During this time of year as the weather begins to get colder and the holidays fastly approach, it is important to step back and examine the needs of others. As you may know, we have been collecting food donations for the hunger task force here in our office. Our donation bucket is 3/4 quarters full! We are so thankful to all of you who have taken the time to stop in and donate!
Aside from feeding the hungry, another cause in need of attemtopm is HIV and AIDS awareness. In our neighboring state of Minnesota, as well as sometimes New York and California, Camp Heartland is a safe and understanding place for young people to find support. Many of the children who attend these camps are surviving with the HIV and AIDS virus. Others who attend have family members infected with this disease and come to the camp for education and support from camp counselors and peers. Children are flown to these locations from their home towns to spend part of their summer. The travel and camp is paid for by donations alone. Between 8am today (11-17-09) and 8am tomorrow (11-18-09) a company has pledged to match anyone’s donation, dollar for dollar to help the children in need. You can visit their web site at: www.givemn.org and donate to One Heartland. They accept donations year round.
Little by little, we can all make a big difference!
We are very excited to announce that for the month of November we will be accepting donations for the Hunger Task Force in our office! In appreciation of your generous donation we will be giving you an entry to win free teeth whitening! Our regular monthly drawing for the month of November will be not be available… the only way to earn an entry this month is to donate! So please stop in with your non-perishables to donate and get your teeth whitening entry form filled out!
Whoa baby! We’ve had many patients and even one of our own team members’ welcome new babies into the world just within the last few months. Along with all the other many things to learn about at this exciting time in their lives, we cannot forget about protecting those infants against cavities! You may be thinking: “Cavities?! My baby doesn’t even have teeth yet!” Though their teeth may not begin to erupt until they are near 6 months of age, it is not too early to start their preventative care. Before an infant is even born, they are already acquiring flora or ‘normal’ bacteria from their mothers. After birth, they are introduced to even more bacteria through contact with their mothers and other family members. The cavity causing bacteria named S. mutans is passed from person to baby through fingers, airborne saliva droplets and even kissing those cute baby faces! That’s right; the flora in your own mouth can be passed along to your new borns. Once the bacteria are introduced, there is no removing it entirely. Your job as parents will simply be to limit the amount of exposure your baby receives, and minimize the bacteria daily by keeping up on your infants oral hygiene. Before teeth erupt, a wet wash cloth can be used inside of their mouth by gently sweeping along their gums and cheeks. Once the teeth are in, a soft infant tooth brush can be used either with water, or non-fluoridated toothpaste. By reducing the amount of S. mutans bacteria in your baby’s mouth, you can lower their chances at having cavities early in their childhood. Next time you’re in to visit one of our hygienists, ask them for recommendations on the best hygiene aids for your child! 
Did you know that the first toothbrushes were used as long ago as 3000BC? They were made with wild boar hair which served as a stiff bristles to help clean biofilm off of teeth. Throughout history many other things have been used as well. Everything from horse hair toothbrushes to the Miswaak stick which naturally contains calcium and fluoride. Today we have evolved to the nylon bristled brush that comes in many shapes and forms. A good toothbrush will be based on each patient’s individual needs. Take a walk down the toothbrush isle and see how many options there are! The style of brush is not as significant as the type of bristle. Soft or extra soft bristles play an important role in maintaining your optimum tooth and gum health. You may be tempted to try medium or hard bristles, but these can cause recession and abrasion. Soft is still a better way to go! Next time you’re out shopping for your next toothbrush, take a look at all the options out there. You may just find you’ll like something new. Remember the most important thing is that you are brushing twice daily for 2 or more minutes at a time. The best times to visit your dentist are during preventative and routine care visits! Good oral hygiene can help keep your visits to us at a minimum. 
Who doesn’t want to save money these days? Besides minimizing the things we spend our money on, SAVING money on the things that are a necessity is important as well. Most web sites for all major product companies post coupons online. You can save money on everything from air fresheners to toothpaste! So, we’ve taken some time to find some deals on our favorite oral hygiene products. Simple follow the links below to print coupons on toothpaste, floss, mouth wash and even breath fresheners! None of us should have to compromise our oral health because money is tight. We hope these coupons can help.
We’re going to try something new here on the blog… product reviews! Periodically we’ll post about something dental related that’s either new or has been around for awhile. You know how those commercials say, “4 out of 5 dentists recommend this product”… well, we’re definitely not a voting panel here, but sometimes our employees try new things and we want to spread the word!
One of the most common questions we hear in our office about whitening is, “What’s the difference between those whitening spas or the mall kiosks and the whitening products used at your office?” There is a lot of information available on this topic by searching the web but to be able to give you the best information available, I went straight to the American Dental Association’s website.