A Clean Mouth is as Easy as 1, 2, 3!

World Dental.org had a great article discussing easy ways to teach your kids about oral hygiene. We want to highlight a few of their ideas this week.

They first suggest to make it visual. Teaching a child about the consequences of poor dental health is one thing, but showing them is quite another. This can be done by printing of some pictures at home of individuals who have not taken care of their teeth. This visual brings the consequences of not brushing into reality for a child, and is a motivating factor with very little words.

The second suggestion offered is to create a practice dummy. Provide a puppet with a large mouth, or use cardboard and create giant teeth in order for your child to practice brushing, flossing and cleaning the tongue. If they have can fun cleaning their dummy's teeth, it will make brushing their own more enjoyable and engaging.

The final suggestion we want to highlight is to make a connection. Good dental habits may seem pointless to a child, but by helping them connect the habits to other things it will make more senses. Help them understand that good dental hygiene habits avoid bad breath, prevent cavities, help them keep their teeth, etc. If a child has a purpose of why they clean their teeth, it may help them work that much harder.

We also want your child to feel comfortable at the Dentist office. This is not a place to fear. Bring them into our practice, we would love to give them a tour, discuss what happens in each area of our office, and of course, show of the surprise box! That is always their favorite spot.

Creating positive, lasting relationships now will allow them to create habits for their future that will greatly impact how they care for their own teeth, and for their future children's mouths. 

Call to schedule a cleaning for you and your child today!

(541) 451-1440

Back to School Countdown's Begun

Back to school time is fast approaching. Is your child's mouth ready? Strange question you say...let's visit a moment about this topic.

Parents make long checklists of needed school supplies, new clothes, backpacks, and shoes, but stopping by the dentist rarely makes the list.

Is it important for your children to stay up on regular dental visits? ABSOLUTELY!

You've worked hard to teach your child proper oral health care habits, and entering into the school years is no time to slack off. The small efforts they make now to keep their teeth healthy will pay huge dividends years down the road.

WebMD has a great check list of what your school age child should be doing regularly:

What your child can do

• Your child should be brushing his or her own teeth morning and night with a soft toothbrush and a pea-sized amount of fluoridated toothpaste. Watch to be sure he or she is doing a good job brushing.
• Flossing is an important part of good dental health, but it can be a challenging task for a child to master. Talk with your dentist about the right technique to teach your child how to floss. Plastic flossing tools may help you and your child.
• If your child has cavities, your dentist may recommend the use of a mouthwash that contains fluoride. But teach your child not to swallow it, because fluoride can be toxic in large amounts.
• Use disclosing tablets from time to time to see whether any plaque is left on your child's teeth after brushing. Disclosing tablets are chewable and will color any plaque left on the teeth after the child brushes. You can buy these at most drugstores.

Make stopping by our office for a visit a priority on your back to school checklist. Dr. Clark will praise your child for his or her good efforts, as well as provide helpful hints of things they can do to improve over the coming months. Don't forget they get to choose a free prize as well!

Call to schedule your 

appointment today!

(541) 451-1440

Are You Listening?

You've heard the old adage, "The eyes are the windows to the soul," could the same be true about your mouth and body?

This graphic above shows the correlation of the warning signs our mouths and bodies give us so that we can prevent, or stop the progression of diseases that will rob us of our good health.

However, many times we ignore these warning signs. Why? Is it that we fear what the signs are telling us? Are our insurance benefits lacking? Are we simply too busy to do something about these warning signs?

The interesting fact about the body is that it will get our attention one way or another. If we ignore the signs now, a devastating illness or disease could stop us in our tracks and require that we give up everything we hold dear. That is not the best way to take care of ourselves.

We encourage you to stay consistent with your dental visits. There are many diseases, disorders and health conditions that Dr. Clark has been able to diagnose and help his patients through, some even life saving. 

You are worth it. You deserve to take care of yourself, and your family.

Call today to schedule 

your semi-annual check up, 

it could save your life!

(541-451-1440)

What Do You Think?

We found this great infographic on Foodmatters.tv. Sometimes we don't think twice about what we consume, but seeing the impact soda has on your life, might make you take a 2nd look at that drink on your desk.

Stay up on semi-annual cleaning appointments, especially if you are a regular soda drinker. We want to help you save your teeth!

Call to schedule an 

appointment today!

(541) 451-1440

April is Oral Cancer Awareness month! Have you been screened by Dr. Clark this year? The screening is quick and painless, but can save your life!

The Oral Cancer Foundationshares the following information on their website:

While some think this is a rare cancer, mouth cancers will be newly diagnosed in about 115 new individuals each day in the US alone, and a person dies from oral cancer every hour of every day. If you add the sub category of laryngeal throat cancers, the rates of occurrence (about 12,000 additional new cases per year) and death are significantly higher. When found at early stages of development, oral cancers have an 80 to 90 % survival rate. Unfortunately at this time, the majority are found as late stage cancers, and this accounts for the very high death rate of about 43% at five years from diagnosis (for all stages and etiologies combined at time of diagnosis), and high treatment related morbidity in survivors. Late stage diagnosis is not occurring because most of these cancers are hard to discover, (though some like HPV origin disease have unique discovery issues), it is because of a lack of public awareness coupled with the lack of a national program for opportunistic screenings which would yield early discovery by medical and dental professionals. Worldwide the problem is far greater, with new cases annually exceeding 450,000. 

Please call our office to schedule your yearly exam today. You and your loved ones are worth it!

(541) 451-1440

Come check out our new website! We are excited for you to browse around and see the exciting things that are taking place in our office.

www.laserdennist.com

Call to schedule your appointment today!

(541) 451-1440

Do You Have a Budding Dentist in Your Family?

We thought this picture posted by MySocialPractice was pretty funny. Someone has been teaching that child about dental health care! 

In honor of National Children's Dental Health Month we would like to spotlight a post made by DentalPlans earlier this month, that shares 5 tips to help your children on their way to healthy mouths and happy lives.

Tip 1
Establish a Daily Oral Hygiene Routine: Prevent decay early on by creating and maintaining a daily oral hygiene routine. Your children will learn that before they leave for school, or go to bed, their teeth need to be brushed. Simple steps can make these routines last a lifetime.

Tip 2
Limit Sugar: Oral bacteria feeds on sugar. This allows the bacteria to produce acids that destroy the enamel and cause cavities. Everything, including breast milk and formula has sugar in it. Make sure you are cleaning baby's gums early on with a soft warm cloth after feedings. With older children, watch the hidden contents of sugar in foods. Offering a cheese stick or crunchy veggies will help neutralize some of the sugars until your child can brush his/her teeth.

Tip 3
Set a Good Example: Do your children see you brushing and flossing everyday? Show them how you consistently make time to care for your teeth and they will be twice as likely to follow your example.

Tip 4
Monitor Thumb Sucking: After age three, the constant pressure of a thumb in the mouth can affect the jaw development of your child. If you need suggestions of how to help your child stop sucking her thumb, please don't hesitate to call us.

Tip 5
See Dr. Clark Regularly: We make great efforts to provide pleasant, no fear, appointments for your children. Our team members are fantastic with children. Helping your child establish a good rapport with dental professionals early on will encourage them to maintain regular dental visits throughout their lives. Feel free to contact us prior to bringing your child in for an appointment so that we can discuss your child's personal needs before they arrive.

We want you to be healthy and confident!

Call us today to schedule your appointment:

(541) 451-1440