Keeping up with Dr Duello: Chicago Midwinter Dental Conference

Keeping up with Dr Duello

This weekend Dr. Duello flew up to Chicago to attend the Chicago Dental Society's Midwinter Dental Congress

He attended several presentations including Dr. Jonathan Ng's talk on "Innovation with digital technologies – Utilizing the integrated treatment workflow for shorter time-to-teeth with NobelClinician"

The synopsis of the talk

Recent advances in the scanning workflow now allow access to the latest innovations to reduce the patient’s treatment time to restoration. The integration of digital treatment planning tools is changing the options for immediate provisionalization to restore a patient’s function and confidence. New restorative-driven solutions and updated protocols for immediate provisionalization will be discussed.

Dr. Duello enjoyed this talk, as it is a subject that he has been lecturing on for the last year. Dr. Duello said, "It's always nice to have the prospective of a younger professional, especially on a subject that I've been speaking about. It helps me stay relevant and definitely keeps me on my toes."

He also attended the American Academy of Prosthodontics presentation at the Midwinter meeting.

Now the fun part of attending the meeting is going through the exhibit hall, meeting with the manufacturer reps and discussing therapies and new technologies with colleagues. Dr. Duello said, "It's just a great atmosphere for networking and getting re-energized."

Killing Two Birds With One Stone

While in Chicago Dr. Duello participated in the CECO meeting at the American Academy of Periodontology headquarters. At this meeting key leaders in the field get together and plan out the National meeting for the next year. The AAP holds their meetings every fall, so they are already planning the agenda for the 2018 meeting to be held in Vancouver, BC

February is National Children's Dental Health Month

NATIONAL CHILDREN'S DENTAL HEALTH MONTH

National Children’s Dental Health Month began in Cleveland as a one-day event on Feb. 3, 1941, then expanded to a week-long event in 1955. The current month-long version of National Children’s Dental Health Month debuted in 1981.

Local observances include colorful American Dental Association posters, coloring and essay contests, health fairs, free dental screenings, museum exhibits, classroom presentations by dentists, and dental office tours.

The goal of National Children’s Dental Health Month is to raise awareness about the importance of oral health. Developing good habits at an early age and scheduling regular dental visits help children get a good start on a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums.

This National Children’s Dental Health Month campaign slogan and poster:

“Choose Tap Water for a Sparkling Smile”                                                  Tap water provides a controlled level of fluoride that isn't found in bottled water. This insures that your children's teeth will develop with the correct amount of fluoride to strengthen the enamel. In this way fluoride helps prevent tooth decay by systemically building it into the developing tooth. Toothpaste delivers fluoride topically, which is uptakes into the enamel surface.  

Staggering Statistics for National Children’s Dental Health Month

Take a look at some of these children’s dental health statistics, is there at least one dental fact in there you might not have known?                                                                                                               Share with your social dental circles!                                                                          – Childhood tooth decay is 5 times more common than asthma and 7 times more common than hay fever.                                                                     – Gum disease is contagious, parents can transfer the bacteria in saliva to our kids by sharing spoons.

– According to the Academy of General Dentistry, more than 51 million school hours are lost each year due to dental-related illnesses.

– Almost 50% of tooth decay remains untreated in low-income children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

– Tooth decay affects more than one-fourth of U.S. children aged 2–5 years and half of those aged 12–15 years.

– According to this recent CBS News article, children in the Los Angeles School District who had tooth pain were 4x more likely to have a grade point average below the median GPA of 2.8.

Despite these seemingly staggering dental health statistics, many children still do not visit the dentist. It’s not their fault, parents need to make dental health for children a priority…not video games!

8 Toothy Tips for National Children’s Dental Health Month

The most important preventive step against childhood periodontal disease is to establish good oral health habits at an early age, according to the American Academy of Periodontology.                                                                                                                 Here are some basic preventive steps to help our children maintain optimal dental health:

1. Brush for two minutes, 2 times per day…with our kids.
2. Show them how to clean between teeth…FLOSS!
3. Limit sugary snacks & drinks between meals, eat healthy.
4. See the dentist regularly for family checkups, and ask them about sealants & fluoride.
5. Establish good dental hygiene habits early. When your child is 12 months old, you can begin using toothpaste when brushing his or her teeth.
6. When the gaps between children’s teeth close, it’s important to start flossing.
7. Serve as a good role model by practicing good dental hygiene habits ourselves.
8. Check our child’s mouth for the signs of periodontal disease, including bleeding gums, swollen and bright red gums, gums that are receding away from the teeth and bad breath.

Good Food, Healthy Body and a Healthy Mouth!

FOOD CHOICES FOR A HEALTHY YOU!

Your body is a complex machine. The foods you choose and how often you eat them can affect your general health and the health of your teeth and gums, too. If you consume too many sugar-filled sodas, sweetened fruit drinks or non-nutritious snacks, you could be at risk for tooth decay. Tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease, but the good news is that it is entirely preventable.

Tooth decay happens when plaque come into contact with sugar in the mouth, causing acid to attack the teeth.

Foods that contain sugars of any kind can contribute to tooth decay. To control the amount of sugar you eat, read the nutrition facts and ingredient labels on foods and beverages and choose options that are lowest in sugar. Common sources of sugar in the diet include soft drinks, candy, cookies and pastries. Your physician or a registered dietitian can also provide suggestions for eating a nutritious diet. If your diet lacks certain nutrients, it may be more difficult for tissues in your mouth to resist infection. This may contribute to gum disease. Severe gum disease is a major cause of tooth loss in adults. Many researchers believe that the disease progresses faster and is potentially more severe in people with poor nutrition.

To learn what foods are best for you, visit ChooseMyPlate.gov, a website from the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, an agency of U.S. Department of Agriculture. The site contains dietary recommendations for children and adults based on their levels of physical activity.

Wise choices

For healthy living and for healthy teeth and gums, think before you eat and drink. It’s not only what you eat but when you eat that can affect your dental health. Eat a balanced diet and limit between-meal snacks. If you are on a special diet, keep your physician's advice in mind when choosing foods.

For good dental health, keep these tips in mind when choosing your meals and snacks:

• Drink plenty of water.
• Eat a variety of foods from each of the five major food groups, including:
  • whole grains
  • fruits
  • vegetables
  • lean sources of protein such as lean beef, skinless poultry and fish; dry beans, peas and other legumes
  • low-fat and fat-free dairy foods

Limit the number of snacks you eat. If you do snack, choose something that is healthy like fruit or vegetables or a piece of cheese. Foods that are eaten as part of a meal cause less harm to teeth than eating lots of snacks throughout the day, because more saliva is released during a meal. Saliva helps wash foods from the mouth and lessens the effects of acids, which can harm teeth and cause cavities. 

For good dental health, always remember to brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste that has the American Dental Association Seal of Acceptance, floss daily and visit your dentist regularly. With regular dental care, your dentist can help prevent oral problems from occurring in the first place and catch those that do occur in the early stages, while they are easy to treat.