Dental Health and Diabetes Advice from Your Livonia Dentist

Posted March 27, 2012 by Dr. Stewart

Today, Tuesday, March 27, 2012, is American Diabetes Alert Day hosted by the American Diabetes Association. In honor of this national day of observance, Livonia, MI dentist Dr. James Stewart wants to discuss how oral health and diabetes are closely connected.

Is There a Connection Between Gum Disease and Diabetes?

Gum disease—an infection of the gums that causes the gum tissue to pull away from the teeth—is an unexpected condition that often occurs with diabetes. In fact, research shows that people with diabetes have an increased chance of developing gum disease, in addition to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and other serious health problems.

Recent research suggests that the relationship between gum disease and diabetes is a two-way street, meaning people with diabetes are more susceptible to gum disease, and gum disease contributes to the advancement of diabetes by affecting the blood glucose levels. (more…)

Keeping Dental Work Safe After Your Livonia Dental Appointment

Posted March 22, 2012 by Dr. Stewart

Livonia, MI dentist Dr. James Stewart provides cosmetic, restorative, general, and preventive dental care to patients of all ages from across the greater Farmington Hills area. To help you achieve the healthiest and most attractive smile possible, Dr. Stewart will use every aspect of his expertise while you’re in his dental chair. Still, Dr. Stewart’s efforts can only be preserved if you take care of your dental work after you leave our dentist office. Over the next few weeks, we’ll cover what you should do to protect your newly treated smile following your dental procedures.

Caring for Your Dental Filling

Today, Dr. Stewart wants to discuss caring for your dental work after dental filling, crown, and bridge appointments.

Depending on your needs, Dr. Stewart might use anesthetic when placing a dental filling. If local anesthetic is used, your lips and tongue may feel numb for several hours following your procedure. To protect yourself from biting your tongue or burning your mouth, avoid chewing and eating or drinking anything hot until the numbness subsides. It’s also normal to experience some soreness in your gums, as well as sensitivity to heat, cold, and pressure following your appointment. If this occurs, rinse your mouth three times a day with warm salt water to reduce any swelling and discomfort. (more…)

Treating TMJ/TMD in Livonia

Posted March 20, 2012 by Dr. Stewart

Livonia, MI dentist Dr. James Stewart strives to help his patients achieve and maintain healthy, high quality lives, and, sometimes, this goes beyond the basic health of your teeth and gums. One of Dr. Stewart’s areas of expertise is treatment for TMJ conditions to help his patients restore function, comfort, and ease to their daily lives.

Why TMJ is Painful

Your TMJ—short for temporomandibular joint—is one of the most complex joints in your body and is responsible for all movement of your jaw, including speaking, yawning, biting, chewing, and—most importantly—opening and closing your mouth. Anytime the alignment of your jaw is out of place, often as a result of injury, bruxism (teeth grinding and clenching), or a bad bite relationship, TMD (temporomandibular joint dysfunction) can occur, and the result can be painful.

This pain is caused by the added stress and strain placed on the muscles and nerves surrounding the TMJ. For many patients, TMJ pain affects the head, neck, mouth, jaw, shoulders, or lower back. You might also experience worn teeth, bruxism, a clicking or popping noise when you move your jaw, ringing in your ears, and other symptoms. (more…)

Eating Better in Livonia for Better Overall Health

Posted March 15, 2012 by Dr. Stewart

Livonia dentist Dr. James Stewart is a comprehensive care dentist, meaning that he provides dental care of all kinds—cosmetic, restorative, general, preventive, sleep, TMJ, and more—to patients of all ages from across the greater Detroit area. Dr. Stewart also keeps up with the latest research conducted on the connection between oral and overall health. Because he sees so many patients with a variety of dental and health needs on a daily basis—in addition to scientific evidence—Dr. Stewart understands that oral and overall health are closely intertwined. He also recognizes that total wellness cannot be achieved only in the dental chair and, because of this, Dr. Stewart wants to discuss how eating better can help you smile better and lead a better life.

National Nutrition Month

The month of March is National Nutrition Month, hosted by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association). The theme of this year’s National Nutrition Month is “Get Your Plate in Shape,” and Dr. Stewart hopes you take the following nutritional information to heart to help yourself achieve optimal health. (more…)

Who is Livonia Dentist Dr. James Stewart?

Posted March 13, 2012 by Dr. Stewart

As a Livonia family, general, restorative, sleep, and cosmetic dentist, Dr. James Stewart provides a variety of top-notch dental care to patients of all ages. Known as a contributing member of the Livonia community, Dr. Stewart has developed a reputation as a smile-creating personable and professional health care provider, but who is the man behind James Stewart, DDS?

Meet Farmington Hills Dentist Dr. James Stewart

After graduating from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology, Dr. Stewart earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Michigan’s School of Dentistry in 1987. He completed a general practice residency at Sinai Hospital in Detroit the following year.

With a dedication to remaining on the cutting edge of what’s new in the dental world to better serve his patients, Dr. Stewart regularly completes continuing education courses, including prestigious programs at the Dawson Center for Advanced Dental Studies, the Advanced Prosthetic Training Program at the Postdoctoral Dental Studies Institute, and more. He also participates in numerous local study clubs and enjoys continuing his training and knowledge in the field dental sleep medicine. (more…)

Sleep Comfortably with Help from Your Farmington Hills Dentist

Posted March 8, 2012 by Dr. Stewart

As a Farmington Hills dentist, Dr. James Stewart provides cosmetic, general, family, restorative, and sleep dental services to his patients from across the Livonia, Michigan area. Today, in the midst of National Sleep Awareness Week, Dr. Stewart wants to discuss sleep apnea and why it’s so important to seek out treatment for this serious sleep disorder.

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea affects roughly 12 million Americans at any give time, yet many people don’t know that they suffer from this common-yet-debilitating sleep disorder.

Dr. Stewart treats obstructive sleep apnea, which occurs when the airways become blocked and normal breathing stops for extended periods of time—ranging from several seconds to several minutes—during sleep. When this occurs, the brain wakes the body to reinstate normal breathing. Additionally, the lack of oxygen flow can lead to a multitude of health problems, including heart attacks and/or cardiac arrest, because the heart is forced to work harder to pump oxygen through the blood to other parts of the body. (more…)

Showing Appreciation for Our Farmington Hills Dental Patients

Posted March 6, 2012 by Dr. Stewart

As a Livonia, Michigan, cosmetic, general, family, and sleep dentist, Dr. James Stewart believes that quality dental care is a right that everyone is entitled to. As a long-time member of the greater Farmington Hills community, Dr. Stewart also understands the power of word of mouth.

Referral Rewards Program for Novi Dental Patients

Because our best patients come from our best patients, Dr. Stewart and our Livonia dental team are proud to offer the Referral Rewards Program to our valued patients.

We always want to hear your feedback—good or bad—because it helps us know what we’re doing well, what could use some work, and your feedback allows us to serve you better. Referring your friends, family members, and neighbors to Dr. Stewart and our team is one of the greatest compliments we can receive, and we know that if you trust us with the smiles of your loved ones, we must be doing something right! (more…)

Children’s Dental Care in Livonia

Posted February 23, 2012 by Dr. Stewart

Dr. James Stewart is a comprehensive care dentist in Livonia, Michigan. This means that he provides a variety of dental treatments, procedures, and care to patients of all ages with a variety of dental needs. Today, with the end of February and National Children’s Dental Health Month drawing closer, Dr. Stewart wants to discuss the dental care for children he offers at our Farmington Hills-area dentist office.

The Happy Visit

With a friendly, personal touch and the desire to show children that the dentist office is a fun, positive place, Dr. Stewart supports the American Dental Association’s recommendation that children attend their first dental visit by the age of one year. To make this appointment easier for you, you can simply bring your baby to your next dental appointment.

Even if your child has no or few teeth, this checkup will allow Dr. Stewart to quickly examine your child’s mouth, checking his or her growth and development and making note of any potential problems, and address any questions you have about caring for your child’s smile. This appointment is referred to as a “Happy Appointment” simply because it gives your child a chance to become comfortable in the dental chair and, hopefully, sets the stage for a lifelong dedication to quality oral health. (more…)

Do You Need a Second Opinion?

Posted February 21, 2012 by Dr. Stewart

The decision to receive dental care is a big one. For most people, professional dental care is a normal, routine part of health care, but what about smile makeover dentistry? Cosmetic and/or restorative dentistry requires an investment of your time, money, trust, and one of your most-noticeable assets: your smile. Because of this, Livonia comprehensive care dentist Dr. James Stewart understands when you need a second opinion and he is happy to provide one for you.

When to Seek a Second Opinion

More than anything, it’s important to follow your instincts when it comes to deciding who will complete your smile makeover and routine dental care. Even if you’ve gone to your dentist for years, if something he or she is telling you about your potential cosmetic, restorative, or general dental work sounds odd or doesn’t sit well with you, it’s time to find another dentist to care for your smile.

A second opinion should also be sought out in the following situations:

Your dentist has diagnosed a major health problem, such as oral cancer.
You have had dental work that is not correcting the problem that originally brought you in to the dental office.
You are unsure if the recommended treatment is necessary and/or you’re concerned about costs.
You feel that your dentist is not qualified to treat your dental health problem or smile makeover case. (more…)

What To Do When You Have a Toothache

Posted February 16, 2012 by Dr. Stewart

Thanks to the wonders of modern-day dentistry, toothaches aren’t a very common problem for patients who attend regular professional dental cleanings and exams and keep up with proper dental hygiene. When a toothache does strike, however, it can be very difficult to endure, and it’s hard to know when your pain requires a trip to the dentist. Today, Livonia comprehensive care dentist Dr. James Stewart wants to give you a few tips for treating a toothache at home and when to schedule an emergency dental appointment for a toothache that just won’t go away.

Identifying Tooth Pain

Before you can try to treat your pain at home or reserve an appointment with Dr. Stewart, it’s necessary to identify what’s causing your toothache.

Generally, the most common—and minor—dental pain is caused by tooth sensitivity, which occurs when you eat or drink something hot, cold, or sweet and experience a quick “twinge.” Sinus problems can also cause several of your upper teeth to be achy at the same time. If you’re a bruxer, meaning that you grind your teeth and/or clench your jaw, you’re probably used to waking up with a sore jaw. Although bruxism does require attention from Dr. Stewart, this kind of pain does not indicate an inner-tooth problem that needs emergency attention. (more…)