Saturday, July 16, 2011

Senior Citizen texting codes (humorous) Crystal Lake Dentist

A cute listing of texting codes for seniors... as kids have their little codes...like BFF,LOL, etc. So here are some codes for seniors.*
ATD - At the
BFF - Best Friend's Funeral
BTE - Bring the Wheelchair
BYOT - Bring Your Own Teeth
CBM - Covered by Medicare
CUATSC - See You at the Senior Center
DWIU - Driving WhileIncontenent
FWBB - Friend With Beta Blocker
FWIW - Forgot Where I Was
FYI - Found Your Insulin
HGBM - HadGood Bowel Movement
IMHO - Is My Hearing-Aid On?
LMDO - Laughing My Dentures Out
LWO - Lawrence Welk's On
LOL  - Living on Lipitor
OMMR - On My Massage Recliner
OMSG - Oh My! Sorry Gas
ROFL...CGU Rolling on the Floor Laughing...Can't Get Up!
TTYL - Talk to You Louder
WAITT - Who Am I Talking To?
WTFA - Wet the Furniture Again
WTP - Where's the Prunes
WWNO - Walker Wheels Need Oil
GGLKI - Gotta Go Laxative Kicking In.

*Courtesy of the "Orange Peel Gazette"
Enjoy



Your Comments are welcome.
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Mouth Prop With a Twist-Crystal Lake Dentist

Keeping your mouth open at the dentist can be tiring.

patient straining to hold mouth open
Your jaw muscles and joint get tired, especially during longer appointments. Many patients with TMJ symptoms have severe pain. Your dentist can offer a mouth prop to rest your teeth on. The typical mouth prop works well but offers no additional features to protect your tongue, cheek, keep debris from going down your throat , or remove fluid from your mouth.
typical mouth prop
prop in mouth
Isolite™ is a new twist on a mouth prop.
Isolite™
The Isolite™ is a unique patented device that holds your teeth apart but does much more. The shield will gently hold your tongue and cheek out of harm’s way. It also acts as a super suction device to remove fluids and prevent debris from going down your throat. Another unique feature is the ability to add light to the area for the dentist to see better I do not use the light as I prefer my headlight anyway). The invention of the Isolite™ can in many ways reduce the need for a chair-side dental assistant during much of the dental procedure as it is performing many of her functions. This frees up the dental assistant to perform other functions, making the entire team more efficient.
Isolite™ system
Isolite™ in the mouth
Why should I care that the assistant is not doing this?

The first advantage to you the patient is the dentist can provide your care less expensively. The second is that the assistant can be more effective and efficient tending to your needs and preparing for the next step. The Isolite™ can make many procedures safer as it protects you from some of the chemicals needed in today's dental procedures.

patient with Isolite™

Is the Isolite™ hard to get used to?

It takes about a minute to adjust to the feeling. At first some patients think that they cannot breathe properly, but this feeling rapidly goes away. Occasionally the Isolite™ will cause a little puffiness in the cheek from the suction, but this is temporary.

I love it when dental technology makes dentistry better, easier, quicker, and less costly for everyone. We have been using the Isolite™ system successfully for several years in our practice.
 Your Comments are welcome.
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Sunday, July 10, 2011

Innovation in Tooth Colored Fillings Crystal Lake Dental Associates

Mercury/silver fillings are rapidly going away.
The FDA and EPA have issues with the safety of mercury. It is released from the fillings in our teeth, and it pollutes the water we drink. Many people have raised issues with their safety as some are sensitive to low levels of mercury In addition, they are ugly to patients.

Tooth colored composite fillings are tricky to place properly.
The filling material is sensitive to moisture, shrinks on curing, and rarely is easy to handle. In addition several steps are needed to insure a tight seal, good contact with the neighbor tooth, good anatomy, no sensitivity to biting, complete hardening, and no voids in the filling. Many dentists struggle for years developing a technique that meets all of these goals. Tooth colored fillings must be hardened with a light. The light only penetrates a few millimeters into the material requiring a layering of the filling. Regular filling material does not flow into tiny crevices leading to gaps. Regular filling material shrinks on hardening, and must be placed in special ways to control the shrinking.

Now comes SonicFill
SonicFill

A sonically activated material that flows during placement. In addition it can be placed to a depth of 5 mm and still hardened completely. And finally, it has almost no shrinkage during hardening so sensitivity is eliminated. SonicFill is just as hard as any other filling material when cured. It can be shaped after placement and holds its shape.

How does it work?
The material is squirted into the cavity with a special hand-piece that produces a sonic vibration wave while squirting. This vibration liquefies the material as it is coming out. The material flows into the tooth and fills it with no voids. Once the sonic hand-piece is stopped the material thickens and can be molded. Since the material can be hardened up to 5 mm deep, and it does not shrink, a large amount can be placed at one time and cured. This allows for rapid filling and hardening of the material saving a few minutes per tooth.



What does this mean to the patient?
Shorter appointments for fillings, better fillings, and no sensitivity. In addition, the dentist will be less stressed when filling the tooth (trying to control all of the variables mentioned above while filling the tooth is quite stressful).

I think SonicFill is a revolution in placing tooth colored fillings in back teeth.



Your Comments are welcome.

Phillip C. Neal DDS
Crystal Lake Dental Associates
280 B Memorial Court
Crystal Lake, Illinois 60014
815 459 2202
www.DrNeal.com
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Monday, July 4, 2011

George Washington and his teeth- Crystal Lake Dental Associates

George Wasington
George Washington, the "Father of our Country".





 On Independence Day, I thought it was appropriate to highlight some of George Washington's life.

Goerge Washington is consistently rated one of the three greatest presidents. He is not smiling or showing teeth is any known photo. Many have suggested that he was a rather grim faced and boring based on his photos. Nothing could be farther from the truth.   James C. Rees, executive director of the Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens, Washington's home in northern Virginia. "Of all the founding fathers, he was the most athletic, the most adventurous and clearly a man of action," Rees said. Washington, contrary to his grim-faced portrait on the dollar bill, was a great dancer and horseman.




George Washington's Dental History


Goerge suffered from tooth trouble from an early age. He suffered toothaches, tooth loss and abcessed teeth most of his life. According to historians, George suffered greatly from mouth pain. He decided to forgo his second inaugural address due to mouth pain. George wore dentures later in life. He had several sets of dentures made over the years. Contrary to popular opinion George Washington "NEVER WORE WOODEN TEETH". 
 A very interesting and complete history of George Wahingtons dental health can be found here.
http://www.americanrevolution.org/dental.html

George Washington's teeth

George Washington's teeth

George Washington's teeth

George Washington's teeth

Some interesting facts about George Washington" *

  • George was the first President to be on a postage stamp. It came out in 1847.
  • George's face is on a quarter and a dollar bill.
  • George wanted to be a sailor when he was young.
  • George planned Washington, D.C. 
  • Math was George's best subject.
  • George didn't want his slaves freed until Martha died.
  • George was President for 8 years.
  • George never had children of his own. He adopted Martha's children, Jack and Patsy.
  • George did not wear a wig. He kept his own brown hair long and powdered it. It was fashionable in his time.
  • Native Americans taught George to walk silently in the woods.
  • George chose to stay with his men in Valley Forge rather that sleep in a comfortable bed.
  • George signed the United States Constitution.
  • George led the Continental Army for no pay.
  • George was only 17 when he became the surveyor of Culpeper County.
  • The Boston Tea Party was not a real party.
  • George started loosing his teeth in his 20s. 
  • George's false teeth were made of elephant ivory, walrus tusk, and human teeth.
  • George was 6'3" tall. He was not the tallest, Lincoln was at 6"4".
  • George's salary as president was $25,000.
  • Martha wintered with her husband during the Revolutionary War. She entertained visiting diplomats and the wives of fellow officers and helped with secretarial duties. She also helped raise money to take care of the troops.
  • George was one of ten Presidents who were generals.
  • George is one of nine Presidents who never went to college.
  • George helped establish one of the first free schools in this country in Alexandria, Virginia 
  • George left property in his will to establish a national university (Washington and Lee University.)



    Have a great Independence Day!!!





    Your Comments are welcome.





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Friday, July 1, 2011

Interesting Dental Facts-Crystal Lake Dentist

·         32% of Americans cite bad breath as the least attractive trait of their co-workers.

·         38.5 total days an average American spends brushing teeth over lifetime.
73% of Americans would rather go grocery shopping than floss.



                                           


60% of people who don’t know that a sore jaw, when combined with chest pain, can signal a heart attack-especially in women.

                                              




·         Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least six (6) feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.


·         A toothpick is the object most often choked on by Americans.


·         Every year, kids in North America spend close to half a billion dollars on chewing gum.


·         The number of cavities in the average mouth is down and people are keeping their teeth longer. 


  People, on average, have healthier mouths than even 10 years ago.  Specifically:
·         —The decline in tooth decay was greatest among kids but holds across every age group.
—Only 40% of  young people age 6 to 19 had ever in their lives had cavities.  That’s down from 50% a decade ago.
—Over the last ten years the proportion of people age 60 who’d lost all their teeth had decreased from 33% to 25%.
—Use of dental sealants, which block tooth decay on the chewing surfaces of kids’ vulnerable molars, was up 64%.  30% of kids had had at least one sealed tooth.
—Adults with post-high-school degrees had an average of three more teeth than those without a high school diploma.
—Smokers remain three times more likely than non-smokers to lose all their teeth.  This figure has not changed from a decade ago.
—Socio-economic status plays a definite role in one’s general and dental health….33% of low-income adults have untreated decay.  This compared with 16% of middle- and higher-income adults.  19% of kids living in poverty have untreated decay compared with 8% of wealthier kids.

Your Comments are welcome.




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About Me

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Born in the Midwest. Married with 6 children and 3 grandchildren. Attended Maine West High School, Harper Jr College, Northern Illinois University, the University of Illinois College of Dentistry. Practice in Crystal Lake, Illinois.