Saturday, January 26, 2019

Four Stars for Aura Dental Care of Citrus Heights, California

Typical Tori of the Lower Jaw.

I have both upper and lower dentures made in the Philippines about four years ago. Both dentures have been working with no problems since then. However, three months ago, I broke 4 front teeth. I postponed having it removed as it did not bother me. However, last month, one of the tooth started to ache. I have no choice, but to see a dentist. My Federal Medical insurance do not cover dental work, so I started inquiring for a reasonable dentist in our neighborhood. I talked to four dental offices in our neighborhood. One office a private group of dentist ( Citrus Heights Dental) offered a free X'ray and Examination for new patients. I decided to visit the office and have the full mouth X-ray and examination.

The dentist refused to fixed my lower denture and recommended new dentures (upper and lower). This will require removing the 4 broken teeth as well as the two teeth that anchors my lower and upper partials. I have also toris in my lower jaw and this has to be removed by an oral surgeon before a new denture is made at a separate expense. Tori are simply bony growths in the upper or lower jaws. Tori may interfere with dental appliances in which case they must be removed or the appliance modified to fit around the tori. If the partial denture covers the tori and the tori continues to grow, the partial may not fit as well over time. If a major portion of a dental appliance covers a tori it may not be able to be modified sufficiently to allow continued wear of the appliance.

CH Dental give me an estimate of $6000( with 10% discount) for both new upper and lower dentures which included the extraction of my 6 remaining teeth. The removal of the tori has to be done by an oral surgeon at extra expense. Needless to say I got out of the office in a hurry when I saw the estimate.

In the meantime, my 4 front broken teeth started to ache again. This time, I called CH and asked for the owner/manager of the office. After talking to her she said that the estimate is just a recommendation, and will assign me another dentist and can extract the 4 front teeth for $1000. I had no choice. The new dentist was good. The office again reiterated they will not fixed or add 4 teeth to my old denture. A new lower denture is recommended and before they can do it, I should have an oral surgeon removed the tori in my lower jaw.

In the Internet, there is an 800 number to help you look for dental offices that do repair of dentures. I called the 1-800-dentist number and they refer me to Aura Dental Care of Citrus Heights(ADC). They advertised that repair can be done in one day. I made an appointment and was able to get one the next day. ADC has also a free X-ray and Exam for new patients promotion. The dentist (Dr B) saw me and ask why I came to his office. I told him I need my lower denture repaired with the addition of 4 new teeth that was just extracted 3 days ago. He looked at my denture and said the dental lab may be able to do it for $720. They took an impression of both my upper and lower dentures. Prior to the impression, an X'ray technician took X'ray of my whole mouth which I believe was not necessary since I have only 2 teeth. The rest of my mouth are gums. She agreed but she said taking X-ray of the whole mouth for new patients is standard procedure and she is just following instruction. Stupid Indeed!

After the impression, I was told I will get a call before 4PM ( I was in the Office at 9:30AM). I will know whether a repair of my old lower denture is possible or not. At 3:30PM , ACD called me that my denture has been repaired with 4 teeth added. The repair work was good. I have my denture repaired without my tori operation. Evidently, my denture was made and modified avoiding the tori in my lower jaw. The repaired denture felt good after a minor adjustment. I went home happy and $720 poorer. I am rating ACD a 4 star. I could have given them a 5 star if the unnecessary Xray of the whole mouth was not done.

Personal Note: My dentist in the Philippines is really good because he was able to make my lower partial fit around my tori. The dentist at CH Dental refused to repair my partial unless I have my tori first removed by an oral surgeon, which will be traumatic and painful and will cost a lot of money. Shame on you CH Dental-for just thinking of money instead of the welfare of your patients.

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Cooking Chile Relleno and Casserole Stuffed with Seafoods


There are several recipes in the web on how to cook Chile Relleno and Casserole. I have my owned recipe of chile relleno and casserole using fresh Poblano peppers stuffed with either shrimps or Crab/lobster meat. It is essentially the same way as in the video below, but instead of just plain Monterey Jack cheese, I add either shrimps ( precooked) or crab or lobster (Shredded - imitation is OK) to the stuffing.

There are several sauces you can used. Since I am lazy, I just used Picante Sauce all ready to use. My daughter used Cholula Sauce. Cholula hot sauce is a brand of chili-based hot sauce, manufactured in Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico, and licensed by José Cuervo. According to its manufacturers, Cholula hot sauce rates 500-1,000 on the Scoville scale though other sources measure it as being over three times hotter, at 3,600 Scoville units.

There are several videos in the Web on how to cook Chile Rellenos and Casserole. The following video is easy to follow:
These are the reviews from from two of our guests published at the Trip Adviser web site. Visit the Trip Adviser website for additional details. 1.What a peaceful place to spend relaxing time in Marinduque! The cottage is very comfortable, and right on the beach, with a large deck for watching the sunset. The location in Boac (and not too far from Gasan) is well placed for a home base for day trips around Marinduque. But the best part of our stay here was the graciousness of the hosts, David and Macrine. They are warm-hearted, know the island well, and truly made us feel at home. Although we were there to explore the island and relax, the property has a great conference/meeting facility as well. Highly recommended. 2. Nestled against the beach, this cottage on stilts was a great place to spend a week away from all the insanity of urban life. With a spacious deck, two bedrooms, a living room and a full kitchen, my entire family truly enjoyed their stay. The hosts, Dave and Macrine do everything possible to make you feel like family, while still giving you space and privacy. The beach is all of 25 feet away and early morning walks on the beach are what I remember most. My kids were fascinated with the bamboo flooring. A reef is just off shore and filled with beautiful fish to enjoy while snorkeling. I would go back in a minute if I could.

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