Summer 2012

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It’s summertime!For many of us,

summertime is vacation time: a chance to spend real time with our spouse and children. Family reunions, summer weddings, even a summer romance (or the memory of one!) are all a part of this great time of year.

Summer is also a time when we all relax our daily rules and routines. Children can’t wait to get on that skateboard or bike, and often forget proper safety precautions. We can help you avoid chipped or broken teeth with a custom-fitted mouthguard, the best protection for active sports enthusiasts! Kids off to summer camp? Make sure you impress on them the importance of daily oral care. Just a few weeks of lazy care can really affect your child’s oral health.

Have a happy, safe, and healthy summer!

Yours in good dental health,

Dr. Jacqueline Rodgers &Dr. Lori Thornhill

If serious damage caused by dental disease hasn’t convinced you to take care of your teeth, the high cost of repair eventually will. It’s unfortunate, but all too often prevention of tooth and gum problems is neglected until pain makes extensive corrective work necessary. Most people still believe there’s no effective way to deal with dental troubles except to have them repaired after the harm is done. What isn’t realized is that waiting until it hurts will hurt your pocketbook much more in the long term!

The longer you wait, the more dental repairs will cost. If a cavity is left untreated, the decay can spread and you will possibly need a crown. If you wait longer, it’s possible you could need a root canal … an even bigger bite out of your budget.

Gum disease is another expensive repair. In the early stages it’s easy to treat. But left to run its course, gum disease can lead to several tooth extractions and a bridge or partial denture. These corrective measures can total thousands of dollars. And believe us, it doesn’t end there if preventive actions aren’t taken.

Still thinking of putting off that dental checkup? You can clearly see that prevention really is the only cost-effective way to deal with your dental future.

Waiting Until It HurtsThe economics of prevention

Produced for the patients of Dr. Rodgers & Dr. Thornhill

Something To Smile About

Drs. Jacqueline Rodgers & Lori Thornhill

THank yOu fOR aLL yOuR RefeRRaLs. We appReCIaTe THem!

Welcome Michelle!Please join us in welcoming

Michelle Stevko to our practice. Most of you have already met her and we are sure you agree she is a wonderful asset to our team.

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A word to the wiseYou’d think that acidic food

would digest meals faster, but weirdly, the opposite is true. Citric acid in lemons, for example, slows down gastric emptying, holding food in your stomach longer so you feel full longer and avoid snacking.

That’s great if you’re watching your weight! Lemon juice tastes terrific on poultry, fish, or salads and when combined with oil and herbs for salad dressing. But just a note – you can get too much of a good thing. Lemons, like many foods that contain acids naturally, can cause enamel erosion if consumed excessively.

Still, go ahead and release your inner gourmand! Wise choices and a little moderation will let you enjoy great meals, your best weight, and a fabulous smile!

LEmonAid

The root is anchored permanently in your jawbone, preventing future bone loss.

The crown does not rely on other teeth for support & doesn’t affect surrounding healthy teeth.

An implant can replace one tooth or two, or the teeth in an entire jaw.

Implants can anchor dentures to prevent shifting & can replace partial dentures & bridgework.

Multiple implants & implant-supported dentures require no plates that cover the roof of your mouth.

What you can do… Consider safe reliable easy-care and natural-looking dental implants, and call us for a consultation.

Smile-Saving StrategiesDelightful dental implants

How it works…

5 You know that sunken look around the mouth and cheeks that you associate with ageing? That isn’t inevitable, and often, it isn’t

even necessary. When teeth are lost, there is also a loss of jawbone so that surrounding teeth shift, resulting in a lack of support to the cheeks

and lips. This can create lines around the mouth. Dental implants can save your bone structure which helps you to avoid premature facial changes.

What a dental implant is… A dental implant has two parts: a root made of biocompatible metal and a custom-made tooth crown which is attached to it.

Lose Weight...And keep your smile

Here’s a dental perspective that could help you reach your weight loss goals and add to your motivation. Don’t overlook the liquids you’re consuming! You may know that many beverages can stain your teeth, and that sodas and juices can erode teeth enamel and cause cavities, but here’s more...l A Harvard study found that drinking only one diet or regular

soft drink a day increased the risk of obesity by 31%. l Evidence suggests that diet drinks may actually promote

weight gain, although the mechanism is unclear. l Compared to real fruit and vegetables, the lack of fiber in soda

can leave you feeling hungry – and heading back to the fridge.Here’s another dental angle… Experts suggest you create cues to

signal it’s time to stop eating 2-3 hours before bed time. Brushing and flossing is highly recommended!

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Q: What are the benefits of veneers?A: An improved smile can increase your self-confidence which improves your work and social life. Veneers are an effective cosmetic technique used to cover flaws and strengthen your teeth with beautiful results.

Q: How do I know if I’m a good candidate?A. If your teeth are stained, chipped, or have other minor irregularities like small spaces, uneven lengths, or exposed roots, veneers can work for you. For slightly crooked teeth, veneers can give your teeth a straighter appearance without braces.

Q: Will my veneers stain?A. Porcelain veneers should never stain, although some other veneer materials are more porous and could. To keep your natural teeth bright, try to reduce or avoid foods and beverages like coffee, tea, red wine, and dark fruit juices, as well as tobacco products. Most patients whiten teeth surrounding their veneer(s) to ensure a good match.

Q: How long will they last?A. They can last up to 20 years when you take care of your oral health to avoid decay and gum recession.

Q: Is getting veneers a long process?A. No, it usually takes just two to three appointments for diagnosis, treatment planning, preparation, and placing your veneers.

Veneers Q&A Here’s what you want to know

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Common Sense Care

For veneers and crownsGreat news! Veneers can be

cared for just like your natural teeth. Brush them regularly with toothpaste, floss once a day, and keep your regular hygiene visits. Just as with your other teeth, it’s important to limit your sugar consumption and confine sweets to meal times to help prevent decay.

Although your veneers don’t require special care, give them the same respect that you’d give the rest of your smile. Anything that will break or

chip your natural teeth could do the same to a veneer, including ice, hard cookies, brittle candy, candy apples, hard nuts, pumpkin seeds, and popcorn.

Other culprits? Habits like nail biting, pencil chewing, using your teeth instead of scissors or bottle openers, and even for pulling on your gloves. Once you get

the picture, it’s easy to take care!

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office information

Information included is not dental or medical advice. For your specific information be sure to consult our office. If you do not wish to receive this newsletter, please contact us directly.

Contents may not be reproduced without permission from the publisher. © PATIENT NEWS (800) 667-0268

Printed with vegetable-based ink.

Top 3 Reasons To BondLooking great is only one of them!

Not everyone wants or needs a complete cosmetic makeover to enjoy a fantastic improvement in their smile. Just updating tired stained fillings in your front teeth can make a remarkable difference, and when you replace older worn-down silver fillings at the back of your mouth, you can actually look as though you’ve never had any dental work done!

ONE --> Many patients choose white bonding materials which are very affordable. It’s used mainly for fillings and comes in a wide variety of shades that we can customize to match to your teeth.

TWO --> Bonding is so strong and natural looking that we can sculpt it by hand to…

--> correct chipped and cracked teeth

--> cover stains & fill gaps between your teeth

--> strengthen and support thinning enamel.

THREE --> Bonding is a very convenient process that we complete here, often in only one or two visits. No inconvenient delays waiting for a lab to manufacture anything.

If you’re tired of your dingy-looking fillings, or want to hide a flaw here and there, we can help you decide what would be the best choice for you. Bonding is popular because it’s

a convenient one-step process

Dr. Jacqueline Rodgers Dr. Lori Thornhill 755 Park Avenue, Suite 400Huntington, NY 11743-3972

Office HoursMonday 10:00 am – 8:00 pmTuesday 1:00 pm – 8:00 pmWednesday 8:00 am – 8:00 pmThursday 8:00 am – 5:00 pmFriday closedSaturday 8:00 am – 3:00 pm ** Open every other Saturday

Contact InformationOffice (631) 271-8100Fax (631) 271-8101Email creativesmiles@optonline.netwww.creativesmilesofhuntington.com

X-Rays Are Safe…And beneficial

Research linking dental x-rays with some typically benign brain tumors has been widely reported nationally and internationally. Though interesting, this study is not conclusive, and there is no need for you to feel alarmed.

The American Dental Association, along with many experts, has pointed out inherent flaws with the survey’s design and conclusions. One example is that patients were asked to self-report specific dental x-rays sometimes 40 or more years ago. Accurate recollection of this kind would challenge most of us! As well, most of the data is based on outdated 1960’s technology. Radiation exposure from today’s x-rays is much, much lower, and even less with digital imaging – 90% less!

X-rays are safe and useful. We take them only when necessary and use every precaution to ensure your safety and ours. We welcome further discussion.

It’s estimated that an alarming 33% of people who used to keep regular checkups have not seen a dentist in two years! We know there are many reasons for this, from dental phobia to financial restrictions to simply not seeing the urgency of maintaining oral health. Whatever the cause, it could prove very costly.

Of course, letting small dental problems become bigger ones can lead to greater expense, pain, and loss of school or work time. Yet the links between neglected oral health and potentially life-threatening diseases, including diabetes and cancers, can prove costlier.

If you know people who avoid dental care or who are looking for a dentist, please ask them to call us. We are always grateful for your referrals and we’d love to welcome them! Thank you for your support!

Yes Please!We love your referrals!

Thanks!