Under Negative Pressure

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In January of this year, we shared all the ways our office is keeping our patients and staff protected from COVID-19. Since then, our office has moved locations, but our dedication to the health and safety of each person who comes through our doors has remained the same.

As the delta variant becomes prevalent, we want to remind all our patients that we continue to follow strict guidelines to maintain hygiene and cleanliness in our office—on surfaces, in the air, and everywhere in between. We have gone above and beyond the CDC’s recommended precautions to ensure that our office is safe, healthy, and comfortable.

Since moving to our new location in May 2021, we have made enhancements and taken the necessary precautions to keep you and our staff safe. The negative pressure rooms in our new location are critical in maintaining a completely germ-free environment. Our high-grade negative pressure rooms eliminate aerosols from the room during treatments to prevent transmission of germs between patients.

Negative pressure rooms are used in a wide range of medical environments, including ICUs, to prevent the spread of infectious contaminants and to maintain sterile spaces, no matter the size. The science behind these rooms helps us ensure that every time a patient steps into a treatment room, they are breathing in clean, sanitary air—never the air from previous patients.

The low-pressure traps and keeps potentially harmful particles within the room, preventing them from being spread to other patients. This video, taken in our previous office, shows how the system works.

To maintain your overall well-being and especially your oral health, we want you to feel comfortable coming to the office for routine cleanings and other procedures. We are always available to answer any questions you might have about how we are keeping patients safe so you can keep up with your dental appointments.

We hope to see you soon! Schedule your next appointment by calling 408.227.1404 or scheduling via our online tool.

We’ve Moved!

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After the Great Flood of 2021 we are excited to finally share with you that we have found our new dental home!  We are now located at 6080 Hellyer Ave., Suite 100, San Jose, CA  95138.

Dr. Sraon feels very fortunate to have found such a beautiful office.  This was formally Dr. Blatz’s office who retired after the Covid-19 shutdown, and his son, Dr. Brice Blatz, was offered a job opportunity in Oregon.  The father-son team needed out of their 4 year lease, and the landlord needed the office space rented, and we needed an office. This became a win-win-win situation.  But wait there’s more…The Blatz’s then donated their orthopedic exam tables to the Indian Health Center!  This was a win-win-win-win situation!!!

In addition to this gorgeous office, we look forward to sharing with you our new equipment that includes a Yoshida Imageworks pano machine, a digital scanner for impressions (no more goopy messes!) and a new digital hand held portable X-ray machine.  We are also using new state of the art portable delivery units which now use distilled water.  And yes, the negative pressure rooms have been installed and are currently running!  And yes, CNN is still with us in the waiting room.

 

All of us here look forward to seeing you soon and let us know if we have built back better.

 

Sincerely,

Dilber S. Sraon, DDS and Team

A Routine Appointment Could Save Your Life

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April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month, and we want to make sure that all of our patients are taking the necessary steps to prevent and protect against oral cancer by raising awareness of oral cancer screenings and the importance of early detection.

One person per hour, every hour of the day, dies from oral (mouth) and oropharyngeal (upper throat) cancers, and about 40% of individuals diagnosed with oral cancer have a less-than-5-year life expectancy. Even for those who survive oral cancer, the chances of suffering from facial disfigurement, difficulty eating and speaking, and other long-term effects are high.

The death rate and severity of these cancers are particularly high because they often go undiscovered until they are far along in their development. However, late discovery can be prevented if oral and oropharyngeal cancers are detected and treated early thanks to routine exams designed for just that.

Regular oral cancer exams are the best way to detect oral cancer in its early stages, and our office is proud to offer oral cancer screenings at every hygiene appointment using the VELscope.

The VELscope is a wireless, handheld tool that allows us to see oral mucosal abnormalities (including oral cancer and premalignant dysplasia) much better than the naked eye. The tool is trusted by over 15,000 dental practitioners worldwide for its accuracy and efficacy, and Dr. Sraon is glad to be one of them.

Between appointments, there are signs and symptoms that you can be on the lookout for. If you notice any of the symptoms below, and they last for over 2-3 weeks, you should call our office right away:

  • A sore or ulcer that does not go away in 14 days
  • Red, white, or black discoloration on the soft tissues in the mouth
  • Any abnormality in the mouth that bleeds easily when touched
  • A lump or hard spot in the tongue (usually on the border)
  • A bump that protrudes from the tongue or the side of the neck
  • A sore underneath a denture that does not heal after adjustment
  • A hoarse or sore throat that persists for over 2-3 weeks
  • A single swollen tonsil that is often painless
  • A painless, firm lump on the outside of the neck, lasting at least 2 weeks
  • A stubborn cough that does not resolve in 2-3 weeks
  • Difficulty swallowing
  • An earache on one side that lasts for more than a few days

Individuals over the age of 50 who use tobacco and/or drink alcohol heavily are at especially high risk of developing oral and oropharyngeal cancers. Recently, however, oropharyngeal cancer is occurring more frequently in non-smokers, and instead can be attributed to HPV16, the virus most commonly associated with cervical cancer.

About 99% of people who develop an HPV oral infection will recover from the virus on their own, but for the remaining 1%, the immune system will not beat the virus. If the virus does not succumb to the body’s immune system, it can lay undetected for decades before potentially causing cancer.

Have you had an oral cancer screening recently? If you can’t remember, give us a call and we will get one scheduled for you.

Schedule now

Guard Against Grinding

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Have you woken up in the morning with a headache or sore jaw? Have you been woken up by a partner’s teeth grinding in the night? Are your teeth showing signs of severe wear or damage? You’re not alone, and a night guard could be a life-altering solution.

A night guard is a structured plastic device that’s molded to your teeth and gums that prevents your top and bottom teeth from making contact. Wearing a night guard while you sleep minimizes the negative effects of grinding teeth, clenching teeth, and putting stress on your jaw which can cause headaches and worse.

In addition to headaches and soreness that can last all day and interrupt your sleeping patterns, grinding and clenching can cause costly and long-lasting damage to your teeth like chipping, cracking, excessive wear, and compromised fillings.

Night guards relieve your jaw of unnecessary stress and protect the enamel on your teeth from erosion. If not addressed, erosion could cause the unprotected layers of your teeth to be exposed and cause extreme pain and discomfort. By keeping your top and bottom teeth from touching during the night, a night guard will help avoid severe damage that could lead to the loss of teeth and require expensive repairs.

If you are aware that you tend to grind your teeth at night, you may already know that you have bruxism. Bruxism is a condition in which you grind, gnash, or clench your teeth both at night (sleep bruxism) and in the daytime (awake bruxism). Sleeping with a custom night guard will decrease the stress and destructiveness caused by clenching and grinding that come with bruxism.

Keeping your teeth intact by wearing a night guard will also maintain the attractiveness of your smile and ultimately boost your self esteem. A healthy smile is one of the first things that people notice in others, so keeping yours chip-free will give you the confidence you need to go about your personal and professional life with your head up and your pearly whites on display.

An extra bright smile from whitening treatments is another way to keep your spirits high as well as another reason to wear a night guard when you sleep. The temporary tenderness that bleaching can cause leaves your teeth especially vulnerable to sensitivity caused by clenching. A night guard will keep your fresh white teeth from causing additional discomfort.

On top of alleviating discomfort, wearing a night guard can help relax your jaw by guiding it to a comfortable resting position. A relaxed jaw will make it easier to fall asleep, stay asleep, and breathe easily which in turn will help your partner sleep soundly as well.

If you think you might be a candidate for a custom night guard, give us a call to set up an appointment. We typically recommend a lower night guard with metal framework because wearing a night guard on your lower teeth tends to make speaking and functioning easier on a day-to-day and night-to-night basis.

We look forward to helping you keep your teeth, gums, and mouth protected from the harms of grinding and clenching. Call us today to learn more!

Innovations: New community water fluoridation system is ‘game-changer,’ advocates say

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A new community water fluoridation system that is the first advancement in water fluoridation technology in decades has received a coveted approval that primes it for immediate deployment all over the country.

The sodium fluorosilicate tablet system, developed by Florida-based KC Industries and contracted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, received NSF Standard 61 approval in December.

NSF Standard 61 is a set of national standards that relates to water treatment and was developed by the National Sanitation Foundation, a global independent public health and environmental organization.

The tablet system is a more cost-effective way to distribute fluoride into drinking water, and offers an opportunity to distribute fluoride to smaller communities that did not have the previous infrastructure to do so, said Kip Duchon, a consultant to the ADA’s National Fluoridation Advisory Committee and retired CDC national fluoridation engineer.

“It’s a game-changer,” Mr. Duchon said. He said that at the moment, about 75% of the country has fluoridated water. He predicted that within a decade, that number will rise to 85% due to the new system.

The system is designed for small- to medium-sized water systems with flow rates of up to 1 million gallons per day, which serves up to about 15,000 people, said Steve McCarter, managing member of KC Industries. More than a decade in the making, the system is designed to be a safe, easy-to-use, low-maintenance and affordable option for smaller municipalities to access the benefits of water fluoridation for their residents.

The feeder system works through the erosion of sodium fluorosilicate tablets in the patented New Wave Fluoridation Feeder, much like how chlorine is distributed into swimming pools, Mr. McCarter said.

The New Wave Fluoridation Feeder and Tablet system will be marketed by DuBois Chemicals throughout North America commencing Jan. 1, 2021.

KC Industries has a long history in the application and use of fluoride products for use in water fluoridation, as both a producer and distributor, and Dubois is one of the largest water fluoridation companies in North America, with over 75 years of combined experience in water fluoridation sales and technical staff.

Mr. McCarter said interest in the system has come from around the world — including Australia — and that he expects to be implementing the system soon in communities that include those in Colorado and Georgia.

Mr. Duchon expects a half-dozen communities to implement the system within the first few months.

Jayanth Kumar, D.D.S., California state dental director and member of the National Fluoridation Advisory Committee, said he was pleased to see the approval and deployment of the New Wave Fluoridation Feeder and Tablet system throughout the nation.

“This system will expand the benefits of community water fluoridation to many more communities that before were unable to offer community water fluoridation to its residents,” Dr. Kumar said. “Community water fluoridation is one of the best population-based interventions.”

Source: ADA News

Safe with Sraon

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There has been almost nothing routine about 2020. We’ve hit “pause” on travel, holidays, weddings, birthdays, graduations, and so much more—including routine medical appointments—in an effort to stay safe.

We always recommend that patients visit the dentist at least twice a year to keep your mouth healthy and clean, and skipping just one cleaning can put you behind. Without two cleanings a year, you expose your mouth to the risk of bacteria growth which can cause decay and disease. While skipping a routine cleaning or other visit to avoid the risk of COVID-19, you run the risk of dealing with big problems in the future.

While it may seem scary to visit any sort of medical office in the midst of a global pandemic, we want you to rest assured that you will be safe and protected inside our doors. In the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, dentistry was listed as one of the professions at highest risk of virus transmission because of the close proximity of dentists and their patients. We understand why patients might have been hesitant to visit the office for this reason.

However, there has been no evidence of coronavirus transmission in dental offices since many reopened at the beginning of the summer. In fact, an American Dental Association Science & Research Institute and Health Policy Institute study in October found that the COVID-19 rate among dentists is less than 1%.

Since we were able to reopen in July, our office has implemented strict guidelines to maintain hygiene and cleanliness in our office—on surfaces, in the air, and everywhere in between. We have gone above and beyond the CDC’s recommended precautions to ensure that our office is safe, healthy, and comfortable.

In addition to deep cleans and social distancing, we’ve:

  • installed high-grade medical negative pressure rooms to eliminate aerosols from the room during treatments to prevent transmission of germs between patients
  • added hospital-grade filters to the HVAC ducting to attract and capture airborne particles and allergens
  • installed UV-C lighting to deactivate the DNA of bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens in the air and on surfaces. These measures destroy a virus’ ability to cause disease

We want you to feel comfortable coming to the office and are always available to answer any questions you might have about how we are keeping patients safe.

We hope to see you soon! Schedule your next appointment by calling 408.227.1404 or scheduling via our online tool.