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Farewell from Doctors Ohman and Wright

Archive for June, 2020



Farewell from Doctors Ohman and Wright

Posted on: June 30th, 2020 by admin

Dear Patients,

After serving our community’s needs for close to forty years, we have decided to retire from dentistry. We are happy to say that we are leaving our patients in the capable hands of doctors Chris Patterson, Chris Wright, and Theresa Stangl. Many of you have already had the pleasure of meeting them or receiving their care. We are confident that they will continue to serve you well in the future. In addition, our excellent staff, whom most of you know well, will remain working at the practice after our retirement.

Due to the current health crisis affecting our nation, we will stay on to provide some dental examinations and complete cases in progress. This will allow our associates to safely and effectively provide the dental care you have come to expect from our practice.

We want you to know that your many kindnesses have always been appreciated. We are sure that you will extend the same courtesy and loyalty to doctors Patterson, Wright and Stangl that you have afforded us in the past.

Finally, it has been an honor to be your dentists over these many years, and we will truly miss you.

Sincerely,

Drs. Patrice Ohman and Hank Wright

What Do You Do After Losing A Tooth?

Posted on: June 24th, 2020 by admin

If a child loses a tooth you figure it will grow back. The game changes when it is an adult. Adults mostly lose teeth through sporting accidents. Whether it is roughhousing, tackling or tumbling, without a mouth guard, anyone could quickly lose a tooth due to an accidental jaw hit.

An adult could also lose a tooth following trauma. You could even trip or be involved in a car accident and end up losing a tooth or two. Regardless, always address a loose tooth head on. As soon as it happens, visit a dentist and consider immediate dentures.

Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-chimpanzee-smiling-50582/

While accidents are well outside your control, there is one aspect that you can take care of to make sure that you keep all your teeth – oral hygiene. An adult could lose a tooth to oral infections or root decay. It is proper to schedule frequent visits to a dentist in Ocean County even when everything is alright.

Having said that, what do you do if you lose a tooth? Fortunately, some practices can help make that smile as good as new. Take the following measures as soon as you drop the tooth:

 

Recover the tooth

If your tooth is avulsed, it is crucial that you handle it with care. Do not grab it by the root; otherwise, you damage it further. This could make it impossible for the dentist to repair it. As soon as you recover the tooth, rinse it in a water bowl and preserve it in saliva, a sterile salt solution or a bowl of milk. Be careful not to wipe or scrub the tooth.

Reinsert tooth into the socket

Often the solutions that seem most straightforward work. One such case is putting your tooth back; that way, the root remains protected until you see a dentist. Hold the tooth in place using  medical gauze or a tea bag but do not force the tooth if it does not fit.

Visit a dentist

Reinserting the tooth is only a temporary solution. The sooner you seek medical attention, the better your chances of having the tooth restored. Remember that when you lose a tooth, you lose bone mass as well. Your body begins to remove the bone in your jaw where the tooth’s anchor lay.

In fact, you lose up to 40% of bone mass in the first two months of a missing tooth. No wonder, the shape of your face begins to change. Once at the local dentist office, you have some options:

How a dentist can help you

At the clinic, the dentist will first establish whether the tooth can be reattached. If it can, that will be the first option they will advise. In most cases, however, seeing as many people lack the know-how for when they lose a tooth, by the time they come to the dentist, reattaching the tooth is not an option.

In such a case, the dentist might recommend immediate dentures. Partial dentures will help to improve your smile and more importantly, to prevent bone loss. As a thing to note, you do not need to have all your teeth missing to wear dentures. They can be fixed to replace just the tooth that is missing.

The dentist might also recommend dental implants. The implants are placed in the missing tooth space to stimulate the growth of bones to keep you looking the same. While the immediate danger might seem past, failing to get immediate dentures can have severe long-term effects. Contact your dentist in Ocean County for more information on partial dentures.

Tips on Packing Light For Your Jersey Shore Vacation

Posted on: June 17th, 2020 by admin

The Jersey Shore is a popular destination for weekend getaways and week long summer vacations for many reasons, especially the area near our office, which includes Barnegat, Manahawkin, Long Beach Island, Forked River, and other great shore towns. There is plenty to do, the beaches are close to almost any rental you can find, and the entire region is easily accessible from the entire tri-State area. If there is a single headache it’s this: you never seem to have enough room to bring all the stuff you want to bring!

With that in mind, here are some tips on how to pack light. Believe us, it can make the difference between a good summer vacation and a great one!

Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/green-car-near-seashore-with-blue-ocean-1118448/

You Don’t Need All Those Shoes – It’s easy to get caught in the trap of bringing shoes for every occasion. You need your flip-flops or sandals, your sneakers, your nice shoes for going out to dinner, maybe those boots in case you go for a trek on Long Beach Island. Bad idea! Bring only one or two pairs (including what you are wearing). You’ll be glad you did.

Pack Your Lightest Items Last – Packing your luggage is not a science, it’s an art form, but there are a few tips that can make your packing more efficient and help you get the most into a small space. Packing your lightest items last is one of them. They will be easier to fit into whatever nooks and crannies are left in your bags, are more easily switched around with other items, and in the worst case scenario where something won’t fit, they can easily be thrown into a small extra bag.

Layers, Layers, Layers – If you’re bringing a few bulky clothing items to ward off cooler evenings or rainy days, consider wearing them during your trip to the Long Beach Island summer house you booked. That will save a lot of room in your bags and make travel less of a hassle. Just be sure to crank up the A/C in your car!

Make Yourself A Checklist – It may seem obvious but a lot of people don’t do this – and skipping this step is a bad idea, because planning ahead can save many headaches later! Write down what you absolutely, positively need, and also write down what you need but will be able to purchase once you arrive at your destination. It’s far easier to make a quick stop at a local store for sun block, towels, snacks and other disposable items. Don’t waste space in your luggage on that!

Don’t Fold, Roll – Most of us grew up folding our clothes, but guess what? Rolling your clothes up takes up less room and allows you to pack in more creative, space efficient ways. It also allows you to distribute the weight in your bags more evenly, which will make carry them around far easier.

These few small tips don’t seem like much, but add them together and they will make your next trip to the Southern Ocean County shore area much easier and far less stressful!

What You Need to Know About Teeth Whitening

Posted on: June 9th, 2020 by admin

If it seems like you are hearing more and more about teeth whitening, you are probably right. Improvements in cosmetic dentistry have made it easier than ever to whiten and brighten your smile. You might even be thinking about a visit to your dentist so you can enjoy an affordable teeth whitening treatment.

With that in mind, here’s everything you need to know about modern teeth whitening:

How It Works

These days, tooth whitening treatments use a peroxide-based bleaching technique that assists with bleaching out staining and discoloration. Remember that the treatments will have no impact on porcelain crowns or composite tooth-colored bondings.

Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-wearing-white-turtle-neck-sweater-709802/

At-Home Options

Not every dentist near Manahawkin dentist will tell you this, but it’s good information to have: there are at-home whitening treatments available, and some of them are available over the counter. The price can range from extremely low to about equal to an in-office visit. It usually takes much longer to get results, and the results are usually not as dramatic as a professional treatment.

If you are considering at-home whitening, your choices include:

  • Strips & Gels – Apply these twice a day for up to two weeks. When you use this cost-effective solution, expect modest results
  • Bleaching Trays – A tray not unlike a mouth guard is filled with gel or a solution. This tray is worn in the mouth for several hours a day. Treatment can last up to four weeks. The results can be good, but the cost is generally similar to professional treatments.
  • Whitening Toothpastes – You won’t see dramatic results from a whitening toothpaste. At best, they can brighten your teeth by about one shade. By contrast, you can get up to eight shades of brightness from professional treatments. However, one benefit is that whitening toothpastes are easy to incorporate into your life.

In-Office Treatments

A visit to your dental office near Manahawkin is going to end up giving you better whitening results than anything you can do at home, and you’ll get those results much faster. Dentists are able to use much stronger solutions than you can purchase over the counter, and the methods they use with in-office treatments can get results quicker. Some important things to know include:

  • Stronger – In-office whitening treatments can be up to 10 times more effective than over the counter treatments!
  • Faster – At-home whitening usually takes anywhere from two to four weeks and may result in a few shades of whiteness. In-office treatments usually take less than an hour per session, and only a few sessions are needed for up to eight shades of improvement.
  • Better Results – As mentioned, at most at-home treatments can increase your tooth whiteness by a few shades. In-office treatments can get you up to eight shades of improvement.

When you sum it all up, you have many treatment options available to you from your Southern Ocean County dentist. Before deciding on one, it’s a good idea to consult with your dentist to be sure the treatment is right for you. Not all mouths are made the same, after all!

Great Jersey Shore Towns to Buy or Rent a Summer House

Posted on: June 3rd, 2020 by admin

Even with the health crisis the world is currently facing, chances are good the Jersey shore will be busy this summer and countless families will enjoy summer vacations here.

And no wonder. In Long Beach Island, Barnegat, Manahawkin, and other towns in our area, there are some fantastic communities in which to unwind during the summer months.

The Jersey shore is not all created equal, though. Picking one community over the other can be the difference between finding yourself in the middle of a bad MTV show and relaxing in an historic community with great beach access, so choose carefully!

If you plan to rent a summer home or to enjoy a vacation on the coast, these are a few of the town you should consider when deciding to take a weekend, week, or even the rest of your life away with the family.

Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-beach-chairs-on-seashore-564900/

 

Point Pleasant Beach – This is a town that straddles the line between a vibrant, active vacation town and a quiet, peaceful ocean community. Point offers the architectural charm of yesteryear as well as the appeal of excellent dining and great shopping. The residential neighborhoods are quiet, but the downtown is often full of shoppers. The boardwalk and aquarium are also busy. There you will find rides, games, places to see bands playing music, and more.

Long Beach Island – Real estate in Long Beach Island is in high demand for a good reason. This swath of coastal barrier island is one of the New Jersey’s most desirable places to both live and to vacation. Boasting plenty of gorgeous bay and ocean facing property, it also has shopping, historic sites, and much more. Even better, while there are a lot of things to do within a short walk or drive, LBI itself is calm enough so that you really feel like you’re getting away from the world.

Barnegat – This small oceanfront and bay community – and the place where our office is located – is a popular place for families thanks to its clean beaches, and docks for fishing and crabbing, and more. Not to mention the historic lighthouse! There are many small shops, great places to eat, as well as waterfront property along both the ocean and the bay. It’s a great town, which is why we love working here!

Belmar – Just like Point Pleasant Beach, Belmar offers quiet shore living as well as attractions that will appeal to visitors looking for more action. Quiet neighborhoods with cute coastal homes are just a short walk away from some of the New Jersey coast’s most active and popular nightclubs. Add in some of the best fishing on the East Coast, a historic boating community, and a downtown that is a throwback to communities of old and it’s easy to see why people flock to Belmar each year.