Fall 2011Produced to improve your dental health and awareness

Creating Beautiful Smiles!

Family and Cosmetic Dentistry

Sedation Dentistry

Tooth-colored fillings

Crowns and Bridges

Cosmetic Veneers & Lumineers™

Invisalign®

Partials and Dentures

Digital x-rays and records

Most Insurance plans accepted

New Patients Welcome

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office informationKristin rushing, DDS Lee coulter, DDS4809 Trousdale Drive Nashville, TN 37220-1303

Office HoursMonday 7:30 am – 5:30 pmTuesday 7:30 am – 5:30 pmWednesday 7:30 am – 5:30 pmThursday 7:30 am – 5:30 pmFriday closed

contact informationOffice (615) 331-9033Fax (615) 331-8140Email office@NashvilleSmileTeam.comWeb site www.NashvilleSmileTeam.com

Office StaffChrista .......................... Office ManagerKarla .......................... Dental HygienistCynthia ....................... Dental HygienistDee .............................Dental AssistantMegan ..............Administrative Assistant

Dr. Rushing & Dr. Coulter’s

Nashville smile Team

If you are one of the millions of North Americans who suffers from tenderness in the jaw muscles, limited jaw opening, jaws that get stuck, unexplained facial or head pain, jaw joint grating or clicking, you may have a condition called Temporomandibular Joint Disorder or TMD.

Research seems to confirm that women are particularly susceptible and that there is a hormonal link. According to some studies, 90% of patients seeking TMD relief are women of childbearing age. Some speculate that women’s smaller jaws may contribute to headaches and jaw pain.

Here are some tips for women and men who experience a sore jaw joint. If soreness continues, or if you have any of the symptoms we have outlined, please call us for a consultation.

Women And Jaw PainTemporomandibular Joint Disorder

...chew gum for a while;

...open your mouth any wider than an inch or so. Eat smaller-sized pieces of food;

...chew caramels, firm bread crusts, nuts, raw vegetables, or leathery meats;

...chew ice cubes;

...jut out your lower jaw to apply lipstick or lip balm.

...yawn carefully as flaring your nostrils is better for your jaw than opening your mouth;

...sleep on your back, rather than your side, and don’t support your face on your arms or fists;

...avoid stress, but when you can’t, avoid jaw clenching by holding your teeth apart while your lips are together;

...try Ibuprofen to reduce inflammation.

Don’t

Do

The NTI-tss Plus™ protects teeth, muscles and joints by suppressing muscle contraction by almost 70%. Originally developed to prevent migraine pain, the NTI-tss Plus is proven to be a superior alternative to full coverage bite guards. The NTI-tss Plus also gives dentists a way to simply and effectively treat patients suffering from tension and migraine headaches by reducing the intensity of jaw clenching while the patient sleeps.

Let’s face it – all mature adults experience the effects of gravity and a life well-lived on their appearance. Though when teeth are missing, the bite and facial structure can alter, exaggerating signs of normal ageing and creating a sunken aged appearance. You may be surprised to learn that dental implants, which were invented as a permanent way to replace teeth and to avoid bone loss, actually have a cosmetic benefi t and can even prevent the need for a surgical facelift.

Implants have two parts: a root made of biocompatible metal and a custom-made enamel tooth crown which is attached to it. Here’s how they can help save your oral health and appearance… Immediate placement after tooth loss can save supporting bone, adjacent teeth, and your great looking smile. Implants can be an attractive alternative to a denture or bridge. An implant-supported bridge can be used when more than one tooth is missing to provide greater stability and save underlying bone. An implant-supported denture can solve the problems of eating, speaking, and socializing associated with wobbly fi tting dentures and permanently removes the need for adhesives.

We are committed to helping you prevent tooth loss, but when the need arises, we’ll be happy to discuss whether implants are a suitable option for you. Not only can they save your looks – they look and feel natural too!

A Face-Saving Option

� t � li� your smile & your confi dence!

Go Ahead!

Consider permanent dental implants

A� an onion!From time immemorial, onions have been used as a food remedy for a

myriad of health issues. Why? Raw or cooked, onions have anti-infl ammatory, anticholesterol, anticancer, and antioxidant properties which may help with many diseases such as diabetes, osteoporosis, and high blood pressure. It might surprise you to learn that onions are one of the best foods for your smile too!

Because they contain an antibacterial compound that kills many types of oral bacteria, onions can help diminish the severity of gingivitis and periodontitis (gum diseases). Eating them raw produces the maximum benefi t.

On the nutritional front, onions contain numerous vitamins and minerals... and on top of all that, they’re inexpensive and delicious! Worried about onions on your breath? Fresh parsley will do the trick!

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Your immune system’s killer cells, known as T cells, rely on vitamin D to recognize and respond to a threat from an infection like gum disease. That’s a new discovery. Made by your own body through exposure to sunlight, Vitamin D can also be found in fi sh liver oil, eggs, and fatty fi sh such as salmon, herring, and mackerel, or taken as a daily supplement. Good to know.

Just as plaque, the bacterial biofi lm you can feel on your teeth can lead to infection and infl ammation if not controlled, other types of biofi lms can cause disease elsewhere in your body – the middle ear and gastrointestinal tract are examples. Insight into how gum diseases trigger your immune system and link to infl ammatory diseases like heart and stroke, diabetes, cancers, arthritis,

Straight To The PointUse what you know to fi ght gum disease

Alzheimer’s, and complications of pregnancy, could further science’s understanding of other biofi lm-associated diseases. Inspiring.

Finding a cure is complex. Nearly one third of the human genome is involved in gingivitis alone, and that’s the mildest form of gum disease. Plus, advances in molecular techniques suggest that human microbial systems are more uniquely individual than previously understood. Fascinating challenge.

Intriguing stuff, but sticking to the basics is still your best hope. Brush and floss daily to keep plaque from building up and hardening into tartar, and keep your regular hygiene appointments to prevent or reverse gum disease. Straightforward and effective.

Tattooing, though ancient, has really caught on with people who admire the tribal esthetic. Interestingly, in addition to the body, some nations to this day deliberately tattoo the gingivae, or gums. Motives vary: appearance, superstition, and occasionally as a folk remedy. An amalgam tattoo, though inadvertent, is also a real thing.

Sometimes a small area of blue-gray-black, which looks much like a tattoo, can appear on the tongue, cheek, roof of the mouth, gums, or lips. It is usually caused by tiny amalgam particles when you get or remove a silver fi lling, and sometimes can form over time when a fi lling rubs oral tissue while talking or eating.

Amalgam tattoos are nothing to worry about – most people never realize they have one. But if you do, we’ll be happy to take a look.

When ISN’T Candy Dandy?When it’s really something else!

Tobacco candies come in the form of dissolvable, fl avored, candy-like pellets, sticks, and strips. They are designed to give adults a smokeless way to get nicotine into their system. Trouble is, they look and taste just like regular candy, especially to children.

They can also contain a greater proportion of free nicotine which is more quickly absorbed into the bloodstream than is usual for other tobacco products. This could make them more toxic to a child than cigarettes or smokeless tobacco when accidentally ingested. For a small child or infant, it only takes one milligram of nicotine to cause illness. Larger doses can be fatal.

We support your efforts to quit tobacco and to avoid the perils of secondhand smoke – it’s essential to your health and others. But please keep cessation aids out of children’s reach.

Tattoo Who? No worries!

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Information included is not dental or medical advice. For your specific information be sure to consult our office. If you do not wish to receive this newsletter, please contact us directly.

Contents may not be reproduced without permission from the publisher. © PATIENT NEWS (800) 667-0268

Printed with vegetable-based ink.

Year-End RemindersFor life-long smiles

As the year winds to a close, remember that your dental insurance benefits close too. If you and your family do not have your year-end appointments booked, call now and make good use of your remaining 2011 insurance funds. What better way to brighten your outlook for the new year than with a confident healthy smile? And while we are on the topic of smiles, this is the perfect time to have your young athletes fitted for new mouthguards. Remember when kids grow like weeds their dentition is changing too. A proper-fitting mouthguard not only protects teeth from damage, but offers protection from concussions. As you know, concussion can have long-term lingering symptoms affecting balance, concentration, and memory, and can even lead to depression in later life.

Halloween Candy Buy Back

Drs. Rushing and Coulter will be hosting their 2nd Annual Halloween Candy Buy Back on Tuesday November 1st from 2- 5:30pm. Children and their parents are able to sell their excess candy in exchange for cash. The candy will then be sent to Operation Gratitude, a program that prepares care packages to our troops overseas. “This lets kids still have fun trick or treating, parents don’t have to worry about all the extra candy and it is a great way to support our troops. A true win- win” says Dr. Rushing. Mark your calendars and tell a friend.

We truly appreciate your referrals. They are the highest compliment that we can receive. Right now when you refer a friend or family member to our office and they book and complete an appointment, you will receive complimentary movie tickets. When you have referred three people to our office you will receive a complimentary take-home whitening kit. We hope you will appreciate these rewards even half as much as we

appreciate you. Bringing your family to our practice keeps us busy and progressive. Sending patients to us helps keep our practice growing.

And just because they know you, any patients you refer will get an added bonus! We’re offering a Get Acquainted Special: $20 off their introductory visit.

We look forward to getting to know your friends and family members.

?Dental Trivia IDid you know...n Teeth in a growing fetus begin to develop only six weeks after conception.n If you start smoking at age 18 and smoke one pack a day, you may lose 4-5 teeth by age 35.n Today’s Tooth Fairy needs a lot more silver than she did in 1900 when she left an average of twelve cents. n Athletes are sixty times more likely to damage their teeth when not wearing a protective mouthguard during athletic activities.n If you don’t floss, you miss cleaning 35% of your teeth!n The average American consumes 120 lbs of sugar each year. Try to choose sugar-free snacks!

Remember to flash your pearly whites because unlike pet rocks, eight-tracks and mood rings, a healthy smile is always in style!

Birth Announcement Abigail Nicole Williams was born on July 18th, 2011. Welcomed with love

by Kristin, Lewis and John. Please join us in congratulating them!

Referral RewardsEveryone benefits!