November 6, 2013

CalendarThere’s only so much time left in the year now. Do you still have dental benefits you can take advantage of? If you do, we invite you to call Robison Dental Group today to schedule one more appointment before 2013 comes to a close.

During your appointment, Dr. John Robison or Dr. J.D. Robison will assess your oral health and talk to you about whether you might benefit from extra care. If you do, your insurance may be able to help you pay for it.

Every insurance plan comes with a deductible and a yearly maximum. The deductible is what you have to pay before your insurance company will start covering the cost of care. Your yearly maximum is how much they’re willing to pay over a 12 month period.

If you’ve paid your deductible for the year but still have some of your yearly maximum left over, now is the time to take advantage of that.

Call Robison Dental Group in Canton today to schedule your appointment. Every patient should come in for regular care twice a year to ensure that they enjoy good oral health. If we have anything to recommend, we’re happy to explain how it will all work.

Time is running out! Contact us today for your appointment. Dr. John Robison and Dr. J.D. Robison serve patients from Canton, Ann Arbor, Northville, Westland, and Plymouth.

October 27, 2013

ThanksgivingFrom all of us at Robison Dental Group, we want to wish our patients from the Canton area a happy Thanksgiving!

This special holiday is a great time to spend with loved ones. And though we want you to have excellent oral health, a holiday like this one is the perfect time to set aside strict eating habits and just enjoy everything the season has to offer—even if that means a second slice of pie.

If you’d like to schedule an appointment with us after the Thanksgiving holiday, give our office a call. Our Canton dental team is happy to serve areas like Ann Arbor, Northville, Westland, and Plymouth.

October 26, 2013

Trick or TreatThe second half of the year is loaded with holidays. Starting with Halloween in October and running through the end of December, there’s one big event after another. That means plenty of holiday goodies, and especially candy.

All of those goodies contain sugar, of course.  When sugar and the bacteria in your mouth meet, the result is an acidic byproduct, which is what causes decay and cavities to form.

Does that mean you have to give up on your holiday goodies? Not necessarily. What if we told you there was a natural sweetener that would let you enjoy wonderful holiday goodies but also protects your teeth from cavities?

The good news is—there is!

The sweetener is called xylitol and it’s found naturally in the fibers of plants. How does it protect teeth? By responding differently to the mouth’s bacteria. Instead of creating an acidic byproduct, the combination of xylitol and bacteria promotes a neutral environment in which it’s harder for bacteria to cling to teeth. That’s why some brands of toothpaste use xylitol instead of fluoride to protect teeth from cavities. Beyond this, xylitol can be used instead of sugar for baking, and there are even brands of candy that are made with xylitol.

Do you want to learn more about xylitol? Read about it here. And to schedule an appointment with Dr. John Robison or Dr. J.D. Robison of Robison Dental Group, call us today. We’re happy to help patients from Canton, Ann Arbor, Northville, Westland, and Plymouth.

October 6, 2013

SmileA healthy smile is important, but so is a beautiful smile. Not only can you brighten a friend or family member’s day with one, but it can also be an asset in the business and dating world.

Unfortunately, not everyone has naturally dazzling teeth. Thankfully, with a cosmetic dentistry service like porcelain veneers from Robison Dental Group, it’s possible to achieve exactly what you’re looking for, and in a way that looks natural.

Porcelain veneers use very thin pieces of dental porcelain to hide a range of flaws, including, stains, cracks, chips, and misalignment. Through a consultation with Dr. John R. Robison or Dr. J.D. Robison, we can assess what your exact needs are and talk to you about your smile goals. Then, based on that conversation, our Canton dental team can start designing your veneers and prepping your teeth. To make porcelain veneers lie flat a small amount of enamel is removed from the front of teeth.

Using the information Dr. John Robison or Dr. J.D. Robison collects from your first appointment our lab will create a full, customized set of veneers for you. When they’re ready, you’ll come back to Robison Dental Group in Canton to have them fixed in place, completing your cosmetic treatment.

Do you want to know how your smile can benefit from porcelain veneers? Our team at Robison Dental Group can help. Call us today for a consultation. During your visit, we’ll assess your needs and explain all your options. We offer exceptional cosmetic care to patients from Canton, Ann Arbor, Northville, Westland, and Plymouth.

September 27, 2013

In our last post, we talked about the powerful effect stomach acid can have on teeth. Most cases of decay aren’t caused by stomach acid, though. Instead, when most patients experience tooth decay, it’s the result of bacteria and plaque. Bacteria reacts to many foods—especially foods high in sugar—by producing acid, which leads to more bacteria and more acid, resulting in an environment harmful to teeth.

What’s more, the buildup of bacteria, plaque, and acid also contributes to gum disease. As one of the most common oral health conditions a patient can face, gum disease can have a dramatic effect on one’s oral health (it’s the most common cause of tooth loss in adults)

Thankfully, Dr. John R. Robison and Dr. J.D. Robison offer care for both tooth decay and gum disease. With services like composite fillings and porcelain crowns, plus periodontal therapy, our Canton dental team can provide effective care against both.

We also recommend coming to Robison Dental Group twice a year for checkups and cleanings. Though we offer these great general and restorative services, regular checkups and cleanings are designed to prevent the most common oral health conditions from forming in the first place.

During your visit we can also offer home care tips that will help you protect your smile in between visits to our Canton dental office. We recommend brushing at least twice a day and flossing at least once. You may also benefit from an antibacterial or fluoride mouthwash.

Has it been more than six months since your last checkup? Call Robison Dental Group for an appointment. We serve patients from Canton, Ann Arbor, Northville, Westland, Plymouth, and beyond.

September 13, 2013

At some point, everyone experiences a touch of heartburn. For some, though, it’s not uncommon to have heartburn two, three, or more times a week. Cases like this are a good indication of acid reflux disease. Other common symptoms of an acid reflux condition include:

  • Bloating or burping
  • Regurgitation
  • Hiccups
  • Nausea
  • Narrowing of the esophagus
  • Weight loss
  • Bloody/black stools or bloody vomiting
  • Sore throat, hoarseness, wheezing, or dry cough

These uncomfortable or unpleasant symptoms can all have an impact on your overall wellbeing, but did you know your oral health can also be affected?

A patient who experiences acid reflux several times a week is at risk of decay and possibly worse. That’s because when acid from the stomach comes into contact with the teeth, it has a damaging effect on their protective layer of enamel. Then, as the sensitive layer of dentin underneath is exposed, this becomes a bigger and bigger problem.

Symptoms of teeth damaged by acid include:

  • Sensitivity, in particular to foods that are cold, hot, or sweet
  • Teeth that have thinned or become shorter
  • Pain or irritation
  • Teeth with sharp edges

Have you experienced any of these symptoms? Call Robison Dental Group for help. We offer effective general, cosmetic, and restorative services for patients from Canton, Ann Arbor, Northville, Westland, Plymouth, and beyond.

August 29, 2013

Many patients experience chronic headaches without understanding what might be causing them. The surprising truth is that, often, frequent headaches—plus neck, shoulder, and back pain—are caused by a problem with your bite, labeled as TMJ syndrome.

TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint. Every patient has two, and they’re located near the ear, where your upper jaw and your lower jaw meet. These joints make it easy to open and close your mouth for eating, speaking, yawning, etc. Sometimes, though, stress or an improper bite can cause the joints to dysfunction, exposing nerve endings and resulting in your uncomfortable symptoms.

Have you experienced symptoms that you think could be related to TMJ syndrome? Dr. John R. Robison and Dr. J.D. Robinson or Robison Dental Group can help. Using some of today’s best technology, we can detect your misalignment and treat it, bringing you relief from your symptoms.

Call Robison Dental Group today to schedule an appointment with our Canton dental team. We want to help you find relief from discomfort and enjoy better oral and overall health. We offer effective TMJ therapy to patients from Ann Arbor, Northville, Westland, Plymouth, and beyond.

August 15, 2013

For patients who avoid smiling because of how their teeth look, a full-mouth reconstruction from Robison Dental Group can help you improve how your smile looks and how it functions. Like a smile makeover, a full-mouth reconstruction combines multiple services into one customized plan.

Some of the services most often included in a full-mouth reconstruction include:

But how can you know which services are right for you? Dr. John R. Robison and Dr. J.D. Robison will help through a consultation appointment at their Canton dental office.

What does a consultation visit involve?

A consultation begins with your Canton doctor taking a close look at your teeth and gums to see what your needs are. Also involved is a conversation with you about how you’d like us to help you. What our Canton team is trying to understand with all of this is your medical history, your needs, and your goals going forward. Then, we’ll take all that and put together a treatment plan that’s completely customized. After all, not every patient has the same needs.

Do you want to learn more about full-mouth reconstructions? Call Robison Dental Group today to reserve an appointment with our Canton dental office. We provide excellent general, cosmetic, and restorative care to patients from Ann Arbor, Northville, Westland, Plymouth, and beyond.

July 31, 2013

For today’s post, we’d like to talk about something that is only tangentially related to oral health, but is related nonetheless—antioxidants.

You may have heard that antioxidants are good for your health, but do you understand why? Our guess is that most people don’t. Here’s why they’re important.

First, you have to understand that within the molecules that make up your body, there are atoms, each containing two positive protons and two neutral electrons. However, because of stress, poor eating, or environmental factors like pollution, it’s possible for an individual atom to lose an electron, causing it to become unstable. When that happens, the destabilized atom, known as a “free radical,” will try to steal an electron from a nearby atom, causing a chain reaction. This is what’s happening when we talk about the oxidation process.

If the oxidation process isn’t treated in some way, it can contribute to a variety of health problems, including:

  • Cancer
  • Gingivitis
  • Diabetes
  • Heart attack

Thankfully, that process can be stopped with antioxidants. The reason antioxidants are able is help is because they have an extra electron that they can lend to these unstable “free radicals.” But where can you find antioxidants? In all kinds of places, including coffee and green tea, fruits and veggies, legumes and seeds, and more. To effectively combat oxidation, we recommend having anywhere between five and nine servings of antioxidants a day.

Do you have questions about how antioxidants work, or do you just need to schedule an appointment with our Canton dental office? Call Robison Dental Group today to set up an appointment with Dr. John R. Robison or Dr. J.D. Robison. We serve patients from Canton, Ann Arbor, Northville, Westland, and Plymouth.

July 18, 2013

Drinks like coffee, tea, red wine, soda, and fruit juice are commonly cited for causing teeth stains, but there’s more to staining than any of these. Aging is another big factor. But unlike other common causes of staining, aging isn’t something that can be avoided.

Still, with a cosmetic dentistry service like teeth whitening, there’s a way around this type of staining, one that will improve confidence. But that’s not all. With your whiter, brighter smile, you can also turn back the clock on your appearance, enjoying wonderful anti-aging benefits.

At Robison Dental Group, your Canton cosmetic dentists—Dr. John R. Robison and Dr. J.D. Robison—offer two teeth whitening options for patients to take advantage of.

The first option, in-office whitening, takes just a single appointment to complete and allows you to sit back and relax in our comfortable office. The second option, take-home whitening, lets you do it all on your own schedule, while you’re cleaning the house, watching TV, reading, or any number of other things.

But which of these teeth whitening options is right for you?

If you’d like to learn more about teeth whitening in general, or you’d like to see which option might be best for you, call Robison Dental Group today. We’re happy to offer cosmetic care to patients from Canton, Ann Arbor, Northville, Westland, and Plymouth.