TTC_08_22_18_Vol.14-No.43.p1-12

August 22 - 28 , 2018 www.TheTownCommon.com Page
Health & Wellness
By J. Peter St. Clair, DMD
Last week I talked about oral
care for mothers-to-be and babies.
Preventive care truly does start
before birth. This week we journey
past those early years of life.
In preventive-based dental
practices we go far beyond saying
to patients, “you need to brush and
floss more.” We truly believe that
dental disease, both dental caries
(cavities) and gum disease, is very
preventable. However, we recognize
that not every individual is equal
when it comes to susceptibility.
Each person presents with their
own unique genetic pool, good and
bad habits, number and position
of teeth, and willingness to truly
make a change. The one constant
is that most of us have room for
improvement.
It goes without saying that
preventive care includes regular
visits to the dentist. Based on my
experience, even many of those
who visit the dentist on a regular
basis have significant room for
improvement. However, it is up
to your caregivers, hygienists and
dentists, to have that preventive
frame of mind to go beyond just
telling you to brush and floss
Do coffee drinkers live longer?
A new study looked at data to
determine whether consuming
coffee lowered the risk of
premature death.
This was not a small, short-term
study. The data was collected for
over a decade on a half-million
people who’d been part of the
U.K. Biobank study. It looked at
all manner of health information
and daily living, such as health
history, smoking, drinking,
exercise and coffee consumption,
as well as exams and tests.
Brighter Smiles...
more.
Technique is vital when it comes to
home care. Although daily removal
of plaque (the thin, sticky film of
bacteria that creates cavities and
gum disease) can be accomplished
with a manual toothbrush, the
proper power toothbrush is more
appropriate and effective for most
people. We routinely ask patients to
bring their toothbrushes with them
to their appointments to review
technique. Think of your dentist
and/or hygienist as your dental
coach. Coaching, in anything,
increases an individual’s potential
for improvement.
The same approach goes for
kids. Although we do the same
thing with children, they need that
additional coaching from home.
The best way to guide your family
to good oral health is to lead by
example. Parents should supervise
toothbrushing by children younger
than age 8 to make sure they are
doing a thorough job. This also goes
for flossing. This is done until the
child is consistently getting good
homecare reports at dental visits.
The challenge of good home
care increases with the addition
of braces. Children and adults
in braces need extra coaching on
technique and more time spent
on their daily routine. I am a firm
believer that preventive visits to
the dentist should increase during
orthodontics. There is too much at
risk during this time and the extra
The Next Stage - Step 2
Senior Scene
Could Coffee Help Us Live Longer?
Researchers then looked at all
their information in terms of
longevity in coffee drinkers.
Here’s what they found:
* Risk reduction rose depending
on the amount of coffee
consumed. One cup a day gave
an 8 percent lower risk of early
death, compared to those who
didn’t drink coffee. That rose to
a 16 percent lower risk for those
having six or seven cups. At eight
cups or more per day, however,
the rate fell to 14 percent.
* It didn’t matter what kind of
coffee was consumed. It could be
ground coffee, instant or filtered.
* It didn’t matter whether
the coffee was regular or
decaffeinated.
Since both regular and decaf
professional care and coaching are
vital to escaping the pitfalls of poor
homecare while braces are on.
As life goes on, your genetic makeup,
the amount of professional care
and coaching you receive, your
effectiveness at home, and your
willingness and ability to improve,
will shape your oral health. The
fact of the matter is, there are those
who need more professional care
and more rigorous homecare than
others.
As I stated earlier, I believe that
most dental disease is preventable.
What it takes to prevent dental
disease in one person may very
well not be the same for another.
Between finding the right fit with a
dental office, utilizing the coaching
expertise of those individuals,
using the right homecare products,
and always striving to improve,
excellent oral health for a lifetime
is possible.
In the final segment of this series
next week I will discuss some simple
ideas to maintain good dental
health for your entire adult life. It
is simpler than you think.
Dr. St. Clair maintains a private
dental practice in Rowley and
Newburyport dedicated to healthcentered
family dentistry. If there are
certain topics you would like to see
written about or questions you have
please email them to him at jpstclair@
stclairdmd.com. You can view all
previously written columns at www.
jpeterstclairdentistry.com/blog.
coffee had the same results, it’s
not the caffeine that helps reduce
the risk of death. Bottom line is
that, with all the many chemicals
in coffee, they just don’t know
what part of coffee is helping.
A word of warning: Just
because a study says coffee helps
reduce risk of death, it doesn’t
mean we should double or triple
the amount we drink. That’s
an individual thing and should
be discussed with your doctor.
If, for example, you already are
on medication for high blood
pressure, even the small amount
of caffeine in decaf coffee could
have an impact on how effective
your medication is.
(c) 2018 King Features Synd., Inc.
Dr. Laura anne Potvin, P.C.
oPtoMetriStS
EYE CARE
FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY!
Dr. nYLa LaMBert
Dr. KatHLeen Horn
Dr. CatHLeen DouCette
NOw LOCATED AT
939 SALEM ST., GROvELAND
978-374-8991
What does your
smile say about you?
Whether you are missing teeth or are unhappy with the
ones you have, it may be time to explore your options.
All Phases of Dental Care Including:
• Grinding/Clenching/TMJ Therapy
• Sleep Apnea/Snoring Treatment
Learn More: www.stclairdmd.com
Please call our office to schedule
Contact your advertising a comlimentary 30-minute consultant consultation.
today....
77 Wethersfield
151 Central Street,
Street,
Rowley
Rowley,
| 978-948-2030MA 01969
advertise@thetowncommon.com
ADVERTISEMENT 978-948-8696 FOR BIDS
The Town of Rowley Water Department (“Owner”) shall receive sealed bids at
the Town of Rowley Water Department Office, 401 Central Street, P.O. Box 29,
Rowley, Massachusetts for the Well No. 3 and Wellfield No. 5 Cleaning and
Redevelopment, Contract No. 6, until 10:00 am prevailing time, Wednesday,
September 12, 2018, at which time bids will be opened and publicly read
aloud. Bids submitted after this time will not be accepted.
The Work of this Contract generally consists of the chemical cleaning and
redevelopment of Well No. 3 and Wellfield No. 5 in Rowley, Massachusetts.
The Work includes an evaluation of the condition of the existing Well No. 3
pump and the six existing pumps at Wellfield No. 5 when they are removed
to clean the wells.
Contract Documents may be obtained electronically through Tata & Howard,
Inc. by contacting Philip E. MacClellan, P.E., at pmacclellan@tataandhoward.
com.
The Contract Documents may be examined at the following locations:
Town of Rowley
Water Department
401 Central Street, PO Box 29
Rowley, Massachusetts 01969
Tata & Howard, Inc.
67 Forest Street
Marlborough, Massachusetts 01752
Each bid shall be accompanied by a bid security in the amount of 5% of
the total bid amount and in the form described in the Instructions to Bidders.
A Performance Bond and Labor and Materials Payment Bond, each in the
amount of 100 percent of the Contract Price, will be required in the form
described in the Instructions to Bidders. Complete instructions for filing bids
are included in the Instructions to Bidders. The bidding and award of the
Contract will be under the provisions of “Massachusetts General Law, Chapter
30, Section 39M (MGL C.30, S.39M)”.
Minimum wage rates as determined by the Director of the Department of
Labor Standards under the provision of the Massachusetts General Laws,
Chapter 149, Sections 26 to 27 H, as amended, apply to this project.
If the bidder views/obtains the Contract Documents from a source other than
those noted in this Advertisement for Bids, the accuracy and/or completeness
of the Contract Documents cannot be guaranteed and the bidder assumes the
responsibility for obtaining any additional information regarding the project,
including addenda that may be required for bidding. Failure to acknowledge
addenda issued during bidding may render a bid as non-responsive.