Simply Smiles, P.A.

  April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month Hello to all of my Youth Fairy Squad members! I hope my blog post finds you all healthy and doing great and if you celebrated Easter, I hope it was relaxing and joyous. April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month. At every dental exam, either myself or Joe, the hygienist, will conduct an oral cancer screening exam while we are evaluating all of your oral tissues. That funny part of the exam when I ask you to stick your tongue out at me and I grab it and move it all around is a part of that oral cancer exam.  Oral cancer accounts for about 3% of all the cancers diagnosed each year in the US . Every hour, 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year, someone dies of oral or oropharyngeal cancer (cancer of the mouth and upper throat). Yet, if oral cancer is detected and treated early, treatment-related health problems are reduced and survival rates may increase. This year an estimated 54,000 new cases of oral cancer will be diagnosed. Of those individuals, 43 p...

  Having grown up in Springfield, Illinois, and the area around it, I am no stranger to all things Abraham Lincoln.   Just walking distance from my childhood home lived a kind, older gentleman named “Mr. Brunk” who my friends and I loved to visit.   He would share stories his parents would tell him about how Lincoln would stop and stay in the bed upstairs on his trips to and from Springfield.   He would take us up to the room and let us lay “right where Lincoln slept”.   It was thrilling to imagine and truly made Abraham Lincoln more real to me.   The home was built in 1829 and had been in the Brunk family until it sadly burnt down a few years ago.   Every school year, it was a field trip to Lincoln’s home, Lincoln’s New Salem, The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, and of course the poignant and moving tour of Abraham Lincoln’s final resting place in Oak Ridge Cemetery.   I was certainly influenced as a child to be curious about all things Hon...

Hello to all of my "Youth Fairy Squad" members!!!!   The first day of Spring (3/20), Daylight Savings Time (3/14) and St. Patrick's Day (3/17) are all just around the corner.  And a lot of things are happening around here at the Dental Studio and DentiSpa in anticipation of the Spring Days ahead.   ****************************************************************************************************** I am very happy to announce that I have teamed up with the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs and it's Community Care Network.                                " The VA Community Care Network (CCN) is VA’s direct link with community providers to ensure Veterans receive timely, high-quality care.  " This program is in place so that if a lengthy wait for treatment exists at the VA clinic, Veterans can be referred to my Dental Studio to receive their care....

  You're already a member of my "Youth Fairy Squad". Did you know that? Hi and Happy Smiles to all of my "Youth Fairy Squad". You may have read or heard me talk about my "Youth Fairy Squad" and probably don't know that: 1. You are already a member and 2. You can win gift cards, discounts and prizes!!!!!! Let me explain further. A very clever patient of mine had a thought that I should call myself "The Youth Fairy" 🧚🧚 ; a combination of "The Tooth Fairy" 🦷 and the fact that I have engaged in many many hours of advanced training in Facial Esthetics over the last 4 years. Helping my patients have a healthy, youthful face to frame their beautiful smiles has been so rewarding. And since I am Charlotte County's very own "Youth Fairy", that means that all of my loyal patients (including yourself) are a member of my Youth Fairy Squad. As a show of my appreciation I will be celebrating my Squad members by offering conte...

Why your dentist is the perfect person to do your facial esthetics procedures. Happy Smiles to all of my "Youth Fairy" squad members! I am often asked why I have been taking hours and hours of additional advanced training in facial esthetics (Botox, Dermal Fillers, P.D.O. Threads, etc.) over the last four years when I am "just a dentist". Actually, a dentist is one of the best professionals to administer esthetics procedures. Here are a few reasons why: DENTISTS HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE FOUNDATION OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE HEAD, FACE AND NECK ANATOMY. Being a D.M.D. (which is the abbreviation for the Latin "Dentariae Medicinae Doctor" which translates to "Doctor of Dental Medicine" or "Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry") my education for the first two years of dental school was heavily based in human anatomy and physiology. In addition, an even larger focus was placed on the head and neck region. Believe me when I say that we learn every muscle, bo...

  Hello and Happy Smiles to my "Youth Fairy Squad" members!   Has anyone else been feeling a bit stressed out lately? I have certainly noticed a large increase in the amount of patients that are clenching and/or grinding their teeth. A lot more broken teeth, sensitive teeth, headaches and broken fillings have been showing up in my chair this past year. Clenching and grinding are all habits that are often done subconsciously and are thus very hard to stop. They can cause microfractures in your enamel, cold sensitivity, pain in the face, pain in the TM joints, headaches, and often complete tooth fracture. Even neck and shoulder pain, earaches and ringing, and eye pain can be contributed to clenching and grinding your teeth.   Wearing a nightguard or bruxism appliance will protect your teeth and joints from the wear and tear from this habit, but they do not stop the problem. And most people actually clench and grind as much, if not more, during the day as they do at night....

  HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! TOGETHER IN 2021 LET’S HELP EACH OTHER START THE NEW YEAR RIGHT $100 DISCOUNT OFF OF ALL DENTAL CROWNS It is no secret that 2020 has been financially difficult for almost everyone. But I am confident that when Charlotte County works together, we can be a stronger, healthier community in the new year! To help kick start a great 2021 of both dental health and financial recovery I am gifting $100 off each and every dental crown started by February 28, 2021. If you already have a dental crown that has been treatment planned OR you think that you may need a dental crown, please call Phyllis at 941-625-5141 so that we can get your appointment time reserved for you. This $100 off crowns gift is open to all patients whether they are longtime patients or brand new members of our dental family, so if you have a friend or relative that is needing a crown, please pass this information along to them so they too can take advantage of the savings.