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THIS IS YOUR TEETH ON DRUGS: THE EFFECT OF ILLICIT DRUGS ON THE DENTITION

THIS IS YOUR TEETH ON DRUGS: THE EFFECT OF ILLICIT DRUGS ON THE DENTITION
We all know illicit drugs affect our brains from the ad campaign “this is your brain on drugs” showing an egg bubbling in a frying pan. But your mouth takes a “hit” too. Let’s touch on just 3 of the culprits:  Heroin, Cocaine, and Methamphetamine. Heroin works in the central nervous system’s reward center.  Users…
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“OH, THOSE PESKY MOUTH SORES!”

“OH, THOSE PESKY MOUTH SORES!”
They appear at the most inopportune times and they hurt like the dickens… those sores both in and around the mouth. Two of the most common sores are canker sores (apthous ulcers) and cold sores (herpetic stomatitis). Canker sores are located inside the mouth on the soft red tissue at the base of the gums,…
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BRACE YOURSELF TO STRAIGHTEN UP!

BRACE YOURSELF TO STRAIGHTEN UP!
TEENAGERS HEAR IT CONSTANTLY….straighten up!!! …And it is no different when they go to the dentist. Tooth straightening options The options most widely used today include brackets bonded to the teeth and archwires (straightwire) or a series of aligners (such as Invisalign).  There are many straightwire adjuncts used such as palatal expanders, temporary anchorage devices…
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WHEN YOUR DOCTOR SAYS “DOH!, THAT’S GONNA HURT!”

WHEN YOUR DOCTOR SAYS “DOH!, THAT’S GONNA HURT!”
PAIN…. …Is, you guessed it, an adverse stimuli that is perceived as OBNOXIOUS!.   Dentists are accustomed to patients equating dental care to PAIN. Pain is both physical and emotional.   The more elevated the emotion, the more physical pain becomes.  The treatment of pain centers on whether it is acute (pain less than 3 months) or…
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