Awbrey Dental Group

It was a privilege to  be part of the Tour des Chutes last Saturday.  Approximately 1,000 riders from all ages biked in loving memory of a friend or family member who is a cancer survivor.  Whether it was 90, 70, 48, 25 or 7 miles – they all finished the race with a smile on their face!  And smiles are what Awbrey Dental cares about – but most importantly, how your smile and dental care relates to your general health.

Our participation for this event was to partner with the community to support this worthy cause with an emphasis on increasing awareness about oral cancer and surviving the disease through early detection.  1 person per hour, every hour of every day, dies of mouth, tongue or throat cancer because it has gone undetected until it reaches late stages.  If caught early, oral cancers have an 80 – 90% survival rate.  To date, the majority are diagnosed in late stages which accounts for the very high death rate of 45% within five years of detection.   Risk factors for this disease include the use of tobacco, alcohol and the newly identified rise in HPV-16 virus (human papilloma virus version 16).  For more information you can read more about this disease at www.oralcancerfoundation.org.

Our goal is to educate as many people as we can about early detection and getting an oral cancer screening exam.  It’s quick, painless and costs less than $20 with our state of the art VELscope machine.  Schedule yours today!

Awbrey Dental Group is proud to be a sponsor for the  Three Sisters Open Golf Tournament  to  be held June 26, 2010 – Aspen Lakes Golf Course  in Sisters, OR, and organized by Quota International of Central Oregon.  The event will be host to 144 women golfers with an objective to raise funds earmarked for 1) awarding scholarships to women who wish to further their education through Leadership Bend and 2) support community organizations and individuals with a focus on disadvantaged women/children and the hearing impaired.  In the past, funds raised have gone to support many community non-profit organizations as well as requests from individual families and children needing assistance and support.

Quota International is a service organization that links members of all ages, occupations and nationalities in a worldwide network of service and friendship.  They are headquartered in Washington DC with over 7,000 members in 15 countries. Quota has a long and wonderful history of assisting individuals and organizations in their respective community.  The Quota Club of Bend has been serving their community for 28 years with a focus on disadvantaged women and children, hearing and speech impairments and overall community service.  Members share their time, talents, resources and a desire to make the world a better place to live.

For more information please visit the www.quotaco.org – the Quota International of Central Oregon website

Our office will be closed on Thursday, April 22nd and Friday, April 23rd, in order for the staff to attend the annual Milennium Conference held in Lake Chelan, Washington. Watch for news feeds, photos and Facebook posts during the next few days.

Are you a Fan of Awbrey Dental Facebook page yet?  If you are someone who likes to stay connected to us, you won’t want to miss out on our regular updates through social networking.   We will be posting special offers and explaining a variety of treatments available to address your oral health.

Staff members recently attended the Oregon Dental Association Conference at the Portland, Oregon Convention Center.  This year’s convention marked the 118th annual meeting of the Association and provided two full days of activities, scientific and strategic business sessions, as well as a well-represented Trade Show.  Our clinical staff enjoyed presentations such as Endodontics, Implant Surgery, Infection Control, Oral Pathology, drug interaction with Street Drugs and Cone-Beam CT Scans.  General education sessions included Relationship Dentistry, running an Efficient Practice and a special presentation by Medical Teams International.  The Conference is a great resource for continuing education, latest technology and state of the art dental practices – which we’ve brought back to implement in the practice.  Ask us about what we’ve learned … we would love to share!

Crowns and conventional bridges or dentures may not be your only options when replacing missing teeth. For some people, dental implants offer a smile that looks and feels very natural. Surgically placed below the gums over a series of appointments, implants fuse to the jawbone and serve as a base for individual replacement teeth, bridges or a denture.    Read more by clicking the Patient Version tab…

Recent news from our Hygienist’s, Mara Hansen and Julie Lutz

The topic of holistic health is on everyone’s mind.

Bacteria is everywhere and we all know that the mouth is a prime area for bacteria to thrive.  Have you ever considered the idea that pathogens (i.e., bacteria and viruses) in your mouth are just as easily transmissible to various organ systems via your bloodstream?  What we now know is that the pathogens found within the oral environment have been linked not causatively but commonly with heart disease, cancer, diabetes and a malady of other health problems currently plaguing our country.

When you brush and floss, do your gums bleed?  This could be a sign of bacterial infection commonly called gingivitis or in advanced stages … periodontitis.

For a quick visual of the area your gums cover, try this.  Put your thumbs next to your ears and bring your fingers across the front of your face linking them together.  Now, keeping your hands in that position, pull your hands away from your face and notice the size of the area it makes – that’s a general idea of how big an area your gums cover.

If your gums are bleeding you have an active infection, an open wound. Visualize a wound this size on your leg, arm or worse yet, your heart. If left untreated, a wound this size will lead to serious health issues.

The great news is that gingivitis and periodontal disease are treatable.  We have the tools and techniques necessary to help you achieve total mouth health!

“It’s not about the teeth”.  It’s about relationships.