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

Give Kids A Smile highlights access-to-care issues. With dental disease among pre-schoolers on the rise, the ADA has mobilized dental professionals in a national campaign to extend necessary care to children and adolescents from low-income families.

Last August Awbrey Dental Group saw seventeen children with treatments that included fillings, teeth cleanings and sealants. All of our patients were referred by the Kemple Children’s Clinic, a practice that provides free dental care for low income families.

Supporting the Central Oregon community by way of helping those who can’t help themselves, the kids, is a privilege. So far we have twelve patients scheduled with a great possibility of more coming. All of our dentists, hygienists, assistants and administrative staff are donating their time to the care of these kids from 8 am – Noon.

The national GKAS day was a few weeks ago but our doctors were on vacation so they elected to hold a day, this Friday, to participate in the Give Kids A Smile program.

Give Kids A Smile is the American Dental Association’s major oral health outreach program, launched to encourage parents, health professionals and policymakers to address important access to health care issues. Dentists, Hygienists and Dental Assistants provide educational materials, screenings and, where possible, free dental care such as cleanings, X-rays and fillings.

“There have been enormous advances in dental science in recent years but among America’s low-income and minority children, oral health is still a critically unmet health care need.” said ADA President John S. Findley. “Though many children will benefit from the services provided through Give Kids A Smile, our concern is for the countless others who continue to suffer from untreated dental disease.”

“Oral health is related to overall health and it’s important that policymakers strengthen dental provisions in public health programs to help put children on the road to good health.” Dr. Findley added.
For more information on Give Kids a Smile, visit the ADA website, or the Give Kids a Smile website.

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!

All of us at Awbrey Dental Group would like to thank you for the privilege of serving and caring for you, your families and friends during this past year. We are hopeful that you have a warm, happy, and healthy holiday season with friends and family.
Providing you with the best in overall health information and dental care has always been our primary focus. Having and maintaining a healthy mouth is an integral part of our vitality both physically and socially, so each year we strive to keep up to date with the latest trends in dental science in order to better serve you.
This year our hygienists attended a conference on the oral health/body connection with speakers from across the world. Our blog will highlight examples of our team’s commitment to you and our community, provide health tips, resources, and links, focusing on oral health and implants, and much more. We hope you will visit the blog each month to see what we’ve got to share!
As we all know, this past year has been challenging for our economy and local charities – which have seen an unfortunate decrease in contributions. Our team has done its best to fulfill our promise by once again donating over $40,000 in services by treating the less fortunate, poverty stricken, members of our community throughout the year – at no cost to them. We have committed to several charitable organizations including the Tour desChutes/Lance Armstrong Foundation and the Central Oregon Symphony. And, we also continue to support the Youth Choir, Bend Rotary, The Tower Theater, The Environmental Center, High Desert Museum, Deschutes Land Trust and other smaller, but in no way less significant, charities.
With every visit to Awbrey Dental Group, know that you are directly helping us to continue ensure the health and thriving spirit of our community.

Thank you for truly making this another season of giving.