Dentist

Time flies in between dentist appointments A friend insists that I need to explain something about my personal hygiene. In my last column I described the mental anguish I went through in deciding whether I should first take my mouth or my cats' fangs to the dentist. I said I chose to take my mouth, out of fear all my teeth would fall out if I didn't, and I felt I would look infinitely worse gumming it than the kitties would. "That was gross," my friend said. "That's not the kind of thing you tell the whole world.

As a teenager, John Stull pictured a career in the construction trade because of his passion for building things. But he became so fascinated with the human body during a seventh-grade science class at North Potomac Junior High School that, at age 13, he had a change of heart and announced to his parents that he wanted to be a dentist. “My parents latched on to that and pushed. I had a lot of family support to do what I did,” Stull said. That desire never wavered, and the 1969 North Hagerstown High School graduate earned his bachelor's degree from University of Maryland College Park in an accelerated three-year program.

By TERI JOHNSON Staff Writer About 35 million adults experience so much anxiety at the thought of a dental visit that they worry, postpone the appointment or avoid going at all, according to American Dental Association. They're not just afraid of the drill - or the bill. The main fear is having the injection to get numb, says Dr. Richard J. Porac, a family dentist with a practice in Hagerstown. "Certain people have the fear of the needle itself," Porac says.

By BRENDAN KIRBY Staff Writer A Boonsboro woman has filed a $20 million lawsuit against a dentist she claims caused permanent nerve damage that has left her with chronic pain that her lawyer compared to a 24-hour-a-day migraine headache. According to the suit filed Wednesday in Washington County Circuit Court, Sandra J. Garcia visited Dr. John F. Seidel for a dental procedure in January 1995, and left with an incurable pain. "I think this case is a substantial case and certainly falls in the seven-figure range," said attorney Leonard P. Buscemi.

I have a problem that I understand others of you face, and that's whether I should get my teeth or my cat Scooter's teeth fixed first. It's a variation on the theme of poverty. Do you eat, or do you pay the rent? Do you buy your medicine, or pay your car insurance and die? You get the gist. At Scooter's last visit to the vet, where the wimp cowered under a chair during most of his exam, it was pointed out to me that he needs his teeth cleaned. Too much plaque.

American Dental Association offers the following tips to help you relax before and during dental treatment: - Share your feelings with your dentist and dental hygienist. Let them know you are fearful, tense or anxious so they can tailor their treatment and pace to your needs. - Set aside a stress-free time for your dental visit, when you won't be rushed, physically strained or troubled by other concerns. A Saturday or early morning appointment may be less stressful than rushing to see the dentist right after work.

By DON AINES Staff Writer, Martinsburg MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Newly discovered dental records could speed the process of identifying a man who was killed last Thursday when a pickup loaded with moonshine crashed and burst into flames. Capt. Curtis Keller of the Berkeley County Sheriff's Department said he learned of the dental records Monday afternoon when he met with the parents of the man authorities believe died in the 3:43 a.m. crash on Interstate 81 near Inwood, W.Va.

Doctor De Soto is my favorite book because. He is a hero. He helps people without any pain. He is a dentist, and a very good one to. He takes everyone except people who are predators to them. But then he lat a fox in and the fox tried to eat them. Even though they where helping him. But the de soto made a plan so the fox would not eat them. And it work and the fox didn't eat them. And the de soto toke the rest of the day off.

HAGERSTOWN Dr. John H.M. Stull II and Debbie Vance went to rival high schools in Hagerstown but still they managed to forge a professional relationship and, more importantly, maintain it for 30 years. A doctor of dental surgery, Stull has an office at 19426 Leitersburg Pike. Vance is his certified dental assistant. "We were both just 25 years old when we started in the practice together," Stull said. "Patients would come in and ask when the dentist would be coming. " Vance said she was one of the first adults in the dental assisting program at the former Career Studies Center.

HAGERSTOWN-As self-effacing a couple as Dr. Richard and Lois Harrison are, they are not the type of people to tout their own accomplishments. On Friday night, however, there were hundreds of people willing to do the honors in a tribute to the Harrisons where they met six decades ago, at Hagerstown Community College. "I think I'm here tonight because my husband and I have lived so long," Lois Harrison said between greetings to a long line of friends at HCC's Athletic Recreation and Community Center, the gymnasium rendered unrecognizable by a starlight motif.

As a teenager, John Stull pictured a career in the construction trade because of his passion for building things. But he became so fascinated with the human body during a seventh-grade science class at North Potomac Junior High School that, at age 13, he had a change of heart and announced to his parents that he wanted to be a dentist. “My parents latched on to that and pushed. I had a lot of family support to do what I did,” Stull said. That desire never wavered, and the 1969 North Hagerstown High School graduate earned his bachelor's degree from University of Maryland College Park in an accelerated three-year program.

Some people camp out all night in parking lots for concert tickets or Black Friday sales. For others, all-nighters are less about amusement and more about essentials. Some are just trying to keep their teeth. Eager patients camped out Friday night to secure a spot in the dentist's chair Saturday at Hagerstown Smiles Dental Care's Dentistry from the Heart event. Roughly 65 volunteers - dentists, oral surgeons and dental hygienists among them - offered free dental services to adults on a first-come, first-served basis between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the practice on Mt. Aetna Road.

As a periodontist, Dr. Rebecca Wagner Bye knows the repercussions of dental neglect. She has had to counter the effects of gingivitis among teenagers and the lack of flossing among adults. But Saturday, she saw people too busy finding ways to put food on the table to even worry about oral hygiene. For the past four years, Bye has had a rare window on the toll poverty - and sometimes fear - plays on a person's mouth. She has seen individuals suffering from infections, decay, burning gums and ulcers who rely on aspirin to ease their pain.

For some people, the worst part of breaking a tooth or having an abcess isn't the pain that can shoot to your core. The absolute worst is visiting the dentist. On the surface, dental phobia might seem a little out of proportion. After all, it's not open heart surgery. Yet, according to the American Dental Association, an estimated three-fourths of Americans have some degree of anxiety -   even when it comes to a routine checkup. Nearly one-quarter of the population avoids dentists completely because they're afraid.

Dr. Rebecca W. Bye, D.D.S, M.S., was selected by the American Biographical Institute as one of this year's recipients of the  2010 Pierre Fauchard Award for excellence in the science and medicine of dentistry. Fewer than 100 individuals will be honored yearly from as many as 75 countries. This award embodies the values of the Dental Profession through Leadership, Service, Excellence, Integrity and Ethical Behavior - those whose work is having a positive impact on health care and the well-being of others.

Carole DiVentura has been blessed with beautiful teeth. Lousy eyes, bad knees and thinning hair, she joked. But great pearly whites. That's why the 70-year-old Hagerstown woman was recently surprised when her dentist pointed out some changes in her gums. The tissue was moving away from her teeth, which explained why she had become more sensitive to hot and cold foods. The problem isn't unusual among the older population, DiVentura was told. Aging gums naturally recede over time.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - A second dentist has joined the staff at Healthy Smiles Community Oral Health Center in Berkeley County, officials announced last week. Kimberly Thomas, a 2006 graduate of West Virginia University, joins Leonisha Thomas at the clinic, which opened in January. The clinic at the intersection of U.S. 11 and Warm Springs Avenue just north of Martinsburg is available to the uninsured, underinsured and those with private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP.

Dr. Patricia Van Story wants parents to know one thing about children's oral health: "If you give your baby a bottle to take to bed at night, it should only contain water. " Van Story, a dentist with Washington County Health Department's Dental Clinic, said bottle mouth syndrome is just one of the problems she sees in young children. "Everybody's heart gets turned when a baby's crying," she said. "They think, 'He's hungry.'" Slipping the baby a bottle filled with juice or soda to help him or her sleep can wreak havoc on those first teeth.

Slide Show HEDGESVILLE, W.Va. -- Root canal procedures were happening in the locker room. Teeth cleanings and fluoride varnishes were under way in an area with wrestling mats above a gym floor lined with treatment chairs filled with patients. Their mouths were open for oral health professionals, who were craning to peer inside. What they saw in the mouths of more than 500 people on Friday at Hedgesville High School was a need for oral health care. In some cases, their need at the Eastern Panhandle's second Mission of Mercy (M.O.