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Month: November 2017

  • Why Cities Fluoridate Your Drinking Water

    These Stats Prove the Value

    The first major city in America to fluoridate their drinking water was Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1949. Since then, cities all across America have added fluoride to their water. Of the top 50 largest U.S. cities, only six are currently without it. Why so many?

    Cities across the U.S. have caught on to what dentists have been saying since well before 1949: Fluoride is safe, effective, and cheap. Not only that, but it’s natural as well. Oceans and groundwater naturally contain fluoride, and the public waterworks only have to adjust it to a better level.

    Fluoride is a solution packed with minerals that strengthens your enamel. As you eat, the acid in your food causes demineralization, which weakens your teeth. Rinsing with a fluoride solution reinforces the enamel and reverses early decay, giving your teeth a chance to rebuild without succumbing to the acid and sugar in your diet. It’s extremely effective for your dental health.

    Fluoride is also remarkably cost effective. According to the American Dental Association, it costs less to fluoridate one person’s water over the course of their life than it does to give them one dental filling. Every $1 invested in water fluoridation saves $38 in dental treatment costs — not to mention the millions of school and work hours that it saves nationwide with fewer people at the dentist. Talk about bang for buck.

    You can find out whether your town has fluoridated water by going to nccd.cdc.gov/DOG_MWF. You can also get a powerful and effective dose the next time you visit us for your regular cleaning! As U.S. cities know, fluoride is equally friendly to your teeth and your wallet.

  • Tips for Healthy Holiday Teeth

    The holidays are a time of festivity and cheer. For the youngest among us, that holiday spirit includes eating sweets. Given that your kids are probably holding on to some of their Halloween stash and anxiously awaiting candy cane season, I wanted to talk about sugar and oral health.

    When it comes to sugar intake, what you eat is less important than how you consume it. Obviously, moderation is key. Kids should be able to enjoy their Halloween candy, but they should also be careful to not overindulge. Too much between-meal snacking is a cause for concern. If you have sweets after a meal, your mouth will have more saliva, allowing you to break down the sugar better. Sticky, chewy, and hard candies are often the worst for your teeth because they tend to get stuck in your mouth.

    Candy isn’t the only problem food. Sweetened beverages do just as much, if not more, damage. At this point, everyone knows that soda is basically just a can of sugar water, but even diet sodas aren’t great for your teeth. Sports drinks and flavored water are also packed with sweeteners. Read the label before you fill the fridge with cavity-causing drinks.

    On the other hand, there are some foods that actually promote oral health. Cheese, raw veggies, crunchy fruits, and nuts all have oral health benefits. They’re packed with nutrients and they can also help remove plaque and dislodge nasty substances from between your teeth. These foods, uncoincidentally, are all natural. The more processed the food is, the more likely it is to have elevated sugar levels.

    With all this talk of food, I can’t help but think about my Thanksgiving favorites. Sure, turkey is delicious, but what I look forward to most is the stuffing. For as long as I can remember, it’s always been my favorite.

    I hope everyone has a chance to eat their favorite foods this holiday season. Keep in mind, though, that too many sweets could create a sour situation for your teeth.

  • What NOT to Clean With Vinegar

    A spray bottle filled with vinegar can be an invaluable tool when cleaning your house. A few spritzes of the pungent stuff is an excellent all-natural alternative to expensive chemicals for cleaning windows, eliminating grass stains from clothes, freshening laundry, wiping out carpet stains, and even washing produce. However, before you go hog-wild blasting everything in your house, you should know about a few things that you definitely shouldn’t use vinegar on.

    After scrubbing those dirty windows with vinegar and a paper towel, it can be tempting to apply the same technique to y our granite or marble countertops. However, the acetic acid in vinegar can erode all types of natural stone over time. This includes the stone floor tiles in your bathroom. Ammonia can be damaging as well — stick to dish detergent and warm water or special stone soap, instead.

    Many experts argue that vinegar can also strip the finish from your shiny hardwood floors. Others find that vinegar gives them a beautiful sheen. Still, it’s better to be safe than sorry. A cleaner specifically formulated for hardwood floors will keep them in tiptop shape, and you won’t have to worry about any damage.

    Some vinegar believers have found that it’s not great for egg spills — or egg-related teenage vandalism — either. Pouring vinegar onto a raw egg, or any other protein-based spill, like yogurt, causes the egg to coagulate, making it cling to whatever surface you’re trying to clean.

  • Back in Idaho, with an Eye Toward Disneyland

    Why I’m Thankful for Work and Family

    I recently returned from my mission trip to the Dominican Republic, and I have to say, it was a phenomenal experience. As I mentioned last month, this was my second trip to the island, but this one was a lot different than the first. On my maiden voyage, we traveled to rural areas and were really roughin’ it. The tools and facilities were rudimentary, and we did all we could to help people out.

    This time, on the other hand, we worked out of San Pedro at a nice, if not totally modern, clinic. A small group of 10 dentists from the States went to assist local dentists in providing care for residents who could not afford modern dentistry. It was a true collaborative effort. For certain parts of the day, one of us would lead and another would assist. Then, we’d switch roles. Now, I don’t speak a lick of Spanish, and a lot of the Dominican dentists were not fluent in English. They probably understood me a lot better than I could them, though. Even with the language barrier, I hope the local dentists enjoyed working with a guy from Eagle, Idaho.

    “My family, along with my wife’s siblings and their kids, is heading off to Disneyland. When we told our kids, you would’ve thought they’d won the lottery.”

    All in all, though, it was a complete joy to work alongside these dedicated doctors and their staff. We put in fillings and dental implants alongside some preventative work. It was a nice change of pace to do some more advanced dentistry, as my first trip was almost exclusively pulling teeth — and I mean that literally. The staff and patients in San Pedro welcomed us with open arms, and I boarded the plane back to the United States, having made many new friends. Additionally, I had the chance to catch up with an old one. I actually heard about the opportunity from my friend Richie, who I went to dental school with. We hadn’t had a chance to spend time together for several years, and it was wonderful to catch up.

    Now that I’m back in Idaho, I have a trip of an entirely different order to look forward to. My family, along with my wife’s siblings and their kids, is heading off to Disneyland. When we told our kids, you would’ve thought they’d won the lottery. We’ve even started a countdown calendar so that every day feels just a little closer to the big day. Avy, Jett, and Max are 6, 4, and a newborn, respectively, so they’re at the perfect ages to make this journey unforgettable. In a fun bit of irony, my son may be named Jett, but he’s a huge fan of the “Cars” series. When I found out that there were “Cars”-themed rides at Disneyland, I knew he’d be elated.

    Aside from that huge event on the horizon, we’ll be looking forward to spending Thanksgiving in Rexburg with my in-laws. I always enjoy piling my plate with sweet potatoes. Maybe it’s just my family, but nobody seems to love them as much as I do. Oh well, all the more for me.

    I want to wish everyone reading this a happy Thanksgiving. I hope you have the chance to unwind and enjoy the holiday with your loved ones. As we go around the table, I have a feeling I know what my kids will be bringing up. As for me, I’m so thankful for our incredible team and wonderful community of patients. You’ve made me feel more than welcome in my first full year at the practice, and it fills me with gratitude every day.

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