Get the Candy Out of the House

It’s that time of year again when bands of costumed children arrive at your door looking for sugary treats. A couple of days of candy binging is not likely to cause serious problems for any of them, or their teeth. But the huge amounts of candy that are currently collected in neighborhoods like ours can last for months. And that can be a health problem.

To help reduce this concern, we are holding our 2nd annual Halloween Candy Buy Back from 2-4 pm on Wednesday, November 3 at our office in Happy Valley Town Center. It’s very simple: the kids bring their candy, we weigh it, and they receive $1/pound. The candy is then shipped to Operation Gratitude, an organization that collects candy from all over the country and places it in care packages with other items for the troops overseas. The soldiers use the candy to create goodwill with the children in the area. We will have a card center where kids can create a message of appreciation to the troops, which will be added to the packages. Here is a link to a video showing the work of Operation Gratitude.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYSQebRyTM4&feature

My son, Jonathan, is a captain in the US Army and has been deployed to Iraq. I know how much our support means to the men and women who are putting themselves into harm’s way every day.

To sweeten the deal we are having a drawing for some great prizes including an iPod nano and a $500 gift certificate toward orthodontic treatment with Dr. Tracy Ouyang.

So gather up your kids, their candy, and come on down to turn their candy into cash.

Yours for excellent dental health,
Dr. S

Stafford Smiles Hits Denver

We went for work, but found time to play.

Killer Sleep

Did you know that there is a serious health threat that is largely undiagnosed and can be easily screened by a dentist?

It is called sleep apnea and is a form of sleep disordered breathing that affects approximately 5% of the population. That percentage is much higher if you are a male over 50, overweight, and have a neck size over 17 inches in diameter.

In sleep apnea the upper airway is blocked by the surrounding tissue as it collapses during sleep. This reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood stream until it is so dangerously low that the sleep must be interrupted in order to get a good breath. The net result is a night of restless sleep and fatigue during the day. The health consequences of this low oxygen level are increased risk of stroke, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and motor vehicle accidents.

The symptoms of sleep apnea are not rhythmic uninterrupted snoring, but rather prolonged periods of strained or non breathing punctuate by sudden gasps.

If you suspect that you or someone you know is affected by this serious health problems. I invite you to come to a short seminar at my office on Thursday, October 7. We will discuss sleep apnea in more detail, offer a screening test, and have a representative there to demonstrate a simple home test used to make a diagnosis. All of this is free, but I request an RSVP as space is limited.

For more information go to: GotGoodSleep.com


Yours for excellent detal health,
Dr. S

Killer Sleep

Did you know that there is serious health threat that is largely undiagnosed and can be easily screened by a dentist? It is called sleep apnea and is a form of sleep disordered breathing that affects approximately 5% of the population. That percentage is much higher if you are a male over 50, overweight, and your neck is over 17 inches in diameter. In sleep apnea the upper airway is blocked by the surrounding tissue as it collapses during sleep. This reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood stream until it is so dangerously low that sleep must be interrupted in order to get a good breath. The net result is a night of restless sleep and fatigue during the day. The health consequences of this low oxygen level are increased risk of stroke, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and motor vehicle accidents.

The symptoms of sleep apnea are not rhythmic uninterrupted snoring, but rather prolonged periods of strained or non breathing punctuated by sudden gasps.
If you suspect that you or someone you know is affected by this serious health problem, I invite you to come to a short seminar at my office on Thursday, Oct 7, at 5:30pm. We will discuss sleep apnea in more detail, offer a screening test, and have a representative there to demonstrate a simple home test used to make a diagnosis. All of this is free, but I request an RSVP as space is limited.

Yours for excellent dental health,
Dr. S

Trick or Treat?

The annual costumed candy gathering is over. So now what to do with the mountains of decay inducing sweet stuff in the house? Not to worry. We have a plan for you. We are buying back the candy for $1/ pound on Wednesday, November 3 from 2-4 pm at our office, Stafford Smiles, in the Happy Valley Town Center. If you missed the details in our last article, go to our website, StaffordSmiles.net, and click on the blog link. There you will find more information and photos of the event from last year. I hope to see you this afternoon!

Sugar, as you know, often turns out to be a trick, not a treat as it causes tooth decay and other negative health consequences. But have you heard about xylitol? This is an artificial sweetener that not only does not produce tooth decay, but can actually reduce it. A recent study suggests that only 6 grams of xylitol a day are needed to prevent bacteria from causing cavities. To get the benefits of this product, look for it as the primary sweetener in the ingredient list for the gum or breath-freshening mints you buy.

Since products containing xylitol are somewhat uncommon in this country, here is a link to a company that sells xylitol sweetened gum and mints in case you have a hard time finding them in stores. www.epicdental.com. Epic makes it easy to get your 6 grams a day through their great-tasting, diabetic-friendly, and sugar free xylitol products! Check out their website. This is one of the easiest ways I know of to fight tooth decay.

Yours for excellent dental health,
Dr.S

The Secret to Saving $$ on Your Dental Bills

The secret is simple—regular preventive maintenance visits. In general, people who want to keep their teeth all of their life will spend less money if they follow their dentist’s recommended maintenance interval than if they only make appointments when they have symptoms.

This may seem counter intuitive, but I can support this from my own observations over the years. Often I will see a patient who has not been in for many years because they lost their dental insurance and did not want to pay for maintenance out of pocket. They present with problems that will cost much more to repair than what they would have spent on preventive visits and early treatment. In addition the outcome and the longevity of the repair will not be as good.

The statistics are pretty consistent over the years. About half of the population understands the value and has a dental visit at least once a year. The other half does not. Unless you are unusually resistant to both dental decay and gum disease, you are not saving money by staying away from the dentist. The CDC estimates that approximately 1/3 of the population has untreated dental decay. By the time that cavity starts to hurt, you will be facing a much greater expense than the cost of early diagnosis and treatment.

Bottom line: economics are not a good reason to avoid the dentist. Next time we will address the other major barrier—FEAR.

Yours for excellent dental health,
Dr. S

Is there Hazardous Waste in your Mouth?

A 2006 survey revealed that 72% of the respondents were not aware that mercury was a main component of dental amalgam fillings. Here are some facts you should know:

-The content of what we in the dental profession call “silver amalgam” is approximately 50% mercury.

-All amalgam fillings emit mercury vapor throughout their life. The amount of vapor is related to the size and number of amalgam fillings plus chewing habits.

-Mercury vapor from amalgam fillings is absorbed by the body and accumulates in various organs.

-Dental amalgam is the most common form of exposure to elemental mercury in the general population.

-Mercury in the body of a pregnant woman will cross the placental barrier and enter the fetus .

-Each individual has their own threshold at which mercury contamination becomes a health problem. This threshold can change due to aging and other immune system challenges.

-The Oregon DEQ requires dentists to handle scrap amalgam left over from fillings as hazardous waste.

-An FDA news release dated July 28, 2009, stated that the levels of elemental mercury released by dental amalgam fillings are not high enough to cause harm in patients.

-There are good studies published in peer reviewed journals supporting both sides of the question about whether dental amalgam fillings pose a health hazard to the general population.

So are amalgam fillings safe? Should you get all of your amalgam fillings replaced right away? Maybe, maybe not. First educate yourself. I would be glad to consult with you. Also Jeff Clark, ND, is an excellent local resource (drjeffclark@truehealthmedicine.com) as is the IAOMT (iaomt.org)

I will cover more on this subject next time. I welcome your opinions and stories, so please use my email address to contact me.

Yours for excellent dental health,
Dr. S