Tag Archives: holidays

Make a Friend Smile Contest

26 Monday Nov 2012

Posted by in Contests, General Dentistry

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As the weather starts to cool and the year winds to a close we think about all we are thankful for and the loved ones who mean so much to us. This holiday season we want to help you say “thank you” to that one special person who you’ll be thinking about most this holiday season. So we are holding the Make a Friend Smile Contest!

To enter, post a picture of you and/or your loved one enjoying the holiday season. It could be a picture of you two trimming the tree, having a snowball fight or just sipping some hot coco. Whatever brings a smile to your face! Then tell us how that person makes you smile and get people to vote for your photo and story. The person with the most votes wins one $50 American express gift card for themselves and one for their loved one! Fans can vote once a day. So encourage people to vote for your photo everyday! There will be a $25 second place prize for you and a friend and we will randomly pick one winner from all who entered to win another $25 prize for you and a friend.

Click here to enter, then:

1. Fill out the entry form and upload a photo showcasing your loved one.

2. Tell us how they make you smile in the photo description box

3. Get people to vote!

4. The photo with the most votes will win one $50 American Express gift card for themselves and one for their loved one! One second-place winner will win one $25 American Express gift card for themselves and one for their loved one.

5. We will also have another winner that we will randomly draw from all who enter. That person will receive one $25 American Express gift card for themselves and one for their loved one.

DentistUSA’s Make a Friend Smile Contest starts November 26, 2012 and runs through December 14, 2012.  The winners will be announced December 17, 2012.

Remember, people can vote once a day. So get them to like, share and vote as often as possible!

Good luck and happy holidays from all of us at DentistUSA!

A Smile Friendly Holiday Sweet Fix

14 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by in Adult Dentistry, General Dentistry, oral hygeine, pediatric dentistry, Tooth Enamel

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As a kid, I would always get the same answer as to why I wasn’t allowed to eat candy: “It will rot your teeth!” Now, I’m not much of a candy guy to begin with. Even as a kid I ate more fruits than candy but still, my parents would not relent, no matter how much fruit I ate.  Even during the holidays, I wouldn’t get so much as a candy cane. All because my stupid teeth might dissolve while still attached to my gums.

All grown up now and with my candy cane craving growing with the approaching holiday, I started to wonder: Is there any candy that might be good for your teeth?

To answer that question we have to first get to the root of the problem. Candy is bad for your teeth because of sugar. Why is sugar bad? Well, the bacteria in your mouth feed on sugar and create acid. It’s that acid that creates cavities and gum disease. So, as I’m sure you can imagine, sugar free candy is a fine replacement for any candy that might otherwise be high in sugar.

Sugar free gums like Orbit, Extra and Eclipse have been given an ADA seal of acceptance and have been shown to reduce plaque acid and strengthen teeth.

There are now sugar free, multi-vitamin, gummy bears that give kids their candy fix along with a healthy dose of vitamins to keep the rest of their body strong. I wish they had those when I was a kid. I had to suffer through the old school, children’s chewables… actually those weren’t so bad.

Chocolate is good for teeth. It does have sugar but that sugar is mixed in with fat that prevents the sugar from long exposure to teeth. Also, cocoa contains a lot of polyphenols, which can kill or suppress bacteria, preventing them from growing or producing tooth-attacking acid. Of course, the higher the cocoa level, the lower the sugar and subsequently, better for your teeth. I enjoy a nice 75% Dark Chocolate with a nice glass of Cab.

How about lollipops? Microbiologists from the Department of Oral Biology at the UCLA School of Dentistry have found that extract from the licorice root helps to disable bacteria that cause cavities. This extract can now be found in Dr. John’s® Herbal Lollipop, which advertises, “(take one) in the morning and one lollipop in the evening, for 10 days, disables tooth decay bacteria for 3 to 6 months.”

So, next time I think about having a sweet treat, I’ll remember my mother screaming about my teeth…. as I unwrap another Candy Cane.