Glendale, AZ 85308
What if I told you that every dentist secretly wishes they were a medical doctor. Deep down inside, we really want to wear a white lab coat, hang a stethoscope around our neck, and carry around a clipboard stacked with blank sheets of paper. The real reason we check your blood pressure is because that’s …
Ask most dentists how often you should brush and you are likely to get the same answer: twice daily. But why? What makes brushing two times daily the magic number? What if you are susceptible to cavities, should you be brushing more often? Why do some people get cavities despite brushing religiously, while others never …
Maybe you sought a second opinion and found that it was completely different from the first. Why do dentists disagree so often? Hopefully, most dentists will agree on the diagnosis of conditions. But, when it comes to treatment, you can expect a wide variety of opinions. There is a joke in our field, if you …
There you are with a giant needle sticking out of your face and your dentist starts to shake your cheek. What do they think they are doing? Is the shaking supposed to distract you? Well, it’s not working! Or is it? These are the thoughts that rush through many patient’s minds when I am giving …
For many patients, getting numb is the scariest part of going to the dentist. My patients often ask me how long they will be numb after their appointment. The answer to this question, as with most things in life, is that it depends. There are many factors such as the type of anesthetic used, the …
You wake up with the worst pain in your life. You’re not sure which tooth hurts, but it feels like your mouth stumbled into a bear trap over night. The pain is relentless, and you can’t think about anything else. If that describes your pain, then unfortunately, you probably need a root canal. I’ve been …
There are many specialties within the field of dentistry. An endodontist specializes in treating the tissues inside of the tooth. When you normally think of a tooth you probably don’t think about the nerves and blood vessels inside. But, your teeth are living tissues, just like any other part of your body. When your teeth …
For patients with chronic gum disease, there are a variety of local antibiotics that promise to improve gum health. Perhaps the most common local antibiotic is Arestin. But, unless you work in the dental field, you have probable never heard of Arestin. So, what is it? Do you really need it? And why is it …
Jokes about dentists abound. The punchline to some of my favorite dentist jokes usually end with dentists as failed or wannabe medical doctors. But, what’s with all of the dentist jokes? Is there any truth to them? Are dentists actually doctors, or are they just pretenders with stethoscope envy? Are Dentists Medical Doctors? Dentists must …
Having sensitive teeth is a common complaint. In most cases, tooth sensitivity is a minor annoyance, but for some it can be a chronic problem. It can be hard to know when a sensitive tooth requires a visit to the dentist. Fortunately, most tooth sensitivity is entirely treatable, and easily solved with only basic interventions. …