Should I See a Dentist Now?

Covid-19 delay care

Do not ignore your oral health, especially with COVID-19 in mind!

2020 has been a very interesting year to say the least. As our office opens up to see patients, those who work in healthcare- doctors, nurses, hospital staff, shared with me horror stories of their patients going in with much more serious, advanced diseases because of fear of catching COVID-19 in a doctor’s office or hospital setting. I was even told that some with active heart attack refused to go to the hospital for the same reason, when heart attack death rate is much higher, being responsible for 1 in every 4 deaths in the United States, than COVID-19 related death. It is unfortunate that, across the board, most healthcare professionals, including dentists, witness the negative impact of delaying elective care. Many non-urgent problems became urgent, minor diseases became significant.

There is no doubt that the Shelter-in-Place (SIP) order was necessary to flatten the curve and reduce infection rate of coronavirus. Thanks to the quick decision of the leadership from the mayor’s office, San Francisco has been doing remarkably well. As most experts predict, this virus will not go away suddenly, we need to learn to adopt safety measures to protect everyone. Social distancing, hand washing and wearing a mask (see this article from UCSF) are the 3 key things we can easily do to fight infection. It is likely we need to live with COVID-19 in mind for a while.

Part of the game plan to fight this virus is also to improve your health and focus on preventive care to boost immune system. Scientific data demonstrate that our oral health is of vital importance to our general health. Those with active dental infection often have compromised immune system. Therefore, as long as your dentist is taking necessary precaution to ensure optimal infection control, you should not fear going to the dentist and starting your routine preventive care or dental treatments. This, along with good diet, relaxation, exercise and adequate sleep, are the best to reduce risks of infection and protect yourself and your loved ones.

Dental Care for kids

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How many caides are….too many for Halloween?

At the grocery store this past weekend, my son announced to me” I love candies, I can eat them every day for the rest of my life!”. I am sure you have one of these kids like mine, or maybe you yourself may have a sweet tooth. But how many candies are too many? what could we do to reduce the negative effects of sugar while enjoying upcoming trick-or-treat?

To reduce cavity-causing germs, it is much more important to understand the exposure frequency concept. That means, 5 candies consumed during a short time is in general safer than throughout the day slowly. Our oral cavity has self-defense mechanism that fights cavities each time sugar arrives, but the constant intake of sugar will likely overpower this mechanism, hence, the chance of getting cavities becomes higher.

Here are some tips during the Halloween holidays for reducing risks of cavities:

— No candies at nighttime after trick-or treat, especially right before going to bed (or even worse, going to bed without brushing teeth after eating candies!!)

— Be selective. Pick the ” better” candies, such as dark chocolate, naturally sweetened candies or sweet treats rather than sugar loaded, artificially colored ones

— Limit the frequency (and quantity to a certain degree for other health benefits!). Try to eat a couple of candies at once, brush teeth, chew sugar-free gum or drink a cup of water afterwards.

Of course, we should not forget the other negative effects of sugar on our body in general. Here are some alarming articles from University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) about “ sugar addiction”:

Sugar’s Sick Secrets: How Industry Forces Have Manipulated Science to Downplay the Harm

UCSF Lecture on Sugar & Obesity Goes Viral as Experts Confront Health Crisis

As my son and I walked out of the grocery store, I explained to him” We need some sugar for energy, but there is good sugar and bad sugar. We can enjoy a bit of bad sugar, but eating too much would make us sick”.

What would you tell your kids during Halloween about candies?