When children get cavities they are quicker to appear and faster in their progression than cavities on an adult. Mostly this has to do with the anatomy of a baby tooth versus a permanent tooth. I recommend that children start seeing the dentist at age one and then every six months thereafter. It is much easier to fill a small cavity then to deal with a large hole on a tooth.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of seeing a six year old girl that had a hole in-between two of her baby teeth. I had seen her last week to attempt to fix the hole, but it was a no go. Yesterday I was successful in filling the cavity and it brought to mind some important points on treating children: parent selection, timing, patience, and choices.
Parent selection is a key factor. As parents we bring our own anxieties with us to the dental office and we are experts at transferring these anxieties to our children. In the case of my six year old patient, it was her father that had brought her the week prior. The dad has a severe gag reflex and previous traumatic dental experiences. While he was being supportive of getting the cavity fixed, there was an aura of "is this going to hurt my daughter?" in the room. The mom was much more relaxed and matter of fact. From the onset of the appointment yesterday the mom's attitude was that we were going to get the cavity filled.
Timing when treating children makes a huge difference. If your kid is cranky or tired at certain times of day, then that is a bad time to be doing dentistry. For instance, my four year old is exhausted by 3 or 4 in the afternoon. He is much harder to reason with at that time of day. Early in the morning my son has boundless energy and he has a hard time sitting still. The best time to treat most kids is mid morning or after lunch. Also, it is important to keep in mind that when you are numb it is hard to eat and kids are more likely to bite their cheeks when numb. Thus, is important that your child is well fed before having a cavity filled.
Patience is the answer to finishing all types of dental treatment. It is important to take the time to walk a child through the steps of the procedure. In addition it is necessary to wait for them to overcome the crying that comes with anxiety of not knowing what is going to happen next. At the beginning of the appointment, my six year old patient was crying and refused to open her mouth. Once she realized that her tooth was going to get filled no matter what and I fully explained each step, she stopped crying and opened her mouth.
Choices are a funny thing when it comes to kids. The appointment with the six year old went something like this, "we can use this white and pink Mr. Thirsty or this clear Mr. Thirsty.". The point being that one way or another I needed suction while cleaning out the sugar bugs. Then I used a blue liquid, followed by a glue that was hardened by a blue light saver light and topped off with a white liquid that filled the hole. Success!
Kari Ann Hong, DDS1000 Newbury Rd. #190Thousand Oaks, CA 91320www.thousandoaksfamilydentistry.com
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Sleep Apnea and Dentistry
Did you know that if you have sleep apnea that it can shorten your lifespan by 7 to 8 years? Did you know that having sleep apnea puts you at greater risk for stroke or heart attack?
Obstructive sleep apnea is defined as someone that stops breathing while sleeping. Sometimes this can be accompanied by loud snoring. The cessation of breathing is caused by muscles in the throat area relaxing and the tongue falling back in the throat, blocking the airway. The severity of sleep apnea is defined by the number of times per hour someone stops breathing in their sleep. Someone with severe sleep apnea stops breathing more than 25 times per hour while they are sleeping. The body subconsciously wakes up when it realizes it isn't breathing, leaving the person to wake up the next morning feeling unrefreshed.
My dad has sleep apnea. In his quest to treat his own condition he took a continuing education class on treating sleep apnea with dental appliances. After taking the class, he decided to invest in an airway evaluation device as well some take home sleep monitors. In the past couple of months he has successfully treated a number of mild to moderate sleep apnea patients with dental appliances. (If someone is found to have severe sleep apnea, then a continuous positive airway pressure machine is recommended.)
As a part of our sleep apnea screening we ask the following questions:
1. Are you likely to fall asleep or doze off if you are:
a. Sitting and reading
b. Sitting in a public place
c. Driving a car stopped for a few minutes in traffic
d. Sitting down quietly after lunch without alcohol
e. Watching TV
f. As a passenger in a car for one hour
g. Sitting and talking to someone
h. Lying down to rest in the afternoon
2. Have you gained 15 pounds or more in the last six months?
3. Have you ever been told that you snore?
4. Does your snoring occur almost every night?
5. Would you or someone hearing you sleep consider your snoring louder than a person talking?
If you answer yes to two or more of the above questions, then you could be at risk for sleep apnea and an evaluation of your airway opening would be a good idea.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Rd. #190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.thousandoaksfamilydentistry.com
Obstructive sleep apnea is defined as someone that stops breathing while sleeping. Sometimes this can be accompanied by loud snoring. The cessation of breathing is caused by muscles in the throat area relaxing and the tongue falling back in the throat, blocking the airway. The severity of sleep apnea is defined by the number of times per hour someone stops breathing in their sleep. Someone with severe sleep apnea stops breathing more than 25 times per hour while they are sleeping. The body subconsciously wakes up when it realizes it isn't breathing, leaving the person to wake up the next morning feeling unrefreshed.
My dad has sleep apnea. In his quest to treat his own condition he took a continuing education class on treating sleep apnea with dental appliances. After taking the class, he decided to invest in an airway evaluation device as well some take home sleep monitors. In the past couple of months he has successfully treated a number of mild to moderate sleep apnea patients with dental appliances. (If someone is found to have severe sleep apnea, then a continuous positive airway pressure machine is recommended.)
As a part of our sleep apnea screening we ask the following questions:
1. Are you likely to fall asleep or doze off if you are:
a. Sitting and reading
b. Sitting in a public place
c. Driving a car stopped for a few minutes in traffic
d. Sitting down quietly after lunch without alcohol
e. Watching TV
f. As a passenger in a car for one hour
g. Sitting and talking to someone
h. Lying down to rest in the afternoon
2. Have you gained 15 pounds or more in the last six months?
3. Have you ever been told that you snore?
4. Does your snoring occur almost every night?
5. Would you or someone hearing you sleep consider your snoring louder than a person talking?
If you answer yes to two or more of the above questions, then you could be at risk for sleep apnea and an evaluation of your airway opening would be a good idea.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Rd. #190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.thousandoaksfamilydentistry.com
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Cavity prevention with mouthwash
I pulled this pH scale image from the CariFree website. What is CariFree? CariFree is an entire product line of mouthwashes, toothpastes, gum, and mouth sprays that were developed to have basic pH content, xylitol, and fluoride. The most impressive part of their product line is the mouthwashes. They have a CariFree treatment rinse and a CariFree maintenance rinse. What sets apart the CariFree rinses from others on the market is that they are basic in their pH. The CariFree system of products is a relatively new product line and something that I have only had in my office since May of this year.
I have a patient that has recently been struggling with dry mouth and tooth decay. We set up an appointment so we could further discuss treatment options for prevention of future tooth decay. My patient took it upon himself to bring in some pH strips and the Biotene and ACT brands of mouthwashes to his appointment. I was surprised to find out that the Biotene rinse was a 4.5 pH which is quite acidic. The ACT brand was neutral at 7.0 pH.
It is scary that a rinse like Biotene which is marketed to dentists as a treatment for dry mouth, could actually be causing more harm due to its acidic content. It would be like rinsing your mouth with 7-UP soda. There are many other mouthwashes out there that contain alchohol which apparently is meant to kill bacteria, but it leaves the mouth dry which ultimately encourages bacterial growth.
Since we started distributing the CariFree rinse in May, I have had a number of patients use the rinses. The most common testimonial I hear is that it helps with dry mouth and it makes the teeth feel cleaner.
My recommendation to my patients is that if you are going to use an over the counter rinse, the ACT rinse is your best bet. It has fluoride and it is at least neutral in its pH. If you want a rinse that will help neutralize the mouth and stop de-mineralizing your teeth, then I recommend taking a look at the CariFree product line.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS1000 Newbury Rd. #190Thousand Oaks, CA 91320www.thousandoaksfamilydentistry.com
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Another Cavity?
There are three groups of people that tend to get new cavities on a routine basis. The first group are children under 10, the second group is teenagers, and the last group is mature adults (the 60 and over crowd). My least favorite thing to do in my office is to inform someone that they have another cavity.
On a routine basis now I am asking a couple of key questions as part of my patient health history review. The purpose of the questions is to initiate a dialog as to what causes tooth decay and how to prevent it from happening in the first place.
The risk assessment for cavities includes the following: Acidic beverages, frequent snacking, inadequate salivary flow, appliances present, deep pits and fissures, hyposalivary medications, visible plaque, cavity in the last three years, visible cavitations and radiographic lesions.
Basically in order to get a cavity, something acidic sits next to the tooth structure and eats away at the tooth structure to form a hole in the tooth. What we eat and drink and how often we eat and drink it plays a large role in how much acidity is in our mouth. Anything other than water such as: soda, juice, energy drinks, vitamin waters, and carbonated beverages are acidic. Anything dry, pasty or sugary contributes to the food particles staying in the mouth for a longer period of time. The solution when it comes to tooth decay, is to limit food consumption to meal time and only drink water outside of meal times.
Braces, inadequate salivary flow, deep pits and grooves on the teeth, and lots of plaque on the teeth are all things that contribute to the acidity having an easier time to stay next to the teeth for a longer period of time. I recommend an electric tooth brush for all of my patients, as well as a daily flossing routine in order to maximize the cleanliness of the teeth.
A cavity in the last three years, visible cavitations, and radiographic lesions are important because it means that the cavities are significant enough that they must be removed and filled by the dentist. Even though a tooth has had a filling or a crown, it can still get new tooth decay in the future. Basically any part of exposed tooth structure is susceptible to tooth decay.
Wonder why the three age groups I mentioned at the beginning tend to get the most new cavities? The under age 10 group is at risk because of drinking milk right before bedtime or other non-water beverages throughout the day, eating sugary snacks and candies like gummies or fruit rolls, and not being able to effectively brush or floss their own teeth. The teenager crowd is at risk because of braces, consuming large amounts of alcohol and not brushing before bedtime, and snacking or drinking awakening beverages while studying. The mature adult is at risk because of the medications that they take that changes their body chemistry and dries out the mouth.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Rd. #190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.thousandoaksfamilydentistry.com
On a routine basis now I am asking a couple of key questions as part of my patient health history review. The purpose of the questions is to initiate a dialog as to what causes tooth decay and how to prevent it from happening in the first place.
The risk assessment for cavities includes the following: Acidic beverages, frequent snacking, inadequate salivary flow, appliances present, deep pits and fissures, hyposalivary medications, visible plaque, cavity in the last three years, visible cavitations and radiographic lesions.
Basically in order to get a cavity, something acidic sits next to the tooth structure and eats away at the tooth structure to form a hole in the tooth. What we eat and drink and how often we eat and drink it plays a large role in how much acidity is in our mouth. Anything other than water such as: soda, juice, energy drinks, vitamin waters, and carbonated beverages are acidic. Anything dry, pasty or sugary contributes to the food particles staying in the mouth for a longer period of time. The solution when it comes to tooth decay, is to limit food consumption to meal time and only drink water outside of meal times.
Braces, inadequate salivary flow, deep pits and grooves on the teeth, and lots of plaque on the teeth are all things that contribute to the acidity having an easier time to stay next to the teeth for a longer period of time. I recommend an electric tooth brush for all of my patients, as well as a daily flossing routine in order to maximize the cleanliness of the teeth.
A cavity in the last three years, visible cavitations, and radiographic lesions are important because it means that the cavities are significant enough that they must be removed and filled by the dentist. Even though a tooth has had a filling or a crown, it can still get new tooth decay in the future. Basically any part of exposed tooth structure is susceptible to tooth decay.
Wonder why the three age groups I mentioned at the beginning tend to get the most new cavities? The under age 10 group is at risk because of drinking milk right before bedtime or other non-water beverages throughout the day, eating sugary snacks and candies like gummies or fruit rolls, and not being able to effectively brush or floss their own teeth. The teenager crowd is at risk because of braces, consuming large amounts of alcohol and not brushing before bedtime, and snacking or drinking awakening beverages while studying. The mature adult is at risk because of the medications that they take that changes their body chemistry and dries out the mouth.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Rd. #190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.thousandoaksfamilydentistry.com
Sunday, October 31, 2010
New Website
We are launching our new website design this week for Thousand Oaks Family Dentistry. The new site will feature patient reviews, commonly asked questions, services we provide, online appointment requests, and a video of our practice. I am excited about our latest improvements to our internet presence. I think the website gives a great snapshot of my office.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Rd. #190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.thousandoaksfamilydentistry.com
My goal in patient care is to provide personalized, individual care to each of my patients. Also, I believe in respecting people's time, so I don't double book and I do my best to run on time all day. I make treatment recommendations based on a comprehensive approach to patient care. I want all of my patients to be able to achieve optimal dental health.
Take a look at my new website and let me know what you think!
drhong@thousandoaksfamilydentistry.com
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Rd. #190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.thousandoaksfamilydentistry.com
Monday, August 2, 2010
Baby Teeth
With two young kids, I have baby teeth on my mind. Children usually get twenty teeth by the age of two, ten on top and ten on bottom. The first baby teeth a child gets are the lower two central incisors. The first adult teeth a child gets are the lower first molars and they come in behind the baby teeth. The first teeth a child looses are the lower incisors and that usually happens after adult molars erupt.
As a mom I worry that my kids will end up with poor skeletal/tooth/facial development and that they will get cavities. Prevention is always the best medicine in dentistry. It is always easier to stop something from happening then to fix it once it has happened. When it comes to facial development, the biggest problems are bottles, pacifiers, and thumb sucking. Any of these things by themselves can cause a significant overjet of the upper teeth over the lower teeth. I recommend stopping bottle and pacifier use by age one. Thumb sucking is the most difficult thing to prevent because as a parent you can't take that away. If a child hasn't stopped sucking their thumb by age 4 or 5, then there is a dental appliance that can be placed to prevent the thumb from sitting comfortably in the mouth.
The easiest way to prevent cavities in children is to watch what they are eating and drinking. It is important to limit milk and juice consumption to meal times. I recommend never purchasing soda for daily consumption. Foods that are sticky in consistency like gummy fruits or candies should be avoided at snack time, because chances are that sugar will stay adhered to the teeth until they are brushed next.
Kids are difficult and frequently have minds of their own where they don't want to do what we want. Fortunately, I have made it past the bottle/pacifier/thumb sucking stage with my own children. It is a constant struggle to make sure they are well fed and that I am keeping their teeth clean.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
As a mom I worry that my kids will end up with poor skeletal/tooth/facial development and that they will get cavities. Prevention is always the best medicine in dentistry. It is always easier to stop something from happening then to fix it once it has happened. When it comes to facial development, the biggest problems are bottles, pacifiers, and thumb sucking. Any of these things by themselves can cause a significant overjet of the upper teeth over the lower teeth. I recommend stopping bottle and pacifier use by age one. Thumb sucking is the most difficult thing to prevent because as a parent you can't take that away. If a child hasn't stopped sucking their thumb by age 4 or 5, then there is a dental appliance that can be placed to prevent the thumb from sitting comfortably in the mouth.
The easiest way to prevent cavities in children is to watch what they are eating and drinking. It is important to limit milk and juice consumption to meal times. I recommend never purchasing soda for daily consumption. Foods that are sticky in consistency like gummy fruits or candies should be avoided at snack time, because chances are that sugar will stay adhered to the teeth until they are brushed next.
Kids are difficult and frequently have minds of their own where they don't want to do what we want. Fortunately, I have made it past the bottle/pacifier/thumb sucking stage with my own children. It is a constant struggle to make sure they are well fed and that I am keeping their teeth clean.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Safe Amalgam Removal
I remove amalgams from teeth on a daily basis as a dentist. The reasons why I remove amalgams vary from new decay around an existing amalgam; a patient doesn't like the way the amalgam looks and would like something tooth colored; the amalgam or the tooth with the amalgam broke and the tooth needs a crown; the tooth has an existing crown with decay and the old buildup in the tooth was amalgam.
Recently I was asked the following questions by a potential new patient and I thought others might be interested in the questions and my responses.
Here are the questions:
How long have you been doing safe amalgam removal? Did you have to have special training in this procedure? Do you do any kind of health assessment on the patient before starting? Do you recommend any supplements before and after removal? Do you check the electrical potential of the fillings to determine where to start? I understand you use a rubber dam. Do you have a special vacuum or vapor control system? Do you use an electric drill or an air turbine drill? How much time do you recommend between extractions?
Here was my answer:
I have been doing safe amalgam removal since completing dental school at UCLA in 2003. I use an electric handpiece with sufficient water spray to minimize the mercury vapors when removing amalgams. I do all amalgam removals with a rubber dam and high speed evacuation. When removing amalgam fillings I do so by quadrants of the mouth and I start in the quadrant that has fillings with underlying decay or breakdown of the existing amalgam. I recommend waiting at least a week between quadrants. Sometimes a tooth can be sensitive after an amalgam is removed and a new tooth colored filling is placed. It is important to make sure the teeth have fully recovered and are feeling good before any further work is done. I leave it up to the patient to decide how they want to spread out the treatment. I recommend to all my patients that they take a multi-vitamin, but nothing in particular for amalgam removal.
I have a patient that is currently being treated for high levels of mercury and lead in her system. She only has three fillings in her adult teeth and none of them are amalgams. The patient doesn't know how she ended up with such high levels of mercury or lead in her system. The patient is seeing an internal medicine doctor that has been placing her on a drug called Dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA). Also, the doctor recommends taking mineral supplements, specifically Vitamin C. Prior to this treatment, the doctor recommends her patients have any amalgams in the mouths removed so as not to counteract her treatment protocol. The treatment with the DMSA is closely monitored with urine tests to see if the levels of mercury decrease.
I can be reached via the contact page on my website familycaredentists.com with any further questions.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
Recently I was asked the following questions by a potential new patient and I thought others might be interested in the questions and my responses.
Here are the questions:
How long have you been doing safe amalgam removal? Did you have to have special training in this procedure? Do you do any kind of health assessment on the patient before starting? Do you recommend any supplements before and after removal? Do you check the electrical potential of the fillings to determine where to start? I understand you use a rubber dam. Do you have a special vacuum or vapor control system? Do you use an electric drill or an air turbine drill? How much time do you recommend between extractions?
Here was my answer:
I have been doing safe amalgam removal since completing dental school at UCLA in 2003. I use an electric handpiece with sufficient water spray to minimize the mercury vapors when removing amalgams. I do all amalgam removals with a rubber dam and high speed evacuation. When removing amalgam fillings I do so by quadrants of the mouth and I start in the quadrant that has fillings with underlying decay or breakdown of the existing amalgam. I recommend waiting at least a week between quadrants. Sometimes a tooth can be sensitive after an amalgam is removed and a new tooth colored filling is placed. It is important to make sure the teeth have fully recovered and are feeling good before any further work is done. I leave it up to the patient to decide how they want to spread out the treatment. I recommend to all my patients that they take a multi-vitamin, but nothing in particular for amalgam removal.
I have a patient that is currently being treated for high levels of mercury and lead in her system. She only has three fillings in her adult teeth and none of them are amalgams. The patient doesn't know how she ended up with such high levels of mercury or lead in her system. The patient is seeing an internal medicine doctor that has been placing her on a drug called Dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA). Also, the doctor recommends taking mineral supplements, specifically Vitamin C. Prior to this treatment, the doctor recommends her patients have any amalgams in the mouths removed so as not to counteract her treatment protocol. The treatment with the DMSA is closely monitored with urine tests to see if the levels of mercury decrease.
I can be reached via the contact page on my website familycaredentists.com with any further questions.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
Friday, March 5, 2010
Sleep Training My 11 Month Old
I know it is wrong to compare your kids, but my two and a half year old started sleeping through the night at 10 months of age. My 11 month old will be 12 months in 20 days and he is still waking up every 3 hours during the night. I decided last night that enough was enough and I was going to sleep train my child.
The problem with my baby is that he throws up when he gets really upset. He does it on 45 minute commutes, he does it when a stranger holds him, and he does it when you try to get him to sleep on his own. I decided last night to let him throw up and I decided to let him sleep in his throw up. I put him to bed at 8pm and by 8:10pm he had thrown up and by 8:30pm he had fallen sleep with his head upright, leaning against the wall of his bed. He then proceeded to wake up at 11:30pm and 3pm. At 11:30pm I tried to feed him and helped him go back to sleep. At 3pm I let him cry himself back to sleep, which took about 10 minutes. This morning he woke up at 6am and he was a perfectly happy child all day. Overall I think the night went quite well. The only problem was that my two and half year old woke up at all the times the baby woke up and he was very concerned that I was letting his brother cry.
So tonight I left the older one with his grandparents and I am on night two of my sleep training. I put the baby to bed at 8:10 and he cried until only 8:20 and he didn't throw up! The sleep training appears to be working.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
The problem with my baby is that he throws up when he gets really upset. He does it on 45 minute commutes, he does it when a stranger holds him, and he does it when you try to get him to sleep on his own. I decided last night to let him throw up and I decided to let him sleep in his throw up. I put him to bed at 8pm and by 8:10pm he had thrown up and by 8:30pm he had fallen sleep with his head upright, leaning against the wall of his bed. He then proceeded to wake up at 11:30pm and 3pm. At 11:30pm I tried to feed him and helped him go back to sleep. At 3pm I let him cry himself back to sleep, which took about 10 minutes. This morning he woke up at 6am and he was a perfectly happy child all day. Overall I think the night went quite well. The only problem was that my two and half year old woke up at all the times the baby woke up and he was very concerned that I was letting his brother cry.
So tonight I left the older one with his grandparents and I am on night two of my sleep training. I put the baby to bed at 8:10 and he cried until only 8:20 and he didn't throw up! The sleep training appears to be working.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Mouthguards and the Olympics
I was watching the Olympics last night and was pleasantly surprised to see the male ski jumpers wearing mouthguards. The sport looks inherently dangerous. The athletes speed down a ramp, jump high in the air, do ariel flips, and then must quickly look for the ground to land on their skis. According to an article in the California Dental Association journal, mouthguards are recommended for the following Olympic events: ice hockey, slalom skiing, aerials, skeleton, basketball, field hockey, boxing, martial arts, volleyball, cylcing, water polo and soccer. The type of mouthguard recommended is a dentist made pressure-laminated mouthguard.
In my dental practice I make the pressure-laminated type mouthguard for high school students participating in football, wrestling, soccer, field hockey, and water polo. It is a shame that mouthguards are not mandated in more sports. Sports like ski jumping and football have noticeable dangers that athletes are trying to protect against. The wearing of mouthguards in such sports is expected and accepted by the athletes. It is the sports like soccer and basketball where athletes don't see the need to wear a mouthguard.
I have seen the damage from two soccer related injuries, inflicted by another player. One was a nineteen year old girl that was playing soccer on the weekend with an adult league team. She had one of her front central teeth knocked out. The other one was my fifteen year old cousin. He had his two front teeth knocked inwards during a high school soccer game. An oral surgeon was able to reposition the bone around the teeth, but the teeth themselves died and had to have root canals. Both of these injuries were totally preventable.
Pressure-laminated mouthguards save teeth, prevent broken jaw bones and reduce the risk of injury to the jaw joint. If you play a sport where there is any physical contact with another person or potential contact with a moving object, then you should be wearing a mouthguard!
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
In my dental practice I make the pressure-laminated type mouthguard for high school students participating in football, wrestling, soccer, field hockey, and water polo. It is a shame that mouthguards are not mandated in more sports. Sports like ski jumping and football have noticeable dangers that athletes are trying to protect against. The wearing of mouthguards in such sports is expected and accepted by the athletes. It is the sports like soccer and basketball where athletes don't see the need to wear a mouthguard.
I have seen the damage from two soccer related injuries, inflicted by another player. One was a nineteen year old girl that was playing soccer on the weekend with an adult league team. She had one of her front central teeth knocked out. The other one was my fifteen year old cousin. He had his two front teeth knocked inwards during a high school soccer game. An oral surgeon was able to reposition the bone around the teeth, but the teeth themselves died and had to have root canals. Both of these injuries were totally preventable.
Pressure-laminated mouthguards save teeth, prevent broken jaw bones and reduce the risk of injury to the jaw joint. If you play a sport where there is any physical contact with another person or potential contact with a moving object, then you should be wearing a mouthguard!
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
Monday, January 4, 2010
Happy New Year Dental Resolutions
I am back at work today after a week and a half long vacation. So far it has been a slow morning at the office. In the couple of weeks prior to the holidays the phone was ringing constantly and it seemed like everyone had a dental emergency. Today it is quiet, like the calm after the storm.
New Years is all about resolutions. I have some dental new year resolution suggestions for 2010.
1. Buy an electric tooth brush. Electric tooth brushes are the best at removing plaque and keeping gums healthy. They prevent tartar build up and give teeth a smooth polished feeling. Patients that I see six months after they have started using an electric tooth brush always have cleaner mouths. Costco has the best deals on electric brushes- they sell the Oral B and the Sonicare brands.
2. Floss once a day. I am sure you have heard the old saying that you only need to floss the ones you want to keep. Flossing helps removed plaque between the teeth and around the gum line. Daily flossing prevents cavities between the teeth and makes the gums and bone that hold the teeth in the mouth much healthier.
3. Bleach your teeth. There are so many affordable ways to have a whiter brighter smile. My favorite is ZOOM! Whitening. After about an hour of in office ZOOM! Whitening you will have whiter teeth. Current price for this procedure is $200!
4. Stop bad habits. Smoking and drinking soda are the two biggest culprits of dental problems. Smoking can lead to severe gum disease, as well as cancers of the mouth and throat. Drinking soda throughout the day can cause lots of cavities. By the way, diet soda is just as bad as regular soda. The carbonation is just as big of a problem as the sugar in the beverage.
5. Visit the dentist twice a year. It is important to have your teeth professional cleaned and evaluated. Gum surgery, root canals, and crowns can be prevented if your teeth are consistently maintained and checked for disease.
Happy New Year!
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
New Years is all about resolutions. I have some dental new year resolution suggestions for 2010.
1. Buy an electric tooth brush. Electric tooth brushes are the best at removing plaque and keeping gums healthy. They prevent tartar build up and give teeth a smooth polished feeling. Patients that I see six months after they have started using an electric tooth brush always have cleaner mouths. Costco has the best deals on electric brushes- they sell the Oral B and the Sonicare brands.
2. Floss once a day. I am sure you have heard the old saying that you only need to floss the ones you want to keep. Flossing helps removed plaque between the teeth and around the gum line. Daily flossing prevents cavities between the teeth and makes the gums and bone that hold the teeth in the mouth much healthier.
3. Bleach your teeth. There are so many affordable ways to have a whiter brighter smile. My favorite is ZOOM! Whitening. After about an hour of in office ZOOM! Whitening you will have whiter teeth. Current price for this procedure is $200!
4. Stop bad habits. Smoking and drinking soda are the two biggest culprits of dental problems. Smoking can lead to severe gum disease, as well as cancers of the mouth and throat. Drinking soda throughout the day can cause lots of cavities. By the way, diet soda is just as bad as regular soda. The carbonation is just as big of a problem as the sugar in the beverage.
5. Visit the dentist twice a year. It is important to have your teeth professional cleaned and evaluated. Gum surgery, root canals, and crowns can be prevented if your teeth are consistently maintained and checked for disease.
Happy New Year!
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Internal Tooth Bleaching of Root Canal Treated Tooth
Unfortunately tooth trauma to the front of the mouth is a relatively common occurence. I have seen patients with trauma from going over the handle bar bike accidents, getting hit by an elbow on the soccer field, bar fights, and falling while running around a swimming pool. In some cases the teeth are completely avulsed during these accidents, but most of time the teeth are forcibly pushed into the bone or they are chipped. The teeth that are forcibly moved often die from the trauma, which means that the nerve of the tooth dies and the tooth ends up needing a root canal. In conjuction with nerve death the tooth takes on a darkened hue since the tooth no longer has a vital blood and nerve supply.
In the last month I have treated four teeth on three separate patients that had previous trauma, root can therapy, and a darkened hue. I have done an internal tooth bleaching therapy called "walking bleach." To do this treatment a combination of sodium perborate and superoxyl is placed inside of the tooth where the rooth can therapy was performed and it is kept in the tooth for two weeks. At the end of the two weeks the darkened color bleaches out and the tooth looks normal again!
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
In the last month I have treated four teeth on three separate patients that had previous trauma, root can therapy, and a darkened hue. I have done an internal tooth bleaching therapy called "walking bleach." To do this treatment a combination of sodium perborate and superoxyl is placed inside of the tooth where the rooth can therapy was performed and it is kept in the tooth for two weeks. At the end of the two weeks the darkened color bleaches out and the tooth looks normal again!
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
Friday, September 25, 2009
Little filling can cause lots of pain
I had a patient in the office this morning that was convinced a filling I placed about a month ago had come out. The reason she felt it had come out was that the tooth was sensitive to cold and biting and she had been completely avoiding chewing on that side of her mouth. I had my assistant take an xray of the tooth which showed a very small and shallow filling on an upper second molar. The filling was completely intact and no where near the nerve of the tooth.
I had a similar experience with a filling placed in a tooth in my mouth. Sometimes the small fillings give patients the biggest trouble. The reason is that the composite materials we use today are bonded to the tooth. The composite experiences a certain amount of shrinkage after it is light cured and bonded in place. The shrinkage of material is what causes the discomfort. Since the filling is so small and completely contained by walls of tooth structure, there is lots of tooth structure to pull against.
The solution is to place a temporary sedative filling that has eugenol in it. The eugenol is very soothing for the tooth and once the nerve endings calm down, a permanent filling can be placed again. When it happened to my tooth, the tooth felt better immediately after the sedative filling was placed and I had a permanent filling placed about a month later.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
I had a similar experience with a filling placed in a tooth in my mouth. Sometimes the small fillings give patients the biggest trouble. The reason is that the composite materials we use today are bonded to the tooth. The composite experiences a certain amount of shrinkage after it is light cured and bonded in place. The shrinkage of material is what causes the discomfort. Since the filling is so small and completely contained by walls of tooth structure, there is lots of tooth structure to pull against.
The solution is to place a temporary sedative filling that has eugenol in it. The eugenol is very soothing for the tooth and once the nerve endings calm down, a permanent filling can be placed again. When it happened to my tooth, the tooth felt better immediately after the sedative filling was placed and I had a permanent filling placed about a month later.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Dental Digital Impressions
Do you remember having ortho as a kid and having impressions taken? Or perhaps you have had a crown done recently and had some goopy material placed in your mouth that took five minutes to set? Well there is a new wave in dentistry called chairside digital imaging that is eliminating the need for a standard dental material impression.
According to Gordon Christensen, a leading dental clinical researcher, the top effective chairside systems are:
Cerec AC by Sirona Dental Systems, www.sirona.com
E4D byD4D Technologies, www.d4dtech.com
i-Tero by Cadent,Inc., www.cadentitero.com
Lava COS by 3M ESPE, www.3mespe.com
I have had the Lava COS digital impression machine in my office since February of this year and I have been quite impressed with the results. The most impressive thing about the machine is the accuracy and fit of the crowns. I have little to no adjustment with a crown that was fabricated from a Lava COS impression. Also, the marginal fit (where the crown meets the tooth) is almost impossible to discern.
I particularly like the Lava COS technology because the impression is a real time video image that lets you know right away whether or not you have an accurate and complete impression. All of the other digital systems more of a still shoot camera technology where the images are combined to give the 3D information.
My patients like the technology because they don't have to suffer through having impression material in their mouths. In addition, on the day we cement the crown, they don't have to wait for adjustments to their new crown. I highly recommend the Lava COS machine!
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
According to Gordon Christensen, a leading dental clinical researcher, the top effective chairside systems are:
Cerec AC by Sirona Dental Systems, www.sirona.com
E4D byD4D Technologies, www.d4dtech.com
i-Tero by Cadent,Inc., www.cadentitero.com
Lava COS by 3M ESPE, www.3mespe.com
I have had the Lava COS digital impression machine in my office since February of this year and I have been quite impressed with the results. The most impressive thing about the machine is the accuracy and fit of the crowns. I have little to no adjustment with a crown that was fabricated from a Lava COS impression. Also, the marginal fit (where the crown meets the tooth) is almost impossible to discern.
I particularly like the Lava COS technology because the impression is a real time video image that lets you know right away whether or not you have an accurate and complete impression. All of the other digital systems more of a still shoot camera technology where the images are combined to give the 3D information.
My patients like the technology because they don't have to suffer through having impression material in their mouths. In addition, on the day we cement the crown, they don't have to wait for adjustments to their new crown. I highly recommend the Lava COS machine!
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
Monday, May 18, 2009
30 minute medical appointment vs. 4 minute medical appointment
I took my 2 year old to see an orthopedic doctor that specializes in pediatrics last Friday. The doctor spent nearly a half hour with us, confirming the pediatrician's diagnosis of radial subluxation or Nursemaid's elbow and casting my son's arm. Prior to seeing that particular orthopedic doctor, I called two other doctor's offices to inquire for an appointment. One of the other doctors didn't have any appointments available until Monday. Apparently the doctor was only working between 2:30 and 4:30 on Friday and he already had thirty patients scheduled in that time period.
I feel fortunate that I was able to get a same day appointment with an orthopedic M.D. that was able to spend a significant amount of time looking at my son's arm. The other doctor that was so booked Friday afternoon could only spend 4 minutes on average per patient. Four minutes isn't enough time to hardly say hello, let alone diagnose and treat an injury.
Both of the doctors are contracted with my insurance company, which means that they have agreed to certain discounted fees. I am sure if you asked either doctor why they decided to go into the profession that they would say they want to help people. However, being a doctor is more than just helping people. Being a doctor is a business and there is a certain overhead to having an office, staff, and treating people. When an insurance company discounts a doctor's fees, then the doctor is forced to see a larger volume of patients to keep the business running.
The quality of patient care is what suffers when a doctor only has 4-5 minutes to spend with a patient.
As a dentist I have made a choice not to contract with any specific PPO dental insurance. I employ a hygienist that sees only 8 patients a day, or one an hour. I myself only have about 8 patients on my own schedule on any given day. If I were an in network provider for PPO insurances I would be discounting my usual and customary fees anywhere from 30 to 50% percent. At that rate, I would be unable to afford to employ a hygienist, unless that hygienist saw twice as many patients. Since doing dentistry like fillings, crowns, extractions, and root canals takes a fixed amount of time, I would be unable to increase the volume of patients on my schedule. It would be difficult to have a viable dental practice if all of our patients were PPO or HMO patients. Also, patient care would suffer if my hygienist only had 30 minutes to clean someone's teeth, take appropriate x-rays, set up the room, and have time for me to do an exam.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
I feel fortunate that I was able to get a same day appointment with an orthopedic M.D. that was able to spend a significant amount of time looking at my son's arm. The other doctor that was so booked Friday afternoon could only spend 4 minutes on average per patient. Four minutes isn't enough time to hardly say hello, let alone diagnose and treat an injury.
Both of the doctors are contracted with my insurance company, which means that they have agreed to certain discounted fees. I am sure if you asked either doctor why they decided to go into the profession that they would say they want to help people. However, being a doctor is more than just helping people. Being a doctor is a business and there is a certain overhead to having an office, staff, and treating people. When an insurance company discounts a doctor's fees, then the doctor is forced to see a larger volume of patients to keep the business running.
The quality of patient care is what suffers when a doctor only has 4-5 minutes to spend with a patient.
As a dentist I have made a choice not to contract with any specific PPO dental insurance. I employ a hygienist that sees only 8 patients a day, or one an hour. I myself only have about 8 patients on my own schedule on any given day. If I were an in network provider for PPO insurances I would be discounting my usual and customary fees anywhere from 30 to 50% percent. At that rate, I would be unable to afford to employ a hygienist, unless that hygienist saw twice as many patients. Since doing dentistry like fillings, crowns, extractions, and root canals takes a fixed amount of time, I would be unable to increase the volume of patients on my schedule. It would be difficult to have a viable dental practice if all of our patients were PPO or HMO patients. Also, patient care would suffer if my hygienist only had 30 minutes to clean someone's teeth, take appropriate x-rays, set up the room, and have time for me to do an exam.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
Saturday, October 25, 2008
New Dental Technology
I spent the last two days attending Esthetic Professionals 10th Annual Update course. This is the third or fourth Esthetic Professionals update course I have attended. It was highly informative on the latest and greatest in dental technology and materials. Also, I had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Bill Dorfman speak as well as a dental materials educater from Loma Linda School of Dentistry, Dr. Brian Novy.
The most exciting new technology presented at the meeting is 3M ESPE's new digital scanner called the LAVA COS. The scanner can image a tooth in the mouth that has been prepared for a crown. The scanner is a mix between a video camera and a still picture camera. It moves around like a video while at the same time plotting 20,000 picture points. These picture points are so accurate that the image can be used to fabricate a model that can be used to make the final crown restoration.
Dr. Bill Dorfman spoke about an electronic oral cancer detection system call VELscope. Apparently, the light emitted from the Velscope shows any cancerous or precancerous lesions as black tissue. Twenty-five percent of oral cancers occur in people that have no obvious risk factors such as a history of smoking or excessive alcohol consumption.
Dr. Brian Novy presented some convincing clinical work he has done to remove decalcified white spots caused by braces. The treatment for the white spots involves wearing custom plastic trays that are similar to bleaching trays, along with a calcium-phosphate-fluoride paste called MI paste. These trays are worn for about a month and the white spots nearly disappear.
It is always fun to learn about new technologies and procedures. The hard part is deciding which technologies to bring back to your office.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
The most exciting new technology presented at the meeting is 3M ESPE's new digital scanner called the LAVA COS. The scanner can image a tooth in the mouth that has been prepared for a crown. The scanner is a mix between a video camera and a still picture camera. It moves around like a video while at the same time plotting 20,000 picture points. These picture points are so accurate that the image can be used to fabricate a model that can be used to make the final crown restoration.
Dr. Bill Dorfman spoke about an electronic oral cancer detection system call VELscope. Apparently, the light emitted from the Velscope shows any cancerous or precancerous lesions as black tissue. Twenty-five percent of oral cancers occur in people that have no obvious risk factors such as a history of smoking or excessive alcohol consumption.
Dr. Brian Novy presented some convincing clinical work he has done to remove decalcified white spots caused by braces. The treatment for the white spots involves wearing custom plastic trays that are similar to bleaching trays, along with a calcium-phosphate-fluoride paste called MI paste. These trays are worn for about a month and the white spots nearly disappear.
It is always fun to learn about new technologies and procedures. The hard part is deciding which technologies to bring back to your office.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Conquering the two year old patient
In the past two weeks I have seen three patients in the two year old age range. The biggest challenge with patients in this age group is getting them to open their mouths and to stay open while you look in their mouth. I asked my son's pediatrician the other day why it is that one and two year olds don't like to open their mouths. His response was that the mouth is the one thing a child that age can control. Apparently you can put your fingers in the child's ears and eventually they will open their mouth to get you to remove your fingers. While this trick might work for the pediatrician that is just trying to take a quick look in the back of the throat, it doesn't work so well for the dentist that needs to evaluate 20 individual teeth.
Back to my story... I saw three such patients recently. The first one was a girl that was turning two in a couple of weeks. She didn't want to have anything to do with me and refused to even open her mouth. The second child I saw was a girl that had just turned two. I tried a different approach with her. First, my assistant found a cartoon on television for the girl to watch. Then I had the mom hold the daughter in her lap while we counted the mom's teeth. After we counted the mom's teeth, the little girl wanted her teeth counted as well. While counting the teeth I am able to evaluate each individual tooth for cavities. By two years of age nearly all twenty of the baby teeth have erupted. If cavities are present at this age, then they are either visually evident or are apparent when touching the tooth with a dental explorer (an instrument with a pin like end).
The third patient I saw was a three year old boy. In his case both the cartoon trick and counting daddy's teeth worked. As a three year old there was a little bit more comprehension of what was going on and I was able to polish his teeth as well.
Fortunately, in all three cases the children's parents were doing a good job assisting with the brushing and none of the children had any cavities. When kids this age do get cavities the only way to treat them is to either wait until the child is older (like age four or five) or to treat them while the child is under anesthesia. The best thing for the two and three year old patient is cavity prevention!
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
Back to my story... I saw three such patients recently. The first one was a girl that was turning two in a couple of weeks. She didn't want to have anything to do with me and refused to even open her mouth. The second child I saw was a girl that had just turned two. I tried a different approach with her. First, my assistant found a cartoon on television for the girl to watch. Then I had the mom hold the daughter in her lap while we counted the mom's teeth. After we counted the mom's teeth, the little girl wanted her teeth counted as well. While counting the teeth I am able to evaluate each individual tooth for cavities. By two years of age nearly all twenty of the baby teeth have erupted. If cavities are present at this age, then they are either visually evident or are apparent when touching the tooth with a dental explorer (an instrument with a pin like end).
The third patient I saw was a three year old boy. In his case both the cartoon trick and counting daddy's teeth worked. As a three year old there was a little bit more comprehension of what was going on and I was able to polish his teeth as well.
Fortunately, in all three cases the children's parents were doing a good job assisting with the brushing and none of the children had any cavities. When kids this age do get cavities the only way to treat them is to either wait until the child is older (like age four or five) or to treat them while the child is under anesthesia. The best thing for the two and three year old patient is cavity prevention!
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Grandma- The Obiturary
Mildred Bernice Carnot was born on August 24, 1928 in Hemingford, Nebraska to Louise and Emil Nekuda. For the first twelve years of her life Mildred lived on a farm with her parents that was owned by Mildred's maternal grandparents. When Mildred started kindergarten she didn't speak a work of English as the Czech language was the only thing spoken at home. Mildred spent a lot of time on the farm with her maternal grandmother, Marie (Stumf) Vorovka, and her uncle George Vorovka who was only six years older than her. Mildred's one sibling, Arline, was born when Mildred was seven years old.
At the age of twelve, Mildred and her family moved from Hemingford, Nebraska to Santa Monica, California where her father had the opportunity to work as an electrician. Mildred attended Santa Monica High School and graduated in 1946. After high school Mildred worked in the Santa Monica High School office. World War II ended in December of 1946. Soon after the war ended Mildred met her future husband- a World War II veteran, Jerry John Carnot, at a Czech dance function in La Crescenta. They were married in March 21, 1948 in Santa Monica California.
Mildred and Jerry lived near the USC campus after they were married while Jerry completed his accounting degree. While Mildred was pregnant with their first child, they built a house together in Sherman Oaks, California where they ended up living for the next 42 years. Mildred was on bed rest for the latter part of her pregnancy and was unable to be apart of the daily decisions being made at the house. On one occasion when she was able to make it over to see the house, she found out that her father-in-law had vetoed her decision to have a sunken living room. Apparently, Jerry, his father, and brothers did much of the work on the the house themselves and made some executive decisions without consulting Mildred, which made her quite upset. Mildred and Jerry's first born, Candis, was born on September 7, 1951. They went on to have two more children- Karen on August 6, 1953 and Robert on May 20, 1958.
Over the years Mildred held a number of jobs to bring in extra income for the family. Her next door neighbors the Shroeder's had a dime store that she worked at when her kids were little. When her daughters entered high school Mildred worked at a local elementary school, Dixie Canyon Elementary, so she would have extra money to send her girls to college. In her 50's Mildred worked for Sol Saks, the writer for the television show Bewitched, managing his checkbook and taking notes for him in long hand. She also volunteered at the Los Angeles Zoo.
Mildred traveled all over the world with Jerry, but her favorite place to vacation was in Yosemite where her parents owned a cabin in Wawona. Mildred used to say that when on vacation in Yosemite that time would stand still for her. She loved the peacefulness of the pine tree cover in the forest and the sound of the river flowing near the cabin.
Mildred and Jerry had a large social network of friends which included people they met in the Czech community, neighbors in Sherman Oaks, and parents of their children's friends. They played golf, had bridge parties, saw performances at the Hollywood Bowl, traveled, and had holiday parties with their friends.
In 1993 Mildred and Jerry sold their house in Sherman Oaks and moved to Newbury Park, California to be closer to Mildred's mother. Mildred started to show signs of memory loss as early as 1996. She couldn't remember how to make foods she had always made with ease, she would re-tell the exact same story within a five minute time frame, and her personality started to change. By her 50 year wedding anniversary with Jerry in 1998, Mildred was no longer the same person. Alzheimer's Disease was diagnosed in 2001. In all the years that Mildred had her illness, she did maintain a very sweet and loving personality. She was never angry or cross, despite her frustrations to communicate and make sense of what was happening to her.
Mildred was a soft and kind hearted soul. She was fond of classical music, playing the piano, Scrabble, card games, golf, tennis, cooking gourmet meals, decorating for the Christmas and Easter holidays, keeping her house super clean, and spending time with her family and friends. She was the parent her kids would go to when they wanted something. She would find a way to help them get what they wanted. As a grandparent, Mildred was a wonderful caregiver, generous, fun-loving, and always up for an adventure. As a daughter, Mildred looked after her mother and even after her illness she had some trustworthy helpers in her husband and daughter Candy to carry out her wishes.
Mildred is survived by her mother, three children, three grandchildren and one great-grandchild. After Mildred's husband Jerry passed away in July 2005, Mildred attended the Methodist Church in Thousand Oaks with her daughter and son-in-law most Sundays. Despite the fact she had limited verbal communication and memory these past three years, she was still able to say the Lord's Prayer during Sundays services. We pray that she is in a better place now and that she will rest in peace.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
At the age of twelve, Mildred and her family moved from Hemingford, Nebraska to Santa Monica, California where her father had the opportunity to work as an electrician. Mildred attended Santa Monica High School and graduated in 1946. After high school Mildred worked in the Santa Monica High School office. World War II ended in December of 1946. Soon after the war ended Mildred met her future husband- a World War II veteran, Jerry John Carnot, at a Czech dance function in La Crescenta. They were married in March 21, 1948 in Santa Monica California.
Mildred and Jerry lived near the USC campus after they were married while Jerry completed his accounting degree. While Mildred was pregnant with their first child, they built a house together in Sherman Oaks, California where they ended up living for the next 42 years. Mildred was on bed rest for the latter part of her pregnancy and was unable to be apart of the daily decisions being made at the house. On one occasion when she was able to make it over to see the house, she found out that her father-in-law had vetoed her decision to have a sunken living room. Apparently, Jerry, his father, and brothers did much of the work on the the house themselves and made some executive decisions without consulting Mildred, which made her quite upset. Mildred and Jerry's first born, Candis, was born on September 7, 1951. They went on to have two more children- Karen on August 6, 1953 and Robert on May 20, 1958.
Over the years Mildred held a number of jobs to bring in extra income for the family. Her next door neighbors the Shroeder's had a dime store that she worked at when her kids were little. When her daughters entered high school Mildred worked at a local elementary school, Dixie Canyon Elementary, so she would have extra money to send her girls to college. In her 50's Mildred worked for Sol Saks, the writer for the television show Bewitched, managing his checkbook and taking notes for him in long hand. She also volunteered at the Los Angeles Zoo.
Mildred traveled all over the world with Jerry, but her favorite place to vacation was in Yosemite where her parents owned a cabin in Wawona. Mildred used to say that when on vacation in Yosemite that time would stand still for her. She loved the peacefulness of the pine tree cover in the forest and the sound of the river flowing near the cabin.
Mildred and Jerry had a large social network of friends which included people they met in the Czech community, neighbors in Sherman Oaks, and parents of their children's friends. They played golf, had bridge parties, saw performances at the Hollywood Bowl, traveled, and had holiday parties with their friends.
In 1993 Mildred and Jerry sold their house in Sherman Oaks and moved to Newbury Park, California to be closer to Mildred's mother. Mildred started to show signs of memory loss as early as 1996. She couldn't remember how to make foods she had always made with ease, she would re-tell the exact same story within a five minute time frame, and her personality started to change. By her 50 year wedding anniversary with Jerry in 1998, Mildred was no longer the same person. Alzheimer's Disease was diagnosed in 2001. In all the years that Mildred had her illness, she did maintain a very sweet and loving personality. She was never angry or cross, despite her frustrations to communicate and make sense of what was happening to her.
Mildred was a soft and kind hearted soul. She was fond of classical music, playing the piano, Scrabble, card games, golf, tennis, cooking gourmet meals, decorating for the Christmas and Easter holidays, keeping her house super clean, and spending time with her family and friends. She was the parent her kids would go to when they wanted something. She would find a way to help them get what they wanted. As a grandparent, Mildred was a wonderful caregiver, generous, fun-loving, and always up for an adventure. As a daughter, Mildred looked after her mother and even after her illness she had some trustworthy helpers in her husband and daughter Candy to carry out her wishes.
Mildred is survived by her mother, three children, three grandchildren and one great-grandchild. After Mildred's husband Jerry passed away in July 2005, Mildred attended the Methodist Church in Thousand Oaks with her daughter and son-in-law most Sundays. Despite the fact she had limited verbal communication and memory these past three years, she was still able to say the Lord's Prayer during Sundays services. We pray that she is in a better place now and that she will rest in peace.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
Monday, September 15, 2008
Grandma
My grandma, Mildred Carnot, passed away last night after a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease. She was eighty years old. She is survived by her mother, sister, three children, three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
When I was growing up my grandparents lived in Sherman Oaks in a two bedroom house they built themselves in the early 1950's. Their home always felt like a second home to me. I could probably build a cardboard replica of their house I knew it so well. Down to the magnolia tree in the front yard, the sycamore tree in the backyard, the rose bushes the bordered the front windows, the hydrangea plant that screened the neighbor's door, the banana bushes on the side of the house, the tomato plants and zucchini bushes in the garden in the summer, the lime tree, the brick patio that defined the back courtyard, the real stone fireplace that covered an entire 12 foot wall in the den, the green 50's tile that covered the kitchen counters, the bathtub in the "kid's bath," and the dual sided furnace heater that heated the entire house.
I have so many fond memories of spending time with my grandparents. My parents would drop my brother and I off for weekend visits quite often. Also, we would spend one week every summer with my grandparents at their vacation home in Yosemite.
My grandmother was an amazing cook. My two favorite dishes were her buttermilk pancakes and her chicken matzo ball soup. However, she made much more elaborate meals for family gatherings. Basically there wasn't ever anything she made that I didn't want to eat.
My grandma taught me many things. She loved card games- pinochle, war, bridge, hearts, and gin rummy. She was an avid golfer and tennis player. She had an extreme fondness for animals. She sewed and knitted. Best of all, my grandma was fun loving and innovative in her approach to entertaining us grandkids. I remember one summer when my grandparents had purchased a new Maytag washer and dryer. Grandma let us decorate the boxes the machines came in and we slept in them one night out on her back patio. When we were in Yosemite she was constantly coming up with art projects that used either fallen tree wood or stones from the river. It was in Yosemite that she taught me how to knit and where I had started to knit a baby blanket for my cousin that is now 16 years old. I never finished the blanket, but I still have the squares I started then, and I still remember how to knit.
I last saw my grandma at her assisted living home about a week ago. It was so sad to see her at the end of her life, totally unable to move or think. I visited her that day with my mom, my great-grandma (her mom) and my 15 month old son. My mom was calm and collected, my great-grandma wanted to sit by the bed and hold her hand, my son walked around the room wanting to touch all of the electronics, and I sat in a chair and cried uncontrollably. I couldn't even say goodbye. It has been a long, difficult journey to see my grandmother deteriorate the way she has over the last 10 years.
My son has been an amazing life force during this difficult time. He is so full of life and love and joy. He seems so unaffected by the sadness that surrounds him. Perhaps the most precious moments though are to see my mom with him and to know that my son will get to know his grandma the way I got to know mine.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
When I was growing up my grandparents lived in Sherman Oaks in a two bedroom house they built themselves in the early 1950's. Their home always felt like a second home to me. I could probably build a cardboard replica of their house I knew it so well. Down to the magnolia tree in the front yard, the sycamore tree in the backyard, the rose bushes the bordered the front windows, the hydrangea plant that screened the neighbor's door, the banana bushes on the side of the house, the tomato plants and zucchini bushes in the garden in the summer, the lime tree, the brick patio that defined the back courtyard, the real stone fireplace that covered an entire 12 foot wall in the den, the green 50's tile that covered the kitchen counters, the bathtub in the "kid's bath," and the dual sided furnace heater that heated the entire house.
I have so many fond memories of spending time with my grandparents. My parents would drop my brother and I off for weekend visits quite often. Also, we would spend one week every summer with my grandparents at their vacation home in Yosemite.
My grandmother was an amazing cook. My two favorite dishes were her buttermilk pancakes and her chicken matzo ball soup. However, she made much more elaborate meals for family gatherings. Basically there wasn't ever anything she made that I didn't want to eat.
My grandma taught me many things. She loved card games- pinochle, war, bridge, hearts, and gin rummy. She was an avid golfer and tennis player. She had an extreme fondness for animals. She sewed and knitted. Best of all, my grandma was fun loving and innovative in her approach to entertaining us grandkids. I remember one summer when my grandparents had purchased a new Maytag washer and dryer. Grandma let us decorate the boxes the machines came in and we slept in them one night out on her back patio. When we were in Yosemite she was constantly coming up with art projects that used either fallen tree wood or stones from the river. It was in Yosemite that she taught me how to knit and where I had started to knit a baby blanket for my cousin that is now 16 years old. I never finished the blanket, but I still have the squares I started then, and I still remember how to knit.
I last saw my grandma at her assisted living home about a week ago. It was so sad to see her at the end of her life, totally unable to move or think. I visited her that day with my mom, my great-grandma (her mom) and my 15 month old son. My mom was calm and collected, my great-grandma wanted to sit by the bed and hold her hand, my son walked around the room wanting to touch all of the electronics, and I sat in a chair and cried uncontrollably. I couldn't even say goodbye. It has been a long, difficult journey to see my grandmother deteriorate the way she has over the last 10 years.
My son has been an amazing life force during this difficult time. He is so full of life and love and joy. He seems so unaffected by the sadness that surrounds him. Perhaps the most precious moments though are to see my mom with him and to know that my son will get to know his grandma the way I got to know mine.
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.familycaredentists.com
Monday, June 16, 2008
Wedding Season
My husband was the best man for one of his dear friends in Scottdale, Arizona this past Saturday. A wedding is always cause for pictures and I took quite a few of the wedding party. Since I am in the teeth business I have a tendency to study smiles. One of the first things I notice in a picture is whether or not the subjects in the picture are showing their teeth. Many times when people are embarrassed about their appearance of their teeth, they purposefully smile with their lips closed. The next thing I notice in a picture is the color of the teeth and the last thing I notice is alignment of the teeth.
I was pleasantly suprised that for the most part the wedding party all smiled with their teeth showing. The one thing that would have really enhanced the pictures is whiter teeth. There are so many different whitening products on the market it is tough to know what to do for whiter teeth.
My recommendation is a new procedure called Deep Bleaching. It is lifetime bleaching with definite whiter and brighter results. What makes it different than other types of bleaching is that the bleach product is kept refrigerated from the manufacturer and it is a combination of in office and take home bleaching trays. The entire process takes two weeks from start to finish and only requires one night of touch up once a month thereafter. Deep bleaching is more costly than other forms of bleaching, but it has definite measurable and lasting results!
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
http://www.familycaredentists.com/
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
http://www.familycaredentists.com/
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Community College
My dental assistant is taking classes at the local community college. She is working towards becoming a hygienist. It is the end of the semester and she had a performance for her tap class on Monday night.
I never had the pleasure of attending community college. I went straight from high school to UCLA. While at UCLA I was totally focused on the technical- math and science- classes. The only "fun" classes I took were Women's Studies and English literature. Also, I was so focused on my studies that I rarely carved time out for any exciting social experiences. I do regret not having more diversity in my undergraduate coursework!
It was so much fun watching the different classes (ballroom, jazz, ballet, impressionist) perform. Community college is a great way to get general education credits out of the way and to try out new things, all for minimal cost. I noticed there were some much older students in a couple of the classes...
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.dentist4smiles.com
I never had the pleasure of attending community college. I went straight from high school to UCLA. While at UCLA I was totally focused on the technical- math and science- classes. The only "fun" classes I took were Women's Studies and English literature. Also, I was so focused on my studies that I rarely carved time out for any exciting social experiences. I do regret not having more diversity in my undergraduate coursework!
It was so much fun watching the different classes (ballroom, jazz, ballet, impressionist) perform. Community college is a great way to get general education credits out of the way and to try out new things, all for minimal cost. I noticed there were some much older students in a couple of the classes...
Kari Ann Hong, DDS
1000 Newbury Road, Suite 190
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
www.dentist4smiles.com
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