In over 25 years of practicing dentistry in Flagstaff, I have noticed a huge rise in the incidence of TMJ(short for temporal mandibular joint) pain. I suppose this is due to the fact that life is overall more stressful and people are clenching their teeth more. ( I have not done any research on this it is just my observation.)
People may have pain in their jaw for many reasons. It is usually either pain coming from the joint itself of from the muscles associated with it.
When it is from the muscles, and this is usually a result of night time clenching or grinding, we can often get people some immediate relief by making a night guard. This is a custom made dental appliance that fits over your teeth and you wear to bed at night. Please note that a sports guard that you heat up and make yourself will usually make it worse. This is because they are soft and work your clenching muscles even harder!
Dr. Bacon of Flagstaff can evaluate your TMJ problem. Often wearing a custom made night guard will alleviate TMJ pain. We have recently been helping patients with laser therapy, which sends a deep relaxing heat into the muscle. Sometimes we may refer you to see a TMJ specialist. There are none in Flagstaff but if need be there are a few down south.
Call our Flagstaff Downtown Dental at 928-774-1168 to be evaluated. To read more about our office in general click here.
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Friday, August 19, 2016
Dentist Reviews
The world of having patients choose your dental office is quite different from the day I graduated dental school over 25 years ago. As it should be. Dentistry has gone high tech with many highly beneficial advances for patients. I am proud to have a high Google rating as many new patients read these before making that phone call.
But there are other sites, such as YELP!, that present a picture that isn't clear or fair. While I have around 40 yelp reviews, only a handful are contributing to my STAR rating. There are 50 reviews that YELP only makes accessible if you click a light grey sentence at the bottom of the page. These have more of a 4+ star rating.
A few examples of published results:
A lady that came in with a very broken down 25 year old porcelain crown on her front tooth. She claimed our hygienist broke it and registered a complaint with the dental board. Upon review the board ruled her claim to have no merit. Yet still YELP readers will just look at the ratings and move on to another dentist.
Another review came on google from a guy that had advanced periodontal disease. He had bone loss,
tartar build up and infected gums. He argued he had no problems, stood up out of the chair and physically intimidated our 5' tall hygienist. He made a mess of our bathroom including not flushing.
Yet his review calling us cheats remains on the internet with his 1 star rating.
I could go on and on. The problem is people don't read the rebuttals and just move on.
Well, the fact of the matter is most people still choose their dentist by word of mouth so thank you Flagstaff! And thanks to those of you that have written nice reviews, even if they don't always get published. To check out our office click here.
But there are other sites, such as YELP!, that present a picture that isn't clear or fair. While I have around 40 yelp reviews, only a handful are contributing to my STAR rating. There are 50 reviews that YELP only makes accessible if you click a light grey sentence at the bottom of the page. These have more of a 4+ star rating.
A few examples of published results:
A lady that came in with a very broken down 25 year old porcelain crown on her front tooth. She claimed our hygienist broke it and registered a complaint with the dental board. Upon review the board ruled her claim to have no merit. Yet still YELP readers will just look at the ratings and move on to another dentist.
Another review came on google from a guy that had advanced periodontal disease. He had bone loss,
tartar build up and infected gums. He argued he had no problems, stood up out of the chair and physically intimidated our 5' tall hygienist. He made a mess of our bathroom including not flushing.
Yet his review calling us cheats remains on the internet with his 1 star rating.
I could go on and on. The problem is people don't read the rebuttals and just move on.
Well, the fact of the matter is most people still choose their dentist by word of mouth so thank you Flagstaff! And thanks to those of you that have written nice reviews, even if they don't always get published. To check out our office click here.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
What's New in Teeth Whitening
Teeth Whitening in Flagstaff AZ
How it works:
Carbamide Peroxide is the main ingredient in most all teeth whitening systems. When it is mixed with water, it releases Hydrogen Peroxide. Hydrogen Peroxide is the active ingredient that whitens your teeth. This method has been found by the FDA and the ADA to do no damage to or weakening of tooth structure.
There are four major methods of which to whiten ones teeth:
1. Zoom Whitening- A very strong dose of beach is placed on one's teeth. A strong light is then shone on the solution. This is reapplied 3 times over an hour. Dr. Bacon had this unit for a short time in his Flagstaff dental office. It caused so much post bleach pain that patients needed medication to get through the next 24 hours. Needless to say we stopped using this technique. Interestingly, research has since shown the light had no effect on the bleaching.
2. Whitening Toothpaste- Toothpaste with a whitening ingredient have been shown to have little to no effect. The whitener stays on the teeth so short a time as to not be able to soak in. Some toothpastes whiten also by abrasion. This does remove superficial stain but over time can wear down your enamel and damage teeth. It is best and safest to have superficial stain periodically removed by a dental hygienist.
3. Whitening Strips- This is an effective way to whiten teeth. The disadvantage is the strips adhere better towards the edge of the teeth than by the gum line there tends to be a range of shade in each tooth.
4. Custom Trays- The best and most effective way to whiten teeth is to have a custom fit tray made at a dental office. The custom tray better retains the bleach by the gum line. Just 30-45 minutes a day for 4 or 5 days does the job! We also have a desensitizing gel to put in your tray after whitening if you have some sensitivity. Impressions for bleaching trays are easy and take very little time. Because you can reuse your tray for years custom trays are less expensive over time than strips! You can read more at our Flagstaff Downtown Dental office's website.
How it works:
Carbamide Peroxide is the main ingredient in most all teeth whitening systems. When it is mixed with water, it releases Hydrogen Peroxide. Hydrogen Peroxide is the active ingredient that whitens your teeth. This method has been found by the FDA and the ADA to do no damage to or weakening of tooth structure.
There are four major methods of which to whiten ones teeth:
1. Zoom Whitening- A very strong dose of beach is placed on one's teeth. A strong light is then shone on the solution. This is reapplied 3 times over an hour. Dr. Bacon had this unit for a short time in his Flagstaff dental office. It caused so much post bleach pain that patients needed medication to get through the next 24 hours. Needless to say we stopped using this technique. Interestingly, research has since shown the light had no effect on the bleaching.
2. Whitening Toothpaste- Toothpaste with a whitening ingredient have been shown to have little to no effect. The whitener stays on the teeth so short a time as to not be able to soak in. Some toothpastes whiten also by abrasion. This does remove superficial stain but over time can wear down your enamel and damage teeth. It is best and safest to have superficial stain periodically removed by a dental hygienist.
3. Whitening Strips- This is an effective way to whiten teeth. The disadvantage is the strips adhere better towards the edge of the teeth than by the gum line there tends to be a range of shade in each tooth.
4. Custom Trays- The best and most effective way to whiten teeth is to have a custom fit tray made at a dental office. The custom tray better retains the bleach by the gum line. Just 30-45 minutes a day for 4 or 5 days does the job! We also have a desensitizing gel to put in your tray after whitening if you have some sensitivity. Impressions for bleaching trays are easy and take very little time. Because you can reuse your tray for years custom trays are less expensive over time than strips! You can read more at our Flagstaff Downtown Dental office's website.
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Best of Flagstaff Event Night - Photo Drop
Best of Flagstaff Event Night - Photo Drop: Best of Flagstaff Awards Night for 2015! Great time had by all! Thanks to all the businesses that came out last night.
Saturday, January 9, 2016
Emergency Dental Problems
In Dr. Bacon's dental practice, our policy is to always see a patient of record in need of dental attention.
-Dr. Bacons cell phone is left on voice mail
-We will squeeze you in to our schedule, no matter how hectic or busy our day is. Our patients always come first.
-If Dr. Bacon is out of the office or out of town, you can still reach him on your cell phone.
-If Dr. Bacon is unreachable (out of the country or in a remote area) he will have a dentist on call for him.
-It is our policy to always be there for you
-Unfortunately, Dr. Bacon cannot be on call for all of Flagstaff. If your dentist is unreachable or if you don't have a dentist, he will still try to see you when he returns to his office during regular hours.
-Office hours are 7-5, M-F. Check out our web site here. CLICK
-Dr. Bacons cell phone is left on voice mail
-We will squeeze you in to our schedule, no matter how hectic or busy our day is. Our patients always come first.
-If Dr. Bacon is out of the office or out of town, you can still reach him on your cell phone.
-If Dr. Bacon is unreachable (out of the country or in a remote area) he will have a dentist on call for him.
-It is our policy to always be there for you
-Unfortunately, Dr. Bacon cannot be on call for all of Flagstaff. If your dentist is unreachable or if you don't have a dentist, he will still try to see you when he returns to his office during regular hours.
-Office hours are 7-5, M-F. Check out our web site here. CLICK
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