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The Drs. at Cameo Dental Specialists are providing this educational blog as a resource to our patients and the community. We hope that this blog will cover subjects that you may be interested in.

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What Dentistry Is Really All About
By Vladana Babcic Tal DMD MPH MA, Partner/Owner Cameo Dental Specialists LLP
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Over the years that I’ve practiced dentistry, I’ve come to realize it’s not just about the tooth. It’s really about the experience—the emotional experience, to be specific.

So much emotion is part of the dental experience, and especially root canals. You do root canals? Why would you want to do that all day? It sounds so painful. Every time I hear comments like these, I’m amazed. In 2010, President Obama compared the bailout of the banks during the fiscal crisis to being as popular as a root canal. Most of the country probably laughed—but we endodontists cringed.

Somehow, our profession has earned a reputation for being associated with pain and bad experiences. Yet, that’s the opposite of what we see when we practice.

Every day, we spend time relieving pain. Many patients come into the office nervous, apprehensive and suffering, and they leave happy, smiling and talkative. They often go on to have a productive, pain-free day.

How does that happen? It’s the expert, compassionate and caring experience they’ve just had.

When we hire new team members to support our practice, we don’t look for people who’ve only worked in the dental field. We look for those who have experience in customer service industries and working with people. These are the team members who will make a positive difference, from the moment patients call the office to their first interaction with the dental assistant who welcomes them into the treatment room. And that experience continues as we engage with them.

I take time to get to know each of my patients. I accommodate their needs and requests, whether for a comforting blanket, noise canceling head phones, their favorite Netflix show, or maybe just a real conversation. I don't mind taking that extra time because I do my best work when patients are calm and trusting.

We understand that patients have a choice in their dental care these days. They research doctors, read reviews, follow social media, analyze websites and google everything. As informed consumers, they want to understand the procedure even before they make an appointment, and they want to connect with the doctor.

Dentistry is becoming more patient-centered, as it should be. There have been huge improvements in dentistry over the past few generations, from the days when alcohol did the job of local anesthetics, tooth pain resulted in extractions, and fear filled the air. Slow and steady improvements, though, are not enough. We need to innovate and recreate. As author Oren Harari says, "The electric light bulb did not come from the continuous improvement of candles."

As endodontists, we’re lucky because we’re experts in a procedure that relieves pain almost immediately. My passion and purpose are making patients happy and relieving their suffering. That’s why, at the end of each day, I go home feeling so much satisfaction. And, I look forward to coming back the next day.


Latest Posts:

Recovery After a Dislocated Jaw is Slow For a Reason

Posted on 5/29/2020 by Vladana Babcic Tal DMD
Reports of a dislocated jaw are common at a dentist's office. This is because the causes span through a wide range of possibilities. Too much yawning or excessive chewing of gum could land you in front of a dentist with a dislocated jaw. There are other harder experiences that could lead to a dislocation such as being part of an accident or having a dental procedure that went wrong. In whichever case, a jaw dislocation is treatable and full recovery can be expected under the supervision a dentist. What Are The Symptoms And Treatment For A Dislocated Jaw? Some of the symptoms include bruises on the face and jaw, having some dislodged teeth, pain while opening your mouth and difficulty in chewing. The most obvious symptom is when you can see that your jaw moves to a side in an unusual manner when you try to speak. Sometimes patients experience pain in their facial muscles. The treatment depends on your doctor's assessment. Sometimes they need to fit their fingers into your mouth and bring back the jaw to its right position. After this they use special bandages to secure the jaw to the rest of the head for support. How Long Does It Take To Recover From Jaw Dislocation Treatment? Recovery time takes a while because the jaw joints are small and delicate. There are times when a doctor resolves to surgery that will reduce the ligaments holding them together. This is so that the jaw can fit perfectly back inside the socket. After the procedure the mouth is wired shut or held to the rest of the head using a bandage. The healing process can take up to 6 weeks. During this time the dentist should be monitoring the patient while conducting physical exercises on the jaw. Schedule an appointment with us and get more information about the process of healing dislocated jaws....
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All Posts:

Recovery After a Dislocated Jaw is Slow For a Reason
5/29/2020
Why Some Teeth Require Splitting Prior to Removal
5/15/2020
Can You Strengthen Weak Enamel?
4/25/2020
What Goes in an Oral Biopsy?
4/15/2020
Ways of Keeping Your Body from Rejecting Dental Implants
3/25/2020
Using Cone Beam Technology Can Help if You Get Dental Implants
3/15/2020
Is All-On-4 Good For Just One Arch Of Replacement Teeth?
2/29/2020
Why We Need To Know If You Have Jaw Pains
2/15/2020
Ringing in Your Ears Could Come from Issues with Your Jaw
1/30/2020
What Options Do Our Oral Surgeons Have to Treat TMD Pain?
1/15/2020
Which Jaw Exercises Can Help Reduce TMJ Pain?
12/25/2019
Why Dental Trauma is So Common During the Spring and Winter
12/15/2019
Things You Need to Know Before Getting New Dental Implants
11/25/2019
How Your Diet Impacts Your TMJ
11/15/2019
How a Salivary Gland Infection Presents
10/25/2019
Foods to Have on Hand Whenever You Have Oral Surgery
10/15/2019
Oral Surgeons Like Us Can Help with Sleep Apnea - Find Out More
9/25/2019
How You Sleep Could Impact Sleep Apnea
9/15/2019
Why One Missing Tooth is A Problem You Should Not Ignore
8/25/2019
What Symptoms Come with a Fractured Tooth?
8/15/2019
What Can Be Part of a Full Mouth Reconstruction?
7/23/2019
Side Effects to Know Before Oral Cancer Surgery
7/13/2019
The Many Facial Injuries We Could Help You With
6/25/2019
What Are the Symptoms of Fractured Teeth?
6/15/2019
Most Common Reasons to Seek Out Oral Surgery
5/25/2019
Managing the Discomfort of an Impacted Tooth
5/15/2019
Cleft Palate Issues can be Treated Through Oral Surgery
4/25/2019
Can Sticky Foods Dislodge Oral Surgery Stitches?
4/15/2019
What a Tongue or Lip Piercing Can Do to Your Teeth
3/25/2019
Types of Temporomandibular Joint Disorders
3/15/2019
Getting a Full Understanding of a Peg Tooth
2/25/2019
Foods to Have On Hand for Oral Surgery Recovery
2/15/2019
Orofacial Pain Does Not Need to Rule Your Life
1/25/2019
How to Treat a Cleft Lip
1/15/2019
Snoring is Not Just a Noise Problem
12/25/2018
Signs Your TMJ is Dislocated
12/15/2018
What Age is Best to Begin Oral Cancer Screenings?
11/30/2018
We Can Also Help Treat Facial Injuries
11/20/2018
How Posture Can Impact Your Jaw Pain
10/25/2018
Times Where an Oral Splint is Necessary
10/15/2018
When Do You Need to Bring Up Ear Aches During One of Your Visits to Our Office?
9/23/2018
Ways to Explain Jaw Pain
9/13/2018
What Oral Surgeons Like Us Specialize In
8/25/2018
We Can Help if You Suffered Oral Trauma During a Car Accident
8/15/2018
Ask Us to Show You How to Check for Signs of Oral or Neck Cancer on Yourself
7/20/2018
The Basics of a Peg Tooth
7/10/2018
How Sticky Foods Can Ruin Oral Surgery Recovery
6/23/2018
Daily Jaw Pain is a Sign of a Problem
6/13/2018
The Importance of Detailed Notes About Pain When Talking with the Oral Surgeon
5/23/2018
Top 3 Symptoms of TMJ
5/13/2018
Chicago Oral Surgeons
4/23/2018
What Makes an Oral Surgeon So Good at Tooth Extraction?
4/13/2018
Why Doing the Same Oral Hygiene Routine Each Day Can Be Problematic
3/27/2018
Why Does Plaque Build Up Between Brushings?
3/17/2018
Does Sparkling Water Damage Your Oral Health?
2/27/2018
Best Way to Make Oral Hygiene Part of Your Daily Routine When Life Gets Busy
2/17/2018
General Blog - Is There a Difference Between DDS and DMD?
1/27/2018
Highest Risk Factors for Developing Gum Disease
1/17/2018
What Black Tea Provides Your Mouth When Consumed Daily
12/30/2017
What Are Those Tiny White Spots on Your Teeth For?
12/20/2017
What Your Tongue Tells Your Dentist About Your Oral Health
11/30/2017
What Your Dentist is Looking for When Comparing Two Sets of X-rays
11/20/2017

Call Cameo Dental Specialists today to schedule an appointment at one of our convenient locations in La Grange, River Forest, Berwyn and West Loop serving the Pilsen, Hinsdale, Westchester, Western Springs, Elmhurst, The Loop, South Loop, West Town, Wicker Park, Bucktown, Logan Square, River North, Humboldt Park, Wrigleyville, Little Village, Cicero and other Chicago communities.

Cameo Dental Specialists provides exceptional dental care with a focus on Endodontics (Root Canals), Periodontics (Gum Disease Treatment), and Oral Surgery to the Chicago communities.

River Forest
7603 West North Avenue
River Forest, Illinois 60305

708-456-7787
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Berwyn
3116 Oak Park Avenue
Berwyn, Illinois 60402

708-484-9011
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La Grange
475 West 55th Street, Suite 208
La Grange, Illinois 60525

708-579-0488
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West Loop
910 W. Van Buren Suite 600
Chicago, Illinois 60607

312-201-4141
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Elmhurst
148 N. Addison Avenue
Elmhurst, Illinois 60126

630-425-4488
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at Elmhurst
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Call Cameo Dental Specialists today to schedule an appointment at one of our locations in Chicago, Berwyn, River Forest ,La Grange and Elmhurst, IL.
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7603 West North Avenue
River Forest, Illinois 60305
708-456-7787
3116 Oak Park Avenue
Berwyn, Illinois 60402
708-484-9011
475 West 55th Street, Suite 208
La Grange, Illinois 60525
708-579-0488
910 W. Van Buren Suite 600
Chicago, Illinois 60607
312-201-4141
148 N. Addison Avenue
Elmhurst, Illinois 60126
630-425-4488

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Dental Blog - Chicago • Cameo Dental Specialists
We provide this educational dental blog as a resource to our patients and the community around Chicago. We hope it will cover subjects that you may be interested in.
Cameo Dental Specialists, 148 N. Addison Ave, Elmhurst, IL 60126 + (630) 425-4488 + cameods.com + 6/4/2023 + Key Phrases: Oral Surgeon Chicago IL +