A YouTube.com Video

An Unlicensed California Dental Hygienist. Here is the video that was posted and sent.

Abortions.

My Root Canal in Miami, Florida - Endodontics in South Beach

How do you know if you need a Root Canal? I have never had a root canal before until October the 13th I was biting into a kernal of Popcorn and had a piercing pain in one of my lower right molars. In fact the pain was so bad under that tooth, that I had a hard time sleeping. After I popped a few Advils, it helped with the pain. Unfortunately, the next night I was dinning at Prime Italian in South Beach and the pain was so noticeable, I could not enjoy the Kobe Beef Lasagna. I immediately scheduled an emergency visit to my local Dentist in Aventura. My Dentist did everything to try and save my tooth versus recommending an Implant but eventually ending up putting in a Temporary Crown. Meanwhile, he figured out that I had chipped my tooth. He recommended that I see an Oral Surgeon/Endodontist in Miami Beach for Endodontics. So back to my original question, How do you know if you need a Root Canal? In my case, it was the Facial Pain or the excruciating pain under the tooth that I was having. In fact I noticed that my face was starting to feel swollen. When I called the Oral Surgeon in Miami Beach, after a series of questions, they told me to come immediately to their office.

I had never been to an Endontist before, and a quick look at the American Association of Endodontist's Pamphlets in his waiting room gave me the Advanced version of the Wikipedia on it. Apparently, the inside the tooth under Dentin is the pulp that contains nerves and connective tissue. If the Pulp becomes inflamed or infected from deep decay, repeated dental procedures or a crack or chip, it can cause pain or lead to an abscess. So the signs of pulp damage could include: pain, prolonged sensitivity to heat or cold, discoloration of the tooth and swelling and tenderness in nearby gums. Apparently, there are sometimes no symptoms, in my case -- there certainly was!

The next thing I knew, I was sitting in the Oral Surgeon's Chair for the Root Canal Treatment or Endodonic Treatment. I had never had it before. The first thing the Endodontist did was to use an anesthetic to numb my mouth prior to the treatment. Yes, he used an large needle and it made me feel better knowing in Dental School that he had to take hundreds of these shots as part of his training. They then moved me to another room which had a Microscope above the chair. They then administered a very comfortable Mouth Guard and another larger funnel shaped guard that gave him a birds eye view of my mouth. Next, he removed the temporary crown and then started with the drilling (yikes, I thought after the crown went on the drilling was over). The endodontist removes the inflamed or infected pulp, carefully cleans and shapes the inside of the tooth, then fills and seals the space (that must be the reason for the drilling). An hour or so later, I was done!

When my temporary crown was popped back in, it was similar to the experience felt when taking my ski boots off at the end of the day or entering the parking lot after the 15 mile Shark Valley Road bike ride. Nevertheless, my next stop was Walgreens to pickup get a prescription for an Antibiotic filled along with a pain med. When the pharmacist asked me if I would be willing to pick it up the next day, I quickly shouted back, I will be waiting for it (I worked in a Pharmacy back in my college days). He must have not looked at the prescription or noticed my swollen face. Believe it or not, several Advils actually worked better than the controversial pain med.

That night I actually had some pasta and it tasted good, not as good as the Prime Italian Lasagna though. A week later, even with the Temporary Crown, my teeth and mouth feel back to normal again. I will be going to my folow-up appointment tomorrow, and hopefully have the permanent crown put in next week.

Please note that some dental policies don't cover Endodontics. If you have a policy, it would be a good idea to check!

Reference: Your Guide to Endodontic Treatment, American Association of Endodontists.

"Blood is Thicker than Water"

"Blood is thicker than water" -- German proverb

"Relationships within the family are stronger than any other kind." -- John Lydgate's Troy Book

A Quote

"While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions."

- Stephen Covey

My Friend Jeff Johnson - Davis, CA 1957 to 2011

On April 21, 2011, my friend Jeff Johnson passed away peacefully after a lengthy illness.

I knew Jeff from my childhood in Davis, California. Jeff lived on a street very close to West Davis Elementary School that is now named the Cesar Chavez Elementary School. At that time, there were many kids in the neighborhood our age. It was a time when the town of Davis was very small. During the lazy summers, there was very little for young teenagers to do so we found ourselves obsessed with sports. The front of Jeff's house was our football field, basketball court, baseball diamond and tennis court. At night, we played the game "Kick The Can". I can vividly recollect the sparks flying off the can against the asphalt street as Jeff booted it. Since we didn't have a X-box or Playstation back then, we would even play the APBA Baseball Board Game in his driveway.

Jeff and I use to take our bikes to the Ben Franklin Dime Store and buy packs of baseball cards hoping we could score a Willie Mays. When the Sacramento Bee Newspaper was delivered, we would read the sports section line by line including the SF Giants box score from the last game.

One of Jeff's favorite games during the summer was Wiffle Ball. Jeff put up a broken Baseball Pitch Back Net and Frame against his garage door. The rules, if the Wiffle Ball hits any part of the net, it's a strike. Jeff was the master pitcher of Wiffle Ball, he could throw a Curve that broke 6 feet, a wicked Slider and a Side Arm pitch that dropped more than a foot. I could never hit Jeff's pitches and he was always up for a game of Wiffle Ball.

In later years, Jeff had a natural golf swing that transformed to baseball where hit could hit or golf a low fastball over any left fielder's head. 

It's been many years since I've seen Jeff. His passing has brought back many of the fine memories I had with him and our buddies during those lazy days in Davis, CA. He was a very good friend.

You can read Jeff's Obituary in the Davis Enterprise at:http://www.davisenterprise.com/obits/jeff-f-johnson/

A graveside service will be held on May 14, 2011, 4:30 p.m. at the Woodland City Cemetery, 800 West A St.

A New Book on Aging - How We Age by Dr. Marc Agronin

My Design Agency recently assisted Dr. Marc Agronin in launching his new website: www.MarcAgronin.com. Dr. Marc Agronin, is a leading Geriatric Psychiatrist in the United States and his new book is on Aging is: How We Age: A Doctor's Journey Into the Heart of Growing Old. Dr. Agronin is a graduate of Harvard University and Yale Medical School and is Director of Mental Health and Clinical Research at one of Florida's largest nursing homes.

If you are a caregiver or have parents, grandparents or loved ones, this is an excellent book. In most families, each family member may believe they know what is best for their loved ones. If there is Alzheimers or Dementia involved, it is nearly impossible for each family member to be objective. Dr. Agronin's book provides some professional insight into what it may feel like as we or are loved ones grow older. As we struggle with issues such as keeping our loved ones safe vs. quality of their life that they rightfully deserve - it is nice to hear reflections from one of the leading Geriatric Psychiatrists.

Memorial Service: My Uncle John Ogawa - Sanger, CA - 1923-2011

Jonathan Tamotsu Ogawa
May 1923 - April 2011

My Uncle John Ogawa passed away earlier this month. He was one of my dad's older brothers.

See his Obituary in the Sanger Herald


My memories of my Uncle John include:

I remember hearing a story of my Uncle John having a plant growing contest with my father Joe. My dad was winning the contest by a huge margin until his plant stopped growing. Apparently, my Uncle John cut off the roots of my dad's plant. My dad didn't think it was very funny but the rest of the family and my Uncle John got a big laugh out of it.

After World War II, my Uncle John returned from Europe on the Queen Mary after serving in the Military Overseas. I knew this because we saw a picture of soldiers on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, and Uncle John saw himself in one of the pictures.

When Uncle John was in the Trucking Business, he arrived a few times in front of our house with huge truck with a load of Christmas trees. He was on his way back home and dropped in to say hi. It was usually late at night and I'm sure the neighbors wondered why such a large truck was parked in front of our house.

Uncle John also owned Elm Auto and Dismantling in Sanger and was the definitive source for buying and selling your cars because Craig's List wasn't around back then. Instead, there was Uncle John's List of Used Cars. He was a great salesman and always convinced you he was getting you the best, mechanically sound car around. He found me my very first car, a Plymouth Duster that my dad liked much more than I did since it didn't go very fast. He also helped me buy a new 4x4 Truck, one of my first big purchases after college. I loved that truck! I eventually gave it back to him to sell and at the next family wedding - I saw his son, my cousin that was in law school driving my car - apparently he got a real good deal on it!

My condolences go out to my uncle's family and his wife. Here is a information on his Memorial Service on Saturday, April 16, 2011.

http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Jonathan-Ogawa&lc=7068&pid=150026431&mid=4622227&locale=en-US

Memorial Service
Saturday, April 16, 2011 | 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Lisle Funeral Home
1605 L St, Fresno, CA 93721-1117 | 559-266-0666
Driving Directions

Fresno Bee
http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/04/09/v-textonly/2344137/obituaries-for-sunday-april-10.html