Diabetics are certainly more prone to dental diseases as well. Periodontal disease involves the loss of bone support for the teeth. New research estimates that 50% of the adult population has periodontal disease, making it one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in the United States. It is usually identified by your dentist or hygienist during your dental examination. The bone loss is called as a “pocket,” identified by measuring the distance between the top of the gum line and the underlying attachment to the bone. The deeper the pocket, the more severe the disease.

In an uncontrolled diabetic, the disease can progress faster than in the normal population. Our body’s immune system is made up of white blood cells called neutrophils whose sole job is to engulf bacteria and neutralize them. But in diabetics, the neutrophil can no longer sense the bacteria, allowing the bacteria to spread and the pocket to become deeper, leading to loosening of the tooth. If the diabetes is controlled, the neutrophil recovers and can find the bacteria.

The good news is that if you are a controlled Type 2 diabetic with good periodontal care, you have a good chance of minimizing your periodontal disease and retaining your teeth. And that control will reduce your chance of generalized infections as well.

Source: http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20130411/COLUMNISTS0803/304110016/Focus-Seniors-Periodontal-disease-diabetic-risk?gcheck=1

Your own teeth require at-home oral care and regular dental visits. Dental implants are like your own teeth and will require the same care. In order to keep your implant clean and plaque-free, brushing and flossing still apply!

Source: American Academy of Periodontology

Fluoride, one of the active ingredients in toothpaste, doesn’t spend much time in contact when your teeth when you are brushing. Thus, it is crucial to let it work after you have already brushed your teeth. According to dentist Dr. Phil Stemmer, from The Fresh Breath Centre in London, “Rinsing washes away the protective fluoride coating left by the toothpaste, which would otherwise add hours of protection.” If you are thirsty drink a glass of water before brushing your teeth!

http://lifehacker.com/5978107/dont-rinse-your-mouth-out-after-brushing-your-teeth

A dental implant is an artificial root of a tooth that is placed into your jaw. Implants hold a replacement tooth (i.e. crown), a bridge or even dentures.

Dental implants may be an option for people who have lost a tooth or multiple teeth due to periodontal disease, an injury, or some other reason.

The most common type of dental implant is called an Endosteal implant. It means “in the bone.” This name is fitting because the top of the implant is placed so that it is level with the bone. These implants come in have various lengths and thicknesses. Which one is best for your case depends on your bone thickness. An image will help the periodontist determine which size is right for your case. Each implant can hold one or more prosthetic teeth. This type of implant is generally used as an alternative for patients with bridges or removable dentures.

The end of the year is nearing! If you want to use your insurance benefits please call soon, there are only a handful of appointments remaining.

Our office manager wrote this poem in memory of her Uncle Alex

A Day To Remember

He hurried to pack up his bed roll,
His backpack, his mess and his light,
For the word had come down from the captain,
They’d be home with their loved ones tonight.

They had fought in that terrible conflict,
Had defeated the monstrous foe,
Been courageous, undaunted, victorious,
At a cost that no one would know.

But joy filled his heart as he pondered,
His ship almost at his home port,
He thought of his mother and father,
And siblings and kin folk of sort.

With one hour to go before daylight,
All packed and just waiting below,
Many goodbyes would have to be said,
Before they arrived in Glas-gow.

But then came a shudder from port side,
Followed up by a crash and a roar,
As bulkheads gave way to the ocean,
And water through corridors poured.

The screams and commotion subsided,
As waters closed over the hull,
His last thoughts so clear, for his family dear,
As his consciousness started to dull.

The Dasher drove into the bottom,
Three fifty would share her as tomb,
For a U-boat turned joy into anguish,
Just twenty one miles from home.

He is known to his family as Alex,
Our uncle who fought in the war,
And paid such a price for our freedom,
Remembered continually more.

Thank you to all the veterans!

Today is election day! Don’t forget to vote!

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 29 from 10am-2pm. On that day people can bring their unwanted or expired medications—including opioid painkillers—to disposal sites across the country.

According to 2010 data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration prescription medications are now the most commonly abused drugs among kids ages 12–13 and second to marijuana among young adults. Studies show that a majority of these drugs are obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet.

On the last Take-Back Day, April 28, Americans brought a record 276 tons of prescription drugs for proper disposal to more than 5,600 locations.

For more information or to find a location to dispose of your unwanted or expired prescription drugs please go to:

http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html

Thank you for disposing of your prescription drugs properly.