One-Visit Root Canal Therapy

Posted November 16, 2010 by Dr. Stewart

In some cases, I can perform root canal treatment in my office, in just one visit. I’m Dr. James Stewart, and at my Livonia dental office, you’ll find comfortable, competent dental care and wise counsel for excellent oral healthcare. If you’ve been told that you need a root canal, feel free to schedule a second opinion visit with me.

A human tooth has layers. The white part we see is the enamel, and a layer of sensitive dentin is underneath. Then, the inner core is a canal that houses the tooth’s root, or nerve. The root brings nutrients to the tooth and removes waste. If the root is compromised by a deep cavity or fracture, it can become infected — and ultimately, it will die. The infection builds, creating painful pressure from within the tooth. Root canal treatment is a procedure in which I remove the internal infection and place a man-made substance in the tooth’s canal. The tooth is then crowned, and it can remain in place indefinitely if it stays healthy.

The alternative to a root canal is extraction of a tooth, and it’s always best to replace the missing tooth. Looked at this way, a root canal is a conservative treatment option.

After an initial exam, I will tell you if you’re a candidate for one-visit root canal treatment in my office. If your case is more complex, I’ll recommend a local endodontist, a specialist in root canal therapy.

Livonia Parks & Recreation Center is Great for Healthy Living!

Posted November 11, 2010 by Dr. Stewart

Do you get out and about to stay fit? Or do you lock yourself in during the winter months and focus only on the holidays? Stress is at an all-time high for most people in November and December, and exercise is a great way to reduce stress. At the Livonia Parks & Recreation Center, you’ll find a great selection of activities, classes, and events for every age group.

Swimming: There’s a leisure pool and competition lap pool. There’s a water slide, lazy river, water playground, and spa pool indoors. Outdoors in the summer, kids can enjoy the splash pool or water spray ground in the sun.
Gym Sports: The main gym features two full-size basketball or volleyball courts. In the multi-activities court, two more basketball courts are available, as well as inline hockey, floor hockey, indoor soccer, lacrosse, badminton, and special events.
Fitness Hub: A great selection of cardiovascular equipment, ranging from treadmills to elliptical trainers to recumbant bikes, make staying fit a cinch. There are also free weights, leg press stations, and over 2K lbs. of weight plates. To keep your mind occupied during workouts, the Fitness Hub is equipped with a complete TV sound system.
Track: A 1/11 mile track, indoors, is great for walkers and joggers. The outdoor path for walking and jogging spans 1/2 mile.
Rock Climbing: Twelve stations are available at the 42’high by 36′ wide rock climbing wall. Parents and children love this activity, and it can be an extreme workout.
For Kids: In addition to childcare, up to two hours at a time, the rec center has a giant tree fort for children to enjoy, and a game room for older kids.
Skate Boarding: Outdoors, kids can enjoy a 14K sq.ft. skate park with raps, 1/2 pipe, fun box, spines, and more.
Volleyball: There’s indoor volleyball in the gym, two sand courts are located outside.
Soccer: Indoor and outdoor soccer are available.

So don’t stay indoors and let the calories — and stress — build up this holiday season. Get out and get fit! My team and I want you to enjoy a high quality life of good health, fun, and wellness.

Great Halloween Candy Buy Back Event ~ Thank You!

Posted November 9, 2010 by Dr. Stewart

Thanks to everyone who helped make our second annual Halloween Candy Buy Back a great success! We collected 400 lbs. of candy this year, which was more than double last year’s collection! That means more candy for Operation Gratitude (www.opgratitude) to include in their care packages for the troops. We also have a lot of cards that were made by the children, and we will include them with the candy. I am told the cards are also greatly appreciated by the troops.

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We wanted to extend a special thank you to those in the community that helped out in our event this year:

Community Choice Credit Union
Huntington Bank
Westborn Market
Little Caesars
Burger King
V.F.W.

We feel that this is a great event because not only are we helping to support our troops, we are getting rid of that excess candy that causes cavities and contributes to childhood obesity. Thanks again for your support for the troops and our children’s health!

Celebrate Veterans Day in Detroit

Posted November 5, 2010 by Dr. Stewart

Veterans Day is a time to honor all of the men and women who have served our great country. Having our office located in Livonia, so close to Detroit, means that we get to participate in all Detroit has to offer.

The Metropolitan Detroit Veterans Coalition invites all veterans to march in the 5^th Annual Metro Detroit Veterans Day Parade and Ceremonies. Veterans day is Thursday, November 11, but the parade will take place tomorrow, Saturday, November 6 and proceed south on Woodward Avenue to Hart Plaza.

Veterans’ organizations, including service organizations, youth groups, and marching bands are encouraged to march in the parade. Community members of all ages are encouraged to come cheer on and recognize those who so willingly made sacrifices to protect our freedoms and rights.

You Can Have a Healthy Budget & a Healthy Mouth

Posted November 2, 2010 by Dr. Stewart

In tough economic times, Americans have to pull together. I’m committed to offering affordable dental healthcare to Livonia families, but I will never, ever compromise quality. That’s a promise.

If you need significant dental work, like full-mouth reconstruction, dentures, or cosmetic procedures, CareCredit can ease the strain on your budget. With low- and no-interest financing options, CareCredit allows monthly payments on short or long loan schedules. This means that you can get the dental work you need now for a healthy mouth and beautiful smile, but you can finance the cost over months or years.

Oral health has been closely linked to overall health. Gum disease, for instance, is linked to an increased risk for heart attack, stroke, and other serious health complications. Infection in a tooth, left untreated, can get into the blood stream and cause serious problems. Don’t let your oral health suffer because your budget is strapped. Instead, call my office at 734-425-4400 and talk to us about CareCredit.

Enjoy Some History and Nature this Halloween Weekend

Posted October 29, 2010 by Dr. Stewart

My team and I love being located in Livonia, a suburb of Detroit, because there is always something new and fun going on to tell our patients about.

This Saturday, October 30, the Nature Center of Oakwoods Metropark is hosting a Halloween history and fun day. Bundle up and head on out to Oakwoods Metropark, located in Belleville, to learn about the history of Halloween and trick-or-treating.

You can enjoy the beautiful scenery of Oakwood Metropark and the picturesque Huron River. After the presentation at the Nature Center, walk and explore the surrounding trails of the 1,756-acre park, which is located near Flat Rock.

Admission to the Halloween history day is $3 and registration is required. Please call (734) 782-3956 to register and for more information. Get the family outside and active this weekend!

Outshine the Lights This Holiday Season

Posted October 26, 2010 by Dr. Stewart

It’s hard to compete with the dazzle of the holidays. You try to juggle work, kids, shopping, event planning, event attending, and a ton of other tasks that can leave you frazzled. The problem is, in November and December, everyone seems to take photos! So there you are, looking bedraggled and feeling like a cat in a roomful of rocking chairs. What’s the one thing – the one simple thing – you can do now to make those photographs positive memories of the season (rather than kindling for the upcoming winter)?

People agree, the single most important feature, according to studies, is our smile.

People also agree, a bright smile makes a person look better…much better in some cases.

Today, teeth whitening can give you a smile that’s youthfully white and, thus, very attractive. I’m Dr. James Stewart, and at my Livonia general and cosmetic dentistry office, patients can choose from immediate, in-office teeth whitening or a more gradual transformation with professional-strength home whitening kits.

Home kits take two weeks to produce results similar to one-visit, in-office whitening, so you have time for either. When you come in for a teeth whitening consultation, we’ll discuss your experience with whitening systems, your level of tooth sensitivity, and the results you’re looking for. Then, together, we can determine which type of whitening is best for you.

If you live in Livonia, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Plymouth, Novi, Garden City, and surrounding communities, my team and I would like to introduce you to our family friendly, fun, and comfortable dental office. Call 734-425-4400 today to schedule a consultation.

Please Welcome Nameless CPAP to Our Team

Posted October 22, 2010 by Dr. Stewart

This is our newest addition to the James Stewart, DDS team. Sadly, he does not have a name, and we hope you can help by commenting on our blog or Facebook page with ideas. Here’s the scoop on him:

Nameless is a member of the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure family, commonly called the CPAP family. For many, many years, his family has earned a respected reputation for improving sleep and reducing snoring in many a human. We invited Nameless CPAP to join our team because he desperately needed a job. His entire family is getting laid off, which you might attribute to the economy. But nay, the CPAP family is out of work because they did not keep up with modern technology. They would not take the continuing education required; they would not grow, develop, and transform to meet the needs of their clients. Of late, the Somnomed and Silent Nite families have replaced the CPAPs and are moving sleep apnea therapy into a new age of comfortable, effective treatment.

So, to be honest, we felt sorry for Nameless. He’s ancient and has outlived his usefulness. We allow him to greet our patients in the front office, and his son the modern CPAP, does occasionally work for us on a contract basis. Nameless CPAP works directly under the watchful eye of our office administrator. If he says anything off color or rude, please alert his manager immediately. He is a dying breed, and we respect him as our elder, but if he causes any trouble, he’s going straight to the resale shop.

Our team and patients are coming together in a mercy-effort to give Nameless CPAP a good moniker. Help us out – and get creative! So far, the name list includes Iron Cross, Torture Chamber, Pilot Mask, Stenographer Mask, and OMG Are You Serious? To clarify, that last one was indeed a name idea, not a question. And yes, we are serious.

You Are What You Eat. Just Ask Your Mouth.

Posted October 21, 2010 by Dr. Stewart

When you think about the word diet, losing weight may come to mind. Or maybe thoughts of which foods are best, as in a balanced or healthy diet. Most people don’t automatically think about their oral health and how it relates to what we eat. I’m Dr. James Stewart, and I’m one of the few who do think about oral health in relation to diet.

Before food ever reaches your stomach, it affects the balance in your mouth. Sugars and starches are converted into acids when they enter the mouth, and these acids are the main cause of tooth decay (cavities). Many health experts tell us to eat small meals often rather than a few large meals in a day. While this is good for our metabolism, it’s not ideal for our mouths unless – unless you eat foods that are low in starch and sugar, and you rinse your mouth with water after eating.

Best foods for oral health include cheese, meats, milk, and nuts because they contain calcium and phosphorus, minerals necessary for remineralization of teeth. Remineralization is the process of restoring minerals to tooth enamel. Acids eat away the minerals, remineralization replenishes them.

You’ve heard that an apple a day keeps the doctor away? Not only are apples and crunchy fruits and veggies good for your bodily health, they’re also good for your mouth. These foods have a lot of water in them to dilute their sugars. Water also promotes saliva production, and saliva equalizes acids while rinsing away food particles so that they don’t sit on teeth and cause demineralization. (more…)

Operation Gratitude

Posted October 16, 2010 by Dr. Stewart

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You may have read my blog earlier this week about the Halloween Candy Buyback program our office is taking part in. What you may not know is the bigger picture behind this event — taking part in Operation Gratitude.

Operation Gratitude seeks to lift morale and put smiles on faces by sending care packages addressed to individual Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines deployed in harm’s way. Operation Gratitude care packages contain food, hygiene products, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation, all wrapped with good wishes of love and support.

Through Collection Drives, Letter Writing Campaigns and Donations of funds for shipping expenses, Operation Gratitude provides civilians anywhere in America a way to express their respect and appreciation to the men and women of the U.S. Military in an active, hands-on expression of thanks.

Halloween Candy Buyback is just a small part of their overall program and we are proud to be involved. Visit Operation Gratitude for more information, videos and what you can do to get involved.