Hygiene Corner
Check here for recent updates and current information about your oral health!
If bottled water is your primary source of drinking water, you could be missing the decay-preventive benefits of fluoride. Fluoride in water is especially important to developing teeth in children and young adults. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s current regulations do not require bottled water companies to indicate fluoride content on bottled water labels, unless it has been added to the water (some areas have it naturally at low levels). Don’t overlook your home water treatment systems.  Some home water treatment, such as reverse osmosis and distillation units remove fluoride from water supplies. If bottled or filtered water are your main sources of drinking water talk to your dentist about this.

Do you reuse your plastic water bottles? The FDA regulates the plastic in water bottles. Water bottles with proper care can be reused. Heating up plastics could increase the leaching of phthalates out of certain plastics into water or food. Phthalates are added to plastics to make them more flexible. They do not cause cancer, but may act as endocrine (hormone) disruptors in humans and animals. Freezing plastic actually works against the release of chemicals. Chemicals do not diffuse in cold temperatures as readily. Invest in a quality reusable bottle, take care of it and your health by washing it out on a regular basis and letting it air dry.

Don't rush to brush! Some children, and even many adults are not brushing for the correct amount of time. Most people brush for less than one minute.  This is not enough time to adequately remove the plaque and debris that build up on the teeth between brushing. The minimum amount of time spent for an effective brushing is recommended at 2-3 minutes. A good idea is to turn on a radio and brush through an entire song (it helps the time go by faster as well :)
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