TTC_05_08_19_Vol.15-No.28.p1-12

May 8 - May 14, 2019 www.TheTownCommon.com Page 9
Health & Wellness
BY J. PETER ST. CLAIR, DMD
Every once in a while someone
will say, “There must be a lot less
cavities today than there were years
ago because of improved home
care, fluoride, etc., right?” The
answer is, yes there are, but there
is still way too much decay. Poor
diet and home care are the two
most common culprits leading to
decay. When and what you eat and
drink is important. Improvement
in home care means changing what
is being done now, and requires
discipline.
Yesterday, I went into one of
my hygienist’s rooms to check her
patient, a 13-year-old boy, and
asked the hygienist how his home
care was, because his gums were
bright red. She said to me, “Jack,
why don’t you tell the doctor how
often you told me you brush your
teeth.” The boy answered, “About
once a week.” ONCE A WEEK?!?!
Add to the that he is in braces
too, which makes it even more
important to keep the teeth clean.
It’s important sometimes to step
back and review the basics, so here
they are. At a minimum, you should
brush with a fluoride toothpaste at
least twice a day for two minutes.
A good electric toothbrush is
preferable to a manual toothbrush.
Brighter Smiles...
BACK TO THE BASICS
When I say “good”, I mean one that
sits on charger, and not one that
takes AA batteries. There are two
major brands out there. I prefer the
one that starts with an “O”.
It amazes me how many people
don’t floss their teeth. I have heard
every excuse in the book; “My
fingers are too big”, “I don’t have
the time”, “It’s too hard”, “My dog
ate the floss”. Just like anything
else, it is always hard to start a new
ritual. There are so many different
kinds of floss and gadgets to help
floss that there is something out
there for everyone. And if you can’t
seem to make it work, use a water
pik.
Bacteria, which accumulates on
and between the teeth, forms that
white film called plaque. Plaque
contains billions of colonized
bacteria. The right kind of bacteria,
along with the wrong king of diet
and the wrong genetics can produce
cavities. Plaque that is not removed
with thorough daily brushing and
flossing can harden and turn into
calculus (tartar). These colonized
bacteria can then lead to tissue
inflammation (gingivitis), the
early stage of periodontal (gum)
disease.
Brushing your teeth helps get rid
of most of the plaque, except for
the stuff that accumulates between
the teeth. That is what floss is for.
I know it sounds gross but if you
want to know what your breath
smells like, floss a few teeth and
then smell the floss. That should
turn you into an avid flosser.
The routine should be, floss,
brush, rinse. The whole event
should be around five minutes.
Believe me, you have five minutes.
Flossing first allows the fluoride
from the toothpaste to contact a
cleaner tooth surface between the
teeth. I prefer a non-alcohol based
rinse as alcohol is drying and
creates a better environment for
bacteria to thrive.
One important thing about
flossing; proper flossing is not
popping the floss between the
teeth and shooting it right back
up. The proper way to floss is to
get the floss between the contact
of the teeth, slide the floss gently
under the gum tissue around one
tooth, “shoe-shine” the side of
the tooth, gently move the floss
over the papilla (the little piece
of gum between the teeth), “shoeshine“
the side of the other tooth
and then bring the floss up. At
your next dental visit, ask your
hygienist to evaluate your flossing
skills to make sure you are doing it
correctly.
You have the 5 minutes twice a
day.
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.
What Have Studies Learned About Us?
We seniors must be fascinating to
researchers because it seems they’re
always studying us. Here are a few
things they’ve learned through Pew
Research Center studies:
* With all the drama nowadays
about “fake news,” and with our
age-enhanced ability to sniff out
lies, it would seem that we’d be
excellent at discerning what’s real
and what isn’t. Not so, according to
a study. Five thousand participants
of all ages were presented with five
Senior Scene
factual statements and five opinion
statements. Turns out the younger
age groups were much better at
identifying both the factual and
opinion news items than we were.
* Seniors are more likely to
be religious, which researchers
identified as meaning being part of
a religious group, attending weekly
services and praying daily. It’s not
just in here in America -- they got
the same results for most of the rest
of the world.
* When it comes to politics -- do
we even want to go there? -- both
the baby boomers (born 1946 to
1964) and the Silent Generation
(late 1920s to 1945) are more
conservative, with the Silents more
staunchly conservative than the
boomers.
* Although more of us are
becoming technologically savvy,
seniors are still 42 percent behind
other age groups in the percentage
of us who have cellphones or roam
the Internet. Half of us say we need
help setting up new devices, which is
where more training classes at senior
centers would come in handy.
* Those of us over the age of 50 are
divorcing at a rate that has doubled
during the past 30 years. For those
over age 65, the rate has tripled.
If you want to read through more
research results like these, go online
to Pew Research Center (www.
pewresearch.org) and search for
seniors or elderly.
(c) 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
Dr. Laura anne Potvin, P.C.
oPtoMetriStS
EYE CARE
FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY!
Dr. DR. nYLa NYLA LAMBERT LaMBert
Dr. DR. KatHLeen SAMANTHA Horn MEIN
Dr. DR. CATHLEEN CatHLeen DOUCETTE DouCette
NOw LOCATED AT
939 SALEM ST., GROvELAND
978-374-8991
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What do you
look for in a dentist?
Our office provides individual attention
based on each patient’s specific unique needs.
All Phases of Dental Care Including:
• Grinding/Clenching/TMJ Therapy
• Sleep Apnea/Snoring Treatment
Learn More: www.stclairdmd.com
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