Have you ever had a crick in your neck? Or that annoying muscle spasm that just won’t go away? Or how about those rock hard muscles in your neck and shoulders from working too long slumped over a computer, desk, or steering wheel? Well, chances are you have or you will.

Neck pain is very prominent in society today. Most neck pain will be caused by degenerating discs in the neck, herniated or bulging discs, pinched nerves, whiplash injuries, or muscle spasms. These conditions can result in neck pain or cervical pain.

Good communication is the foundation of every good relationship. This seems like a simple enough principle, yet it can take a lifetime to master. As a dentist I feel the quality of the communication between me and my patients is the single greatest predictor of a successful professional relationship. I strive to improve my communication skills as often as I can. From the patient perspective there is a lot that can be done to ensure a successful relationship when seeing any health professional.

Often times the best opportunity to speak with your health care providers is at your first visit. Chances are very good that the doctor will have more time to speak with you face-to-face on this appointment than at any other time. My advice is to use this time wisely. During this first visit our time is devoted to discovering your needs and goals in seeking care in our office, as well as arriving at the clinical judgments necessary to meeting them.

Wonder Drugs

Thirty-four million people suffer from chronic pain caused by injuries, low back problems, headaches or arthritis.

Television ads for pain meds are quite alluring and persuasive. We’ve seen grandparents playing with children, headache sufferers and weekend warriors melting pain away with an assortment of pills; but are these promises of instant pain relief too good to be true?

The influence by “Big Pharma” is being bought to the tune of $30 billion a year and growing. According to a study published recently in The New England Journal of Medicine, the total amount spent on pharmaceutical promotions was $29.9 billion in 2005, up from a mere $11.4 billion in 1996.

In 2004 the CDC released statistics that half of Americans use at least one prescription drug.

We have become a ‘pill popping’ society. Take a pill for every ill. The question is, “At what cost?”. Well the cost is our health.

With recent advances in radiation oncology, knowledge is power for women exploring their treatment options when fighting breast cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting women today. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer. About 182,460 women in the United States will be found to have invasive breast cancer in 2008. About 40,480 women will die from the disease this year.

ur goals and your dreams. You want to look good and feel good. Every day, your smile is there for the world to see. It’s the window between you and the world. But, if you’re one of the many people who have teeth that do not line up correctly, you may be self-conscious about your smile. Misaligned teeth may also cause various dental health problems. Fortunately, many of these problems can be resolved through orthodontics.

Orthodontics is the branch of dentistry that is officially known as Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics. The purpose of orthodontics is to treat any type of malocclusion, which is simply another way of saying “bad bite.” When you have a malocclusion, that means your teeth, lips and/or jaw do not line up the way they should. As a result, your teeth may be crooked, your bite may not work correctly and your jaws may look unbalanced.