Feb 27, 2014
Valentine’s Day is a holiday that is widely celebrated, but celebrated in many different ways. One tradition that is of the more common is giving your valentine candy on February 14th. But why?
Chocolate candies as we know them today were created sometime in the late 1800’s. It was not long after their creation that they began to be marketed and created in heart shapes. What a thoughtful gift, right? Of course. Chocolate – especially shaped like a heart – is considered a valuable, divine, delicious, decadent, sophisticated gift. It’s the perfect gift.
Or at least it was in the 1800’s. Maybe it is now time that we start thinking outside the box (of chocolates) a little bit again to find some “sweet” ways to show our valentines just how much we care.
If you haven’t noticed…this is our helpless way of trying to keep our beloved patients away from the candy 😉
We know that this tradition is so deeply engrained within the holiday that it would take much more than a mere blog post to change that. And who are we kidding, it is sweet – literally and figuratively.
But don’t get carried away. Lay off the half priced candy on February 15th! This we are serious about 😉
We hope you all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day filled with all of your favorite treats and most importantly, your favorite people.
Jan 16, 2014
As we brought in the New Year a few weeks ago, we allowed ourselves a little time to reflect on all happened in 2013. Here are some of the reasons why 2013 was amazing at Falmouth Dental Arts.
- Dancing with the Dentists – one of our dreams was to sponsor an event that brought the local dental community together to raise money for charity. In the late summer/early fall of the year 2012, an idea of “Dancing with the Dentists” was born and just over a year later on November 16, 2013, the dream became a reality. The overwhelming support we got from so many people was truly amazing and humbling, and bringing together over 400 of our peers from the Maine dental community for a night of fun outside of our offices made for a magical and unforgettable time. In all, the event raised more than $25,000 to be donated to Maine Dental Lifeline. Dancing with the Dentists exceeded all expectations for its inaugural season and was certainly one of the highlights of our year, thank you to all who attended and supported the cause. And plus, our very own Dr. Brian Brunacini and his wife Dr. Jenny Fultz-Brunacini took home the trophy as the dancing champs of the night!
- Celebrating 275 years of combined staff experience – In 2013 our staff celebrated 275 years of combined dental experience between all of us! We take a lot of pride in our commitment to continuing education and constantly absorbing new knowledge so that we are positively providing you with the best dental experience we possibly can with all the cutting edge techniques and technology. Giving you the highest quality care possible and making sure you are more comfortable than you have ever been at a dentists’ office is something we pride ourselves on. We attended a few notable classes and workshops in 2013. One focused on dealing with gluten intolerance/sensitivity and celiac disease, and another course we took focused on the diagnosis of periodontal disease. Both were extremely beneficial.
- Our Facebook Page grew to 220 likes – We started the year in January 2013 with 75 “Likes” on our Facebook page and by New Years Eve 2013 we had grown to 220 “Likes.” This may not seem like a big deal, but it means a lot to us. We love keeping in touch with our patients and building relationships with you! This is another tool that allows us to do that when you can’t come in to visit us. We love engaging with you on social media and we are very active on our page, so if you haven’t had the chance to “Like” the FDA Facebook page yet, head over and do it now! We like to have some fun too…we promise it’s not all posts about teeth – check out our page to see for yourself!
The year 2013 had some incredible highs for FDA and we are very grateful. The greatest thing about our job, however, is getting to see you when you come in to visit us, whether it be for a regular cleaning or for more extensive dental work. Coming into our office every day and working with the most amazing team around and getting to help the best patients around achieve and maintain their dream smile is why we do what we do. Thank you for contributing to such an incredible year in 2013, and we can’t wait for what 2014 has to bring!
Falmouth Dental Arts wishes you and yours a very happy and healthy 2014!
Dec 19, 2013
It’s that time of year again… along with the cold weather comes, well…colds. Stuffy noses, sore throats, headaches, coughing – you know the drill. ‘Tis the season.
But did you know that an infection or abscess in your back teeth can spread into your maxillary sinus and cause an infection there as well?
As you might know, you have several sinuses, but only one of those sets can be affected by tooth-related issues. The maxillary sinuses are on either side of your nose and come in close contact with the roots of your upper teeth. Because the two are so close, abscesses from the upper back teeth can make their way into your maxillary sinus and cause an infection.
Most cases are due to a viral infection and resolve over the course of 10 days. However, if your sinus infection or toothache has been nagging for weeks, you may have a maxillary sinus infection that relates to an unknown infection in your teeth! So if you are prone to sinus infections, you may not think to visit with us, but perhaps you should!
Here are some common signs and symptoms of sinus infections:
- Headache, localized facial pain/pressure, or toothache – a dull, constant, or aching sort over the affected sinuses is common with both acute and chronic stages of sinusitis. This pain is typically localized to the involved sinus and may worsen when the affected person bends over or when lying down. Pain often starts on one side of the head and progresses to both sides.
- Acute and chronic sinusitis may be accompanied by thick nasal discharge that is usually green in color and may contain pus (purulent) and/or blood.
- Infection of the eye socket is possible, which may result in the loss of sight and is accompanied by fever and severe illness. Another possible complication is the infection of the bones of the forehead and other facial bones.
- Sinus infections can also cause middle ear problems due to the congestion of the nasal passages. This can be demonstrated by dizziness, “a pressurized or heavy head”, or vibrating sensations in the head.
- Other symptoms of sinusitis include bad breath and Post-nasal drip.
Generally, tooth abscesses are painful. However, once in a while there’s no discomfort at all—it depends on the location of the infection. If you’re experiencing pain (even if the pain goes away), or any of the other symptoms listed above, let us know. We can help catch problems—and infections—before they spread.
Source: http://dentaltipz.blogspot.com/2013/12/sinusitis-and-dental-office.html
Nov 26, 2013
In it’s inaugural season, Dancing With the Dentists exceeded all expectations in raising well over $40,000 for Portland’s Healthcare for the Homeless Dental Clinic, and Maine Dental LifeLine. Conceived by Dr. Glen Knock and patterned after the wildly popular “Dancing With The Stars”, local dentists were paired with professional ballroom dance instructors to put on a dazzling display of footwork and fun. Over 400 people attended and cheered the contestants on at the Italian Heritage Center in Portland. Host Shannon Moss, DJ Mike Violette, and judges Governor John Baldacci, physician and author Dr. Christiane Northrup, and radio personality Ken Altshuler helped make the program one to remember.
Each contestant danced either a ballroom or Latin dance and the audience and judges voted for who they thought was the best. None had ever done ballroom dancing before September. A wonderful twist was that the dancers were all dentists married to dentists and the vote was tallied for the best couple. There was even a family angle with Dr. Joseph Penna and his wife, Maine Dental Association President Dr. Demi Kouzounas competing against their daughter and son-in-law, Drs. Nichol Penna and Doug Delli Colli! Also dancing were the overall winners, Dr. Jenny Fultz, the dentist at the Healthcare for the Homeless Dental Clinic, with her husband Dr. Brian Brunacini. Drs. Killian and Tarryn MacCarthy rounded out the four couples.
The generosity of Northeast Delta Dental and Tom’s of Maine helped underwrite the program, with Delta’s donation earmarked for Dental LifeLine. Many other donations and ticket sales helped make this first ever Dancing With The Dentists a huge success. Everyone is looking forward to next November and the second Dancing With The Dentists!
Check out some pictures of the event! Photo credit to No Umbrella Media!
Valentine’s Day is a holiday that is widely celebrated, but celebrated in many different ways. One tradition that is of the more common is giving your valentine candy on February 14th. But why?