Perioshield at Smiles of Skokie. Revolutionary rinse!

This appears to be a very significant breakthrough for those of us with gum disease. Perioshield is a new product which is classified by the FDA as a 'dental device' and it is a rinse. It is basically a mouth wash. It is to be used twice a day after flossing and brushing.

Perioshield has been shown to reduce dental plaque and bleeding by more than one third in clinical studies. This is not a systemic drug with systemic side effects but a locally acting 'device'. In my mind this is the best way to handle health problems. Too many 'drugs' have far too many side effects and we don't need to add to the number of drugs in use today.

Here is an online link to the manufacturer's information:

http://us-professional.gumbrand.com/departments/operatory-products/gum-perioshield-oral-health-rinse/products/new-perioshield/

All of us [with our own teeth] still need to floss and brush, carefully, at least once a day but those of us with tendencies to develop gum disease may greatly benefit from this product. Those of us with gum disease susceptibility should also be very careful with our diets and perhaps take nutritional supplements to help build up our own resistance and health to be at its best to fight off this tendency.

Please tell your friends and neighbors about this if they have ever mentionend having gum problems to you or if you have ever noticed significant mouth odor from them. Bad breath is a pretty reliable indicator of gum disease.

Unfortunately Perioshield is not available through local retailers yet. We are ordering some for sale in the office for $10 per bottle because we feel this is a great product which you should be able to get as soon as possible which is why my team and I are making this available to you in our office.

Email in regard to a friend of one of our "Dental Family" & root canal treatment.

Hi, _____;

Please see my response inserted into your text below.

I hope you, _____ and all of yours are well.

---
I wish you & yours the best always!
Dave McWhinnie
Text & Voice: 847-906-3202
www.SmilesOfSkokie.com
Mobile: davidmcw3@gmail.com
Blogs: http://dave-mcwhinnie.blogspot.com/
http://drdavesmilesofskokie.blogspot.com/

On Wed, 7 Sep 2011 10:56:42 -0700 (PDT), ____ _______ wrote:
> Hello, Dave.
>
> I have a question for you, please. I have a friend at work who may or
> may not be the victim of questionable dental practices. Allow me to
> explain. She had a root canal done on of her upper, center-most teeth.
> Within two days of this surgery, the color of the tooth began to
> darken. Concerned about losing the tooth, not to mention the
> appearance issue, she went back to visit the dentist. On the latter
> visit he told her that this discoloration is normal, and that one must
> wait fully six months after a root canal to see if the tooth
> recuperates its health and can be, for lack of a better word,
> “saved”.

When a root canal is done on a tooth there shouldn't be much discoloration. A root canal treated tooth [in particular an upper front tooth] needs to be sealed with a temporary filling material which should prevent it from discoloring and help prevent the root canal treatment from failing. The discoloration I don't understand at all. A tooth treated in this manner should also be restored with bonding material within a few to 6 or so weeks after the root canal. Then it should be restored with a crown within a year of the completion of the root canal treatment. These are standard practices within dentistry. Root canals in these teeth almost always work. The success rate is in excess of 95%.

>She also is thinking that if the tooth is this dark after
> a few days, what will it look like after six month?

This is a good question.

>The worst case
> scenario, the dentist says, is for the tooth to die, in which case he
> says the optimal step would be replacement with a tooth implant.

The tooth is already devitalized and thought to be dead after a root canal. Failure entails an infection which won't heal or usually redevelops within a relatively short time after the root canal is completed. Root canals can, however, fail years after the treatment is completed.

>
> Does this sound like standard and proper practice to you, please?

Perhaps there is something lacking in the communication but it does sound questionable to me.

> Does it sound as if a second opinion may be needed here?

I think that would be a good idea. I would be happy to assess the situation. I do a lot of this type of treatment.

>
> I appreciate your time and trouble, whenever you may have the
> opportunity to answer this.

It is my pleasure and honor to be given the opportunity to express my professional opinion here. I appreciate your concern and efforts on behalf of a friend of yours.

>
> Thanking you kindly in advance,
>
> ____

Please let me know if I can be of further help.

Sincerely yours,
Dave

Good day yesterday.

We saw one patient I did some veneers for a year or so ago. I couldn't tell which teeth they were on without doing a close examination. It is great to have such wonderful materials and labs to work with that this is possible. Cosmetic/aesthetic dentistry sure is FUN!

We also started a crown for another patient which should work out very well. We delivered a whitening system for another patient and thanks to my wonderful team everything went well. It is a great feeling to know we are helping our 'Dental Family' as well as is possible at this point in time.

I am always looking for better ways to help all of our 'Dental Family'.

We had an 8 year old and an 11 year old in yesterday who are brother and siter. They are both flossing all of their teeth daily. This is GREAT! Once the habit is formed and a patient gets accustomed to a healthy, clean mouth they are much more likely to maintain this healthy routine for life. These two will have minimal dental problems and as a result better overall health throughout their lives. How about you?

It is nice to be back in the office after a long holiday weekend. I did have fun though in a number of ways. It was a nice holiday weekend. My wife also arrived home from the Philippines yesterday. It is wonderful to have her home.

We could be busier. We would like to keep our entire team comfortably busy. Michelle, our hygienist, would like to be working more hours. If you can think of any friends, relatives or neighbors, who have teeth, and who might benefit from our help, please refer them to us. We appreciate this vote of confidence when you refer new patients to us very much.

Medications to prevent heart attack or stoke from blood clots.

There are some major changes in the way we handle your medications if you are taking this type of medication. We will not be suspending anti-clotting medications nearly as much as we have in the past.

The American Dental Association has a very good article which includes very recent research which I would recommend you discuss with your physician if this pertains to you. There are 2 versions of the newest recommendations at the following website link, one of which is for patients and the other for dental professional. Please read it if you are taking this type of medication.

http://www.ada.org/2526.aspx?currentTab=2

We are fortunate to live in an environment where improvements in health care are always progressing through research and clinical evaluation of all of our treatments. There are always improvements in the way we treat and medicate our 'dental family' which is our professional promise to you.

We also treat handicapped patients.

We are handicapped accessible. We recently joined www.jjslist.com to allow us to be more easily found by future, new, challenged members of our dental family. We enjoy taking care of all of your friends and neighbors. We take special pleasure in helping those with more difficult circumstances. After all, we are in the oral health care field to care for and help all of our friends and neighbors. We take great pride in our work of helping others.

Toothpaste and abrasion.

Toothpaste abrasion and brushing too hard and long have been known to cause gum recession and wear of teeth and exposed roots for years. This is now getting more attention in the media and has been researched more carefully. Please refer to these links:

http://www0.epinions.com/content_3128664196

http://www.saveyoursmile.com/toothpaste/toothpaste-d.html

http://jada.ada.org/content/135/11/1516.2.full

I definitely recommend using the lowest rated abrasivity toothpaste with fluoride and a tartar control formulation.

Please also remember to only brush your natural teeth with a soft or extra soft toothbrush. All of us should only brush 5 to 10 circular strokes along the cheek and lip sides of the teeth and the tongue sides of the teeth. The chewing surfaces can be brushed more vigorously. This will help avoid gum recession and root surface wear. Brushing harder does NOT replace flossing. All of us need to floss every 36 hours also to prevent plaque from hardening into tartar.

Took a short trip to Florida the end of last week.

Here is a link to the photos I took:

https://picasaweb.google.com/davidmcw3/2011May57BeachBlastPanamaCityBeachFlorida?authkey=Gv1sRgCKyH296NrKWNzwE#

It is always nice to get back too though.

Radiation worries are now on everyone's mind.

Dear All, I have been letting you know about our minimal radiation exposure dental x-ray system somewhat regularly but it bears repeating in light of the disaster in Japan. There is no level of radiation which is desirable. However, until we have a better way of checking for your health or lack of it in regard to medicine or dentistry we are stuck with it.

Our phosphor sensor plate system requires the least exposure to radiation of any x-ray system available. It actually requires 33% of the radiation which other electronic sensor systems need to produce a good image.

I actually had to replace one of our x-ray machines when we bought this system for you and our office. There was no way to set the old machine to a low enough exposure to get a good image.

Please do a Google search if you would like. You will find there isn't a more sensitive system available than what we have for you at Smiles of Skokie.

Your health is our primary concern. We are interested in keeping you as healthy as possible dentally and medically.

We thank all of you for letting us help you as members of our 'dental family' at Smiles of Skokie!

It is best to take good care of 'baby' teeth.

http://www.todaysparent.com/baby/article.jsp?content=5890&page=1

This article makes a lot of sense.

I see children at times with numerous cavities. Today this is more rare thanks in large part to better patient awareness and fluoridation.

It is a good idea at times to intervene early with minor orthodontic treatment to help direct growth. This can actually lessen the cost of orthodontic treatment in the long run.

Bike paths in Skokie. Please help!

I have forwarded this to some of my biking friends and would like to request that any of you who can support this plan do so. It will be a wonderful addition to our community.

This is a proposed plan in need of voices to back it.

>>>

Hello Dr. Dave!

Nice speaking with you a few moments ago! I write to request your help with obtaining community letters of support for the Village of Skokie Model Communities grant application. The Model Communities grant program is a federal program providing funds to "Change Policies, Systems and Environments to Promote Healthy Eating and Active Living". The Village is applying for funds to develop engineering and landscape design plans to complete a segment of multi-use (biking, walking, etc) path along the old Union Pacific Right-of-Way between Oakton and Jarvis.

The proposed portion of the path will provide access to the new CTA station at Oakton Street(construction begins in January 2011), and will link north to the new multi-use path between Oakton and Dempster (construction set for 2011), as well as south into Chicago through Lincolnwood. A map showing the proposed route is attached (in green). Clearly, completion of the new path will significantly benefit Skokie residents, and those of neighboring communities, by improving access to alternative forms of transportation, such as the CTA, and providing additional opportunities for recreation.

We are very excited about the opportunity to complete the biking/walking path from Jarvis to Dempster (and beyond). It would be helpful to have a number of letters, including those from residents (perhaps you?), describing the potential benefits of the project. I have attached a draft letter for your review, although it is more applicable to larger entities than regular citizens.

Thank you very much, and please do contact me if you have any questions!

Catherine


Catherine A. Counard, MD, MPH
Director of Health
Village of Skokie
5127 Oakton Street
Skokie, Illinois 60077
Phone: (847) 933-8252
Catherine.Counard@skokie.org

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Link to bike map in Skokie area:

>>>

http://www.egovlink.com/public_documents300/skokie/published_documents/Community%20Development/Bicycling%20in%20Skokie/Bikeway%20System%20Plan%20201000630%207-10.pdf

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[Please copy and paste the above text lines into a browser window.]


Template:

>>>

[Letter of Support Template]

December [___], 2010

Albert J. Rigoni, Village Manager
Village of Skokie
5127 Oakton Street
Skokie, Illinois 60077

Re: Letter of Support – Model Communities Grant Program

[Organization name] is pleased to support the Village of Skokie in its efforts to apply for Model Communities grant funds to connect Downtown Skokie to Lincolnwood, Chicago, and beyond, via the Village’s Community Connections project, a multi-use path corridor from the Oakton Street CTA Station to Lincolnwood’s municipal boundary.

Investing in planning efforts for a multi-use path will not only provide a future connection to Downtown Chicago, but it will benefit [Organization name] as well. Our mission is [mission statement]. This mission benefits the residents, employers, employees, property owners, business owners, and visitors of the area by [list benefit(s)].

[Organization name] will support the Village of Skokie with participating in community planning events and partnering with community leaders to make Skokie an active and healthy community.

[Organization name] has successfully collaborated with the Village of Skokie in the past by [list past collaboration effort(s)], and intends to be a strong partner in this and future opportunities.

We look forward to collaborating with the Village of Skokie on this Community Connections initiative.

Sincerely,
[Organization name]


[Name]
[Title]

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The letter above is a template.