Children’s Dental Health

Dental hygiene and optimal nutrition are the most important factors in protecting our children’s dental health. While it can be difficult for some parents to get their children to regularly brush and floss their teeth, it’s key to find what works best for your child. One of our most popular products for kids is Spry’s Xylitol tooth gel because it helps prevent cavities, it’s fluoride-free, and kids love the taste. We also recommend scheduling a visit with our Dental Hygienist, Cindy, for a quick check-up and to learn more about a personalized regimen for preventing cavities.

When it comes to optimal nutrition, we can look at Dr. Weston A. Price’s research. Dr. Price discovered that nutrition was actually more important than oral hygiene. In cultures that didn’t own toothbrushes, regularly floss or rinse with fluoride mouthwash, he found they still had no dental decay, healthy gums, and strong jaw structures. It was due to their nutrient-dense, whole-food diet. This included fish, red meat, organ meats, eggs, milk products, butter and more foods found to be high in the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D and K). By including these foods in your child’s diet, you will be supporting their oral health, as well as long-term overall health.

In honor of National Children’s Dental Health Month, we are offering a complimentary Spry Kid’s Tooth Gel to every child under the age of 12 with a dental appointment scheduled before March 31, 2020.

The Connection Between Heart Health & Oral Health:

At the Julian Center we discuss the strong connection between oral health and cardiovascular health quite often. We feel that taking a holistic approach to health is essential because the entire body is connected and we always want to take into consideration what is happening elsewhere in the body and how it may impact oral health, and vice versa.

Did you know people who regularly visit their dentist and take good care of their teeth are less likely to have heart problems like a cardiovascular disease? This discovery was made by Professor Howard Jenkinson from the University of Bristol, with support from the Royal College of Surgeons. The research was looking into how blood cells are affected by bacteria when they stumbled upon the discovery.

Around 700 different types of bacteria can be found in the mouth. If you have poor dental hygiene you could end up with bleeding gums, gingivitis, and another oral disease, along with a high level of dangerous bacteria. The bacteria then go into the bloodstream and are known to be independent factors in causing heart disease. We offer a test at the Julian Center called MyPerioPath through OralDNA Labs to evaluate high, moderate, and low-risk pathogens found in the mouth. This is an excellent test for detecting oral pathogens that cause gum disease, as well as threaten oral and systemic health. Once we have the results we can determine if a patient is at increased risk of Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, Stroke, and birth complications.

Other ways we are assessing cardiovascular risk in our office include screening every patient for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (which is strongly linked to cardiovascular concerns) by providing a Home Sleep Study, running the MaxPulse test (a great diagnostic tool for cardiac function) and Heart Rate Variability testing (a valuable assessment of how the body is handling stress.)

Please feel free to ask for more information about these testing options the next time you are in the office. And make sure you take care of your teeth (and your heart) by practicing good oral hygiene, eating a nutrient-dense diet, and visiting your kids dentist near you for regular check-ups!

Biohacking: The Benefits of Cold Therapy

You may have noticed cryotherapy spots popping up around town and more people talking about the benefits of cold showers, so what’s the deal with this cold exposure that seems like a form of torture? It’s all about COLD THERMOGENESIS! This is the practice of intentionally exposing parts of the body to specific levels of cold stress. Years of research now shows this can cause:

• increased metabolism and calorie burning
• increased insulin sensitivity and improved blood glucose regulation
• reduced systemic inflammation
• help with sleep and recovery
• potentially fight certain types of cancer
• promote overall longevity

Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, it has a lot to do with something called Hormesis. By putting the body under positive stress, or Eustress, we see a positive result or change within the body. When the body experiences too much of this type of stress it can lead to negative results, therefore it’s all about balance. We need a small amount of stress daily, whether that’s to get us up out of bed or to complete a task at work, but when it turns into high levels of stress for long periods of time, you can think of it as “too much of a good thing.” Quick bouts of these stressors such as a cold shower, infrared sauna session or high-intensity interval training, are all great examples.

Unfortunately, most of us live, work, play, and exercise in a controlled environment with an average temperature around 70 degrees. This constant temperature control is part of the modern, technologically-advanced world we live in. Our ancestors dealt with extreme changes in temperature and many believe that made them stronger and healthier.

Are you ready to take advantage of this biohacking strategy? There are several ways you can incorporate this into your weekly routine.

• Cold Showers – You can do this up to two times per day by ending your regular hot shower with a cold one, even just 30 seconds can make a difference. You can also try a protocol that includes 20 seconds of cold water, then 20 seconds of hot water for up to 3 minutes.
• Ice Bath – You can search online for many ways to build one at home.
• Cryotherapy – A quick online search will show you all of the local spots to schedule a cryo session, which is typically only 3 minutes.