O'Fallon Family & Cosmetic Dentist

Tooth color is effected by many factors, including your genes and the aging process.  While you cannot control your genetic make-up or stop yourself from aging, there are several steps you can take to keep your teeth their whitest.

1.  Eliminate tobacco use.

2.  Limit your intake of coffee, tea and soda.  It is common for people to sip these beverages throughout their entire day exposing teeth to these stain causing agents for hours at a time.  A better practice is to drink one or two servings and then brush afterwards rather than exposing your teeth to these beverages throughout the day.  Cold liquids can be sipped through a straw to better protect teeth’s exposure.

3.  Brush after eating dark berries, soy sauce and curry.  Dark berries like blueberries are wonderful for your overall health so I would not advise eliminating these foods. 

4.  Limit your intake of wine.  Red wine is a known culprit of teeth staining, but recent studies have shown that white wine can also effect tooth color by wearing down the enamel.

5.  Brush your teeth after every meal and after consuming stain causing foods.

6.  Floss your teeth daily.  Teeth can display a great deal of staining at their edges where teeth meet.  This is due to a build-up of plaque that can be avoided by flossing between teeth.

7.  Have your teeth professionally cleaned at least twice a year.

8.  If you are concerned about the color of your teeth, talk to your dentist about safe and effective teeth whitening options.

I just found a source for several different variations of charts to keep track of children’s toothbrushing.  These charts could be created on your own or modified to include flossing once a day as well.  Children who are old enough to brush their teeth on their own usually do not spend enough time brushing.  It might be helpful to use a watch timer or a sand hourglass timer found in one of your childrens’ games to help remind them how long they need to brush.  Encourage your children to brush every surface of every tooth, including the outer, inner and biting surfaces.  They will need to pay special attention to the biting surface of their back teeth (molars) as these are the most likely teeth to harbor harmful bacteria due to their pitted surface.  Placing sealants on these teeth can help to prevent the development of cavities.

In honor of National Children’s Dental Health Month (yes, there is such a thing), I thought I would share a few resources for parents and teachers.  In schools across the nation, children are receiving free dental health screenings this month.  This month provides a good opportunity for parents and teachers to remind children about healthy teeth habits.  The ADA provides a list of dental health activities for children, as well as ideas for classroom presentations on dental health.   Other ideas for teaching children about dental health can be found at the Apples4TheTeacher website.

I have written a short article on how to prepare your child for the first visit to the dentist.  As well as a blog post on 8 tips for good dental hygiene in young children.   I hope parents and teachers find this information useful in continuing to teach children the importance of caring for their teeth.

My wife is thrilled that the Colts will be in the Super Bowl.  Here’s an easy recipe for a Super Bowl Party appetizer.

Cheesy Pita Chips

Ingredients:

2 whole wheat pita breads

1/4 cup reduced-fat margarine, melted

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

3 Tbl. grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Split each pita bread into two rounds.  Cut each round into four triangles; place inside side up on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.  In a bowl, combine the margarine, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper; stir in the Parmesan cheese.  Spread over triangles.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.  Bake at 400 degrees for 12 – 15 minutes or until golden brown. 

8 servings.  One serving = 2 triangles.  95 calories, 5 grams fat, 1 gram fiber.

We all know that sugary foods like candy, cookies and cake can cause tooth decay, but some foods that cause problems may surprise you.  Parents who limit dessert consumption are surprised to learn that some snacks that they consider healthy may be causing decay problems.  Starchy foods like bread, chips, cereal bars, some cereals and granola bars can cause problems too.  These foods tend to stick to teeth and mix with an enzyme in saliva to cause an acidic reaction.  Dried fruit also tends to stick to teeth and is acidic in nature.   

Acidic drinks like fruit juice and soda, even diet soda, can also cause problems.  Many of my patients assume that diet soda will not harm their teeth because it is sugar free, but the acidic nature of it can cause damage.  I recommend keeping these drinks to a minimum, but if you are a serious soda addict who can’t kick the habit, try using a straw to help the liquid bypass the teeth more effectively.  A recent study in the Journal of Periodontology, demonstrated that green tea may have a beneficial effect on teeth and gums. 

Another sometimes surprising problem is tooth decay in children’s front teeth when a sippy cup is used for a prolonged time, especially when the child drinks a considerable amount of juice or sugary substances.  With the design of a sippy cup, children often purse their lips around the cup but do not open their teeth around it.  This can cause the front teeth to be directly exposed to the acids in the juice on a regular basis.  Some sippy cups are being designed with straws now which causes children to open their teeth to take a sip.  As an aside, open cups or cups with straws are better for speech development in young children as well. 

Young children often have more snacks throughout their day as their bodies require this frequent refueling.  Frequent snacking can set teeth up for constant exposure to decay causing substances.   While brushing teeth each time a snack is eaten may not be a reasonable expectation, drinking or swishing water in the mouth to dislodge and remove decay causing substances is a good habit to establish for children and adults.

Dental insurance benefits, especially for restorative work like fillings, can be very difficult to understand. The benefits summary may state that fillings are covered at 80%, but due to several factors this is not usually the case. Most dental insurance companies use what is called a “Usual, Customary and Reasonable” fee guide. This means that the insurance company sets their own price that they will allow for every dental procedure that they cover. This is not based on what a dentist actually charges. The insurance company pays its percentile based upon its UCR fee, not the dentist’s actual fee.

Downgraded benefits can also effect the amount an insurance company will pay for a filling. Many insurance companies downgrade tooth-colored fillings to a silver amalgam filling fee. While the insurance company allows patients to have tooth-colored fillings, the patient will have to pay the difference between the fee for the tooth-colored filling and the downgraded UCR fee for an amalgam (silver) filling. The percentile benefit is then applied to the amalgam fee.

Our office goes to great lengths to attempt to provide an accurate treatment plan estimate prior to treatment. We try to figure in the effect of UCR and treatment downgrades when figuring our estimates, but it is not always possible to know the exact amount that an insurance company will reimburse.

Our office only offers tooth colored fillings for several reasons.
1. Tooth colored fillings require less removal of and damage to the underlying tooth structure in order to adhere to the tooth.
2. Tooth colored fillings provide a stronger bond to the tooth structure which makes it less likely than an amalgam filling to allow bacteria under the filling.
3. Tooth colored fillings are made of a non-toxic resin material and can actually make the tooth structure stronger.
4. Tooth colored fillings provide an overall aesthetic benefit as they can be blended to match the color of the surrounding tooth structure making their appearance virtually invisible.

Dental sealants have provided us with an opportunity to fight the build up of harmful decay and bacteria in the back molar teeth. These teeth are shaped differently than the rest of our teeth and contain quite a few pits and grooves. These pits and grooves prove harder to brush well and don’t allow for harmful food and drink substances to slide off as easily. Due to the structure of these teeth, the majority of dental restorations (fillings, root canals, and crowns) occur on molar teeth.

Dental sealants contain a thin plastic coating that is painted on to the tooth surface. This makes for a smoother surface with less opportunity for food particles to get trapped and a barrier for bacteria to penetrate. Applying sealants is a quick, simple inexpensive process that can provide good protection for several years. The back molars typically appear around age six and it is best to get those teeth sealed soon after they have fully erupted and before bacteria can begin to cause problems.

Dental sealants are not easily visible and should be checked by your dentist at each dental check-up. They will need to be replaced after several years to maintain their benefits. Many dental insurance companies cover dental sealants in children as a preventative dental benefit.

I have included links to two sources that answer questions about dental sealants:
The CDC Dental Sealants Fact Sheet and
The ADA Frequently Asked Questions about Sealants.

Please call us at 636-561-5445 if you want more information about how dental sealants can benefit your family’s oral health.

I just created an archive for my patient e-newsletters. It only contains the most recent e-newsletter at this point, but I will archive all of the newsletters going forward. Now you can always have access to the amazing content in my newsletters. Hopefully, you read the self-deprecating humor in that last sentence.

December can be the hardest month of the year to maintain healthy habits. Holiday parties, the change in temperature, the constant presence of goodies, the busyness of holiday preparations and gift buying can all make it difficult to stick to healthy routines. Below I have listed a number of healthy habits. I encourage you to pick three of these habits or make up your own healthy habits to focus on in the month of December. You can share your three picks in the comment section here or on my Facebook page wall. Research has demonstrated that sharing your health goals can help to keep you accountable and focusing on small changes in health habits can make a great difference.

Healthy Habits
Floss once a day
Brush 2 -3 times a day
Get 7 – 8 hours of rest each night
Stay hydrated throughout your day
Drink green tea daily
Take a multivitamin daily
Eat 5 – 9 fruits and veggies each day
Keep a food journal of everything you eat each day
Exercise portion control at holiday events
Perform weight resistance exercises 2 – 3 times per week
Do a cardio workout 3 – 6 times per week
Try a new workout class, dvd, or game
Stretch or perform simple yoga exercises for 5 – 10 minutes per day
Make medical appointments that you have been putting off
Park further away from the entrance to work or stores
Commit to sharing chores with family members to lighten your load
Decrease holiday stress this year with a decision to buy less or shop online

My three healthy commitments for this month are:
1. To stay hydrated throughout the day
2. To exercise portion control at holiday events
3. To get in 3 – 6 cardio workouts each week.

I found a great list of tools to help you meet your health goals. The list includes websites that can help track calories and health goals as well as fitness tools.

What are your three healthy commitments for the month of December? Do you have other ideas of healthy habits to share?

We’ve been looking for holiday events to enjoy in the St. Charles County area this year. I put together a list of several activities you might want to check out.

ST. CHARLES, MO HOLIDAY EVENTS

Outdoor Ice Rink – 11/27/09 – 12/26/09 on Weds, Fri, Sat, or Sundays.
Outdoor ice rink located along the Missouri River in Frontier Park. Cost is $6/adult, $5/child under 12. Skate rental is $3.

Christmas Traditions Festival – 11/27/09 – 12/26/09 – Along South Main Street. Stores are open until 9:00 on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays with activities including carolers from 6:30 – 9:00. There is a Santa Parade every Saturday and Sunday at 1:30.

Journey to Bethlehem put on by Harvester Christian Church – 12/10/09 – 12/13/09. Thursday and Friday 6:30 – 9:00, Saturday and Sunday 5:30 – 9:00. Free live re-enactment of the very first Christmas. I went to this last year and it is pretty amazing.

Erin Bode Holiday Concert at the Foundry Art Centre – 12/12/09 at 8:00 P.M.

St. Charles Community College Young People’s Theater presents “Scrooge, the Stingiest Man in Town.” Dec. 18th at 7:00 p.m., Dec. 19th at 2:00 and 7:00 p.m. and Dec. 20th at 2:00 p.m. Located in the Donald D. Shook Fine Arts Building on the SCC campus. General admission cost is $7, students and senior citizen cost is $6. Here is more information about St Charles Community College’s winter performances.

O’FALLON, MO HOLIDAY EVENTS

Celebration of Lights – 11/27/09 – 12/30/09, closed Dec. 24 & 25. Fort Zumwalt Park
Over 1 million lights and a mile of holiday scenes. Sunday, Tuesday – Thursday, from 6:30 – 9:00, Friday and Saturday from 6:30 – 10:00. Cost is $9/car or $15/van. Special walk-through night on December 8th.

ST. PETERS, MO HOLIDAY EVENTS

Santa Visits Old Town Log Cabin – Dec. 2nd, 1 – 3 p.m. Cabin is located at Gatty Road & Park Street.
Old fashioned holiday fun with horse-drawn carriage rides through Old Town.

Breakfast with Santa – Dec. 16th, 8:30 – 10:00 a.m. at the Rec-Plex. Breakfast is $10/child and $4/adult. Breakfast, sit on Santa’s lap, crafts, activities and songs. Must register by December 8th by visiting the Rec-Plex or callings 636-939-2386 ext. 400.

FORISTELL, MO HOLIDAY LIGHTS

Holiday Night Lights – Rotary Park – 11/27 – 12/27 from 6:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Open Thursday – Sunday from 11/27 – 12/13 and nightly from 12/17 – 12/27. Closed Christmas Day. Includes 1 1/2 mile drive with themed displays and over half a million lights.

CHESTERFIELD, MO HOLIDAY EVENTS

Winter Holiday Candlelight Walk – Dec. 4 & 5 from 5 – 9 p.m. Located in Faust Park. Cost is $10/car.

Candy Cane Hunt at the Carousel at Faust Park – Saturday, December 5th at 10:00 a.m. Some of the candy canes will have special prizes attached to them. You must purchase tickets ahead of time for $5 at the St. Louis Carousel Gift Shop.

Please comment if you know of other great holiday activities or places for viewing holiday lights in the area.