| A Stitch in Time Could Save Nine |
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The media has been devoting a lot of coverage recently to the leading chronic disease in small children: dental decay. Dental health professionals nationwide are noticing a dramatic uptick in life-threatening dental complications in the youngest sector of the public.
A two-year old was hospitalized recently and anesthetized in order to extract two incisors, perform a root canal, and fill and crown all the rest of his teeth. The magnitude of the procedure required general sedation.
If appropriate oral hygiene practices had been followed, it's more than likely that this situation could have been prevented. One might wonder how a parent could allow a child to become so compromised. But we see such cases as evidence of the gap in dental information for parents. Many don't know when they should first visit the dentist, start tooth brushing, introduce fluoridated toothpaste, and more.
There is a common misunderstanding of the link between very young children and the need to practice oral hygiene. After all, they lose their baby teeth. But according to one report, dentists are "seeing more preschoolers at all income levels with 6 to 10 cavities or more."
They're the lucky ones. For every child we see, there's another who isn't receiving care. Unattended dental decay can ultimately result in operations that require general anesthesia or, still worse, dental infections so severe that they enter small children's bodily systems and threaten their lives.
We take the health of your entire family seriously -from birth to old age- and want to provide you with all the tools you need to keep everyone safe and healthy. If you ever have any questions, please don't hesitate to call us: 541-734-0970, we are always happy to help.
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| Photo Caption Contest Winner |
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A HUGE thank you to everyone who participated in our Facebook "Caption This!" Photo Contest! It was so much fun reading all of your creative caption ideas. We are looking forward to our next contest!
Congrats to Trent & Becca for their winning caption, "Grannie knows how to load more than a washer and dryer."
We hope you enjoy your Jet-Boat tickets!
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| Signs You Have an Impacted Tooth
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Having an impacted tooth means that you have a tooth that is stuck and cannot emerge from the gums fully. This could be anything from a canine to a wisdom tooth. Teeth can get stuck for any number of reasons, such as the mouth not having enough room for the tooth to come in, the tooth coming in at a poor angle, or the tooth being slow to erupt.
If you notice pain in the gums where a tooth should be coming in but you don't see signs that the tooth is breaking through the gums, you need have your teeth evaluated. Even if the tooth partially erupts so you can see part of the tooth, this is also a type of impaction that needs to be looked at and treated. When you schedule an appointment with us, we can look at your smile to see how the impacted tooth needs to be treated to prevent damage to the surrounding teeth, gums, and nerves.
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| Soaking Your Toothbrush Can Help You Sanitize It |
After brushing our teeth, we rinse our toothbrush to remove any residue, but that may not entirely remove residue on the bristles. If someone in your family is sick, you may also be wondering how to remove any bacteria on the bristles. If it's been less than three months since you purchased the toothbrush, you may be interested in sanitizing your toothbrush in order to remove any food particles, toothpaste, or lingering bacteria.
One of the easiest ways to sanitize a toothbrush is to use an antibacterial (or antimicrobial) mouthwash. Simply place your toothbrush into a small glass with the bristles down, full enough to cover the bristles with the mouthwash. Before brushing, rinse the toothbrush thoroughly, then use it as normal.
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