No two dental practices are alike! Each takes on the characteristics of the practitioner and the supporting team. Every office/patient interaction is the key to how that office “feels” when you walk in the door.  Some practices may feel “clinical and efficient”, while others feel somewhat more home spun and laid back.  This approach is often reflected in the office’s treatment preferences as well.

In my experience, all dentists will suggest what they feel to be the very best plan for any given patient.  The differences between the treatment suggested by one dentist and that of another reflects that dentist’s preferences based on his or her experience. Thus, differing treatment plans do not necessarily reflect… (Read More)

Studies have shown a link between teeth grinding, clenching and headaches. There are also links to people who have sleep breathing disorders, and those who take serotonin uptake inhibitors (SSRI). Some brand names of these drugs are Celexa, Lexapro, Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft. Many people grind and clench their teeth for many different reasons – let’s not forget STRESS!

For people who grind or clench, the muscles that open and close the jaw can become painful from overuse, causing a range of symptoms from tension to migraine headaches to jaw joint (TMJ) problems to tooth pain. Here is a simple test – look at your tongue in the mirror without sticking it out. Are the… (Read More)

Last week I introduced Part 1 of “In Search of Better Sleep”. For this week’s column to make the most sense, I would encourage you to read that column first. It can be found at www.thetowncommon.com.

In case you don’t have a chance to read it, here is a brief recap: I have been involved in treating patients with sleep apnea for a few years. These are patients who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea by a physician, but were unable or unwilling to use a CPAP machine. The next line of defense to treat this progressive disease is a dental appliance which prevents the lower jaw from falling back during sleep. Despite all… (Read More)

Almost ten years ago I took a weekend course at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine entitled “Sleep Dentistry”. This was not a course in putting patients to sleep for their dental work. This particular course was an introduction to treating people who had been diagnosed with sleep apnea (a sleep breathing disorder) by a medical doctor, and could not tolerate (or would not even consider) the use of the dreaded CPAP machine.

CPAP, which stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, is a facial mask which blows air through the nose to create an “air stent” to basically hold the airway open during sleep. Patients with sleep apnea have been diagnosed with a progressive disease… (Read More)

Happy New Year! As most of us are back from a few extra days off, time marches on and our daily routines are back in full force. One of the things reinforced with me during my short break was how important sleep is.

My body has become accustomed to a certain amount of quality sleep. I have always had difficulty sleeping past a certain time in the morning, regardless of what time I go to bed. On the days over this holiday period that I stayed up later than I normally do, my amount of sleep hours was less and my quality of sleep tended to be lower. This had an impact on the way… (Read More)