Posts Tagged ‘Dental Health’

I read an article the other day about “fear tax.” It was referring to the cost of being afraid. Fear extracts a tax on many levels… our national fear of terrorism has cost billions; not in rebuilding vandalized structures but in screening millions of travelers in their socks. Many companies fear failure and so never try to open new markets. Often people stay in jobs they do not enjoy rather than risk trying something else they may be passionate about.

OK, so now for the dental part. I see folks all the time who have let fear keep them from properly maintaining their teeth. They may be are afraid needed procedures will be uncomfortable, or expensive, or time consuming. Maybe all three! But the Fear Tax exaggerates, and encourages procrastination. And guess what… the longer maintenance is delayed, the larger more problems grow.

So we as a nation spend countless valuable man-hours being screened in airports. We leave many possibly exciting new endeavors untried. And we compromise our health, our appearance, our self confidence, our warm friendly smiles… because we give in to fear. I know for a fact that most fears are revealed to be mostly empty worries when confronted. And dentally speaking, when needed treatment is planned and those plans are systematically carried out, people feel (and look) so much better! One nasty fear conquered! So, as Nike famously said, “Just Do It!” Let’s not let fear tax us to death!

We sent this press release out to the local media, and are excited to share the exciting news with you, too:

In late August, Dr. Bruce C. McArthur, a Lakewood Dentist, his dental office staff and a few spouses will be teaming up with an oral surgeon from South Africa, an optometrist and a small group of U.S. medical doctors, nurses, and support personnel to help make a big difference in the lives of many strangers in another country. On August 26, 2010, Dr. McArthur and the entire crew will be packing up and heading to Cascas, a remote village in northern Peru, to provide a week of free dental and medical care for local villagers in need. McArthur said, “We are very excited that we can help provide health and comfort to folks that have no other means of receiving it.”

According to Dr. McArthur, the trip is made possible, in large part, by a sizable donation from one of his patients, but the team could still use more help. Most Americans occasionally update their eyeglass, maybe to change the frame style or due to an updated prescription. Often, they may have old, unused pairs of prescription glasses stashed away in drawers around the house. McArthur points out that those old eyeglasses, while no longer of use to you, could make a major difference in the life of a poor Peruvian villager. Until they leave, Dr. McArthur’s team is accepting donations of old eyeglasses at the Doctor’s Lakewood office, at 6565 W. Jewell Avenue, #9.

Bruce McArthur, a graduate of California’s Loma Linda University School of Dentistry (LLUSD), has a history of involvement in missionary work, it runs in his family. His grandparents were missionaries in Peru in the 1920’s. In fact, his mother was born there. Following in his grandparent’s footsteps, Dr. McArthur spent 2 ½ months, during his senior year in Dental school, providing quality dental care for people in the jungle of Bangladesh. McArthur’s missionary work has also taken him to Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

This will mark the third year that Dr. McArthur’s team has been part of such a humanitarian mission to Peru. The team will transport complete portable dental offices to rural Peru. They’ll have compressors, vacuum machines, and electrical generators to facilitate quality dental care in one of the country’s most remote areas. During their brief visit, the group expects to provide modern American dental and medical care to hundreds of native Peruvians; some will likely travel for hours to take advantage of their services. McArthur said, “A few years back, when LLUSD made a dental trip to Cascas, I’m told that there were people who walked 35 miles to seek dental care!”

Dr. McArthur said, “We are so incredibly blessed to live in the US, where so much is so available. When you see how so many people live without what we so easily take for granted, it gives you a whole new perspective on life!”

What’s your Real Age? No, this is not just asking a lady at her birthday if she is really 29 AGAIN. This is about how healthy you are compared to others of your same chronological age.

There are many factors that figure into our Real Age… Diet, exercise, and sleep habits are the ones you’d expect on the list, and they are definitely there. Stresses in your life, and how you deal with them, also play a major part. Even daily habits like how fast you drive, what kind of car you drive, and if you always wear your seat belt are considered.

So are some other daily habits – like brushing and flossing. Yep, they are not only on the list, but it is reported that just daily brushing and flossing can add over 6 years to your life! Another way to say that is it will make your Real Age over 6 years younger than your classmates who don’t brush and floss! I believe that having good healthy gums and teeth without cavities will enhance your life even more.

How does this work? There is fantastic blood supply to the gums and tongue. This is good news, because that helps injuries in those areas heal quickly. But the flip side of that rapid blood flow is that if the gums are infected, you are pumping that infection throughout your body. Think of that… through the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, muscles, and even your brain. Is it any wonder that gum disease is being linked to all sorts of other diseases in the body, including heart disease, strokes, diabetes and even low birth weight babies?

If you lose teeth, for whatever reason, you find yourself in other longevity problems. The more teeth you are missing, the harder it is to eat healthy food. Many foods that might be best for you, like raw veggies or whole grains, might be avoided if you have weak or missing teeth. And if you can’t chew well, your food doesn’t digest as well. Removable dentures, however well done, are never as good as the original equipment was!

So the moral of this Real Age computation? Many of the factors that determine our Real Age are things we can control. And as a dentist, of course I am going to stress the ones I can help you with.

• Gum health can be improved
• Weak or broken teeth can be strengthened
• Missing teeth can be replaced with built-in, non-removable teeth
• Crooked teeth that don’t line up well can be straightened

There are many reasons to enhance your dental health, and some great fringe benefits – your smile looks and feels great!