental appliance that can be placed to prevent the thumb from sitting comfortably in the mouth.
The easiest way to prevent cavities in children is to watch what they are eating and drinking. It is important to limit milk and juice consumption to meal times. I recommend never purchasing soda for daily consumption. Foods that are sticky in consistency like gummy fruits or candies should be avoided at snack time, because chances are that sugar will stay adhered to the teeth until they are brushed next.
Kids are difficult and frequently have minds of their own where they don't want to do what we want. Fortunately, I have made it past the bottle/pacifier/thumb sucking stage with my own children. It is a constant struggle to make sure they are well fed and that I am keeping their teeth clean.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
As a mom I worry that my kids will end up with poor skeletal/tooth/facial development and that they will get cavities. Prevention is always the best medicine in dentistry. It is always easier to stop something from happening then to fix it once it has happened. When it comes to facial development, the biggest problems are bottles, pacifiers, and thumb sucking. Any of these things by themselves can cause a significant overjet of the upper teeth over the lower teeth. I recommend stopping bottle and pacifier use by age one. Thumb sucking is the most difficult thing to prevent because as a parent you can't take that away. If a child hasn't stopped sucking their thumb by age 4 or 5, then there is a dental appliance that can be placed to prevent the thumb from sitting comfortably in the mouth.
The easiest way to prevent cavities in children is to watch what they are eating and drinking. It is important to limit milk and juice consumption to meal times. I recommend never purchasing soda for daily consumption. Foods that are sticky in consistency like gummy fruits or candies should be avoided at snack time, because chances are that sugar will stay adhered to the teeth until they are brushed next.
Kids are difficult and frequently have minds of their own where they don't want to do what we want. Fortunately, I have made it past the bottle/pacifier/thumb sucking stage with my own children. It is a constant struggle to make sure they are well fed and that I am keeping their teeth clean.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
I remove amalgams from teeth on a daily basis as a dentist.
The reasons why I remove amalgams vary from new decay around an
existing amalgam; a patient doesn't like the way the amalgam looks
and would like something tooth colored; the amalgam or the tooth
with the amalgam broke and the tooth needs a crown; the tooth has
an existing crown with decay and the old buildup in the tooth was
amalgam.
Recently I was asked the following questions by a potential new patient and I thought others might be interested in the questions and my responses.
Here are the questions:
How long have you been doing safe amalgam removal? Did you have to have special training in this procedure? Do you do any kind of health assessment on the patient before starting? Do you recommend any supplements before and after removal? Do you check the electrical potential of the fillings to determine where to start? I understand you use a rubber dam. Do you have a special vacuum or vapor control system? Do you use an electric drill or an air turbine drill? How much time do you recommend between extractions?
Here was my answer:
I have been doing safe amalgam removal since completing dental school at UCLA in 2003. I use an electric handpiece with sufficient water spray to minimize the mercury vapors when removing amalgams. I do all amalgam removals with a rubber dam and high speed evacuation. When removing amalgam fillings I do so by quadrants of the mouth and I start in the quadrant that has fillings with underlying decay or breakdown of the existing amalgam. I recommend waiting at least a week between quadrants. Sometimes a tooth can be sensitive after an amalgam is removed and a new tooth colored filling is placed. It is important to make sure the teeth have fully recovered and are feeling good before any further work is done. I leave it up to the patient to decide how they want to spread out the treatment. I recommend to all my patients that they take a multi-vitamin, but nothing in particular for amalgam removal.
I have a patient that is currently being treated for high levels of mercury and lead in her system. She only has three fillings in her adult teeth and none of them are amalgams. The patient doesn't know how she ended up with such high levels of mercury or lead in her system. The patient is seeing an internal medicine doctor that has been placing her on a drug called Dimercaptosuccinic acid ( DMSA). Also, the doctor recommends taking mineral supplements, specifically Vitamin C. Prior to this treatment, the doctor recommends her patients have any amalgams in the mouths removed so as not to counteract her treatment protocol. The treatment with the DMSA is closely monitored with urine tests to see if the levels of mercury decrease.
I can be reached via the contact page on my website familycaredentists.com with any further questions.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
Recently I was asked the following questions by a potential new patient and I thought others might be interested in the questions and my responses.
Here are the questions:
How long have you been doing safe amalgam removal? Did you have to have special training in this procedure? Do you do any kind of health assessment on the patient before starting? Do you recommend any supplements before and after removal? Do you check the electrical potential of the fillings to determine where to start? I understand you use a rubber dam. Do you have a special vacuum or vapor control system? Do you use an electric drill or an air turbine drill? How much time do you recommend between extractions?
Here was my answer:
I have been doing safe amalgam removal since completing dental school at UCLA in 2003. I use an electric handpiece with sufficient water spray to minimize the mercury vapors when removing amalgams. I do all amalgam removals with a rubber dam and high speed evacuation. When removing amalgam fillings I do so by quadrants of the mouth and I start in the quadrant that has fillings with underlying decay or breakdown of the existing amalgam. I recommend waiting at least a week between quadrants. Sometimes a tooth can be sensitive after an amalgam is removed and a new tooth colored filling is placed. It is important to make sure the teeth have fully recovered and are feeling good before any further work is done. I leave it up to the patient to decide how they want to spread out the treatment. I recommend to all my patients that they take a multi-vitamin, but nothing in particular for amalgam removal.
I have a patient that is currently being treated for high levels of mercury and lead in her system. She only has three fillings in her adult teeth and none of them are amalgams. The patient doesn't know how she ended up with such high levels of mercury or lead in her system. The patient is seeing an internal medicine doctor that has been placing her on a drug called Dimercaptosuccinic acid ( DMSA). Also, the doctor recommends taking mineral supplements, specifically Vitamin C. Prior to this treatment, the doctor recommends her patients have any amalgams in the mouths removed so as not to counteract her treatment protocol. The treatment with the DMSA is closely monitored with urine tests to see if the levels of mercury decrease.
I can be reached via the contact page on my website familycaredentists.com with any further questions.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
Sleep Training My 11 Month Old
I know it is wrong to compare your kids, but my two and a
half year old started sleeping through the night at 10 months of
age. My 11 month old will be 12 months in 20 days and he is still
waking up every 3 hours during the night. I decided last night that
enough was enough and I was going to sleep train my child.
The problem with my baby is that he throws up when he gets really upset. He does it on 45 minute commutes, he does it when a stranger holds him, and he does it when you try to get him to sleep on his own. I decided last night to let him throw up and I decided to let him sleep in his throw up. I put him to bed at 8pm and by 8:10pm he had thrown up and by 8:30pm he had fallen sleep with his head upright, leaning against the wall of his bed. He then proceeded to wake up at 11:30pm and 3pm. At 11:30pm I tried to feed him and helped him go back to sleep. At 3pm I let him cry himself back to sleep, which took about 10 minutes. This morning he woke up at 6am and he was a perfectly happy child all day. Overall I think the night went quite well. The only problem was that my two and half year old woke up at all the times the baby woke up and he was very concerned that I was letting his brother cry.
So tonight I left the older one with his grandparents and I am on night two of my sleep training. I put the baby to bed at 8:10 and he cried until only 8:20 and he didn't throw up! The sleep training appears to be working.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
The problem with my baby is that he throws up when he gets really upset. He does it on 45 minute commutes, he does it when a stranger holds him, and he does it when you try to get him to sleep on his own. I decided last night to let him throw up and I decided to let him sleep in his throw up. I put him to bed at 8pm and by 8:10pm he had thrown up and by 8:30pm he had fallen sleep with his head upright, leaning against the wall of his bed. He then proceeded to wake up at 11:30pm and 3pm. At 11:30pm I tried to feed him and helped him go back to sleep. At 3pm I let him cry himself back to sleep, which took about 10 minutes. This morning he woke up at 6am and he was a perfectly happy child all day. Overall I think the night went quite well. The only problem was that my two and half year old woke up at all the times the baby woke up and he was very concerned that I was letting his brother cry.
So tonight I left the older one with his grandparents and I am on night two of my sleep training. I put the baby to bed at 8:10 and he cried until only 8:20 and he didn't throw up! The sleep training appears to be working.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
I was watching the
Olympics last night and was pleasantly
surprised to see the male ski jumpers
wearing
mouthguards. The sport looks
inherently dangerous. The
athletes speed down a ramp, jump high
in the air, do
ariel flips, and then must quickly
look for the ground to land on their skis. According to an article
in the California Dental Association journal,
mouthguards are recommended for the
following
Olympic events: ice hockey, slalom
skiing, aerials, skeleton, basketball, field hockey, boxing,
martial arts, volleyball,
cylcing, water polo and soccer. The
type of
mouthguard recommended is a dentist
made pressure-laminated
mouthguard.
In my dental practice I make the pressure-laminated type mouthguard for high school students participating in football, wrestling, soccer, field hockey, and water polo. It is a shame that mouthguards are not mandated in more sports. Sports like ski jumping and football have noticeable dangers that athletes are trying to protect against. The wearing of mouthguards in such sports is expected and accepted by the athletes. It is the sports like soccer and basketball where athletes don't see the need to wear a mouthguard.
I have seen the damage from two soccer related injuries, inflicted by another player. One was a nineteen year old girl that was playing soccer on the weekend with an adult league team. She had one of her front central teeth knocked out. The other one was my fifteen year old cousin. He had his two front teeth knocked inwards during a high school soccer game. An oral surgeon was able to reposition the bone around the teeth, but the teeth themselves died and had to have root canals. Both of these injuries were totally preventable.
Pressure-laminated mouthguards save teeth, prevent broken jaw bones and reduce the risk of injury to the jaw joint. If you play a sport where there is any physical contact with another person or potential contact with a moving object, then you should be wearing a mouthguard!
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
In my dental practice I make the pressure-laminated type mouthguard for high school students participating in football, wrestling, soccer, field hockey, and water polo. It is a shame that mouthguards are not mandated in more sports. Sports like ski jumping and football have noticeable dangers that athletes are trying to protect against. The wearing of mouthguards in such sports is expected and accepted by the athletes. It is the sports like soccer and basketball where athletes don't see the need to wear a mouthguard.
I have seen the damage from two soccer related injuries, inflicted by another player. One was a nineteen year old girl that was playing soccer on the weekend with an adult league team. She had one of her front central teeth knocked out. The other one was my fifteen year old cousin. He had his two front teeth knocked inwards during a high school soccer game. An oral surgeon was able to reposition the bone around the teeth, but the teeth themselves died and had to have root canals. Both of these injuries were totally preventable.
Pressure-laminated mouthguards save teeth, prevent broken jaw bones and reduce the risk of injury to the jaw joint. If you play a sport where there is any physical contact with another person or potential contact with a moving object, then you should be wearing a mouthguard!
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
Happy New Year Dental Resolutions
I am back at work today after a week and a half long
vacation. So far it has been a slow morning at the office. In the
couple of weeks prior to the holidays the phone was ringing
constantly and it seemed like everyone had a dental emergency.
Today it is quiet, like the calm after the storm.
New Years is all about resolutions. I have some dental new year resolution suggestions for 2010.
1. Buy an electric tooth brush. Electric tooth brushes are the best at removing plaque and keeping gums healthy. They prevent tartar build up and give teeth a smooth polished feeling. Patients that I see six months after they have started using an electric tooth brush always have cleaner mouths. Costco has the best deals on electric brushes- they sell the Oral B and the Sonicare brands.
2. Floss once a day. I am sure you have heard the old saying that you only need to floss the ones you want to keep. Flossing helps removed plaque between the teeth and around the gum line. Daily flossing prevents cavities between the teeth and makes the gums and bone that hold the teeth in the mouth much healthier.
3. Bleach your teeth. There are so many affordable ways to have a whiter brighter smile. My favorite is ZOOM! Whitening. After about an hour of in office ZOOM! Whitening you will have whiter teeth. Current price for this procedure is $200!
4. Stop bad habits. Smoking and drinking soda are the two biggest culprits of dental problems. Smoking can lead to severe gum disease, as well as cancers of the mouth and throat. Drinking soda throughout the day can cause lots of cavities. By the way, diet soda is just as bad as regular soda. The carbonation is just as big of a problem as the sugar in the beverage.
5. Visit the dentist twice a year. It is important to have your teeth professional cleaned and evaluated. Gum surgery, root canals, and crowns can be prevented if your teeth are consistently maintained and checked for disease.
Happy New Year!
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
New Years is all about resolutions. I have some dental new year resolution suggestions for 2010.
1. Buy an electric tooth brush. Electric tooth brushes are the best at removing plaque and keeping gums healthy. They prevent tartar build up and give teeth a smooth polished feeling. Patients that I see six months after they have started using an electric tooth brush always have cleaner mouths. Costco has the best deals on electric brushes- they sell the Oral B and the Sonicare brands.
2. Floss once a day. I am sure you have heard the old saying that you only need to floss the ones you want to keep. Flossing helps removed plaque between the teeth and around the gum line. Daily flossing prevents cavities between the teeth and makes the gums and bone that hold the teeth in the mouth much healthier.
3. Bleach your teeth. There are so many affordable ways to have a whiter brighter smile. My favorite is ZOOM! Whitening. After about an hour of in office ZOOM! Whitening you will have whiter teeth. Current price for this procedure is $200!
4. Stop bad habits. Smoking and drinking soda are the two biggest culprits of dental problems. Smoking can lead to severe gum disease, as well as cancers of the mouth and throat. Drinking soda throughout the day can cause lots of cavities. By the way, diet soda is just as bad as regular soda. The carbonation is just as big of a problem as the sugar in the beverage.
5. Visit the dentist twice a year. It is important to have your teeth professional cleaned and evaluated. Gum surgery, root canals, and crowns can be prevented if your teeth are consistently maintained and checked for disease.
Happy New Year!
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
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