News
6/3/15: Top 10 Ways to Break a ToothYoung woman trying to open a bottle of drink
1. Use Your Teeth to Open Bottle Caps It might be convenient, and make your friends laugh, but opening bottle caps with your teeth may crack, loosen or even pull out a tooth. Don’t do it!
2. Chewing on Ice It’s natural and sugar free, so you might think ice is harmless. But munching on hard, frozen cubes can chip or even crack your teeth.
3. Grinding Teeth Teeth grinding, or bruxism, can wear teeth down over time. It is most often caused by stress and sleeping habits. Wearing a mouth guard at night can prevent the damage caused by grinding while sleeping. Ask Dr. Barr if a mouth guard might be right for you.
4. Use Your Teeth as Scissors When you use your teeth to cut tape, open packages or cut tags off of new clothes, you might chip or crack a tooth. Instead, go find some scissors.
5. Playing Sports With No Mouth Guard Whether you play football, hockey, or any other contact sport, don’t get in the game without a mouth guard. This is a piece of molded plastic that protects the upper row of teeth. Without it, your teeth could get chipped or even knocked out when the action gets rough. Dr. Barr can custom-make one for you.
6. Tongue Piercings Tongue piercings may be trendy, but biting down on the metal stud can crack a tooth. Lip piercings pose a similar risk.
7. Chewing on Pencils Do you ever chew on your pencil when concentrating on work or studies? Like crunching on ice, this habit can cause teeth to chip or crack.
8. Biting on a Fork This can happen more often than you would think. Or most often when you are not thinking, just biting.
9. Popcorn All it takes is just one unpopped popcorn kernel to crack a tooth. Eat your popcorn slowly and carefully.
10. Diving into a swimming pool Sometimes, the bottom of the pool is not as deep as you think. Check it out before you dive. Otherwise, your teeth might be the first to hit bottom.
3/6/15: Dental Science News: Livionex Dental Gel
Plaque is the enemy of your teeth. It is a sticky slime that contains bacteria and yeast. Plaque causes cavities and gum disease. If you eliminate your plaque, your teeth stay healthy and your breath smells fresher.
Unfortunately, normal toothpaste does not remove all the plaque. You can scrub and scrub, and then floss and floss, and you will not get 100% of the plaque.Livionex
Livionex Dental Gel is a new product that we are very excited about. It appears to remove three times more plaque than toothpaste! It changes plaque so it does not stick to your teeth.
You can learn more by visiting the Livionex website.
1/15/15: Stanzi Wins Gold!
Stanzi (Constanze) Moseley started seeing Dr. Barr when she was just 3 years old! When she turned 4, she started to swim. Now, as a 16-year-old, she is winning all kinds of races and is qualified to go to the US Olympic Trials! Stanzi has always been an excellent patient. She takes good care of her teeth and sees Dr. Barr and his staff on a regular basis. Like everything in her life, she forms good habits that lead to her success. 23ABC News recently featured Stanzi as the “Female Athlete of the Week!” You will hear the swimming meet announcer yell, “Stanzi Moseley crushes it!” You can watch the video by clicking here. It has been our privilege to watch Stanzi’s growth and success. She is a wonderful person to know and she brightens our office every time she and her large family comes in. Good luck Stanzi!
12/31/14: Season’s Greetings from Sagepoint Dental!
During these last few weeks of 2014, while many of us have been lounging by the tree, Dr. Barr has been busy with his Christmas hats. As well as being a highly-skilled dentist, he is an audio-visual technician and a talented musician. Dr. Barr managed the audio-visual elements of the Hillcrest Walk Through Bethlehem and the Bakersfield Master Chorale performance of the Messiah, including the beautiful images shown on the large screens. Over 6000 people enjoyed these highly-popular events
9/2/14: Gums Can Now Grow Back!
Dr. Barr routinely adds to his knowledge by attending classes on the latest dental technology and scientific discoveries. He recently attended a class about an incredible material called “Emdogain.” Emdogain is used by oral surgeons to make skin grow back over a tooth. As you can see in the photo, the gums on the left are not covering the roots of the teeth. You can see the same teeth after being treated with Emdogain. Dr. Barr’s colleague Dr. Alan Esla, has been testing various uses of Emdogain for years. For example, he has found that by applying a tiny amount of Emdogain after removing a tooth, the surrounding tissue heals more thoroughly. Whenever we refer a patient to a dental specialist, we are very careful about who we recommend.
7/18/14: Exciting Research News
A Harvard-led team has successfully used stem cells and a laser beam to grow a new tooth in a rat! This means that someday in the future, a Sagepoint Dental visit will result in you growing a new tooth. Even more exciting is that this research can lead to growing new bones, new skin and new organs. The next step in this research process is to use human stem cells to grow human teeth. We’ll keep you posted!
4/25/14: Dr. Barr’s Fourth Grandchild has Arrived!
Welcome to Avril Dawn Herr, or “Avi.” She was born on April 17, 2014 at 9:55 PM in Wasilla, Alaska! She was 20-inches long and weighed eight pounds even.
3/21/14: Congratulations to Sarah Manges!
Each year, Members of Congress select nominees and alternates for each of the nation’s military academies, such as the Naval Academy, Air Force Academy and so on. This year, Sagepoint Dental friend and patient, Sarah Manges was selected to join by U.S Rep. Kevin McCarthy! As reported, Sarah would like to major in aerospace engineering and become a naval aviator, like two of her cousins. “It’s a job that has enough activity to keep me on my toes and excite and challenge me every day,” she said. Sarah has been involved with Sagepoint Dental for many years. We were privileged to watch her grow and develop as a young patient. At a very early age she exhibited many of the characteristics that make her so special today. We could see her hard work, determination and follow-through as a child. Sarah’s mother is a Registered Dental Assistant and worked in our office as Sarah grew up. She had many reasons to be proud of Sarah and would share many of the activities, challenges and events in her life that explained how Sarah has always been an overachiever, even today. For example, last summer Sarah volunteered time at our office for some work experience while she was on summer break from school. We gave her a daunting task to scan 18,000 documents and x-rays, a 10×30 room full of files, floor to ceiling! As a result of her organizing skills and hard work, our office is now “paper-free”! I was and will always be proud to recommend Sarah for any endeavor or project that she chooses to pursue.
1/28/14: Our Latest Equipment
Digital XrayAfter months of research, I purchased an incredible new xray system that you will love. The Schick Elite has been a major high-tech breakthrough that dentists like me have been hoping to see for many years. Why?
Well, do you hate getting xrays at the dentist office because:
*You do not like radiation exposure?
*Those cardboard or plastic xray film holders hurt your mouth?
*You have to sit and wait in the dental chair while the xray pictures are developed? Schick Elite Sensors
*When the pictures are ready, do they look grainy and impossible to understand? If so, you’ll love our new system. With the Schick Elite:
*1. The exposure to radiation is approximately 66% lower than traditional xray equipment. *2. Instead of an xray film holder, the Schick Elite uses a small plastic piece that does not cut into your gums or tongue. We even have three sizes to give you the most comfortable fit.
*3. Like your digital camera, the pictures of your teeth are ready to view within seconds.
*4. Best of all, you and I can see clear, easy-to-understand images of your teeth on a large computer screen. I can show you the source of the current problems and any potential problems with more accuracy than ever before. I am very proud of this new addition to Sagepoint Dental and look forward to showing it to you. Wishing you great dental health and an attractive smile in 2014!
12/16/13: Season’s Greetings!
We have enjoyed a wonderful year at Sagepoint Dental. Each time you, your family members or friends walk in our door we feel special, especially this time of year.
My wife Cheryl and I are looking forward to a joyful Christmas and New Year celebration with our family, including our grandson Derion. As you can see, he LOVES the holidays! Also in the picture you can see our wonder dog Yetti! He’s a rare Saint Berdoodle, a cross between a St. Bernard and a Poodle. You can learn more at www.saintberdoodlebreeder.com.
11/26/13:
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to share with your family and friends. We have the good fortune of celebrating this holiday with our grandchildren Brody and Jovie. We hope you will be with your family, as well!
11/7/13:
Hello! Well our big news for this month is this new website! We hope you will take time to check it out. I particularly like this video on how to brush your teeth. Click here to watch it!