November Marks National Diabetes Awareness Month
November 5th, 2013
Diabetes is a chronic disease that increases the risk for many serious health problems, including severe gum disease. November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and it’s a great time for us at Elite Dental Care to remind our patients that the way you care for your teeth at home doesn’t just affect your oral health; keeping your mouth healthy is vital to your overall health, too.
Diabetes is the result of a deficiency, or lack of the hormone insulin to properly transport glucose (blood sugar) to the cells throughout the body. According to the American Diabetes Association, the most common types of diabetes are Type One (90-95 percent of cases), Type Two (five percent), and gestational or pregnancy diabetes. Women who have had gestational diabetes have a 35 to 60 percent chance of developing diabetes, mostly Type Two, in the ten to 20 years following their pregnancy.
In the past decade, researchers have found links between periodontal (gum) disease and diabetes. Not only are people with diabetes more vulnerable to gum disease, but diabetes may also have the potential to affect blood glucose control, as well as contribute to the advancement of diabetes.
Nearly 26 million Americans currently live with the disease, with an additional 79 million in the pre-diabetes stage. There is some good news we want you to know, however; you can protect your gums and teeth from the effects of diabetes by visiting our Westborough, MA office for an exam. Patients who are living with diabetes may require more often visits to ensure their dental health remains in tip-top shape. Many insurance plans provide expanded benefits for diabetic patients, and Dr. Chelsea Perry can tell you how often you need to come in for an appointment.
For more information on how we can help, please do not hesitate to give us a call at our Westborough, MA office.
November Marks National Diabetes Awareness Month
November 5th, 2013
Diabetes is a chronic disease that increases the risk for many serious health problems, including severe gum disease. November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and it’s a great time for us at Elite Dental Care to remind our patients that the way you care for your teeth at home doesn’t just affect your oral health; keeping your mouth healthy is vital to your overall health, too.
Diabetes is the result of a deficiency, or lack of the hormone insulin to properly transport glucose (blood sugar) to the cells throughout the body. According to the American Diabetes Association, the most common types of diabetes are Type One (90-95 percent of cases), Type Two (five percent), and gestational or pregnancy diabetes. Women who have had gestational diabetes have a 35 to 60 percent chance of developing diabetes, mostly Type Two, in the ten to 20 years following their pregnancy.
In the past decade, researchers have found links between periodontal (gum) disease and diabetes. Not only are people with diabetes more vulnerable to gum disease, but diabetes may also have the potential to affect blood glucose control, as well as contribute to the advancement of diabetes.
Nearly 26 million Americans currently live with the disease, with an additional 79 million in the pre-diabetes stage. There is some good news we want you to know, however; you can protect your gums and teeth from the effects of diabetes by visiting our Westborough, MA office for regular checkups and cleanings. Most people should have at least two dental appointments per year, but our patients who are living with diabetes may require visits more often than that to ensure their dental health remains in tip-top shape. Many insurance plans provide expanded benefits for diabetic patients, and Dr. Chelsea Perry can tell you how often you need to come in for your dental visits.
For more information on how we can help, please do not hesitate to give us a call at our Westborough, MA office.
Halloween – Candy, Costumes, and More!
October 29th, 2013
All Hallows’ Eve, more commonly known as Halloween, is a yearly event celebrated on October 31, and one that is anticipated by the young and young at heart all over the world. Some scholars claim that Halloween originated from Celtic festivals that honored the dead or that celebrated the harvest, while others doubt that there’s any connection at all to Samhain (a Gaelic harvest festival.) Regardless of its origin, our team at the general dentistry office of Dr. Chelsea Perry hope that Halloween is fun and enjoyed by all of our awesome patients!
Trick or Treat?
In North America, Halloween is predominantly celebrated by children who dress up in costumes, which range from scary to cute, who then go around the neighborhood knocking on doors asking “trick or treat”, and they are given candy in return. Trick-or-treating is a time honored tradition, and though many parents groan at the pounds and pounds of candy collected by youngsters and fear for the health of their teeth, there are a few things you can do to help their teeth stay in great shape until the candy is gone:
- Limit the amount of candy they can consume each day
- Have them brush their teeth after eating candy
- Avoid hard, chewy candies as they can stick in hard to brush places
- Keep candy out of sight to reduce temptation
- Don’t buy candy too far in advance to limit pre-Halloween consumption
- Help or encourage your children to floss
Halloween Fun
Halloween isn’t just about gorging on candy; there are other events associated with this festive day including carving jack-o’-lanterns, painting pumpkins, decorating sugar cookies, bobbing for apples, going to haunted houses, or just curling up on the couch with a bowl full of popcorn and watching some classic, scary movies.
Halloween Around the World
Some countries, like Australia, frown upon Halloween, claiming it is an American event and not based in Australian culture, while others like Italy have embraced the fun and celebrate much as Canadians and Americans do. Mexicans have been celebrating this fun day since around 1960, and it marks the beginning of the Day of the Dead festival. Some countries in Europe have come late to the party, but since the 1990s, countries like Sweden, Norway, and Germany have started celebrating Halloween as well, and finding children in costumes or having ghosts hanging in windows has become commonplace.
Halloween is about fun; stepping outside our normal lives and donning a costume or gathering with friends to knock on doors and ask for candy is as much a part of our culture as hot dogs and barbecue on Labor Day. Have a safe and happy Halloween from the team at Elite Dental Care!
Ask Dr. Perry: “How do I know if Invisalign® is right for me?”
October 22nd, 2013
At Elite Dental Care of Westborough, patients can benefit from Invisalign at any age! If you’ve been thinking about starting treatment to obtain the smile you’ve always wanted but have been apprehensive about doing so using traditional braces, we would love to help! Dr. Chelsea Perry is specially trained to offer this adult-friendly option for straightening teeth, which uses a series of clear, removable, and comfortable aligners that no one can tell you’re wearing.
These aligners gradually straighten your teeth over time using proprietary 3D computer imaging technology, mapping your entire treatment from start to finish. When the aligners are placed on your teeth, they cause your pearly whites to gradually shift from their current position. After a couple of weeks, you will begin using the next set of aligners, as instructed Dr. Perry. These will continue the teeth straightening process, ultimately giving you the beautiful smile you’ve always wanted.
Here are all the more reasons to consider Invisalign:
- Invisalign doesn’t interfere with your daily life; the aligners are clear, discrete, and effective at moving your teeth into their ideal positions.
- You needn’t change your eating habits because your aligners can be removed. You also don’t need to worry about food getting caught on your brackets or wires.
- Because the aligners are made of comfortable, smooth plastic, you don’t have to worry about wires or braces jabbing your gums.
- Invisalign aligners make brushing and flossing easier, ensuring that you finish treatment with a beautiful smile without the white spots associated with traditional braces.
- Like traditional metal braces, Invisalign treatment is typically covered by most insurance providers.
Orthodontic treatment can be successful at any age! Dr. Perry and our team at Elite Dental Care know that adults especially appreciate the benefits of a beautiful and healthy smile. To learn more about Invisalign, or if you would like to find out if you are a candidate for Invisalign treatment at our convenient Westborough, MA office, please give us a call to schedule a consultation with Dr. Perry.