Join our facebook group!

Greetings,

We decided to make a facebook group "I love Myers Pediatric Dentistry". If you like our office, our website, or this blog and have a facebook account, please search us out and join our group. You can click this link

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=45563162335&ref=nf

Let's see where this goes. Of course the object, as always, is to have people learn how to keep their kids teeth healthy and cavity free.

Avoid the SHOT ("yes we can")

How many of you cringe and may stop reading just because of the picture to the right? Please don't. There is VERY COOL information to follow!

My favorite dental movie of all time is Little Shop of Horrors. Bill Murray plays the sicko dental patient who loves getting treatment. But outside of Hollywood, who likes getting a shot? I remember getting my first (and only I'm proud to say) filling at age 15. I was so nervous and my heart was racing, but it was my dad giving the shot so I had to behave! Much later my heart still raced as we practiced on each other in dental school.

Today, we use gentle preparation methods such as air abrasion, micro preps, and early detection with lasers to avoid having to give shots when doing fillings. We also stress infant exams, remineralization of teeth, bacteria control, and diet and hygiene coaching to avoid cavities in the first place (which is the BEST way to avoid shots). And now I have the coolest way yet to avoid the shot. But sorry parents, this one is ONLY FOR KIDS.

Low level lasers, or cold lasers, are the latest thing in sports medicine and physical therapy. A cold laser is low power laser energy that penetrates into tissues, but does not cut or emit heat, and they seem to stimilate healing in soft tissue. Apparently some bored, or creative, therapist decided to try it out on some teeth. It disrupts the nerve signal to the brain and basic fillings can be done without pain and without shots.....but only in baby teeth. I have been using this technology in my practice since September and have been totally AMAZED at how well it works. Parents love it. I love it. My staff loves it. My wife loves it (helps her headaches), my friend loves it (helped his thrown out back), my wife's friend loves it (helped her ankle sprain)...you get the picture.

Imagine it. No scary shot. No numb feeling. No children biting lips and cheeks as the numbness wears off. Revolutionary. So if your fear of needles has kept you from bringing your child to the dentist, wait no longer as our laser doesn't work for root canals.

And for you, mom or dad, there is always nitrous and valium :)

We need your help!

Give Kids a Smile: Friday, February 6. Can you think of a family in need?

Every year we do a free service day for needy children (age 2-13) in February, which is dental health month. Last year we were able to do $26,000 worth of free dentistry! Believe it or not, the hardest challenge each year is to find patients. This year, we are going to rely on you, our patients and blog readers to help us out.

We are asking that you think of a family you may know as a neighbor, family member or in your church who has no insurance, struggling financially, and is in need of dental care or has never even been to a dentist. You can go to our website "contact us" page and send us a note nominating that family for care. We will contact them, make sure they qualify under the department of health guidelines, and get them the care they need.

Think of me as the Ty Pennington of Pediatric Dentistry!

We don't want anyone to fall through the cracks, and we understand this is a tough time to have cavities. As always, we want to help others AVOID any (or any more) cavities. So even if you don't know any families to nominate, please share our website and information with someone you know. We certainly appreciate the opportunity to serve you throughout the year, and you mak it possible to set aside a day to Give Kids a Smile.

Low Sugar Juice

All the juice companies are coming out with their own version of low sugar juice alternatives. Curious about these products, I went and read the labels. It looks to me like they just added more water. Less sugar for your child, more profit for them (water is cheap). Parents used to make low sugar juice at home all the time. Now, through the wonders of marketing, you get to pay a premium for it.

So please don't be fooled. However you get it, "low sugar" juice still has enough punch (pardon the pun) to cause cavities if consumed regularly (and slowly) between meals on a daily basis. We see it all the time.

While I'm thinking of juice, an article just came out today on the CBS news website indicating that many doctors are now saying Juice is as bad as soda from a calorie, obesity, and cavity standpoint. While I like their thinking, on a scale of "Good to Bad" I put soda as "VERY BAD" while juice is simply "BAD" for teeth.

Here's the link. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/02/11/health/main673229.shtml