Monthly Archives: March 2013

Posted in Health

A Dentist in Woodland Hills Will Restore Your Teeth in Many Forms

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There are a number of cases where a dentist will help you out with keeping your teeth healthy. Part of this includes the restoration procedures that you can utilize. These restoration procedures include many choices:

  1. The use of fillings
  2. Crowns or caps
  3. Fixed bridges
  4. Tooth Whitening

A dentist in Woodland Hills will give you the support you need to keep your teeth healthy. This must work well for whatever you want to get out of it.

Fillings are Often Used

A filling may be used to create a new substance inside a tooth, thus making it easier for the teeth to feel a little healthier and protected. A filling will be added in a composite form and used to prevent the root structure in a tooth from wearing out very quickly.A Dentist in Woodland Hills Will Restore Your Teeth in Many Forms

Crowns or Caps are Used as Well

There are also times when crowns or caps may be added. A crown is a material that will be placed over an existing tooth and used to create a better visual appearance.

The crown can be designed in a porcelain form and cemented over the body of a tooth. This is made to create pressure on the area so the gums and bone structure around a tooth will not be likely to wear out.

Fixed Bridges for More Teeth

Fixed bridges are special materials where you will have a particular series of teeth installed in your gums:

A series of secure bolts are used to get into the bone structure under the gums.
A series of teeth will be placed over those bolts. This makes up the bridge.
This will be used to give your teeth a more natural appearance without the annoying hassles that come with dentures.

This may help you out with keeping your teeth looking appealing while also avoiding gum disease. It could also work on just about any space around the gums.

Tooth Whitening is Useful

While it is true that some toothpaste products can help you to whiten your teeth, the tooth whitening procedures that a dentist can use will help you even more with keeping teeth from looking too old or worn out.

The whitening process often involves a few points:

  • Materials that have stronger amounts of hydrogen peroxide are often added in the process. A dentist in Woodland Hills will use materials that are of medical-grade and require plenty of protection so they can be used.
  • Sometimes dermabrasion procedures may be used to remove top layers of teeth, thus revealing the new white layers around the teeth to make them a little more appealing.
  • Veneers are often added in front of your teeth as well. This is primarily if there are chips or cracks on your teeth but this could also be used in the event that your teeth need to look a little brighter.

All of these restorative procedures are available through the services of a dentist in Woodland Hills. A dentist should help you out with all of these services to make it easier for your teeth to look and feel as great as possible without creating more risks than needed when trying to make your teeth a little more attractive.

Posted in Health

Testicular Cancer Medical Treatments

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percent of cancer in those aged 15 to 34. There is another, though lesser, peak risk period among men in their seventies. Caucasians with the disease outnumber African Americans four to one. Testicular cancer typically appears as a firm, painless lump or swelling in the front part of a testicle. Some men have also described a dull aching or heavy sensation located in the lower abdomen, groin, or scrotum, and swollen lymph nodes in the groin. About 95 percent of testicular cancers arise in the sperm making germ cells. The cause is unknown, but men who have an undescended testicle have about a fivefold increase in risk for developing the disease. There has been a marked increase in both undescended testes, or cryptorchidism, and testicular cancer in the last 40 years, especially among white males. Some researchers attribute this rise to mothers using hormones just before or during pregnancy. Studies have found a twofold increase in undescended testes among males born to women who took oral contraceptives in the month before conception. Risk was also increased by the use of DES, an artificial estrogen given to women until the late 1960s to prevent a threatened miscarriage. Possible risk factors for testicular cancer include exposure to cadmium and other industrial chemicals or metals.

Diagnostic Studies And Procedures

Any lump, swelling, or change in the way a testicle feels calls for prompt medical investigation. An ultrasound examination of the scrotum can locate the lesion and differentiate it from other conditions, such as epididymitis, an inflammation of a cordlike structure on the back of the testicle. A biopsy confirms the presence of cancer. If cancer is diagnosed, X-rays, CT scans, and other imaging studies of the abdomen and chest will be ordered to determine whether it has spread. Additional tests may include a urine flow study, or program, to detect any obstruction of the urinary tract; blood tests for various tumor or genetic markers; lymphography, X-ray depiction of the lymph system; and possible scans of the liver, brain, and bones.

Medical Treatments

Treatment usually begins with surgical removal of the entire testicle through inguinal orchiectomy, an incision in the groin. However, in some cases, radiation or chemotherapy alone is sufficient. Depending upon the cancer type and extent of any spread, surgery may be followed by radiation, chemotherapy, or a combination of the two. Even after treatment is complete, frequent checkups are important to spot any recurrence as early as possible. Testicular cancer is highly curable when detected and treated early.

Alternative Therapies

There is no substitute for medical treatment in dealing with testicular cancer, although such alternative therapies as meditation, self hypnosis, and visualization can help control pain and foster a sense of well being.

Nutrition Therapy

Some naturopaths recommend zinc supplements for men who have testicular tumors, based on laboratory findings that zinc injections sometimes shrink these cancers in animals. However, this treatment has not been studied scientifically in humans; indeed, there is some evidence that excessive exposure to zinc may actually promote testicular tumors.

Self Treatment

Early detection is the key to curing testicular cancer, and monthly self examination is the best means of early detection Men who find an abnormality often delay seeing a doctor, perhaps because they believe that removal of one or both testicles will prevent normal sexual intercourse. This fear is unfounded; a man can still achieve a normal erection following removal of one or both testicles. However, the cancer treatment may result in infertility; thus, he may want to have some of his sperm frozen for future use. Another important preventive step involves early treatment of an undescended testicle. Even after treatment, anyone born with an undescended testicle should be particularly conscientious about regular self examination.

Other Causes of Testicular Abnormalities

An injury to the scrotal area, a hernia, and epididymitis are among the benign conditions that can cause testicular swelling or lumps.