Pushing A Wheelchair With Our Feet

Heard a funny observation this morning on the way into work: you ever wonder why there are people who are bound to a wheelchair, yet they somehow find a way to push themselves across the street with their feet, all the while remaining seated in the chair?

Then I picked through the morning's literature review, and the disabled wheelchair riders may be similar to patients suffering a sleep breathing epidemic. The increase in middle-age and elderly population's use of medication "sleep aids," and the rising prevalence in sleep disordered breathing that goes undiagnosed. It is a silent epidemic on the rise, and those who suffer it may be able to navigate through their lives with no clear understanding of their breathing disability.

In recent studies, it was observed that over 90% of women and over 80% of men with moderate to severe obstructed breathing disorders were living undiagnosed prior to survey.

Middle age and elderly individuals have a greater prevalence of sleep breathing disorders, most of them being obstructive sleep breathing type. Many sufferers have other associated conditions that make their condition worse, like the rising prevalence of chronic allergic rhinitis and sinus congestion, and the rising incidence of obesity.

With that being said, I have witnessed a great number of patients in my practice that are candidates for a sleep breathing evaluation. And a majority of those patients I refer are confirmed with sleep breathing disorders by our specialists.

We routinely screen our patients for a risk of airway obstruction. Call us today for an appointment.

The Less I See You, The Better!

I think it's common knowledge that humans with teeth go to the dentists twice a year. But I hope to give you a better explanation for why it's a good thing.

Maintenance or hygiene visits are all about risk management. Most patients have a measurable amount of risk for tooth decay and periodontal disease. If you have had a history of tooth decay, for example, that's a standard that holds true in evidence-based literature: You are susceptible to decay, therefore, you should have an inspection done every 6 months.There's a lot of risk factors to consider. But your dentist can help you understand what those are.  Here at our office, we issue a risk management sheet explaining your factors for decay and how to treat those risks.

Periodontal disease is similar, but there are different factors to consider. If you are a smoker, a diabetic, or have a history of gum and bone damage from an infection, you should see the dentist at least twice a year. For some people, those factors don't exist. If you don't have any risk of decay, and you don't have a history of gum disease, you probably don't need to see me so much. That's why it's not necessary to see all patients twice a year.  Some patients only need to be seen once annually for examination. The cliche still holds true: Flossing Each Day Keeps the Doctor Away.