Halloween Time is here and so therefore Candy Time is here.

As a dentist concerned about the oral health of our patients,  let’s talk about Halloween candy.

First of all, for those of you who have been through our free and very entertaining Plaque Control Instruction…you may remember this.  SUGAR DOES NOT HARM PLAQUE FREE TEETH!  Oh yes, now it is coming back to you.  Tooth decay occurs when a colony of bacteria, like a furry little moldy bio-film on your teeth, produces toxic acid waste and holds it in place until the acid dissolves tooth structure.  The germs that make up this plaque colony always produce acid, regardless of whether you eat anything or not…even candy.  So it is best to just get and stay plaque free with careful daily brushing and flossing and the use of other aids.  BUT IF YOU MISS SOME PLAQUE AND FEED IT SUGAR…it produces 3 times the acid for 20 minutes per sugar exposure.

SO GET THOSE KIDS PLAQUE FREE BEFORE they hit the Halloween goodies.  And maybe limit the exposures, in case they missed some plaque.  Gooey or sticky sweets hang around longer and really add up the exposure time.  But remember a plaque free tooth is safe from the ill effects of sugar…not the rest of the body mind you… but the teeth, if clean, do not suffer.  You might use a disclosing tablet and help your child check for missed areas right before the big night (consider the added effect of a scary red mouth…Boo!). Plaque re-grows about every 24 hours, so a once-a-day thoroughness is mandatory, all the time, aside from Halloween issues.

So how about this proposal?  Get the kids plaque free in the afternoon of the Big Night, then let them eat what they want of the treats when they get home from trick or treating.  After they are asleep, leave a small amount in their bag-under-the bed but go through it first, discarding questionable and low quality items.  Take the rest and divide it up into little plastic baggies, with just enough that you would allow in their school lunch in each bag, and freeze it.  That way you can grab a baggie and throw it in their lunch on certain days when you have deemed their morning oral hygiene better than usual.  Reward/Incentive.  It never hurts.

As for suggestions about handing out apples and nickels instead of candy (I’ve even tried brushes and toothpaste, mind you  :D ) I say DON’T.  Give the little Goblins what they want.  My attempts at saving the neighborhood kids from the Demon Decay only got my house egged and my pumpkins smashed.  Now I give them Snickers.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN,

Dr. Presley-Nelson

Noted San Francisco author and novelist visits the dentist!

Sarah M. Glover has published a new novel, GRAVE REFRAIN, available in local bookstores (I got mine on West Portal Avenue) and on Amazon.  It is a dark and spooky romance set in fabled San Francisco where "when it comes to true love, one lifetime is never enough."  This book is a great Halloween Read, equal parts contemporary and paranormal, love story and ghost story, you can't put it down!

Long time patient, Sarah, is an up and coming author. We enjoy her dental visits. We have so many famous and talented patients!  We feel truly blessed to have them AND ALL OF YOU come and see us.  Your trust in us is a privilege. 

-"Doc" PN

Dr. Presley-Nelson and Staff enjoy a continuing education day out of the office!

 

 

Here you see Dr. Presley-Nelson and staff learning ways to take better care of patients at a recent continuing education day, held at the Burlingame Marriott Hotel. It was an intense day-long event featuring different classes for different staff vocations. Kathleen, our illustrious hygienist attended seminars for hygienists, the assisting staff went to lectures for chairside assistants, and office personnel learned better ways to serve patients in insurance, appointment booking, and telephone matters.

 

Dr. Presley-Nelson attended a very stimulating day-long seminar by Dr. Atlas of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dentistry. One of the many topics was how to increase bond strength to the tooth in white fillings. As usual when a class is good, this promoted the purchase of new materials. Dr. Presley-Nelson was particularly impressed with a certain unfilled, flowable resin for lining the pulpal floor that actually shrinks upon curing toward the tooth structure instead of AWAY from the tooth. This was demonstrated by a new technique involving an "ultrasonic movie or film" that actually showed the material's action during its hardening phase. Marvelous new things are happening in dentistry all the time!

 

A lot of learning and a great lunch later, we are all back with the best and the latest, to take care of our first priority OUR PATIENTS!