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happy fall

Welcome to "Tooth Fairy News"  Below you will find tips and advice from Dr. Thoa on  taking care of your child's teeth.  You may also find articles un-related to dentistry, but are just fun and interesting. Updated: September 2007....What is new?

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Candy Buy back after Halloween! 

Bring your candy to our office on Nov 1 or 2nd, we'll give you $1 for every pound of candy.  Brush after eating the treats.

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Dr. THoa

SUPPORTING ATHLETICS

Dr. Thoa and her 2 brothers (Dr. Dzon and Dr. Dzuy) take impressions for the Junior Hockey team the Seattle Starz.  Our office donated custom mouth guards to there team.  Go Starz!!

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INVISALIGN

So come in and get started with the invisible way of doing braces.  Dr. Thoa will do an initial free consultation to see if you are a candidate for Invisalign.  Just give us a call....   

For more information about Invisalign go to:  www.invisalign.com

Article:  A Review of Aphthous Ulcers:  Their Origin and Treatment.  by: Dr. Turner, Pediatric Dentistry Select, 2004:15,3:pp.1

ARTICLE:  Effect of Domestic Water Filters on Water Fluoride Content and Level of the Public Water Supply in Bauru, Brazil.   By: Buzalaf et.al. ASDC 2003;70, 3: 226-230

EATING GUIDELINE 

Guideline for Good Food:  Eat high fat and protein content foods to prevent bacterial acid production.  Avoid eating simple carbohydrates (sugar containing foods). Simple carbohydrates (found in milk, fruits) and sugars are bad for the teeth whether they are from a natural source (fresh fruit or juices) or sugar (table sugar, raw sugar).  Artificial sugars do not cause cavities. Xylitol is the only synthetic sugar that fights against cavities.

You can eat complex carbohydrates (starches).  The food sources for this is: grain products, potatoes, beans and other starchy vegetables.  Please brush twice a day, and come see us every 6 months for a check-up.

Guideline for Bad Foods:  If it sticks and is sweet, then it’s bad for your teeth.  If it’s sweet and it doesn’t stick, it’s bad for your teeth (juice, fruit).  Both will cause cavities, but the fruit and juice will cause cavities where you can see, on the front teeth.

Please restrict all foods on bad food list for after/during meals, not as a daytime snack.  Please refer to the “Good Food List” as options for daytime snacking.

Article:  A Review of Aphthous Ulcers:  Their Origin and Treatment.  Dr. Turner, Pediatric Dentistry Select, 2004:15,3:pp.1

Intro:  If you or your child has ever had a little sore in the mouth that sort or was small and red, felt smooth, but burned when eating citrus foods or drinks, that is what is commonly called a canker sore, or mouth ulcer.  We refer to it as RAS (recurrent aphthous stomatitis).

What is aphthous ulcer:  These ulcers are commonly found on the pink areas of your mouth (not the coral-light pink area near your tooth, more like near the roots of the teeth).  These ulcers are not associated with any swelling.  They can last for a few days and go away on their own, but they can come back in a few days or months. 

Prevalence:  Of the 30-40% general population that get ulcers, 67-85% get recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS).  About 37% of children have reported having them, with it initially appearing at about 5 years old.   Also children of a higher socioeconomic status tend to get them more than a child in a lower socioeconomic status.

Cause:   Their cause is unknown because it is multifactor, and there is no cure.  

Treatment of RAS:  Treatment can involve a combination of a  topical analgesics(eg. Orabase, Anbesol gel, Gly-Oxide, Zilactin, or .5% Hydrocortisone ointment), antimicrobial(eg. Chlorahexidine gluconate), and immunomodulatory drugs.  The topical analgesics are meant to provide comfort, not a speedy recovery.   On the other hand, use of topical immunomodulatory drugs (corticosteriods) are a beneficial way to reduce the healing process.  They reduce symptoms without causing a suppression of your own body's pituitary function.  

Diagnosis:  It is important to distinguish an aphthous ulcer from a primary herpetic gingival stomatitis or even an under lying systemic disease or condition.  If you do have a minor or herpetiform aphthae, it will respond to Celestone syrup, Lidex Gel, or Diprolene.  Major aphthae are more resistant to treatment, in those cases Kenalog can be used.

ARTICLE:  Effect of Domestic Water Filters on Water Fluoride Content and Level of the Public Water Supply in Bauru, Brazil.   Buzalaf et.al. ASDC 2003;70, 3: 226-230

INTRO: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the extent to which domestic, activated carbon water filters remove fluoride from water and to analyze the fluoride level of the public water supply in Bauru, province of Sao Paula, Brazil. 

METHOD: Sampling came from 9 different regions of water distribution.  Each region selected 20 houses with carbon filters.  Brands were not looked at in this research, but was evaluated at another study.  Questionnaires were given to the sample concerning type of filter used (mobile or  connected to water supply and how old the filters were.  Water before filtering was collected and water after filtering. 

CONCLUSION:  Filters don't remove fluoride from the water, but if the filter is a carbon filter, some of them will remove the fluoride. This study did not provide the specific brands for each filter.  

DISCUSSION: In some of the regions that were evaluated the non-filtered drinking water was over fluoridate, while in other regions it was under fluoridated.  In addition, it can be said that the newer the filter, the more fluoride it will filter out.  There are many variables and a better study can be done to quantify these. 

Good Snacks :  Cheese , Beef Jerky , Vegetables , Fresh fruits (they are better than drinking juice), Cereals without sugar coatings , Jell-O cubes , Nuts , Sugar-free gum , Pop-corn , Whole Wheat biscuits, Toast, Saltine crackers , Cold-cut meats , Baked potatoes , Sandwiches, Hamburgers, Hot dogs ,Pizza, Tacos.

Bad Snacks:  Dried fruits like raisins, dates, and apricots, Cakes, Doughnuts, cookies, marshmallows, candy bars , Brownies , Chocolates , Gummy Bears , Sticky Candy, Hard Candy , Pastries, pudding, muffins, sweet rolls, pies , Sugar coated cereals , Sugar gum , Fruits coated with sugar , Ice cream, jams, jellies , Soft drinks, Juices , Instant drink mixes , Chocolate milk, hot chocolate , Milk shakes, malts , Popsicles.