O`Malley Dental Monthly Newsletter May 2014, Issue 7

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May 2014, Issue 7
Happy Mother’s Day!!
Happy Mother’s Day to all of you
wonderful mothers out there. I hope
your day was as enjoyable as my
mother’s, but we’ll get to all that in a
few minutes. I want to apologize for
being a few days late this month with
our newsletter, but there is good
reason for it – O’Malley Dental has
been extremely BUSY! A very good
problem to have. As usual, a lot has
been going on, so I’ll get right to the
updates.
Staff
We are proud to announce the addition
of a new staff member to the O’Malley
Dental team. Our new hygienist,
Kathryn Highley, started working with
us a few weeks ago, and she is doing a
phenomenal job. I cannot tell you how
many patients have pulled me aside to
compliment her on her work. Kathryn
entered the dental field as a dental
assistant in 2006. There she fell in love
with dentistry, finding it to be a
practical way to love and serve others.
Now a dental hygienist, Kathryn is
passionate about providing optimal
comfort and care for each patient. She
firmly believes that a healthy mouth
leads to a healthier body, thereby
improving overall quality of life and
increasing self-confidence. With her
emphasis on patient education and the
delivery of compassionate, quality,
patient-focused care, Kathryn is a
perfect fit for O’Malley Dental. She is
originally from Cincinnati, Ohio (yes, I
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
2 ROOM 3 – An Update; and Straight Teeth
3 OSA Education on Snoring; and Current Promotions
4 Mother’s Day Photos and the Simpsonville Senior Fair
know, not a Browns fan, but being an
equal opportunity employer I had to let
it slide), where she earned her dental
hygiene degree. She moved to
Greenville in 2013 with her husband so
he could pursue a graduate theological
degree. In her free time, Kathryn
enjoys cooking, reading, learning more
about health and nutrition, spending
time with friends and family, and local
church ministries. If you have been
delinquent in coming in for your 6month check up, be sure to give us a
call to set up your next appointment
with Kathryn. Also, stay tuned for
next month’s newsletter and another
addition to the O’Malley Dental team.
Lorem
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May 2014, Issue 7
Want Straighter
Teeth?
Forget everything you’ve heard about
teeth straightening because we now
have a breakthrough technology that
lets you get the smile you always
wanted without bands, brackets, or
wires. It’s called “InvisAlign,” and
whether your smile needs minor
improvements or something more
extreme, we can help you – without
the metal!
The benefits of InvisAlign are
numerous. Because InvisAlign uses
comfortable plastic aligners to move
teeth, you can continue enjoying your
active lifestyle even during treatment.
There is no metal or wires to irritate
your lips or cheeks.
Straight teeth are important for
esthetics and personal confidence, but
also to help keep the gums and bone
(periodontal tissues) happy.
Malpositioned (crooked) teeth lead to
“food traps” which can cause cavities,
inflamed gums, gum recession, bone
loss, etc. Straight teeth are easier to
keep clean, and we all know that clean
teeth mean healthy teeth AND gums.
Please give us a call today if you would
like to know more about this cutting
edge technology. We are constantly
striving to improve your experience at
O’Malley Dental and look forward to
seeing you again soon!
Operatory
As I mentioned at the start of this
letter, we have been extremely
busy at the office. The time has
come for us to equip an additional
room!! That’s right, “room 3” is in
the works and will hopefully be
completed by mid-June.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Part III Snoring
What do a screaming child, a loud
car stereo, a motorcycle and a
jackhammer all have in common?
They all measure in at a lower
decibel level than a loud snorer.
Snoring is important to all of us
because it is often times the most
recognizable symptom that there
could be an underlying problem
with Obstructive Sleep Apnea
(OSA). Snoring is not a
diagnosable illness, but it is a
medical symptom that
millions of people suffer from. Most
importantly, it’s a symptom that
many people are very well aware of
(right, wives?) and are seeking
treatment for. According to some
studies, up to 50% of adults are
occasional snorers, and nearly 25%
of adults say they snore regularly.
As you can see from the stats, this
is an important issue for snorers
and their victims (spouses/bed
partners/or, in my case, young
children on hockey trips trying to
sleep in the same hotel room as
their father. Sorry, Dad, but I am
scarred for life).
What is snoring? Snoring is simply
the act of breathing, usually
through an open mouth, in such a
way as to cause vibration of the
pharyngeal tissues (tissues of the
throat/airway). The reverberating
tissues give rise to what can be a
loud, unpleasant sound. When the
tongue, soft palate, uvula and even
tonsils restrict the airway
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May 2014, Issue 7
more air has to be passed through an
increasingly smaller opening. When
the opening for air to pass becomes
too restricted, the air pressure blows
the tissues back. These tissues vibrate
as air passes by causing the snoring.
Think of it a flag flapping in the wind.
How are Oral Appliances used to
treat snoring? Keep in mind that
Oral Appliances work by
repositioning the mandible (lower
jaw), which is known as “mandibular
advancement.” The lower jaw is
opened and advanced to a position
that holds the tongue forward and
prevents the tissues of the upper
airway from collapsing over it,
causing obstruction. The objective of
Oral Appliance Therapy is to
increase the size and stability of the
upper airway through mandibular
repositioning. Keep this in mind as we
look through the risk factors of
snoring:
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Family History (Genetics); Nasal
Blockage; Allergies; Retrognathic
Mandible (a small, retruded
mandible).
All of these risk factors constrict the airway.
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Large Tongue (macroglossia);
Low-Draping Soft Palate;
Excessive Fat in the
Neck/Throat; Enlarged
Tonsils & Adenoids; Long
Uvula;
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Drinking Alcohol (This may
account for the higher OSA
prevalence in the Irish
population) relaxes the
tissues;
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Smoking irritates tissues and
causes inflammation of the
airway and uvula which leads
to a more restricted airway;
My mother, less than excited to be going for a
What does this ‘snoring’ symptom indicate?
The cause could be a number of things, but
the presence of snoring means something
very important to medical professionals
looking to treat sleep apnea – the airway is
collapsing and this person is at significantly
greater risk for obstructive sleep apnea. This
leads me to a VERY IMPORTANT point –
SNORING APPLIANCES SHOULD ONLY
BE MADE FOR PATIENTS AFTER AN OSA
EVALUATION AND/OR SLEEP TEST.
70% of the time snoring is indicative of OSA.
If a snoring appliance is made for a patient
without an OSA evaluation, one simply
eliminates the snoring without addressing the
OSA. This can, literally, be deadly, as it is
like taking the batteries out of a smoke
detector to turn off the alarm without putting
out the fire. The OSA evaluation needs to be
done first, and if OSA is ruled out, then a
snoring appliance can be made. What does
this mean for you? Do your
spouse/bedpartner a favor and CALL US at
O’Malley Dental for a FREE Snoring/OSA
Evaluation!
ride in the Jeep with the doors and windows off
Current Promotions!
Enjoy FREE Bitewing X-Rays this month at O’Malley Dental!! When you schedule your New Patient Check-up or
Cleaning Appointment enjoy COMPLIMENTARY Bitewing X-Rays (a $55 value!) CALL TODAY to take advantage of
this GREAT OFFER!! 864-962-4140.
Purchase a whitening procedure (either the take-home strips, bleaching trays, or bleaching tray refills) and a portion of
the fee will be DONATED by Dr. O’Malley to the “O’Malley Dental Guatemala Fund” for Project San Pedro 2015!!
We would also like to remind our patients that you will receive a free $20 VISA gift card when you refer a friend or
family member, per
referral!! Have your friends, family, and coworkers call today to schedule!! (864) 962-4140.
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May 2014, Issue 7
Ok, you made it. That’s all on snoring for today. Stayed tuned for next month’s OSA topic of
treatment options.
Mother’s Day
I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Mother’s Day this year. My parents came up to Greenville to
visit. I had to work on Saturday morning but we all headed to Artisphere for the afternoon,
followed by a delicious dinner at Green Room. On Sunday, after church, we headed to the
“bustling metropolis” of downtown Greer (my mother has been dying to see it as she has read a lot
about it in magazines) for lunch and then to Lake Robinson Park to enjoy the absolutely glorious day
by the lake. Ivey cooked for her mother on Saturday and enjoyed some of Big Mike’s world famous
chicken wings by the pool on that beautiful Sunday. The weather certainly seemed to reflect the
eyes of the Lord upon mothers on their special day. Unfortunately for Kathryn, this was the first
Mother’s Day with the two of them in different states. However, a phone date allowed them some
time together and her parents will be visiting this weekend for a combined Mother’s/Father’s Day.
As always, to all our wonderful patients of O’Malley Dental, on behalf of Ivey, Kathryn, Sushi, and
myself, I would like to extend a special “Thank you” to you. As I have said before, we are absolutely
honored to have you as patients and look forward to providing your dental care in the future.
Kathryn and her
mother
May God Bless You,
Ryan
Mother’s Day and
Prom at the Lindsay’s
&
O’Malley Dental at the
Senior Fair