Five habits that lead to teeth plaque

Nobody likes getting plaque on their teeth. Here are five other ways you can avoid that dreaded enemy of the teeth, courtesy of our friends at WebMD.

Let’s start with not brushing regularly. Brushing your teeth twice a day with a fluoride-containing toothpaste is vital to a healthy mouth. Make sure you softly brush all the surfaces of your teeth.

Next on the list is not flossing daily: a simple daily flossing between teeth clears away plaque before it can cause damage and can also clean plaque at the gum line. Plaque is known to reach the spaces between teeth.

Also, evading your dentist is probably not a great idea. Let’s say you brush and floss daily. You’re still at risk for plaque. With time, the plaque hardens and turns into tartar. Consider visiting your dentist at least twice a year, and you have a lower chance of getting cavities or losing your teeth.

You’ll also want to stop avoiding those fruits and veggies. Believe it or not, there are foods out there that play a key role in keeping plaque off our teeth. They include apples, carrots, cucumbers and other raw fruits and vegetables. You can still eat these types of fruits and veggies if you have braces, but be sure to cut them up into bite sized pieces to avoid breaking off brackets.

Finally, before you pick that candy up, think about giving in to your sweet tooth. Consuming sugary drinks or eating candy or other junk food allows sugar to stick to our teeth. The bacteria, then, becomes plaque, which turns into acid and damages our teeth. Avoiding these five bad habits keeps your plaque in check and your mouth as healthy as can be. If you have any questions, visit our web page on oral hygiene, or contact our office at 1-800-920-9798.

Hope this helps,
Drs. Baby & Rojas

Support the London and Wingham Food Banks!

Christmas will soon be here which means that once again our office is gathering food items for the London and Wingham Food Banks.

If you are able, we ask that you donate one non-perishable food item at your next visit. There will be a box at the London office, and donations can be given to Lois at the Wingham office. Donations will be collected from Nov. 19th - Dec. 19th. Thanks so much for your support of this worthy cause!

-Drs. Paula Baby and Jamie Rojas

Keeping you safe this cold & flu season, from Drs. Baby & Rojas and team

Traditionally cold and flu season starts in Fall, but this year it seems to have started much earlier and with the number of patients canceling appointments because of flu and H1N1 symptoms our office is taking additional precautions to help prevent the spread of germs.

With flu season here we wanted to stress the importance of keeping you and everyone around you healthy. A few ideas to help reduce your chances of getting the flu include:

--Washing your hands often
--Disinfecting frequently touched areas (i.e. light switches, telephones, toys, door knobs etc.)
--Avoiding people who have the flu
--Taking a reusable bottle to school (rather than using a school fountain which may be contaminated)
--Refraining from touching your face with your hands

You can also protect yourself by eating a healthy diet and getting adequate sleep (at least 7-8 hours per night). Also, it is very important to practice “cough etiquette” which includes coughing or sneezing into a tissue or the crook of your elbow.

To help reduce the transfer of the flu or any other contagious illness our office asks that if you are not feeling well please call to reschedule your appointment. We will be very understanding in this regard. We want you, as well as our staff, to be as healthy as possible.

Before you go, we'd like to share with you this important article about the importance of washing your hands this cold and flu season.

If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call! Stay healthy!

November is here, but first: How was your Halloween?

October has come and gone, and—believe it or not—we’re almost in full holiday mode! But before we forget about the spooky month that just wrapped up, we’d like to know how you celebrated Halloween! What did you wear? How much candy did you get? Did you have fun?

If you have any photos or videos that you would like to share with us, please send them our way! We hope you all had a happy and safe Halloween!

Also, what are you up to this month? Anything exciting happening in your life? If so, we’d love to hear all about it.

From Drs. Baby and Rojas and team.