Dr Robert C Malenius DDS Pc amp Associate Office Hours 610 East Roosevelt Road Suite 202 Monday 900am to 700pm Wheaton Illinois 60187 Tuesday 900am to 400pm Office (630) 668-6180 Wednesday 900am to 700 pm Fax (630) 668-6441 Thursday 900am to 400 pm wwwmalen iusdenta1com (One Saturday per Month)

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ASSOCIATES

SMILES WITH HOSPITALITY Happy Holidays All of us at the Kingdom wish all of you health and happiness this holiday season Dont loose your nose or dental insurance leftovers Before you know it is the end of the year and we are starting all over again So schedule your cleaning and exam appointment now you never know what we may find Want us to send you a copy of our newsletter Log onto our website where you can request appointments or even request the newsletter

Malenius Kingdom continues BUZZING with news aDd congratuJations HAPPy BIRTHDAY to

none other than Princess Courtney who is celebrating her big day on ~ December 29th This reporter has lots of birthdays to celebrate this month but the family winner is Nikki Lien whose big 30th birthday is December 28th She

is catching up with the rest of us Birthday fun is also enjoyed this month by Lisa Cintron who is also celebrating on December 29th her 40th milestone Dont worry we dont count after this one Mary amp Malcolm Wadland both are celebrating on the 24th and the 21 5t this month Susan Buck is having her big day on the 16tl1

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Catherine Harvey is celebrating on the 21 st while son Matthews big day is on the 9th Joseph Hoff is celebrating also on the 9th and son Brians day to shine is on the 11 th Ellen Lehnert December birthday is on the 12th and Kirsty Paney is celebrating on the 6th Megan Paul is having her excitement on the 12t while Husband Jeffs big day is on the 9th Kim Simmons special day is on the 9th Jessica Williamsons awesome day is on the 30th Daughter Hollie extra present day is on the 23 rd Matthew Minter celebrates on the 17th Sharon Wheeler celebrated her big day on the loth at the dental office Roberta Abell will have a blast we are sure on her Christmas Eve birthday while Greg Wurtz is having his day on the 20th while Renee Wurtzs special day is on the 7th Allen Zureks extra day to celebrate is on the 21 st The Mitchell Family will be busy this month with Lucas big day on the 26th Mom Julies is on Christmas Eve and son Jeremy celebrates his day on the 2nd Lots of presents Hope Catuara is having her special day on the 3rd

and Patrick Tyler celebrates on the 27th Birthday fun continues with Oscar Dahms who is celebrating on the 10th Francine

Stabolito is having her special day on the 23 rd bull Kathy Beard amp

Husband Gene both are also celebrating this month on the 28th

and the 29th Another double birthday is being celebrated by Pam Tatro whose big day is the 261h while Son Nicks big day is on the 11 tb David Hodapp celebrates his big day on the 29th Gerald Carey not on Iy celebrates his birthday this 19th but recently took Wife Tanya to glorious Rome Italy Tanya certainly bull deserved the trip after winning our GGA (Gorgeous Gum bull Award) And we cannot forget Jennifer Fisher who celebrated her big day on the 1 st but also was a proud GGA Recipient And yes another well-earned GGA was enjoyed by Jane Handy Good job to all our winners Keep up the good

work _~- ~~ James Lackland proudly shared the news if a new

-~ addition to their family Myles on July 29th We are sure he wont have any trouble keeping up with his

twin sisters Reese amp A very More Kingdom Congratulations go out to Jarius Shannon who is working hard at Glenbard South and is Captain of his Freshman Basketball Team Sister Ashley is also a shining star Her Glen Ellyn Park District Cheerleading Squad placed 2nd

at State competition Need rescuing calJ a husky Sue Simmons and Cinnamon her Husky Rescue made a grand showing in Wisconsin at the Cant Depend on Snow Race 2009 dog sledding competition finishing 2nd

3rd 5th amp 8th place

The Illinois English Bulldog Rescue is also busy this year presenting Pictures With Santa This gala event was held at Zoeys Eatz amp Treats in Willowbrook Lots of happy bulldogs had a chance to get up close with Santa Thats not all Let the IEBD Group

help with finishing that holiday shopping On December 20t this wonderful organization wiH be at Borders Book Store in Wheaton providing complimentary gift wrapping

Our goal is to keep you smiling Enjoy not just the holidays but every day by keeping your smile healthy Which once again brings us to Dr Bobs Corner Lately we have seen more and more stressed and fractured teeth Although enamel is the hardest tissue in our body it is also brittle

like glass and can crack easily especially with excessive pressure and wear But unlike glass enamel is able to contain cracks and remain intact for most individuals lifetimes The George Washington University and other international scholars discovered that the major reason why teeth do not break apart is due to the presence of tufts small crack-like defects found deep in the enamel Tufts arise during tooth development and all human teeth contain multiple tufts before the tooth as even erupted into the mouth Actually as seen in this picture when researchers were comparing fractures to otters teeth they found many similarities including fractures

Many cracks in teeth do not start at the outer -

~~ ir- surface of the tooth as has always been assumed Instead many cracks arise from tufts located deep inside the enamel From here

_ cracks can grow towards the outer tooth surface Once reaching the surface these

cracks can potentially act as sites for dental decay Acting together like a forest of small flaws tufts suppress the growth of these cracks by distributing the stress amongst themselves

Our bodies do what it can to limit crack growth by the basket weave microstructure of enamel and by a selfshyhealing process whereby organic material fills cracks extended by the tufts This type of infilling bonds the opposing crack walls which increases the amount of force required to extend the crack later on But our bodies can only do so much Fractures can break free and grow

A tooth can be chipped or fractured during an accident or bad fall A common cause of tooth fracture is sports That is why we recommend people participating in sports wear

a sports guard They are available over the counter but often are not worn because they are uncomfortable and ill fitting If this is the case let us know and we can make you a custom sports guard

Teeth should only touch when eating or speaking Habits that can overwork teeth and cause tooth trauma and fractures include chewing on pens and pencils chewing ice and nail biting

The most common tooth fracture cause by far is clenching and grinding of teeth Many

bull _ ~ people deny they clench and grind because they are unaware when they clench their teeth

because it is a secondary response hidden by stress or performing tasks Many are unaware because they are

clenching andor grinding during their sleep Bruxism (clenchinggrinding of teeth) is not a habit but it is caused by the activation of reflex chewing activity Chewing is a complex neuromuscular activity that is controlled by reflex nerve pathways with higher control by the brain During sleep the reflex part is active while the brain control is inactive The result is abnormal chewing action Some dentists believe it is due to the lack of symmetry in the teeth while others feel it reflects anxiety digestive problems or disturbed sleep pattern No matter what the cause the fix is to become aware when teeth are clenched during the day and wearing a hard night guard at night A custom night guard is recommended due to the over the counter guards poor fit can cause other trauma such as tempromandibular pain Teeth have fractures inside and outside the teeth and often do not cause any significant harm with proper care and prevention Our intra-oral camera is helpful to uncover advancing fractures or destructive habits so we are able to save the tooth from further damage Detected early can save you the discomfort and expensive restorative treatment

A tooth that has an early fracture will often not exhibit any pain since before a tooth will hurt the problem has to reach the inside nerve Fractures that extend from old and leaking

restorations can grow and this opening can allow recurrent decay Caught early these fractures can often be repaired with bonding (white filling material that looks better but because it is

bonding holds the tooth together) Sometimes fractures include a larger section of the tooth When a large enough portion of tooth is damaged this situation usually calls for a crown to save the tooth Fractures that are more advanced often extend into the root A badly fractured tooth can expose the nerve tissue and cause infection abscess and pain In this situation root canal therapy is needed to save the tooth Once a tooth has a

root canal it no longer has the nerve or blood supply which can weaken it and therefore root canal teeth often will also need a crown

Fractures that are more advanced into the root extraction is often the only available treatment Once the tooth is extracted it can be replaced with an implant if there is sufficient remaining jaw bone If not or as an

alternative the missing tooth can be replaced with a dental bridge A dental bridge consists of three or more adjoining crowns covering the teeth on either side of the space with a baseless crown in the middle

So if we see damage and fractures don t wait for pain added expense of repair or tooth loss Lets fix those teeth early so you can keep that smile healthy and enjoy those nutritious and tasty meals

As always it is our goal as well as our mission statement to Serve patients as a knowledgeable fun and gifted team inspiring trust while making a difference with our

patients and each other Fon y Seventh Ed December 2009