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Monthly Archives

May 2017

May 30

Three Things You Should Know about Dry Mouth

By Oral Health

Dry mouth (xerostomia) has several causes. If your mouth is consistently dry, the symptoms can be annoying or startling. In addition to having a dry mouth, you might experience the following signs and symptoms:

Dry Mouth Signs and Symptoms

  • Bad breath
  • Burning sensation in the mouth
  • Choking
  • Difficulty swallowing
  • Difficulty talking
  • Gasping for air
  • Sensitivity to acidic or spicy foods
  • Swollen glands

Oral Examination

Depending on the results of your examination, along with your symptoms, two different tests can be performed.

Saliva production test

Your dentist can provide an oral examination to determine your saliva production. You will be asked to spit into a cup over 5 to 15 minutes. Or a suction device will be used to extract saliva from your mouth.  If your saliva production is below average, another test might be scheduled.

Salivary gland function scan

The medical term for the scan is parotid gland scintigraphy. The scan is performed in a hospital imaging department or an out-patient facility. What’s involved?

  • You will receive an injection of low-level radioactive tracer.
  • You’ll sit in front of a gamma scintillation camera, which will detect the progression of the radioactive marker in your glands and take pictures of the glands.
  •  After 45 minutes, you’ll be given a lemon drop or something similarly sour that will cause your salivary glands to empty.
  • After your glands empty, more images will be taken.

The scan will find the cause of decreased saliva production, including these possibilities:

  • Inflammation
  • A tumor
  • A cyst
  • An infection
  • A blocked salivary duct
  • Sjögren’s syndrome

Other Causes of Dry Mouth

In addition to the causes listed above, dry mouth can be caused by a variety of factors, including:

  • Breathing through your mouth
  • Cancer treatment – particularly head or neck radiation therapy
  • Certain medications prescribed for:
    • Acid reflux or stomach acid
    • Acne
    • Allergies
    • Anxiety
    • Asthma
    • Convulsions
    • Depression
    • High blood pressure
    • Muscle cramps
    • Parkinson’s disease
    • Sleep disorder
  • Dehydration
  • Diabetes
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Hypertension
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Smoking

Are You Experiencing Dry Mouth?

If you’re experiencing the symptoms of dry mouth, schedule an appointment with your dentist for an exam and the first stage of testing. Your dentist and medical doctor will work together to find the cause and appropriate treatment.

 

This post is sponsored by Naperville dentist Dr. Anthony LaVacca.

May 22

Is Clear Choice just a money pit?

By Blog

I work for a marketing agency so I’ve been watching Clear Choice closely. I’ve noticed their commercials more because I actually need dental implants. Although I was hesitant about going to a place I knew nothing of except commercials, I decided to schedule an appointment with Clear Choice. Everyone was friendly and professional. The cost for dental implants with Clear Choice is almost double that of another dentist I saw for information on implants and about 1.3 times the cost of the third implant dentist. I am uncertain if Clear Choice is really that good or if they are just a money pit. Their customer service was far ahead of the other two dentists I visited. If that is any indication of how I will be treated as a patient, it might be worth the cost. How is Clear Choice viewed by other dental professionals? Lil

Lil – Clear Choice is known among dental professionals and among consumers for several things:

  • Aggressive marketing
  • Full-arch dental implants (All-on-4)
  • Higher-than-average fees

Whether they are a good option for a patient can only be determined on a case-by-case basis. If you only have one or a few teeth missing, Clear Choice probably isn’t the most cost-effective option. You are able to find high-quality dental implants that cost less.

We’re curious as to whether or not Clear Choice offered you multiple treatment options. There is no need for All-on-4 dental implants unless all of your teeth are missing or badly damaged.

It’s good that you received two other opinions from implant dentists. Compare your treatment options with the other dentists you visit. Keep in mind that if you do need All-on-4 dental implants, a skilled prosthodontist can provide them. He or she is likely able to provide all the services you need in his or her office. That’s the same convenience you would get from Clear Choice.

Many actual patients of Clear Choice or other mega dental centers feel that they didn’t receive personal attention. They felt more like they were visiting a finely tuned dental clinic. Although your initial visit was great, you might be disappointed as a Clear Choice patient.

The decision to receive dental implants shouldn’t be made quickly or based on emotion or impulse. Choose your provider carefully, too.

This post is sponsored by Naperville American board-certified prosthodontist and implant dentist Dr. Anthony LaVacca.

 

May 19
diamond-Lil-Wayne-teeth

Are Lil Wayne’s teeth dental implants or a grill?

By Dental Implants

Are Lil Wayne’s teeth dental implants or a grill? Have you seen the itsy bitsy teeny weeny diamonds on his teeth? Who is right? Me or my brother?  I say it’s a grill and my brother thinks it’s his real teeth. I figured an expert can look at pictures of those teeth and be able to tell what they really are. I think Rhianna wrote that song about shine bright like a diamond after having dreams about Lil Wayne’s teeth. LOL. But seriously. Me and my brother have a bet. Can you tell the truth about his teeth and how many carats of diamonds are on them? Terrance

Terrance – There are lots of questions about how Lil Wayne could get diamonds on his natural teeth. Many people think they have to be dental implants or a grill.

What Lil Wayne Has Said about His Teeth

In a 2010 interview, Jimmy Kimmel brought up the subject. Lil Wayne’s response was, “No, it’s not a grill because c…come out…Imma die with these. These are my teeth…” After Jimmy asked if the teeth could be switched out, Lil Wayne responded, “I can go to the dentist and switch them out, but it’s surgery.”
Check out the interview in the video below:

The rapper’s response provides clues:

  • If surgery is involved, his teeth might really be diamond-embedded dental implants.
  • His natural teeth could have been altered to embed diamonds in them.
  • If his teeth really aren’t removable, he might not be wearing a grill, unless of course, the grill was bonded on.

The dentist who provided Lil Wayne with the diamond-studded smile used to have several pages on his website dedicated to the rapper. Although the pages have been removed from the dentist’s website, they can still be accessed through Wayback machine. The pages confirm the dentist’s involvement, but they don’t reveal the actual work that was done. It’s illegal to reveal a patient’s medical or dental history.

Lil Wayne himself might not know the details of the procedure, but he does acknowledge that permanent dental work was completed to bling out his smile. Although we haven’t seen his teeth face-to-face, the photos look as if he might have a permanent grill or a dental bridge. The star says that surgery would be required to change his teeth.

Consider these facts that seem to point more toward a grill than dental implants:

  • Replacing crowns on dental implants doesn’t require surgery, but the rapper said surgery would be needed to remove the bling.
  • There is supporting evidence from a 2010 online news article that featured the dentist who created the flashy smile. The article first refers to the dentist’s services including dental implants, and later it states, “Requests for diamond grill work are more rare.” Hmm. Why the reference to diamond grill work? We can’t be sure, but it makes us wonder.

The verdict is still out on whether the rapper has dental implants or a grill. Although we don’t have information on how many carats of diamonds are on his teeth, he reportedly paid $150,000 for the sparkle.

This post is sponsored by Naperville implant dentist and board-certified prosthodontist Dr. Anthony LaVacca.

May 15

Pediatric dentist doesn’t know how to fix my son’s teeth with bonding

By Pediatric Dentist

I took my son to the pediatric dentist after he chipped 3 of his top front teeth while playing basketball. He is 14 yrs old. Caps aren’t necessary and there was no internal damage to his teeth. The dentist basically said, “No problem. I can make it look like his teeth were never chipped.” She was so confident that I didn’t ask any questions about how much bonding experience she has or anything. Last week my son got the bonding. When the dentist was finished, I thought it was a joke. It looks like she didn’t even try to match the bonding with my son’s teeth and it’s lumpy. I wanted to cry for my son, but I was trying to be strong for him. Truthfully, it’s the hottest mess I’ve ever seen. I can’t ask her to do it over because I don’t trust her.  How do we get the bonding off? I would rather see my son with chipped teeth than globs of bonding that look like gravel on his teeth. Thanks. Tabitha

Tabitha – Your son’s experience is unfortunate. Chipped teeth can be traumatic enough, but when a pediatric dentist tries to restore them, and it goes bad, it can make the situation worse.

You won’t be able to remove the bonding. If you try to, it can damage your son’s teeth even further. We recommend that you find a pediatric dentist with post-graduate training in cosmetic dentistry, or find a cosmetic dentist who accepts teenagers as patients.

A cosmetic dentist has a variety of composite colors and tools to ensure the restoration is seamless. That’s something you won’t find in the vast majority of pediatric dental offices. The good news is that chairside bonding can be completed in a single appointment. After you find a trained cosmetic dentist, your son can leave the office with a restored smile and more confidence.

Schedule consultations with two cosmetic dentists first. It will help you select the right dentist to remove the bumpy bonding and conceal your son’s chipped teeth.

You can kindly explain to your son’s pediatric dentist that it’s important to you and your son for the restoration to be invisible. A reasonable pediatric dentist will understand.

This post is sponsored by Naperville dentist Dr. Anthony LaVacca.

May 09

My dentist isn’t offering more affordable dental implants if they have to be redone

By Affordable Dental Implants

Shouldn’t I be offered more affordable dental implants if they have to be redone? I first got implants in July of last year. They didn’t heal right so my dentist said she has to do them over and I was quoted full price for the new set. This is three dental implants that I have to pay for all over again. I asked my dentist about it and she explained that the same things have to be done all over again that were done in the first place and on top of it all, she has to remove the old implants and she isn’t charging for that. This is beginning to sounds suspicious to me. Should I really have to pay for the implants to be redone? I’m not sure what went wrong anyway. Every time my dentist tries to explain it, it sounds like a bunch of garbage. I’m starting not to trust her. Thanks. Annette

Annette – The usual healing period for dental implants is 6-12 months after surgery. You’re still within the normal healing period, so if your dentist is saying your implants need to be redone, it’s your right as a patient to be told why. We understand that you’ve already spent a lot of money for the procedure and would want affordable dental implants, but don’t agree to having them replaced yet.

The cause of dental implant failure needs to be determined to prevent the same issue after you have them replaced. If your dentist is at fault, not only should you receive more affordable dental implants, you shouldn’t have to pay at all to have them replaced. But be cautious about having your current dentist do the work.

Before You Ask for More Affordable Dental Implants

Before you ask your dentist to replace your dental implants for a lower fee, we suggest the following:

  • Ask your dentist why your dental implants need to be replaced. Listen carefully to her explanation, and ask questions about anything you don’t understand.
  • Before you have the implants redone, get a second opinion from an experienced implant surgeon or prosthodontist. It’s unclear what went wrong, so please schedule an appointment for an examination and diagnostic studies to help determine the real issue.
  • We recommend that you not move forward with replacing the dental implants without knowing what went wrong and how the problem can be avoided in the future.

This post is sponsored by Naperville implant dentist Dr. Anthony LaVacca.

 

May 04

My Clear Choice Review Isn’t Being Posted on Yelp

By Uncategorized

My Clear Choice review isn’t getting posted on Yelp. I had a bad experience and I’m trying to warn other people of it. I got ripped off more than $7000 from Clear Choice and I can’t get a refund. I keep calling and being transferred to voicemail. I’ve even gone into the office and was told that the billing department doesn’t take walk-ins. They are supposed to call me back, but I’ve been waiting for 3 weeks for a call. I made the mistake of giving them a huge down payment. My sister asked me to get a second opinion before I commit to Clear Choice, so I did. After getting the second opinion, which was quite different from the recommendation Clear Choice made (All on 4), I decided to put a hold on getting the work done from them. I called and let them know that I wanted to cancel everything and since that time I’ve been waiting for a refund. So I’ve been trying to post my experience on Yelp. Any time I try to post, it seems to be filtered out and doesn’t make it as a review. I checked with Yelp through email and I keep getting an automated response about how to properly submit a review. I thought you might know something about how I can get the word out to the public. Thank you. Nicolas

Nicolas – Your Clear Choice review probably is getting rejected in a spam filter. Reviews that are considered fraudulent or not useful are filtered out completely or placed at the bottom of the page. Some suggestions are below.

  1. Avoid concealing your identity on Yelp. There are several ways to do it:
  • Don’t use programs that attempt to hide your IP address.
  • Use an active and valid e-mail account.
  • Use a private Wi-Fi connection.
  1. Make it clear that you’re not a spammer. Consider linking your Yelp and Facebook accounts (if you have one). Although Yelp doesn’t reveal its algorithm for blocking posts, the fact that you’ve verified your Facebook account can give your Yelp account some validity and get your Clear Choice review posted.
  2. Provide a full review. Short comments aren’t taken seriously. Provide details of your experience to ensure your review will be given consideration.
  3. Provide reviews for other businesses. If you review other businesses, it gives evidence that you’re not out to get a single business. A number of reviews on others businesses can get your Clear Choice review posted.
  4. Ensure you’re not affiliated with the company or its competitors. Your online history and credentials are scanned to sure that you’re neither affiliated with Clear Choice nor any of its competitors. If you have such an affiliation, all of your posts can be blocked form the site.

If you want others to know about your experience, you can submit it a Clear Choice review on the reviews form on the Naperville Implant Dentist website.

Meanwhile, your state Attorney General’s office or a consumer protection attorney can review your Clear Choice contract and advise you on how to proceed with getting all or some of your money back.

This post is sponsored by Naperville board-certified prosthodontist and implant dentist Dr. Anthony LaVacca.

 

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