Welcome to our Blog!
Coronavirus Updates for White Dental Studio
April 30, 2020: We are excited to announce that we will be re-opening with a soft start the week of May 4, 2020! Here is a letter to our patients. Dear Valued Patient: We hope this letter finds you and your family in good health. Our community has been through a lot...
Do I Really Need X-Rays?
At White Dental Studio, we feel blessed to have an amazing group of patients who are health conscious. In the tight knit community of Ashland, there are many people who work very hard to take care of their mind, body and spirit. In fact, we see patients from all over...
Guinness World Records: Dental Edition
Yes, it's that time of year when we must become reflective on our lives and, in turn, be thankful for our blessings. Last year we wrote a post titled, "The 5 Developments I'm Thankful for in Modern Dentistry," but this year I think we might have it beat. Why? Because...
“Can You Use a Different Code?” The Differences Between Medical & Dental Coding
On the subject of insurance, many people are aware of the concept of “coding” insurance claims. In short, by sending an insurance company a particular series of letters and numbers (code) along with the charge for a procedure, the person submitting the claim is able...
I Have A Toothache! Help!
I don’t think I’ve known a patient who’s said, “I’m really glad this started hurting when it did. I was already in your parking lot and you happened to have time available!” Rarely does a toothache start at a convenient time. Fortunately, dentists typically...
Dr. White Answers FAQs
Here are the 5 most popular questions Dr. White gets asked weekly at White Dental Studio in Ashland, OR. If you have more questions, please don't hesitate to ask us! Our goal is to empower our patients by educating them well. If I have cavities, why don't they hurt?...
Toothpaste Roulette
My sister sent me a note recently asking about toothpaste. She saw our recent Facebook post showing a typical “wall of toothpaste” from a local grocery store. She asks, “I’ve often wondered which paste is best to choose, and since there are so many, I almost always...
What Do You Think: Is Dentistry a Service or Commodity?
We change people's lives through dental health if you think about it. Whether improving someone whose health is suffering from pain, infection, or missing teeth to restoring a smile lost from an accident, decay, or otherwise, it has a profound effect. I...
The 5 Developments I’m Thankful For in Modern Dentistry
2018 will be my 17th year in dentistry so I thought it might be fun to look at the progress we’ve made within that time in modern dentistry. Dentistry has significantly evolved in the past 20 years and those advancements are good news for patients! For...
Dental Insurance: Usual and Customary Rates. What does that mean?
You call your insurance company to ask about your dental benefits. The representative at XYZ Insurance Company tells you that your insurance pays at 100% of usual and customary rates for preventive services. “Great,” you think to yourself, and happily...
Living in Fear of the Dead …Tooth
Unlike everyone's favorite film (or TV show) du jour, teeth that lose their vitality don't come back. Teeth, more accurately the pulp inside the tooth which carries nutrients and nerve fibers to communicate sensation, "die" for a number of reasons. This month, I'd...
Why is Tooth Enamel So Important?
Put simply, enamel is your tooth’s protective shell. It’s very strong, incredibly smooth, and beautifully white. Enamel’s strength keeps your tooth from cracking, fracturing and breaking during the everyday things we put our teeth through. Its strength comes from very...
The Different Types of Dentists
There are so many different types of dentists and dental specialists. Plus, they have super confusing names! Here is a description of each type of dental specialist and a little bit about their specific profession. Different Types of Dentists General Dentist: General,...
Should I Purchase Dental Insurance? The Answer Might Surprise You.
A question I have been asked more times than I can count is whether or not a patient should purchase dental insurance. When joining a group policy through an employer is an option, I find it is often worth the investment. However, when it comes to purchasing private...
What’s New at White Dental Studio | Practice Update Summer 2017
In May I was back in Kansas City for my 10-year dental school reunion and the Midwest Dental Conference. It’s a large conference with some amazing educators and presentations. I enjoyed learning some of the latest trends in dental materials used for successful...
What Are You Looking For in a Dentist?
I try very hard to ask the question of every new patient I see early on in our first visit. My favorite answer is that a friend or neighbor recommended you. Isn't that amazing? I make choices off recommendations all the time - who to meet with about technology, which...
Dental Insurance: Understanding Your Maximum
The world of dental insurance is very different from that of medical insurance. If you’re lucky enough to be one of the few people that understand everything about the medical insurance world, you may still be very surprised to find out that dental insurance works in...
It’s Elemental | Why Are Dental Crowns Made of Gold?
Why aren't dental crowns made of silver? I was recently asked by my brother-in-law, with a strong background in metals and engineering, why dental crowns are made of gold rather than silver since silver has a natural antibacterial quality (shout out to you, Lake!)....
Why Do We Have Baby Teeth?
What's the deal with baby teeth? Why is it necessary to have two sets of teeth when one set of teeth seems like it would do the job? Well, baby teeth act as place holders for adult teeth. As a child's jaw grows, baby teeth help to keep the jaw structured and prepped...
Trading Gold Crowns for Gold Medals | Olympics and Dentistry
Dentists are cool and all, but there are a few that have gone above and beyond. So far above and beyond, in fact, that they are competitors in the Olympics! The five Olympians below have one thing in common: they all wanted to be dentists! Mark Spitz is a competitive...
Holy smokes! I got my tooth knocked out. Now what?!
Tooth Knocked Out You have a tooth knocked out. It is in your hand and you are looking at it. What do you do now? Technically speaking, you now have an "avulsed tooth." The definition of avulse is: to pull off or tear away forcibly [Dictionary.com]. 1. Don't touch the...
Dental Chemistry | Just the Basics!
When a person thinks of a doctor, they often think of biology. While it’s true that biology is the major foundation for the medical field, it’s important to remember the roles chemistry play in medicine. Understanding chemistry is a pillar of dental comprehension...
If Teeth Were Characters from “Game of Thrones”
If Jon Snow was a tooth, which one would he be? Let's compare teeth to the characters of HBO's most popular series, "Game of Thrones," and maybe learn something along the way. But first, let's start this post off right... Now on to giving our teeth the names of...
The History of Toothpaste
When you squeeze your strip of toothpaste on to your toothbrush in the morning, you probably aren't concerned with how it all started. We have come a long way since the first oral hygiene pastes were used. It is believed that toothpastes, in some form or another,...