Office News

After Christmas has passed, the topic everyone talks about is New Year Resolutions.  People start spending more time in self reflection, deciding what goals they have for the new year and what objectives they want to accomplish.  Once January begins, the goal is to put those thoughts into action and have a "New Year, New You" attitude.  Aptly timed, January is International Quality of Life Month.   Think about your life.  What could be done differently to improve your quality of life and make you happier?  For some people, it may be to exercise more, drink more water instead of soda, or eat a more balanced diet.  Other people may have career...

Sonya explains her hopes for the future in today's post. "Dental hygiene has been a very rewarding career.  I absolutely love going to work to help others keep their smiles healthy.  Dentistry as a whole has made leaps and bounds with new technology and products to keep teeth free of caries and periodontal disease.  My wish for the future of dentistry is for the advancements to continue so that new procedures and instruments can be developed to help even more patients keep their teeth for a lifetime."

We begin our last week of Dental Hygiene Month with a post about Jane's hopes for the dental hygiene future. "My biggest wish for the future of dental hygiene is continued education for hygienists and our continued improvement to better assist our patients.  I also hope for the continued advancement of technology in order to provide hygienists with the best tools to best help our patients.  Continued public education about dental hygiene is also extremely important to help explain how it effects an individuals' overall health."

Jane says, "What makes me #DHProud is every time one of my patients takes the time to tell Doctor something positive about my work and that I have done a good job.  It means so much to me when a patient thinks highly of my work and mentions it to someone else."

Many people question when they should bring their child in for their first dental visit. Today, Sonya helps answer that question. "Parents are often unsure about when to take their child to the dentist for the first time. Should you wait till all their teeth are in or until there is a problem? The American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommend that a child's first visit should be when the first tooth erupts or by the age of two. The first visit introduces the child to the dental office and allows them to become accustomed to the various instruments. Some fun terminology that the office likes to...

This week begins with Beth describing how important routine oral care is. "Poor hygiene health can increase the risk for heart attack and stroke. The bacteria from gum inflammation and periodontal disease can enter your bloodstream and travel to arteries in the heart.  This causes plaque to develop on the inner walls of arteries allowing them to thicken and decrease, or block, blood flow through the body.  The more severe the gum infection, the greater the risk appears to be.  It is important to make all recommended cleaning appointments to keep bacteria levels minimal to decrease the risk of a heart attack or stroke."

Today we have a story from Sonya explaining what makes her #DHProud and some of the moments she treasures most as a hygienist. "The young children always make me smile.  They get extremely excited to hop up into the dental chair and get their teeth 'tickled.' The boys enjoy spitting the toothpaste out and the girls love to pick the color of their new toothbrush.  Showing them that the dentist can be a fun and exciting place and putting them at ease if they are unfamiliar with the dentist or if it's their first visit definitely makes me proud to be a hygienist.  I love teaching them how to clean their...