Tips on Diet and Dental Health

I'm often asked for advice from patients about what role their diet plays in their oral health. The short answer is that ones diet is not only important to you oral health but ones overall health in general. Referencing the American Dental Association here are a few tips for better dental health?

To get a balanced diet, eat a variety of foods. Choose foods from each of the five major food groups:
breads, cereals and other grain products
fruits
vegetables
meat, poultry and fish
milk, cheese and yogurt

Limit the number of snacks that you eat. Each time you eat food that contains sugars, the teeth are attacked by acids for 20 minutes or more.

If you do snack, choose nutritious foods, such as cheese, raw vegetables, plain yogurt, or a piece of fruit.
Foods that are eaten as part of a meal cause less harm. More saliva is released during a meal, which helps wash foods from the mouth and helps lessen the effects of acids.

Brush after each meal with a fluoride toothpaste that has the American Dental Association Seal of Acceptance.

Clean between your teeth daily with floss or interdental cleaners.

Visit your dentist regularly. Your dentist can help prevent problems from occurring and catch those that do occur while they are easy to treat.

Michael L Chandler, DDS, PC

1745 W 33rd, Ste A, Edmond, Ok 73013

http://www.edmondsmiles.com/

WE'RE #4!

While I was trying to fix our internet connection at home I ran across this story on MSN,
"The 14 worst-teeth Cities" . Naturally I had to look. According to this story published by TotalBeauty.com, Tulsa ranked #4.
Oklahoma as a whole ranked #6 for teeth loss.
I am not sure how accurate this article is; I just found it interesting. I am aware that Oklahoma does rank pretty high when it comes to tooth loss.
Here in SOONER land this wouldn't even be a good BCS ranking. OU is currently ranked #3 in the BCS poll. It's even worse when the ranking is talking about health of Oklahomans. Remember, your overall health is linked to your oral health. Once again, assuming the report is accurate.

What do you think?


Dr. Michael L Chandler practices Complete Family Dentistry in Edmond Oklahoma
1745 W 33rd, Ste A
Edmond, Ok 73013
405-330-4630
www.edmondsmiles.com

"Hey Doc, Does My Breath Stink?

The other day I entered one of my treatment rooms, greeted my patient and asked him if he had any questions before we got started. His reply, "Hey Doc, Does my breath Stink?' It was hard for me to keep a strait face without laughing. I have been asked by dozens of patients about bad breath but none have asked me so bluntly. My patient and I had a discussion about halitosis or bad breath and I wanted to share a few causes and potential remedies for bad breath.

Some Causes of Bad Breath

• Diet- The foods we eat are absorbed into the bloodstream and enter the lungs where it is expelled. i.e Garlic Breath
• Dry Mouth-Saliva is necessary to help rid the mouth of particles that may cause bad breath
• Tobacco
• Medical Disorder- Disorders like Diabetes, GI problems, and local infections can cause bad breath
• Poor Oral Hygiene

Things That Can Help With Bad Breath

• Maintaining Good Oral Health
• Visit your dentist for regular cleanings
• Brushing at Least twice a day
• FLOSSING
• Brushing or Scrapping your tongue

Dr. Michael L Chandler, Complete Family Dentistry

1745 W 33rd St, Ste A Edmond, Ok 73013

405.330.4630

www.edmondsmiles.com

Score One for My Faith in Humanity!

When was the last time you were asked for your ID when using a debit or credit card? If your experience is similar to mine, I would imagine the answer would be rarely. Recently I went to work out with a buddy and it almost killed me. Apparently I went to 7 Eleven after the workout to buy a cold drink. I paid cash for my drink went home and passed out. The following day i needed to make a purchase for the office and noticed that I did not have my wallet. I thought no big deal, I must have left my wallet at home. After searching everywhere I deemed my wallet as being lost. The thought of cancelling all of my credit cards, getting a new drivers and fishing license gave me a stomach ache. Hey, a fishing license is important!
More importantly, since people don't ID you anymore, I started to think of the thousands of dollars someone could ring up if I didn't cancel my cards quick.
This morning i decided to call the 7 eleven just to see if some one had turned a wallet in. What's the chances of that. Well, I guess the chances were pretty good that day. They had my wallet and I was able to pick it up today. And yes, everything was in it.
I know I was fortunate to get my wallet back and hope to never loose it again.
What I was able to take from this was a renewed spirit about integrity and honesty.
I have no idea who turned my wallet in but, Thank You.

Dr. Michael L Chandler
Complete Family and Cosmetic Dentistry
1745 W 33rd, A
Edmond, Ok 73013
405.330.4630
www.edmondsmiles.com

Dad, What's a Pay Phone?

Lately my daughter has been hammering me about a cell phone, she's only 11. She recently asked me when I got my first cell phone, I told her that I was about 26 years old. She responded, "What did you do before then?" I told her that I had a pager. Her response, what's a pager? I explained. I proceeded to tell her that I had to use a pay phone if someone paged me when I wasn't at home. Her response, you guessed it, Dad, what's a pay phone? Geez Louise! I had to give a history lesson about communication devices to my 11 year old. I was waiting for her to ask me what a fax was.

My daughters questions are simply a sign of the technological times we live in. Recently, I was complaining about having to add a server and 2 new workstations to my office. As much as it pains me to have to spend thousands of dollars on technology, I had to think back to some of the now archaic technology we used when I first entered dentistry. At the time it was revolutionary. Now just a memory.

While technology is expensive. Here are a few items that I am thankful for in a modern dental practice.

• Phosphor Plate X-rays use less radiation for the patient
  
• Dental software
• Isolite for patient comfort
• Diagnodent for early cavity Detection
• Dental Microscope
• Memory Foam Dental Chairs
• Dental Implants
• Electric Dental Drills for increased patient comfort and quieter more efficient work

There are many things I could list, and yes they are all monetarily expensive, but the added benefit to my patients is priceless.


Dr. Michael L Chandler practices complete family and cosmetic dentistry in Edmond Oklahoma.
1745 W 33rd, ste A
Edmond, Oklahoma 73013
www.edmondsmiles.com

WATCH IT!

My aunt who lives in California called me with concerns after her last dental visit. She stated that her dentist told her that she had several small cavities but he would just "Watch It." My question to my aunt was, "Watch it do what?" There was a long pause and she finally replied, "I don't know what watch it means." I told her that it meant that we do nothing until the cavity gets bigger.
There are varying opinions among dentist about when or when not to treat decay or a cavity. In my Edmond practice I choose to treat cavities as soon as they are detected regardless of the size. My opinion is shared be thousands of dentist all across the country. There are also thousands of dentist that believe that should watch a decaying tooth.
My rational is simple for treating even the smallest cavities. I use this analogy frequently with my patients. If you were told you had cancer but it's really small. would you want to watch it or would you like to treat it? The answer to that question seems obvious. I must state that I'm in no way comparing a cavity to cancer. The analogy is to simply make a point, If we have a cavity and we know there is NO chance of it going away without proper treatment; Why would we choose to just WATCH IT?



Michael L Chandler practices family and cosmetic dentistry in Edmond Oklahoma
1745 W 33rd, ste A
Edmond Oklahoma
www.edmondsmiles.com

It's Just a Baby Tooth!

In my dental Practice in Edmond we see several children, many of which have multiple decayed teeth. All to often I hear from parents,"It's just a baby tooth so just Pull It." Many people are under the impression that baby teeth serve no function and therefore are not important. There are several reason that baby teeth are important but I will just list a few.

• Baby teeth serve as a guide for the permanent teeth to come in properly. most Permanent teeth are forming directly below the baby teeth, if the baby tooth is lost then the permanent tooth has lost the proper guidance to come in to its proper place. This could lead to tooth crowding or malocclusion(bad bite).
• Children are little people, and just as it is important for adults to have their teeth to eat and aid in the digestion of food; it is equally important for children to have a full set of teeth for the same reason.
• Self Esteem- While the primary function of teeth is to aid in eating and digestion, a healthy smile gives us confidence. If you don't think this is true observe people you know that are missing teeth. Often times these people hide their smile by placing their hand over their mouth when they laugh. Or they may posture their lip down so you can't see their teeth. Remember, children are little people too. There is a tendency to lower a childs self esteem when they are missing teeth well before their school age friends. This can make a child feel different.

Hopefully this will give some insight on the importance of baby teeth and relevance to you child's development.

Dr. Michael L Chandler; Practicing Dentistry in Edmond Oklahoma

1745 W 33rd St, A Edmond, Ok 73013 www.edmondsmiles.com

TATTOOS AND TONGUE RINGS

I apologize in advance but this is a little rant. In one of my previous post "I Hate the Dentist", I acknowledged the fear that many people have of the dentist. I do understand that the stigma attached to dentistry can lead to some anxiety before a dental visit. However, what really gets me is when people with tattoos and tongue rings tell me that they hate getting a shot. I always ask those patients, "Did that tongue ring or tattoo hurt?" 99% of the time the answer is NO, or not that bad. Now, I don't have, never had, and never will get a tongue ring, but I've bitten my tongue before and it hurt like crazy. For someone to sit and tell me that it doesn't hurt to have a steel bar jammed through their tongue without anesthetic is ridiculous! I admit, I do have a tattoo. I can tell you that it's not the most pleasant experience. It actually it HURT! Unlike a dental injection that hurts for a few seconds; the tattoo hurt from start to finish!

My conclusion is this. In MY HUMBLE OPINION people are more willing to go through an unpleasant experience when it's something they want to do. People get tattoos and tongue rings because they want to. People generally get root canals because they have to. Speaking on behalf of my profession, I believe that most dentist take every step possible to make the dental injection and the dental visit in general as comfortable as possible. Many of us use special topical anesthetics to make the shot less painful. Some dentist go as far as buying very expensive machines to deliver local anesthetic. We really don't want to hurt anyone.

If you do have a tongue ring or tattoo please think twice before you tell your dentist that you hate needles. For my patients with tongue rings and tattoos; I promise to still be as gentle as possible.


Dr. Michael L Chandler
Practicing General Dentistry in Edmond, Oklahoma
www.edmondsmiles.com