Advance Dental: Blog

We are OPEN and Ready to take care of YOU! COVID-19 is in the news everywhere, and we are closely monitoring the situation here at Advance Dental. We already, as a daily practice, assure universal precautions as outlined by CDC and OSHA standards of infection control, and safety is always our number one focus. Our high standard of care ensures that your trust and safety are never compromised. At this time, we are also taking extended measures to further protect all of our patients and team members, including the following:  Anyone with a cough or fever will not be allowed in the building and should stay home. We will be happy to reschedule your appointment for a later date. Before your appointment, we ask that you stay in your car until we are ready to seat you in your personal operatory. Simply call us when you arrive, and we will let you know when it's time to come in. Please limit the number of individuals coming to your appointment as they may be asked to wa...

We are   so very thankful   for you.  Thanksgiving is a time of togetherness and gratitude. It truly calls us to be present to those around us. It's a day to spend with our loved ones and truly appreciate how grateful we are to have each other.  With that said, Thanksgiving is also the perfect  time for our office to reflect on what we've been given and be  so very thankful. Everyone here at Advance Dental, would like to take this moment to express how thankful we are for you. We are thankful you've allowed us to care for your dental needs and your continual trust in us. It's individuals like you that make our office more than a dental practice. We are a dental family. Happy Thanksgiving Sincerely, Your Dental Family at Advance Dental Request an Appointment or call our office today to learn more 574-271-9910  

SIX REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD USE YOUR DENTAL BENEFITS We've all heard the saying "use it or lose it," well that is especially true when it comes to dental benefits. We want to assist you in maximizing your dental insurance benefits and essentially save you money.   1. Yearly Maximum   This is the limit on how much your dental insurance plan will pay within one full year. Most are capped at $1000 to $1500 and usually renew on January 1st. If you have unused benefits, these will not roll over to the next year, they will be lost. 2. Deductible   This a set amount of money you must pay before your insurance company will pay towards any treatment. If you've received dental treatment this year, you've probably met or made some progress towards your deductible. Completing treatment this year will help you avoid paying your deductible twice.    3. Premiums   This one is simple, if you are paying for your dental insurance ...

Advance Dental's SIXTH Annual Food Drive Monday October 14th through Saturday December 14th     We would like to take this time to give thanks for what we have and consider what we can share with our community. For the past five years, our office has partnered with the Food Bank of Northern Indiana. If you’ve participated in previous years, you know that we've had  FIVE  wonderful years of donations, both through food and monetary gifts, from our patients and staff. We challenge  ALL  our patients to participate this year and help feed our community members who are in need. Here is what we've been able to donate together over the years and our goal for 2019. ·  2014: 146 pounds of food donated ·  2015: 233 pounds of food donated ·  2016: 409 pounds of food donated (including monetary donations) ·  2017: 556 pounds of food donated (in...

April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month In the United States alone every hour of every day someone loses their life to oral or oropharyngeal cancer. It is the cancer of the mouth and upper throat. Only forty percent of patients diagnosed will live longer than five years. Patients often end up suffering from facial disfigurement or trouble talking and eating. Its fatality is directly linked to its late-stage diagnosis. Dentists are often the first to identify oral cancer symptoms in patients, which is why offering oral cancer screenings is crucial. Early detection and prevention are key. Symptoms of Oral Cancer Dentists should provide their patients with information on the symptoms and indicators of oral cancer. If a patient has an abnormality in their mouth that does not improve or disappear after two to three weeks, they need to see a dental professional immediately. Urge your patients to perform self-checks and be vigilant of symptoms, such as: Sores or ulcers that d...

National Safe Toys and Gifts Month December is National Safe Toys and Gifts Month. During their first winter, many children will receive teething toys and children with special needs may continue to enjoy them as their second set of teeth come in. There are many safe options available, but parents and other gift-givers may not be aware of how to use them and keep them clean. The Teething Process Babies’ first teeth usually start coming in when they are about six months old. Dentists recommend that biannual checkups begin at this point. For the most part, the front bottom teeth come in first, followed by the front upper teeth, with the last of the twenty baby teeth erupting by the time the child is three. Particularly during the early months, children’s gums will be sore and they will seek relief by biting down on whatever objects are available. Maintenance Besides cleanliness and choking hazards, the other issues with toy selection are chemical composition and intended u...

People have been asserting that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” since the 19th century. While it may not necessarily be true that those who eat apples never have to see a doctor, apples certainly have great health benefits for our bodies! Did you know they can even be good for our teeth? Let’s take a look at what the research says …  It’s widely thought that chewing a crisp, fresh apple can help brush away plaque on our teeth. We’re not too sure on this one, as some studies show a higher plaque content on teeth after eating an apple. At the same time, there is evidence to suggest some polyphenols in apples can lower the ability of cavity-causing bacteria to adhere to teeth. Further, some studies have shown that the antioxidants in apples can help prevent periodontal disease.  Apples even contain a (very) small amount of fluoride. This is worth noting, as fluoride is so important in helping prevent cavities.  Lastly, the act of chewing an a...

Progression of Gum Disease One of the biggest advancements in dentistry in recent years is our improved understanding of gum disease. Gum recession was once considered to be a normal part of the aging process. But dentists now regard it as treatable and have identified a number of diseases with which it shares high rates of comorbidity. While exciting investigations into causative relationships between gum disease treatments and other diseases are ongoing, it is important for patients to be up-to-date on what is already known about prevention. Low-Level Gum Inflammation Gingivitis is the early form of gum disease. It is so common that when many people notice symptoms, such as seeing blood when they spit their toothpaste, they do not realize there is anything wrong. Inflamed gums will look swollen and discolored, but gingivitis is usually not evident until it has already progressed relatively far. It may also cause bad breath. There are many things that could cause gingivitis...

At Advance Dental, we are blessed to have a family of patients who trust us and value the dedication, personalized care and attentiveness that we've given to people in the community over the years. Did you know that most of our new patients come from referrals by people like yourself? Chances are that you're one of them. We wanted to take this opportunity and ask you to help us spread the word. If you have friends or relatives who could benefit from our services, can you please give us a referral? It will mean the world to us, and will make you their hero for years to come! :)

As the end of the year rapidly approaches, we wanted to remind you to take advantage of any  unused dental benefits  you may have. Each year you receive a maximum amount from your dental insurance company, and in most cases the unused portion of this amount is  lost  when the new insurance year starts. These are benefits you have already paid for! Your dental care is important to us, and we want to make sure you get the care you need without overpaying for it.  If you have been postponing dental treatment or are overdue for a routine exam and cleaning, now is a great time to come in. Please call us at  574-271-9910  or  request an appointment online . We're looking forward to seeing you soon. Your Dental Family at Advance Dental

August 21, 2018 We are proud to announce we have a new paperless system for appointment reminders, patient paperwork and other forms of communication. We now have the ability for you to complete your paperwork on our IPADS! This will save an enormous amount of paper in our office and is another step towards our ongoing efforts to "GO-GREEN!" We've been utilizing this system for a few weeks and have had a positive patient response. We hope you find it as easy to use as we do! We ask that you arrive  10 minutes prior  to your scheduled appointment time so you are able to complete your paperwork on our IPADS.  On another note, it's a very personal thing to tell a relative or friend about our practice. It means you trust our professional skills enough to put your reputation on the line. It says you're comfortable being part of our family, and that you appreciate our special level of care. Our practice depends on satified patients like you. Your referrals are th...

March 2018 Advance Dental Newsletter Reasons for Extractions Dentists have made great strides in saving teeth, but there are still times when extractions are necessary. These situations often arise when there is not enough room in the mouth for an entire adult set of thirty-two teeth, when a tooth has been badly cracked down its root, or when the gum tissue surrounding a tooth is severely infected and the tooth has become too loose to function safely. Dentists also sometimes recommend that people with compromised immune systems who get dental infections undergo extractions instead of root canals. Circumstances such as whether a tooth is impacted, meaning caught below the gum line, will determine exactly how a dentist plans the procedure, but there are some commonalities which patients should understand. Preparation There is more than one major nerve in the mouth which may need to be numbed prior to extraction. The lingual nerve is connected to the tongue while the inferior alv...