Blue Ocean Publishing Group has selected Dr. Brian McDowell, DDS, who’s dental practice is in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, to be a contributing author of the upcoming book, “A Reason to Smile.” The book will include contributions from a number of prominent experts in the field of dentistry, and provide information on different restorative and cosmetic dental treatments, such as teeth whitening, dental implants, and veneers. The purpose of “A Reason to Smile – Fixing Broken Confidence with Cosmetic Dentistry”, scheduled for release later in 2017, is to assist patients who want to learn more about dental treatment options. Anna Foster, Purchasing Agent for Blue Ocean Publishing Group, states that the book will serve to connect dental patients with expert dentists in virtually every dental treatment specialty. “We’ve selected experts who are particularly knowledgeable about, and skilled in, the very latest dental treatment procedures,” she said. “These dentists are passionate about serving patients with state of the art treatments, and will provide answers to a number of commonly asked questions about restorative and cosmetic dentistry.” The book’s content is addressed to patients thinking about having dental work done. It’s not a textbook for dentists. It will be easy for ordinary, everyday persons to read the book and learn about the latest restorative and cosmetic dental treatment options. Because of the expert panel of actively practicing dentists selected to author the book’s chapters, readers can rely on the information presented in “A Reason to Smile.” Blue Ocean Publishing has been assisted in putting the book together by collaborating with Barak Granot, co-founder of DentoMetrix, a leading dental marketing agency. Dr. McDowell, who’s emphasis is in sleep dentistry and physiologic dentistry, including treatment of TMJ, is the most recently selected dentist chosen to take part in the project. Dr. McDowell believes that, “This book can be a valuable help for dental patients looking for explanations of specific dental procedures and for information about treatment options. It’s important for patients to be able to make informed choices, and there are so many new treatment options out there. This book will help patients in finding a dentist who’s experienced in treating a patient’s particular dental problem.” In “A Reason to Smile,” Dr. McDowell’s contribution will be primarily in regard to his area of concentration in physiologic dentistry, treating problems such as TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorders. Dr. McDowell focuses on fixing bite issues which can cause headaches, sleep deprivation, and other problems for patients. Dr. McDowell offers a complete range of both general and cosmetic dental care services. His practice takes a holistic approach to treatment, and includes employing things such as sensory relaxation techniques and comfortable, heated neck pillows for patients. Dr. McDowell is a graduate of the Ohio State University College of Dentistry, and has earned the distinction of being named a Las Vegas Institute Fellow (LVIF) by completing advanced education courses at the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies. He and his team also continue their education by attending several dental conferences each year. Dr. McDowell also serves as an advisor to the Montachusett Regional Vocation Technical High School Dental Assisting Program and to the Mount Wachusett Community College Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting Program.

Let’s talk today about dentures. Dentures can have different meanings.Complete dentures are when an entire arch of teeth is being replaced. A partial denture is where one or more teeth are being replaced, but there are still teeth in that arch to help support it. Some of the issues with dentures are support, stability, and retention. Support refers to the gums, bone, and teeth (if a partial denture) that hold the denture in place. Stability is the ability of the denture to stay in place and retention is how well the denture stays in place. We create dentures that address all three of these concerns to minimize any issues you will have after we place the denture. One of the frequent concerns we hear is that with dentures, the person complains that they look ‘old’. Most people have some loss of support leading to this look. We create our dentures to rebuild the facial support, the cheeks and the lips to minimize this look. We work with you to create the look deserve. Just because you have dentures doesn’t mean you need to look like you have them! Please feel free to contact our office at 978-343-4031 with any questions or to schedule a consult to see what we can do for you.

Today, I would like to talk about our continual learning. We have recently attended the Yankee Dental Congress and got to take some amazing classes! The learning not only happens in the classrooms, but talking with our colleagues gives us as much, if not more information that we can take back and put to use immediately in our office. We have invested in our continual learning so that we can continue to provide excellent care to all of our guests as well as learning new and better ways of doing the procedures we are already doing. We have always felt that learning is and will always be part of what we do. The Yankee Dental Congress provided an opportunity to hear speakers that we have not heard before and get a little different perspective. Along with the classes, we were able to check out the latest and greatest new innovations that are or will soon be available. The future is full of plenty of new technology to make our lives easier and your experiences even better with us! We will continue to invest in our education and technology to continue to provide you with outstanding dentistry and a fantastic experience when you come into our office!

Next up will be a trip back to LVI (Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies) to again get updated on the procedures that we offer. Then, we will be attending the Dental Sleep Medicine Conference in June. We have added dental sleep treatments to what we offer in the office, so not only can we give you the smile you have always wanted, but now, we may be able to help save your, or someone you love, life! Following this will be the annual IAPA (International Association of Physiologic Aesthetics) meeting.

As you can see, we have a full education schedule along with our time in the office. I know there are some who read this that are not guests in our office and I have a question for you: Does your current dentist continually learn? Do they keep up on all of the advancements? Or, do they only take the “minimum” required to get and keep one’s license? These are questions we all should be asking of ALL our healthcare providers! Please contact our office at 978-343-4031 with any questions or for more information from us.

Happy New Year Everyone! Let’s start the new year out talking about how your teeth/jaws can influence your posture. If your bite is in the wrong position – meaning over closed, off to one side, not level side to side, this will cause extra pressure on the muscles of the head and neck. Each time we eat, drink, talk, swallow or chew, we need our teeth to touch together. To do this, our muscles need to work to close our jaw. If they have to work extra to do this, the extra force or pressure needed starts to get spread over different areas. The fist area is obviously the head and neck, causing all of these muscles to have to work harder. As this occurs, our head will start coming forward to help the muscles. Forward head posture, as this is known, then starts to put pressure on the back to help hold the head forward of where it should be. As this continues, the back (spine) begins to change shape, changing our posture. This can cause slouching, shoulder slump, uneven hips, etc. leading to back and leg problems. By re-aligning the jaw with a retainer-type device, we can correct the bite, putting the bite back in a balanced position. Once the bite is corrected, there is no need for the head to be forward to help the muscles any longer, so the forward head position begins to correct itself. As the forward head posture corrects, the back/spine again begins to change back to a healthier position, alleviating the slouching, shoulder slump, issues with hips, etc. So in conclusion, if you have any issues with your posture and you’re not sure of the cause, give us a call for an evaluation to see if we can help. Call Bettina at 978-343-4031 to schedule you consult. Make today the day you start working on a better you! Sincerely, Brian C. McDowell, D.D.S., L.V.I.F. Dr. McDowell is located at 558 Electric Avenue in Fitchburg, MA. Dr. McDowell has attained his fellowship from The Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies after completing the Core curriculum.

Spa dentistry, to our office, means providing you with as many amenities as we can to make your visit with us as comfortable as possible. We are always working to create a relaxing, welcoming atmosphere in our office.

To accomplish this, we provide many amenities for you to choose from. We have heated neck pillows, blankets to keep you warm and music of your choice during your visit. All of our computers have Pandora Radio and we encourage you to choose the music of your choice. In addition, we have lip balm to keep those lips healthy and happy while we get your work done.

We realize that most don’t care for that “dental office smell”, so we have candles going during our time in the office for additional relaxation. We offer complimentary bottled water, a selection of teas and coffees, as well as fresh baked goods each week. Dr. McDowell’s wife, Diane, enjoys baking and we get to enjoy the fruit of her labor each week.

After your visit, we provide bathroom luxuries- makeup for the ladies, cologne samples for the gentlemen, to freshen up before you leave.

As you can see, we try to create that “Spa” feeling throughout the office! We want you to be as relaxed and comfortable as possible during your visit.

Feel free to give Bettina a call at 978-343-4031 to schedule your visit to see what sets us apart! Looking forward to seeing you!

Sincerely,
Dr. Brian McDowell