Our Detroit Dental Blog

When we think of police officers and other public servants that are given the important role of protecting towns, communities, and the country; we’d like to assume that these men and women are focused, prepared, and 100 percent ready for the job at hand. Unfortunately, a recent survey has shown that a portion of law enforcement officials may be at risk themselves – which puts the safety and security of society at risk, as well.

According to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), 40 percent of the surveyed police officers located in the U.S. and Canada reported systems of a sleep disorder, most notably insomnia and sleep apnea. Research showed that, out of all of the sleep disorders diagnosed, the most common was sleep apnea, which affected a third of police officers.

Sleep Apnea: An Impact on Societal Safety and Security

In those police officers who were found to be suffering from a sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea, research also determined that these men and women were more like to suffer from anxiety, depression, fatigue, and a lack of energy, all problems that can negatively impact the ability to perform as a police officer. In fact, the survey also went on to state that these officers were more commonly found to commit administrative errors, safety violations, and were at a higher risk of falling asleep on the job, sometimes behind the wheel.

With this research in mind, it has now become even more important to seek sleep apnea treatment, especially for police officers, who must be alert, well rested, and able to concentrate on their daily tasks. A fatigued and tired police officer only adds more threats and risks to the safety of others. That said, no matter your occupation, sleep apnea treatment is always crucial.

While treatment may seem more vital for a police officer or a firefighter; the fact is that sleep apnea treatment is a must for anyone, even for the average citizen. To learn more about sleep apnea and the available sleep apnea treatments, contact Dr. Serra’s office to schedule a life-changing consultation.

Commonly, when a patient is suspected of suffering from sleep apnea or some other type of sleep disorder, he or she is encouraged to seek help from a sleep physician. Usually, a sleep physician will have patients undergo a sleep study at a local sleep center. Such studies involve the use of PSG technology that works through the use of electrodes and examining the data that they provide once the study has concluded. Sleep studies require patients to spend a night away from home and can cost upwards of $2,000. Since sleep studies can be expensive and often induce fear and anxiety, researchers at the University of Texas Arlington hope to create a faster method for diagnosing sleep apnea.

The researchers have created a device that uses ultrasonic sensors that are attached to a patient’s neck while sleeping. The ultrasonic sensors create sound waves which travel across the neck and are able to detect airway blockage or obstruction. The data can then be analyzed by a sleep physician, who can then make a diagnosis.

Not only can sleep apnea diagnosis be done in a quicker fashion, the device may also make the diagnosis process much easier and cost effective on the patient. With these improvements, more patients may actively seek medical health for their sleep problems.

If you’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea or would like to learn more about sleep apnea treatment, contact Dr. Serra’s office today! A better night’s sleep and energy-filled days are only a phone call away. Patients can also send our office an email to schedule a sleep apnea treatment appointment.

Many of us know that cavities are a common occurrence in today’s society. Whether it’s due to poor dental hygiene, sugary diets or a combination or both; the amount of patients who have a cavity within their lifetime continues to grow. According to the CDC, 68 percent of 19 year-olds have experienced tooth decay in their permanent teeth and 27 percent of adults ages 20-39 years have an untreated cavity. These statistics alone show just how common cavities can be.

Cavities sometimes go widely undiagnosed and untreated because patients do not see them as a life-threatening or potentially dangerous problem. Additionally, cavities can often occur between the teeth where they may go unnoticed by patients and even some trained professionals.

Causes & Prevention

In most cases, cavities between the teeth are caused by a lack of proper dental care. When we eat, food and bacteria particles can lodge themselves between the teeth. Even though a patient may brush his or her teeth religiously on a daily and nightly basis, toothbrushes aren’t always able to reach interdental areas. Because of this, the bacteria is able to grow and is eventually able to break down the tooth and create a cavity.

One of the best ways to prevent cavities between the teeth is to floss. Flossing has shown to be the second-half of dental hygiene; as flossing allows you to get rid of most of the bacteria and food particles between the teeth. At home, this is the best way for patients to prevent interdental cavities.

At the same time, your dentist also plays an important role in detecting and treating cavities between the teeth. With the use of x-rays, your dentist should be able to detect interdental cavities that may exist. During your routine dental exams, ensure that your dentist uses x-rays to thoroughly exam your mouth.

To schedule routine dental exams that include periodic x-rays to check for interdental cavities, call or email Dr. Serra’s office today. Dr. Serra offers thorough examinations to check for problems within all areas of your mouth; so you can be confident no cavities will go unnoticed.

Though we rarely hear or read much about sleep apnea postponing or ruining careers; however, it can do so both directly and indirectly. Recently, Green Bay Packers Vice President Jason Wied took a leave of absence from the organization, because – according to him – he his working through an addiction to herbal remedies given to him as a way to treat both sleep apnea and insomnia.

News like this proves that improper sleep apnea treatment can have a negative effect on important parts of a person’s life. After 11 years with a promising organization, could you imagine having to call it quits due to an addiction to an herbal remedy that was unsuccessful in treating a treatable condition?

Permanently Treating Sleep Apnea

While many treatments and remedies exist as a means to treat sleep apnea, long-term use of alternative methods, such as herbal remedies, may do more harm than good. Temporary relief from sleep apnea, insomnia, other sleep disorders, and other dental health problems, such as TMJ, are only temporary and are not able to treat the main problem at hand. When considering sleep apnea, treatment such as oral appliance therapy, is one proven method that treats the root cause of the problem. Such therapy allows for cessation-free breathing while patients sleep.

Don’t let sleep apnea and temporary fixes ruin your days, career, or life; instead, work with a proven dentist, such as Dr. Serra, to discover which sleep apnea treatment is best suited for you and your lifestyle. To learn more about treatment options for a healthier and better sleep at night, email or call our office today.

These days, it seems that everything we do is somehow available wirelessly. Wi-Fi connections and Wi-Fi technology continues to grow and advance; and while you generally think of computers and mobile phones when talking about Wi-Fi, the medical world also makes good use of this technology. In fact, NovaSom has recently joined forces with Verizon Wireless to utilize the company’s wireless network to operate its at-home sleep study device, AccuSom.

AccuSom is currently the only FDA-recognized at-home sleep study device that is able to collect data that is then analyzed to determine whether a patient has obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or not. Just the size of a smart-phone, the device is able to measure and record a patient’s oxygen saturation, snoring, respiration airflow, pulse rate, and respiration effort, and then transfer the information wirelessly to the management platform cloud that is then accessed by the sleep physician. All of this information travels from the patient’s own bed.

A Positive Diagnosis Is a Positive for Treatment

No matter how you’ve been diagnosed with OSA, it is crucial that you seek sleep apnea treatment. Untreated sleep apnea only leads to various other health problems, which could be detrimental. If you’re interested in learning more about sleep apnea treatment, don’t hesitate to call or email Dr. Serra’s office today.

If you’ve watched T.V. lately, you might have noticed a commercial promoting a business offering its members a new CPAP filter and mask every 90 days in exchange for a monthly fee. In the advertisement (embedded below), the business says it provides CPAP masks that “won’t leak” and “fit great,” which it claims will prevent sleep apnea sufferers from waking their partners as frequently, due to common snorting and squealing noises typically associated with CPAP-use.

If this a good option?

Because this business sends its CPAP masks through the mail, it cannot customize each one to conform to each person’s face – a fact that lessens the probability that the masks will be capable of living up to the company’s bold claims. Additionally, these masks won’t be much help to patients who suffer from pressure sores and skin irritation, as well as those who feel claustrophobic during CPAP-use.

Although come sleep apneics are able to tolerate CPAP treatment, many can’t. For a different sleep apnea treatment that won’t leave you with the frustrating side-effects associated with CPAP machines, contact Dr. Serra’s office today. Dr. Serra works directly with every one of his patients to create a sleep apnea treatment that will suit each person’s individual needs. Effective sleep apnea treatment won’t just appear in your mailbox; contact Dr. Serra for personal, one-on-one attention that will result in an effective treatment plan.

Many see the mouth and teeth as not much more than parts of our body that allow us to eat, chew and talk. While this is partly true; the mouth is also truly a complex body part. For example, teeth don’t only allow us to eat and chew food; they also serve as a way to show our emotions. When our teeth are showing, we’re generally happy and smiling; and when our teeth aren’t showing, we may be expressing a feeling of sadness, anger, or some other emotion. At the same time, our smiles and mouths not only show emotion, they also play a large role in determining how healthy we are. When the teeth and mouth are in tip-top shape, it’s likely that the rest of the body is also healthy. Teeth that are not properly taken care of can lead to health problems within other parts of the body. Obviously, our mouths are complex body parts that require all around comprehensive dentistry.

Comprehensive dentistry always involves more than just the routine dental treatments that most think of, such as fillings for cavities, routine cleanings, and so on. With this type of dentistry, the entire mouth is taken into consideration, along with more complex dental problems and conditions. For example, with comprehensive dentistry, a patient can expect a dentist that offers routine dentistry work alongside with treatment for gum disease, TMJ disorder, sleep apnea, and even treatments that not only improve your smile physically, but also play a large role in your daily happiness.

For instance, while some consider cosmetic dentistry to be unnecessary; the fact is that cosmetic dentistry can be multi-purposeful. For example, consider full-mouth reconstruction. Such a procedure is generally seen as being purely cosmetic; however, in some patients, full-mouth reconstruction can not only revamp the look of the smile, but restore its structure and foundation. Full-mouth reconstruction has been used in patients who have trouble eating or chewing due to missing or severely decayed teeth.

To learn more about comprehensive dentistry and working with a dentist that offers such treatment options, look no further than Dr. Serra. Dr. Serra is well-versed in offering a variety of dental treatments to ensure that your smile not only looks good, but remains healthy. Get started today with a phone call or email to our office.

When you think of a dentist and dental treatment, rarely would the word temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) come to mind; however, despite the fact that TMJ is so widely unknown, the condition does impact millions of people a day.

TMJ disorder can cause irregular but never-ending pain in the jaw and neck along with headaches and other symptoms. One of the most notable precursors of TMJ disorder is teeth grinding and clenching. Has someone ever told you that you seem to grind or chatter your teeth at night? If so, you are slowly but surely damaging the dentition of your teeth, which can lead to TMJ disorder. Treating teeth grinding and clenching is easy – all patients have to do is wear a mouth guard to protect their teeth while sleeping. But the hard part about preventing TMJ is encouraging patients to get immediate treatment. Not many patients would run to their local dentist because of a teeth grinding problem.

Quick Diagnosis For TMJ Prevention

Though TMJ disorder may be a preventable condition; prevention relies highly upon patient awareness, proper treatment, and the ability to avoid further structural damage. Patients who experience any type of possible TMJ-related symptoms should seek advice from an experienced dentist, such as Dr. Serra. Dr. Serra has worked with many patients to successfully treat TMJ disorder. To learn more about the condition, how you can avoid it, and the treatments that you may require to protect your teeth and jaw, call or email Dr. Serra’s office today. Patients can schedule a consultation today!

At first thought, when we think about taking care of our teeth and mouths, we automatically think of brushing them, as well as attending routine visits to the dentist to ensure that our teeth are healthy both inside and out. While brushing your teeth at least twice a day is definitely ideal, it isn’t the only step to taking the best possible care of your smile. In fact, while brushing is crucial to your oral health, a toothbrush isn’t able to get rid of all the bacteria in the mouth.

Because bacteria are quite small, it isn’t uncommon for them to lodge and live between the teeth. If these bacteria remain, they can multiply and cause all sorts of oral infections, such as gum disease and tooth decay. Small crevices within the teeth can’t be reached using a toothbrush alone. Instead, the spaces between the teeth should be cleaned using dental floss; however, flossing is something that most people do not do, despite its obvious importance.

Why We Don’t Floss

As with most things in life, there is no one universal reason why people do not floss their teeth. For some, flossing can be overly time-consuming when compared to brushing, which takes just a few minutes. For others, flossing can be painful and can result in bleeding gums. That said, while many choose not to floss, the benefits behind flossing are undeniable.

In an effort to provide people with an alternative to traditional flossing, Philips, the main company behind Sonicare, has created the Sonicare AirFloss. The product can be used to dislodge any bacteria or plaque that may be lingering between the teeth. Using rapid waves of air and water that can reach speeds of 45mph, the AirFloss is designed to do the work of traditional flossing methods.

The product creators have determined that, when used properly, the AirFloss can get rid of more than 99 percent of inter-dental bacteria and plaque: the germs that a toothbrush simply cannot reach. With such products, patients have plenty of options to choose from to help them keep up with a total oral care routine.

While at-home care is vital to a healthy smile, routine appointments with your dentist should also be used to keep your oral health at optimal levels. Dr. Serra is experienced at working with patients of all types. Take the best possible care of your teeth by scheduling an appointment with Dr. Serra today. Our office can be reached by phone or email.

Generally, teachers, dentists, and parents all warn children and even adults about how diet choices greatly impact their health – especially that of the teeth and mouth. Rarely will you hear someone preaching the benefits of a diet full of junk food and sugar. After all, foods such as soda and candy are meant to be eaten sparingly.

Soda has an especially negative effect on teeth, thanks to two common ingredients: citric acid and phosphoric acid. These two ingredients can cause enamel loss and dental erosion. However, unlike most soft drinks, root beer is somewhat of an exception. In fact, a study posted in the March/April 2007 issue of General Dentistry determined that root beer is a much safer drink when compared to other sodas.

The study found that root beer rarely contains citric acid or phosphoric acid, which means that it is less detrimental to the health of your teeth. Many people are surprised to learn that soda is a very acidic drink. Shockingly, the acid levels in certain cola brands rank in at 2.39, which may not seem high until it is compared to the acid level in a typical battery: 1.0.

For the average consumer looking to take good care of his/her teeth, drinking a soda here and there will more than likely not cause significant problems; however, it’s important to be aware of the harmful ingredients in certain soft drinks so you can limit them accordingly. When you’re in the mood for a soda, consider drinking root beer.

Though good diet choices most definitely influence the overall health of your smile, the best way to keep your teeth clean and healthy, both inside and out, is to schedule routine visits with a trusted dentist, such as Dr. Serra. Call or email us to schedule routine appointments with Dr. Serra to ensure that your smile and mouth are in tip top shape.