Christmas in July?

Well, probably not in the traditional sense of the expression-

Planning ahead is vital to keep appointment times that are most convenient for you and your family. If you need to bring the kids in before school is back in session, call as soon as possible. If you know when Winter Break is scheduled for the coming school year, you may want to book those cleaning appointments now. If you’ve got college bound folks at home, you may want to get them in before they leave for school or before mid-terms or finals for the fall semester. These are popular times for many families, and they tend to book up very quickly.

If you’re planning summer vacation trips, but haven’t yet looked to see if your appointment needs to be moved, we just ask that you check the dates. The more advanced notice we have, the better we can fill the spot with another eager patient. This helps to keep our costs in check, and to offer the best possible service to our family of patients. Have a safe and joyful summer!

I've seen that before, but what is that?

It's called a QR code

A quick response code (QR) is a code that has become increasingly popular within our smartphone-equipped lives. I’ve even seen QR codes on television commercials, where the voice on tv asks you to pause the program, get out your smartphone, and scan the code on the screen! Did we ever think that we’d be scanning our tv screens with our smart-phones?

So what does it do? QR codes are an easy way for any smart phone with a camera equipped to more quickly access information to a URL, or a website as we more commonly call them. It’s a faster way than typing in a website’s address in the navigation bar on our screen, and it’s easier to do, especially on a smaller screen like on a smart phone.

I don’t know if you’ve had the same experience with QR codes as I have had lately, but I do find them to be a nice shortcut to information. For instance, the other day, my wife and I were buying some plants. We’re not exactly green-thumb people, but we try to have a pleasant outdoor landscape. We were having difficulty remembering what the folks at the store told us about planting, fertilizing, etc. Luckily, there was a QR code on the tag of the plant. After we decided where to put them in our yard, I scanned the tag with my iPhone, and got the information we were looking for in seconds.

So why should the dentist be any different? Got a question about your filling? Need to join our mailing list? Or do you just want to know what is going on at the office while you’re browsing facebook? We’ve got a code for that. Give it a scan (even on your computer monitor) and see where it takes you.

We also have profiles on many different social media website online. You can find Levine Dental on facebook, twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Join your favorite dentist online and stay connected. Don’t know what these all are? That’s ok. Ask Matt at your next visit.

We’ve also decided to run a contest here at the office as well. Each quarter, we will randomly select one individual from our facebook fans, who has “liked” us. One lucky person will win a $100 gift certificate to a Milwaukee restaurant. These contests will be announced on our facebook page, and the winners will be notified directly.

Remember, for this contest, you don’t need a smartphone. You do need a facebook account and a computer (or access to a computer). You can go directly to our facebook page here and like us from there, or scan the code to the left here, and click the like button.

For more questions, concerns, details, or comments, please contact Matt directly at matt@levinedental.com or at our phone number 414 355 0213.

It's Just a Cleaning!

But in fact, it's never just a cleaning. It's much more important than that.

When you’re scheduled for your regular 6-month visits, do you really know everything that happens? Do you know why x-rays are taken each time? Do you know if and when your last oral-cancer-screening was done? Many people don’t have answers to most of these questions. Let us shed some light on the situation and explain a bit more in detail what really goes on here at each visit.

We ask if you’re taking any new medications, as many medications can cause dry-mouth. This drier environment helps plaque to flourish and harden quicker, causing tartar to build up faster, and cause inflammation of the gum tissues. When the gums recede, the amount of bone also recedes. This bone tissue is what holds the teeth in their sockets and firmly in your mouth. Bone loss is the most common reason people lose their teeth.

Radiographs, or x-rays, are taken each visit, so your dentist can monitor closely for any changes in bone level, areas of decay, or other discrepancies that are not visible to the naked eye. X-rays can also show the doctor signs of fracture, abscess, or inflammation of the ligament that could potentially lead to more complex and expensive procedures.

We also have a rinse and light product available that will detect abnormalities in the soft tissues of your mouth. The product is called Visilite Plus, and it is an FDA approved oral cancer screening tool. These abnormalities, if found, could lead a biopsies, and if unchecked, potentially cancerous growth. The importance of early detection cannot be emphasized enough for any signs of oral cancer. The success rates for treatment in early detection are much higher than if prolonged or undetected.

The most important reason to keep your regular visits up, is of course to have the plaque and calculus (or tartar) removed from your teeth and gums. As stated above, bone loss is the greatest reason for tooth loss after the age of 20. Keeping these visits regularly minimize buildup, and bone loss, allowing you to smile with confidence for years and years to come.

for more information or to contact our office to schedule an appointment, log on to our website at LevineDental.com.

Is your smile pictureperfect?

If you haven't known already, we've got our channel set up on Youtube.com. Please follow along and subscribe to us.

Below I've attached a url to our latest video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVaT-qK4D6o&feature=channel_video_title

Also, we're on Facebook and twitter too. Follow along and get the latest and greatest from your favorite Milwaukee Dentist.

-Have a great week!

-Matt V

the Levine Team

Flossing Makes You Younger?

Found a great article from msnbc today:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/37692310/ns/health-skin_and_beauty/?ns=health-skin_and_beauty

By Lisa Zamosky

msnbc.com contributor

updated 6/18/2010 8:25:41 AM ET

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If you're like most of us, your dental hygienist scolds you every six months for not flossing. You hear the warnings that sticky plaque tucked between your teeth can lead to gum disease and health problems, but still you have trouble squeezing it into your daily routine.

But here’s some news that may inspire you to remember: Flossing your teeth, experts say, may do more to fight the effects of aging — at least over the long-term — than plastic surgery.

If you’re not flossing every day, you’re leaving 40 percent of your teeth surfaces dirty — coated with gummy bacteria — and that causes staining and yellowing between and around teeth, explains Dr. Eugene Antenucci, a dentist in Huntington, N.Y., and spokesperson for the Academy of General Dentistry.

An overgrowth of plaque can also lead to gingivitis, the first stage of gum disease, which creates inflammation, bleeding and tenderness in gum tissue that can lead to gum recession and bone loss.

“You register an older look because you see more spaces, less and uneven gum tissue,” according to Antenucci. Hence the quaint term for aging, “long in the tooth.”

And matters can get even worse. Gum disease can eventually cause the bones underneath to dissolve away, explains Dr. Donald S. Clem, a dentist in Fullerton, Calif.

“When gum disease begins to eat away at the bone, there are changes in facial appearance. Once a tooth is lost the bone has no reason to be there,” says Clem, who is also president-elect of the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation. “In later stages of periodontal disease we would see disfigurement in terms of caving in of the lips and cheek and wrinkles around the lips and cheeks.”

And don’t count on plastic surgery to save the day. In a recent study in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, researchers found that bone loss in the jaw, as well as the eye sockets and cheeks, aged people in ways that cosmetic procedures that tighten and plump the skin, can’t fix.

“Even if tooth replacement is considered after a tooth is lost, there might not be enough bone left to place an implant in the most aesthetically desirable place,” says Dr. Laura Torrado, a cosmetic dentist in New York City.

Flossing won’t give you the immediate gratification of Botox or Restylane, Antenucci acknowledges. But who really care if you’ve got smile lines when you’re missing teeth?

© 2011 msnbc.com. Reprints