The truth about that sneeze thanks to Mythbusters on the Discovery Channel

You are on an elevator and the person next to you sneezes. If they cover the sneeze with their hand, then there is no way you will get sick, right? Wrong!! Check out this amazing video on Mythbusters by the Discovery Channel. http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/mythbusters-flu-fiction/ It compares covering a sneeze with a hand, a handkerchief, or an elbow. It is amazing to find out the results. Watch for yourself to help protect the people around you this flu season.

Do you have the smile of Scottsdale?

Do you have the Smile of Scottsdale? At Scottsdale Dental Arts, Dr. McCargar and his staff are providing a free smile makeover. Tell us why you should be chosen to have the smile of Scottsdale in 250 words or less. How would improving your smile improve your life? Entry details and competition rules available at: www.ScottsdaleDentalArts.com

Complete Smile Makeover courtesy of Scottsdale Dental Arts and Kierland Smile Design.

Ask the Dentist about Dry Mouth

How do I treat this dry mouth?

The first step in treating dry mouth is determining the cause. Are you taking any of the following medications? Tricyclics, SSRIs, clonidine, antihistamines, oxybutynin, or any other anticholinergics? If you answered yes, then discuss with the doctor that prescribed the medicine if it is possible for you to stop the medicine, switch to another, or possibly lower the dose. (Please note we do not recommend you stop any medication without your doctor's permission.) If you answered that you do not use the above medications, then do you use caffeine, or tobacco, or drink alcohol? If you answer yes, then start decreasing the amount that you use. If you use tobacco there are solutions for breaking that bad habit. If you still answered no to the above, then other culprits can be poor diabetes control, cancer radiation, or an autoimmune disease called Sjogren's syndrome.

The second step is finding a treatment that helps. Swishing water in the mouth frequently and using a humidifier at night is a great place to start. Sugarless hard candy or gum can also help to stimulate saliva. (Check the ingredients and choose sugar-free candy containing xylitol which studies show may actually help to prevent cavities). These stimulants will only work if your salivary glands are working properly. If they are not working properly, then you will need to use a saliva substitute, such as Biotene Gel, or Mouth Kote.

"Treat" your teeth this Halloween

Halloween is around the corner, which for most children means bags of free candy and a chance to build up the stockpile of sweets for the winter. Being one of the most fun times of the year for families, Halloween can also present parents with a variety of health and safety challenges.

The American Dental Association, America's premier source of oral health information, has prepared a list of 10 suggestions to help parents maintain good oral health for their children around the Halloween holiday and throughout the year.

1. Consume Halloween candy and other sugary foods with meals.
Saliva production increases during meals and helps neutralize acids produced by bacteria in your mouth and helps rinse away food particles.

2. Avoid hard candy and other sweets that stay in your mouth for a long time.
Besides how often you snack, the length of time food is in your mouth plays a role in tooth decay. Unless it is a sugar-free product, candies that stay in the mouth for a long period of time subject teeth to prolonged acid attack, increasing the risk for tooth decay.

3. Avoid sticky candies that cling to your teeth.
The stickier candies, like taffy and gummy bears, take longer to get washed away by saliva, increasing the risk for tooth decay.

4. Drink more water.
Consuming optimally fluoridated water can help prevent tooth decay. If you choose bottled water, check the label for the fluoride content.

5. Maintain a healthy diet and make sure the meals you eat are nutritious.
Your body is like a complex machine. The foods you choose as fuel and how often you "fill up" affect your general health and that of your teeth and gums.

6. Avoid beverages with added sugar such as soda, sports drinks or flavored waters.
When teeth come in frequent contact with beverages that contain sugar, the risk of tooth decay is increased.

7. Chew gum that has the ADA Seal.
Chewing sugarless gum for 20 minutes after meals has been shown to reduce tooth decay, because increased saliva flow helps wash out food and neutralize the acid produced by dental plaque bacteria.

8. Brush your teeth twice a day with an ADA-accepted fluoride toothpaste.
Replace your toothbrush every three or four months, or sooner if the bristles are frayed. A worn toothbrush won't do a good job of cleaning your teeth.

9. Clean between teeth daily with floss or an interdental cleaner.
Decay-causing bacteria still linger between teeth where toothbrush bristles can't reach. Flossing helps remove plaque and food particles from between the teeth and under the gum line.

10. Visit an ADA-member dentist for more information on maintaining your oral health. Dr. Jason McCargar is an ADA-member dentist in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Dr. Oz's Ultimate Stress Checklist

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Getting a Flu Shot lowers Heart Attack Risk

By Marrecca Fiore

A new study from the United Kingdom finds that getting a flu shot in the fall can prevent the onset of a first heart attack by an average of 19 percent.

The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, suggests a link between influenza, pneumonia and heart attacks, as heart attacks typically increase during the winter months. Because of this, researchers believe getting vaccinated against the flu in the early fall may prevent the increase of heart attacks during the winter months.

U.K. researchers looked at 78,706 patients ages 40 and older from 379 family doctor practices in England and Wales. Of the patients, 16,012 had heart attacks, 8,472 of which had been vaccinated. The researchers found that having an influenza vaccination within the past year was associated with a significantly reduced rate of having a heart attack.

Early vaccination, between September and Mid-November, was associated with the highest reduction rate, about 21 percent. Late vaccination reduced the risk by 12 percent.

"Our findings reinforce current recommendations for annual influenza vaccination of target groups, with a potential added benefit for prevention of acute myocardial infarction in those without established cardiovascular disease," writes Dr. Niroshan Siriwardena, University of Lincoln, United Kingdom with coauthors Stella Gwini and Carol Coupland, in the study. "This benefit may lead to an increase in suboptimal rates of vaccination, particularly among younger patients."

The researchers adjusted their findings for bias because people at risk for heart attacks were more likely to get flu shots than those not at risk.

They concluded that if similar studies also find that the flu shot prevents heart attacks, it could lead to a change in recommendations for timing and indications for the vaccination.

A smile makeover that delivers confidence!

Meet Merranda, she is an actual patient that recently had a smile makeover. Dr. Jason McCargar helped Merranda gain more confidence in her smile by giving her new veneers. At Scottsdale Dental Arts we feel that Merranda is now the poster child for what a natural, beautiful, healthy smile should look like. We specialize in cosmetic and general dentistry, so whatever your need is we are able to help. Give our office a call today to schedule a consulation with Dr. McCargar.

Scottsdale Dental Arts has updated the website!

At Scottsdale Dental Arts we strive to provide you with exceptional service. Our motto is "making people smile." We want every aspect of your dental experience to be comfortable and enjoyable. That is why we have updated our website. Check it out! http://www.scottsdaledentalarts.com/

We offer a range of dental services including family dentistry and cosmetic dentistry. The Scottsdale, Arizona, cosmetic dentist delivers patient-specific smile makeovers, but his sense of humor is just as likely to produce a gleaming grin. “Helping people relax is always a priority,” says Dr. McCargar. “Our patients enjoy our homelike atmosphere where they are respected as if they are members of our own families.”

Right now in honor of our updated website we are offering special coupons. Check out: http://www.scottsdaledentalarts.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Microsoft-Word-Website-Coupons.pdf to print yours today! We are conveniently located just of the 101 and Shea. Come in and visit us today.

Makeover your smile

Every six months you routinely go to your dental appointment to maintain a healthy smile. But, did you realize your dentist can also help to make you look younger? Discoloration on your teeth is a telltale sign of your age. Yellow stains on your teeth can occur from smoking, drinking coffee, drinking tea, and drinking red wine. The yellowing of your teeth begins to occur in your twenties and progressively increases each decade of life. Sometimes with advancing age teeth can also naturally start turning a shade of gray. This grayish discoloration is often due to receding nerves in the teeth that deprive the teeth of nourishment and cause them to turn brittle and gray.

You can look years younger in just one hour at the dentist. In Scottsdale Arizona, Dr. Jason McCargar uses Zoom! Whitening. This whitening method coats the teeth in a hydrogen preoxide solution, and then a heatless light is shone onto the teeth activating the bleaching action. The dentist will replace the hydrogen peroxide solution on the teeth every 15 minutes until the desired degree of white is achieved. Some offices will offer discounts to new patients or if you refer them a new patient, so be sure to ask your dentist about this service. If you just need your teeth whitened a few shades Crest White Strips are an effective and safe over-the-counter alternative for you to use at home. The clear strip is placed onto the teeth and worn for about 15 to 30 minutes. After wearing the strips daily for about two weeks your teeth will be noticeable whiter.

The dental aisle break down

The dental aisle can at times be intimidating. With so many choices, how do you know that you are choosing the right toothpaste?

First of all, the toothpaste must contain fluoride. According to the Academy of General Dentistry, brushing with a toothpaste containing fluoride decreases your risk of tooth decay by as much as 40 percent. There are other generic brands and organic brands that may claim to clean or whiten teeth just as good as the brand names, but if they do not contain fluoride, then they are not worth the money. Look for the ADA (American Dental Association) seal of approval. Only the products that have the seal of the ADA have undergone scientific research to determine they are safe and effective for use on your teeth. The ADA has approved over 50 different kinds of toothpaste, so it should be easy to find one that is within your budget and that your taste buds will approve of.

Many people are also overwhelmed by the additional ingredients in the toothpaste. To make the toothpaste foam the manufacturers put a product into it called sodium lauryl sulfate. If you are prone to canker sores sodium lauryl sulfate may be the culprit. Try choosing a toothpaste that has less of it like Colgate original or try Tom’s Natural toothpaste which does not contain this ingredient at all. Other manufacturers add thickening agents such as seaweed colloids, mineral colloids, and natural gums. All of these products are safe and effective and help to give the toothpaste the consistency that you are used to. If you are looking for whiter teeth, then Crest and Colgate both make really good whitening toothpastes. These toothpastes contain mild abrasives that help to remove surface stains on your teeth (like baking soda). With repeated daily use you will see a whiter smile; however, it will not get your teeth as white as your dentist can get them using bleaching agents. The commercials that you have seen claiming that foaming toothpastes work better than normal pastes or gels are not exactly accurate either. Some people do prefer the foaming toothpastes, but it is more of a personal preference, which only you can decide through trial and error. There are also toothpastes for people with sensitive teeth. Sensodyne is a great toothpaste to help decrease the sensitivity of teeth to hot or cold.

Next, how much toothpaste you put on your toothbrush is also important. A brush that is overflowing with toothpaste is not going to clean your teeth any better. It is recommended that you apply only a pea-sized amount of toothpaste to the toothbrush. Also, no matter what brand of toothpaste you use, if you are brushing incorrectly, then debris will never properly be removed from your teeth. Dr. Jason McCargar, a Scottsdale dentist, says “to brush properly, it is important to move the brush in small circles and to hold the brush at a 45 degree angle. Doing this ensures that the bristles get in between the teeth and that the bristles also effectively clean out plaque at the gumline. It is recommended that you brush for about two minutes.”

So, next time you are in the dental aisle wondering which toothpaste to choose, use our flow chart to help pick. (click to enlarge)