Take your mind off Politics-Movies and Musicals

I am so sick of Democrats, Republicans , Tea Partiers , etc. It was great to enjoy a mindless but really fun broadway show- Rock of Ages- and a slow moving but very well done movie- the Hereafter.

Rock of Ages is a 1980's version of Hairspray- great music, energetic cast, inane plot with hysterical characters and a really talented young cast. The 80's were not my favorite musical era, but in spite of this , I recognized the Rock Music- even some of the heavy metal stuff. I know you will enjoy it if you go.

The Hereafter is a drama about the relationship between a woman who has a near death experience (drowning in a Tsunami) and a psychic (Matt Damon) who can communicate with the dead but does not want to use his unusual talent. The outcome is obvious- At some point- the psychic and the woman have to meet and fall in love. The problem is this does not occur until the movie is almost over.-- It took a long time to get to the obvious conclsuion. None the less, I really enjoyed it.

Perfect 10 Smile Makeover with Dr. Gibberman

Here is our Perfect 10 Smile Makeover Winner Cynthia Simms!

Cincinnati's Best Dentist List--Thanks!!!

Just a quick post to thank those of you who voted to place me on Cincinnati Magazine's Top Dentist List. I really appreciate your confidence in me. We continue to do our best, use outstanding materials, refer to outstanding specialists, and use the highest quality materials and laboratories. Continuing ed is a very high priority and , in fact , in 2012, Dr. Glen Meyer and I will be program chairs for the continuing ed program for the Cincinnati Dental Society. Once again- Thanks!!!

Cold sores bothering you??

We are now the proud owners of a device, the size of a penlight, called a diode laser. I can use this device to painlessly reshape gum tissue for cosmetic reasons, improve impressions for crowns and veneers and , in minutes (!) eliminate cold sores and cancre sores from your mouth or lips. In just 2 minutes the laser will eliminate the pain of the cold sore and will heal in just a few days-- twice as fast as healing on its own. The pain is gone immediately!! The cold sore will disappear shortly thereafter and will not reappear in the same spot again. This does not mean you won't get another cold sore at a different location. Remember- Cold sores may be prevented with medication as well as through avoidance of known triggers like sun exposure.

a sweetner that reduces cavities!!

Wouldn't it be great if there was a product that dentists could recommend that would be sweet and delicious and prevent tooth decay? Well there is a natural product called xylitol that is both safe and effective. Xylitol is a sugar alchohol found in birch trees, yellow plums, strawberrieis, raspberries and in other fruits and veggies. Our livers even produce it . As an additive to sweeten candy , gum, and other foods xylitol not only does not cause cavities, it actually helps to prevent them. So look for gum, lollipops, and other sweet food items to see those that are made with xylitol. It is diabetic friendly and low in calories.

Epidemic of Americans with OSA- Obstructive Sleep Apnea

"More than 18 million Americans suffer from OSA and an estimated 80%-90% of patients with OSA are undiagnosed and go untreated. Untreated it can raise the risk for heart attack, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity." We can diagnose OSA easily with a questionnaire, oral examination, and a home sleep study-- much easier and less expensive than sleep center sleep studies. Call or e-mail our office for more information.

Dental tip of the day!

"Probably the most important aspect of tooth brushing is -----How long you brush your teeth. Recent published research indicates that brushing 1 1/2 to 2 minutes is significantly more effective at removing plaque than brushing 30 seconds to 1 minute. This is regardless of whether you use a manual toothbrush or an electric - my favorite. Sometimes 2 minutes seems like a long time- try humming your favorite song or listen to the radio while you brush- Time will fly- stay tuned for the next tip."

Treating My Own Sleep Apnea

I have moderate sleep apnea. It started with snoring and my wife elbowing me several times a night to wake me up. She was not a happy camper although it didn't bother me a bit. (or so I thought). Then I started a series of courses about treating sleep apnea and I learned that snoring generally progresses to sleep hypopnea and eventually to sleep apnea. Hypopnea is a partial obstuction to the airway decreasing the amount of oxygen getting to your lungs and brain. Apnea is a complete blockage of the airway that lasts more than 10 seconds. I learned that over 25% of Americans have sleep apnea- a breathing disorder in which cessation of breathing for over 10 seconds (sometimes for as long as 1 minute ) occurs between 5 and 30 or more times per hour!!. Just for fun- hold your breath for 30 seconds. How does that feel? Imagine doing that 30 times an hour!! Do you think you might feel tired during the day? Might you fall asleep while driving? Might your blood pressure increase?

I wasn't falling asleep during driving but I was tired at the end of the day, I would almost doze off at red lights driving home, and I was waking up several times a night with involuntary leg kicks.-- I thought it was from not stretching enough after exercising. I was wrong.

So I took an "at home sleep test" which measures the number of sleep apnea episodes per hour, snoring intensity, etc. Lo and behold I was diagnosed with mild to moderate sleep apnea. One of the accepted treatments for mild to moderate sleep apnea is an oral appliance similar to an upper and lower bite guard called a somnomed appliance. I made one for myself and the results were amazing. My leg kicking quit, my snoring stopped completely (making my wife very happy) and I was much more wide awake in the afternoon. After a few adjustments to the appliance, if found it to be very comfortable. In the next few weeks I will retake the sleep test to see if the appliance is helping the sleep apnea episodes as well. Stay tuned for more info