Only a Few Months Left to use Dental Benefits!

Did you know there is only 4 months until 2017?  Fall is upon us as children head back to school, the sun is setting a little earlier each night, and the bright green of summer slowly becomes burnt oranges and vibrant reds.  As we near the end of your insurance year, we wanted to remind you to take advantage of any unused dental benefits. Every year you receive a maximum amount from your dental insurance company, and in most cases the unused portion of this amount is lost when the new insurance year starts. These are benefits you have already paid for! 

What about Flex Benefits?  It's your last opportunity to “use it” before you “lose it,” you owe it to yourself to check on the balance today. 

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But They are Going to Fall Out!- Fillings on Primary Teeth are Important

 But They are Going to Fall Out!

Importance of Fillings on Primary Teeth 

            When children are seen at Lund Dental, they may on occasion need a primary tooth to be restored.  Parents are often puzzled as to why we would “fill” a baby tooth.           Small cavities on baby teeth can become BIG very quickly since the enamel (hard outer shell) on children’s teeth is thinner than that of adult’s while the nerve is much bigger.  Therefore, small cavities on baby teeth can turn very large and very painful very quickly.

          Primary or “baby” teeth are place holders so to speak for the adult teeth underneath.  If a tooth has a cavity that is untreated, it will progress and could become abcessed. Now that tooth must be removed and a space maintainer will be needed.  Premature loss of primary teeth can cause the other primary teeth to collapse in the space.  It also can affect the child’s speech. Furthermore, the adjacent teeth may also decay.  We make every effort to make your child’s appointment easy for them.

         At Lund Dental your child’s dental health is very important to us.  We make your child’s dental visit a very pleasant experience.  With regular dental cleanings and good home care, childhood cavities can be avoided.  

Lund Dental Gives Back!

Lund Dental Gives Back!

Giving back to the community is important to our team at Lund Dental Associates.  Throughout the year, we set community service goals and coordinate activities with local Stoneham businesses and schools.  We often involve our patients too.  Our patients are enthusiastic to help us reach our donation goals and provide us with overwhelming support.

In the Stoneham school system, Lund Dental has donated custom athletic mouthguards to various sports teams.  We have had the athletes from the Stoneham High School Football team and Girls Lacrosse Team come into our office to be fit for professional mouthguards. Most recently, our office attended the Stoneham Chamber of Commerce’s Health Fair Expo and gave away coupons for free athletic mouthguards to any Stoneham athlete of any age. 

We work closely with the Stoneham Food Bank, gathering food and supplies for families in Stoneham.  During the summer, Lund Dental and our patients collect household supplies ranging from paper towels to baby products to personal hygiene.  Our fall collection consists of can goods and non-perishables, while during the winter we collect toys for the holiday season.  Our team is more than appreciative to the staff at the Stoneham Food Bank for their constant dedication to help those in need and allowing our team to help them in their efforts.

Want to learn more about Lund Dental community service?   Check us out at www.lunddental.com!

The Traveling Dentist

During the spring months, Lund Dental’s Dr. Cara Lund and dental assistants Jeanne and Mary travel to various school to teach children about properly caring for their teeth.  They also bring along Phil (yes, a pun on “filling”), a dental forward puppet with a full functioning set of pearly whites. 

Not only do we show the kids how to properly brush and floss with the help of Phil, we like to talk about keeping a healthy mouth with a healthy diet.  Discussing sugar content, especially sugar in drinks is a big eye opener for the kids.  We bring along our “sugar bags” to show them how much sugar they are drinking in soda, sports drinks, and even juice.

Kids seems to have many questions about cavities and we discuss what it means to get a cavity and how we clean and fill them.   We also show them x-rays and explain how these are used to look for cavities.

This interactive dental show allows kids to showcase their dental knowledge as well.  Kids are asked what types of food and drinks keep their mouth healthy and things they should avoid.  Kids are more astute than you think!  We always get a plethora of answers from soda to “my mom’s homemade extra chocolate cake.”

To schedule a dental show for your school, please give us a call!  

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

            When learning something new or trying to understand a concept that is not familiar, oftentimes a picture or video is helpful.  At Lund Dental we are pleased with one of our newest additions to patient education called “Caesy”.

            Caesy is a series of videos that explains dental procedures to the patient using patients in a true dental setting.  The videos are short and to the point, eliminating confusion for the patient.  Before a procedure,   each patient is invited to watch an applicable video and oftentimes has most if not all questions answered.   This may be done at the time of the treatment planning or just before the beginning of the procedure.  A handout further explaining  the procedure may also be handed to the patient.  

 Children also benefit from Caesy.  While they are in the hygienists’ chairs,  they may watch one of the many videos geared to children about brushing, flossing, and a variety of other subjects. Each children’s video features monkeys, dogs and other animals helping teach children on their level and making it fun for them to learn about the dentist.

            At Lund Dental we believe that patient education is of the utmost importance.  Our use of these Caesy videos plays a large role in our accomplishing just this.

Love the Gums You're With

Love the Gums You’re With 

It may seem like a hassle to get to the dentist for your continuing care hygiene visit with work and your kid’s afterschool activities but did you know gum disease can increase the risk heart disease?

Patients who have periodontal disease have inflamed gums due to trapped bacteria which is called plaque.  This inflammation is caused by poor dental hygiene, unhealthy diet, and/or smoking.  The unhealthy gums pull back from the tooth and periodontal pockets develop which creates a breeding ground for bacteria.  The pockets can widen enough to even cause loose teeth.     

So what does gum disease and heart disease have in common?   Inflammation!  Don’t be fooled.  The bacteria doesn’t stay in the mouth.  It travels from the diseased gum tissue to your bloodstream throughout your body.  Plaque can then build up in the arteries.  This clogging inflames the tissue and reduces blood flow and oxygen flow to the heart. 

There is a number of prevention methods: 

            -Brushing and flossing twice a day.

            -Routine visits to your dental provider.

            -Healthy diet and weight.  A diet rich in antioxidants help decrease any inflammation in the body and fight bacteria.

Keep your heart healthy and visit your dentist!

           

            

The New “Buzz” at Lund Dental

            The New “Buzz” at Lund Dental

            Nobody likes the idea of “getting a shot.”  In fact, the fear of needles may be a major reason that patients have a fear of the dentist.    

   

           At Lund Dental, we now have a way to make your dental visit pain-free.   Dr. William and Dr. Cara are now using a device called a Vibraject.  The Vibraject is a small battery operated device that clips onto the syringe.  It delivers a high frequency vibration to the needle.  This does two things: mainly, it distracts the patient from feeling any pain and secondly, it disperses the anesthesia in a way that makes the injection almost pain free.  The combination produces a reaction from the patient who oftentimes say “I can’t even tell that you gave me a shot!” This “wow” moment may change the experience for many people and relieve anxiety.  It increases the comfort level of the patient and builds a more positive dental relationship.  Our feedback has been outstanding, making us pleased that once again we have improved the patient experience.

            At Lund Dental, we are constantly striving to find new and improved ways of making our patient’s experience more comfortable and positive.  

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Dental Insurance, Use It or Lose It

       It is that time again when patients need to be aware of their insurance benefits.   A patient may postpone treatment for various reasons one of which may be financial.   If a patient has dental insurance, often times they may not be aware of the fact that they did not utilize all their benefits for the calendar year.  These are monies that are wasted by the patient.  If the total benefit is not reached, the money remains unused.

             At this time of year, people may have sufficient benefits remaining on their dental policies to have some treatment completed.   Without knowing, they may let these benefits lapse when they could have had a necessary treatment.  It is to the patient’s best interest to know just what they are entitled to for a calendar year.  This way, they may be able to have that one part of their treatment plan completed and not let this money be wasted.

            Dianne, our office administrator, is wonderful at maximizing your dental benefits.  If you think you may have some benefits remaining for 2015, please call the office. Don’t let this money go unused.

            

Let’s Get Something Straight

                

            In the past when a patient needed orthodontics to straighten teeth or correct malocclusion the only solution was to have braces.  Now, Invisalign is a great alternative to traditional braces. After a complimentary consultation, we take impressions with our digital scanner. These are then sent to Invisalign where the aligners are made.   A series of clear plastic aligners are worn by the patient for two weeks at a time until the desired result is achieved.  Usually other people cannot tell that someone is wearing them!  Also, they are removable which makes it easier for the patient to eat and brush their teeth.                     

Straightening teeth is about more than a beautiful smile. Crooked teeth can be the cause of several problems including periodontal (gum) disease if left untreated.  In addition, malocclusion (incorrect bite) can lead to premature wear of teeth, sometimes resulting in tooth loss.

           

         At Lund Dental, we have been providing patients with Invisalign for over ten years with much success.  We have treated patients from teenagers up to adults resulting in many new beautiful smiles.  Our patients who have had Invisalign have been extremely satisfied with their treatment. In fact,  Dr.Cara, Dr Lund and several staff members have been Invisalign patients.  If this is something you may be interested in, one of the doctors would be happy to discuss the possibilities with you.

          

         These pictures show two of our patients' Invisalign journey. You can easily see the amazing results!

           

Allergies and Toothaches - As if constant sneezing didn't hurt enough!

In the spring, we see a number of patients with tooth pain in their upper molars and it turns out pollen is a big culprit.

When you are congested, your sinus cavities create mucus and can swell, becoming inflamed or infected, causing the sinuses to press on the roof of your mouth.  Your sinus cavities are above the roof of your mouth which rests above your maxillary (upper) molars and premolars.  The inflammation can indirectly cause pain in the nerves of the teeth, presenting the following symptoms:

•          Pain when biting
•          Throbbing sensation
•          Sensitivity to cold

Think of it this way:  when you fill a balloon you are able to press your finger into it without it popping, however, there is a great amount of pressure surrounding your finger.  Your sinuses are like that balloon, creating pressure over your teeth.

How can you treat this?  After your dentist rules out no possible tooth infection, there are a number of remedies to reduce sinus congestion:

·         Antihistamines (Benadryl, Claritin, Zertec, Allegra)

·         Advil to reduce inflammation

·         Saline Spray

·         Air Purifier at home & closed windows while driving

So watch out for that pollen and its ability to mimic a toothache!