Elmbrook Family Dental has been growing! In order to accommodate flexible hours for our patients and to keep emergency time available, we have added a new associate dentist to the team. We are excited to announce Dr Eric Taibl to the practice. Please visit his bio on our web site to learn a little more about him.
Dr Taibl: https://www.elmbrookfamilydental.com/meet-us.html#taibl
Slowly but surely the temperature is rising, flowers are starting to grow and spring showers are moving in! This calls for some new decorations for the house. Why not add some that are hand made by your kids? Here is a fun and easy activity you can do with the family to get some spring into your home decor.
Coffee Filter Flower Art:
Materials needed:
Coffee Filter, Washable Markers, Squirt bottle with water, Green or brown pipe cleaner.
Instructions:
-Flatten coffee filter and draw lines or scribble on the filter. -Spray coffee filter with water 2-3 times, aiming at the center. -Allow to dry 30-60min. -Poke pipecleaner through the center of the filter. -Roll 1 inch of pipecleaner into a ball to be sure it does not slip through the filter. -Scrunch filter around pipecleaner. -Fold pipecleaner into leaf shape. -“Plant” your flower in a vase to display for everyone to see!
Many of you will be celebrating Easter tomorrow. There are lots of facebook updates saying you are getting ready for some egg dyeing fun, so we thought we would post on one of our favorite ways to add something different to your eggs without having to purchase a whole new kit. Rubber bands! Simply take rubber bands of any thickness, and wrap them around your clean eggs before placing them in dye. After you take the eggs out of your chosen color, let them dry for a short time, then remove the bands to reveal an awesome pattern. For a two-toned look, remove only a few rubber bands after the first color, then dip into another color. Your result will be fun and colorful eggs. Each are one of a kind!
One of the great things about being a dentist is the continuing education classes. Dr Brunner had the opportunity to attend a seminar about Acid erosion in February. It is something that is becoming much more commonly diagnosed in dentistry. So, here are some things we think you might like to know!
What is erosion? Erosion is the chemical loss or destruction of tooth structure. Anyone can be at risk, however some higher risk categories include teenage males (due to extend of acidic food in their diet), teenage females (often related to bulimia) and the elderly (due to dry mouth). Erosion occurs due to a diet high in acidic foods or from acid reflux or indigestion.
How do you know you have acid erosion? You or your dental provider may notice a pattern of cupping on your enamel or even enamel loss. Often times these cupped areas are mistaken for wear caused by clenching and grinding. These wear facets can put a patient at risk for cracked teeth, dental cavities, and breaking down fillings.
Treatments for erosion include: 1: A diet lower in acidity. This means less soda, coffee and energy drinks, less acidic fruits, and less tomato based products. 2: treating acid reflux with prescription or over the counter medications and 3: restore broken down teeth as needed to maintain a sound tooth structure.
Often times patients are not even aware they have acid reflux and the first signs present on your teeth. Detection and prevention not only save your teeth, but can save your life by determining a diagnosis. Un-diagnosed and uncontrolled reflux can lead to, bad breath, stomach discomfort, ulcers and even precancerous conditions such as Barretts esophagus. If you have questions regarding erosion or think you may have signs, call us today for an exam.
In case you missed our e-mail blast on how to sign up for the Elmbrook Family Dental NCAA tournament, here are the details:
To sign up, follow this link: http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/en/frontpage and create an account. Once you have logged in, click “My Groups” link toward the top of the page. Type Elmbrook Family Dental in the search box. Our group password is TEETH. Create your own bracket using your actual name as your team name (so we know who you are!) and pick who you think will win. For more information, click the “How to Play” link.
Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th places. Anyone can participate, but only current patients will be awarded prizes. The prize list will be posted this week! Become a fan of our facebook page to ensure you are notified of this prize list when it is posted.
You must sign-up and pick your teams by the tip-off of the first game on March 21st in order to play. You will not be able to pick your teams until the tournament field is announced on March 17th.
Good luck and have fun!
On March 17th each year, we celebrate the most famous Saint of Ireland with a feast and celebration. We commemorate St Patrick with parades, the color green and feasts of great food and drink! Here is a fun and simple recipe by Kraft that we found for Irish Soda bread. Enjoy!
Visit this link for recipe details: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/irish-soda-bread-63745.aspx?cm_mmc=eml-_-rbe-_-20130312-_-1040&cm_lm=02DB927E93F00A43D444F1F1B1B9947A
Every day we have patients wondering about their PPO dental insurance plan. Patients asking if we are an “In Network Provider” and what this means to them. At Elmbrook Family Dental, we are In Network Providers with many PPO insurance plans. This means that every year Dr Neuschaefer works hard at completing and negotiating contracts with insurance companies. These contracts state we are to provide a patient with a reduced price for their dental services. Still confused? Don’t worry, it’s not just you! Here is a general example: If we charge $100 for a dental service, but our participating provider contract states the fee is $80, your fee is then $80. The office writes off the additional $20 that is not contracted with your plan.
Keep in mind that every insurance company has a different level of contracted fees. So Delta Dental patients do not receive the same benefit level as Metlife patients. Your employer is the one who chooses the benefits available to you, and this is how your benefit level is determined. Our front desk team is trained to help you as the patient utilize your benefits to the fullest. A benefit over view and estimates of future work are done as a courtesy to our patients. We are here to help you to the best of our ability, so do not hesitate to ask!
The month of February is a popular month! We choose February to celebrate Black History, Womans Heart Health and also Dental Health. So, this month, spend some time doing fun activities and projects with your kids. Here is one that we love:
Draw a molar on a piece of white paper. Give your children some magazines. (cooking magazines work great!) Ask them to cut out pictures of things that are healthy for their teeth and do not promote cavities. They can paste these pictures onto the molar. Your child can then explain to you what pictures they chose and why. A great way to have fun and learn too!
This week we celebrate Valentines Day. What better thing to celebrate than LOVE? Here are some fun ways to celebrate that do not include splurging on a dozen long stem roses and steak dinner for two.
Visit the Domes for the Music Under Glass series. On Thursday, February 14th at 6:30pm, listen to some great Jazz music and take some Valentine photos with your honey.
Cook dinner together at home! Look up a fun recipe online, put your aprons on and cook together. Enjoy the food by candle light.
Take a tour of the Palermos Pizza Factory. For $9.25, you can take the tour, enjoy a hot slice of pizza, soft-drink, and also receive a t-shirt. Tours are Monday-Friday and they advise you call ahead.
Enjoy dinner and a movie at the Majestic in Brookfield, or the Fox Bay theater in Milwaukee. Get served your meal while enjoying a show on the big screen.
Whatever you decide to do, make it thoughtful and have fun! Happy Valentines day.
We often have patients confide in us that they are concerned about the smell of their breath. Did you know that the technical term for bad breath is halitosis? This can by caused by a number of things. To help determine what the cause of halitosis might be, talk with your hygienist and dentist at your next visit. In the mean time, here are some things to consider:
Do you have active tooth decay or periodontal disease? The bacteria involved in cavities and gum disease can often cause a foul mouth odor for a prolonged period of time. The best solution is to this is repair active decay and treat gum disease as directed by your dentist and hygienist.
Are you having sinus drainage from a cold or allergies? Post nasal drip and mucous can cause bad breath during periods of time that you experience sinus symptoms. An over the counter sinus medication or visit to your general physician can help keep drainage at bay.
Do you suffer from indigestion or GERD? Reflux and stomach acids can cause bad breath starting from all the way inside of your stomach. With these conditions, acid is allowed to enter into the esophagus and the gasses escape through the mouth. Your general physician can prescribe something to help block stomach acids from being produced in excess.
Are you doing an adequate job of brushing, flossing and tongue brushing? If you are missing areas during your oral hygiene routine and leaving plaque behind, this may be a cause of halitosis. The most likely cause? A plaque coated tongue-especially the farthest back portion! So, stick out your tongue and take a look. A plaque coated tongue often appears to have a white or yellow coating. A tongue scraper will get this cleaned up in no time!
So, before you grab for that piece of sugar free mint gum, ask yourself what the cause of your bad breath might be. If you think it might be more than just the garlic you ate for dinner, give your dentist or general doctor a call. We would be happy to help you find your way back to fresh!
