A lot goes into preparing for the holidays. A list of everything you have to do might include buying presents, making travel plans, preparing the house for visitors, holiday decorating, and a lot more.
One thing that can get left off that list, though, is a dental checkup and tooth cleaning at Dr. Salzberg-Siegel’sClinton Township dental office. The most obvious reason for including a dental checkup and tooth cleaning appointment in your plans is that they help you support your overall health and wellbeing.
What do we mean by that?
We mean that not only does your oral health benefit, but so does your entire body. That’s something Dr. Salzberg-Siegel wants all of her Michigan patients to enjoy.
A less obvious, but still important reason, for a holiday dental checkup and tooth cleaning is that appointments like those help you use your dental benefits. For most people, the end of the year means that dental benefits will be reset at the start of the next year. That means your annual deductible will be back at square one, just like your annual maximum.
Your annual maximum is what your insurance company will pay for. If you still have any of your annual maximum left, that’s money you’ll lose at the start of 2013. Don’t let that happen. Take advantage of the help your dental benefits can give you by scheduling a visit with Dr. Salzberg-Siegel between now and the end of the year.
At our Clinton Townshipdental office in Michigan, you’ll find a compassionate, experienced team ready to help you with all aspects of your oral health. More than just your smile will benefit—your overall health and wellbeing will too. To learn more about the connection between your smile and your overall health and wellbeing, take a look at this video:
If you live in Clinton Township, or elsewhere in Michigan, our dental office is ready to help you restore your oral health. Call us today to reserve an appointment. And let us know in the comments section what you’re doing this holiday season to keep your smile clean, healthy, and beautiful.
When was your last visit to the dentist? Please take a moment to watch this video explaining how an oral cancer screening with OralDNA could save your life.
It is important to consider the last time you were tested for oral cancer, and to help us be more mindful of this deadly disease, April is National Oral Cancer Health Month. During the month of April, dentists nationwide are encouraging patients to come in for an oral exam and cancer screening.
There are a wide variety of effective screening tools out there. At Dr. Salzberg-Siegel’s Clinton Township office, we screen patients with OralDNA. What OralDNA lets us do is screen patients for a variety of conditions, including periodontal disease, oral cancer, and even HPV.
Why HPV? Because oral cancer caused by HPV is on the rise. Identifying HPV in patients helps Dr. Salzberg-Siegel identify those who may be at increased risk so that a customized treatment plan can be made. The CDC has estimated that as many as 80% of patients may come into contact with at least one of the 120 different types of HPV, often without knowing about it.
Oral Cancer Facts and Statistics
Every year, oral cancer kills more people nationwide than cervical or skin cancer. What’s more, only half of all patients diagnosed will live more than five years after diagnosis. The most common risk factors are tobacco use, excessive alcohol consumption, consistent sunlight exposure, habitual cheek or lip biting, or poorly fitting denture. However, 25% of oral cancers involve patients with no risk factors at all. That’s often where HPV factors in.
Signs of oral cancer include:
• A sore that bleeds easily or does not heal.
• A color change of the oral tissues.
• A lump, thickening, rough spot, crust, or small, eroded area.
• Pain, tenderness, or numbness anywhere in the mouth or on the lips.
If you’ve never been screened for oral cancer or HPV, there’s no better time for a screening at Dr. Salzberg-Siegel’s office than National Oral Cancer Health Month. You can learn more about oral cancer from the Mayo Clinic and from OralDNA’s webpage. Also, be sure to Call us today.
We had such an energizing team meeting this morning and just had to share more about it with you. At Dr. Mindy Salzberg-Siegel’s office, we are continually focused on how we can better serve our patients and exceed their expectations. The focus of our team gathering today was “Communication, Let’s Bridge the Gap.”
We know not only is it important that we have an open line of communication with our patients regarding their dental goals but also among our team to help patients achieve those goals.
Communication and Team-Building Exercises help us to:
1) Improve patient flow, thus decreasing time patients have to spend in the office
2) Learn more about our personalities and thus work better as a team
3) Generate an efficient and productive learning environment to better serve our patients
3)Implement new sterilization techniques and stay up to date with technological advancements
4) Keep chair side assistants and hygienists ‘on their toes’ and in tune to patients’ needs during procedures
5) Learn new techniques for administrative staff to assist in financial planning and convenient scheduling for patients
“Our greatest reward is that patients continue feeling great about their dental care and truly enjoy the time they spend with us.” -Dr. Mindy
Do you have any input or suggestions for team building exercises?! We would love to hear them! Please post!
Summer’s nearly over, and that means family vacations are over and a new school year is on the way. But even if the summertime season is coming to a close, you’ve still got all those great memories. Maybe your family spent some time at the beach, or spent some time with family members you haven’t seen in a long time.
Whatever it you did, we’d love to hear about it. We’d especially like to hear about how you managed to stay cool. Was it with a relaxing swim? Or what about with a sweet summer treat, like a Popsicle? However you managed to stay cool, we bet there were also lots of smiles to be shared, either with friends or family.
And for some of you, that time with friends and family gave you the perfect opportunity to show off the smile Dr. Salzberg-Siegel created for you with a smile makeover.
If that sounds like you, then we’d like to know more than just how your summer was—we’d like to hear how your smile makeover has changed your life. Are you smiling more? Do you feel a sense of confidence you haven’t felt in a long time? We want to know exactly how a smile makeover has helped you. You can leave a comment for us here on our blog, or you can give our office a call to let us know.
When is the last time you went on a job interview? How about a first date? Are you certain that you put your best foot forward?
There is a lot of data that shows your smile can sell you…..or sink you!
We are trying to do our part to help out those that are suffering in these economic times to put their best foot forward. Take a look, this offer ends at midnight tonight…..
Have you ever secretly laughed at the person in front of you at the grocery store for stocking up due to a winter storm warning? Laugh away my friend… however, don’t end up caught in the snow.
Here are some tips that might help, without going overboard of course…
Household Items that may come in handyat home or in your vehicle:
Small Kerosene heater and extra fuel (to be used with good ventilation)
Kerosene camping stove or burner (same rules apply)
Extra batteries and flashlights
Battery powered am/fm radio for updates
Candles and a camping lighter
Canned food and a manual can opener
Other foods that have a long shelf life ie:peanut butter
Extra prescription medication
A few gallons of water, case of bottled water
Diapers, formula, infant medications
Baby wipes come in very handy to clean up if no running water
Extra blankets
Ice and snow scraper
Snow melting salt
Bag of sand (traction)
Shovel
Good boots
Battery powered cell phone charger
5 gallons of gas
So my motto is “Hope for the best and prepare for the worst!” That way, in the end, you might just have some extra safety items around the house or in the car that is worth it’s weight in gold should you be in need.
I hate to ask this but……When was your last visit to the dentist?
This is an important question and we can tend to overlook our dental health because it seems as if there is always something else that gets our attention. Here are some little pieces of info that may be interesting enough to get you into the dental chair.
Studies have been conducted by many organizations regarding the mouth/body connection and “wow”…..the results have been astonishing. I am convinced that periodontal disease (gum disease) is one of the deadliest conditions and also the one that can often go unnoticed.
Periodontal Disease has been linked to:
Heart Disease and Stroke
Diabetes
Respiratory Diseases
Pancreatic Cancer
Pregnancy Problems
Ulcers
Alzheimer’s Disease
Scary, isn’t it? Do any of the symptoms below seem to hit home for you?
Red, swollen or tender gums or other pain in your mouth
Bleeding while brushing, flossing, or eating hard food
Gums that are receding or pulling away from the teeth, causing the teeth to look longer than before
Loose or separating teeth
Pus between your gums and teeth
Sores in your mouth
Persistent bad breath
A change in the way your teeth fit together when you bite
A change in the fit of partial dentures
There is also a quick and fantastic little survey that the American Academy of Periodontology has to help you determine your level of risk for gum disease. You just have to click “Take the risk assessment test now” after you go to this page: https://www.perio.org/consumer/gum-disease-symptoms.htm#
Gum Disease can be a silent killer, please don’t let it sneak up on you. We have seen it too many times to count where patients are experincing tooth loss and had no idea what the infection in their mouth was eroding the bone and compromising their overall health.
Dr. Mindy Salzberg-Siegel and our skilled dental hygienists are here to help!
