If you are one of those people who don’t want to show their teeth? I would love to talk to you about a smile makeover. Whatever your reason for not seeking dental treatment, I will be happy to discuss all of your concerns with you during a consultation with me.

If you have concerns about visiting a dentist, I can help you with those concerns. Perhaps you are afraid of dental work. If you are, have you ever considered oral conscious sedation? With sedation dentistry, even extensive treatment is virtually pain free. Sedation will calm your mind as well as the nerves in your mouth.

Perhaps the cost of Palm Desert cosmetic dentistry is holding you back. My friendly staff will be happy to talk to you about financing plans. It is important to remember that if your teeth are decayed, postponing treatment will cost more money in the long run. Filling a cavity is far more affordable dentistry than a root canal procedure or, in the case of an extracted tooth, a dental implant.

You can contact my office at (760)-340-1030 or online at http://www.palmdesertimplantdentist.com. My Palm Desert family dental website contains information about all the general, restorative and aesthetic services we provide.

ScienceDaily (May 27, 2010) — Individuals who have poor oral hygiene have an increased risk of heart disease compared to those who brush their teeth twice a day, finds research published on the British Medical Journal website.

(If You Don’t Brush Your Teeth Twice a Day, You’re More Likely to Develop Heart Disease, Study Finds)!

The Palm Desert Center for Advanced Cosmetic and Implant Dentistry wishes a Happy and Healthily New Year to all, and encourage all our dental patients and friends to brush twice daily since it may help lower their risk of heart disease. California scientists, dentists, and cardiologists have known for many years that there is a link between inflammation in the mouth (gum disease) and heart problems.

The Science Daily article provides information about the team at the University College in London, how they analyzed data from over 11,000 adults who took part in a Scottish Health Survey. The research team analyzed data about lifestyle behaviors such as smoking, physical activity, and oral health routines. The team concluded:

“Once the data was adjusted for established cardio risk factors, the researchers found that participants who reported less frequent tooth brushing had a 70 percent extra risk of heart disease compared to individuals who brushed their teeth twice a day.”

This Scottish survey is one of many that confirm the link between oral health and overall health. Simply put: you aren’t healthy unless your gums and teeth are healthy.

Our friendly team at The Palm Desert Center for Advanced Cosmetic and Implant Dentistry will help keep your oral health and overall health beautiful for 2012 and for the rest of your life. It starts with just a call to 760-340-1030 or a stop at our office at 73929 Larrea Street, Suite 2 here in Palm Desert.

To read the entire Science Daily article, click on the link below:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100527204227.htm

Again, we wish you a Happy New Year!

Dr. Anne A. Nicholas

May this Holiday season be a time of prayers for peace, for the preservation of free principles, and for the protection of those who are far from us. Let it be a time of forgetting self and finding time for others. Let it be a time for discarding the meaningless and for stressing true values. Let it be a time of peace because we have found peace in this land and with God’s teachings.

This Holiday Season, we encourage you to remember your family and friends and even an acquaintance or stranger who may need our help.  It is in helping others that we often find ourselves.

We want to thank you for your patronage and for your friendship. May you have a blessed Holiday season!

Dr. Anne A. Nicholas and Staff

If you determine that they are dull looking or won’t match the crowns, teeth bleaching may be an option for you. If you feel you would like to whiten or lighten your teeth, ask Dr. Nicholas about options available for whiting those teeth before the final restorations are placed in your mouth. You want to make sure you do this before the final restorations are made; once the crowns are placed in your mouth, it will not be possible to change their color without redoing them.

The Palm Desert Center for Advanced Cosmetic and Implant Dentistry is located at 73929 Larrea Street, Suite 2 in Palm Desert, California.  You are welcome to stop by and visit with Dr. Nicholas about the best options available for you.

Call 760.340.1030 today to improve your smile!

Dr. Dale A. Miles adjunct professor at the University of Texas, and professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology at the Arizona School of Dentistry, recently gave a webinar where he addressed the issue of dental X-rays safety. In this blog we would like to share with our patients some of the information he shared with the group about this topic.

Dr. Miles asked the question, are dental X-rays safe? Dr. Miles has determined after many years of research and study, the individualized radiographic exposure of radiation that we are exposed to from dental X-rays is very small compared to our daily exposure from things like, cosmic radiation and naturally-occurring radioactive elements (for example, those producing radon). The table below compares our estimated exposure to radiation from dental X-ray with other various sources. As indicated below, a millisievert (µSv) is a unit of measure that allows for some comparison between radiation sources that expose the entire body (such as natural background radiation) and those that only expose a portion of the body (such as X-rays).

Annual estimated average effective dose of equivalent received by a member of the population of the United States:

SOURCE       Average annual effective dose equivalent

(µSv)   (MREM)

• Inhaled (Radon & Decay Products)                         2000    200
• Other Internally Deposited Radionuclides                390    39
• Terrestrial Radiation                                                          280    39
• Cosmetic Radiation                                                            270    27
• Cosmogenic Radioactivity                                                  10       1
• Rounded total from natural Sources                     3000    300
• Rounded total from artificial Sources                       600    360
• Total                                                                                      3600    360

NOTE: As a comparison, dental Panoramic X-rays  6-13
Intraoral X-ray      0.005 *(approximate effective radiation dose)
Cone Beam Volume     43-468
Medical CT maxilla-mandibular volume   2100

It is clear from the above chart that the amount of radiation from dental X-rays is negligible, very low as a comparison to other sources of exposure. Dr. Miles pointed out equivalent risks to (Film Base X-rays) or another way of looking at risk, is to look at other related daily activities, that is, situations in which a person has a one in a million risk of dying.

Risk Situation

• Living in NY NY for 2 days breathing the pollution increases risk of death to 1/1,000,000
• Canoeing for 6 minutes
• Cycling for 10 miles
• Riding in a car for 300 miles
• Drinking water in (Miami) for 1 year
• Smoking 1.4 cigarettes • Flying 6000 miles
• Working in a coal mine for 3 hours
• Drinking diet soda, 30 cans
• Living in Denver for 2 months (mile high City)…natural radioactivity

Source: B.L Cohen and I.S. Lee, “Catalogue of risks, Extended and Updates”, Vol. 61, September 1991

Dr. Miles concludes that dental X-rays are safe and should not be a concern for dental patients. As technology change, X-ray equipment continues to develop techniques that improve and limit the amount of radiation exposure.

At The Palm Desert Center for Advanced Cosmetic and Implant Dentistry, procedures and techniques are in place to provide a safe environment for all our patients.  For example, mandatory use of Thyroid Collars is required on all pregnant women and patients who have cancer or have had cancer. Every necessary precaution is in place to protect and in sure the safety of our patients.

Contact Dr. Anne A. Nicholas for question or concerns you may have concerning X-rays. The Palm Desert Center for Advanced Cosmetic and Implant Dentistry is located at 73929 Larrea Street, Suite 2, Palm Desert, CA. Feel free to call and schedule a consultation with Dr. Nicholas by calling 760-340-1030.

-Anonymous Author

( SMILE)

“The Palm Desert Center for Advanced Cosmetic and Implant Dentistry” is sure you realize the importance of a simple smile and the impact it has on your success and happiness. Your smile should be inviting, calming, reassuring and positive. Those of you who are in business or are entrepreneurs work diligently toward your goals, looking for opportunities and taking risk to succeed. We are confident and positive a smile will encourage your contacts to take a chance on you if you are confident about your teeth and your smile. Of course, your success can’t be directly correlated to a smile, but the positive attitude that comes along with a healthy, genuine smile just might play a bigger role than you ever imagined.

To help improve your smile, Dr. Anne A. Nicholas offers dental bleaching, also known as tooth whitening, and Zoom, a bleaching process that lightens discoloration of enamel and dentin. The Zoom light activated whitening gel’s active ingredient is Hydrogen Peroxide. As the Hydrogen Peroxide is broken down, oxygen enters the enamel and dentin, bleaching colored substances while the structure of the tooth is unchanged. The Zoom light aids in activating the hydrogen peroxide and helps it penetrate the surface of the tooth. A study has shown that use of the Zoom lamp increases the effectiveness of the Zoom gel by 26% or more, giving an average improvement of eight shades’. Factors that decrease whitening include smoking and the ingestion of dark colored liquids like coffee, tea and red wine.

The ADA recommends that you have your teeth checked by a dentist before undergoing any whitening method. At “The Palm Desert Center for Advanced Cosmetic and Implant Dentistry”, Dr. Nicholas will examine you thoroughly and take a health and dental history (including allergies and sensitivities), observe hard and soft tissues, placement and conditions of restorations, and sometimes x-rays to determine the nature and depth of possible irregularities. She will then make recommendations on which tooth whitening proceedure is right for you.

Contact “The Palm Desert Center for Advanced Cosmetic and Implant Dentistry” by calling 760-340-1030 or stop by our office at 73929 Larrea Street, Suite 2, Palm Desert, California to schedule a tooth whitening consultation.

Advancement in dental technology has made it possible to eliminate all together the problematic issues of yesterday’s dentures. Denture wearers, here is Good News! Modern dental implant technology can help you.

The Palm Desert Center for Advanced Cosmetic, Sedation and Implant Dentistry has information and expertise that can help you understand the procedures and technology to thoroughly understand today’s dental implant technology. Dr. Anne A. Nicholas will help you determine the most effective tooth configuration and solution for you.

Call Dr. Nicholas office at 760-340-1030 to schedule an implant over denture consultation. Dr. Nicholas or a member of her staff can help you understand your options and can recommend the best solution for you.

If you currently wear traditional dentures and are not happy with them, implant anchored dentures may dramatically change your life. Your chewing ability will be similar to that of natural teeth and you will be able to eat hard foods again. How about a thick T-bone at your favorite Palm Desert or Palm Springs steakhouse? In addition to being able to enjoy your meal, you will avoid the embarrassment of having your dentures rattle around in your mouth in public.

Before you pay for another denture reline, do yourself a favor, call and talk to Dr. Nicholas about today’s dental implant technology.   Dr. Anne A. Nicholas office is located 73929 Larrea Street, Suite 2,  Palm Desert, California.

“A grateful heart … comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His blessings and to those around us for all that they bring into our lives.”  Thomas S. Monson

We have all experienced times when our focus is on what we lack rather than on our blessings.  Said the Greek philosopher Epictetus, “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”

Regardless of our circumstances, each of us has much for which to be grateful if we will but pause and contemplate our blessings.  We all recognize that there is much that is wrong in the world today; there are many things that are right and good.

If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues.  Someone has said that “gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”

The English author Aldous Huxley wrote, “Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.”  We often take for granted the very people who most deserve our gratitude.

We would like to express our gratitude to you our friends.   As we have expressed before, without you we would not have a dental practice.  We are thankful for you and your patronage.

I was recently reading an article by American Academy of Periodontology concerning the prevalence of periodontal disease in the United States and would like to share a few excerpts with my patients and other readers of this blog. (Click the link below to get the article)

“The prevalence of periodontal disease in the United States may be significantly higher than originally estimated. Research published in the Journal of Dental Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) suggests that the prevalence of periodontal disease may have been underestimated by as much as 50 per cent”.

Being a dentist and a Periodontist this is alarming to me.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is concerned with the increase of periodontal disease found in the patients who agreed to be part of a study on Oral Health.  Four hundred and fifty adults over age thirty five agreed to a full-mouth, comprehensive periodontal examination.  What is periodontal disease?

(Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the gum tissue and other structures supporting the teeth. If left untreated, it can lead to tooth loss, and may also interfere with other systems of the body. Several research studies have associated gum disease with other chronic inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and rheumatoid arthritis).

The reason this concerns me is the study determined that periodontal disease is a much bigger problem than previously thought by the CDC.  It is important for anyone who cares about their oral health to take action to prevent this disease from getting out of control.

As you are aware, the CDC doesn’t get involved in less they believe that a disease is a public health problem.  A quote from the article:

“Not only should you take good care of your periodontal health with daily tooth brushing and flossing, you should expect to get a comprehensive periodontal evaluation every year”.

As a dental professional and periodontist, I would encourage you to read this article and visit your dentist for regular check-ups.  If after reading this article you have questions concerning gum disease, please feel free to contact my office and we will do our best to help you.

The Palm Desert Center for Advanced Cosmetic and Implant Dentistry is located at 73-929 Larrea Street, Suite 2, Palm Desert, CA 92260.  Contact us by phone: (760-340-1030)

Periodontist like Dr. Anne A. Nicholas of Palm Desert, California can help you put your best foot forward or should we say your best smile forward in this case.  You want these special occasions to be remembered by the people you are trying to impress.  It is important to have an engaging smile which shows you have confidence and you are at your very best.

We are living in a time when we are judged by our appearance, and as we are living longer we perhaps lose some of our confidence due to aging.  However,  thanks to the advancements in cosmetic procedures, we now can maintain a more youthful look and continue to be competitive in an ever aggressive world.

Recent studies by the American Academy of Periodontology concluded the following:
•    50% consider the smile the first facial feature they notice
•    80% are not happy with their smile

•    Respondents were seven times more likely to have periodontal, smile  enhancement procedures, than face-lifts

•    Smile enhancement procedures out numbered eyelid surgeries four to one [1]

If you feel your smile and your teeth are not where you think they should be, consider visiting a Periondontist like Dr. Anne A. Nicholas and see what procedures are available to help you reach your goal of having a more confident smile.

Call us or stop by for a visit; The Palm Desert Center for Advanced Cosmetic and Implant Dentistry is located at 73-929 Larrea Street, Suite 2, Palm Desert, CA 92260.  Contact us by phone: (760-340-1030)

Dr. Ann A. Nicholas offices provide dental and periondontal services to Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, and the entire Coachella Valley.

[1]

http://www.perio.org/consumer/smile.htm#1