​WebMD recently published an article from HealthDay asking the question, "Is all that Flossing Really Worth It." HealthDay's conclusion was probably not.  Even though the ADA has been advocating flossing since 1908, they say the evidence it helps isn't there.  Read the article here. 

Well, the American Dental Association, the 500 species of bacteria in your mouth and I disagree.  Studies are conducted every day and some of the more sensational results find their way into the news.  What people need to remember is that for a study to be scientifically sound, it has to have a large sample base (lots of people in the study) and it has to be conducted over a long period of time. (for example, periodontal disease does not occur in a short period of time).

After many years practicing as a dentist, I have seen firsthand what not flossing your teeth can do to your oral health. And if you still think flossing is not necessary, you better keep my phone number handy! Sure, I'd love your business, but I'd much rather see a healthy mouth than one destroyed by tooth decay.

Here is a great little video on how to floss properly.
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First of all, yes, babies can get cavities as soon as their teeth being to erupt. This tooth decay can cause oral health problems even at a very early age.  How does this even happen? Have you or your caregiver ever tested the temperature of your baby’s food by tasting it and then used the very same spoon to feed your child? If so, then your child probably has had some cavity causing bacteria introduced to his/her mouth. And if you or the caregiver has poor oral health, the consequences for the child are even worse.
 
If you share spoons, drinking glasses, lick a child’s pacifier to “clean it” or even if you kiss a child on the mouth, the bacteria can be transferred to the baby’s mouth.  This “bacterial inoculation” is most critical during the child’s first 24 months, so care must be taken before the age of two to prevent this from happening.
 
What can you do?
 
1. Make sure you or other caregivers have excellent dental health and care. Many studies link bad teeth of the caregivers as a factor in the poor teeth of the child.
2. Use the “2 spoon” rule when you feed the child. One spoon for you to test the temperature and the second to feed the child.
3. Start cleaning the child’s mouth with gauze or a small clean washcloth after food intake. This is especially important when the first tooth comes in.
4. Parents and caregivers can suck on Xylitol mints (usually 2 mints 6 times a day for a total of 6 grams a day). This helps change the bacterial formation in the mouth.
 
For more detailed information, we came across this excellent article from Marshfield Clinic.  You can click here to read it.  Feel free to contact our office if you have further questions. 

Getting your children to brush regularly, consistently and well is no easy task. I know. I was always a mom first and a dentist second. I have two beautiful girls with the most beautiful smiles you'll ever see (ok, I may be just a little biased) but those smiles take effort from a very early age. Although it does involve regular dental check-ups, fluoride treatment, and sealants, the real work happens at home. Great brushing habits, flossing, the right food and drinks are all fundamental and all happen daily with parental involvement at home.

Here are some tips that we've found helpful for our patients over the years and as a mom who has been there and done that think you'll find them helpful too. Be sure to comment below or on Facebook with tips that have worked for your family too.  

1. Buy a fun tooth brush. – There are many options on the market. Some have timers that alert kids to when to stop brushing which helps them brush long enough. Some even have alerts that indicate when to the placement of the toothbrush in their mouth. There are many that look fun. From super heroes to their favorite cartoon character. Take them to the store with you and let them choose.

2. Buy great tasting toothpaste. – There are also many options here. This is one suggestion most parents have tried already and perhaps secretly use these toothpastes themselves.

3. Quarter in Quarter out. – Use two plastic containers in the bathroom.  Label one as the Bank and one as your child’s account. Load the bank up with about 21 Quarters ($5.25). Each time your child brushes (3X a day is best) They get to take a quarter from the bank and put it in their account. At the end of each week, give them the dollar amount they have earned. Hint – You can use bills for their earnings so you don’t always have to reload the bank with quarters.
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​​5. Make a Game Out of Dental Health. – All kids love to imagine. The story may go something like this.  Evil Thug Cavity is looking for ways to break in and steal the gold in our well guarded teeth. We can help fight Thug Cavity with Super Brush. You get the idea.

 You can also download our free game board which can be printed at home, hung on the mirror in the bathroom and have your child mark an X in each box when they brush at least 2Xs a day. Bring in the completed page and your child can get grab something from our Tooth Brush Treasure Chest. (Hint - We left off a couple days because we want to be realistic in this effort. )

​6. Watch these cool videos with your kids. Each of these help teach our children about how to brush properly.
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7.  Download an App. – There are some great apps for both IOS and Android devices that offer free games, brushing timers and more.  Simply do a search for “Kid’s Dental Care” or Kid’s Teeth Brushing” for many options.
 
We hope these have been a help to you. As you know we are very concerned with great dental care for kids. Please contact us for a check up for your children. We would be honored to help your family stay healthy.

The pain is gone. You feel great. Now what do you do with the leftovers that you did not need to use? Can you keep them for a future need? Most of us are faced with questions like this especially when it is time for fall or spring cleaning.  If you were prescribed pain medication, like Norco or Vicodin, after a dental or medical procedure and fortunately you didn’t need to take all of them for your pain, that is great.  But now what do you do with what may be left?

According to a recent article in the Journal of the American Dental Association, six in ten adults have leftover opioids. According to their study,  61.3 % kept the medication for future use.  One in five people shared their medication with another person. The reasons given for sharing their medication was helping another person in pain (78.8%), sharing because lack of insurance or cost (17%) and other reasons such as recreational use (4.2%).

If you were given them solely for an after procedure pain relief, you should dispose of them if no longer needed and not keep them “just in case”.  Also medications do have a certain shelf life. You should not share your medication with anyone else. While you may want to help a friend or family member, remember that Opioids are serious pain relievers. Opioids react differently depending on the medication you are currently taking, your current health status, your age, and multiple other factors.

If you do have extra pain medication, pharmacies, doctors, and other agencies will be glad to dispose of them for you. Or you can dispose of them yourself. The recommended way is to take the pills and crush and mix with something like cat litter, dirt or coffee grounds. Then place this in a sealable bag so nothing will leak out.  Your prescription bottle label should be scratched so no one can read your information on the bottle and then it can be disposed of.
Remember, don’t keep or share unused medication!

Here are some FAQs about disposing of medications from the FDA's website. 

Click the question below you'd like the answer to or    Click Here  to read them all.

1. What are FDA's recommendations for removing unused medicines from the home?


2. Why do the medicines on this list have directions for disposal by flushing and other medicines do not? What is the rationale for this policy?


3. How big of a problem is accidental exposure to medicine in the United States?


4. Does flushing the medicines on this list down the toilet or sink pose a risk to human health or the environment? How have considerations about medicines in the environment informed FDA’s recommendations about the disposal of medicines from the home?


5. Can the medicines that FDA recommends for disposal by flushing be eliminated from the home in some other manner; for example, by drug-take back programs or returning the medicine to the pharmacy?
6. ​
7. I live in an assisted living community and take my own medicines. I have prescription medicines that I no longer need. How can I safely dispose of them?

For more information about disposing medication, please visit the FDA’s site. Click Here. 

During the holidays, we are tempted with foods that we normally don’t see or eat the rest of the year. Friends and families are  making treats for us and the stores are selling “special holiday editions” of  all manner of candies and drinks.    Some of these you should try to avoid or at least consume in moderation.
 
Lifesaver Books
When I was a child, we could always count on getting a Lifesaver “book” in my stocking. Each “book” contained 12 rolls of different flavored Lifesavers, some flavors better then others. ( I’m looking at you, rum Lifesavers!)  You would be better served just closing the book on these candies, as hard candies are terrible for your teeth.  Besides being almost pure sugar, the stickiness makes the sugar hang out on your teeth longer and the hardness of the candy can chip or break fillings and teeth.
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 Candy Canes
Like Lifesavers, candy canes are hard and full of sugar. Sucking on them will bathe your teeth in sugar and the longer you suck on them, the more potential for decay. Use  those candy canes for crafts and not cavities. Click here for some great Christmas crafts with candy canes.
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Peanut brittle
Depending on how it is made, this can be one of the hardest candies to bite into. I have a patient that makes the most delicious peanut brittle and I tease her that she should include my business cards with each batch! 

​Peeps
Hey, aren’t those Easter candies?  Not anymore. You can get Peep trees, reindeer, gingerbread men and snowmen. These treats are basically fluffy sugar and the sticky nature of the Peep has the candy hanging out in your mouth for hours and the cavity causing bacteria love that.  

Jolly Ranchers
Of course Jolly Ranchers has a holiday hard candy mix.  Filled with sugar? Check. Sticky? Yes, and they are as hard as rock.  This little candy has pulled out many fillings and crowns. Weirdly enough, there is a candy like product a lot like a Jolly Rancher that we dentists use to purposely remove crowns. Check it out at this link.
 
GlÖGG 
This treat is a traditional Scandinavian mulled wine drink that is filled with sugar. Because of the wine and citrus fruits, it also is very acidic. The acid will erode the enamel on your teeth and the wine could also stain your teeth.
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​Hot Chocolate
No hot chocolate? Talk about Bah, Humbug! The milk content makes it sound healthier than it is. A 16 ounce mug of hot chocolate can have as much as 43 grams of sugar. Let’s do the math: If 4 grams of sugar = 1 teaspoon of sugar, then that hot chocolate has over TEN teaspoons of sugar in it!

Of course, we are not saying you should celebrate the holidays with only lettuce and water. There are some great alternatives to these sugary treats on our naughty list.  A simple search in your favorite search engine for healthy holiday treats can help you with ideas. When you do choose to indulge in some of those listed above, and we all will, make sure you brush soon and well afterwards. 

Unfortunately we live in a day where we all have to deal with more and more security. While we are thankful for the protection it provides, we all admit that it often feels like it gets in our way. What if I told you there was an option for a higher level of security for your child's dental health that is painless, lasting, and won't feel like it gets in the way. In fact, your child will probably not even remember they have this extra level of security for their smile. You, however, will feel good about this extra layer of protection.  I'm talking about sealants. 

At my office, we do everything to help our patients prevent cavities. One of the things that is very effective in preventing decay is a sealant. When our teeth grow, sometimes the grooves and pits of the teeth do not completely close, leaving  open a  "microscopic valley” that is very prone to bacterial invasion and consequent  cavities. A sealant is done by cleaning out the pits and grooves of the tooth and then applying a sealer, or sealant, that closes up the gap in the enamel that nature did not do. It is an easy, painless and fairly quick procedure. Before we do a sealant, we always use a laser to scan the tooth to see if it has a cavity in these areas. If no decay is present, we can confidently seal the tooth and reduce decay in these areas by   80 % in just the first 2 years after application.

Take this quiz to test your knowledge about sealants.  Here's some help for the quiz... Sealants aren't just for kids. 

Here is a good informative video from the American Dental Association on Sealants. It is only a minute long...

If you are interested in giving the gift of sealants to your teeth or to your children's teeth, please contact our office and schedule an apointment. This is one gift you won't have to stand in line to return.

Merry Christmas from all of us at Distincitve Dentistry.

More from our online resources you may find helpful...

 1. Family and Friends – We have lived in this community for over 27 years now. We chose this area to raise our children and put down roots. Along the way, we have met hundreds and hundreds of wonderful people who have shaped our family, supported our growth and given of themselves for our benefit. I’m sure that we are not the only people to experience this. Our community is built on the philosophy of being a good neighbor and helping each other out. What a wonderful place to raise a family.

2. Our Professional Community – From the Police to the Fire Department to the Teachers to our Healthcare system, there are so many people who work behind the scenes to insure our peace, health, education and safety. While many communities across our country deal with unrest and fear, we enjoy being able to walk to our cars alone in the parking lots, jog on our streets at dusk and even leave our cars unlocked on occasion because we feel a sense of safety and security. We know that our emergency, and healthcare providers are professional and care about us and our families should we need them. We know that they will go the extra mile or even risk their lives for ours should the need arise.

3. Community Business Relationships – I am thankful for the neighborly feel when I enter a store or call for work on my car and the person that greets me knows my name. I am thankful that I can trust those I do business with. I love it when I go to a restaurant and the server knows how I like my tea. This doesn’t happen in the big city nearly as much. I am thankful for the people that have served this community for so many years in the businesses that we all use and need.

4. Beauty – We live in a gorgeous area. I love the lakes, river, snow covered hills and the fall vista from the ski-jump. Sure, it is cold at times, (lots of times, ok lots of times),  but the beauty, and the opportunities to enjoy the outdoors far outweighs a little extra snow in April. When my friends and family visit from out of state, they always comment on how fresh the air is and they are amazed at night when they can hear the frogs singing in the summer. They also cannot believe that they can see the stars in the night sky.

5. Generous People – As you know, I have dealt with cancer. (you can read my story here) I am involved with cancer charities, such as Bras For The Cause, as well as food pantries, Dental Lifeline with the Michigan Dental Association, Give Kids A Smile Organization, Almost Home Humane Society, and many more fine charitable causes.  When you give to other people, you are the one that receives the most.  I am blessed by the generosity I see firsthand in our community toward these and other good causes. The people in this community have big hearts and that inspires the same in the generation to come. Isn’t that wonderful?
 
So, at this time of year for especially expressing gratitude, I want to publicly express my gratitude for this community. Thanks for reading this. I hope you’ll comment with some of the reasons you can think of to be thankful for our community.
 
Happy Thanksgiving and may the holiday season be wonderful for you, your family and your friends.

​If you believe our office could be of help to you or your family, please look over our website and give us a call to schedule an appointment. 

​You can’t miss all of the pink in October.  Just turn on the TV and see the Green Bay Packers and other teams wearing pink! Although pink is not my favorite color, it does make us all aware of breast cancer.  

According to the American Psychological Association, "When one member of a family has cancer, the whole family is affected." I can attest to that as I am a breast cancer survivor. It was found almost 5 years ago by a routine mammogram and because of that, it was caught early.
So I am urging women to talk to their physicians about mammograms. 
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You need to take care of YOU!

Does your mouth feel dry? There are dental health ramifications from a persistently dry mouth.  The medical term for dry mouth is xerostomia (pronounced zero stomia). Many people have xerostomia and it can be caused by medications, Sjögren disease or as a result of radiation treatments for cancer.

What a lot of people don’t realize is that having a dry mouth can cause more cavities in the mouth. Why? Because the saliva acts like a buffer and is constantly working to return your mouth to a normal pH. pH is a measurement of how acidic or basic something is. Neutral, which is what we want, is around 7. But if we drink or eat acidic things, (like regular and diet pop, juice, oranges, power drinks, etc), our pH can plummet to 3 and remember battery acid is a 1!


So what can you do if you have a dry mouth?

First, don’t add any extra acid to your diet.
Try sipping water throughout the day.
Place a humidifier where you sleep.
 Don’t use mouthwashes that contain alcohol.
Try products like Biotene or Xylimelts .
 
For more information on this topic,  click here.