Social media fueled magazine for Washington D.C. Suburbs

Alicia Silverstone recently caught some heat from pre-chewing her son’s food and feeding him mouth to mouth.

I am a mother of four, and there’s something about a baby that makes us want to eat them. Especially when they are chunky, we’ve all “wanted to take a bite” out of a thigh, pinched a cheek, squeeze the giggles out of them. They inspire us to inhale them! Or maybe that’s just me.

The point is, I get what Alicia was trying to say and that it was not done with intent to change the world. That was her maternal instinct.

How did women shape the field of dentistry?

March is Women in History Month, which got me thinking about how women came to be a part of the field of dentistry.

The role of women since prehistoric times has been that of taking care of the family.  This would have lead them to see illness and to seek remedies.  Since oral problems would have been encountered often, these would be given a fair amount of attention.  We can learn about women’s role in medicine during ancient times through carvings and art.  Literature and ceramics have been helpful as well.

Childhood obesity has seen a dramatic increase in recent years. In fact, more than a third of U.S. children are overweight. With it comes significant health and financial burdens that warrant strong and comprehensive prevention efforts.

Because prevention is a hallmark in both pediatric and dental practices, we must focus our efforts at an early stage − establishing good habits of the mother and family while pregnant, and continuing through the pediatric screenings. In recent years, with the advent of oral DNA analysis, we have been able to find a link, a common bacteria present in both obese people and people with high rate of decay. The issue is quite complex and we are unsure as to what comes first, but there is a clear connection in the fact that food products with a high sugar content have the potential to cause both obesity and dental cavities. Whether there are further connections between the two conditions will be researched further.

If you have an athlete in the family, or are one yourself, you probably own a sports guard (mouth guard) of some sort.  And if you don’t, you are probably encouraged to wear one more and more these days.  It’s not just about protecting the aesthetics of your teeth, but the function of your mouth and jaw as well.

Many see the “boil and bites” and wonder what the difference is between those and the one custom made by your dentist.

Is periodontal disease the cause of my bad breath? And if so is there anything I can do about it?

Periodontal disease may be one of the causes for your brad breath (halitosis).  Halitosis is caused by the breakdown of proteins (food and drink you consume).  These breakdown products are described as “volatile sulfur compounds”, one of which is hydrogen sulfide--which is the same gas that is produced when one has flatulence.  It has been shown that the same bacteria that cause these sulfur compounds are the bacteria that cause gum disease or periodontitis.

During these early summer months, we see a lot of high school and college age kids, as they come back for break and are most likely heading to internships or travel abroad.

Many of them, unfortunately, come back with a lot of decay, be it from diet (caffeinated, acidic drinks) or lack of hygiene routine (brushing and flossing at least twice daily) or a combination of the above.

We also see white spots in many people these days, especially after orthodontic treatment, but also as a result of excessive or not enough fluoridation.

Most people find a trip to the dentist can be a very stressful experience. Luckily, many dentists today realize that dental anxiety is real and have taken steps to help their patients get their needed treatment in an environment that is more relaxed than they ever imagined.

Dental offices such as ours in McLean, VA are designed not only for comfort but also to ease the apprehension attached to the dental experience. The reception area is set up with furnishings that make it more like a living room than a “waiting room.” Guests can choose to read popular magazines, use electronic readers, watch a flat screen TV or listen to satellite radio.

Did you know that recent, reputable medical studies have shown that people who see their dentist regularly live an average of 10 years longer than people who don’t?

This seems like such an obvious thing to me, but to most, I have come to find out, this is a surprise.

If you think about it, though, it makes perfect sense.  I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating:  Just like the eyes are the windows to your soul, the mouth is the door to your body.

Q: I have a son on the Autism Spectrum who now is in need of braces and other orthodontic work. He's never had any cavities and up until now his dental work has been simple. I'm looking for a dentist/orthodontist who specializes in working with children with special needs.

A: In McLean, our orthodontist Dr Deirdre Maull, works with special needs children and adults. Her website is: maullortho.com

In the Reston area, Dr Neda Kalantar does general and orthodontic dentistry

Her web is kidsdentalsafari.com

Both are wonderful dental providers. Good luck!

I AM Modern | Dentist Guru

We are often asked how does one choose a dentist?  Yes, there’s the obvious:  preparation, technology, customer service…  But it’s so much more than that.

We live in a rush, rush society. We all go to service providers. The ones that stick out for the best are those that go above and beyond in customer service, amenities, attention to detail, warmth. The one’s that leave a sour taste in our mouth, but that we keep going back to in many cases—(especially if they are our doctors), are the ones that:  barely look up at you,( if at all) when you walk into their practice. The ones that schedule a patient every 5 minutes, so you are guaranteed to never be seen on time.  They don’t remember your name, your problem. They are not intuitive about your needs. They don’t pass on information amongst each other so you end up repeating yourself. I could go on and on. But I won’t. You get the picture.