No Picture
Health Magazine

Tips on Maintaining Dental Health – Ages 1 to 6

Ensuring your child’s dental health is important from the very first appearance of their teeth. Not only is it imperative to keep their teeth clean to prevent cavities, it is also essential that you set a good example for your child, creating a regular dental care routine that provides a healthy foundation for your child’s future dental health. Here are some tips on maintaining good dental health for children ages 1 to 6 years.
• From the very beginning, make sure to schedule regular visits to the dentist. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Dental Association both recommend that children should be taken to the dentist once they reach their first birthday. Your dentist will check your one year old’s teeth and identify fluoride needs plus address any other potentially dangerous habits that may be preventing good oral hygiene–including thumb sucking or sleeping with a bottle. Children’s teeth are the most susceptible to cavities during the first two years after eruption.
• Brushing is important as soon as teeth become visible. Parents should not use toothpaste for children under 2, just a little water. When they reach the age of two, children can then use pea-sized amounts of toothpaste.
• Remember to change your child’s toothbrush every two months and after children have been sick.
• The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that you assist your child in brushing and flossing until the age of 6. Make sure children’s teeth are brushed at least twice a day. Teach your children the proper brushing techniques. Select a toothbrush that has soft, rounded bristles. Demonstrate circular brush strokes to reach all surfaces of the teeth.
• Initiate flossing children’s gums as soon as the gaps between the teeth close. There are a variety of animal shaped flossers to help make flossing more fun for children.
• Rinsing should become a part of your child’s dental hygiene regimen. For children, many dentists recommend a product like Listerine’s Agent Cool Blue which tints plaque to assist in more efficient brushing.
• Try to restrict the number of sticky snacks your children eat. Sticky foods are called retentive foods as they become stuck in the grooves of the teeth and increase the chance of cavities. Healthy snacks are important to good oral hygiene as well as good health. The odds of experiencing cavities in primary teeth are significantly greater in children who did not have breakfast daily or ate less than five servings of fruit and vegetables per day.
Make trips to the dentist fun for your child. The right attitude makes all the difference to your child’s perception of the dentist. By being positive and setting a good example to your child, your child will grow up with a healthy smile and a friendly relationship with the dentist.…

No Picture
Whole Food Vitamins

Can a Sedation Dentist Open the Door to Better General Health?

Do you have anxiety or fear about dental treatment? You are not alone – studies suggest that about 3 out of 4 Americans experience some degree of dental anxiety. The worst part, however, is that 5-10% of Americans go without needed dental treatment because of it! Hopefully, though, the more prevalent use of sedation dentistry will increasingly help those people get the dental treatment they need.
In the last two decades, a growing body of evidence that links oral health to overall personal health has materialized. For example, the linkage between poor cardiovascular health and periodontal disease has been established in several studies. That the linkage exists is rarely disputed, and some studies suggest that periodontal disease is a causative factor. While the final verdict on that is not yet out, why take chances? Astute dentists who observe periodontal disease are quick to inquire about a family history of heart disease. Similarly, many cardiologists will examine patients’ mouths to look for telltale gum disease as a means of visually assessing risk.
One theory about the periodontal/cardiovascular connection is related to the DNA and RNA of bacteria associated with the arterial plaque that causes many cardiovascular problems. Studies showed that many patients with severe periodontal disease had oral bacteria in their arterial plaque. There are theories that suggest that that the oral bacteria are being released into the bloodstream where they cause inflammation to arteries, and potentially cause a thickening of the arteries. Others believe that the bacteria might set off some reaction that causes plaque to form in the arteries.
More Reasons to Look for a Sedation Dentist
Beyond the cardiovascular health linkage, other interesting medical findings suggest other general health reasons for finding a sedation dentist to help you overcome your dental anxiety or phobia:
– Pregnancy – Observations and studies suggest a strong tie between gum disease and premature delivery/low birth weight.
– Diabetes – That diabetes can adversely affect oral health has been known for many decades, but recent studies suggest that severe gum disease (untreated) can make it difficult to control blood sugar levels.
– Respiratory Health – In hospitals and nursing homes, especially, there is growing evidence that severe gum disease can result in inhalation of bacteria and resultant bacterial pneumonia. Studies are also underway to explore gum disease as causing flares of disease in people with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
Sedation Dentistry – Safety
In the interest of helping more patients to get treatment for dental issues, more and more state dental regulatory boards are stepping up to the plate to help the general public become more confident in the use and safety of sedation dentistry. Many states, such as North Carolina, have put regulations into effect that call for the dental board to certify that the sedation dentist has participated in approved, recent training on administering sedation as well as sufficient experience. There is more at stake when you neglect getting needed dental care than your dental health. If you have dental anxiety that is keeping you from getting the necessary treatment, look for a qualified sedation dentist who can work with you to overcome those fears.…

No Picture
Health Department

Prevent Dog Heart Disease or Dog Liver Disease With Proper Dental Health

Dog Teeth and Heart Disease or Dog Liver Disease Can Be Linked
Last time we described how important “inspecting” your dog’s teeth and gums was to his or her health as well as your peace of mind and wallet. After 20 years of raising our Dalmatians, we have learned a lot about critical dental care. We want to share what we have learned to help others as they care for their own “best friend”. Dog teeth and heart disease and periodontal disease are linked.
Routine Veterinary Visits are Important
A cardinal rule regular vet exams. The plaque we described earlier actually turns into tartar, or calculus- quickly. Bacteria can develop, It can eat away at the teeth and gums.
Many problems like dog bad breath, dog periodontal disease, dog heart disease, oral pain and tooth loss occur. The bacteria can cause disease in the mouth, dog liver disease or heart disease in a dog.
The key here is prevention. When that does not work, early detection and correction are important. Take care of dental disease as soon as you suspect it, no matter how minor it may at first appear. Of course, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure so, work hard to prevent it!
Prevention Is the First Line of Defense
You know the steps in preventing dog dental disease. Keep a regular regimen of inspecting your dog’s teeth and gums. Observe problems and attend to them early. Brush your dog’s teeth. This will reduce the chance of dog heart disease or dog liver disease.
Professional Care Issues
From time to time, a professional dental cleaning may be necessary. The first time we had this done for Lady – it was a shocker – and expensive. But it was critical and we did have to have it completed. Some dogs need dental cleanings one or more times per year, while others can go longer.
The entire procedure requires the same work as you and I have at our dentists. The process usually requires a general anesthesia. With the dog sedated, the vet will clean your dog’s teeth and clean the gums. That is also an excellent time to get a thorough and expert examination for problems.
Each procedure will most likely be fashioned to meet your dog’s individual needs. But generally, the vet will scale and polish the teeth. The vet may find that some problems a best resolved with a tooth extraction. Your vet may even refer you to a – wait for it – a veterinary dentist for specialty procedures.
Sedation Has It’s Risks
Now for the final warning. Your daily care is critical to preventing dog heart disease and dog liver disease, your wallet and even your dog’s safety. You should discuss this with your vet in detail. Sedating a dog is serious and requires a vet and staff that know their responsibilities. Our experience was a real awakening for us. During her procedure, Lady was “rolled over” to get to a few teeth in one part of her mouth. Sedation relaxes many muscles in a dog – include those supporting their digestive system and stomach. The “rolling” actually twisted her stomach and caused a constriction that the vet “missed” the next day.
We picked Lady up and took her home in less than 48 hours from her procedure she swelled up and began salivating severely. It was late at night – off to the emergency vet clinic we went. Over 15 hours and a lot of very tender care were needed to save Lady. We rubbed, an sat with her for hours.…

No Picture
Healthy Nutrition

Detoxification and Why It Is Critical for Health and Weight Loss

What is detoxification?
Detoxifying your body is the process of assisting your body to remove elements that are detrimental to your health. Where do these toxins or detrimental elements come from? In today’s world, with thousands of new chemicals being introduced each year, the toxic elements are taken in by your body through the food you eat, water you drink, air you breathe, and through your skin.
Over the centuries, Eastern health masters recognized that balancing and detoxifying the body was imperative. Recently, Western medicine is beginning to understand this also.
Due to the recent popularity of detoxification in the West, a proliferation of health products aimed at accomplishing this process has sprung into being. This in turn has contributed to confusion about why and how one would detoxify their body.
This report is designed for you, if you are confused about the conflicting information out there about this subject.
What Makes Detoxification Important?
Our toxin elimination systems in our bodies, being our digestive system and colon, liver, kidneys, breath and skin, is very capable of neutralizing and eliminating toxins. An overload of toxicity is a major contributor to weight gain, and puts the brakes on weight loss efforts. Some of these toxins come from our own metabolic processes, and if that was the only source of toxicity that our bodies had to deal with, we’d have relatively no issues. However, this is not the case in these times. It is when these systems become overloaded and weakened that the problems begin.
Some of the problems caused by a toxic body range from less than optimal energy levels and weight gain, all the way through major degenerative disease conditions.
Where Do We Get The Toxins?
In the course of your daily life, you could be exposed to harsh chemicals through your work environment. This is the case in some common occupations. One seldom considered source of toxicity is in your own home! Take a look at household cleaners and fresheners you use in your home and see if you can improve the healthfulness of your indoor environment. The processed and chemically treated foods that prevail in our food supply are also a major source of toxicity.
Items such as cigarettes, poor quality foods, caffeine, junk food and soda are all examples which are harmful to your health. Consuming these on a consistent basis harms your body on several levels. All of these considerations in combination can produce a very toxic environment in your body. As they build up in your system over time, they can cause a wide range of issues including weight gain, memory problems and immune system issues.
Detoxification is a natural process that the body accomplishes on its own under normal circumstances. However, when your systems are overloaded and you have a less than optimal diet, it contributes to stress on your body and it is less able to cleanse your system properly.
What Can Be Done About It?
The fist step in detoxifying your body is pretty straight forward. It is to stop putting toxins into your body as much as possible. Doing this may even cause some weight loss on its own. Making the needed changes can be accomplished in baby steps. You don’t have to take everything on at once. It works best to take a look at one area at a time. Look for things that you can do to clean up some small things first, incorporate it into your life, then move on to the next. Before long, you’ll find you’ve incorporated many beneficial new ways into your life, and you will be able to feel the beneficial difference in your body.
Once you’ve made some changes, and see that you’re on the right track, that’s when you should look at some of the many great products and programs that can help you increase and accelerate your journey of health.…