ALERT
page 69
CALLED
V
MOM FOR LUNCH ON TUESDAY,
BUT SHE WAS GOING TO A BOOK
REVIEW IN THE LIBRARY.
to know what's going on with
our bodies," Finman says.
The internal examinations
are done with a "clean, soft
washed piece of cotton," called a
bedika cloth. Even if her peri-
od has foreseeably stopped, a
woman is required to use a be-
dika cloth to make sure that
there is no longer any blood or
other menses discharge linger-
ing inside.
"When a woman looks at
those cloths, it tells a whole lot
of what's going on in her body,"
she says. If a woman has a ques-
tion about the color of discharge,
she sends the cloth to a rabbi
who is trained to identify what
is causing it, Fireman says.
It's a "totally unglamorous"
job for which the rabbi doesn't
get paid, she says. He receives
envelopes with only a telephone
number on the outside, to let the
woman know what's going on,
she adds.
"I have a friend who had in-
ternal uterine bleeding that was
from an injury. The color of the
blood wasn't the usual men-
strual color, it was too deep, and
this ray was able to determine
for her that she was internally
injured and she should see her
doctor and clear this up."
Rivkah Slonim, editor of To-
tal Immersion, a 1996 antholo-
gy of writing about the mikvah,
says going to the mikvah is not
simply just taking a dip. The
preparations beforehand, in-
cluding internal vaginal exam-
inations, keep a woman "in tune
with what's happening with her
body, and I believe she can nip
many medical problems in the
bud."
"If I didn't keep this ritual, I
don't think I'd have a clue ... not
just cancer but a lot of conditions
are best taken care of in the
early stages, and this really
makes a woman very, very
aware of what's happening,"
Slonim says.
I DROPPED BY ON THURSDAY, BUT
SHE COULDN'T COME BECAUSE
SHE WAS BUSY IN THE ACTIVITIES
ROOM WORKING ON HER NEW
EXERCISE PLAN. I INVITED MYSELF
TO LUNCH WITH HER ON FRIDAY,
AND THE FOOD WAS TERRIFIC. I
TOLD MOM TO CALL MY BROTHER
AND LET HIM KNOW HOW SHE
LIKES HER NEW HOME AT
THE HEATHERWOOD. I HOPE SHE
CAN FIND TIME TO CALL.
the
ATHERWOOD
SETIFEME, COZ.V.1UNITY
fWeliremeni
_riving for the
L2ctive s Senior
(810) 350-1777
❑
22800 CIVIC CENTER DRIVE
Laser Joins List
Of Teeth Whiteners
CINDY CAIN
For information call
Kathy Ostrowski
SOUTHFIELD, MICHIGAN
9irewi1022 i c1S cz c
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
LO
c~ cz0e 1 200. 0°
,
ary Alder's telephone was
ringing off the hook even
before he completed his
laser training.
The calls were from a 33-year-
old mother who couldn't smile.
Her teeth were yellow. So yellow,
even her own children comment-
ed on the discoloration.
"She told me she didn't smile
because she was embarrassed,"
said Alder, a Chicago dentist.
The woman had heard that
Alder would soon be using lasers
to whiten patients' teeth, a pro-
cedure approved by the Food and
Drug Administration recently.
Tooth whitening accounts for
the bulk of all cosmetic dental pro-
cedures, according to the Ameri-
can Dental Association. Last year,
Americans spent $60 million to
get their teeth whiter, 60 percent
of that amount spent on cosmet-
ic dentistry.
Until recently dentists had only
two bleaching options: home
bleaching kits or chairside bleach-
ing. Chairside bleaching, which
involved the use of heat lamps,
had fallen out of favor in the '90s
because it took a lot of time and
produced only so-so results, Alder
said.
At-home bleaching kits pre-
scribed by a dentist were the most
popular option. But many pa-
tients failed to follow through and
wear the bleaching units for the
prescribed amount of time.
The new laser option is similar
to chairside bleaching, but the
laser produces quicker and better
results, said Alder. And unlike the
bonding or veneer options, people
G
/—
'
can leave their own teeth intact.
Laser whitening costs about
$700 to $1,000 and usually takes
about two to three hours.
During the procedure, the teeth
are coated with a hydrogen per-
oxide gel. A dentist zaps each
tooth with an argon laser for
about 30 seconds. Then the
process is repeated with a carbon
dioxide laser.
Two types of laser are needed
because the argon is absorbed bet-
ter by yellow and brown stains
and the CO2 laser works better
on gray stains.
Some people are not candidates
for laser whitening. The proce-
dure cannot be performed on any-
one younger than 18, someone
who is claustrophobic or a person
with severe gum disease.
Also, bleaching will not change
the color of crowns or tooth-col-
ored fillings that were made to
match discolored teeth.
Even so, the demand for laser
whitening is out there. Alder has
treated many patients and most
are thrilled with their new smiles,
he said.
"It's pretty much a 'wow' reac-
tion," he said. "The results are
dramatic."
If laser whitening is so won-
derful, why haven't more dentists
jumped on the bandwagon? Laser
whitening techniques were ap-
proved by the FDA in 1996. Yet
few dentists offer the technique.
One reason for that may be the
price, Alder said. The laser equip-
ment and training cost $40,000.
ALERT page 72
"The family suggests -
that memorial
contributions be made
to the American
Heart Association."
When people want to
honor a loved one
and fight heart disease.
Volunteers Needed
THE HENRY FORD HOSPITAL
DEPARTMENT OF DERMATOLOGY
IS SEEKING DIABETIC PATIENTS 18-70
YEARS OLD WITH A FOOT
ULCER BIGGER THAN 2'A INCHES.
American Heart
Association.
PLEASE CALL:
CRYSTAL ANDERSON
MELINDA THORNTON, R.N.
KAREN MCKENZIE, R.N.
313-556-9759
313-876-1984
Fighting Heart Disease
and Stroke
AMERICAN HEART
ASSOCIATION
MEMORIALS &TRIBUTES
1-800-AHA-USA1
This space provided as a public service.
©1994, American Heart Association
cgx;xx;x4xx;z4z4z2;KP4xx;x4uPP4
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