Key word: Prevention

This just in...cavities are preventable!! I can't even begin to tell you how many children I see in one day that have cavities, even as early as 1 years old! It's rather frustrating as a hygienist to see so many people getting cavities, especially young children! My job not only is to "clean teeth" and take x-rays, the biggest part of my job is educating my patients and their parents. It's not okay that all these children have mouths full of cavities. It shouldn't be the norm. It shouldn't be brushed off that "they only have one cavity" or it shouldn't be a surprise to parents "they don't have more cavities." Cavities are a bigger deal than that and they are preventable! (I think I may of mentioned that and will say it at least one more time!)) 

I'm not talking about seeing 1 teeny, itty bitty cavity here and there. It's not uncommon to see several cavities in the mouths of these children. Some needing white fillings, some needing silver caps and some cavities so large the tooth needs to be extracted. 

 

Why is this happening?

People aren't taking care of their teeth like they should be: Not brushing long enough or at all, not flossing, not using rinses, poor diet, not seeing their Dentist regularly. No one enjoys getting a cavity and having to get it filled. No one wants to see their Dental Hygienist and Dentist more than twice a year, but many are. 

What is a cavity?

A cavity is a hole in your tooth. The hole can grow bigger and deeper over time. Cavities are also called dental caries and if you have a cavity, it's important to get it fixed by the Dentist ASAP. 

          (Curtesy of kidshealth.org) 

How does a cavity form? PLAQUE. That's that sticky, soft stuff on your teeth that should be brushed off. Plaque is made up mostly of the germs and foods that cause tooth cavities. The bacteria in your mouth make acids and when plaque sticks to your teeth, the acids can eat away at your tooth. If a cavity does not get filled when small, the cavity can get bigger and grow through the layers of the teeth and reach the pulp of the tooth. This is when an extraction or root canal is needed. 

Now I know things happen but did I mention cavities are preventable? :) 

 

Princess Friend Birthday Party

Happy (almost) 5th Birthday Princess Alanna 

Today we celebrated Alanna's 5th Birthday a day early with a friend birthday party. We had 9 of her friends come over our house. The girls were dressed in their finest attire (their favorite princess dress) and were greeted with a princess crown from the birthday girl! (Although most didn't wear it for very long-but they all did leave with one)

After a very emotionally and physically exhausting week, I managed to put together a party fit for my little birthday princess. Seeing her with her friends today, made it all worth it. The girls played, ate snacks and hot dogs, made sundaes, ate cupcakes, opened presents and played even more! 

Here are some of her silly princess guests!

Princess party success! And you better believe there were princess toothbrushes in their goodie bags! Yup, I'm THAT Mom :) Hey, they went with the theme!

What happens at your child's first Dental visit

Did you know? Your child's first visit to the dentist should be at 1 year of age. I didn't either until I became a dental hygienist!

  Why visit the Dentist at age 1?

The purpose of the age 1 dental visit is to learn about your child's oral health and how to best care for your child's teeth before any problems occur. Many dental problems can be prevented or more easily treated in the early stages. At this first visit, you will get your questions answered and start to build a relationship with the dentist and dental hygienist. Most of your child's first visit is about education. It is important too for your child to understand why they come to the dentist office, who they see there and what we do! 

What to expect:

Most likely your child will not be happy at their first dental appointment and that is okay! That's also a reason to bring them so early so they start to trust us at an early age. You can expect the dental hygienist or dentist to review your child's health history with you. Anything that you know about your child's health is important for us to know. We will respond and listen to any questions or concerns that you have. We will talk with you about your child's overall health and how they are developing orally. We will let you know how many teeth they have, how many more teeth to erupt and how their gums and tissue look. We will also question if their are an oral habits: sucking thumb, fingers or using a pacifier. We will also want to know if a bottle is used and what you are putting in it. We will also discuss how to properly take care of your child's teeth at home and factors that affect the risk of cavities, such as diet. Your child's bite will also be looked at to see how their teeth come together. Follow-up appointments will be made the same day as well. We suggest your child comes to the dentist for cleanings every 6 months. If your child is at a high risk for cavities or is already showing signs of cavities they may come every 3 months. 

What if your child won't sit in the dental chair?

Most children at their first dental visit do not sit in the chair by themselves. We will ask you to have your child sit on your lap. Most of the time we will do what we call a lap exam. You will be asked to turn towards the dentist or dental hygienist and sit knee to knee with them. Your child will then face you and wrap their legs around your waist. Your child will then lay back and their head will be in our laps and you will be asked to hold your child's hands so that they do not grab at us and no one gets hurt. If your child cries, that is okay! We can actually see in their mouth better. We will quickly brush your child's teeth and do an exam to check for cavities. At this time we are also looking to see how many teeth they have and how their tissue looks. The dentist or dental hygienist may also apply a fluoride treatment to your child's teeth. 

Choose the right "dental home" for your child. A good dental home will:

*Be child and parent friendly

*knowledgable about young children's oral health, growth and development

*Responsive to you

*Gentle and kind toward your child and focused on your child's specific needs

*gives advice on how to care for your child's mouth and teeth and willing to show you how to do it

*Give specific advice about regular follow-up care

*Tell you about what will happen next in your child's oral development

Enjoy your child's first dental visit!!

10 Teeth Facts:

• Humans have two sets of teeth during their lifetime, while sharks have around 40 sets of teeth.
• The first set (baby teeth or primary teeth) features 20 teeth.
• The second set (adult teeth or permanent teeth) features 32 teeth.
• Baby teeth are usually replaced by adult teeth between the ages of 6 and 12.
• Teeth are covered in a hard substance called enamel.
• Humans have a variety of teeth including molars, premolars, canines and incisors: molars help grind teeth, canines help hold and tear food apart, incisors help bite pieces of food.
• Many diseases are linked to your oral health, including heart disease, osteoporosis, and diabetes.
• One third of your tooth is underneath your gums.
• Not everyone loses all of their baby teeth.
• Some babies can be born with teeth.

Radioactive Iodine Therapy: Graves Disease

As posted in a previous blog, I was going to the Endocrinologist for testing for my thyroid. Blood work, has shown that I do have hyperthyroidism as well as Graves Disease.

So what is Graves Disease?

Graves disease is an immune system disorder that results in the overproduction of thyroid hormones (hyperthyroidism). While a number of disorders may result in hyperthyroidism, Graves disease is the most common cause.

So now whats next for me?

Treatment. Radioactive Iodine Therapy to be exact. Sounds serious right? Well it sort of is. Not in the fact that I am going to be in any danger or anything. June 3rd and 4th I go for a two day uptake and scan on my thyroid. Its a quick test that shows them yes I do have a hyperthyroid (duh, as if blood work, a goiter, etc wasn't enough) and what dosage I need the Iodine pill to be at to effectively work. I had two options for treatment. One: straight to medication and Two: the Radioactive Iodine Therapy. Why would I not chose straight to medication? With medicating thyroid problems whether it be hypo or hyper, there may be a constant change in dosages and figuring out which dosage is needed for my body, etc. Well as I say to that, "ain't nobody got time fo' dat." I am ultimately planning on growing our little family so I am going right after my thyroid more aggressively. 

June 7th at 1:00pm is my "procedure." It is an outpatient procedure being done at Windsong Radiology Group in Williamsville. I will ingest a (already individually determined dosage from the uptake and scan testing) capsule of radioactive iodine. The capsule will localize in the hyper functioning thyroid destroying the gland and correct over activity. The process can take 2-6 months and inevitably be hypothyroid as a result and medicated for that (which is not a big deal). The only accompanying adverse affects that may happen for a short time is increased palpitations (which is medicated as needed with Propranolol).

There are guidelines that I have to follow for 5 days following the procedure.

The major one being, I am going to isolate myself from my household for these 5 days because I am radioactive for these days. I can be around people but not kids or pregnant women for a prolonged amount of time. Instead of risking anything I am just going to stay at my in laws house (while they happen to be away). This is the hardest part of the whole thing.

5 days I can do it.

Well wishes and prayers needed.

Oh, and I am truly thankful for the accident that I was in in Oct. Weird right? If I hadn't gotten in that accident and slightly hurt I wouldn't have finally gone to the Dr. and be sent for routine blood work. I wouldn't have known about what has been going on with my thyroid right now, maybe eventually I would have but not this soon. Thank God.

Stephanie
 

 

Chalk spray paint

We've been working on renovations throughout the house so lifes been really busy. I've tried snapping photos as we move along to share with everyone! This is one of the little projects I did. The inside of one set of cabinets had little shelves for spices etc. They were this dirty brown goldish color (very technical color) before that didn't match with the newly painted white cabinets. I was trying to figure out a quick fix makeover and then decided what better way to cheaply fix my problem than to chalk spray paint that I already had in my garage. I wish I would have taken a before picture but here's the end result! I'm happy with it :)

Organizing

I've been fighting a cold since Monday afternoon. Last night after barely making it into work I decided to call into today. Of course I don't feel much better but the day off was nice. I was able to bring Alanna to school which never happens. I just putzed around the house the rest of the day, fighting this cold, trying to do some much needed things around the house. So today I accomplished organizing two of my closets, which I think is great since my nose is running, I have a sore throat and an (it comes, it goes) earache. I should have taken a before picture but of course I was already into the project when I thought about it!

I still have some minor things to do but they are much happier closets now :) now if only I can get over this cold.

Hyperthyroidism

A while ago I was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism. So my metabolism and hormones are off due to it. I'm especially tired these days, dealing with a goiter that changes sizes in my throat constantly which also makes me feel yucky sometimes, and sometimes I get tachycardia. I can't wait to be mediacted or worse surgery. I'm constantly asked when I'm gonna have another baby and it saddens me because right now that's not possible and it may never happen again. Praying it does and I'm not giving up on the possibility. Also, losing weight isn't a possibility right now either.

So, I'm patiently (not so much) waiting for my appointment May 6th with an endocrinologist to see what the next step is, which I was told from my MD it could be just medication or possibly surgery..especially because of the goiter. We'll see...hopefully its strictly good news in the future.

Don't take having a baby for granted. Even if you have one already don't assume having another will be easy. I have two close relatives and a best friend that is struggling and going through fertility treatments. I am very thankful for Alanna and really cherish the little moments with her at this age because I'm not sure I'll share that again with anyone else.

Hopeful, 
Stephanie

Hard Boiled Eggs: in the oven!

I just could never get eggs boiled the right way for hard boiled eggs. Either I was too impatient waiting for them to boil (mostly that) or didn't time it right. So I found a much easier way to do it! Put them in the oven. So simple. All you need is the eggs (duh) and a cupcake pan.

Preheat the oven to 325-350 (i do mine at 325 just depends on your oven or egg preference). Put an egg in each spot where the cupcakes would normally bake. This is so the eggs don't roll around. Genius. Time for 30 minutes and go clean the house, yell at the kids, husband, whatever you could use the 30 minutes for then....

30 minutes later. Hard boiled eggs. Fool proof.

Get a huge bowl of ice water. After they are cooled, about 10 minutes later, you can peel them.

As a matter of fact this is happening right now in my house. We are coloring eggs tonight.


Good luck!

Making a come Back

So I got into this whole blogging thing a long time ago and drifted away from it but I'm going to get back into it...(hopefully) I'm hoping to get some thoughts out, have my little peanut read this when she's old enough and help me keep track of where my life's flying off too. So wish me luck with the posting and keeping up with life as it flies by.