5 Ways to Keep Your Teeth Healthy

Photo by Blaise Vonlanthen on Unsplash

We all know that maintaining a healthy smile can be a difficult task. How many times have you climbed into bed, just to think, "oh man! I forgot to brush my teeth!"? And how many times have you realized just as quickly that your will to get up was far less than your will to stay in bed?

It is so easy to put off the simplest things that can truly help us have a healthy and beautiful smile that we can share with confidence. The following 5 things can keep your teeth healthy and your smile bright.

1. Brush Your Teeth

Good basic oral hygiene is the best and most effective way to keep your teeth healthy. And it's not just about making your smile look good. Although having a clean, beautiful smile is sure to be your best friend in social, professional, and personal circles, your teeth have an important job to do and if they can't be strong, then they can't do the one thing they are here to do. When plaque builds up on and in between our teeth, they are more likely to be weakened by cavities that can lead to sensitivity, pain, and even fracture.  Dentists always recommend brushing twice a day for at least 2 minutes to keep the plaque at bay. Plaque is that sticky yellowish film containing bacteria that eats away at your teeth and is both gross and dangerous without proper care. Keep those pearly whites both strong and beautiful!

Photo by Alex on Unsplash

2. Floss Daily

Flossing is recommended at least once a day and it is for more than digging out that popcorn kernel or shred of beef nagging away at the tender gums between your plaque covered teeth occupying every thought until you can get it out. It helps to remove bacteria from the hard to reach areas and also helps to reduce the risk of gum disease which is linked to far worse things for your health like heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, stroke, and diabetes. It also strengthens the gums and reduces infections from bacteria. Flossing is easy and keeps the spaces between your teeth away from becoming home to nasty decay. 

3. Healthy Diet

While sometimes we can't go another minute without our favorite treats, the same favorite treats can be our enemies and have a negative impact on our oral health. Eating a healthy, well-balanced diet that contains all of the nutrients we need can help reduce the risk of decay. Foods high in sugar, yes, including the ice cream you are dreaming about right now, can lead to cavities and wear away at our teeth. If your diet includes drinking lots of water, a good balance of fruits, veggies, and proteins without the excess sugar, you are at much less risk of cavities and decay. This combined with avoiding habit forming substances like alcohol, tobacco, smoking, and other drugs that can also lead heavily to decay allows us to be healthy in mind, body, and mouth.

Photo by Michael Browning on Unsplash

4. Regularly visit the dentist

The dentist is a doctor who has specifically trained and learned to treat and care for your teeth. They really do have your best interest at heart. He/She can look specifically at your teeth and help you see what you can't and give you the best recommendations to keep your smile healthy. By going to see them regularly, you can avoid painful and expensive situations later by doing the basic things now. If you haven't seen you dentist in a while, give them a call, they want to help.

5. Pay attention

You know your mouth and teeth better than anyone and if you think something is wrong, schedule an appointment with your dentist to check it out. And if you have questions, feel free to call us.

Giveaway Extended!

We have extended our giveaway until

August 31st. 

All you have to do is Like and Follow one or more of our Social Media Accounts

Facebook 

Instagram

Twitter

Stay in touch with us to see what we'll do next!

$25 Social Media Giveaway

Along with the great gifts and education at our upcoming event next week, we wanted to give everyone an opportunity to win something just by following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Simply like us on one of these platforms and you will be entered to win a $25 Visa Gift Card. We know how important you are to our practice and this is one of many ways that we want to say Thank you!

Lecture Event: Mesa, Arizona Endodontist

Dear Doctors & Teams,

We are excited to announce and invite you to an exciting Lecture Event on 

Thursday, August 10th from 5:30-8:30 PM 

at the Falls Event Center in Gilbert.

Pre-Register here to reserve your seats or

Call Jessica with any questions & RSVP at 480-365-9713

Join us on the evening of the 10th to hear an exciting lecture on the cutting-edge technology that is revolutionizing endodontics, giving each of our patients better treatment in a better way. 

You don't want to miss out!

Listen to the science behind the GentleWave Procedure

See this exciting new treatment option in action

Learn about improved patient care through discussions on treatment protocol

Eat great food provided by professional caterers

Enjoy Jester'Z Improv Comedy

Have the chance to Win Prizes including:
Dinner for two at the Award-winning Compass Arizona Grill in Phoenix
Chair massage for each member of your office
& More!

he GentleWave Procedure harnesses the most cutting-edge technology in active irrigation with minimal shaping of the root canal system and maximum retention of the natural dental anatomy. The 8-minute GentleWave® Procedure also minimizes pain and removes virtually all of the infected and inflamed material inside even the microtubules that we have never been able to reach before. We look forward to providing this for each of our patients to maximize efficacy and comfort, both immediately post-treatment and long-term. Check out our website at www.mesaadvancedendo.com or call our office at (480)733-1778 to find out how we are implementing this cutting-edge technology. You can also learn more at www.gentlewave.com and www.sonendo.com.

In order to share this revolutionary technology with you, we are honored to invite you to an exciting lecture event we are hosting to give you an educational and in-depth look at the GentleWave System. Dr. Brian Christopherson will be speaking and we are excited to announce two special lecture guests; Dr. James A. Smith, D.M.D., adjunct assistant professor for the Department of Endodontics at the Univeristy of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry and an endodontist who implements the GentleWave Procedure successfully in his own practice to give his patients better care and Dr. Mehrzad Khakpour, P.h.D., Vice President of Research &  Development for Sonendo, the driving force for the development of the GentleWave Procedure. This exciting lecture event will be held the evening of Thursday, August 10. 

Come eat amazing food, see the GentleWave in action, listen to inspirational lectures about saving teeth, win prizes, and enjoy Jester’Z Improv Comedy.  It will be a fun and enlightening evening that you don’t want to miss. 

P.S. each representative for your office that attends will give you a better chance of winning the office massage.

Pre-Register Here to Reserve Your Seats

Have Questions?

CONTACT US

Open House: Mesa, Arizona Endodontist

This blog post is to all of our referring doctors and their teams, so if you are interested in our office, let your general dentist know about us and our open house!

We hope you are doing well and staying busy this summer! 

We are excited to announce that we are the FIRST provider in the East Valley and only the second in Arizona to offer the GentleWave® Procedure from Sonendo!

We know that your schedules are full and patients are your top priority, we also know that it is important to be your partner in caring for your patients. We want to improve the way we do this, so in order to get to know you better and to introduce you to our new revolutionary technology that gives your patients a more comfortable root canal, we are opening up our office to you and anyone on your team who can make it on June 22, from 5:30 to 7:30. 

Come see our beautiful office, meet Dr. Christopherson, and learn about how we can improve your patients' care with the GentleWave® Procedure. We are excited to have Chad Archibek from Sonendo join us at our Open house to talk about how this technology helps us do better root canals than ever before. We would love to see you there to get to know us and help us get to know you!

This is also our way of saying THANK YOU for all that you do and for all of your referrals! We know that you are the ones that keep us in business and what better way to say that than great food and a relaxing environment?

EVERYONE IS INVITED

So please let your whole office know, Family & Friends welcome too!

You can RSVP by sending us an email too! office@mesaadvancedendo.co And if you don't have a chance to RSVP, we still would love to see you

The GentleWave® Procedure is an exciting new technology that utilizes a Multisonic Ultracleaning Technology to replace standard instrumentation with broad spectrum acoustic energy partnered with a powerful and dynamic fluid vortex that gives us the power to clean and disinfect like never before. This system allows us to preserve tooth structure with minimal instrumenting while removing virtually all infected and inflamed tissue from the canals, leaving us with a better clean, a great clean.    

The GentleWave procedure harnesses the most cutting-edge technology in active irrigation while allowing for minimal shaping of the root canal systems and maximum retention of the natural dental anatomy. This 8-minute, painless procedure involving advanced instrumentation from Sonendo is now being utilized in all* of our non-surgical endodontic procedures to maximize efficacy and patient comfort both immediately and long-term. Up until this point, we typically have not felt comfortable performing many root canal treatments in less than two steps because we want to give the tooth the time with inter-canal medication inside, plus a second opportunity to flush the canals and increase the percentage of clean canal structure. With this new GentleWave® Procedure, we can feel comfortable minimizing your patient’s treatment time in the chair because this patented Multisonic Ultracleaning technology gives us the power to dissolve organic tissue 8 times faster than with conventional techniques and reaches throughout even the most complex root systems with minimal instrumentation, helping us be better endodontists.

*unless contraindicated

For your reference, detailed clinical information regarding the GentleWave Procedure is available online at www.sonendo.com and patient-oriented information can be found at www.gentlewave.com. Information can also be found on our website HERE. 

For answers to any questions or to learn more about how we're integrating this into our patient care, please contact our office at (480)733-1778, contact Jessica at (480)365-9713, or email us at office@mesaadvancedendo.com. 

We look forward to continuing to provide the highest level of patient care and comfort and we thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Dr. Brian Christopherson and

Team at Advanced Endodontics

How Do I Know I Need a Root Canal?

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Does it hurt to touch your tooth?

When you bite down, does the pain just whip from your tooth, right through your jaw?

Do you have a swollen lump on the gums surrounding your tooth?

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-If you answered yes to any of these questions, talk to an Endodontist immediately-

Why an Endodontist?

There are many signs and symptoms that let you know when you need a root canal, but it is the whole picture that helps your dentist determine the extent and type of endodontic treatment that you need. A root canal is needed when the soft tissue inside of the tooth becomes infected, inflamed, or begins to die. These things can cause a number of nagging symptoms to lead you to the need for a root canal.

These common symptoms are all possible signs of the need for root canal therapy:

sensitivity to hot and/or cold

pain when biting or chewing

pain to touch

gum tenderness

swelling in the gums and/or through the face

lump(s) surrounding a tooth

injury to a tooth

graying of the tooth

---

How Will It Help?

GentleWave Procedure

Our new state-of-the-art procedure protocol saves you time in the chair and makes your root canal more comfortable.

Root canal therapy eliminates the pain and discomfort of symptoms by removing the decaying nerve tissue inside a tooth and replacing it with permanent material, thus getting you out of pain! It doesn't have to be uncomfortable to get treatment either! With the technology and medication that we have today, Drs. can get you out of pain quickly and less invasively than ever before! Ask us about how we can make you more comfortable!

Tooth Pain

Tooth pain can be debilitating and unbearable. It affects your quality of life. When you experience any of the above symptoms, it is recommended that you contact your dentist or endodontist immediately to find out what you might need to do in order to improve your comfort. Your dentist and/or endodontist will go through a series of thermal and percussion tests along with radiographs (x-rays) that will help them diagnose the exact cause of your discomfort.

If your discomfort arises from an infection, they may prescribe antibiotics to get a handle on the environment, after which root canal therapy ensures that the problem does not arise again.

Can you get lucky?

Wouldn't it be nice to know before the symptoms start? Wouldn't it be great if that happened in all cases?

Sometimes, you don't have to have the pain. Sometimes, the problem can only be seen through radiographic diagnosis and your dentist will find it in your routine preventative exams. They may inform you of the need for root canal therapy without having to experience the uncomfortable symptoms that come along with the radiographic findings at a later time.

It is easy to be skeptical of the need for a root canal when you don't have the discomfort common with the need. This is the best time to consult an endodontist though! Finding this before the pain, you have more time to understand and prepare for your root canal treatment, making your treatment easier on you.

Revolutionizing the Root Canal

INTRODUCING...

There are so many exciting and wonderful things happening in the dental field. Research is constantly changing the way we do things and the technological advances today only make our jobs more effective. We are learning more and more every day and improving the way we do things all the time. 

The tooth is a system of nerves and soft tissue surrounded by dentin and enamel. The roots are the foundation extending down into the gums and bone giving the tooth the stability to do the thing that the tooth is essential for. That thing called chewing. We could live without that right?

Each tooth has a system of canals that house the soft tissue and nerves, but when that soft tissue gets infected or the nerve starts to die, a root canal may be necessary. When a root canal is needed, it means that something in the tooth is causing inflammation and/or bone loss. Each case is different, but in each case something, whether it is a nerve that is dying, an injury to the bone, or infected pulp, something has to be removed and cleaned out in order to restore an environment inside the tooth that can be filled with an artificial filling material to maintain the tooth's functionality and stability. This video gives us a basic step-by-step look at what a root canal is. 

The fluids described in this video to clean out the soft tissue and disinfect the canals can now be replaced with the multisonic ultracleaning Gentlewave system to get an even better clean.

Once the canals are cleaned out, a series of fluids are used to flush out additional inflammatory material and to disinfect the canals. This cleaning process is the most important part of your root canal. Until now, we have had to rely on our hand instruments and microscopes to get the best clean possible. 

 

BUT...

WE ARE EXCITED AND HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THE INTRODUCTION OF THE GENTLEWAVE PROCEDURE INTO OUR PRACTICE.

This system gives us a clean like never before. The GentleWave System replaces our standard instrumentation protocol with a broad spectrum energy from sound paired with a powerful vortex of the same cleaning fluids that we use in the standard Root Canal Treatment. The two parts combined create an even better clean than we can get ourselves. 

Standard Root Canal Treatment

Root Canal Treatment with the GentleWave System

As the second endodontic practice in Arizona to introduce this technology, we are extremely excited to find our flow with this new system and give you an even better clean than ever before. With this acoustic cleaning, we can cut down the time you spend in the chair and make your experience more comfortable with this minimally invasive technology. You can visit www.gentlewave.com for more information and we can answer any and all of your questions about this brand new state-of-the-art technology, just contact us  with your questions or to inquire about an appointment.

Like I said earlier, technology is helping us be more effective. 

See our New Website and Get to Know Us better!

A WHOLE NEW WEBSITE

We have undergone some great new changes online and would love to hear from you! We would love to answer any questions you have about endodontic treatment and about our office. 

For years, we have focused solely on the specific treatment of each patient; however, we have come to realize the importance of an online presence for you, our patients, to learn about us and what you can expect during your treatment.  We can answer all of your important questions. You mean everything to us and we want you to be comfortable coming to us.

We know how it is to go to the dentist. It is scary. And it is scary to have pain with no relief. We want to eliminate this fear so that your treatment causes no more stress than is necessary. You can no more control the necessity of a root canal than you can avoid a cavity. There are preventative measures, but in the end, it still is no fun. We're here to make that "no fun" become something that you can describe as no more than a routine visit to the dental office. 

Here at Advanced Endodontics, Dr. Christopherson has a saying. 

"You get what you pay for and humor is free."

Though his jokes might be corny, his work is definitely not. Dr. Christopherson takes care of each of his patients with kindness, honesty, a little bit of humor, patience, gentleness, and so much more. Dr. Christopherson believes in doing it right the first time and takes the time to do it. With a little bit of TLC, your pain will go away. Dental care can be stressful and a root canal is no different, but we want you to feel comfortable and at home with us. The humor is free, but the environment and care are priceless.