I’m guessing you’re probably thinking about your New Year’s resolutions right now. As you finalize your list of goals for the year, may I humbly suggest devoting one to doing something that can dramatically improve your oral health? You might assume I’m going to tell you to cut out sugar, but what I have in mind isn’t that drastic. Instead, it’s a simple, long-standing part of oral care that too many people ignore: flossing.
Brushing without flossing is like washing your hands without scrubbing between your fingers. Even the most high-tech, expensive toothbrushes will not dislodge all of the plaque and bacteria from between your teeth.
Flossing helps prevent bad breath and gum disease. Given that gum disease has been linked to conditions ranging from heart disease to diabetes, resolving to floss will benefit your overall health.
Now that you know just how important flossing is, how can you make sure you do it regularly? To start, put floss in a readily available location. If you watch TV before bed, put some floss on your nightstand or next to the couch. You can also stick a few floss picks in your purse, so you have them in a pinch. Another great tactic is to stick a Post-it note on your bathroom mirror that reads, “FLOSS!”
If you’re not a regular flosser, try to begin by flossing at least two or three times per week. From there, work your way up until you’re flossing once daily. Flossing after every brushing session is awesome, but once-daily flossing is enough to prevent the build up of nasty substances between your teeth.
There’s no specific type or brand of floss that works best. Decide which you are most likely to use and go with that. Flossing may not be a dramatic resolution, but it can make a big difference when it comes to your oral health.
Make Reading A Family Resolution
Every parent wants to see their child do well in school, and there’s one fun activity that benefits students of all ages: reading. In a world with so much stimulation, however, it can be difficult to motivate kids to put down a screen and pick up a book. New Year’s resolutions are the perfect opportunity to make reading a priority. Here are a few tips to make 2018 the year your kids become bookworms.
Make It a Family Resolution
There’s no better motivator than solidarity! Plus, we’re guessing everyone in your household could stand to read a little more. You don’t have to read the same books or set identical goals, but it’s a lot more fun when everyone participates. Schedule weekly reading discussions so everyone can share the cool stories they’ve read. Stack your completed books in your house somewhere as a monument to all the knowledge your family has gained.
Set Reward Milestones
Positive reinforcement will propel your kids to keep reading long after the calendars have turned. For a certain number of books completed or hours spent reading, offer them a prize. You can even create a big end goal to really cement those reading habits. Better yet, set a combined goal that the entire family can work toward. Don’t be afraid to pull out all the stops. If your kids know that reading one book per week through June means an extra-special summer vacation, their enthusiasm won’t wane come spring.
Use Reading Apps
Goodreads is a social network for bibliophiles. You can find recommendations, share ratings, and create lists of both completed and to-be-read books. Users also create reading lists based on topic, genre, decade, and more. With over 2 billion books added, you’ll never run out of inspiration. Biblionasium offers the same services, but it’s designed specifically for children. Talk to other parents and create a network of friends and classmates. After all, nothing is cooler to a kid than what their friends are doing.
Avid readers tend to do better academically from kindergarten through college. In fact, a study from the Journal of Education and Practice found that reading comprehension predicted success in other subjects more than any other factor. If you want to see improved report cards, make a reading resolution for your entire household.
Looking Forward to 2018
We recently returned from Disneyland, and I don’t think my kids will ever be the same again. It was a lot of work for Meredith and me, but it was worth it to see the sheer delight on the faces of our kids. I even had the chance to enjoy a few rides myself, and I particularly enjoyed the California Screamin’ roller coaster. I guess the thrill of flying through the air on a ride is something you never outgrow.
The trip was a great experience to cap off 2017, and now it’s time to turn our attention toward the new year. For my family, the biggest goal is to find a home in Eagle in 2018. Don’t get me wrong; we love our current home and neighbors in Meridian, but we’d like to find a long-term residence a little closer to the practice before the kids get too settled. We’re still in the early stages, but it’s definitely something we’re excited about. Hopefully, I’ll have more to report on that front a little later in the year.
At the office, we unwrapped one heck of a Christmas present recently. A new 3-D imaging device arrived recently, and we’ve already gotten a lot of use out of it. The technical name for the machine is a cone beam dental CT scanner, but I won’t bore you with any of the specs. In short, the machine offers a chance to take a much more dynamic look at teeth than simple X-rays.
“From little things, like freshening up furniture and decor, to larger investments, like our CT scanner, we think improving the practice should be a yearlong initiative, not just a New Year’s resolution.”
Dental technology is always advancing, and imaging is one the places where the advancement has been biggest. I can’t tell you how much more information we have as the result of enhanced imaging. In the past, when we went to put in an implant or perform a root canal, we had some information going in. Once we got under the surface, however, we could expect to encounter some surprises. Now, the picture is much clearer — literally. Not only does better imaging allow the team to have a more solid game plan before a procedure, but it also lets us explain procedures to patients with the help of sophisticated visual aids.
In the coming months, we’ll be on the lookout for more ways to improve the practice. From little things, like freshening up furniture and decor, to larger investments, like our CT scanner, we think improving the practice should be a yearlong initiative, not just a New Year’s resolution. I’m lucky to have a team that never fails to suggest great ideas. I’m thankful for that, because I don’t always have the best eye for decoration. If you need proof of that, ask Meredith! I’m sure she’ll be able to confirm it.
I hope you have a wonderful 2018. The year may be just getting underway, but I’m already feeling like it’s going to be a great one. Thank you to all of our wonderful patients for making 2017 such a great year for Eagle Dental Care. I’m sure this year will be even better.
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Do you know when most dental emergencies happen? I’ll give you a hint: “Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus.” That’s right — holiday season.
Why is this? Well, the abundance of hard candy and popcorn between October and January wreaks havoc on your teeth. Often, when a broken tooth reaches emergency status, it’s actually already cracked. At that point, all it takes is a piece of hard food for it to reach breaking point. Fortunately, there are simple ways to improve your tooth health and prevent cracks during the holiday season.
First, stop overindulging in sugary foods! Sugar breaks down your enamel, so the more you eat, the weaker your teeth become. Plaque builds up in your mouth whenever you consume food. The bacteria that make up plaque love sugar, and when they consume it, they produce a certain type of acid. This acid wears away healthy tooth enamel and eventually breaks down teeth. Even worse, if you already have a crack (even one you can’t see or feel), sticky, sugary foods will further irritate the area. And though it might seem like a healthy alternative, dried fruit is on this list of culprits — its dense sugars easily cling to your teeth.
To combat this, make small changes to lower your sugar intake. Replace your daily soda with a cup of tea or sparkling water. Another beneficial change is switching from dried fruits to fresh ones.
Sugar aside, you may have another addiction that harms your teeth. Are you a serial fingernail or ice chewer? Both can lead to cracked and broken teeth. If you aren’t looking to drop a vacation’s worth of dough on your dental visits, consider quitting — and quick. The Academy of General Dentistry estimates habitual nail biters will spend up to $4,000 more in dental bills over their lifetime.
Finding a replacement routine for detrimental chewing habits is key to kicking the habit for good.
Carry a pack of baby carrots to munch when you’re tempted to reach for your fingernails. You can also place a rubber band around your wrist and snap it when you reach for a nail to nibble. Each painful snap can serve as a reminder to stop your destructive habit.
Talk with your dentist about other ways to strengthen your teeth and prevent breakage. After all, you want to spend your holidays in the easy chair, not the dentist’s!
If there’s one long-held truism when it comes to foods that harm your health, it’s that sweetness is usually cause for concern. The bacteria in your mouth eat sugar, then create acids that eat away at your enamel. Even when sugar is replaced by artificial sweeteners, you don’t eliminate the risk for decay. Artificial sweeteners like aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose are highly acidic, which accelerates the rate of decay.
Recently, however, new natural sweeteners have arrived on the market that provide great flavor without posing a risk to your oral health. Chief among them is xylitol. This natural sweetener, derived from the fibrous parts of plants, doesn’t break down like sugar, because bacteria cannot digest it. It also benefits from having a neutral pH (it’s neither acidic nor basic), protecting your teeth from decay and sustaining a healthy environment in your mouth. As an added bonus, xylitol stimulates saliva production. Saliva is your body’s natural defense against decay, and more of it is never a bad thing.
Where can you find this magic sweetener? Sugar-free gum is often the most common place. If you’re shopping for gum, take a second to check ingredients. Xylitol should be one of the first listed on the package. When you opt for gum with xylitol, you actually benefit from having three to five pieces per day. It’s hard to imagine a hygienist recommending you chew more gum, but that’s the case with xylitolbased gum.
You can also purchase xylitol in packets to sweeten everything from coffee to cookies. The sweetness is much more concentrated than in traditional sugar, so be careful how much you use. If you’re baking with xylitol, you’ll also need to look up recipes that account for how it differs from sugar. But you can still get delicious results!
This holiday season, try to include a little xylitol in your favorite treats. It may require a bit of tweaking to your traditional favorites, but your teeth will thank you.
The Importance of a Go Bag
Natural disasters happen all the time. From hurricanes and tornadoes to wildfires and earthquakes, our homes are never entirely safe from potential hazards. While natural disasters aren’t an everyday worry — and the 2017 hurricane and fire season is finally behind us — nothing is better than being prepared. You need a go bag!
A go bag is something you can keep by the door in case of any kind of emergency. With essentials at the ready, you eliminate the possibility of a last-minute scramble. Here are the most critical items to include.
Batteries and Flashlights
Not only do you want a selection of standard batteries for your devices, but you also want portable lithiumion batteries to charge your cellphones and other mobile devices. Additionally, after you’ve packed these items, be sure to check them every three months. You want to ensure they are functioning and at full capacity so you can rely on them if the time comes.
First-Aid Kit
You can find well-stocked first-aid kits online (including on Amazon.com) that are packed to the brim with most or all of the essentials. You may want to include baby wipes and a multi-tool in the kit as well.
Medications
When it comes to go bags, medications can be tricky, but they are necessary. Include a supply of any medications you take (anywhere from a week’s to a month’s supply) and be sure to rotate them out on a regular basis. This ensures that any prescription medications are upto- date and that there is no risk of potential expirations.
Documentation
Make a photocopy of any and all critical documents you have and store the copies in a watertight container (such as a freezer bag) in the go bag. Include your birth certificate, driver’s license, and Social Security card. You may also want to include a copy of any Medicare cards, insurance information, your will (along with any powers of attorney), and some proof of address. Some people even include marriage, adoption, and naturalization certificates.
Christmas at the Thomason House
This year will be our son Max’s first Christmas, and we’re so excited for him to experience the delights of the holidays. His siblings, Avy and Jett, will have no trouble getting him into the spirit. They’re seasoned veterans at this point, and theyknow that once Thanksgiving dinner is digested, it’s time to start looking forward to Santa. Over that weekend, we always decorate the house as a family.
I enjoy getting the house spruced up, but my favorite activity is hanging up ornaments on the tree. When I was growing up, my mom made unique ornaments every year. They would always be themed with a focus on self-improvement. I probably have 15 to 20 of them now. While decorating the tree, I find myself staring at the christmas ornaments my mom made each christmas season and reminiscing about family memories from my youth. Occasionally, my wife, Meredith, will catch me staring at an ornament, reminiscing about the past. She might even need to prompt me to hustle it along. After all, it seems there’s always more decorating to do.
Occasionally, my wife, Meredith, will catch me staring at an ornament, reminiscing about the past. She might even need to prompt me to hustle it along. After all, it seems there’s always more decorating to do.
Watching my kids experience the holidays, I’ve noticed a funny thing about how times change. Meredith and I introduced our kids to the classic Christmas movies — “Rudolph,” “Frosty the Snowman,” etc. While the joy they experience from the movies is the same as it was when I was a boy, the way they find that joy is not. I remember my siblings and I would mark the calendars for the one time these movies would appear on TV. If we missed it, we had to wait another year to get a shot. These days, my kids watch them over and over. All they have to is hit play, and it’s an endless loop of Christmas fun.
To me, these simple pleasures are what the holidays are all about. With the little ones, we don’t travel to Eastern Idaho for Christmas, so it’s mostly a quiet time with our family. Sitting at home with a cup of hot chocolate in hand and watching them enjoy the festivities always puts a smile on my face.
This year, the holiday atmosphere won’t be limited to the office. The team at Eagle Dental Care will be putting up some decorations, and we’re excited to share in the spirit of Christmas with our patients. Not to sound cheesy, but I receive a present every day in the form of being able to treat such an amazing group of people.
I want to wish everyone reading this a merry Christmas and happy holidays. I hope you have the chance to enjoy your favorite traditions. But I will say that if we have just a touch less snow than last year, you won’t find me complaining.
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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.
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.
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.