So we’ll say it again: a healthy smile is vital.

And what better time to come in for your next visit than February, which is Dental Health Month. All this month, patients who keep their regular visit with Dr. Ravi Doctor will receive one FREE oral cancer screening ($50.00 value), and will have a chance to win a FREE Sonicare Toothbrush ($175.00 value).

Achieve Your Optima Oral Health with Regular Checkups and Cleanings

During your visit us, Dr. Doctor will check your smile for signs of gum disease and tooth decay, in addition to bruxism and TMJ dysfunction. We’ll also complete your oral cancer screening this month free of charge, if you keep your appointment. And finally, we’ll thoroughly clean your teeth and gums to help prevent decay or periodontal disease.

All of these steps will help you safeguard your smile’s future and achieve optimal oral health, which is what we want for each and every one of our patients.

Schedule Your February Visit Today

If it’s time for your next appointment, call either our Arlington or Southlake office today. We want to help patients from throughout the entire DFW metroplex have a smile that they’ll want to share with those around them.

Get in touch with us today!

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Strengthen Your Jaw with Bone Grafting from Dr. Doctor

Dental implants are a great restorative option for qualified candidates. They let patients enjoy a strong, functional bite that acts just like a natural smile and can be cared for with regular brushing and flossing.

Not every patient is a candidate for dental implants, though. Which is why, at Dr. Ravi Doctor’s Southlake and Arlington offices, patients who aren’t candidates for dental implants can find hope with a bone graft.

Why Is Bone Grafting Necessary?

The reason why some patients aren’t candidates for dental implants is that they don’t have enough bone density to support the implants. What bone grafting does, then, is strengthen the jaw. It does this by supporting the bone tissue that’s already there and promoting the growth of new tissue over time.

What Is a Bone Grafting Procedure Like?

Often, a bone graft can be completed at the same time as when a patient’s implant is placed.

Once your implant has been placed, Dr. Doctor will simply take bone tissue or bone substitute and place it where it’s needed. Over time, as the site of the implant heals, the patient’s own bone tissue will replace the grafted bone or bone substituted.

In some cases, though, patients may need bone grafting before they can receive implants. Every patient has different needs.

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What’s the secret to their success? Well, there’s really no secret at all.

Dental implants come in two parts. The first is the restored tooth (or teeth); the second is the implant post. It’s the implant’s job to act as a replacement root, securing your restoration as firmly as a natural root would. It does this by interacting with your jawbone, stimulating the growth of new bone tissue. Without either a natural root or a replacement root to stimulate new bone growth, that particular part of your jawbone would begin to atrophy, leading to further tooth loss over time as the jawbone weakens.

How Do Dental Implants Work?

A dental implant procedure requires two stages. In the first stage, Dr. Doctor will complete all the prep work. This includes any bone grafting that may be necessary, in addition to putting your implant(s) in place. In the second phase of your implant procedure, your crown, bridge, or denture will be placed. Sometimes both procedures can be finished in one visit, but it’s also possible that more than one visit could be required.

Are Dental Implants Right for You?

For many patients they are, but everyone’s different. That’s why, if you’ve been considering dental implants, we encourage you to call Dr. Doctor’s Arlington or Southlake office today to schedule a consultation visit. Before we can know exactly what your smile needs, Dr. Doctor needs to know how many teeth you’ll be restoring and he needs to have some idea of what your jawbone density is like.

To schedule your consultation with Dr. Doctor, call us today. We serve patients from Arlington, Southlake, and all throughout the DFW metroplex.

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The good news is you don’t have to. With Invisalign clear braces, that straighter smile you’ve dreamed of can be yours, minus the inconvenience of traditional orthodontics.

The Benefits of Invisalign

Invisalign clear braces use a series of clear, custom-made acrylic aligners to achieve stunning results.

Here’s how treatment will work: Once your aligners have arrived at Dr. Ravi Doctor’s Southlake or Arlington office, you’ll just need to wear each aligner for about two weeks, with each new aligner bringing you closer to your goal of a straighter smile. There’s absolutely nothing to tighten; you’ll just need to check in with us periodically so that Dr. Ravi Doctor can see how you’re progressing.

Invisalign’s clear aligners are also removable, meaning that you can take them out to eat, to brush and floss, and even for a special event, like a meeting with clients or a big night out. This kind of convenience and discretion is what Invisalign is known for and what puts it ahead of the competition—you just can’t do this with traditional bracket-and-wire braces.

Sschedule Your Consultation Visit Today

If you have questions about Invisalign clear braces or would like to schedule a consultation visit with Dr. Ravi Doctor, get in touch with our Southlake or Arlington office today. Our offices are conveniently located to serve patients from throughout the DFW metroplx. Call us today to schedule your visit.

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The awarding of Mastership status is an honor which a professional society such as the ICOI bestows on a dental professional involved in dental implant treatment.  The ICOI has a Mastership program in which active members are encouraged to achieve Mastership status through their efforts in education, research and actual clinical experience.

The International Congress of Oral Implantologists is a tax-exempt, non-profit, worldwide dental educational organization.  It is dedicated to communicating scientific knowledge and improving the clinical practice of dental implantology worldwide.  The ICOI has public information programs, publishes a bimonthly journal and a quarterly newsletter.  It conducts numberous scientific symposia each year and supports research and education through it Implant Dentistry Research and Education and Foundation (IDREF).

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But whether it seems like it or not, hookah smoking is still smoking. And smoking is never a good idea.

As Rankin (2011) wrote in a recent Texas Dental Journal article, “At the environmental level, side stream (second hand) smoke from a single hookah session contains approximately four times the carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, four times the volatile aldehydes, and thirty times the carbon monoxide of a single cigarette. Exhaled mainstream smoke from a typical one-hour hookah session generate ambient carcinogens and toxicants equivalent to two to ten cigarette smokers” (p. 441-445).

Hookah Smoking and Communicable Disease

Hookah smoking isn’t just a bad idea because of carcinogens. It’s also been found to play a key role in the spread of communicable disease.

Rankin (2011) reports, “The World Health Organization recently issued a warning about the link between hookah smoking and the serious risk of transmission of communicable disease. A definite association between tuberculosis and hookah smoking has now been established (1). Studies also show that communal smoking increased the rate of infection with Heliocobacter pylori, the bacteria associated with gastric ulcers. Transmission of other pathogens including hepatitis A, hepatitis C, herpes simplex and Epstein-Barr virus has also been associated with hookah use…” (p. 441-445).

Tobacco Smoke and Your Heart Health

Even if hookah smoking doesn’t produce any immediate negative results, although it could, regular smoking of any kind over time can cause problems for more than just your lungs. Smoking can increase the likeability of contracting periodontal disease, can increase the risk of stroke (brain attack) for women on birth control, and contains over two hundred identified carcinogens. Your very heart health is at risk as well.

Smoking is known to produce toxic chemicals that cause the gradual build-up of atherosclerotic plaque in the coronary arteries of the heart, which could result in a fatal heart attack. Hookah smoke that is inhaled into the lungs shows an indeterminate link to the dysplastic changes of cellular function and metaplasia of the oral and esophageal tissue. Nicotine begins a metabolic change that occurs in the liver, and is considered to be the most dangerously addictive substance available to the consumer market. “Most do not realize it, but hookah smoke contains around forty times the amount of carbon monoxide and nicotine concentrations, after a forty-five minute session, that were 1.7 times greater” (Azab et al., 2010).

To find out more about the dangers of hookah smoking and its impact on your oral and overall health, contact Dr. Ravi Doctor’s office today. We serve patients from all throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

References

Azab, M., Khabour, O.F., Alkaraki, A. K., Eissenberg, T., Alzoubi, K. H., & Primack, B. A. (2010). Water pipe tobacco smoking amoung university students in Jordan. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 12(6), 606-612. Doi:10.1093/ntr/ntq055

Rankin, K.V. (2011). Hookah smoking: a popular alternative to cigarettes. Texas Dental Journal, 128(5), 441-445.

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If you need to schedule an appointment or are “interviewing” us as your potential new dental provider, call today! You may also want to review information about us here.

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