Have you done your spring cleaning? Is your house fresh and clean? Did you add to the list your pantry and refrigerator? A healthy diet will help support a healthy mouth. If you can take the time to make your own food and snacks, you will gain nutrients and skip on the added sugars and fats. Most processed, packaged foods are packed with unwanted additives and sugars.
Healthy Snacks bring Smiles
Here are a few of our favorite swaps:
Trade deep fried chips for heirloom popcorn.
Ditch bottled salad dressing and make your own.
Switch out ketchup or ranch dipping sauce, try hummus
Avoid the drive-through fast food habit, plan a crock-pot meals.
Trade boxed macaroni and cheese for homemade whole grain pasta and low fat cheese.
Instead of sugary popsicles, try homemade popsicles made with yogurt or real fruit juice.
Stop the syrupy soda pop, bring on water with a slice of lemon.
Spring has sprung and the flowers are blooming and the trees are budding. You can keep your windows open, but that means you need to start your spring cleaning to get rid of the dust and debris from the winter season. To keep your home clean and healthy, it takes work. Did you know your medicine cabinet needs a good spring cleaning too?
Jonathan Frankel, D.D.S.
Dr. Frankel Shares Spring Cleaning Tips
Get a new toothbrush! Leave those winter germs behind and make sure to start off the season with a clean, fresh toothbrush.
Clean out and disinfect your medicine cabinet and bathroom — anywhere your toothbrush and oral hygiene products are stored.
Schedule a cleaning with your dentist! It is best to have your teeth cleaned twice a year.
Toledo, Ohio
Spring is a great time of the year to get re-motivated! Check your new year’s resolution list — have you met any of your goals? Spring is also a great time to get out and be active! A healthy mouth and a healthy body go hand in hand — enjoy the weather, eat healthy snacks and don’t forget to brush and floss!
“I’m strong to the finish because I eat me spinach!”
Strong Teeth!
Have you been eating your spinach like Popeye, but have found the spinach makes your teeth feel funny and chalky? Not only do you find spinach may get stuck in between your front teeth, but it may leave a strange texture to your teeth. “Spinach teeth” is caused high quantities of oxalic acid. In scientific terms, the oxalate crystals leak out from spinach as you chew which then coats your teeth. Don’t worry – eating spinach is not bad for your teeth.
Beautiful Smile!
Chocolate, rhubarb, beets and kale are other foods that are high in oxalic acid. Spinach is a great vegetable that is high in calcium and helps promote a healthy lifestyle. To help remove that chalky coat, try brushing your teeth after eating spinach.
We all know that you can build stronger muscles by exercising and lifting weights, but did you know you can also build stronger teeth?
Here are three ways to strengthen your teeth at home:
1. Eat a healthy diet — avoid foods high in sugar and acid that can weaken tooth enamel.
2. Make sure your diet contains enough calcium and vitamin D – calcium helps to strengthen your jaw bone and makes your teeth stronger. Calcium will help protect your mouth against gum disease.Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium and can also help to decrease inflammation of gums which is associated with gum disease.
3. Properly brush your teeth two times a day – if you’re unsure if you are properly brushing, ask our staff at your next cleaning.
Eating healthy is easier than you think – here are some foods high in calcium and vitamin D that are healthy for your teeth:
Last month we celebrated Father’s Day. June was also Men’s Health Month. Let’s not lose the focus on guys and their health. In addition to checking your blood pressure and cholesterol, it’s important not to forget about oral health as well.
Studies have found that men are less likely to go to the dentist routinely and usually only go when a problem arises
Women are more likely to brush their teeth twice a day than men.
Men are more likely to develop dry mouth.
Men are more likely to develop gum disease.
Twice as many men as women develop oral cancer often from smoking, chewing tobacco and drinking alcohol.
Take this month to readdress your oral health care habits and remember to schedule your routine cleaning appointment.
I still say, ‘Shoot for the moon; you might get there.’
Buzz Aldrin
The last night’s snow moon reflects the sun just like your smile mirrors your overall health. The new moon is a great time to reflect and make choices toward health.
Healthy Mouth, Healthy Body
Why are Dr. Frankel and his staff always saying “Healthy Mouth, Healthy Body?” 7 quick facts that explain why maintaining good oral health is essential to achieving great overall health.
Oral health and overall health are not mutually exclusive, in fact, they are inextricably connected. WOW! That’s a lot of big words, but basically what we are saying is if you let the health of your teeth and gums decline, you are setting yourself up to get really, really sick.
Routine cleanings, flossing, sealants and fluoride may seem like a hassle, but in reality
they are saving you from dangerous conditions such as heart disease and stroke.
1.) Gum Disease causes halitosis, better known as “knock-you-over bad breath.”
2.) 2x. Seeing double? Patients with gum disease are twice as likely to develop heart
disease.
3.) 3x. Triple what? Patients with gum disease have an increased risk of stroke triple that
of those patients without gum disease.
4.) 4x – the average increased cost of one restorative dental procedure as compared to a
regular checkup appointment.
5.) The number of primary things you need to do to maintain your healthy mouth:
Brush 2x daily
Floss 1x daily
Visit 2x yearly
Avoid tobacco products
Eat a well-balanced diet
6.) 62% – The percentage of increased risk, according to Harvard researchers, for
patients with gum disease to develop pancreatic and kidney cancers.
7.) 7x. Women with gum disease are seven times more likely to deliver premature or
underweight babies.
It is so important to keep a healthy mouth in order to promote a healthy body! Don’t let
fear, cost, or time be a factor to keep you away. Dr. Frankel says, “I care about people’s
smiles and firmly believe that with a great smile, you can improve your appearance, self
In observance of National Heart Month, it is also important to understand the link between a healthy mouth and a healthy heart. Brushing and flossing your teeth not only leads to a bright smile – studies have shown that oral health may provide warning signs for other conditions such as heart disease. For more information about how heart disease and oral health may be linked, please read the full article here.
Jon Frankel’s Healthy Mouth, Healthy Heart Tips:
Visit your dentist regularly to identify gum disease early and remove bacteria, plaque and tartar
Brush and floss your teeth regularly, especially with an ultrasonic electric toothbrush
Make sure your dentist is up-to-date with any conditions and medications you are currently taking
Treat and monitor gum disease right away
Commit to a healthy lifestyle
Share this knowledge with a loved one this Valentine’s day to help keep their mouths and hearts healthy!
Schedule your next appointment online or call our office today.
Age is one factor that we can’t fight, although we really, really try. Truth be told, with all the other age defying tricks out there to help keep our youthful appearance, our smiles should not be one that we neglect.
Here are 5 areas where teeth can tell our age.
Tooth decay. Yes, we warn our children and grandchildren about too much sugar and cavities. But just because we are older doesn’t mean we are immune to tooth decay. It is important to still brush for two minutes twice a day, floss daily, and visit Dr. Frankel for an exam every six months. A clean, healthy, white smile is also a nice trick to help keep you looking young and vibrant.
Dry mouth. As we age and are prescribed different medications, we may start to experience dry mouth. Saliva is important part of protecting our teeth from decay, therefore, a dry mouth could be detrimental toward our oral health. Make sure you are staying properly hydrated, and sip and swish water whenever you notice your mouth may be dry.
Too crowding. Pre-teens are not the only ones who experience tooth crowding. As we age our teeth move and shift. This may cause our teeth to crowd. Crowded teeth give bacteria many places to hide, where our tooth brushes and floss may not reach effectively. This breeding ground for bacteria may lead to tooth decay or worse, gum disease.
Gum disease. Gingivitis and periodontal disease effect nearly half of American adults, according to the American Academy of Periodontology. Periodontal disease is a chronic inflammatory disease, which left untreated can affect the gum tissue and lead to tooth loss. The Frankel Dentistry team has a practicing Periodontist on staff, who will be able to treat patients with gum disease. Although gum disease cannot be reversed, there are plenty of ways to manage it, keeping your gums and teeth healthy.
Oral Cancer. 43,000 Americans are diagnosed each year with oral cancer and nearly 8,000 will die from it (Oral Cancer Foundation). It is best to catch oral cancer in the earliest stages. While at Frankel Dentistry we will do a comprehensive exam, including an oral cancer screening, which will help ensure that your mouth is healthy and cancer free.
It’s Memorial Day weekend. The kickoff to summer. Kids are off of school and many of us plan our summer vacations. Here are a few tips to help with your packing before you travel.
1.) Check-It!
It is time to get a 6 month check-up, get it before you travel to ensure that your mouth, teeth and gums are healthy and that you have a beautiful Frankel Smile in all those pictures that you take. Also, by getting your routine check-up you ensure that your mouth is healthy and that small problem are taken care of before they become big issues. It is also a great time to ask Dr. Frankel about how to avoid travelers breath or if you have any mouth sensitivity while traveling at a high altitude.
2.) Pack- It!
Don’t forget to pack your oral hygiene care. Your list should include: toothpaste, toothbrush (manual or electric- if electric don’t forget your charger), dental floss, mouth rinse, sugar free gum, plastic baggie (you don’t want your toothpaste exploding all over your clothes), disposable toothbrushes if you are traveling to a place where the water is not safe, and a toothbrush cap. **Special note about those caps- Yes, they protect your bristles, but they also breed bacteria. Be sure to take the cap off your toothbrush once you arrive at your destination.
3.) Swish-It!
Caught somewhere without your toothbrush? Swish your mouth with water.
4.) Share-It!
Pack healthy snacks to share with your family while traveling. Bring fruits, veggies, nuts instead of candy bars and soda.
5.) Know-It!
Dental emergencies happen. Have a plan in case something occurs. Many times it is as simple as asking your hotel concierge for a recommendation in case of an emergency. This video is great for special tips in case of an emergency. Be sure to click it and watch!
As we prepare to celebrate Mother’s Day this Sunday, we will be reflecting on all those things we must thank mom for. But connected with each of those events is a smile!
Here at Frankel Dentistry, we also need to thank mom for helping us with those smiles. Without her we would have less to smile about and perhaps less teeth to smile with.
Be sure not to forget about these three things as you show gratefulness to your mom!
1.) She makes you smile! From the time you were young she made funny faces and played games to get you to smile. Smiling is still a way of feeling good. Not only can a simple smile enhance your mood, but it can help others feel better as well. Be sure to smile this Mother’s Day- we are pretty sure there is plenty to smile about.
2.) Who made sure you brushed your teeth before you went to bed? Who handed you floss each morning? Who was honest with you when you had bad breath or something in your teeth? That’s right, Mom! These childhood lessons have turned into adult habits that you too have (or will) pass on to your children. Be sure to thank mom for teaching you that a healthy mouth is part of a healthy body.
3.) Don’t forget to thank her for keeping your schedule. Aside from running you to soccer practices, dance lessons, or school, mom also scheduled (and most likely took you) your appointments at Frankel Dentistry. Today many of our families continue to bring their next generation through the doors of Frankel Dentistry.
So, Thanks MOM! Our smiles would not be the same without you!
