baxterandmarshall

We want you and your family to have lots of fun this Halloween!  Here are a few tips to keep those little ghouls and goblins’ smiles healthy:

Did You Know?

Sugar-free gum and candy that contains the artificial sweeteners sorbitol and xylitol actually help reduce cavities.

Research confirms that of all factors studied, xylitol most likely inhibits the growth of Streptococcus mutans, the oral bacteria that causes tooth decay.

In addition to gum, there are a number of popular sugar-free lollipops and hard candies available; consider including these for your trick-or-treaters this year to protect those precious smiles!

Understanding the Time Factor

While we all know that eating a lot of candy is not a good idea, the frequency in which sweets are consumed also plays a big role in oral health.

Damaging acids form in the mouth every time you eat a sugary snack and continue to affect the teeth for at least 20 minutes before they are neutralized.   So, if we nibble on sweet snacks all day, our mouth is continually exposed to these acids, increasing the risk for tooth
erosion and decay.

We recommend limiting sweets and sugary snacks or combining them with meals to minimize the duration of acidic activity.  And, brushing twice a day (and always before bedtime) along with daily flossing will help you and your little ones enjoy healthy smiles all year long.

Have a Safe and Happy Halloween!

Visit these sites to learn more:

American Cancer Society

http://www.cancer.org/index

Susan G. Komen for the Cure

http://ww5.komen.org/

If you are preparing for cancer therapy, we want to support your treatment by making sure your mouth stays healthy. 

We recommend that patients undergoing any major medical treatments see us beforehand, if possible, to ensure that there are no dental conditions that could result in a secondary infection.

- As part of this visit, we will help you develop an oral care plan with instructions and aids to help you maintain proper oral hygiene throughout your treatment.

Common Symptoms

Oral symptoms and discomfort such as dry mouth, changes in taste perception (including unpleasant taste or complete loss of taste), soreness, or difficulty in chewing or swallowing are common side effects experienced by patients undergoing cancer treatment.

- We may recommend special fluoride applications or rinses to help build up resistance to decay-causing bacteria and ease discomfort.

Home Care Tips

Keeping the mouth, tongue and gums clean is especially important during cancer treatment, when the body’s ability to fight harmful oral bacteria is compromised.

- Consistent tooth brushing after every meal and before bedtime goes a long way in reducing the risk of dental flare-ups.  If your gums are sore, soften toothbrush bristles in warm water to make brushing more comfortable.

- Gentle flossing once a day is also recommended.   During cancer therapy, avoid any areas that bleed, and report them to your doctor or dentist.

- Reduced saliva flow increases the risk for decay, so we recommend rinsing with water often to keep the mouth moist.  Sugarless gum, sugar-free candy or ice chips can also help.

- Avoid mouth rinses that contain alcohol, as this can actually dry the mouth further.

If you wear dentures, we recommend checking them for a good fit before cancer treatment begins.   During your therapy, we recommend cleaning your dentures after each meal with a antimicrobial solution (we can suggest a few).

- Remove dentures while sleeping, and also during any periods of significant mouth soreness.

If you are a health care professional or are caring for a loved one that is undergoing cancer treatment, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have about oral health care during this important time.

Visit the National Institutes for Health NIDCR web site to download a guide  Chemotherapy and Your Mouth 

Reference: National Cancer Institute, www.cancer.org

This month, attention to cancer awareness is on everyone’s mind.  In dentistry, we are especially focused on the early detection of oral cancer.

As part of your initial dental examination and at each preventive visit, our doctors conduct a screening of the oral soft tissues to look for possible signs of oral cancer.    If any abnormalities are found, they employ VELscope® technology, which is a revolutionary safe blue light technology, to take a closer look to determine if the area warrants further testing.  VELscope® is completely pain-free, and just takes a few minutes.
Read more at http://www.velscope.com/

Oral Cancer in the News

In the past, oral cancer was linked to alcohol and tobacco use, but today oral cancer is also on the rise in patients with a history of exposure to the HPV-16 virus (human papilloma virus version 16), the same one which is responsible for the vast majority of cervical cancers in women.  www.oralcancer.org

Watch recent videos about the link between HPV and Oral Cancer:

The Doctors  TV show – Oral Cancer

Dr. Oz TV Show Oral Cancer

Digital  Dental Xrays and Intraoral imaging systems were made possible by innovative research and development done by NASA® engineers!

CCD and CMOS camera chipsets used by NASA® scientists onboard interplanetary spacecraft launched a completely new technology that is used today in medical, scientific and dental imaging, automotive safety systems, and even cell phone cameras.

THANKS NASA®  !!

Dental insurance is a valuable benefit!

- Did you know that most dental insurance plans “start over” on January 1st?

If you have dental treatment needs, we can help you with a strategy to get the most from your coverage.   Just give our office a call; our front office team is very well versed with insurance plans and is happy to assist you with researching your current status.

One of the most common places that tooth decay develops is on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth (molars and premolars).  These teeth have special grooves, pits and depressions that help us grind our food.  These “pits and fissures” can sometimes be very deep, and are frequently too deep for us to keep clean on our own with a toothbrush or floss.

Because of the difficulty to clean these areas, Drs. Baxter and Marshall recommend dental sealants for molars and some premolars.  This is a super preventive measure for children when they first develop their permanent teeth; with proper maintenance, dental sealants can help avoid cavities and dental work in these teeth altogether for a lifetime.

How Sealants are Placed

The sealant process is very simple, and does not require shots or drilling!  Our Dental Hygienists clean the tooth carefully and paint on a dental bonding material that hardens after it is cured with a special light.  This creates a smooth surface on the tooth and fills the deep pits and grooves to make it easier to keep clean by regular brushing.

Sealants do wear with chewing; our doctors and hygiene team will check your child’s sealants at their routine cleaning visits and can re-apply the sealant material as needed.

Ask Us about having dental sealants placed on your child’s permanent teeth, they cost considerably less than a dental filling and are a great  investment in your child’s future dental health!

“The consumption of soft drinks, including carbonated beverages, fruit juice and sport drinks, in the United States has increased by 500% over the past 50 years. 

…Currently, Americans consume more than 53 gallons of carbonated soft drinks per person per year; the amount surpassed all other beverages, including milk, beer, coffee and water.”  American Dental Association®

Not only does sugar content make soft drinks the “bad guys” when it comes to your teeth, there is another problem – the low pH level of carbonated soft drinks (including diet sodas) can cause erosion in teeth.  Erosion, which can be as damaging as sugar-fed bacteria, wears away valuable tooth enamel and can result in making teeth sensitive, cracked, and prone to decay and infection.  The dental erosion process is not hampered much by dental fluoride, either.

Sports Drinks and Energy Drinks

The American Academy of Pediatrics is telling parents to slow down on the sports drinks, and to avoid giving children energy drinks altogether.   In a recent article in the June 2011 issue of “Pediatrics”, the authors wrote:

“For most children engaging in routine physical activity, plain water is best,” said Holly J. Benjamin, M.D., co-author. “Sports drinks contain extra calories that children don’t need and could contribute to obesity and tooth decay.  It’s better for children to drink water during and after exercise, and to have the recommended intake of juice and low-fat milk with meals.  Sports drinks are not recommended as beverages to have with meals.”

According to the American Dental Association®,  if sports drinks are consumed:

• reduce the frequency and contact time;
• swallow immediately and do not swish them
  around the mouth;
• rinse mouthguards only in water;
• seek out dentally friendly sports drinks;
• discuss training and hydration protocol with a
  dentist.

Additionally,  American Academy of Pediatrics says a big “no” to energy drinks for children, citing the potential harmful effects on children of stimulants found in energy drinks, including caffeine, guarana and taurine.  (Caffeine, the most popular stimulant, has been linked to harmful effects on developing neurologic and cardiovascular systems in children.)

Play it Safe

If you have questions about dental nutrition, just give us a call! Our Doctors and our experienced Team are more than happy to provide you with information to keep your child’s smile healthy.

Along with the consumer electronics industry, dental technology companies dedicate thousands of hours each year to researching new technology to make life easier for both the patient and the dentist.

The benefit in patient communication and increased efficiency we have achieved through the use of imaging and diagnostic technologies has played an exciting role in creating a full-service model of care in our practice.

Digital Radiography requires less xray radiation than traditional film and offers the advantage of acquiring digital images and displaying them on a monitor in just seconds. We then use imaging software to enlarge and highlight areas of concern and share this information with our patients.

Intraoral Cameras & Digital Photography offer us the ability to take photos of your teeth for our study, our dental lab, and for showing hard-to-see areas to our patients.

Diode Laser Technology is an effective tool in performing gum shaping and lift procedures for smile makeovers and the treatment of periodontal disease.  Lasers have also proven useful for providing relief of painful cold sores and ulcers.  The “non-cutting” nature of lasers can help minimize the overall impact to soft tissue, resulting in less postoperative discomfort and speedier healing.

Power Whitening is a safe, scientifically advanced chairside method for brightening your smile in a single visit. Teeth whitening procedures can help remove old stains from coffee, wine, tea, smoking or colas and lighten other discolorations in tooth enamel.

Electronic Cavity Detection.  DIAGNOdent® laser detection is a safe and painless technology that reveals differences in tooth density.  This helps diagnose areas with very small cavities so our doctors can treat and stop the progress of decay as early as possible.

Fluorescent Visualization Technology Oral Cancer Screening.  VELscope® is a revolutionary safe blue light technology that is  completely pain-free.  Our doctors use it to help detect abnormal soft tissue that can be an early warning sign of oral cancer.

So,  if your inner “geek” has questions, give us a call!  We would love to show you how dental technology can help you and your family!