It’s been known for some time that a link exists between oral bacteria and pancreatic cancer.  Finding a solution is urgent because pancreatic cancer usually spreads very quickly with no clear symptoms early on, and the survival rate remains poor.  Now for some fantastic news…Researchers believe that altering the balance of certain bacteria in saliva could lead to earlier detection and someday halt the progress of this disease.

Manipulating the balance of oral bacteria makes sense when you consider that this balance is key to maintaining oral health and that its loss can negatively affect your overall health…

• Red swollen gums that bleed easily are caused when the good bacteria are overwhelmed by bad bacteria.
• Gum disease is progressive so inflammation, infection, gum and bone recession, and tooth loss can occur.
• Oral bacteria and/or potential cancer-causing compounds generated by these bacteria can travel elsewhere in the body.
• Gum disease has been linked to systemic inflammatory diseases including cancers, heart disease and stroke, respiratory diseases, diabetes, kidney diseases, and Alzheimer’s among others.
• Gum disease is preventable and treatable, yet 75% of adults over age 35 are affected by it.  Up to 30% of people may be genetically susceptible to it.

Please keep your regular recare appointments so we can help you prevent gum disease or catch it in its earliest stage.

There’s nothing quite like worn-down teeth and ageing restorations for wiping the smile off your face.  Yet these are the problems that sneak up on everybody, even those who take excellent care of their oral health.  Teeth grinding, clenching, temporomandibular disorder (TMD), along with fillings and other restorations that have worn out their welcome, can age your smile and put a dent in your style!

Do any of these sound like you? You have a tooth that is:

• damaged by decay or wear
• crumbling because there is more old filling than tooth
• fractured or chipped, threatening its structural integrity
• discolored by decay or silver-colored fillings
• showing signs of root canal treatment
• required to support a bridge or denture?

If you said yes even once, don’t worry any more.  These types of smile flaws are usually easier to put right than you might think…

• Beautiful natural-looking white porcelain inlays and onlays can replace worn silver-colored or stained fillings.
• Crowns, bridges, and dental implants provide strength as well as beauty.
• Bonding and veneers can whiten, re-contour, disguise minor flaws, strengthen, and restore symmetry.

You’ve probably met someone with at least one dental implant, but you likely didn’t realize it because once an implant is placed, it is completely natural looking and fully functional.

The science of dental implants is well established.  Regardless of the type of implant used, all are made of strong bio-compatable materials: an artificial replacement root and an enamel-colored crown that is perfectly matched to your own teeth.

The root helps to preserve bone and the implant prevents neighboring teeth from tilting and drifting, just like a natural tooth would.  Implants can also replace more than one tooth or stabilize a denture or bridge.  Imagine enjoying meals and talking and laughing with complete confidence!

Interested? Let us know so that we can talk to you about your specific treatment plan.  Give Dr. Jay Ajmo a call today at: (561) 627-8666

We all know that untreated caries (cavities) cause pain, infection, and eventually tooth loss.  But did you know that they are caused by two types of bacteria and are among the world’s most common diseases? With proper care and regular checkups, cavities can be prevented or detected before they cause serious trouble.

Here’s what to look for:

• White spots or brown areas on teeth
• Sensitivity when eating or drinking hot, cold, or sweet foods
• Toothache
• Holes or pits in teeth
• Pain when chewing

Smaller cavities may not have symptoms, so it is essential to keep to a four or six-month checkup schedule for early detection because we will detect a cavity when you might not.  Ensure regularly booked appointments for you and your family here at PGA Center for Advanced Dentistry, and brush and floss regularly!

In our last post, we discussed the connection between oral and overall health. The connection, as we noted, isn’t insignificant. Gum disease has been shown to share a connection with heart disease, stroke, diabetic complications, and premature birth, among other problems.

So given this connection, you might be wondering how you can best protect yourself.

The simple answer is by visiting PGA Center for Advanced Dentistry twice a year. Our Palm Beach Gardens dental office takes pride in making preventive dentistry and checkups a priority. We want to do everything we can to help our patients achieve optimal oral health so that oral or overall health problems aren’t an issue later on down the road. Seeing us every six months helps us do that.

When you come in, Dr. Ajmo will thoroughly examine your teeth for signs of decay and your gums for signs of gum disease. We’ll also check for TJM dysfunction, bruxism, and even oral cancer. Catching problems like these early is important for providing treatment when treatment will be easier, more comfortable, and more effective.

If it’s time for you to schedule your next appointment with Dr. Ajmo, call our Palm Beach Gardens dental office to set up your next visit. And if it’s been awhile since your last visit and you’re worried about coming in, PGA Center for Advanced Dentistry also has sedation dentistry options that can help make all future visits anxiety-free and much more comfortable.

Get in touch with us today! We serve patients from Palm Beach, Juno Beach, Tequesta, West Palm Beach, and Stuart.

It might seem unlikely, but recent studies have proven your smile can directly affect your overall health.

How’s this possible?

It all has to do with how gum disease interacts with your smile.

Gum disease starts when bacteria harden into plaque, causing the soft tissue of the gums to become inflamed. If this irritation isn’t treated, patients may begin to experience a more advanced form of gum disease, one that eventually creates pockets between the teeth and gums. These pockets can act like a doorway or window, giving bacteria access to the rest of the body, potentially contributing to a range of health problems, including:

• Heart disease
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Stroke
• Diabetic complications
• Pre-term delivery and low birth weight.

Because of the seriousness of these health problems, and gum disease itself, prevention is the key. You can help prevent gum disease by brushing and flossing daily and by coming into PGA Center for Advanced Dentistry twice a year for regular cleanings and checkups with Dr. Ajmo.

To find out more from Dr. Ajmo about the connection between oral and overall health, call PGA Center for Advanced Dentistry to schedule an appointment. We serve patients from Tequesta, West Palm Beach, Jupiter, and Juno Beach.

If you’re like most people, you’ll be staying up late Saturday night to ring in the New Year. But are you only counting down to 2010, or are you also counting down to a new you?

At PGA Center for Advanced Dentistry, we think January is the perfect time for a smile makeover.

What is a smile makeover exactly?

A smile makeover combines restorative and cosmetic services to help patients achieve the confident smile they’ve dreamed of. What’s more, in addition to boosting confidence, a smile makeover can help patients with lines and wrinkles turn back the clock on their appearance, making cosmetic surgery completely unnecessary.

Smile Makeover Services from PGA Center for Advanced Dentistry

At Dr. Ajmo’s Palm Beach Gardens office, we offer a wide range of cosmetic and restorative services to help patients boost their smiles. Porcelain crowns and veneers are two of our most common smile makeover services, but we also feature professional teeth whitening, laser gum recontouring, and dental implants.

If you have questions about any of these or would like to know how a smile makeover from Dr. Ajmo can help you turn back the clock on your appearance, give PGA Center for Advanced Dentistry a call today. We want to help patients from Palm Beach, Juno Beach, Tequesta, West Palm Beach, and Stuart give their smiles a fresh start in 2010.

PGA Center for Advanced Dentistry uses high definition 3D CT scans for implant diagnosis and treatment planning.  CT scans offer an in depth 3D view of your teeth and jaws identifying surrounding vital structures not detectable with traditional x-rays.  This allows us to more predictably and precisely place and restore dental implants for tooth replacement and dental reconstruction.  3D imaging requires less radiation than traditional x-rays and is rapidly becoming the standard of care in implant dentistry.

Complete scans are performed right in our office and take only 19 seconds. For more information call our office at: (561) 627-8666 or read more about it on our website:  http://www.pgadentistry.com/dental-ct-scan.html

Do you experience discomfort or a sharp pain when you breathe icy air, when you sip hot, cold, or sweet beverages, or eat foods with extreme temperature?  Even when brushing your teeth? You could have sensitive teeth which can put a damper on the most pleasurable things in life.

What can you do? Dr. Ajmo at PGA Center for Advanced Dentistry recommends you to:

• Always visit us for a diagnosis and treatment options.
• Use a toothpaste specially formulated for sensitive teeth.  It take two weeks before the full effect is evident.
• Rinse with a fluoride-based mouthrinse that contains potassium nitrate to reduce sensitivity.

Don’t endure sensitivity symptoms, call Dr. Ajmo to visit our office in Palm Beach Gardens at: (561) 627-8666