Cavities - In the News

In case you missed today's edition of the Deseret News:

Cavities: Pass it on

Published: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 9:08 a.m. MDT 

By Lois M. Collins, Deseret News

Add this to the growing list of reasons regular dental checkups and good oral hygiene are important: Cavities are contagious. Just like a cold or flu, you can "catch" cavities — or rather, the bacteria that contribute to caries — from kisses and shared spoons, for instance.

It's not new news, since studies dating back to the 1990s have clearly shown that specific bacteria, such as mutans streptococci (MS), can be passed back and forth, as can Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitan, gingivitis and other cavity-promoting mouth crud. The cavities themselves are caused "primarily by bacteria that cling to teeth and feast on particles of food from your last meal. One of the byprodicts they create is acid, which destroys teeth," says Anahad O'Connor in a New York Times question-and-answer piece this week.

Sugar's not off the hook, either. It feeds the bacteria. So everything you've heard about sugar's negative effect on teeth — and the need to brush regularly and thoroughly — is true.

But anything that transmits any minute particle of saliva from one person's mouth to another, "like talking closely to the child," can get the tooth-destroying process started, notes Bradlee Dental Care, a dental practice in Alexandria, Virginia.

The Times article says that children and infants are particularly susceptible to the MS bacterium.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine in the National Institutes of Health lists two groundbreaking studies that changed thinking on the topic. The first, out of the University of Helsinki, Finland, in 1993, showed the transmission between spouses, looking at four particular couples to show what happened. Then, in 2007, researchers at the University of Queensland documented the transmission of the MS bacteria, which it called "cariogenic" to children from parents. And it noted that preventing cavities should include "timely control of colonization of the cariogenic bacteria in the mouths of young children."

SMILING FACES

In last month's blog, we noted that February was National Children's Dental Health Month. A big part of that celebration was "Give Kid' A Smile Day". 

Throughout the city, many local dentists, assistants and others brought themselves and their equipment to meet on a Saturday and work a very long day helping Utah children unable to afford dental care. 

Our own Dr. Evans was there bringing many smiles to many faces.

Dr. E. and his trusty homeboy assistants.

It's all in the wrist.

Not only giving smiles...but getting them in return.

"Captain, ya did not transport them into to space did ya?"

Making a difference in the health of a child...

Now, that is something to smile about!

For more information on this wonderful organization, please go to:

www.utahgivekidsasmile.com

Appreciation

We love getting notes of appreciation, and you can see why:






If you have any comments or messages  for us, please try the "Testimonial" link on our website and you will become a published author. Artwork is always appreciated!

ENOUGH?

Just what did Punxsutawney Phil see at the beginning of February?

Well, according to the National Geographic Daily News: 

"The sky is clear. Prepare for warmth!

With those rousing words Wednesday morning, the world's most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, offered a ray of hope to millions of Americans being buffeted by a monster winter storm.

By seeing no shadow as he emerged from his ceremonial burrow in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on Groundhog Day 2011, Phil, according to tradition, is said to have predicted an early spring."

OK, where is Phil now and is he available for comments? Because this is what I am seeing outside my doorstep!




Say it ain't so...Phil. Where is that early, warm spring?

ps...Phil, take a moment and look at your teeth, could it also be time to schedule a cleaning and maybe try our at home whitening service?

A New Day

Announcing a new addition to our office. Here are some hints:

Try to remember your imploring English teacher, "Read the CLASSICS!"



Didn't do your homework, eh? OK, another hint: (not quite a classic.)

Third time should be a charm, or charming in this case. Perhaps not the true "classic" category requested by our beseeching English teacher, however certainly classy!

(Webster definition of classy: see Cary Grant.)

Give Up? Here is the answer. In response to many requests, our office will now be open on a Friday! We are adding the last Friday of each month, from 9 am to 3 pm, as a time for you to visit us. We hope this will help accommodate your busy schedules.

Our office is also close to Sprague Library, where you can stop by on your way home and pick up all the above titles for a great weekend read or "see".

It's Here!

Today is The Day

Presenting - in black & white - Permission to indulge - Valentine Day style.




Or just see red,



Oh...oh...this is unfair,



How can we resist?




May we have our cake & eat it too?


Quick where is the nearest oven...I can smell these!


Wishing you a...


Valentine's Day... and


p.s. SWAK!

p.p.s.s. just remember to brush your teeth

Friday, February Fourth is Give Kids A Smile Day!

From the American Dental Association:

"It's Feb. 4—Give Kids A Smile Day—and dental professionals nationwide are joining together with the ADA to provide free dental services to children in need and raise awareness among health professionals and policymakers about how untreated dental disease affects millions of U.S. children.

Today, throughout National Children's Dental Health Month and all year long, some 45,000 dentists and other volunteers nationwide are mobilizing to provide free dental services to nearly 400,000 children during the ADA's 9th observance of Give Kids A Smile.

Give Kids A Smile Day is made possible by the volunteer efforts of dentists, dental team members and the generous support of corporate sponsors. This year Henry Schein Dental provided professional dental supplies such as gloves, gauze, masks and patient bibs, while Colgate-Palmolive Co. donated toothbrushes and sample toothpaste for children at the events. DEXIS, LLC donated the use of their digital x-ray systems, along with the expertise of their staff, to U.S. dental schools that request assistance, state associations, and large group practices during the GKAS events. For more information on GKAS, visit www.ada.org/givekidsasmile.aspx.

Through a variety of online resources, the ADA helps dental professionals to encourage parents to make sure their children brush twice daily with fluoride toothpaste, floss daily, eat a balanced diet and see their dentist regularly to address tooth decay in its earliest stages.

This year's NCDHM themes are "A Healthy Smile? It's Easy to Find! Remember to Brush & Floss Everyday!" and "A Healthy Smile Looks Good Up Close."

So grab your family & flash your smiles. Be glad for good teeth!

p.s. visit us if you need any help making your smiles better

Some advice for Kids: