Preventative Dental

Oral Cancer: What You Need to Know to Keep Your Mouth Healthy

April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month, and though it may be wrapping up within the week, oral cancer isn’t something we should focus on for just one month. It’s something to remain vigilant about all year. With that in mind, we’ve compiled the following list of information, gathered from the American Cancer Society and Oral Cancer Foundation websites, to help you become more informed. Please keep in mind that this information is intended to give you a general overview only, and consulting your physician or dentist is always recommended for additional questions, concerns, and clarification.

Oral and oropharyngeal cancers affect thousands of Americans, with about 50,000 new cases diagnosed each year, according to the Oral Cancer Foundation. Oral cancer begins in the oral cavity, where your tongue, teeth, gums, front of the tongue, and the roof of your mouth reside. Oropharyngeal cancer begins just behind the oral cavity, where the soft palate, base of the tongue, tonsils, and side and back of the throat are. The different types of cells in the oral cavity and oropharynx can give rise to different types of cancers, all with different treatment options and prognoses.

Oral Cancer: The Numbers

49,750 new cases a year. 9,750 deaths a year (that’s 1 person per hour, 24/7). 57 percent survival rate over a period of 5 years. 2 men for every woman.

The statistics are staggering. But in many ways, oral cancer has yet to make its way into the mainstream consciousness of American culture. Because early symptoms are rarely noticeable, it can develop without interference for a long time before the patient seeks treatment. And several cases are caused by human papilloma virus (HPV), which doesn’t produce the telltale lesions that are often early signs. Common late-stage discovery and subsequent treatment difficulty account for the low survival rate.

Risk Factors

Oral cancer most commonly occurs in individuals over the age of 40, though non-smokers under fifty are also susceptible. Other causes include frequent tobacco and alcohol use, as well as certain viruses (HPV being the most common culprit). Tobacco and heavy alcohol use damage the cells they come in contact with, meaning such cells must divide and replace themselves more rapidly… and accuracy can be sacrificed in the way of efficiency. Sometimes tobacco usage can even directly damage the DNA and lead to the mutations that spur the disease. And HPV can cause cells to produce proteins that inhibit cell growth regulation, which can also lead to cancer.

Symptoms

As mentioned above, many of oral cancer’s earliest signs and symptoms go unnoticed until its later stages. Some definite warning signs include pain or a sore in the mouth or on the lip that does not heal; a red or white patch in the oral cavity or oropharynx; a lump on the lip, mouth, or neck; a persistent sore throat, difficulty swallowing & chewing, and numbness of the tongue<. consult your dentist or physician immediately.

Treatment Options

Depending on how far the cancer has progressed, and where it is located when diagnosed, several treatment options exist. Through surgery, cancerous tumors can be removed, and the affected areas can then be reconstructed. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy target cancerous cells to slow their growth and destroy them altogether. Targeted drugs, which aim to fight the more specific causes associated with oral cancer, can be implemented in lieu of standard chemotherapy. And palliative treatment helps ease symptoms and maintain the patient’s quality of life for as long as possible.<

What You Can Do to Prevent Oral Cancer

There are a few other things you can do to lower your risk and prevent the disease. Avoiding tobacco use is a great way to start, and quitting, even if you’ve been using tobacco for years, can still greatly lower your risk. The Health District of Northern Larimer County even offers its own tobacco quit program to offer support for those who would like to do so. You can also limit alcohol intake and avoid anything that might lead to contracting HPV. While we may never be fully able to erase the risk of contracting oral cancer, there is hope in every determined decision to make ourselves healthier.<

The Importance of Dental Screenings

The screenings you’ll receive at every checkup with us help detect the disease early on. With early detection, the survival rate for oral cancer increases exponentially. This is why we offer in-office oral cancer screenings to all of our patients. During your oral cancer screening, Dr. Owens carefully examines the interior of the mouth, including the back of your throat and tongue, as well as the lymph nodes in your neck. If any abnormalities are found, a biopsy may be taken and sent to a local lab for further analysis. It is our goal to detect oral cancer in the earliest stages possible. If you think you may be experiencing any of these symptoms, please contact us to schedule an exam and oral cancer screening immediately.<

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Reasons You May Be Experiencing Teeth Grinding and TMD

Do you ever wake up with headaches? Do you have excessive wear on your teeth?

You may be clenching and grinding your teeth while you sleep and not even know that you are doing so. If you are experiencing symptoms or suspect that you may be grinding your teeth, we strongly encourage you to see your dentist as soon as possible to help prevent future problems and irreversible damage to your teeth.

Why Am I Grinding My Teeth?

There are many reasons that people may grind their teeth. Stress or anxiety can cause teeth grinding, also known as bruxism. Crooked teeth or bite misalignment can also cause clenching or bruxism. When you are missing one or more of your teeth, without a replacement, your remaining teeth may begin to shift into the open space, which also causes bite misalignment.

Grinding your teeth may not seem like such a big deal, but over time it will continue to cause wear to your teeth and compromise your jaw joint (TMJ). TMD, or temporomandibular disorder, results when your bite is compromised leaving your jaw joint to adapt and compensate. TMD can cause headaches, neck and shoulder pain, and jaw dysfunction. You may experience popping or clicking in your jaw when you talk or eat, and severe cases of TMD may cause your jaw to lock open or closed.

How is TMD Treated?

The first step in successfully treating TMD is proper diagnosis. Schedule a consultation with Dr. Owens to have an evaluation done so that he can recommend the best treatment for your situation. He may create an oral appliance, or mouth guard for you to wear at night while you sleep. This can help alleviate clenching and grinding, while also protecting your teeth from fractures or wear.

If your bite is causing your TMD, Dr. Owens may recommend other treatment such as porcelain crowns to restore or repair damaged teeth. Invisible braces may be needed to straighten teeth and align your bite. Dental implants can also be used to correct your bite by replacing missing teeth. The good news is that the modern treatment options offered by Owens Dental will not only restore your smile, but also correct your bite and help alleviate symptoms of TMD.

Dr. Owens has been providing quality dental care in Fort Collins, CO for many years. He and his team are caring and dedicated to making your dental experience comfortable and excellent. When it comes to TMD diagnosis and treatment, Dr. Owens has a Masters’ degree in Phyiscal Therapy as well as advanced training by the AACP (American Academy of Craniofacial Pain). Don’t suffer from headaches or jaw pain any longer! Contact our office today to learn more about how we can help you.

Why Invisible Braces are the Better Option

Crooked, gapped or crowded teeth — they don’t do your smile any favors. But once you’re past the age of 16 or so, you probably feel like you missed the boat on metal braces.

In fact, many adults live with the effects of imperfect alignment simply because they are unwilling to undergo the stress or embarrassment of traditional orthodontic treatment. But we’ve got good news for anyone who can’t bear the thought of metal braces: Invisalign! Offered conveniently at your dental office, Dr. Owens can help straighten your smile!

Invisible Braces straighten teeth (without everyone knowing about it)

Invisalign and Clear Correct are FDA-approved orthodontic systems that use clear plastic aligners to gradually shift teeth into their preferred position. It’s a convenient, attractive-looking option that gives you the beautiful smile you want, often faster than traditional braces.

How Invisalign works

When you decide invisible braces are the option for you, you’ll come into our office for your initial visit. During this appointment, Dr. Owens will thoroughly examine your mouth, take a series of x-rays and impressions and put together a treatment plan, unique to your situation and goals. He’ll send this important information off to the lab, where a team of experts will carefully craft your series of aligners.

Once you’ve received your first set of invisalign or clear correct trays, you can begin treatment immediately, advancing to a new tray in the series every two weeks — one big step closer to your new smile each time!

Why Invisible Braces

The benefits of Invisalign are significant when compared to traditional metal braces. We’ve listed a few of the most common advantages here — but we’re hearing new benefits from satisfied patients each day!

Flexibility: you can remove the trays whenever you like, so you can eat and clean your teeth just the way you always have. Additionally, you don’t have to restrict your diet or learn any new cleaning techniques. Just wear your trays for 20 to 22 hours each day as recommended, and you can continue to live your life the way you always have.
Invisible braces offer freedom from the dental chair. Sometimes, conventional metal braces can leave you feeling like you’re chained to your dentist’s office. But with Invisalign, total treatment time is often greatly reduced, and you’ll have fewer checkups overall. That means you spend less energy going back and forth to the dentist, and more on enjoying your life.
With Invisalign’s smooth, plastic trays, we’ve never had anyone complain about pain from a broken off wire or loose bracket — and we’re pretty sure we never will. In this regard, invisible braces offer far more comfort than traditional braces ever can.

Interested in invisible braces? Let’s get started!

If you want to straighten your teeth more discreetly than you ever imagined possible, you’re ready for invisible braces! Contact the office of your Fort Collins dentist, Owens Dental, to get started. We can’t wait to hear from you — request your appointment online today!

Oral Cancer Awareness—Taking Steps to Save Lives

Oral cancer – understandably, these are two words we often don’t like to talk about. Educating yourself about this disease, though, is the best way to protect yourself and your family. Take a moment and get the facts about this formidable foe, and what you can do to keep your smile healthy and safe.

Oral Cancer Facts

Oral cancer refers to any cancer that develops in the area of the head and neck, excluding brain cancer. This can include the lips, tongue, gums, throat, as well as the tissue that lines the entire oral cavity.

The Oral Cancer Foundation reports that:

Close to 42,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral or pharyngeal cancer this year.
Over forty percent of those will have succumbed to the cancer within five years.

The National Cancer Institute states that:

Oral cancer is more common is older adults.
It occurs more commonly in blacks than in whites.
Men are more likely to get oral cancer than women.

Those who both smoke and drink have a 15 times greater risk of developing oral cancer than others.

Studies reveal there are habits that can increase your likelihood of developing oral cancer, including:

High exposure to sunlight, leading to cancer of the lips
Tobacco use of any kind, including smokeless and chewing tobacco.
Heavy use of alcohol.
The combination of tobacco and alcohol. Statistics show those who both smoke and drink have a 15 times greater risk of developing oral cancer than others.

These are indeed sobering statistics. We’re therefore proud to provide your first line of defense against the progression of oral cancer—with our oral cancer screenings.

Oral Cancer Screening

The survival rates for oral cancer are significantly higher when the cancer has been diagnosed at an early stage. Our oral cancer screening is performed by our highly trained staff, who can detect oral cancer before it starts to show symptoms. This allows for treatment of the cancer before it has time to spread and greatly increases the odds of a full recovery.

Take Action

Being aware of oral cancer is one thing, but taking the appropriate preventive action is another. Help fight against cancer by sharing this blog with your friends and family. An oral cancer screening for you and your family can save lives. Book your appointment with us today!

Have you successfully overcome a cancer diagnosis? Share with us what helped you to do so with a positive attitude?

Wake Up! Exposing Hidden Dangers of Sleep Apnea

If you can relate to these situations, you might suffer from sleep apnea:

When you wake up you feel tired, even after a full nights’ sleep.

Your family members complain about snoring or mention that you stop breathing during the night.

The Facts

According to the American Sleep Apnea Association (ASAA), some 20 million adults are affected by this condition. Other studies suggest another 10 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, but lack the official diagnosis.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most widespread form of sleep apnea. This means the flow of vital oxygen into your lungs by way of your mouth and nose is significantly hindered. Breathing can become shallow or even stop during frequent episodes that may last an average of 10 to 20 seconds each. Such pauses can occur 20 or more times in a single hour, resulting in disrupted sleep.

Sleep Apnea and Your Health

Future studies will no doubt shed even greater light on the subject, but there is a number of health risks already linked with OSA. These include:

Heart Disease
Type 2 Diabetes
High Blood Pressure
Memory Loss
Adult Asthma
Weight Gain and Obesity
Increased Likelihood of a Car Accident
Depression
Stroke

Finding Solutions

OSA is no laughing matter! With specialized training that Dr. Owens has received from the AACP (American Academy of Craniofacial Pain), he can help you receive treatment. The dental solution is to utilize uniquely crafted mandibular advancement devices. With these devices, your jaw can be positioned in an adjustable way as to allow optimum air intake during sleep.

The First Dental Visit: What You and Your Child Can Expect

Many of us can’t remember our first dental visits. But we do remember acquiring general dental anxiety as the years have gone on. And while we may find it challenging to reverse this in ourselves, we can try to teach today’s children a positive dental mindset. They are the future, you know.

Read on for some tips on how to make your child’s first dental visit go as smoothly as possible!

Before the First Dental Visit

Use positive language when speaking to children about the dentist. We won’t know if they need a filling until we examine their teeth. For this reason, we recommend avoiding talk of drills and shots. We don’t want them prematurely stressing out about something that may not happen!

Try reading aloud children’s books about coming to the dentist for the first time. You might consider Mercer Mayer’s Just Going to the Dentist, or Dora the Explorer’s Show Me Your Smile! You can also search Amazon for similar titles. New experiences have a way of becoming less scary the more we know about them. So read these books and help your child familiarize him- or herself with a dental office before they come in!

If you yourself don’t mind coming to the dentist, you may even consider bringing your child along on your next exam and cleaning. You might think they’re not paying much attention as they’re watching a TV show on your iPad, but if they don’t hear any complaining from you, they’ll start to associate coming to the dentist with positive reactions.

At the First Dental Visit

Any child aged three or under is welcome to a complimentary “happy visit” at our practice. The purpose of this first visit is– you guessed it – to get the child leaving happy and excited to return to us in the future! Your child will become acquainted with our office and our staff and will see there’s nothing to fear.

Your child can expect his or first checkup – exam and cleaning – at four years old, but we won’t have to take x-rays until we can no longer see between the teeth (usually about five years). In most children’s mouths, enough space exists between the teeth for us to readily diagnose problems on sight. But if their teeth are already crowding on that first visit, we’ll probably recommend x-rays to see what needs to be remedied.

If a filling is necessary, know that Dr. Owens and our dental assistants are well-equipped to alleviate children’s anxiety. We’ll introduce them to our friends, who will make sure the process is as painless as possible! Who can they expect to meet if their mouths need a little extra care?

Whistler – a drill who whistles while he works
Bumpy – a drill who bumps along as he fills
Sleepy Juice – the anesthetic that numbs the gums; your child won’t even feel the numbing shot because of this device!

After the First Dental Visit

Your child can pick out a toy from our treasure basket on the way out! We may even have some smiley face stickers for their enjoyment as well.
If your child is anxious about receiving further treatment, we may refer them out to a pediatric dentist for specialized care.

Please note: These guidelines are suitable if your child has never been to the dentist before, or if they have already visited once or twice with positive effects. If your child has already had a traumatic experience at the dentist, we recommend taking them to an office that specializes in pediatric dentistry. They’ll have games in the waiting room and an abundance of other goodies to make sure their first visit is a memorable one, as well as nitrous oxide to help ease any lingering treatment anxiety.

Let us know if you have any additional questions about your child’s first dental visit via our contact form, or call us at (970) 377-2557. We look forward to meeting you soon!