Free Dental Screenings for kids on September 25, 2009

Scottsdale Dental Arts, the practice of Jason D. McCargar, DMD, is providing free dental screenings to children in grades 1-6 at his practice on Friday, September 25, 2009, from 9am until 12 noon.

The no cost, no obiligation dental screenings are part of Batting for Smiles, a partnership with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Fry's Food Stores.

Dr. McCargar and his team are reaching out to our valley's youth to educate them about the importance of maintaining good oral health for a lifetime of healthy smiles.

The free dental screenings are limited to the first 50 appointments. You can reach Scottsdale Dental Arts at 480/860-8282 or on our website at www.ScottsdaleDentalArts.com

Growing Children

Leading researchers believe that children's bodies crave sweets in order to obtain adequate calories for growth. In a recent study children, ages 11 to 15, were given various levels of sweetness in different sugar-water type substances. The children were placed into two groups: high preference or low preference for sweetness. Children who had the highest levls of a biomarker for bone growth in their urine were most likely to be in the group that liked the sweetest drinks!

Free Dental Screenings on Friday, August 28, 2009

For Immediate Release
August 19, 2009

Scottsdale, AZ -- Scottsdale Dental Arts teams up as an official partner of the AZ Diamondbacks to offer free dental screenings to children in grades 1-6

Located in North Scottsdale just minutes from Scottsdale Health Care Shea Campus, Dr. Jason McCargar, DMD of Scottsdale Dental Arts will provide no cost, no obligation visual pediatric dental screenings at his office on August 28, 2009 from 9am to noon.

The free screenings are limited to the first 50 appointments and each patient will receive a goody bag upon completion of the visual screening.

The free pediatric dental screenings are offered as part of Batting for Smiles, a partnership between Scottsdale Dental Arts, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Fry’s Food Stores to educate children about the importance of brushing, flossing, and preventative dental care.

A bright smile is an integral part of a strong body, and the value of a beautiful smile goes beyond healthy teeth and gums. When your child establishes a routine of brushing, flossing, and preventative dental care early in life, these good habits will lead to a lifetime of winning smiles.

To schedule your child’s free dental screening, contact Scottsdale Dental Arts at
480-860-8282. www.ScottsdaleDentalArts.com

Who has the better celebrity smile... Cruise or Cruz?

Vote who you think has the better smile! Then, we will have Dr. McCargar critique the winner!

Canker Sores

The pain from a canker sore can prevent you from enjoying your favorite foods, and depending on where it is located it may even be preventing you from eating. Canker sores, also called apthous ulcers, while small are extremely painful.

The most common culprit for causing canker sores is your toothpaste. The product in your toothpaste that causes it to foam when you brush your teeth is called sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and this can be very abrasive to your oral mucosa even producing apthous ulcers (canker sores). Most toothpastes have SLS in it, but there are several brands that don't have it at all. (Check out Tom's Natural Toothpaste: Sensitive Care SLS-free or Biotin products.)

Other causes can be from weakened immune systems. When our bodies are tired and stressed we are more prone to infections from bacteria and viruses. A small abrasion on the gum from brushing can lead to an infection when our immune systems are weak. The body will send signals to the area to fight the infection and in doing so the area can become red, irritated, and inflammed.

If you never get canker sores and have one for the first time it may also be a viral infection known as a herpetic lesion. These most often occur around the lips, but can also occur inside the nose and on the oral mucosa. These can occur when the immune system is weakened from overexposure to the sun, respiratory illness, stress, or contact with another person who has a herpetic lesion. In this incidence the best course of action is to get an antiviral prescription from your doctor.

For simple apthous ulcers treatment is to help with the pain until the ulcer heals. This usually occurs within 7 days. Some of the prescription medications help to speed healing. One is a prescription medication called "kenalog in orabase" this helps speed healing and helps minimally with the pain. Another medication that Dr. McCargar uses at Scottsdale Dental Arts is called "Debacterol" this medicine when placed on the ulcer temporarily stings, but then the pain is gone & the apthous ulcer heals in a matter of days. Over-the-counter medications that help with the pain are products like "Orajel" that contain benzocaine and help to numb the area. The saliva from the mouth washes these medications off pretty quickly but, they will give temporary relief. Another product to try is "Ulcerease" this is a liquid formulation to help with the pain, swish & spit this one for best efficacy.

White doesn't mean Bright

White wine may be the lesser of the two evils. In comparison to red wine, white wine can still stain your teeth but maybe not as badly as the red. The acids found in any wine can break down the enamel by creating rough spots and grooves in the teeth, allowing chemicals in stain-causing bevereages (coffee, tea, cola, wine) to penetrate deeper into the tooth. Red wine is still the stronger culprit at staining your pearly-whites because it contains chromogen, a strongly pigmented substance. However, white wine shows it can still stain teeth even though it won't discolor your teeth as badly as red wine.

Acidic erosion is not just a problem caused by wines, it can also be caused by any acidic drink (orange juice, grapefruit juice, lemonade, sports and energy drinks, sodas). Dr. McCargar, DMD, with Scottsdale Dental Arts recommends that patients simply keep wine consumption within moderation, because by cutting back on acidic drinks people can help to maintain their whitest smile.

Sports Drinks: Satisfy your Thirst while Damaging your Teeth

The next time you reach for that thirst-quenching sports drink, you may want to think again.

A recent New York University College of Dentistry study published in the June 2009 edition of the Academy of General Dentistry finds that highly acidic sports drinks can eat away at a tooth's hard enamel coating. The results of the study are grim for consumers of sports drinks. Scientists found that the bonelike material underneath the enamel becomes soft and weak, therefore more at risk for tooth decay.

The NYU study involved placing teeth from several cows into two groups. The first sample was placed into a popular sports drink while the second sample was placed into plain tap water. The teeth were exposed to the liquids for a period of 90 minutes to simulate the average person's continual sipping throughout a given day. Scientists discovered significant amounts of erosion and softening of the enamel in the teeth that were exposed to the sports drinks while the teeth that were exposed to water showed no changes to their enamel.

What's even worse is that scientists found that brushing immediately after drinking a sports drink can compound the problems of tooth erosion because the softened enamel can be damaged by the abrasive particles found in toothpaste.

So the next time you need to quench your thirst, play it safe and reach instead for a bottle of water. Your teeth will thank you.