TONGUES ARE REMARKABLE ENGINEERING WONDERS. They help us nourish ourselves and clean our teeth. They’re a vital part of our oral and whole body health. How do we keep them clean and healthy?

Brush Your Tongue Daily

Your tongue hosts up to 10,000 taste buds. It also harbors billions of bacterium. That oral bacteria can contribute to tooth decay, gum disease, and bad breath. Brushing our teeth isn’t enough. We should be gently brushing our tongues every day while we’re in there!

Tongue Scrapers Can Be Helpful Too

Many patients find that tongue scrapers are more effective for them than simply brushing their tongues with their toothbrush. This can be really helpful in fighting bad breath too. More details in this short video…

Tongue scrapers can reduce the presence of volatile sulfur compounds significantly (caused when amino acids and bacteria interact). Tongue scrapers can also help reduce build-up in the back of your throat caused by a sinus infections or allergies. Just be gentle when you scrape.

The Benefits Of Keeping Your Tongue Clean

• Some people believe that by reducing the amount of bacteria we swallow in our saliva all the time, we can stay healthier.
• A cleaner tongue can actually make food taste better!
• When your tongue is cleaner, your entire mouth—including teeth and gums—stays cleaner.
• It’s a great line of defense against bacteria-caused halitosis!

Give Your Tongue The Respect It Deserves!

We love being your complete oral health partner. Dental health not only requires caring for your teeth, but caring for your gums and tongue as well. If you have questions, please let us know.

Thanks for your trust in our practice.

Top image by Flickr user Benny Mazur used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.

SOCIAL MEDIA HAS BECOME PART OF the fabric of our lives. But, we’re not using social media because it’s a trend… We use it to help us best serve you!

Social Media Helps Our Practice:

1. Be Accessible

Our in-office hours may be limited, but we’re always available via social media.

2. Listen To Your Feedback

We appreciate it so much when you help us better serve you by providing us with insights and feedback on how we’re addressing your needs, cares, and concerns.

3. Strengthen Relationships

You’re so much more to us than a name with teeth. Thank you for being our valued patient and friend. We also deeply appreciate when you share our practice with others.

4. Protect Your Health

We carefully select and share information that helps empower all of us to make smart choices about our oral health, diet, hygiene habits, and lifestyle.

5. Share An Occasional Light Moment

Life’s too short to not take a moment to show off your healthy, beautiful teeth through a giggle or smile…

Thanks For Helping Us Best Serve You

When you participate with us via social media—through your comments, Likes, re-tweets, shares, and feedback it helps us be the best we can be. We’re a “social practice” with purpose. Thank you for being part of it.

We love having you as part of our practice family!

Top image by Flickr user Nicolas Vigier used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.

MILLIONS OF CHILDREN TODAY aren’t receiving basic, recommended dental care designed to detect and prevent disease. In fact, various surveys conclude that over half of children and adolescents did not visit a dentist in the past year.

Preventative Care For Children Is Essential For Lifelong Health

Childhood caries are the #1 chronic infection in children—AND they’re preventable! Through regular cleanings, topical fluoride treatments to strengthen teeth and dental sealants to shield tooth surfaces, tooth decay can be dramatically reduced.

If children don’t visit the dental office until decay is advanced—causing pain and damage—they’re much more likely to associate the dental office with fear and pain. Children build lifelong patterns based on these experiences. They may grow up to avoid the dentist, despite pain and damage that occurs as a result of neglect.

Think About The Kids You Love…

Whether you’re a parent, a grandparent, an aunt, uncle, neighbor, coworker or friend… We all have children we care about in our lives. Do those children visit the dentist every six months? Are they educated on the best ways to care for their oral health? Are they protecting their teeth from tooth decay with fluoride and sealants?

Help Protect Those You Love Through Education

Protect children’s smiles and oral health! If there’s anything that we can do to help, give us a call.

Thank you for allowing us to be your trusted partners in health. We appreciate you!

Top image by Flickr user Philippe Put used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Image cropped from original.

ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH CALCIUM? Think about your nutrition habits, and the habits of those you love and care for. Daily calcium intake is critical to great oral and whole body health.

Adults Require 1,000 mg Per Day

The most well-known calcium source is milk. About three cups provides 1,000 mg. But if milk’s not your favorite, don’t sweat it! Calcium is also found in leafy greens, seeds, nuts, and other great foods. Here are some high-calcium foods, and how much of each you’d need to eat to get 1,000 mg.

• 1-1/4 cups of sesame seeds
• 5 cups of white beans
• 2 cups fortified orange juice
• 2 cans of salmon
• 1 cup of tofu
• 2-1/2 cups of almonds
• 5 cups of spinach

Obviously, you’ll want to mix and match each day. Very few people eat a whole cup of sesame seeds!

Here are the daily calcium amounts recommended by the National Institutes of Health:

Know What Nutrition Labels Mean!

We see these labels all the time! But do you know how to benefit from that information? Most people don’t. Take a minute to watch this video:

Calcium Deficiency Affects Your Whole Body

Calcium fortifies our teeth against decay. It also helps our nerves, blood vessels, and bones work properly. Improper calcium intake can lead to muscle cramps, abnormal heart rhythms, and lethargy. However, the most common and severe side effect is osteoporosis.

Many people know that osteoporosis increases the risk of broken bones. It can also greatly increase our risk of tooth loss! Our jawbone anchors our teeth, and if the jawbone isn’t strong, teeth can become unstable. In fact, people with osteoporosis are three times more likely to lose teeth than those with healthy bones.

Take a few minutes to learn how calcium affects your bones:

Do You Have Any Tips For Getting Sufficient Calcium?

Let us know! Leave a comment below, or on our Facebook page. We love hearing from you!

Thanks for the trust you place in our practice.

We appreciate having you as our valued patient and friend. Please share this information with others!

Top images by Flickr users bluewaikiki and cookbookman17 used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Images cropped and modified from originals.