Researchers are learning that adequate sleep is linked to many aspects of our health, including our appetite and feeling satisfied after a meal. This means that someone who is sleep deprived, or who is not having good quality sleep is more likely to gain weight and less likely to be able to lose it. Visit our websites at www.benchmarkdentalcare.com or www.breatheatnight.com for good information, or read the article below for more:
Friday, January 27, 2012
Having trouble losing weight? What seems unlikely might be holding you back...
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Gum disease and other health problems
Did you know that the health of your gums is linked to the health of your heart? "Medical News Today" reports that "Two new studies give further insights into the links between mouth hygiene, gum disease and cardiovascular events. Researchers in Taiwan find that dental patients who had their teeth cleaned and scaled professionally had reduced risks of heart attack and stroke, while researchers in Sweden find that the type of periodontal or gum disease may predict degree of risks forheart attack, stroke and heart failure."
Click Here to read the full article. or Visit BenchMarkDentalCare.com for more on this and other oral health subjects.
Click Here to read the full article. or Visit BenchMarkDentalCare.com for more on this and other oral health subjects.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Tooth sells for over $31,000
Did you know that one of John Lennon's molars sold recently at an auction for over $31,000. It was given to a friend after he had it extracted. By the looks of it, he wasn't feeling so good when it was taken out. Don't let this happen to your teeth! Visit the dentist regularly! You can easily make an appointment by emailing us or calling the office. Our contact information is found at www.benchmarkdentalcare.com, and our email address is info@benchmarkdentalcare.com.
Have a look here: http://www.rollingstone.com/
Have a look here: http://www.rollingstone.com/
Monday, December 19, 2011
You can prevent that social-life-destroying gremlin... bad breath!
Lots of people are self-conscious about their breath. There are simple ways to prevent bad breath, and the number one way is by flossing. Flossing removes food particles and odor-causing bacteria in the areas that your brush can't reach. Using a tongue scraper (not too aggressively!) and brushing consistently will also help. If you feel like you have a problem with bad breath, the team at Benchmark Dental can help with professional tools as well.
Educate yourself more on dental health at www.BenchmarkDentalCare.com!
Monday, July 11, 2011
The Big News!
It's big news for us! BenchMark Dental has grown to serve more people. We've added another office to our company in Windsor, CO! Why so far you might ask? The short answer is that we hope to add more offices to the rural areas of eastern Wyoming and Northeastern Colorado in the coming years in an effort to bring improved dental care to those great areas. As time goes by, look for the familiar Benchmark Logo to appear in more places!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
What is Sleep Apnea?
One of the things that we treat in our office is sleep apnea. I think I'll take a few installments here and talk about it, although it's a long and involved discussion. I think the best way to start is by saying that it's a disease that is much more of a problem than people are aware of. It is estimated that only 5% or less of people who suffer with sleep apnea are aware they have it, or have been diagnosed. So, what exactly is it?
The word "Apnea" means "lack of breath". When we are asleep, the muscles of the neck, throat, back of the mouth, and tongue all relax. What this causes is a softening of the tissues, resulting in sagging with gravity. As these tissues sag, they collapse together with the back of the airway creating a blockage. When the airway is blocked, the person stops breathing for a period of a few seconds, sometimes even approaching a minute. Try holding your breath for a minute and see how you feel! When these episodes occur, the result is surprising. The body tries to compensate for the lack of oxygen by increasing the heart rate and blood pressure in order to drive oxygenated blood to the tissues. When this happens once, it's no big deal. When this happens dozens of times during a single night, night after night, it causes problems with the blood vessels and other organs.
So how does a person know if they have it? An easy place to start is by visiting the internet. Spend some time reading on the website of the American Association of Dental Sleep Medicine, a wing of the dental profession that focuses on helping people with sleep apnea. It's at http://www.aadsm.org. You can also visit our website at http://www.breatheatnight.com. We have some self-tests that you can complete to gauge your risk. I'll discuss this further in future installments!
The word "Apnea" means "lack of breath". When we are asleep, the muscles of the neck, throat, back of the mouth, and tongue all relax. What this causes is a softening of the tissues, resulting in sagging with gravity. As these tissues sag, they collapse together with the back of the airway creating a blockage. When the airway is blocked, the person stops breathing for a period of a few seconds, sometimes even approaching a minute. Try holding your breath for a minute and see how you feel! When these episodes occur, the result is surprising. The body tries to compensate for the lack of oxygen by increasing the heart rate and blood pressure in order to drive oxygenated blood to the tissues. When this happens once, it's no big deal. When this happens dozens of times during a single night, night after night, it causes problems with the blood vessels and other organs.
So how does a person know if they have it? An easy place to start is by visiting the internet. Spend some time reading on the website of the American Association of Dental Sleep Medicine, a wing of the dental profession that focuses on helping people with sleep apnea. It's at http://www.aadsm.org. You can also visit our website at http://www.breatheatnight.com. We have some self-tests that you can complete to gauge your risk. I'll discuss this further in future installments!
Friday, January 14, 2011
What are digital x-rays?
In our office, and in most modern dental offices, digital x-rays, or radiographs, are used. Why are dental offices changing to digital x-rays? There are multiple reasons why.
The most important reason is that they are safer for the patient. Radiation from x-rays has long been a source of concern for patient, and they can now rest easier. A standard dental xray delivers about 1mREM. A REM is the unit of measurement for radiation. A person generally receives about 360mREM from background sources. Background sources include space, the sun, the ground, the air we breathe, etc. Cooking with Natural Gas exposes a person to about 10mREM per year due to the Radon gas in the natural gas. Living in a brick home adds another 10-20mREM above living in a wood structure. Therefore, dental x-rays were already safe. However, the digital sensor that is in use in our office requires about 25% as much radiation, or a 75% decrease in radiation. This means that they are that much safer for our patients.
In addition, a digital x-ray allows the dentist to make better, faster, and more reliable diagnosis. The image appears immediately on the screen, allowing the dentist to see what is happening immediately, causing the patient less anxiety sitting and waiting. Along with that are the benefits of being able to visually manipulate the image. This makes it easier to make a good diagnosis by changing the contrast, brightness, and gain of the image, causing problems such as decay to appear more distinctly. The hidden benefit is that a larger picture makes it more real for the patient, helping them to be more active in their treatment planning.
So, the next time you go to the dentist, at least at BenchMark Dental, you can rest easy knowing that your dentist has you in mind when he takes x-rays of your teeth.
The most important reason is that they are safer for the patient. Radiation from x-rays has long been a source of concern for patient, and they can now rest easier. A standard dental xray delivers about 1mREM. A REM is the unit of measurement for radiation. A person generally receives about 360mREM from background sources. Background sources include space, the sun, the ground, the air we breathe, etc. Cooking with Natural Gas exposes a person to about 10mREM per year due to the Radon gas in the natural gas. Living in a brick home adds another 10-20mREM above living in a wood structure. Therefore, dental x-rays were already safe. However, the digital sensor that is in use in our office requires about 25% as much radiation, or a 75% decrease in radiation. This means that they are that much safer for our patients.
In addition, a digital x-ray allows the dentist to make better, faster, and more reliable diagnosis. The image appears immediately on the screen, allowing the dentist to see what is happening immediately, causing the patient less anxiety sitting and waiting. Along with that are the benefits of being able to visually manipulate the image. This makes it easier to make a good diagnosis by changing the contrast, brightness, and gain of the image, causing problems such as decay to appear more distinctly. The hidden benefit is that a larger picture makes it more real for the patient, helping them to be more active in their treatment planning.
So, the next time you go to the dentist, at least at BenchMark Dental, you can rest easy knowing that your dentist has you in mind when he takes x-rays of your teeth.
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