Help your family enjoy Halloween in a healthy way.
Halloween and candy go hand in hand, and kids dream of nothing more than a plastic pumpkin full of treats! Skipping the candy altogether seems like an easy solution, but let’s be honest, it’s just not practical. Halloween is a great time to use candy and treats to teach your kids valuable lessons about healthy eating that will last them a lifetime. So how do you proceed? Here are some tips to keep your kids happy and keep their teeth healthy!
Reduce and Recycle – make a plan with your kids to go through their candy after their big trick-or-treating adventure so you can help them pick some candy to keep (this may take some negotiating). Un-kept candy can be donated to a food bank or homeless shelter or placed in a care package for troops overseas. It’s a great opportunity to teach kids about responsibility and charity.
Choose Carefully – Not all candy treats your teeth equally! Sticky candy will stay on your teeth longer and hard candy will expose your teeth to sugar for longer periods. Both types of candy can increase the risk of tooth decay.
Mealtime Treats – Set a specific time to eat Halloween candy. Eating candy with meals is better for your teeth. Saliva production increases during meals and helps cancel out acids produced by bacteria in your mouth.
Brush Up – The most important thing you can do is keep up your kids brushing health. Brushing will get rid of the sugars that cause tooth decay and keep your mouth healthy.
Check out this video for even more sugar tips from Dr. Kristy!
Remember, the key to a great Halloween experience is finding a nice balance between eating treats and having healthy teeth. Learning responsibility and great dental practices, along with regular cleaning from Dr. Stanislav and Dr. Dye will set your kids up for a lifetime of healthy teeth!
What do you call a dinosaur that keeps the other dinosaurs awake? A Bronto-Snore-us!
Snoring has long been the butt of jokes, but it’s no laughing matter.
How well you sleep will impact every aspect of your health and daily life. Sleeping well helps you look, feel and perform your best so snoring can be harmful to your health and well-being.
Snoring occurs during sleep, when the soft tissue in your airway vibrates as you breathe. Snoring is extremely common in men, but also occurs frequently in women, especially during pregnancy and after menopause. Obesity, nasal obstruction, alcohol and smoking all increase the risk of snoring. Sometimes, snoring serves as a warning sign for sleep disorders like Obstructive Sleep Apnea. It can also take a toll on your significant other with the stress it can put on a relationship.
Not to worry though, even if snoring is due to a case of seasonal allergies or nasal congestion, there are treatments that can improve those conditions.
Change Position – Try sleeping in a new position. There is greater pressure on your throat when you’re lying on your back so shifting to your side will help to reduce or get rid of your snore.
Use a Humidifier – If your snoring is due to nasal congestion or allergies, dry air may be exacerbating the problem. Sleeping with a humidifier certainly won’t hurt, it may even help reduce your snoring. Be careful using this method alone, however; a humidifier will usually just reduce the symptoms rather than providing a cure.
Open Nasal Passages – There are several methods to do this. The most widely known method is to use Nasal Strips. These are pads with a wire inside and an adhesive on one side that are designed to physically hold your nasal passages in a more open position.
Oral Appliance Therapy – An oral appliance is a device worn in the mouth only during sleep. It fits like a sports mouth guard or orthodontic retainer. A custom-fit oral sleep appliance is an effective treatment that prevents the airway from collapsing by supporting the jaw in a forward position. In order to get an appliance you must see a qualified dentist like Dr. Stanislav and Dr. Dye.
For more information and sleep solutions make an appointment at the office of Dr. Stanislav by calling 931.648.0232. We can help you make a plan! At the office of Dr. Stanislav, we strive to make you feel welcome from the first phone call and your needs will continue to remain our top priority at every office visit. We look forward to meeting you!
Dental anxiety is more common than you may think, but you can’t let it compromise your health!
There are some ways to combat your anxiety and have a pleasant experience in the dentist’s chair.
Anxiety can manifest itself in many ways. Some people become agitated, some avoid dental appointments, and in extreme cases, people have been known to never visit a dentist. Because of anxiety, people will often put off having dental treatment and suffer for years with toothaches, infections, and poor oral appearance.
Here are some of the most common causes for dental anxiety and some easy solutions to try so you will be more comfortable at your next visit to the dentist.
Fear of the Unknown – A lot of anxiety can come from not knowing what to expect. The best way to ease your apprehensions is to ask! As simple as it may sound all you need to do is ask your doctor what will happen. Request a meeting with the dentist before your appointment. This will give you a chance to talk with them about what will happen during your appointment and discuss your worries. It will also help you to not think of your doctor as an ominous person looming over you in the dentist chair. Knowing the dentist as a person and what the procedure will be like can greatly reduce your level of anxiety.
Upset by Sounds of a Dentist’s Office – Many people with anxiety are upset by loud noises. A dentist’s office can be full of noise that is upsetting to people. The suction of water being removed, the beeps and whirring sounds of an x-ray machine, the scraping of dental tools, and worst of all the sound of a drill. But, you aren’t required to listen! Dealing with these noises can be as simple as wearing earplugs or putting on noise cancelling headphones with soothing music playing. Make sure you warn your dentist so they will be able to get your attention, but there is no rule saying you can’t zone out and relax in the dental chair.
Scary Dental Equipment – Speaking of those noises, they can be made by dental tools. When most people think of instruments of torture, they probably envision rusty dental tools. The reality is something quite different. If the tools intimidate you, ask to see them. Ask questions about what each tool does. There are constantly significant advances in dental tools and techniques. The more you are prepared for ahead of time, the less intimidating these dental instruments will seem.
Worrying about being Uncomfortable – Some people’s anxiety stems from being uncomfortable while in the dental chair. A more common fear is not having the ability to breathe through the nose while the dentist works in your mouth. This can usually be alleviated by wearing a breathing strip, designed to help with snoring, across the bridge of your nose. If you are worried about a sensitive gag reflex when being prepared for x-rays, speak to the technician. There are generally alternatives that they can try so you can avoid gagging. Another source of anxiety is the fear of back pain in the reclining position of the dental chair. Ask your dentist or technician for a less reclined position. We also have pillows on site that can be placed behind the neck to relieve discomfort in that area. If the bright light bothers you, bring in a pair of sunglasses. Many patients enjoy using these to cancel out bright light and help them to relax.
Your visit to the dentist will be easier for you and your doctor if you are comfortable and able to relax. The most effective thing you can do in order to alleviate your dental anxiety is work on your overall anxiety. The most important thing for you as a patient is to find out where and how you feel most comfortable at the dentist’s office. Our staff would be happy to talk to you about your options and in the case of extreme anxiety, we will even refer you to a sedation dentist who will be able to best accommodate your needs.