MARCH IS NUTRITION MONTH—an education and information campaign sponsored annually by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Of course the topic of eating enough fruits and vegetables is applicable to our overall health, but most of us don’t often think about the implications for our teeth, gums, and complete oral health.

Feed Your Teeth And Gums What They Really Want

Did you know that…

• Fibrous fruits and vegetables help clean your teeth.
• Magnesium from bananas can help restore tooth enamel.
• The Vitamin A in butternut squash can help heal sores in your mouth.
• Dark, leafy greens and broccoli have LOTS of calcium, which is great for our teeth.
• Vitamin C from citrus fruits helps keep our gums healthy.
• Replacing sugary, starchy snacks with healthy fruits and vegetables can lower your tooth decay risk.
• Yep… What’s good for your body is usually really good for your mouth too!

Are You Eating Enough Fruits And Vegetables?

Not sure how many servings of fresh fruits and vegetables you need? Click on the calculator (left) to find out, based on your age, gender, and daily activity level. The recommended number of servings may be much higher than you think. And if you’re not consuming enough servings, here are some handy tips that will help:

1. Switch up your snacks. Cookies and crackers are easy to eat because they’re so accessible. With a little effort, fruits and vegetables can be just as accessible. Slice apples, pre-cut vegetables (and if you need it, pre-make a favorite dip for them).

2. Include vegetables in your entrees. Load up sandwiches and pizzas with them. Incorporate them into burritos, pasta, scrambled eggs, etc.

3. Add fruits to desserts. Put berries in your yogurt, bananas in your cereal, and order the fruit tart instead of the chocolate cake. Even better, replace usual desserts with a fruit plate.

4. Experiment with different vegetables and vegetable cooking techniques. This will add variety! To start, try this one:

How To Roast Awesome Vegetables!

Your Teeth Love Vegetables. Your Oral Bacteria Loves Sugars.

We hope these ideas help you become the healthiest you can be. As one of your lifelong health partners, we’re concerned about both your overall and oral health. Do YOU have a few of your own ideas that will help others? Please share them below, or on our Facebook page!

NEARLY EVERYONE KNOWS SOMEONE WHO is directly or indirectly affected by diabetes. Not only can diabetes be difficult to manage, but it can also increase a person’s risk for other major health problems—including oral health problems.

It’s Everyone’s Obligation To Help Educate

With over 300 million people worldwide suffering from diabetes, we want to be sure you understand the relationship between diabetes and gum disease. Unfortunately, many, many people are unaware of the connection, so it really becomes everyone’s responsibility to help the people we know and love be more informed and aware.

Diabetes Can Make A Person Twice As Likely To Develop Gum Disease

Diabetes lowers a person’s ability to fight infection in his or her mouth and gums, which is essentially what gum disease is—infection caused by excessive bacteria hanging out at the gum line and in the mouth. And, there’s also a big catch 22. While diabetes can contribute to gum disease, the gum disease (in return) can exacerbate diabetes. Gum disease can further increase risk for problems that diabetics are prone to—things like kidney disease, heart disease and stroke. And just like other infections, it can cause blood sugar levels to rise.

Tips For Diabetic Patients:

• First, be active, eat right, and keep your diabetes under control.
• Brush at least twice a day, and floss once a day.
• Make our team aware of your diabetes! We’ll help you keep an eye on any oral health problems that may arise.
• Don’t smoke—your mouth has enough to worry about already.

Keep An Eye Out For The Symptoms

It’s much easier to reign in gum disease if you catch it early. So if you notice these early signs, talk to our practice.

• a change in your bite
• receding gums (which will make your teeth feel sensitive)
• swollen, red, or tender gums
• bleeding when you brush or floss

Would You Like To Learn More?

Click on the image below to read more about this topic from the American Diabetes Association:

Do you have questions for us about diabetes and your oral health? Please ask us! Leave a comment below, give us a call, or message us on Facebook.

Thanks for being a valued patient in our practice!

YES, IT’S VALENTINE’S DAY—and what better day to talk about smiles, attraction, and relationships!? It’s probably never occurred to you to look to your dentist for dating advice. But the fact is that smiles have a surprising amount to do with attraction.

It’s Not So Much About Makeup And Primping

Women in many countries annually spend up to $8 billion on makeup. And, the average woman in those countries spends 20 minutes a day (or more) applying it. But according to a Wrigley Gum study where participants looked at thousands of photos of women smiling with makeup, smiling without makeup, not smiling with makeup, and not smiling without makeup, the study found that both men AND women think that a smile makes a person more attractive than makeup does (and it may save a woman 20 minutes a day)!

Smiles Literally Draw People Closer

Why are smiles so attractive to us? A smile is a “social cue”. It can signal apology, welcome, gratitude, or celebration. A smile means “you’re clear to approach” and we all react to it subconsciously.

Your Smile Ranks #1 In How You’re Initially Judged

Sometimes it’s unwise to judge a book by its cover, but the importance of a first impression is undeniable. A recent survey of over 5,000 singles found that both men (58%) and women (71%) judge the opposite sex MOST on their teeth.

Unfortunately, this is rough news for the 30% of people who are unhappy with their smiles. If you’re one of them, please contact us to visit about things you can do to be more confident about your smile, whether you’re ready for something big or just looking for a small, subtle improvement.

Thanks for your trust in our practice! We appreciate you!

WE TALK A LOT ABOUT TEETH, but not a lot about your tongue. Your tongue plays a vital role in your overall oral health! Did you know that your tongue is the fastest-healing part of your body? And without our tongues, we couldn’t speak, taste, or even swallow.

Six Facts About The Human Tongue:

1. The tongue is a special kind of muscle called a muscular hydrostatic. This means that it operates without any help from your skeletal structure, like an elephant trunk or octopus tentacle.
2. Your tongue is a natural cleaner—it starts clearing out food on your teeth after eating.
3. Not all of your taste buds are located on your tongue. About 10% of them are found on your cheeks and the roof of your mouth.
4. Almost 50% of the bacteria in your mouth is on your tongue. That’s why it’s important to brush your tongue for fresher breath!
5. Taste buds are too small to be seen with the naked eye. Those little bumps on your tongue aren’t taste buds—they’re called papillae.
6. Some people have pierced their tongues since ancient times, but there are serious oral health dangers associated with doing so, including chipped teeth and nerve damage.

Time For A Little Fun

Most of time, talking about your teeth, dentistry and oral health is pretty serious. But once in a while, we need to have a little fun…

How many licks to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?

Since 1970, Tootsie Roll Industries has received over 20,000 responses from kids around the world answering that question. Answers range from 100 to 5,000, but the average is about 700. Purdue University actually enlisted the aid of a “licking machine” to determine the answer. While the machines averaged at 364 licks, the human control group averaged 252 licks.

Now, challenge yourself with some “tongue twisters”:

It’s YOUR turn!

• “The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick.”
• “The skunk sat on a stump. The skunk thunk that the stump stunk, but the stump thunk that the skunk stunk.”
• “Theophilus Thistle, the thistle sifter, sifted a sieve of unsifted thistles.”

Do you have a fun tongue twister of your own to share? Comment below! Our team would love to hear it!

Thanks for being our valued patients and friends. Have you visited our Facebook page lately?

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD someone say that after you cut your finger, and it heals, that the scar tissue is stronger than normal tissue? Some opinions vary, but it appears that this notion is more myth than truth. But what about your teeth and your restorative dental work? Can a filling or a crown get a cavity?

It’s Important To Keep A Watchful Eye On Fillings And Other Dental Restorations

Regardless of where (or how long ago) dental procedures were performed, it’s really important to keep an eye on them. That’s a big part of your regular checkups. Here’s why:

1. Decay can sneak in around fillings, crowns, and other restorative dental work.
2. Sometimes, restorative work gives plaque additional nooks and crannies to hide in.
3. Typically, the lifespan of fillings is shorter than the lifespan of your tooth.
4. Checking for unusual wear, cracks, and chips can save much bigger problems later including more serious problems like gum disease and tooth loss.

How Long Should A Filling Last?

The results from research and studies into this question vary greatly. One of the reasons it’s difficult to predict the lifespan of a filling is because the conditions surrounding that filling are different in every case. It can depend on one or several of the following factors:

• The material used to create the filling. Amalgam, composite, gold?
• Where the filling is situated in the mouth. Under frequent pressure? Rarely used for chewing?
• How the filling is cared for. Consistent, thorough brushing and flossing?
• Is the patient a “grinder”? People who grind their teeth are harder on their dental work.
• Nature of the host tooth. Is the filling a small portion of the tooth? A larger portion?
• Does the patient frequently eat hard, sticky foods and/or candies?

“An Ounce Of Prevention Is Worth A Pound Of Cure”

Your mom was right—an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure. That’s why regular checkups are SO important. When fillings and other dental work get older and worn, they can be more prone to cracks (or even falling out). Regular appointments allow these things to be monitored and checked to catch problems before they become emergencies.

Next time you visit, ask us about possible options for replacing old fillings, and how long you can expect yours to last. For some people, this is also a cosmetic decision because today’s tooth-colored fillings and restorations can look a lot nicer when you smile. If you have concerns or questions BEFORE your next appointment, please comment below or on our Facebook page and we will get right back to you.

We hope this information has been helpful to you.

We can’t express it often enough… Thank you for being our valued patients and friends! We appreciate you.