WrigleyvilleDental.com 773-975-6666

Ap

ril 20

16

InsideMeet Martha, Our New Associate Dentist! pg 1

Floss Like a Boss pg 2

A Tooth’s Sugary Assassin pg 2

Ginger Therapy pg 3

A Cup of Wellness: Sweet Ginger Tea pg 3

Laughing Corner pg 4

This newsletter produced & printed by the Newsletter Pro www.NewsletterPro.com

This is officially my first newsletter! It has been a pleasure practicing holistic dentistry at Wrigleyville Dental for the last six months. I’ve enjoyed being back in Chicago and living close to family and friends.

I have been practicing dentistry now for five years. For those of you who don’t know, I came to Wrigleyville Dental after serving three years as an active duty U.S. Army Dentist. For three years, I was able to serve the uniformed men and woman of this country who became my dental patients. I worked in a large group practice clinic on an Army post with five dental clinics total. What this meant was that I got to work with other dentists on a daily basis. All of our patient referrals were internal, so I got to observe many of the cases I referred to completion. I frequently shadowed other providers during their specialty procedures, and I received hands-on training from experienced mentors. It was a priceless investment into my education — something I was not expecting when I first committed to serving.

I was first inspired to become a dentist at age 5. I had a fantastic childhood dentist who used to make appointments interesting and fun. I specifically remember one time when my brother chipped a tooth. Before Dr. Streitz fixed it, he came into the waiting room and called me back so I could watch him do it. During my appointments, I remember the hygienist used to give me a big mirror so I could watch what they were doing in my mouth.

One of my fondest memories of going to the dentist was taking pride in my teeth. I had an older brother who used to beat me at everything. Everything, that is, except that whenever we went to the dentist, Dr. Streitz would compliment me and tell me how good of a job I was doing keeping my teeth clean. I remember feeling like it was one of the few things I could beat my brother at. I took a lot of pride in my teeth. So at 5 years old, I started telling my parents that I wanted to be a dentist when I grew up. My mom told Dr. Streitz, and from there on out, he would always ask me at my appointments if that was still what I wanted to be. It just kind of stuck.

My mom supported my dream and fostered it. In high school, because I had enough credits to do so, she arranged with the school for me to leave early so I could attend a dental assisting course. I completed an 80-hour course and became a certified dental assistant. By the time I got to college, I was able to get a job in the dental field. I assisted at an orthodontic practice for three years during my undergraduate college work. Then, after college, I attended the University of Illinois at

Chicago College of Dentistry, right here in our beautiful city.

A lot of people ask me how I came to practice holistic dentistry. As a person, living green, being environmentally responsible, and staying healthy has been a way of life for me for almost 15 years now. In college, as a Biology major, I started to put together the pieces of how what we put in our bodies affects our overall health and how our environment affects the expression of our genes. The more I learned, the more I changed my lifestyle. After years of accumulating self-taught information, my family and I now practice a whole-food, plant-based, organic diet. I believe in prevention foremost and treating the body as a whole when it comes to disease. I believe in supporting biodegradable products, recycling, and composting. I believe in regular exercise and physical activity. All of these things are everyday practice for me when it comes to my personal life.

It took me a few years to line up my lifestyle with my dental career. It all began when I started having some strange health symptoms that could not be diagnosed by my physician. I attended a Holistic Dental Association meeting and took a lecture on mercury toxicity. The more the speaker discussed the top-ranking symptoms of mercury toxicity, the more I found I identified with them. I realized that all of the strange symptoms I had been experiencing lined up with mercury toxicity. I began to detox immediately and have noticed a vast improvement. I have never had a mercury amalgam filling in my mouth, nor do I eat fish. That meant all the mercury in my system was coming exclusively from breathing the vapors during dental work and from handling or removing amalgam from patients. It hit me like a ton of bricks. It was the first time I made the connection that the profession I love so much could be poisoning me. I started to think about what other dangerous chemicals could be hiding in frequently used dental materials. Since my lifestyle was already toxin-free and all-natural, a lightbulb just went on, and I had to ask myself, why had I never extended the same high standards of my life to my dental profession? It was at that moment that I knew I had to make a switch to practicing cleaner, safer, and more biocompatible dentistry — for my patients and for myself.

I truly do love my profession, and my goal is to help every patient’s mouth be as healthy as it can be. I am always available to help those who would like to learn more about how they can improve their own health. Looking forward to meeting you!

MEET MARTHA, OUR NEW ASSOCIATE DENTIST!

A Life of Dentistry

LAUGH OUT LOUD

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3256 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL 60657

Mondays 7 a.m.-7 p.m. and Saturdays 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

- Dr. Silva

ADDED

NEW EXTENDED OFFICE HOURS!

PRST STD US POSTAGE

PAID BOISE, ID

PERMIT 411

GINGER THERAPY

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring water to a boil.

2. Add turmeric and ginger and let simmer for 7–10 minutes.

3. Strain the tea into a mug or cup.

4. Add coconut milk and honey for sweetness.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup water• 1/4 teaspoon ground

ginger• 1/4 teaspoon ground

turmeric• Splash of coconut milk• Organic honey to taste

Soda is everywhere. It’s in our refrigerators, in our ads, on our dinner tables and desks. It’s a part of everyday life for half of Americans, based on data collected by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. Soda consumption is on the rise. Also on the rise? The rotten teeth, infected nerves, and bleeding gums this kind of soda drinking leads to. Soda is ingrained into daily life, and our teeth are paying the price.

Damage starts the moment your lips touch the can. The added sugars in the soda engage with the natural bacteria in your mouth, creating an acid that attacks your teeth. Sugar-free sodas might be marginally less destructive, but even they contain phosphoric acid that wastes no time trying to strip your teeth of their protective enamel. Eroded enamel is an open invitation for cavities, which is the path to infection and pain. Extreme cases can result

in a root canal or an extraction, leading to bone loss, unsightly gaps between the teeth, or even false teeth.

Tooth decay as a result of soda consumption is becoming more and more common. Serving sizes are increasing, and so is accessibility to sugary drinks. Seeing a soda machine in front of a high school is no more unusual than seeing buses or backpacks. According to data collected by the Northwest Dentistry Medical Journal, some of those students are drinking as many as 12 sodas a day! Studies have shown that up to four in five children under the age of 10 are also enjoying soft drinks regularly, sometimes four in a single day. The negative impact soda has on oral health is so common that dentists have a nickname for it: Mountain Dew Mouth.

A single sip bathes your mouth in acid that continues to attack your teeth for at least 20 minutes. When having multiple sodas throughout the day, you subject your teeth to hours of damage before you reach a toothbrush. Faced with this level of devastation, there’s only so much you can do. Factored with the links to diabetes and obesity, water doesn't look like such a bad alternative. While water is the best choice for you teeth, if you can't stand the idea of sipping on water all day, try green or herbal tea instead. Peppermint and hibiscus tea are even delicious iced. When it comes to soda, less really is more.

Hate to floss? You’re not alone. But that doesn’t make flossing any less crucial to preventing tartar buildup and gum disease. Yet no matter how hard we try, it seems like some of us just can’t manage to stick our fingers in the right spots between the teeth, unless of course, we have a dental appointment coming up that day. Maybe a new “toy” can freshen up your flossing experience — or at the very least, sit on your counter and remind you to do it. Now, we’ve found that nothing compares to good ol' string floss, but we’ve come up with three traditional floss alternatives to help you keep your teeth in tip-top condition.

GUM CHUCKS

Gum Chucks are a cool, fun way to floss. They are most similar to string floss, but are easier to use. They have long handles and disposable floss tips that are connected by

a piece of dental floss. Snap them together, and they look like nun chucks. The simple design makes it easy to use and easier to get back to your very back teeth, without putting your fingers all the way down your throat. It increases manual dexterity and makes it easier to make the dentist-recommended “c” shape curve around your teeth with the floss. It’s good for kids, adults, and even those with braces.

WATER FLOSSERS

Water flossers are ideal for patients with large spaces between their teeth, bridges, and implants, although any patient can benefit.Water flossers work exactly like their name implies. A thin but powerful jet of water washes particles out from between teeth. Water flossers

were originally created in Fort Collins, Colorado in 1962 by a company called Aqua Tec. The company has since become Waterpik, which is a household name. There are other, lesser-known companies such as Hydrofloss that make products that do a great job as well. Water flossers come in a plethora of models: corded and cordless, large and small. Water flossers are more expensive than string floss, but they can get deep into the gum sockets, and they don’t require manual dexterity. The only thing they require is water and a power source.

AIR FLOSSERS

Though prices vary, air flossers are typically the most expensive option. They’re also the newest. These devices create a stream composed of tiny water beads and air. Philips Sonicare, the distributor of Airfloss,

calls it “microburst technology.” Much like the Waterpik, the flossers use this thin stream to push debris out from between teeth. But unlike the Waterpik, this little gadget uses a small amount of water and a puff of air, which means less of a mess. And the best part is that it can share a charging base with your Sonicare electric toothbrush.

A Cup

of Wellness

Ginger has been used for centuries in Asian cooking and as a powerful root in natural health remedies. The spicy flavor of ginger is enough for most people to include it in soup, tea, and other tasty recipes, but when you take into account the spice’s many health benefits, there’s no question whether or not you should eat ginger; it’s simply a matter of when to eat it next!

Ginger, in its many forms, can be just the smooth, spicy, aromatic punch our body needs. Rich in antioxidants, ginger is known for its ability to chase away infection and boost the immune system. If you love ginger, you probably also love the way it makes your body feel. Ginger has a distinct warming property that we crave. This heating effect causes your circulation to improve, and by extension, better delivery of vitamins and oxygen.

One of the most common uses for ginger in holistic medicine is for gastrointestinal relief. Symptoms such as nausea, loss of appetite, gas, and morning sickness in pregnant women can all be helped by ginger. Studies have also shown that ginger capsules are more effective at preventing seasickness than over-the-counter drugs like Dramamine.

Pain relief is another great excuse to eat more ginger. It turns out that gingerols, anti-inflammatory agents in ginger, do wonders for pain caused by arthritis, migraines, and menstrual cramps. To add a whole new level of excitement, that same anti-inflammatory property of ginger has even been shown to help fight ovarian cancer.

Clearly, everyone could use more ginger in their life. If you’ve made it to the end of this article without getting up to brew a cup of ginger tea, now is the time to do it!

Fixes for the Floss Phobic

CAVITIES AND CALORIES

Let potent ginger and spicy turmeric work their immune-boosting magic. This ginger tea recipe is the perfect blend of sweetness and spice, and is delicious any time of year.

EVERYONE COULD USE MORE OF THIS SUPER-SPICE

WHAT AMERICA'S FAVORITE DRINK DOES TO YOUR TEETH

SWEET GINGER TEA

www.Holisticlivingtips.com

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