Family adventures are a great way to grow closer and develop meaningful connections. But with lodging prices rising and the logistical nightmare that traveling with the entire family can be, many Americans are looking at a new option: ditching the beaches and resorts and heading to the great outdoors. Actually, we know this option isn’t new at all. Spending time outdoors with family may very well be one of the most time-honored traditions ever.

Camping

Lodgings and flights are expensive, so going on a family vacation can cost thousands of dollars — and that’s just for the basics! But camping only requires a tent, a fire, picnic food, and water. Rather than scarfing down fast food between flights and dealing with airport security, departure delays, and long flights, take a deep breath and roast marshmallows over the fire with the people you love.

Hiking

A hike with family is an easy way to escape the hustle and bustle of city life. All a hike requires is a trail and a sense of adventure. The best part of hiking is that you can tailor the distance to fit your family’s needs. If you have children or grandkids who aren’t up for the challenge of an arduous daylong trek, there’s sure to be a shorter scenic trail. If nothing else, you can always turn around and backtrack the way you came.

Fishing

Fishing is a great way to get out and do something relaxing yet challenging. It doesn’t require a lot of skill or investment. All it takes is the willingness to learn and the desire to connect with nature. This is why fishing is the perfect activity for youngsters of all ages. So, what are you waiting for? Grab your rod and reel and head to the nearest lake or river.

While these are all great stand-alone options, together they form an amazing three-headed monster for your next family outing. By combining camping with a hike to a river or lake where you can go fishing, you are sure to create lasting memories with your family that will draw you closer together. Ditch the lines at the airport and the stress of travel. Unleash the possibilities of adventure in the great outdoors.

It happens to everyone. One day, you’re standing in front of the mirror getting ready for work, and you notice your teeth have begun to take on an unsightly shade of yellow. Even the most diligent brushers and flossers will eventually notice their teeth aren’t as bright as they would like.

Unless you only drink water and eat colorless gelatin, your teeth are going to become stained over time. If yellowing teeth are a natural part of the human experience, why does it bother us so much? Well, our aversion to unsightly, stained teeth may have something to do with psychology.

White, shiny teeth are perceived as healthier than teeth that are yellow or stained. When we see someone with stained teeth, we often form certain opinions about them. Whether these opinions are justified or not is another matter, but that prejudice can affect how we treat each other and how we view ourselves. Since whiter teeth encourage more positive thinking, people who whiten their teeth often report feeling higher selfesteem and confidence, and this can translate into amazing results in other areas of life.

Improved Social Connections

Who would you rather spend time with: someone who smiles and laughs freely or someone who never cracks a smile and rarely speaks up because they are embarrassed by their teeth? When we feel confident about our teeth, the way we carry ourselves and interact with others changes. This confidence carries over into job interviews and even first dates!

Enhanced Mood

In addition to improved confidence, having whiter teeth can increase feelings of happiness. When we don’t feel self-conscious about our smiles, we smile more. Smiling releases endorphins, so this act can create a feedback loop of even more happiness!

Lower Risk of Oral Problems

Individuals who whiten their teeth are more likely to maintain that bright shine for as long as possible through proper dental hygiene. Regular oral care is vital for preventing serious health risks like tooth decay and gum disease.

During your next visit, don’t forget to ask about which whitening treatments we recommend. We can help you enjoy bright, beautiful teeth every day!

Regular brushing with proper technique is the foundation of great oral health, but you shouldn’t discount the importance of toothbrush care. A musician would never take the stage with an out-of-tune trumpet, but many people try to clean their teeth with a toothbrush that’s in rough shape. Don’t let a broken instrument hamper your oral care. Here are a few tips for toothbrush maintenance.

Buy a good toothbrush. There are dozens of toothbrushes on the shelf of your local pharmacy, but they’re not all created equal. Look for soft bristles and a head size that will fit your mouth comfortably. Even better, ask your dentist or hygienist to recommend a brand or model.

When it comes to storing your toothbrush, limiting possible exposure to bacteria should be your primary concern. After brushing, thoroughly rinse your entire toothbrush (not just the head) under warm water to wash away any lingering plaque. Store your toothbrush upright so the bristles don’t come into contact with any surfaces. If you have multiple brushes in one location, make sure the heads do not touch. If you’re traveling, avoid airtight covers, as they tend to trap germs. It’s much better to buy a cheap toothbrush for your trip and throw it out when you head back home.

Toothbrushes should be replaced as soon as the bristles begin to fray, which should be about once every three months. If you find that they are fraying much earlier than that, it probably means you are brushing too vigorously.

Taking the time to maintain and replace your toothbrush can provide significant benefits for your oral care. After all, the best brushes create the best smiles, and that’s what we all want.

The family dinner is a staple of years gone by. These days, the only time you see a family sit together and break bread seems to be at Thanksgiving. This is a shame, because regular family dinners are incredibly important! It’s a time to bond with your loved ones that can have a positive impact on your kids’ lives. A study published in the journal Pediatrics found that kids who regularly partake in family meals are less likely to experience depression or engage in drug use. Furthermore, The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University determined that kids who eat family meals five to seven times a week bring home better report cards.

Even when schedules are busy, you can make family dinners fit into your agenda with these tips.

Be Flexible About Mealtimes

Dinner doesn’t have to be at 6 p.m. on the dot. If Kamala has a karate tournament in the evening or Peter needs to stay late at school for art club, why not break out the healthy snacks and make dinner happen a little later or earlier? Plus, the meal you share as a family doesn’t have to be at dinnertime. If there’s time in the mornings, sit down for breakfast. If you have the opportunity on weekends or during a school break, grab lunch together.

Call All Hands On Deck

Mom or Dad shouldn’t be expected to cook by themselves for every meal. This is family time, after all, so call in the kids! Make sure their tasks are age-appropriate — leave sautéing vegetables to the high schooler and let your first-grader set out the cups instead. This is the perfect opportunity to teach kids valuable kitchen skills and to take some of the burden off your plate. Plus, if your kids are picky eaters, inviting them to be part of the cooking process can make them more inclined to try the finished product.

Don’t Stress Yourself Out

It’s okay if you’re too busy on a Monday to cook dinner. There’s always Tuesday. Or you can take a trip to your favorite family restaurant. Family meals should be fun, and that can’t happen if you’re stressed. Don’t feel pressured to make each meal perfect or to prepare a three-course dinner every night. Chicken and rice can get the job done as long as you’re all sitting around the table as a family.

No matter how hectic your schedule may be, making family meals a priority is always worth the investment. Who’s in the mood for meatloaf?

Building Our Nest in Eagle

My wife, Meredith, and I have been searching for a home in Eagle for the past eight months or so. We’ve been in love with the town from the moment we came to the Treasure Valley. When I started at Eagle Dental Care a little over a year ago, the desire to make our permanent home here grew even stronger.

It wasn’t a quick process, but I’m proud to say we’ve found our family home. The real estate process went a lot smoother than we could ever have hoped. We were lucky enough to work with a great Realtor who made it painless. Moving, on the other hand, has included more than its fair share of headaches. Never having to pack and unpack everything again is all the more reason to really plant our roots in the new home.

As we ate some food from Dickie’s Barbeque Pit on our first night in the new home — if you think we were going to do dishes on the first night, think again — Meredith and I took a moment to recognize just how lucky we are to be a part of this community. Avy, our oldest, will be starting first grade in the fall, and we timed the move so she’ll be totally settled for the beginning of the school year. She and Jett will finish up the year at their current school, and we’re hoping this will be the only school change for many years to come.

“Spring is a time of new beginnings, so it’s exciting to be able to spend this one in a new home. I’ve moved a lot during my life, but this move feels different. It feels permanent.”

The house itself is quickly becoming a playground for the kids. We have a bigger yard and more space than before. Once we get rid of the seemingly infinite number of boxes, they’ll have even more room to play. Personally, I’m looking forward to getting the fire pit in the backyard going. It won’t be long before it’s the perfect weather to roast marshmallows. Compared to last year — and especially compared to the weather in Eastern Idaho — it’s been so warm that I find myself worrying when the snow will arrive. Maybe we just got lucky this year, but I haven’t counted out the cold just yet.

Spring is a time of new beginnings, so it’s exciting to be able to spend this one in a new home. I’ve moved a lot during my life, but this move feels different. It feels permanent. You never know what the future will hold, but I get the sense that we’ll look back on this transition a decade from now and smile. We couldn’t be happier to be here in Eagle, and I don’t see that changing any time soon.

I’m excited to turn my attention to sprucing up the office once we get fully settled,. There are a few changes I’ve been hoping to make for a while now, but one decorating project at a time is more than enough for me. Luckily, the Eagle Dental Care team will be able to lend a hand during the process of improving our office. Another bonus is that it won’t involve any packing and unpacking. I’ve done enough of that for one year.

It may not feel like we’ve had much of a winter, but I still want to wish everyone a happy spring season. If it ends up snowing in mid-March, you can blame me for jinxing us all.

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You’re admiring your bright smile when you notice you can see more of that tooth than you used to. Wow, it really doesn’t feel good when you touch that spot! It’s painful, really, and very uncomfortable. What the heck? You’ve been brushing, flossing, and practicing the same oral hygiene you’ve known since childhood, and suddenly, your gums, which are usually there to protect your teeth, have moved!

If you’ve experienced this phenomenon, you might be suffering from gum recession, and the underlying causes can sneak in even after proper care. The hard part is, some of us don’t have control over it. About 30 percent of people are predisposed to gum recession thanks to genetics. Ouch. The good news is, there are lifestyle changes you can make to protect the precious tissue that covers your teeth. With some work, you can reclaim control of your gum health.

When we talk about gum recession, we don’t mean that gum tissue disappears. Instead, the tissue pulls away from your tooth. Your gum tissue is there to protect your teeth, and when something’s not quite right in other parts of your mouth, the sensitive tissue draws back.

Your daytime habits are a factor in your gum’s health. Smoking and other tobacco use can lead to a host of dental issues, including gum recession. Misaligned teeth can also force your gums to pull away. If that’s the issue, it may be time to talk to an orthodontist.

Sometimes, your nighttime habits are the cause. Clenching and grinding at night — or, in dental terminology, bruxism — puts extra pressure on your jaw and teeth that can lead to gum recession. If you’ve woken up with a headache or your partner has complained about how noisy you are at night, it’s possible you’re grinding or clenching your teeth.

If your problem is clenching or grinding, you might be suffering from sleep apnea. The clenching is in response to your body’s struggle to get enough oxygen as you sleep. A simple sleep study might be able to diagnose sleep disruptions, and it may lead you to not only healthier gums, but a better night’s sleep. Your dentist may even be able to fit you for a dental appliance as an alternative to a bulky sleep apnea mask.

Depending on the severity of recession, there are a range of treatment plans available to you, from an intensive cleaning of the area to more extensive surgical options that a gum specialist, or periodontist, may perform.

Whatever the cause of your gum recession, talk with your dentist to find the best option for you.

It may not get quite the same attention as Valentine’s Day, but February is also National Children’s Dental Health Month. Every year, the American Dental Association (ADA) comes up with a slogan that encapsulates their goals for the month. The 2018 slogan is, “Brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste and clean between your teeth for a healthy smile.”

People used to think that care for baby teeth wasn’t critical. “They’re just going to fall out anyway, so why worry too much about them?” This was the rationale behind the attitude. But nothing could be further from the truth. As the correlation between oral hygiene and overall health has become apparent, so too has the need for great oral care as early as possible. Expectant mothers with gum disease can even transmit bacteria to their children.

Creating strong habits from a young age also sets up your child for great oral health throughout their life. Don’t let your toddler fall asleep directly after drinking milk or juice, as it leaves acid in their mouths all night long, creating a fertile ground for bacteria. Fluoride toothpaste helps protect teeth from acid damage and strengthens enamel.

As children age, have a hygienist teach them proper brushing and flossing techniques. Once they have the tools to brush and floss effectively, encourage them to do so. One great way to do this is to set up a calendar monitoring progress. Place a sticker on the calendar for every day that a child completes their oral care regimen. If the child completes a certain number of days in a row, give them a little prize. As the months progress, you’ll notice them brushing and flossing as a matter of course.

National Children’s Dental Health Month is a reminder that providing a child with the skills and incentive to create great habits is a gift that keeps on giving. Baby teeth may fall out, but the oral care patterns you establish in childhood stick with you forever.

What Your Child Can Learn From Baking

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, you’re probably wracking your brain for the perfect recipe to bake for your loved one. There’s nothing wrong with store-bought chocolate, but there’s no topping the personal touch of some homemade baked goods. If you have kids, baking alongside them can be just as rewarding as enjoying the fruits of your labor. As an added bonus, baking is a hands-on opportunity where your child can learn all sorts of important concepts. Here is a short list of some of the educational lessons hiding in your kitchen.

Math

Baking is a numbers game. Just take a look at any recipe, and you’ll recognize the importance of math in building a beautiful cake. Having children measure out ingredients helps them learn about fractions and ratios. You can also test your kids by doubling or halving a recipe for multiplication and division practice. With older kids, practice unit conversions by asking, for example, how many pints are in half a gallon.

Following Directions

Not unlike computer science, baking requires a strict order of operations. The wet and dry ingredients often need to be mixed separately and then folded together. It only takes one deviation from the instructions for a pastry to go from delicious to disgusting. Spending time in the kitchen, then, is a great way for kids to learn the importance of reading directions carefully and comprehending what they’ve just read.

Cultural Understanding

Cuisine is a fundamental part of every culture. Introducing your child to dishes from around the world will expand their horizons. Want your child to be a less picky eater? Involving them in the cooking process is the surest way to get them excited about trying new flavors and ingredients.

Nutrition

Now, you might not think that baking cookies will encourage greater nutritional awareness, but hear us out. Sugar is often buried within packaged foods. When you bake something at home, a child gets to see, firsthand, just how much sugar goes into certain sweets. Meanwhile, cooking savory dishes also allows them to learn what constitutes a balanced, healthy diet.

Why I’m Proud to Call the Gem State Home

One of the first joint excursions my wife, Meredith, and I took was to the McCall Winter Carnival. Even though over 60,000 people attend the event every year, it felt like we were all by ourselves. As we roamed the streets, looking at the massive snow sculptures, we were transported to another world. To use a phrase from a classic song, we were “walking in a winter wonderland.”

A few years later, we were married and had two kids. Given how much we enjoyed the carnival, we figured they would as well. Avy and Jett were amazed by what they saw. Sculptures as big as a truck are impressive to adults, but to kids, they are borderline magical. Now that Max has joined the family, we’re hoping to make another trip up to McCall this year. He may not be old enough to understand the effort and time that goes into the sculptures, but we’re certain he’ll have a great time all the same.

Being able to attend one-of-a-kind events like these is part of what makes Idaho so appealing. I may be a little biased — I was born and raised in the Gem State, after all — but I would say we live in one of the greatest places in the country. From pristine wilderness and outdoor adventures to quaint towns and burgeoning cities, Idaho truly has it all. The problem is that I just don’t have the time to take part in all the activities that catch my eye, especially as work gets busier and my family grows larger.

“I may be a little biased — I was born and raised in the Gem State, after all — but I would say we live in one of the greatest places in the country.”

I guess I should file that complaint under “good problems to have.” Every corner of our state has secrets waiting to be discovered, and it will take us years to cross everything off our Idaho bucket list. As the kids get a little older, we’ll be able to tackle some of the more rugged terrain. In my experience, the most scenic places take a little work to trek through. As soon as Max can handle it, you can bet we’ll be camping and hiking with him in tow.

There are a few places that are near and dear to my heart that I cannot wait to share with my family. Given that I grew up in Rexburg, eastern Idaho and Wyoming are home to many of these locales. As a kid, I used to ski at the Grand Targhee Resort, and I want to introduce that pastime to the next generation of Thomasons. I also have fond memories of Grand Teton National Park. In fact, it was on a fishing trip on the Teton River that I made the decision to pursue dentistry.

The pleasures of exploring our state and the surrounding areas are something I don’t take for granted. I feel lucky that Meredith and I are able to raise our children in such a spectacular place. Now, it’s just a matter of making sure they get to experience the best of it.

Before I go, I want to wish Meredith a happy Valentine’s Day. She’s my valentine every day of the year, but I would be remiss if I didn’t include a little shoutout to her. She is the greatest person I’ve ever known, and I don’t know where I’d be without her.

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We all know brushing before bed is the key to maintaining healthy teeth and gums. You may be surprised to learn, though, that what happens after you brush can make a huge difference as well. Sleep quality has a massive impact on oral health, in regards to both periodontal disease and bad breath.

A study commissioned by the Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, led by Dr. Muneo Tanaka, sought to examine the influence of lifestyle factors on gum disease. They observed 219 patients over the course of four years, monitoring hours of sleep, hours of work, exercise, alcohol use, smoking, eating breakfast, overall diet, and physical and mental stress. When the results came back, only smoking was a bigger risk factor than lack of sleep. Those patients who had seven to eight hours of sleep fared much better than those with six or fewer.

“This study points out to patients that there are lifestyle factors other than brushing and flossing that may affect their oral health,” says Preston D. Miller Jr., DDS, president of the American Academy of Periodontology.

“It is also important to keep these in mind as the body of evidence linking oral disease with systemic diseases continues to grow, because ultimately, these factors might impact a patient’s overall health.” This connection is especially strong with periodontal disease. Heart surgeons have found the very same bacteria in clogged arteries as those in gums.

Why does sleep matter so much? Well, it’s the time when your body restores itself. Your body needs to recover after strenuous exercise in order to get the most out of a workout, and the same is true for your mouth. At night, you’re more likely to breathe through your nose, which allows your mouth to produce more regenerative saliva. A good night’s sleep also lowers stress levels and regulates blood sugar.

To make sure you’re getting the highest quality sleep, it’s important to establish a routine. The more your body clock can acclimate to a pattern of expected sleep, the less likely you will be to wake up in the middle of the night. Avoid eating right before bed, especially after you’ve brushed and flossed. Also, limit your screen time before bed to ensure a good night’s rest.

Oral health is only one of the many benefits of getting more (and better) sleep. Rest up for increased focus, better memory, and brighter moods.