Archive for the ‘Dr. Hood’s Journal Notes’ Category
Arbor Day Gone?
Last Friday was Arbor Day, April 27th, 2012. But the trees are one of those special things in life that we can enjoy and celebrate every day. In Spokane we’ve seen more trees in blossom in the last two weeks than we’ll probably get to appreciate all year. Arbor Day is a tree-planting holiday. The tradition was started in Nebraska and on April 10, 1872. On the first Arbor Day over one million trees were planted in Nebraska alone. Today Arbor Day is celebrated nationally and internationally.
In my family, I am the one who brings attention to trees as a regular routine. As we drive together as a family I will question family members to identify different trees. While blooming, as is the case for many right now, they are especially easy to identify. The flowering pear and cherries, and the flowering thundercloud plum have been particularly spectacular this spring.
Most of my children have favorite trees or a handful which they can easily identify. One of my older daughters says “Sycamore” for every tree when questioned. Her thought apparently being eventually she’ll be right. I tell her that’s like a broken watch which is at least right twice a day.
Trees are often very unique. Sunburst locust, Douglas fir, hackberry, white pine, service berry, Russian-olive, dogwood and Catalpa all have characteristics which make them easily identifiable. Everyone should be able to identify Ponderosa Pine if they live here in the Inland Northwest. Go out into your yard or your neighbor’s and identify all the trees you encounter. Most people know maple even if they don’t know the difference between sugar maple, Norway maple, or silver maple. Make an effort to learn 8-10 trees by sight this summer. Have you ever seen a ginko tree? The leaves are said to give you good luck.
Celebrate Arbor Day all summer. Learn the name of trees in your area. Plant a tree and enjoy it for life.
Keep brushing,
Dr. James G. Hood
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Dental Care Associates of Spokane Valley, P.S.
Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Welcomes Patients
from Age 2 to 102!
James G. Hood, D.D.S., M.A.
507 North Sullivan Road, Suite A-1
Spokane Valley, WA 99037-8576 USA
Phone: (509) 928-9100 | Fax: (509) 928-0414
Email: drhood@drhood.com
Websites: www.drhood.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalley.com
Blogs: www.drjamesghoodblog.com
www.dentalhealthandnutritionblog.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalleyblog.com
www.jamesandkarenhoodfoundationblog.org
www.sjogrensblog.org
Online Store: www.dentalhealthandnutritionstore.com
Moments Unfading
A few years ago my mother passed away. Today is her birthday. Events in my life still trigger that inborn reaction to give her a call. It is amazing to me how that instinct to share life’s moments persists even now long after a family member is gone.
Today, my daughter returns home after being a foreign exchange student for a semester. This is an exciting moment for our family. In fact, the calendar of events in our family is viewed differently than many groups and organizations. It is not merely January, February, March through, which the passage of time is measured. In our family, it is birthdays, holidays, vacations, trips, anniversaries, which are used to ‘calculate’ time. “After Caleb’s birthday, but before the 4th of July” would be an easily understood time period to our family.
You might wonder why I’m at all concerned about the yardstick used to gauge time. Well, time is one of those non-refundable resources that is often “wasted”, “spent”, or “killed”. Moments of time, special periods are what stick in our memories and, since time cannot be retrieved except in memories, special moments need to occur often and with intention. I have no more time with my mother, but I will always have the memories of time which I spent with her.
Think back in your own life of things you vividly remember. Usually, these are comical times or moments spent with family or friends that were maybe not spectacular, but comfortably memorable. Each of us is capable of creating special moments in the lives of those around us. We should be intentional in making these moments. It may be the moment of the day, or moment of the week, month, or year, or it may be the moment to which all other moments are compared to. A simple Thank You recognition or moment which makes one smile on recalling something from 20 years in the past may be memorable and special. Create a special moment with a person(s) today.
…and always keep smiling,
Dr. James G. Hood
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Dental Care Associates of Spokane Valley, P.S.
Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Welcomes Patients
from Age 2 to 102!
James G. Hood, D.D.S., M.A.
507 North Sullivan Road, Suite A-1
Spokane Valley, WA 99037-8576 USA
Phone: (509) 928-9100 | Fax: (509) 928-0414
Email: drhood@drhood.com
Websites: www.drhood.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalley.com
Blogs: www.drjamesghoodblog.com
www.dentalhealthandnutritionblog.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalleyblog.com
www.jamesandkarenhoodfoundationblog.org
www.sjogrensblog.org
Online Store: www.dentalhealthandnutritionstore.com
Showers, Blossoms, Babies, and Bleach
Greetings from the dental office! Spring has made its presence quite obvious outside lately. First crocus and now daffodils, forsythia, and magnolias are blooming here in the Spokane Valley. The rhubarb is up and trees all around us are budding out and ripe for a foliage explosion.
At our house, we have had 3 baby lambs and 4 baby goats born in the last 3 weeks, one new doeling last night. In the next two weeks, what will spring bring? I expect to see hummingbirds and serviceberry blossoms. Who will be the first to spot these landmarks of spring.
And, what are dental patients looking for? Well, as people do their spring cleaning inside the house and outside in the yard, to make the house and property look great, likewise, people want to have their smile look great also. Whiter teeth is a frequent request all year, but more so in the spring. Many people may be looking forward to graduation, reunions, weddings, and whiter teeth may be on their mind. But, whatever drives the desire, we can whiten teeth.
Just a couple caveats to consider before bleaching teeth:
- Whitening toothpastes are really a con – don’t buy into it. What is done during and after bleaching is a big determiner of success vs. failure.
- Teeth are covered with enamel rods. Despite the fact that enamel is the hardest substance in the human body, under an electron microscope enamel is quite porous. It looks like PVC pipe stacked in a pile, from the end you see all the tubes. When teeth are bleached, all the coffee, tobacco, tea, blueberry, etc. stains are cleaned out of those tubes. Following bleaching, the teeth reflect light better and look both whiter and brighter.
- Once teeth are bleached, those now clean tubules need to avoid all staining colored liquids, not forever, but for at least 2 weeks. This gives these newly bleached enamel rods a chance to fill in with clear fluid. This interim period must be gone through without cola, tea, coffee, huckleberry sauce, apple juice, etc. If you can’t give up coffee, tobacco, etc. for two weeks, don’t consider bleaching teeth. Anything with color can and will re-stain those freshly bleached tubules.
Ask your dentist about bleaching your teeth for a fresh spring smile.
Keep smiling,
Dr. James G. Hood
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Dental Care Associates of Spokane Valley, P.S.
Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Welcomes Patients
from Age 2 to 102!
James G. Hood, D.D.S., M.A.
507 North Sullivan Road, Suite A-1
Spokane Valley, WA 99037-8576 USA
Phone: (509) 928-9100 | Fax: (509) 928-0414
Email: drhood@drhood.com
Websites: www.drhood.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalley.com
Blogs: www.drjamesghoodblog.com
www.dentalhealthandnutritionblog.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalleyblog.com
www.jamesandkarenhoodfoundationblog.org
www.sjogrensblog.org
Online Store: www.dentalhealthandnutritionstore.com
Straight Teeth – A Precious Gift
Straight teeth can be easily attained in our modern world with orthodontics. Orthodontists are specialized dentists who have the ability to move teeth in the jaws and even to realign the bones involved with chewing. The results of their labors are readily evident in beautiful smiles with straight teeth. Big smiles build self-esteem.
Beautiful smiles and straight teeth may be the end result but, during the process of teeth movement, cleaning the teeth is more of a challenge.
Healthy teeth and gums are important for everyone and good brushing and flossing with well-defined patterns of cleaning can be the difference between disease and health. Frequently, good brushers and flossers are best trained while in braces. The brackets, bands, wires, rubber bands, and general hardware make it more difficult to reach and clean all the nooks and crannies. If a patient is able to clean teeth well, while in braces, he/she will probably have developed the proper oral care to do a good job for life.
However, because of the areas created by this orthodontic hardware, which are more difficult to reach with brushes and floss, such effort becomes more even critical. Plaque is bacteria with all the sticky toxins and waste products it produces while residing on one’s teeth and gums. In orthodontic treatment, reaching all the hidden areas while cleaning becomes a seemingly never-ending challenge. Acids, a waste product that may be left on enamel for longer than 24 hours, begin to etch or demineralize (decalcify) teeth producing, if left unchecked, chalky surfaces or decay on teeth.
Proper brushing and flossing cannot be replaced, but…fluoride can be topically applied to the surface of teeth to recalcify or remineralize tooth enamel. Fluoride treatments, with various formulas, can be prescribed by your dentist or orthodontist to make your teeth “super teeth” and drastically more resistant to tooth decay. Again, just as with brushing and flossing – Repetition is the mother of skill – the more you brush and floss, the more proficient you become. Likewise, the more you apply fluoride to the surfaces of your teeth, the more skilled (if enamel can have skill) your teeth become at resisting decay. Voila! – super teeth!
The results of people who have worn braces without proper oral care is readily evident on teeth with chalky or decayed areas at the gum line (below brackets holding orthodontic wires) once braces are removed.
Dentists can, at the non-brushers’ expense, restore these teeth, but isn’t diligent care while in braces a good investment?
Keep brushing and flossing,
Dr. James G. Hood
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Dental Care Associates of Spokane Valley, P.S.
Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Welcomes Patients
from Age 2 to 102!
James G. Hood, D.D.S., M.A.
507 North Sullivan Road, Suite A-1
Spokane Valley, WA 99037-8576 USA
Phone: (509) 928-9100 | Fax: (509) 928-0414
Email: drhood@drhood.com
Please join us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/drjameshood
and visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/drjameshood
Websites: www.drhood.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalley.com
Blogs: www.drjamesghoodblog.com
www.dentalhealthandnutritionblog.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalleyblog.com
www.jamesandkarenhoodfoundationblog.org
www.sjogrensblog.org
Online Store: www.dentalhealthandnutritionstore.com
Autoimmune Diseases and Oral Disease
Autoimmune diseases are the result of the body responding in an inappropriate manner to normal tissues and/or substances present in the body, causing prolonged inflammation followed by tissue destruction. The body is fooled and can’t recognize the difference between healthy tissue and disease. The body, therefore, mounts an immune response (directs antibodies against its own tissues) against itself, as if allergic to itself. The cause of this dysfunctional behavior is unknown, it may be caused by a drug or toxin or bacterial or viral infection or environmental exposure to foreign substances. The result of the body’s inability to recognize the difference between normal tissue and disease results in destruction. As we age, this alone causes our immune system to decline in effectiveness. Autoimmune diseases affect over 24 million Americans and are one of our society’s leading causes of death and disability. Autoimmune diseases are ranked as the number one cause of heart disease, cancer, and all diseases.
A couple of the most common autoimmune diseases are diabetes (Type 1), rheumatoid arthritis, and allergies. Many autoimmune diseases also may have a genetic or traumatic component.
Here is a short additional list of autoimmune diseases and more are being discovered all the time. All of these diseases should have the autoimmune prefix:
| Achalasia | Pancreatitis |
| Addison’s disease | Parkinson’s disease |
| Behcet’s disease | Pemphigus/pemphigoid |
| Celiac disease | Pernicious anemia |
| Crohn’s disease | Polymyositis |
| Chronic Fatigue Syndrome | Reactive arthritis |
| Dermatomyositis | Rheumatic fever |
| Eosinophilic esophagitis | Sarcoidosis |
| Fibromyalgia | Scleroderma |
| Graves disease | Sjögren’s syndrome |
| Guillain–Barre syndrome | Systemic lupus erythematosis |
| Hashimoto’s thyroiditis | Ulcerative colitis |
| Hepatitis | Uveitis |
| IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) | Vitiligo |
| Menier’s disease | Wegener’s granulomatosis |
| Multiple Sclerosis | Wilson’s disease |
| Myasthenia gravis |
Autoimmune Disease Causes: The immune system is also thought to be suppressed by multiple factors, including abuse of:
- alcohol
- caffeine
- tobacco
- sugar (this cannot be over-emphasized)
- drugs
- food (poor diet or contaminated with herbicides, hormones, etc.)
- sleep (lack of)
As well as exposure to environmental pollution, including:
- automobile exhaust
- chemical fertilizers
- cigarette smoke
- heavy metal
- herbicides
- industrial waste
- pesticides
- stress
So, what has autoimmune diseases and oral disease (periodontal disease and tooth decay) have in common? Well, much more than one might think: Plaque and calculus left on teeth cause inflammation, initially gingivitis, followed often by periodontal disease (which we used to refer to as periodontitis). Any time you see –itis on the end of a word, it is screaming inflammation. Remember: it is always means it is inflammation. Chronic inflammation causes destruction of tissue. Periodontal disease causes destruction of all periodontal tissues, gum, bone, and periodontal ligament, causing loss of teeth. Tooth decay causes loss of tooth structure. Since periodontal tissues are all tissues supporting teeth in the mouth, without them – no teeth.
How periodontal disease (inflammation of all periodontal tissues) leads to loss at of oral tissues, including teeth, is a simple model demonstration for what happens to a body with autoimmune diseases.
Anything that a patient can do to minimize or eliminate inflammation will lessen the effects of the disease. A few of the things a patient can do to lessen the effects of many of these diseases are to avoid abuse of/or exposure to the above mentioned factors. Also, as always, eat lots of antioxidants found in fresh fruit and vegetables. Include vitamin C, vitamin E, green tea extract, beta-carotene, grape seed-skin extract, coenzyme Q-10 (coQ10) and selenium in your diet.
Also, talk to your dental and medical professionals on current treatments. Find support groups, ask others with your particular autoimmune disease how they cope.
Good luck…keep brushing and flossing,
Dr. James G. Hood
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Dental Care Associates of Spokane Valley, P.S.
Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Welcomes Patients
from Age 2 to 102!
James G. Hood, D.D.S., M.A.
507 North Sullivan Road, Suite A-1
Spokane Valley, WA 99037-8576 USA
Phone: (509) 928-9100 | Fax: (509) 928-0414
Email: drhood@drhood.com
Websites: www.drhood.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalley.com
Blogs: www.drjamesghoodblog.com
www.dentalhealthandnutritionblog.com
www.dentalcareassociatesofspokanevalleyblog.com
www.jamesandkarenhoodfoundationblog.org
www.sjogrensblog.org
Online Store: www.dentalhealthandnutritionstore.com
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