November is Diabetes Awareness Month
Whether you have type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes, managing your blood sugar level is key. The higher your blood sugar level, the higher your risk of tooth decay (cavities), early gum disease (gingivitis), advanced gum disease (periodontitis), thrush, and dry mouth (xerostomia). To help prevent damage to your teeth and gums, it’s important to take diabetes and dental care seriously. Some tips to help with your diabetes include: monitoring your blood sugar levels, brush your teeth at least twice a day, floss your teeth at least once a day, schedule regular dental visits, tell your dentist if you have diabetes, look for early signs of gum disease, and don’t smoke. For more information on diabetes and your oral health, click on the link: Diabetes and Oral Health | Diabetes | CDC
Use or Lose your Insurance Benefits!
As you know, we are approaching the end of 2024, which means whatever dental insurance benefits you do not use, you will lose by December 31st. Most dental insurance benefits have a provided annual maximum for members to use throughout the calendar year. Most people do not realize this and let hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars’ worth of benefits go back into the insurance company’s bank account. Even though dental treatment is never dictated by insurance, if you have any treatment that needs to be completed, or if you have any dental concerns, or are overdue for that cleaning, it would be very useful to come in before the end of the year. The same also applies to anyone who has a flexible or health savings account through their employer. Do not let your precious insurance benefits go to waste. You pay for them, now use them!
For Our College Students…
For many of us, November means the holidays are quickly approaching and the year is coming to an end. Your homes will be filled with family and friends gathered for celebrations. This means your college students are coming home for their winter breaks! Make sure to call us and schedule their checkup appointments while they are in town!
Did you Take your Pre-Meds??
Lately, we have been having some of our patients come in for their dental appointment, and forgetting to take their antibiotics one hour prior to their appointment. Although we have Amoxicillin and Clindamycin in our office in case a patient forgets to premedicate before coming here, please understand that we will now be charging a fee of $15 for the medication. If you need a prescription called into your pharmacy before your appointment, please call our office ahead of time and we will be happy to call one in for you.
Dental Fun Fact
The color of your teeth is partly determined by your genetics. Although everyone’s teeth start off as white, certain shades can be genetically predetermined, so more yellow in teeth isn’t necessarily unhealthy.
