Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Taste and Tell..... for January

Grilled Hawaiian Barbecue Chicken in Foil

Ingredients:

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 cup bbq sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray's)
  • 1 15-ounce can pineapple slices (including juice)
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon garlic
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into cubes
  • 2 medium zucchini, sliced
  • green onions, for garnish
Instructions:
1. Heat grill to medium heat. Cut 4 sheets, enough to wrap the chicken and veggies, of heavy duty foil. Place chicken on center of aluminum foil and divide the veggies and add 2-3 pineapple slices into each packet.
2. In a bowl, whisk together bbq sauce, juice from the can of pineapple slices, soy sauce, and garlic. Spread about 2 Tablespoons of the sauce on the chicken and make sure to reserve about ¼ cup.
3. Place chicken packets onto grill and grill for 13-15 minutes flipping at about 7 minutes.To serve carefully open packets, baste with reserve sauce and garnish with green onions.
Jennifer Bergeron
Dental Hygienist

What's New at the Office (January 2017)

We’d like to extend a big thank you to all of our patients who generously donated to this year’s food drive, we collected 435 pounds of food and $255 in cash donations. Dr. Gray matched this with $690 donation to the Newmarket Food Bank! 

Kim Thompson
Practice Manager

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Xylitol Oral Health and Benefits with Diabetics
















Xylitol in the oral cavity has many benefits. It helps reduce Strep. mutants ( the plaque causing bacteria) And reduces the risk of dental decay. Xylitol is often found in gum and now in dental rinses, toothpaste and lozenges. It has been effective in preventing decay and xylitol toothpaste is often looked at as a natural approach to cavity prevention. Xylitol-enhanced fluoride toothpaste has been found to help protect against tooth decay and decrease patients risk for further problems. Our office carries a number of xylitol enhanced products, and is often advised to help with our increased risk patients to help with their daily oral hygiene and fight against decay.

Xylitol has been used in a number of countries as an effective sugar substitute. It can help with sugar cravings, and is a huge benefit for diabetics with sugar craving struggles. Xylitol helps avoid sugar spikes with its lack of need for insulin to be metabolized and can replace sugar on a 1:1 basis. Xylitol is seven on the glycemic index... sugar is 68.



Sara Agnew
RDH

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Does your child need Orthodontic work?

I’m often asked does my child need ortho and when should we start. A lot of times, we can already see the crowding and misalignment issues when the child has their baby teeth still. When the patient starts to get some permanent teeth, the picture is usually even clearer.

If the jaws are aligned and the correct size and the only real issue is crooked teeth, then likely we would wait until all the adult teeth are in.

If the upper jaw is too narrow, then this is something we like to correct at around age 8. If we widen the jaw at this age, it will create space for the permanent teeth and help prevent future problems (ie impacted eye teeth). Also, by expanding the palate, this will tend to open the airway and help with breathing.

If the jaws are misaligned, then it’s a good idea to correct this while the jaws are still growing. Use growth to help with treatment.
 


Thumb sucking can have a big impact on jaw development. Therefore, the sooner a patient stops this habit the better (Ideally by age 6). There are appliances that can help the patient with stopping this habit. Prolonged thumb sucking can create an open bite at the front, this in turn can result in a tongue thrust, where the tongue jets out to fill the space created by the thumb sucking. Again early intervention is ideal.

The one area that we can be fooled is when the teeth look descent but the bite is not right. If left untreated this can result in extreme wear, tmj issues, sleep issues, pain, headaches. Therefore, we want to ensure that the alignment of the jaws is ideal for long term health. A couple of conditions that need to be identified is deep over bite, under developed upper or lower jaws.

Finally, braces usually require all the permanent teeth to be present. The latest time to do braces for teenagers would be around grade 10, since braces usually take approximately 2 years. You want to finish the treatment before the patient goes away to college or university as this would be difficult to facilitate ongoing treatment.

Sincerely,
Dr. Ian Gray

Tuesday, January 3, 2017



Some tips to help you keep your resolutions:

1. One thing at a time

Start with just one area of your life to change to begin with that. 

2. Plan, Plan and Plan some more

Plan ahead and stay prepared and get all the systems in place ready to make your change.

3. Anticipate problems

There will be problems so make a list of what they’ll be. If you think about it, you’ll be able to anticipate problems at certain times of the day, with specific people or in special situations. 

4. Pick a start time

You don’t have to make these changes on New Year’s Day. That’s the conventional wisdom, but if you truly want to make changes then pick a day when you know you’ll be well-rested, enthusiastic and surrounded by positive people.
Sometimes picking a date doesn’t work. It’s better to wait until your whole mind and body are fully ready to take on the challenge. You’ll know when it is when the time comes.

5. Go for it

On the big day go for it 100%. Make a commitment and write it down on a card. You just need one short phrase you can carry in your wallet. Or keep it in your car, by your bed and on your bathroom mirror too for an extra dose of positive reinforcement.
Your commitment card will say something like:
  • I enjoy a clean, smoke-free life.
  • I stay calm and in control even under times of stress.
  • I’m committed to learning how to run my own business.
  • I meditate daily.

6. Accept setbacks

If you do mess up, make a note of the triggers that caused this set back and vow to learn a lesson from them.
Perseverance is the key to success. Try again, keep trying and you will succeed.

7. Plan rewards

Small rewards are great encouragement to keep you going during the hardest first days. After that you can probably reward yourself once a week with a magazine, a long-distance call to a supportive friend, a siesta, a trip to the movies or whatever makes you tick.
Later you can change the rewards to monthly and then at the end of the year you can pick an anniversary reward. Something that you’ll look forward to. You deserve it and you’ll have earned it.