Bellevue Cosmetic Dentist Choosing the Best Dentistry

TOP DENTISTS LIST 2012 FOR BELLEVUE COSMETIC DENTISTS

2012-01-31T18:13:00.000-08:00

BELLEVUE DENTISTS VOTED TO TOP DENTISTS LIST AT SEATTLE MET MAGAZINE

Dr Cynthia Pauley and Dr Brian Cave, who are cosmetic dentists at BrooksideDental, Bellevue, WA, have been listed on the Seattle Met Magazine Top Dentists 2012registry. Inclusion on this list is based on a vote of dentists in the Seattle, WA,metropolitan geographical area. Selection for this honor in the 2012 year is for the excellentquality of dentistry that both Dr Cave and Dr Pauley have given to theirpatients in both family and cosmetic dentistry. They also were featured in the prestigious Seattle Met Magazine Top Dentists List in 2011 with a large format photograph. Brian CaveDDS, had practiced cosmetic and family dentistry in Edmonds, WA, for several years before beginning dentistry work with his wife Dr Cynthia Pauley at Brookside Dental in Bellevue, WA.

Inclusion in the SeattleMet Top Dentists List is based on a vote of dentistryprofessionals in both general and specialty dentistry areas. Hundreds of dentists vote in the Seattle, WA,metropolitan area for those dentists that they think are best qualified in the various areas of dentistry. The tabulated listings of the Top Dentists was published in the January2012 issue of the Seattle Met Magazine Top Dentists whichare available at the Seattle Met Magazine website. Inclusion on this Seattle Met Top Dentist listis thought to be a significant honor, because the top dentist listings may not bepurchased. Additionally, there is not any fee associated with the inclusion on the Seattle MetMagazine Top Dentist list.

In addition to this honor, both dentists were included on the recent USATop Dentists list where their professional listings are available at the USAtopdentist website. Additional information about these twocosmetic dentists may be observed by visiting their cosmetic dentistry blog.

USA TOP DENTISTS SELECTS TWO BELLEVUE COSMETIC DENTISTS

2011-10-05T16:20:00.000-07:00

USA topDentists Selection Bellevue WA

DR CYNTHIA PAULEY DDS

Brookside Dental, Bellevue, WA, is pleased to announce that Bellevue Cosmetic Dentists, Dr Cynthia Pauley and Dr Brian Cave, were informed September 29, 2011, that they had been selected by a vote of their peer dentists in the Seattle, WA, area for inclusion in the 2012 list of TopDentists^TM. USA Top Dentists immediately placed their professional listings on the usatopdentists.com website.

Dr Cynthia Pauley was selected by her peers for TopDentists^TMinclusion for the second year consecutively. She also was selected by her peers for this award and inclusion in the 2011 list of USA top dentists. This is the first time for Dr Brian Cave to receive this award and its associated inclusion in the list of TopDentists^TM.

DR BRIAN CAVE DDS

The award listings for Dr Pauley and Dr Cave also will be available in a future issue of the Seattle Met Magazine. Inclusion in TopDentists^TMis considered a highly significant honor for these two Bellevue Dentists because it is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey of hundreds of general dentists and specialist dentists throughout the area of Seattle, Washington. These general dentists and dentists in all specialty dentistry groups give “votes” in the Top Dentists survey based on the abilities of other dentists and specialists. Additionally, inclusion in TopDentists^TMis considered a significant achievement award because these top dentist listings cannot be purchased and no payment is required for this award listing.

For additional information about methods and procedures in cosmetic dentistry and how you can benefit from them as a patient at Brookside Dental, please visit our website at http://www.brooksidedental.com or contact either Dr Pauley or Dr Cave via email at info@brooksidedental.com. We have also discussed this award on our Brookside Dental Blog.and included a press release about the Top Dentist award.

ORAL HEALTH HAS POTENTIAL LINK TO BREAST CANCER

2011-08-08T16:07:00.000-07:00

Tooth Loss and Periodontal Disease Potentially Linked to Breast Cancer

Bellevue Dentist saw an interesting article discussing the possible link between breast cancer and tooth loss as reported on the Dental News and Technology Blog by Dr Marty Jablow. I am reprinting his article without editing as written in his blog article. I found this interesting because of the apparent extremely high likely hood to develop breast cancer when women have missing teeth and periodontal disease. According to Dr Jablow’s blog post, whose information source was the British Dental Health Foundation, the study suggests that women may be over 11 times more likely to have breast cancer if they have periodontal disease and missing teeth. Bellevue Cosmetic Dentist has discussed the association of periodontal disease to stroke and heart disease in another blog. Because of the relationship between periodontal disease and other diseases, I thought the possible link to breast cancer was extremely important and should be presented in this blog.

The study (1), carried out by the Karolinska Institute in Sweden on over three thousand patients, showed that out of the 41 people who developed breast cancer those who had gum disease and loss of teeth were 11 times more likely to develop cancer.

As this appears to be the first study presenting such findings, Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter, believes more needs to be done in order to confirm the results.

Dr Carter said: "If future studies can also testify to the link between missing teeth and breast cancer, more has to be done to raise public awareness on the issue. The British Dental Health Foundation has a history of campaigning for better oral health, and the findings presented in the study indicate another clear link between your general and oral health."

Gum disease is caused by the bacteria in dental plaque. As the disease gets worse the bone anchoring the teeth in the jaw is lost, making the teeth loose. If this is not treated, the teeth may eventually fall out. In fact, more teeth are lost through periodontal disease than through tooth decay.

In the past several findings have been released to support the notion infections in the mouth can affect other areas of your general health. In people who have gum disease, it is thought that bacteria from the mouth can get into the blood stream and affect the heart, causing a higher risk of heart disease. The same principles affect those with diabetes, as people with the condition are more likely to pick up infections. People with gum disease are also thought to be at a higher risk of strokes, chest infections, and pregnant women are seven times more likely to have a premature baby with a low birth weight.

As gum disease develops painlessly, there aren't many ways in which you can detect problems evolving. Look out for inflamed gums causing them to be red, swollen and bleed easily, an unpleasant taste in your mouth, bad breath, loose teeth and regular mouth infections. With only a few of these symptoms visible, Dr Carter recommends a safe course of action if you start showing any signs of gum disease.

Dr Carter said: "The best way to prevent and treat gum disease is to ensure you remove all the plaque from between your teeth by brushing for two minutes twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. You also need to clean in between your teeth at least once a day with interdental brushes or dental floss as this is the area where gum disease starts. Regular visits to the dentist can also help to identify early signs of gum disease."

(1) Söder, B, Yakob, M, Meurman, J, Andersson, L, Klinge, B, Söder, P, 8 October 2010, 'Periodontal disease may associate with breast cancer', Karolinska Institute, Sweden. The main purpose of the study was to evaluate the association between periodontal (gum) disease and the prevalence of breast cancer in 3273 randomly selected subjects aged 30-40. Breast cancer incidence was registered from 1985 to 2001 according to the WHO International Classiﬁcation of Diseases criteria. At baseline, 1676 individuals also underwent a clinical oral examination (Group A) whereas 1597 subjects were not clinically examined but were registered (Group B). The associations between breast cancer, periodontal disease, and missing molars were determined using multiple logistic regression models with several background variables and known risk factors for cancer.

BROOKSIDE DENTAL BELLEVUE HAS NEW FEATURES

2011-07-14T17:30:00.000-07:00

BELLEVUE DENTISTS HAVE NEW FEATURES AND EQUIPMENT

Bellevue Dentists, Dr Brian Cave and Dr Cynthia Pauley, since being featured in Seattle Met Magazine, have been very busy doing many new things at Brookside Dental, Bellevue, WA. They have remodeled all of the eight dental operatories with new equipment, new fixtures and furniture. Additionally, they put in new modern stations for all of the new dental equipment. We will have some photos of all the new features to post shortly and most likely a video showing the new dentistry features. The patients have indicated how comfortable and modern the redone dentistry operatories are at our Bellevue Cosmetic Dentist facility. We will continue to add features that have a positive effect for our patients both in terms of their comfort and better technology to deliver excellent state of the art dentistry.

PHOTO OF THE CURRENT BROOKSIDE DENTAL RECEPTION AREA.

The reception area will have some minor changes in the near future with new carpet and new overstuffed chairs to replace the ones currently in this area for patient comfort. In a future blog post, we will discuss our new digital x-ray system that has been installed in all of the eight dentistry operatories. Also, we will be discussing our new cancer detection equipment, the Velscope VX. In the future, we also will discuss in detail our launch of Invisalign clear braces without any metal for aligning and straightening teeth, which will replace the use of Hawley Appliances which we have used successfully many years to cosmetically move teeth at our Bellevue Cosmetic Dentist office.

Brookside Dental-Dentists Bellevue, WA

2011-01-24T17:46:00.000-08:00

RECENT VIDEO BROOKSIDE DENTAL, BELLEVUE, WA

New video discusses some of the various dentistry treatments that are available at Brookside Dental, Bellevue, WA. Both Dr Cynthia Pauley and Dr Brian Cave are excellent dentists that each have several years of restorative and cosmetic dentistry experience.

For additional information about the dentists visit our newly completed website at http://www.brooksidedental.com

Dr Cynthia Pauley Selected to UsatopDentists

2011-01-18T16:22:00.000-08:00

Dr Cynthia Pauley, a Bellevue WA family and cosmetic dentist has recently been listed as one of the Top Dentist for 2010-2011 by USAtopdentists website. In a letter received by topDentists to Dr Cindy, it was stated, "We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected by a vote of your peers to be included in the 2011 list of topDentists. The listings from your area will appear online immediately [2010] at www.usatopdentists.com and will [also] appear on www.seattlemet.com during 2011." This is the website for popular Seattle Met Magazine.

In the letter to Dr Cindy it stated, "Because topDentists is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which hundreds of dentists and specialists throughout the Seattle area cast thousands of "votes" on the abilities of other dentists and specialists, and because listings cannot be purchased (and no payment is required to be listed), inclusion in topDentists is considered a singular honor."

This information may also be seen on our other blog at Brookside Dental, Bellevue, WA.

BELLEVUE COSMETIC DENTIST SINGLE FRONT TOOTH REPLACEMENT

2010-06-30T18:14:00.000-07:00

THE COSMETIC DENTIST CHALLENGE OF THE SINGLE FRONT TOOTH

The idea of a Bellevue Cosmetic Dentist fixing a single front tooth so that it gives a person a beautiful smile would seem to be a very simple process as opposed to restoring multiple front teeth to accomplish that incredible smile. It seems that one tooth would be much less challenging and time consuming than doing multiple teeth. However, the opposite is really the case. Restoring a single front tooth is a very large challenge from a cosmetic dentistry perspective. The reason for this is that the single restored tooth, either a porcelain veneer or crown, must match or have a highly compatible relationship to the teeth adjacent to it in all aspects. These aspects would include tooth size, shape and color as well as spatial perspective and relationship to each other. Patient portrait photo is shown after bleaching and completion of a single upper anterior veneer.

A cosmetic dentist easily can control all of these aspects and relationships of the restored teeth when six or more teeth are involved in the cosmetic smile changes. These would all be done at the same time by the laboratory making the crowns or veneers for the dentist. Therefore, the size, shape and color of all the teeth can be controlled in the laboratory. The overall spatial relationships can be controlled when the final restorations are placed in the patient’s mouth in a much easier fashion because the size, shape and color have all been accounted for by the laboratory.

However, with a single anterior porcelain crown or veneer, all of these things have to be accounted for at the time of final placement by the Bellevue Dentist. Often the surrounding natural teeth will be bleached and then the single anterior tooth is matched to that color. However, with the single tooth there is very little margin for error, since the natural teeth will be very prominent in their position next to the newly restored tooth. If the laboratory does not get a near perfect color match the family dentist may have to send the tooth back to the laboratory. This can lead to lost chair time for the dentist and possibly an upset patient. For this reason, many cosmetic dentists prefer to restore at least four teeth in the front and more preferably six teeth to get a really good match from the laboratory. Photo at left shows closeup of the patient with a single upper anterior tooth that needs cosmetic restoration, while the photo below shows a closeup of the same patient after tooth bleaching to whiten teeth and a single upper anterior porcelain veneer.

At Brookside Dental Bellevue, we have an on-site porcelain artist who does our porcelain veneers, crowns and bridges. This is a great advantage in getting that perfect match with single tooth restorations on front teeth. Of course, it also is fantastic to have him for the larger 4, 6, 8 and 10 unit anterior cosmetic cases. With our on-site porcelain artist who can beautifully match single crowns and veneers, we are able to be conservative in our cosmetic dentistry approach and save the patient some money and still deliver a fantastic new smile.

BELLEVUE DENTIST NEW SEA-KING DENTAL PRESIDENT

2010-05-24T17:25:00.000-07:00

DR. CYNTHIA PAULEY ELECTED PRESIDENT

OF SEATTLE-KING COUNTY DENTAL SOCIETY

Dr Cindy Pauley, Bellevue Cosmetic Dentist, was elected the new President of the Seattle-King County Dental Society (SKCDS) (http://skcds.org/) in April 2010. She served as Secretary of SKCDS for 1 year and then as a member of the SKCDS Executive Council for 8 years, during which time she was a delegate to the Washington State Dental Association for two terms. During her time on the Executive Council, she is most proud of her involvement on projects to help the underserved citizens of King County. Currently, she is involved with projects that include “The Northwest Kidney Foundation” and SKCDS Dentists working together to take care of the dentistry needs of kidney transplant candidates to assist them to get on the list for new kidneys. Dr Cindy recently has written two articles for the SKCDS Quarterly titled, and “ The Beginnings of Something Great: A Joint Effort to Support Kidney Patients” (2008) and “A Morning with Medical Teams International” (2010). These articles detail two of the projects involving SKCDS dentists’ efforts to bring dental services to underserved citizens. The mission statement of SKCDS is, “We are behind every smile in King County” and Dr Cindy Pauley, a Bellevue Dentist, is actively pursuing that goal. She has been a Bellevue and Seattle Area Dentist since graduating from dental school at the University of the Pacific in 1992.

Since its founding in 1892, the Seattle-King County Dental Society (http://skcds.org/) has promoted the highest levels of oral health for the citizens of King County and provided critical support and educational opportunities for the many dental professionals practicing in the County. The overview page of SKCDS provides more information about resources we provide to the general public and dental health professionals. The Seattle-King County Dental Society is a membership organization of approximately 1,700 dentists practicing in King County, Washington, that is a component society of the Washington State Dental Association (http://www.wsda.org/) and the American Dental Association (http://www.ada.org/). The Seattle-King County Dental Foundation, established in 1992, works closely with the Society to provide access to dental care for the underserved citizens of King County. The Foundation also supports dental educational programs for members of the public and for healthcare professionals.

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BELLEVUE PORCELAIN VENEER PATIENT TESTIMONIAL

2010-05-04T19:27:00.000-07:00

BELLEVUE PORCELAIN VENEER TESTIMONIAL BY BEAUTIFUL PATIENT

Kym's Beautiful Smile After Porcelain Veneers by Dr Pauley, Cosmetic Dentist, at Brookside Dental, Bellevue, WA

Bellevue Cosmetic Dentist patient gives Testimonial discussing how she had her smile changed with Porcelain Veneers. This Bellevue Cosmetic Dentistry procedure was done to straighten and even her teeth, eliminate the visible chips on the biting edges of her teeth and to generally improve her smile. The results are the beautiful smile in her photo. Kym discusses how she has aquired a beautiful smile with porcelain veneers by Cosmetic Dentist Dr Pauley at Brookside Dental in Bellevue, WA. Kym talks about not only how beautiful her teeth look, but how naturally looking that her beautiful smile is and that no one is able to know that they are not her real teeth. She also talks about how many of her relatives now want to get porcelain veneer smiles.

Kym's Testimonial Video may be viewed on YOUTUBE at the following URL regarding her Brookside Dental porcelain veneers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-W-kNj1KB0.

These beautiful porcelain veneers will keep Kym's smile looking beautiful indefinitely.

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BELLEVUE PORCELAIN VENEERS CHANGE SMILE

2010-05-04T15:09:00.000-07:00

BELLEVUE PORCELAIN VENEERS CREATE BEAUTIFUL SMILE

Brookside Dental Patient Before Porcelain Veneers

Brookside Dental Patient After Porcelain Veneers

Bellevue Porcelain Veneers are also called dental veneers, porcelain veneers or dental porcelain laminates. They are one of cosmetic dentistry's more recent and successful developments, which are wafer-thin shells of porcelain that are bonded onto the front side of teeth and that also cover the biting edge of the teeth. They can be an excellent cosmetic dental solution for a variety of problems including teeth that are stained, chipped, or slightly misaligned.

Porcelain Veneers are used for beautiful smile makeovers by Bellevue Cosmetic Dentists every day. Their uses include closing gaps between teeth, fixing chipped teeth, improving a gummy smile, lengthening short teeth, and generally improving your overall smile. With Bellevue Dentist Porcelain Veneers you can choose the shade, shape, and degree of whiteness that you want for your teeth. At Brookside Dental, Bellevue, WA, we have an on-site porcelain artist that will make a new smile just as you would imagine it.

Porcelain Veneers are one of the most recent applications of combining art and science in the area of cosmetic dentistry. For decades dentists have had materials which can bond to tooth enamel and give beautiful new smiles. Cosmetic dentists use the bonding capabilities of certain dental materials to securely attach a thin sheet of porcelain, which is the porcelain veneer, to an individual tooth. These thin veneers of porcelain are attached so that they cover the front of the tooth as well as the biting surface of the tooth that has the veneer. Although porcelain is inherently brittle, it becomes very strong and durable when it is firmly bonded to a sturdy substructure like a tooth.

An advantage of using porcelain veneers to create a new beautiful smile instead of another type of cosmetic dental bonding material is that the veneers become the permanent tooth covering which creates a very life-like tooth appearance. Additionally, these porcelain veneer coverings that have created your new smile are not susceptible to tooth decay. A significant advantage of porcelain veneers over other types of cosmetic dental bonding is related to the fact that a porcelain veneer's surface is just that, porcelain. Since porcelain is ceramic, or glass-like, its surface is extremely smooth and impervious so it will not pick up permanent stains and the color will not change because they are resistant to stains such as tea, coffee, red wine, grape juice, and cigarette smoking.

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BELLEVUE DENTIST PATIENT TESTIMONIAL

2010-04-29T19:19:00.000-07:00

BELLEVUE COSMETIC DENTIST PATIENT TESTIMONIAL LIMITED TOOTH MOVEMENT

Bellevue Cosmetic Dentist Patient Testimonial regarding short-term orthodontics or limited tooth movement. This dentistry procedure was done to straighten and align her teeth and improve her smile. Meredith discusses how she has had her smile transformed by Cosmetic Dentist Dr Pauley at Brookside Dental in Bellevue, WA. Meredith talks about the effects of straightening her lower teeth with a Hawley Appliance and subsequently using a night guard to keep the teeth in place and looking beautiful.

Meredith's Testimonial Video may be viewed on YOUTUBE at the following URL:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD5V3w-tpmE Meredith Testimonial Video

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COSMETIC TOOTH MOVEMENT USED BY BELLEVUE COSMETIC DENTIST

2010-04-29T18:35:00.000-07:00

Cosmetic Tooth Movement Gives Beautiful Smiles

The Cosmetic Dentists at Brookside Dental, Bellevue, WA, use removable orthodontic appliances, called Hawley Applicances, to move a limited number of teeth prior to doing veneers and crowns on anterior teeth. This limited tooth movement method is used to preserve the integrity and strength of the individual teeth by aligning the teeth, so that much less tooth structural material needs to be removed if crowns or porcelain veneers are used for a smile makeover. The limited use of removable orthodontic appliances is usually a more conservative option to veneers and crowns that are done without any orthodontic treatments. In many cases the limited movement of the teeth will be such that no tooth structure will need to be removed and therefore not require any porcelain crowns or veneers. This procedure when needed makes a more beautiful and long lasting smile by preserving the maximum amount of natural tooth structure. Very often, all that is required following limited tooth movement with Hawley Appliances is Seattle Tooth Whitening for a beautiful smile makeover.

Before Limited Tooth Movement Lower teeth are in need of alignment and straightening.

After Limited Tooth Movement Lower teeth are in perfect alignment for a beautiful new smile.

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NO TAX ON COSMETIC DENTISTRY PROCEDURES

2010-04-26T16:11:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Cosmetic Dentistry.

Cosmetic Dentistry Tax Did Not Pass In Washington State

Washington State recently proposed a sales tax on all cosmetic procedures. While this proposed tax would have mainly impacted medical doctors, it had serious implications for all family dentists in Washington State. The implementation of a retail sales tax on "cosmetic dentistry" procedures would have had terribly bad effects for patients. It would have put general Bellevue Dentists in the position of being tax experts by having to determine what would be taxable "cosmetic dental" procedures and what would not be a taxable "general dentistry" procedure. This would have been a nice cash cow the state legislators, but would have made nightmare situation for the average dentist to make such a determination. Insurance companies might begin listing many procedures as cosmetic so that they would not have pay the doctor or dentist.

Cosmetic Dentistry Tax Would Hurt Patients

The legislative bill as it was written to tax "cosmetic medical services", lacked clear language about what was or was not a medically necessary service to be taxed. If it was enacted, both family dentists and cosmetic dentists would have had the liability for the legal determinations of what was and wasn't a "cosmetic dentistry" procedure. These determinations could have been subject to audits and challenges by insurance companies, the State of Washington, and the IRS. Tax determinations should not be the job of health care providers.

Additionally, there would have been wide variations in what each individual dentist determines to be or not to be a "cosmetic dentist" service. This variation would most likely vary between various cities and counties depending upon the patient make up of individual dentists. In some cases, it may cause people to put off needed work because their dentist has determined that the work MIGHT BE considered cosmetic and it would therefore be taxable and increase the patient's bill. One example of this would be a person that is in an accident that breaks off part of a front tooth--it needs to be fixed for proper function, but it also has a cosmetic aspect in terms of appearance. Does that person get unfairly taxed for fixing that front tooth?? How about a person that has a decayed tooth extracted and now needs a new bridge or an implant to keep the teeth properly spaced for optimum function--it obviously has a cosmetic aspect also. Does that
person get unfairly taxed for maintaining proper tooth space and proper dental function?? The list of needed dental procedures that might be considered "cosmetic dental services" in various situations is very long. Would the need of more state money in subsequent years lead to the state legislature or state auditors increasing the number and types of general dental procedures or necessary dentistry services that fall into the cosmetic arena?? It could have happened if the tax had passed. The sponsor of similar legislation enacted in New Jersey in 2004 is at this writing attempting to have the "cosmetic tax" repealed, because it is unworkable.

BELLEVUE DENTIST HAS STRONG DENTAL HYGIENE DEMAND BUT NOTES DROP BY SOME DENTISTS

2010-03-04T19:16:00.000-08:00

SOME DENTISTS ARE REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF DENTAL HYGIENE

Bellevue Dentists at Brookside Dental, Bellevue, WA, still have a strong demand for dental hygiene in their cosmetic dental spa. However, Dental Practice Marketing and Management Blog had a post by Julie Frey, February 9th, 2010, that stated One family dentist in three has cut their the working hours for their dental hygienists, because the slow economy is leaving less demand for dental hygiene services. Another 11% have reduced the number of dental hygienists they employ, and 5% have cut compensation.

How much hygienists are paid is an important decision for each dental office. "Upon doing a practice analysis, we found we overpaid our hygienist," said one dentist. "We paid out more in hourly wages plus benefits than we collected!" Another dentist stated, “Instead of any pay raises, we put our hygienists on a bonus system based on achieving a minimum daily production." “Hygiene is the fuel that feeds the fire," said one dentist in California. It is important to keep the hygiene recall system up to date and working well.

Although many dentists have indicated problems with keeping their hygiene schedules full, not all dentists are having similarly poor results with dental hygiene. Here’s more of what dentists have had to say about hygienists and appointments:

"Hygiene at our office, which has a dentist and a prosthodontist, has remained strong throughout this economy. We are very thankful." (Ohio Dentist)
“Our hygienist was paid salary and now she is paid hourly," said one doctor.
“We have not cut hours, but we have worked very hard at activating past due patients, with good success.” (General dentist)
“We have at least two cancellations in hygiene daily. Most tell us to reschedule later into the year. Others simply say they are not coming.” (Bermuda dentist)
“Hygiene is the one aspect of the practice that hasn't shown lower numbers. I'm glad we instituted a good recall systems several years ago.” (Pennsylvania dentist)
“We are seeing more no-shows, and some people are wanting to wait a year instead of 6 months for their next tooth cleaning.”
"If things slow down more, I will cut my dental hygentist days or time and do the dental hygiene myself.” (New York dentist) New dentists usually do their own hygiene cleanings.
“They (the hygienists) have to take on more responsibility.” (Massachusetts dentist)
“We have a very periodontal oriented office. A lot of our patients that need three or four cleanings per year are switching themselves to twice a year for teeth cleaning. They only want what the dental insurance will cover.” (Utah dental office worker)
“The gross receipts were down about 1% last year, but our profits were slightly up.” (Pennsylvania dentist)

These varying results probably have to do with the local economy and other related local situations. Therefore, it is hard to draw any broad brush conclusions except to say that dental hygiene appointments are being pushed farther out or cancelled in certain areas, but in some areas the demand is the same or even stronger.

BELLEVUE COSMETIC DENTISTRY FOR MEN

2010-03-01T19:11:00.001-08:00

COSMETIC DENTISTRY WORKS FOR MEN THE SAME AS WOMEN

Men in general are able to acquire significantly attractive smiles with various Cosmetic Dentistry procedures. The men will have increased physical attractiveness resulting from Cosmetic Dental work, and most likely will become even more outgoing after altering or changing their smiles. Most likely their personal lives and work opportunities will improve. Often only a minor alteration, such as tooth whitening, needs to be done to improve a man's smile, while an extreme makeover can improve even an extremely poor appearing smile. This article shows several men and describes how their smiles were improved using Bellevue Cosmetic Dentistry.

Cosmetic work performed: Upper arch multiple Porcelain Veneers and lower arch Tooth Whitening Patient of Dr Cynthia Pauley, Brookside Dental, Bellevue, WA

This article departs from most articles with photos related to Cosmetic Dentistry, because it does not show any photographs of beautiful women. Cosmetic surgery, beauty, and nutrition advertisements are generally aimed at women. Thus Cosmetic Dentists resort to the same thing in their advertising and websites by displaying women with beautiful smiles. These stunning smiles are one of the first things seen by a person. Again, it is the beautiful and stunning smiles that are one of the initial attractions for men and one of the major influences on how attractive a face is perceived. Trade magazines in the dental field, also exhibit beautiful smiles on women for the most part.

These men are all patients of Dr Cindy Pauley and Dr Patricia Pauley, Brookside Dental, Bellevue, WA, that have had Cosmetic Dentistry completed within the last two years. They vary in age, but they all have very attractive smiles.

Cosmetic work performed: Upper arch multiple Porcelain Veneers and Crowns and lower arch Tooth Whitening Patient of Dr Cynthia Pauley, Brookside Dental, Bellevue, WA

Cosmetic work performed: Upper arch Porcelain Crowns on lateral anterior teeth and general Tooth Whitening Patient of Dr Patricia Pauley, Brookside Dental, Bellevue, WA

Recently, more and more men of all ages are having cosmetic surgery performed such as hair transplants, face lifts and tummy tucks. Like women, men also want to look handsome and more youthful. Not suprising, many men are having Cosmetic Dentistry performed in an effort to look better. Women and men both want to be more successful at work and in their personal life. It has been discussed that some surveys have indicated that attractive people have more success in life and business than other people.

Cosmetic work performed: Upper arch Multiple Porcelain Crowns and a Porcelain Crown on a Dental Implant to close a missing tooth space and lower arch Tooth Whitening Patient of Dr Patricia Pauley, Brookside Dental, Bellevue, WA

Cosmetic work performed: Upper arch central Porcelain Crowns, general Tooth Whitening, and lower arch Cosmetic Tooth Movement for midline alignment Patient of Dr Patricia Pauley, Brookside Dental, Bellevue, WA

As always, this information is not in any way meant to replace a visit and examination by your own dentist. However, if you do not currently have a dentist, you may contact Bellevue Dentists, Dr Patricia Pauley or Dr Cynthia Pauley, to set up a dental exam. Both cosmetic doctors can be contacted at info@brooksidedental.com in Bellevue, WA, and additional information may be viewed at their Bellevue Cosmetic Dentistry website.

BELLEVUE DENTIST SUMMARIZES NEW DENTAL ASSISTANT PROGRAM

2010-02-23T15:42:00.000-08:00

BELLEVUE DENTIST SUMMARIZES THE EXPANDED FUNCTIONS DENTAL ASSISTANT (EFDA) PROGRAM IN WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State in 2008 put into effect the expanded functions dental assistant (EFDA) program at three locations: Seattle Central Community College, South Puget Sound Community College, and Spokane Community College. The program is designed to give dental assistants expanded abilities in the restorative dentistry arena. The Washington State Dental Association (WSDA) was instrumental in moving the program through the state legislature by making sure the program was well understood by both dentists and legislators. Two classes of EFDAs have graduated from Seattle Central CC. The program is modeled after similar programs in the Indian Health Services, the US Army and the US Navy, which for differing years have had thriving EFDA programs. These EFDA graduates are now doing expanded duties in restorative dentistry in many dental offices in Washington State. Our lead assistant at Brookside Dental, Bellevue, WA, who has been with us for 15 years, has applied to the EFDA program at Seattle Central CC and if accepted will complete the program in the summer of 2010.

Washington State has for many years allowed dental hygienists to do expanded functions in restorative dentistry. Advantages to having the new program for dental assistants are first that dental assistants generally work more directly associated with the dentists and are therefore more experienced in restorative work and second that the more highly paid and more specialized dental hygienists will continue to provide hygiene care which can not be provided by dental assistants in Washington State.

According to the WSDA, the US Army has a report on EFDAs that indicates that dentists that work with an EFDA provider are 40 percent more productive than their counterpart dentists working without an EFDA without any compromise in the quality of dental care delivered to the patients.

Although the end result is the same and should allow more people to have access to high quality dentistry, the route to graduation at the three schools is different. SCCC has their students do all of their hands-on clinical training on patients that come to the vocational schools’ clinic and follow that with a 20-24 hour externship at a community health clinic. The other two schools use private dentists under contract to teach individual students within the private practice offices during the regular day while seeing scheduled patients of record. Administrators at the different schools champion the method that they use as the better model. Ultimately all EFDA graduates must pass a state board examination to receive an EFDA credential.

It may be too early to determine if EFDAs will increase the access to care for people, but there appears to be some anecdotal evidence that they are helping to address a portion of that problem according to the WSDA. There is no doubt that the Indian Health Care model definitely provides increased access to care for those people served by those providers. At this time, the EFDAs are being trained in three metropolitan areas where dentists are not in short supply as they are in some of the smaller communities in the state. These smaller communities will need to be given the opportunity to have their dental assistants be able to enroll in some type of EFDA program in the future. Additional information regarding this program can be obtained at the SCCC EFDA program, email efda@sccd.ctc.edu, SPSCC EFDA program, email jmartin@spscc.ctc.edu, or at SCC EFDA program, email bmoneymaker@scc.spokane.edu.

BEAUTIFUL SMILES NOT AGE DEPENDENT

2010-02-09T18:45:00.000-08:00

BEAUTIFUL SMILES ARE NOT AGE DEPENDENT

We recently read an article in the LVI Visions Magazine January-April 2010 Issue about a women who kept improving her smile through life. The entire article complete with photos can be seen in that issue on pages 38-42. In summary, the author had a long term patient he had acquired when he took over a dental practice. The women had custom whitening trays made to enhance her smile when she was 81 years old in 1989. In 1992, she became concerned about the spaces between her teeth and she wanted those spaces closed. So at age 84, the dentist fixed all of the spaces between her teeth with direct resin bonding. These lasted until recently when she turned 100 years old and the resin wear and stain had been fixed several times when she made her regular hygiene visits. At this time, the dentist did porcelain veneers on her upper teeth, numbers 6-10. She became one of the oldest if not the oldest person to receive a beautiful new smile using porcelain veneers. The photos of the work are great and the lady has a gorgious smile that makes her look many years younger than she is. We have given many new smiles using Seattle Porcelain Veneers, but we have never given a new smile to anyone at the age of 100 years old. We look forward to that event in our future.

Direct resin bonding is a technique that we use in our Bellevue Cosmetic Dentistry in many situations to fix chipped teeth and to close diastema spaces. Bonding as a restorative mechanism to fix teeth is very effective method of giving people attractive smiles without the expense of porcelain veneers. Bellevue Dental Veneers are able to change anyone's unattractive smile into a beautiful work of art that will be the ultimate beauty accessory. The beautiful smile that can be attained by any of these techniques is truely amazing but is commonly done with today's modern Bellevue Dentist Techniques.

DENTISTRY, CUCUMBERS AND ORAL HEALTH

2010-01-27T19:30:00.000-08:00

COSMETIC DENTISTRY AND CUCUMBERS CAN THEY WORK TOGETHER FOR BETTER ORAL HEALTH AND A BETTER SMILE

Cucumbers for a better smile! Really, you ask. Well why not! According to some information that I read recently in a news letter, the power of the cucumber as a beauty aid is well known. It has recently been elevated to the status of a super food. Cucumbers are loaded with vitamins and anti-oxidants and all of the good carbohydrates that a body needs. You are probably wondering if you have any of these beauty and tooth aides in your refrigerator at the present time. Before you say that they can't possibly good for my teeth, yet me tell you all the things and ways that they can be used.

They originated in India and have been cultivated for thousands of years. People have used them in salads, eaten them raw and have turned them into pickles. They have been used for a variety of things besides just eating. So, did you know that:

1. Cucumbers contain many of the vitamins and minerals that you need each day, including B1, B2, B5, B6, C, Folic Acid, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorous, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Cucumbers provide a quick pick me up and nutritious snack with all of their vitamin B and good Carbohydrates.

3. Cucumbers slices can be used to give your bathroom a spa-like fragrance and it can eliminate the fog on bathroom mirrors when rubbed on them.

4. Cucumber slices have phytochemicals that cause the skin to tighten. They can be rubbed along some wrinkles to help give an instant lift to your skin, although the effect is not long term.

5. Many people use cucumber slices over their eyes to help enhance the beauty of their eyes.

6. A few cucumber slices eaten before going to bed should allow you to wake up refreshed.

7. Boiled cucumbers can make a pleasant steam spa because the nutrients in the steam are soothing and relieve mild stress.

8. Cucumbers when eaten can freshen the breath and kill some oral bacteria.

Upon reading this in the news letter, I thought if the last item is true that cucumbers when eaten can freshen the breath and kill some oral bacteria, then they most likely have some beneficial effect upon your teeth. If that is the case then they probably are able to help enhance a person's smile. I found this interesting information so I thought I would pass it along.

BELLEVUE DENTIST HAPPY WITH ABOUT.COM

2010-01-19T18:02:00.000-08:00

BELLEVUE COSMETIC DENTIST HAS BLOG INFORMATION ON ABOUT.COM BRAGGING BOARD

Bellevue Cosmetic Dentists have been a big fan and follower of Susan Gunelius' Web blogs on About.com, so when she offered to let people post about their Blogger.com blogs on an About.com Blogger Design Bragging Board, we jumped at the opportunity. What a fantastic way to get exposure for our new Bellevue Cosmetic Dentistry Blog that we started this last year on such a high class blog. In our post at the About.com Bragging Board, we were able to discuss why we choose to construct our relatively new Cosmetic Dentistry Blog the way we had done it.

ACTUAL PATIENT OF BELLEVUE COSMETIC DENTISTS

One of the major reasons that we, as Bellevue Cosmetic Dentists, choose the Blogger Design that we did was to be able to use a dark black background, which really helps to highlight and exhibit the features of the Cosmetic Dentistry that is done in our Brookside Dental Office in Bellevue, WA. This black background is especially good when we are showing close up before and after photos of Cosmetic Dentistry Procedures, such as porcelain veneers. A wide variety of other before and after Bellevue Cosmetic Dental Procedures photographs also can be demonstrated extremely well against this black background. Among these cosmetic dental items that change ordinary smiles into beautiful smiles are cosmetic tooth adjustments, laser gum surgery, tooth-colored composite fillings, tooth whitening, dental crowns, and beautiful extreme smile makeovers. With these procedures we are able to construct and create beautiful new smiles. These new smile creations can be obtained when teeth are stained, chipped, cracked, broken, or even missing. In some cases a single technique will change the smile, such as a series of new porcelain veneers. However, in other cases several techniques must be combined to obtain the desired beautiful new smile creation, such as tooth whitening, dental implants with crowns, and gum surgery. Although we concentrate our overall efforts on these cosmetic dentistry procedures, we believe in taking care of the total oral health of our patients. Therefore, we are dedicated to good oral hygiene and family dentistry. However, there are several procedures that we refer out to dental specialists. For example, we refer out all extractions and endodontic (root canal) work. That way our patients know that as Bellevue Dentists we are devoted to delivering the highest quality Cosmetic Dentistry available.

BELLEVUE DENTIST PROTECTS BEAUTIFUL SMILES WITH NIGHTGUARDS

2010-01-13T17:48:00.000-08:00

BELLEVUE COSMETIC DENTIST PROMOTES SMILE PROTECTION WITH NIGHT GUARDS

Bellevue Cosmetic Dentists at Brookside Dental in Bellevue, WA, recommend the purchase and use of a night guard in some instances when we place new front porcelain veneers to protect them and preserve the new smile. What is the reason or reasons that a night guard should be used? The night guard, or bite guard, is a custom fit plastic shield that can protect your teeth in several ways.

Generally, nightguards are recommended by by your Bellevue Dentist for a variety of dentistry problems. Bruxism, which can be grinding or clenching of the teeth, is a destructive habit that can cause damage either to the teeth, their supporting bone or the jaw joint. Bruxism can wear the teeth down, cause pain in the jaw joints or loosen the teeth by destroying the supporting bone. The night guard helps to control these problems related to bruxism by distributing the biting forces more evenly around the mouth. Additionally, the night guard acts as a physical barrier to any potential direct friction between upper and lower teeth.

The bite guard can help stabilize loose teeth to some extent. It places the teeth at rest by distributing the forces evenly on the bite, rather than on individual teeth. This can allow any loose teeth to stabilize because they are not be moved on a continuous basis by adjacent teeth.
Bite adjustment may have to be made to allow the teeth to function harmoniously. The night guard can aid in the process of bite adjustment and help in the maintenance of the final achieved bite position and arrangement.

As mentioned above, we recommend the use of a bite guard appliance in some instances when we place new anterior veneers to protect them and preserve the appearance of the new beautiful smile. Also, adjustments may be needed to an existing night guard when the patient has any major dentistry performed such as the placement of new crowns or tooth contouring. Generally, these adjustments are fairly minor and are easily made.

When first beginning to use a night guard, the patient may notice more saliva in their saliva, their speech may be temporarily slurred and it may take a little longer to fall asleep. These annoyances will pass quickly. In fact, the patient may notice that their jaw muscles will begin to feel more relaxed which will help them rest and sleep more easily. After adjusting to the night guard, many of our patients say, "I can't sleep without my night guard."

CARE OF BELLEVUE DENTIST NIGHT GUARDS

You should inspect your night guard on a regular basis for flaws or cracks. After wearing the night guard for some period of time, shiny spots or wear grooves on the biting surface may appear. Usually, these are just normal wear marks. However, they should be evaluated regularly at the time of your regular dental appointments to prevent any potential problems such as a broken night guard. In some situations, a new appliance will have to be made for the patient, but in other situations the night guard can be repaired.

The night guard can be cleaned on a regular basis each morning after wearing by brushing it with your toothbrush and toothpaste. It does not have to be stored in any special solution. However, storage of the night guard in the special box that it comes in will help protect it from accidental breakage as well as from their small children and pets. Yes, you wouldn't believe how many people tell us that their dog ate their night guards or broke them. In the office, we can clean the night guard ultrasonically to remove any tartar that has accumulated and inspect it thoroughly to determine if it needs any adjustments.

BABY TEETH AND STEM CELL PRODUCTION

2010-01-06T18:19:00.000-08:00

Stem Cells: How Baby Teeth Can Save Your Life

The following article is reproduced without any alterations from the Woman Dentist Journal 2009. The author of the original article is Joanne Oppenheim, DDS, a pediatric dentist in Illinois. As Bellevue Dentists we do not normally print other peoples' articles, but this discussion of stem cells harvested from baby teeth is something of very high interest for later health of an individual. As the article points out, stem cells may be taken from baby teeth and preserved for many years for potential use to cure a disease as children age and grow older.

January 10, 2009

My interest in stem cell preservation and research began about 12 years ago when I was pregnant with my daughter. I remember reading an article about saving the cells from the umbilical cord after the birth of the child for research. A week before my due date, I picked up the kit from a hospital and told my doctor about my wishes to preserve the umbilical cord stem cells for my daughter. To my surprise, my obstetrician had never done this procedure before. I quickly realized that this would be a learning experience for all! While still in the delivery room just after my daughter was born, I explained to the doctor what to do with the cord blood.

Since that time, much has changed. I would venture to guess that almost anyone who is pregnant or has had a baby recently has heard about cord blood banking. And since the birth of my daughter, my nieces and nephews have had their cord blood saved as an insurance policy for their future.

In the spring of 2008, I read an article about preserving the stem cells from baby teeth. My first thought was that it was a waste having all of my children's teeth sent to the tooth fairy instead of to StemSave. During the annual American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry meeting in May, I spoke with the people at the StemSave table. They were doing the same thing with baby teeth as the people 12 years ago were doing with the cord blood.

The value of stem cells in the curing of so many of the deadliest diseases is much better understood today. If we can save the stem cells from baby teeth, it is like receiving another opportunity for the people who did not save their babies' cord blood.

The more I've come to learn about stem cells, the more I realize the potential benefits to people. I like to think that since we've learned that very powerful stem cells exist in teeth, we dentists are on the frontlines of this emerging medicine. When I think of the potential of thousands of teeth that are discarded as medical waste, I realize that patients and parents of patients should be given the opportunity to decide if they want to hang on to those stem cells.

All of the parents of our patients who will soon be losing teeth — whether naturally or for orthodontic reasons — receive the pamphlet on StemSave. The parents decide if this is something they would be interested in. It's a very personal decision, and I like to offer families all of the facts so they can make an informed decision. I recommend going to the Web site, but if they have any questions, they are welcome to call me.

Once parents choose to save their child's baby teeth, we explain to the child that we will give them a special tooth box and the tooth fairy will still come to their house. There is so much emotion and nostalgia associated with losing baby teeth. While parents may want to take the traditional under-the-pillow route with the first tooth, we try to create a new sense of excitement with sending the tooth off to StemSave. We encourage the child to draw a picture or write a note to let the tooth fairy know where the tooth is and that we only need the stuff on the inside and she can take the stuff on the outside!

When a child comes in for the extraction of a tooth, nothing is different for me. It's the parents' responsibility to preregister with StemSave. They handle the transaction directly with StemSave so I don't have any additional paperwork. When the child sits in the chair for the extraction, the parents have already set up their account with StemSave. Prior to the appointment, StemSave will send a personalized transport kit for the child to my office. The transport kit is ingeniously simple to use. After I extract the tooth, I just drop it into a vial which is marked for that patient. The vial has nutrients that keep the tooth intact. It is placed in the kit, which is designed to induce hypothermia in the tooth without the use of frozen gel packs, so the stem cells are protected during transport to StemSave's lab. After recovering and securing the tooth in the kit, we notify StemSave and they arrange for UPS pickup, and the kit is delivered to their lab for processing.

Our hopes are that these teeth are never needed. Unfortunately, we cannot know who will have medical problems in the future and will need their stem cells for a cure. Whoever would have thought that your baby teeth could save your life?

Sources of Dental Stem Cells

In a child, the most accessible stem cells are from the oral cavity. For deciduous teeth, the best candidates are moderately resorbed canine and incisors with the presence of healthy pulp. In children, other sources of easily accessible stem cells are supernumerary teeth, mesodens, over-retained deciduous teeth associated with congenitally missing permanent teeth, and prophylactically removed deciduous molars for orthodontic indications.

Conceptually, dental stem cells have the potential to differentiate into neural cell lineages. Recently, investigators have discovered a unique type of stem cell in the dental pulp of deciduous teeth. Stem cells from deciduous teeth, which are formed during the sixth week of human development, behave differently than other adult stem cells. These immature stem cells are capable of extensive proliferation and differentiation, which make them an important resource of stem cells for the regeneration and repair of craniofacial defects, tooth loss, and bone regeneration. However, a number of recent studies show that stem cells from teeth may be manipulated to grow into cell types of a completely different tissue. This ability is called transdifferentiation or plasticity, and different types of adult stem cells have varying degrees of plasticity. Given their ability to produce and secrete neurotrophic factors, dental stem cells may also be beneficial for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and the repair of motoneurons following injury. Indeed, dental stem cells from deciduous teeth have been induced to express neural markers such as nestin. The expression of neural markers in dental stem cells stimulates the imagination for their potential use in neural regeneration such as in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. The potential of dental stem cells in both dental and non-dental regeneration continues to be further explored by researchers. Dental stem cells that have been isolated to date, either from deciduous teeth or permanent teeth, are considered non-embryonic or adult stem cells.

Courtesy of Dr. Mao

Stem cells recovered from dental pulp can differentiate into bone, cartilage, and adipose cells in vitro (outside the body).

Courtesy of Dr. Mao

A unique property of stem cells is that they are able to proliferate in vitro in a cell culture medium.

For more information on StemSave and details on how to join StemSave's nationwide network of dentists, log onto www.StemSave.com.

BEAUTIFUL SMILES AND TEETH ARE OBSERVED FIRST

2009-12-21T19:45:00.000-08:00

BELLEVUE DENTIST SAYS BEAUTIFUL SMILES ARE IMPORTANT

A BEAUTIFUL SMILE AND YOUR TEETH ARE NOTICED IMMEDIATELY WHEN YOU MEET NEW PEOPLE!

THIS BEAUTIFUL SMILE IS NOTICED IMMEDIATELY. This Patient of Dr Cindy Pauley has had an already attractive smile enhanced by cosmetic dentistry procedures.

BEAUTIFUL SMILES NOTICED FIRST

Beautiful Teeth and a Radiant Smile are usually among the first things noticed when you meet a new person. However, there is a difference between what men observed first and what women view initially about a person. Also, it depends on whether women or men are being observed and whether or not they are being observed by the same sex or the opposite sex. Men and women have different perceptions of the face, head, teeth, and smile along with the body and they perceive the same and opposite sexes differently. According to a recent study by the Baluke Dental Studios and published in Gallery Dental Smile Designs by Patient News Publishing 2009, teeth and smiles may be viewed and perceived somewhat differently by men and women. However, there is no doubt that these are very important in terms of how a first impression is made. This is the most recent information available regarding how teeth and smiles are perceived by people. From this information you can draw your own conclusions as to how important you think these things are upon initial contact with new people.

Smiles and Teeth for Women were very important when encountering a new person and they were the second items noticed by men. Somewhat surprisingly it was the eyes of women that were noticed first by men according to the Dental Studios Survey. The eyes and smile accounted for 64% of women’s features that are initially noticed by men. Those things noticed next by men about women were the body, clothing, hair and lastly a variety of other things combined. The percentages of what men noticed first about women according to the Dental Studios Study are indicated below:

THINGS NOTICED FIRST ABOUT WOMEN

EYES – 39%
SMILE – 25%
BODY – 14%
CLOTHING – 12%
HAIR – 3%
OTHER – 7%

MEN have their Teeth and Smile noticed first by women according to the survey. Among women surveyed, 40% noticed a man’s smile first. Eyes were the second things about men that were noticed by women. Together, the eyes and teeth accounted for 75% of the features that women notice first about men. These first two things were followed in order by the clothing, hair and body (these two were tied) and followed by other things combined. The percentages of what women noticed first about men in the Dental Studios Survey are indicated below:

THINGS NOTICED FIRST ABOUT MEN

SMILE – 40%
EYES – 35%
CLOTHING – 11%
BODY – 4%
HAIR – 4%
OTHER – 7%

It was not surprising that a person’s teeth and smile ranked so high in the survey with both women and men. It is certainly one of the first things that people see when they encounter a new person or acquaintance. I think most people quickly notice a beautiful or handsome smile and also they notice a very poor smile. A poor smile is greatly accented if there are missing, cracked, broken, crooked or discolored teeth. A very poor smile can imply many things to a new person at an initial meeting, most of which are not good. On the other hand, if you have an unsatisfactory smile or teeth that are not in optimal condition, you should visit your Bellevue Cosmetic Dentist, because there are many modern dental techniques such as porcelain veneers and crowns can be used to create a smile that is very attractive. In the case of missing teeth, porcelain crowns placed on dental implants are a perfect solution to an attractive smile. Individual teeth that are crooked do not need full orthodontia and can be part of a beautiful smile using limited cosmetic tooth movement of the individual tooth or teeth that are not straight. Cracked and broken teeth can be repaired with dental bonding and composite tooth-colored fillings. Front teeth often have unattractive spaces between the called diastemas, which can be altered with either porcelain veneers or tooth-colored composite fillings. Often, an ordinary smile can be made beautiful simply by having your teeth bleached by your cosmetic dentist. In the case of a “gummy” smile, simple gum surgery with a laser can be accomplished with wonderful results and almost no pain even without anesthesia. At Brookside Dental in Bellevue, WA, we are dedicated to giving people beautiful and handsome smiles that are durable as well as attractive. Dr Cynthia Pauley and Dr Patricia Pauley provide excellent high quality family and cosmetic dental services in the Bellevue, WA, and Seattle, WA, metropolitan areas.

PERIODONTAL AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES RELATIONSHIPS

2009-12-14T17:11:00.000-08:00

Bellevue Dentist Discusses Periodontal Disease Correlation with Cardiovascular Disease

Periodontal Disease (gum disease) has been demonstrated to have a strong relationship to cardiovascular disease with an increased prevalence of coronary artery disease in patients with serious gum disease. Several studies have indicated a very strong link between the presence of these two diseases in a patient. Atherosclerosis, exhibiting an increased thickness in the carotid artery wall, which can lead to cardiovascular disease also has often been reported in people with cardiovascular disease. In our Bellevue Dentist Office, we encourage patients with periodontal problems to actively keep up their treatments on a regular basis. According to American Dental Association guidelines, any patient with gum disease needs to be seem multiple times per year on a periodontal maintenance regime.

It should be pointed out that although various studies suggest that there is a strong correlation among people with a history of periodontal disease toward a higher risk for cardiovascular disease, there is not any clear evidence of a causative role between these two disease conditions. However, because of the high correlation and relationship between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease, known cardiovascular patients should optimize their periodontal care. There are different options that may be useful in correcting periodontal disease, including regular visits to a dental hygienist, such as our Bellevue Dentistry hygienists, to have periodontal scaling and root planning performed and in some cases to have pharmacological therapy performed.

Inflammation is believed to be a major factor related to both periodontitis and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Pharmacologic therapy can be effective in treating periodontal disease because it is a bacterially induced chronic inflammatory disease. The progression of periodontal disease depends on a variety things, including environmental and genetic factors. Additional factors that have an influence on these two diseases include smoking, diabetes, obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, major depression, physical inactivity, older age, male gender, and family history of disease. Moderate to severe forms of periodontitis are associated with increased systemic inflammation, which can be present from the very early stages of atherosclerosis and can continue to play a role in subsequent cardiovascular complications. Consequently, the incidence of cardiovascular events, such as myocardial infarction, is increased in the presence of chronic inflammatory conditions, including peridontal disease. Bacterial infection also may be another direct link between periodontal and cardiovascular diseases, because the same species of gram-negative anaerobic bacteria that are found in periodontally diseased pockets around the teeth are the same as those found in atherosclerotic plaques in arteries.

Regular visits to your dentist can help prevent and control periodontal disease. People without periodontal disease should visit their dentist twice a year for check ups and routine tooth cleanings. If periodontal disease is detected, then dental visits will be need to made once every 4-months to control the disease. In advanced cases of gum disease, it may be necessary to visit your dentist every 3-months. For patients with advanced periodontal disease, their care might require being under the partial or total supervision of specialist called a periodontist rather than just a general dentist. In our Bellevue Cosmetic Dentist Office, we often have patients with advanced periodontal disease alternate their visits between our office twice per year with visits to a specialist periodontist twice per year.

BELLEVUE DENTISTS FEATURED IN DOCTOR OF DENTISTRY MAGAZINE

2009-08-27T13:25:00.000-07:00

DOCTOR OF DENTISTRY FEATURES BELLEVUE DENTISTS

Bellevue Cosmetic Dentists, Dr Cynthia Pauley and Dr Patricia Pauley, were featured recently on the cover photo and in a six-page article in the national magazine "DOCTOR OF DENTISTRY'. Following is a summary of that article which appeared in Seattle/Western Washington Edition of the magazine.

The Bellevue Dentist team at Brookside Dental is a rare family-run practice dedicated to general and cosmetic dentistry and to meeting the needs of every patient with genuine care and excellence. Dr Patricia Pauley and her daughter, Dr Cynthia Pauley, are the only mother-and-daughter dentist team in the Pacific Northwest. These ladies offer more than excellent dentistry, because they provide a level of service and genuineness that makes patients want to visit more frequently.

MEET THE DOCTORS

This Bellevue Dentist team began back in 1974, when Dr Pat, who was a school teacher, was accepted into the University of Washington Dental School, which was the second year that women were taken into the program. After graduation, she ventured out on her own near Overlake Hospital, Bellevue, Washington. Later she changed to her current location when her daughter, Dr Cindy, was nearing graduation from the University of the Pacific School of Dentistry. "We hired an architect and remodeled our office to accommodate two dentists. Since then, we've remodeled the office three times with both patient and staff comfort in mind." An integral part of the team is Dr Gil Pauley, who is Dr Pat's husband. After he retired from the University of Washington, he joined the dental office "just to be helpful, here and there." Ten years later, he does the office management and operations--from website enhancement to patient photography, screening new job candidates to managing health and retirement plans, which is part of the success seen at the Pauley Family Bellevue Dentists Office. Dr Cindy says of her father, "I used to think that some of the technology and updates he brought to the office were excessive. Now, I can't imagine our office without all he's implemented." The next hardworking Dr Pauley at Brookside Dental is Dr Cindy Pauley, whose demanding schedule rivals her parents. She's been married to Dr Brian Cave for nine years. He is a dentist that has his own practice in Edmonds, Washington. "I have a great husband and great parents," says Dr Cindy. Her boys are her passion where being a good mom has taken over much of her life in the last five years. She goes on to say, "The support I have allows me to give back to the community, work a full schedule and have some time for myself. I can do all of this because of my support system." She loves to play tennis, swim and is an avid reader. "We all try very hard to live a balanced life, having time with the boys, time for some fun and exercise. Since we're all passionate and immersed in dentistry, it's good to have other interests to discuss."

THE BEGINNING OF A DENTIST

Dr Cindy followed in the footsteps of her mother at a young age. "I was 9 years old when Dr Pat began at the University of Washington Dental School. I walked the halls of that dental school until I was 13 years old, and remember being in the lab with her, playing with wax models while she worked and studied. I had a sense of the dental school environment and I worked summers in her office. I suppose dentistry as a career path just came naturally to me."

CREATING A GREAT ATMOSPHERE

When Dr Pat and Dr Cindy use warm and friendly words to describe their patients and peers, you know you're dealing with two very sincere and genuine people. There is no mistaking that their passion for people and dentistry has led them to a place where there desire is to provide excellent dental care beginning at the moment a patient first walks through the door of Brookside Dental. The front office staff is amazing and greet patients warmly. The comfortable lobby and reception area which is full of inviting, over sized, soft chairs, is the first phase of great care. "The home-grown multicolored dahlias amaze patients during the summer and fall months. We installed a fireplace for added coziness in the winter time." Assistants and hygienists do not call out names, but instead join the patients in the lobby with a personal greeting before taking them back to an operatory. Patients are never left alone and each operatory has a handmade blanket for a cozy touch. There is plenty of comfort for both adults and children. One room is dedicated to children's dentistry where the room is filled with stuffed animals, balloons and toys. "The kid's room is great, and we believe it encourages the whole family to feel at ease," says Dr Cindy. Practicing excellent dentistry is first and foremost, but their focus on patient relationships and service to the whole person--both physically and emotionally--is of the utmost importance. "Great dentistry is first and you have to give patients a reason to stay with you as their dentist. That is why you take care of the whole person.

ONE BIG HAPPY TEAM

Great customer service starts with a healthy office environment, which is created by happy employees. "We're a close team and we want this office to be a happy place, because we make a great investment in our staff." Patients notice this happy and cohesive atmosphere among the staff and doctors. We understand that people's lives change, but it is very heartbreaking when one of our staff move. However, we are always thrilled to welcome any new staff members as part of our team. Every day begins with a morning huddle to go over the up coming day's events and what to expect. That may be typical of many dental offices, but what's not typical is the evening roundup. Dentistry is an exhausting job, so pointing out individual strengths and team accomplishments is personally supportive and a great way to finish the day. It is nice to look back on the day and pat the backs of teammates for a job well done.

MARKETING SUCCESS

Their philosophy on marketing is simple. Our best marketers are our staff and patients. Our cosmetic dentistry website is great and very helpful also and brings in about 20% of our new patients. Additionally, being involved in the community has yielded a certain amount publicity for us in the newspapers, magazines, and television, which is wonderful, but these are not a marketing focus for us. They are a by-product that results from a job well done. At one point, we were experiencing a flood of new patients. We decided to fall back and limit the number of new patients that we would accept for a short time to make sure that we were able to take care of our existing patients in the manner that would give them excellent dental care. If we continue to take care of our core patients and do quality dentistry, we will continue to see many of their friends, relatives and associates as new patients. We have some patients that have been with us for decades--in fact Dr Pat's first two patients from 28 years ago are still with her. We try to find the positives to make people feel good about maintaining good oral health and hygiene. It is these positives that keep our patients coming back. This is the way to close the back door, so that people stay with you and not by the use of negatives and fears. Being the first mother-daughter dentist team in the area and having worked together for 18 years has given them a good deal of attention and recognition. They have given much back to the community and to the dental profession. Dr Cindy served four years as a committee member and then as Chairperson for the Pacific Northwest Dental Conference and currently serves as an officer on the Executive Council of the Seattle King Count Dental Society. she also taught restorative dentistry at the University of Washington School of Dentistry for 12 years and was twice selected by the students as the outstanding dental instructor. Dr Pat has served a delegate to the Washington State Dental Association and for several years was a member and Chairperson of the Foundation Board of Lake Washington Technical College, where she was instrumental in inception and formation of the Lake Washington Dental Hygiene School. Because of the dedication of Dr Cindy and Dr Pat to their community and to the dental profession, they received the prestigious 2005 Small Business of the Year Award from the Western Washington Better Business Bureau, as well as recently being given an A+ rating by this organization.

Origin of the Toothbrush

2009-08-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

ORIGIN OF THE TOOTHBRUSH

The first toothbrush used by ancients was the “chew stick” a pencil size twig with one end frayed to a soft fibrous like brush. Chew sticks were initially rubbed against the teeth with no toothpaste, and have been found in Egyptian tombs dating to 3000 BC and back to 3500 BC, where Babylonians also used “chewing sticks”. Additionally, there is mention of primitive toothpicks being chewed to clean the teeth and mouth in ancient Rome and Greece. Toothpicks matured into the chew stick which was about the size of a modern pencil. One end was chewed to soften it into a brush-like fiber, while the opposite end was pointed and used to pick food and debris from between the teeth. The twigs were chosen from aromatic trees that had the ability to clean and freshen the mouth.

Chew sticks are still used in some parts of the world. Many African tribes fray twigs from special trees. The American Dental Assoc discovered that frayed sticks often serve as tooth brushes for people living in remote areas of the United States, and can be every bit as effective as a modern toothbrush. They reported on one elderly man living in Louisiana who had used frayed elm sticks all his life and had plaque free teeth and healthy gums. Now that is truly amazing in the modern era.

The first bristle toothbrush, similar to those used today, had its origin in China around 1498. The bristles were taken from the backs of hog necks living in the cold climates of Siberia and China (cold weather causes them to grow bristles) and fastened them to handles made of bamboo or bone. Traders to the Orient introduced this brush to the Europeans, who found the hog bristles too firm and uncomfortable. At that time those Europeans who did brush their teeth, which wasn’t a common thing, preferred horsehair toothbrushes.

The father of modern dentistry is Dr Pierre Fauchard, who in his 1793 dental textbook was critical of the ineffectiveness of horsehair bristles and of the large proportion of Europe that didn’t use any kind of tooth cleaning device at all. Dr Fauchard recommended daily rubbing of the teeth with a piece of natural sponge. Other animal hair used in toothbrushes included badger hair, but many preferred to pick their teeth clean with a stiff quill or feather, while some had a brass toothpick. The metal toothpicks were less of a human health hazard than the natural hairbrushes. Once Louis Pasteur discussed his theory on germs, the dental profession realized that all animal hair retains moisture, which promotes fungal and bacterial growth. But the ultimate solution didn’t arrive until 1938, when nylon bristle brushes were invented in the USA. Dupont de Nemours placed “Doctor West’s Miracle Toothbrush”, on sale as the first nylon February 24, 1938. Today we have all types of toothbrushes for every occasion: electric, travel, baby, and pet toothbrushes.