FAQs & Articles
Q. What payment methods do you accept?
A. We accept all major credit cards, checks and cash.
Q. Do you have interest-free financing available?
A. Our interest-free financing program is a great way to assist with your dental care. They offer 3, 6 and 12 months interest-free as well as up to 5-year interest plans. Click on the button below to apply online
Q. Will you file my insurance, or is that my responsibility?
A. We are happy to file your claims and accept assignment of your insurance payment. However, your estimated portion will be due at the time of service.
Q. How are emergencies handled after hours?
A. We have a 24-hour answering service. They will relay your call to Dr. Shipley or doctor on call.
Q. Are you seeing new patients?
A. We always welcome new patients to our practice. Most patients can be scheduled within two weeks. Emergencies are accommodated as soon as possible.
Q. What about parking?
A. There is ample parking in front of our building with handicap spaces located by the ramp. There is no fee for parking.
Q. What is your policy for releasing records?
A. We will be happy to forward copies of your records or x-rays to another dentist with your signed permission.
Q. Do you have a nurse on call if I have questions after I leave?
A. Any member of our staff is qualified and happy to answer your questions.
Q. What languages are spoken in your office?
A. Noemi is fluent in Spanish and will be happy to answer your questions.
Helpful Articles
Toothache - A History of Agony
In the marketplace of a medieval town square, a magnificently dressed charlatan boasts that he can extract teeth painlessly. His accomplice, pretending reluctance, steps forward, and the tooth puller fakes an extraction, holding up a bloodstained molar for all to see. Toothache sufferers are soon encouraged to part with their money and their teeth. Drums and trumpets drown out their screams so as not to dissuade others. Within days, dangerous cases of sepsis sometimes appear, but by then the charlatan is long gone.
Few victims of toothache have to resort to the services of such rogues today. Modern dentists can cure toothache, and then can often prevent tooth loss. Even so, many people feel anxious about visiting a dentist. Tooth decay is said to be mankind's second most common disease, after the common cold. Schedule an appointment with us and see how painless dentistry can be today!
Disease Gets a Tooth-hold in Your Mouth
Bacteria in your mouth can cause painless but dangerous infections. If they don't kill you, they can still eat through your gums, choke off your airways, migrate to your heart, enter your brain. It can happen to anyone.
The Heart Attack that Jack Built
As in the children's story, one thing leads directly to another. A healthy immune system usually destroys gum infections. When it fails, mild gum infection, gingivitis, can set in. Untreated, this can lead to serious gum disease--periodontal disease. Gum disease bacteria can then sneak into the bloodstream and be carried to the heart. Once there, they'll attack any previously weakened heart valves, creating life-threatening infections. When heart infection inflames, your system creates infection-fighting compounds. These compounds can damage other tissues. If they damage arteries, your chance of heart attack and stroke greatly increase. Gum disease can degrade the foundations of your teeth and heighten your risk for heart disease, diabetes, pneumonia. Pregnant women increase their risk of premature delivery. Research studies indicate the possibility that green tea extract can kill oral bacteria and inhibit the activity of a destructiove enzyme in gum tissue. Another enzyme, CoQ10, strengthens muscle and arteries and should be taken by those using statin drugs. CoQ10 may improve bleading, swelling and pain when taken by mouth or placed on the skin or gums in the treatment of periodontal disease.
Regular dental checkups go beyond ensuring that dangerous infections get treated before causing problems elsewhere in your body. Seeing your dentist routinely gives you a head start on detecting diabetes, heart disease, cancer, autoimmune and gastrointestinal disorders and a wide variety of rare skin diseases. Dentists checking for oral cancer have detected not only that particular killer (of 7000 Americans each year) but also lymphoma and leukemia during routine dental examinations.
Prevention...
...is worth a pound of cure. You've heard that a million times --- because it's so true! Our office really wants you to avoid painful, costly dental procedures. The way you can do ths is through regularly scheduled dental exams. The idea is to discover a problem when it's large enough to be observed --- and small enough to be contained. The main purpose of a hygiene appointment is to prevent progression of periodontal disease. Our hygienist removes deposits from your teeth and measures the pocket between your gum and teeth with a proble to detect periodontal disease. You've got a lot at risk. We can help. It's as simple as scheduling a dental hygiene appointment. The benefits extend far beyond your teeth and gums. Please schedule an appointment with our office today for your overall health.
What are your odds?
One third of all Americans over age 2 have not seen their dentist in the past year. One third of all Americans over 30 have periodontitis, or advanced gum disease. Three tenths of those age 65 or older have no teeth. Two thirds of heart attack deaths occur in patients with periodontal disease. Three fourths of fatal strokes occur in patients with periodontal disease. Four fifths of pre-term babies are born to mothers with serious periodontal disease. Nine tenths (or more) of Americans have some tooth decay.
Fibromyalgia
It's painful, chronic, and affects 3 to 6 million Americans, but nobody knows much about it. Most of it's victims are women of child bearing age, but children, seniors and men can also be affected. Its pain suffuses tissues and stiffens joints, often accompanied by sleep disturbances, irritable bowel syndrome and anxiety. Researchers disagree on its cause, postulating injury or trauma to the central nervous system, immune system disorders, changes in muscle metabolism or an infectious agent such as a virus. Unfortunately, fibromyalgia affects neurotransmitters and other regulators of our bodies, disturbing hormone balances and leading to depression, panic, anxiety and fatigue. These, in turn, can lead to the victims' friends, family and even doctores discounting the illness as "all in your head." So far no cure exists. Patients with fibromyalgia may benefit from a combination of exercise, medication, supplemental vitamins, calcium and magnesium, physical therapy and relaxation.
Tooth Decay: Kids' No. 1 Health Problem
Almost two thirds of kids in the U.S. have some sort of dental disease by the time they reach the third grade, according to a study released by the Dental Health Foundation. That makes it the Number One children's health problem in the nation. Surprisingly, in California, only four of the 86 cities in Los Angeles County fluoridate their water, a process shown to prevent tooth decay. Parents' financial difficulties, including a lack of dental insurance, are primary barriers to dental care, the study found.
Brush after that Swim
Swimming in a highly chlorinated pool can be healthful exercise. But it could also have a negative effect on your teeth! Researchers have determined that heavily chlorinated pool water can erode and stain tooth enamel. It's true that, the more chlorine there is in the pool, the more protection you have against bacteria. But a pool with too much chlorine can become dangerously acidic. So if you spend an hour in the pool, be sure to brush your teeth and rinse with a fluoride rinse afterwards!
5414 Alpha Road • Dallas, TX 75240 • Phone: 214-272-9237 • Fax:214-272-9642
5414 Alpha Road • Dallas, TX 75240 • Phone:214-272-9237 • Fax: 214-272-9642 • Email: jm@jerryshipleydds.com
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