Merry Christmas

Wow!  2013 is coming to an end.  Where does the time go!!!

I just want to take a minute to thank everyone who has made SmileLogic the best dental office In Broomfield, Colorado! (in my humble opinion, of course!)

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and safe and happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

What is the deal with gluten?

So, everyone has heard the terms “gluten allergy” or celiac disease.  While the two are linked, they are completely different.  It is estimated that 1 in 133 people have celiac disease.

A gluten intolerance or wheat allergy is a sensitivity that may cause some intestinal discomfort after eating products with gluten.  The symptoms pass after the gluten leaves the body.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes damage to the tissues of the intestines.  Celiac sufferers run the risk of not absorbing foods regularly, which can lead to nutritional deficiencies.

What is gluten exactly, and why is it such a problem now? 

“Much of the world is starving and in order to combat world hunger there had to be a way to make more wheat at a faster rate. Dr. Norman Borlaug is considered the "Father of the Green Revolution" and was given the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970, the Presidential Medal for Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal for his work in creating high-yield dwarf wheat that did indeed help the issue of world hunger. He had solved two problems by producing a high-yield stalk that is shorter and stockier. A short stalk stays alive longer and takes less time to grow – it also uses less fertilizer.” (http://www.rdhmag.com/articles/print/volume-33/issue-10/features/gluten-worries.html)

Unfortunately, no safety testing was done to see how the new strain of wheat affected humans.  The strains produced new gluten strains.  The wheat we consume now is genetically different than wheat 50 years ago.

Oral Problems

Those with celiac disease can experience issues in the mouth.  Some of the conditions are:

• Ø  Delayed tooth eruption in children
• Ø  Enamel defects
• Ø  Increased prevalence of gum recession
• Ø  Cracked corners of the lip (Cheilosis)

More information can be found here: http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/

Natural Products to Treat Gum Inflammation

Natural Products to Help Gum Disease – Gingivitis 

Gum disease is a chronic bacterial infection that inflames the gum and mouth

tissues, and then leads to more serious conditions. These conditions

include not only loss of bone in the mouth, but also an increased risk of heart

disease, difficulty in controlling diabetes and low birth weight in babies.

Taking care of your mouth is part of your overall health routine. There are two natural

products that may help with prevention and maintenance of gum disease. The least expensive

is apple cider vinegar.  Diluted in water and used as a mouth rinse, it can reduce the bacterial load in your mouth!

   

Another natural product is CoQ10, which is a natural antioxidant that occurs in

every cell membrane in the body, particularly heart muscle cells. It increases

access to oxygen for the cells which creates better energy transfer. Any time

after a person’s twenties the body may be producing less of it just as we need more

of it. It’s found in most foods, and supplements can be purchased.  If you experience bleeding gums, increasing your intake of CoQ10 may reduce inflammation and bleeding.

Finally, the use of oral probiotic lozenges is effective in the treatment of gum disease.  We all have “good” bacteria and “bad” bacteria in our mouths.  The good bacteria can be overpowered by the bad bacteria, making gingivitis difficult to treat.  Oral probiotics reintroduce more of the good bacteria into our oral tissues, which in turn may decrease the effects of the bad bacteria.  Oral probiotics can be found online or at your health food store. 

How much is your health worth?

General Health and Hygiene

How Much Does Dental Hygiene Cost Compared to…

We hope you will come in twice a year for teeth cleaning for yourself and your family members.  We know our clients too often think of the cost first and put it off, sometimes for years.  Unfortunately, this delay can result in more costly treatments. To help encourage you to come in often and regularly we devised this comparative cost list.

Cleaning appointment:       $88

X-rays:                             $70 once a year

A total cost is around:       $300 a year. 

Just for fun, here are some areas that some of us spend money on regularly without a second thought:

$4.50 per cup of coffee at Starbucks or other fine coffee place. 66 cups of coffee buys a year of dental hygiene!

$9.00 for eating out at lunch  – a month of taking your own lunch will pay for your dental hygiene needs. 

$25.00 for eating dinner out – twelve times, or once a month would pay for your annual dental hygiene.

  Hair cut, coloring, nails is a comparative cost – once a year buys your yearly hygiene

$50 for a tank of gas six tanks of gas is a year of hygiene.

Not to mention other costs such as nails, cell phones, gym memberships!

Why You Can Afford To Have Your Teeth Cleaned Regularly

A cleaning is under $100, so two a year is less than $200. X-rays once a year (at most) are $70.00.  Regular cleanings are the single most effective thing you can do for the health of your mouth, teeth, tongue and gums.  For one person this involves a $20 per month investment, and that is without any insurance applied.

If you let your hygiene appointments go, hoping for the best, you may end up lucky. However, if you need corrective dental costs the prices go much higher.  Examples include:

Fillings                                   $171-350

Periodontal treatment             $175 – 1080, without surgery

Implants                                 $3500 per tooth

There are a wide number of activities in our lives that request us to use a preventive strategy. Car maintenance is a very good comparison; change your oil or change your engine.

At SmileLogic, Inc. we pay attention to when you should be coming in for a cleaning, and notify you. As a courtesy, we try to contact all of our clients when they are due for their preventative treatments, to hopefully keep your visits preventative in nature!

Passing germs along to your kids- good or bad?

Recently, a new study found that parents who clean off their babies pacifier, by sucking on it themselves, may be increasing their kids immunities.  Good news right?  Not exactly, the practice can also pass along the same bacteria that introduces cavities into childrens mouths.

Here is a link to read ablut it:
Dimensions of Dental Hygiene

Vitamins and your Oral Health

ORAL HEALTH THROUGH PREVENTION

Our bodies and, in particular, our teeth, use minerals and vitamins for our health.

We are encouraged by doctors and dentists and hygienists to pay attention to the

relationship between what we eat and how we feel. Most of us were told the folk

wisdom “Drink your milk” because calcium builds strong bones and teeth. Other

foods are no surprise: proteins, greens, and fruit are the basic diet, including milk

and eggs. No sugar, no processed foods… these “no’s” make shopping so much

easier because in most stores you can skip all the central aisles.

Dr. Irene Vaksman’s article in General Dentistry, September 3, 2011 is titled

“Vitamins and Minerals for Oral Health? You’re Kidding!” Here is the link:

Dr.Vaksman Blog

The chart is interesting because it lists the vitamin, how it affects your mouth, and

what foods have it. What’s missing from the information is how much of the food

is necessary to supply the vitamin. Also, Dr. Vakesman doesn’t detail what studies

have determined these findings. Nevertheless, even if taken at face value only, the

information provided makes common sense.

A good diet helps with the intake of vitamins, but did you know that the RDA (recommended daily allowance) is just a guideline on how to prevent deficiencies?  

                                                           Recommended daily allowances

We need far more than what the RDA recommends!  So if you have bleeding gums, and you are doing your homecare daily (daily brushing and flossing), maybe adding additional multivitamins is a way to get that boost that you need.

Bottom line: what you eat is important to the health of your mouth.

The Greek Goddess... of hygiene?

Our practice is called Dental Hygiene. Ever wonder the Why, What and Where
of the word “Hygiene”? It’s a Greek word, and it’s a Who. Hygieia ( Ὑγιεία) was
the goddess of health, cleanliness and sanitation. She was the daughter of
Asclepius, the father of medicine, and Epione, whose name means “soothing”,
in this case of pain. She had sisters who helped with other parts of the
physicians’ god Apollo’s work, including Panacea, the goddess of medicines.
Hygiene’s work was prevention; health is promoted and illness prevented by
cleanliness.

This is a statue of Hygieia. She is feeding one of the snakes that wraps around the Caduceus, the medical symbol of the physicians staff. Two snakes curl around in the pattern of DNA, the basic
material for heredity. The image is a message to care for your body, and
in our case, to care for your teeth, as a source of health and prevention of
disease.  Who knew!

What Does a Sanitary and Safe Dental Practice Look Like?

Recently the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry conducted an investigation of a dentist’s office which revealed that 7000 patients had been exposed to HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C over the past six years.  Although it is an isolated event, it reminded me of a similar case in Florida in the early 1990’s, as well as a recent case, here in Colorado.   I thought it might be helpful to you to know what a sanitary and safe dental practice looks like.  Here is a list of 10 checkpoints.

·         Does the dental team inform you of their procedures around prevention of infection?

·         How clean is the entire office? A practice of being clean extends from the nearest counter to the farthest corners. What do you observe?

·          If you ask to see the sterilization area, do they show it to you? Is it clean, uncluttered, neat?

·         Ask about their sterilization practices – how do they test and monitor their sterilizers?  It should be at least weekly.

·          What visible signs of infection prevention do you see? For example, are the instruments individually packaged?

·         Does the dental team use personal protective equipment for you and for them?

·          Does the dental team wash their hands?

·         Is the office’s employee safety training up to date, including updated OSHA-required infection/exposure control plans?

·         A re there infection prevention procedures, for example protocols for cleaning and disinfecting treatment rooms, and instrument cleaning and sterilization.

·         Does the office cleaning crew use appropriate products for cleaning and disinfection.

SmileLogic is among the vast majority of dental practices that offer patients a safe and sanitary environment.  We are happy to discuss this and any other questions you many have about our general practice procedures at any time.

- Thanks to Mary Govoni of Productive Dentist Academy for ideas for this article.

Our first blog....

So to be more connected in the internet world, SmileLogic will be blogging!  Our hopes in starting to blog is that we reach new people, who don't know what we are about, and to keep connected with those of you who are familiar with us!

I hope to be able to cover different topics in a manner that is interesting, and not all "dental talk".  Hopefully, we can even get some guest bloggers as well!


So here is to trying something new!!