Healthy gums, healthy hearts! From Dr. Michael Long

Gum disease, known also as periodontal disease, is far more common in Americans than you may think. Year after year, new studies begin to link the effect gum disease can have on the heart, and we at the office of Dr. Michael Long have been helping spread the word! One of the simplest steps to achieving healthier gums can be your diet. Our staff recently found a great article outlining several options for healthier gums. Included among the suggestions were:

*Raisins
*Green Tea
*Whole Grains

In addition to these foods being gum-friendly, they happen to be healthy foods in general, and a great option to begin integrating into your diet this fall. If you have any questions about periodontal disease, please give us a call at 559-432-4850.

Welcome Drs. Kasey and Kevin Perry!

Dr. Michael Long and our entire staff are happy to welcome Dr. Kasey and Dr. Kevin perry to our Fresno office. Drs. Kasey and Kevin are recent graduates of U.O.P. Arthur Dugoni School of Dentistry. Born and raised in Fresno, they attended Clovis West High School, Fresno City College and graduated from San Diego State University with honors in Biology. While attending these institutions, they also played baseball.

Graduating from dental school with multiple awards, Drs. Kasey and Kevin bring a fresh approach to the practice of dentistry, which we're all excited about! We are sure you will enjoy meeting these two!

We are happy to now have the opportunity to provide more flexibility with appointments. Dr. Long, along with Drs. Kevin and Kasey will be able to deliver patients care during extended hours and Saturday appointments! Please give us a call at 559-432-4850 to schedule an appointment with our new doctors as soon as possible.

Happy Friday!

Introducing ONSET™, a painless and immediate anesthetic

Dr. Long and Perry's dental office is one of only 100 dental practices in the U.S. to use Onset by Onpharma buffered anesthesia for their dental injections. This new technique of buffering dental anesthetics just prior to inserting into tissues greatly reduces injection discomfort and creates instant anesthesia. Our office was chosen by Onpharma to be one of the first practices in the U.S. to use this technique.

Time for the anesthetic to work is greatly minimized due to the unique buffering of the solution, thus allowing immediate passage through the nerve sheath membrane, causing immediate and profound effect on pain receptors. Ordinary non-buffered solutions cause more discomfort and take longer to adequately anesthetize due to its acidic PH.

The usage of Onset will shorten the dental appointment and hopefully make painful dental injections a thing of the past. Drs. Long and Perry continue to expand the horizons of contemporary safe and comfortable dentistry for their patients.

The importance of flossing, from Dr. Michael Long

Dr. Michael Long and our staff hope you're not a part of the 51 percent of Americans who don’t floss daily. Or worse, we hope you're not part of the 10 percent who never floss at all. Our staff (as well as Dr. Long) will always tell you that proper flossing is just as important for your dental health as brushing regularly. Flossing cleans food and plaque that build up between teeth and below the gumline, key areas that brushing simply cannot reach.

Flossing 3-to-5 minutes everyday is recommended, but it's important to know that even a minute of flossing has a great benefit over not flossing at all. Also, make sure to always brush your teeth after you floss, and to rinse with water or mouthwash. When you begin flossing you may experience gum pain or bleeding, but with daily flossing and brushing this should stop within a week or so.

Lastly, has it been at least six months since your last visit with Dr. Long? If the answer is yes, we encourage you to schedule an appointment by calling 559-432-4850!

We hope you're enjoying your summer! Have a great Friday.