Brighten Your Smile
Susan Vogel

Teeth whitening is a popular choice today. There are several options available to the consumer. The store purchased products vary in strength from the weakest being the paint on types to the strongest being the press on strip types. Dental offices offer stronger options which will whiten your teeth quicker.

There are instant result, in office treatments, which take about 1& 1/2 hours to perform. This type of treatment is the most expensive and can run as high as $1000.00 for the entire dentition. Some of these treatments include the use of a laser or a special light which speeds up the process. Some of these do not require a light or laser. The one I offer does not require a light or laser and the cost is$200.00 for the entire mouth.

The most common whitening has been with the use of trays that fit on your teeth in which you place a whitening gel. Initial whitening generally take 1 hour per day for 2 to 3 weeks total use. These can run from $100.00 (usually a special pricing offer) to $500.00 in dental offices. I do not offer this product.

Crest also offers a dental office only strength of Crest Strips which is 4 times stronger than the over the counter strips. In other words it would take 4 boxes of over the counter strips to equal the whitening power of the dental office strength. Crest has also recently offered a dental office only strip that is suitable for ages 12 and up. The rule of thumb has been age 16 and over for whitening. I offer the crest professional strength products. This product runs up to $100.00 in dental offices. My fee is $70.00 for a box that gives 3 weeks of strips, a crest spin brush and a tube of whitening toothpaste. (compared to 4 boxes of over the counter strips at $30.00 per box for a total of $120.00)

The whitening agent in these various products is carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide. The hydrogen peroxide products give faster results but can cause more temporary tooth sensitivity and gum tissue irritation. These require care in use and supervision of a dental professional. The carbamide peroxide products work just as well but take a little longer. Generally the potential for temporary tooth sensitivity is decreased as well as the potential for gum tissue irritation.

Initial whitening generally lasts several months. The person's habits such as smoking, coffee, tea, red wine, blueberries, and other teeth staining types of foods contribute to the teeth not being as white as they were initially. When a person wants to boost or touch up their whitened teeth it generally takes 2-3 days of product use to restore the initial results. Touch ups should not exceed once per month. Some people only need to touch up every 6 months or so. Each person is different.

At this time there have not been any reported irreversible changes from whitening. Temporary sensitivity and tissue irritation is common. These symptoms usually disappear within a few days. Extensive use of peroxide is not recommended as it can cause irreversible tissue irritation if used improperly.

Susan Vogel has been a dental hygienist since 1976. Dental Hygiene Services LLC is located at 3950 JFK Parkway and offers Affordable Teeth Cleaning For All Ages.
She opened Dental Hygiene Services LLC with the vision of increasing access to care for the underserved in our area.  Many people are not able to afford the cost of a full service dental office and are often left without dental care.  At Dental Hygiene Services LLC, you can come in for a teeth cleaning, oral evaluation, oral cancer screening, blood pressure measurement, oral hygiene instruction and referral to a dentist as needed.  There is no income qualification.  Susan is a Medicaid Provider for ages 0-20 and offers a discount for Seniors ages 60+ and college students. Teeth Whitening products and services are also available at a discount as compared to dental offices.  
Please visit her website at www.4cleanteeth.net for more information.  Call today to schedule your appointment: 970-227-5642.

Understanding Chinese Medicine
Written by Diana Hermann, LAc.

Many people in our culture are largely unfamiliar with Chinese (or Oriental) medicine. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a comprehensive medical system with the ability to diagnose, treat and prevent illness. While the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine truly is a work of art, it is also true that this is a well-organized system of medicine whose basic medical theory was founded on keen observation and surprisingly logical thought …a science.

Science is defined as “the observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of natural phenomenon.” Traditional Chinese Medicine, as it is practiced today, is the result of almost 3000 years of observation, identification, description, experimentation, and explanation of phenomena in nature. TCM takes its deep understanding of our natural world and applies it to the diagnosis and treatment of illness and disease.

Chinese medicine differs fundamentally from western medicine in regards to its basic view of the human body. Western medicine looks at a biochemical or biomechanical model of the body (i.e. made up of chemical constituents, molecules, cells, etc.). Chinese medicine, on the other hand, views the human body based on a bio-energetic model. This model does not deny the existence of the chemistry and mechanics involved in our functioning; it merely recognizes that the physiology of the body (its chemical and mechanical functioning) is dependent on the energetic functioning of the body.

To better understand this bio-energetic model, we need to define the important concept of Qi (“chee”). Qi can best be defined as matter on the verge of becoming energy and, conversely, energy on the verge of becoming matter. Just as there are various forms of energy in the universe, there are various forms of Qi in the body. The different types of Qi can exist in various stages of formation. Think of this like the ability of water to exist in various phases: solid (ice), liquid (water) and gas (vapor). It is still water regardless of how material or how ethereal its form. For simplicity sake, let’s just consider Qi as the vital energy of the body.

Like everything else in the human body, Qi is very highly organized. Just as blood is carried through a network of blood vessels and electrical impulses travel along nerves, Qi runs along very specific pathways called channels or meridians. These channels are interconnected, to each other and to the organs. They distribute Qi throughout the body and serve as lines of communication between the organs. At various places along the channels that run closest to the surface of the body, there exist tiny portals where the Qi of the system can be accessed. These are the acupuncture points and each one has specific therapeutic functions. The Qi of the channel or of specific organs can be adjusted by the stimulation of these acupuncture points (via needle insertion, acupressure, or other methods). Chinese herbs can also be employed to adjust or balance the Qi and help heal the body of disease or prevent future problems from developing.

In Chinese medicine it is understood that while each organ has physiological, organic functions to perform, they each have energetic responsibilities to fulfill as well. Let’s examine the Liver to illustrate this concept. The Liver detoxifies blood, metabolizes nutrients and synthesizes bile. In addition to these physiological operations, the Liver is responsible for ensuring the smooth flow of Qi. This means the Liver is in charge of making certain that the emotions, the digestion and the general Qi of the entire system flow smoothly. In this regard, the Liver acts as the manager. So while the Liver does not directly perform digestion, for example, an energetic imbalance in the Liver can cause a disturbance in the digestive system because the Liver cannot carry out its managerial responsibilities.

Both internal and external factors can contribute to imbalances in the energetic functioning of the channels and the internal organs, leading to illness and disease. Internal factors include unbalanced emotions. Each organ has an associated emotion and when that emotion is no longer appropriate or healthy, it leads to inappropriate or unhealthy responses from it associated organ. The easiest example to relate to is the Liver again. The Liver is associated with anger. When a person becomes stressed, the Liver can no longer ensure the smooth flow of Qi (things get “stuck”), it can no longer direct the digestive system properly and it can no longer maintain smooth emotional responses. Thus, a stressed person may get a headache or develop digestive problems or they may be irritable, easily angered or depressed.

External influences that can lead to internal imbalances include climate, toxins (such as chemicals, drugs, pollutants), and pathogens (germs). We all know the saying “Be careful not to catch a cold!” Well, in Chinese medicine we say you not only can catch a cold from the environment, you can also catch a heat, dryness or dampness. Early Chinese practitioners described what they observed by likening the phenomena in the body to the phenomena witnessed in nature. For example, when a person suddenly developed an acute illness accompanied by chills, it was said they were invaded by cold (driven into the body by wind) or if they developed an acute fever they likely were invaded by heat or heat-toxins. These analogies were clinically useful because over the course of many many years, herbs and acupuncture points were found to effectively treat these illnesses. So if an herb was able to clear the acute “cold” or “heat” or that the “wind” brought into the body, these herbs were classified as having the ability to “Dispel Wind-Cold” or “Clear Wind-Heat”. Modern research has revealed that acute infections are caused by viruses and bacteria. As it turns out, the Chinese herbs that have been used for hundreds or thousands of years to “Clear Wind-Heat” or “Clear Heat-Toxins” actually have strong antiviral and antibacterial properties. Not really a mystery there, just a different way of explaining the cause of illness.

The above illustrations are but a few examples to help make TCM a bit more tangible to the inexperienced person. In addition, new research and new understandings of this remarkable ancient medicine continue to bring its theories to modern light.

Diana Hermann, LAc.

Diana Hermann is a licensed acupuncturist currently practicing Traditional Chinese Medicine in Fort Collins, Colorado. She received her Master’s degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine in 1999. She is certified in both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine by the NCCAOM. Diana continued her post-graduate training with clinical internships in the affiliated hospitals of the Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China. You can contact her at (970) 416-9600 or visit www.HermannAcupuncture.com.