A visit to the Dentist is a chore that everyone knows they have to do. I can’t say we always like it but we know we have to do it. What about when you mix the visit with a good dose of guilt?

Now, throw in those American traditions that send our Dental Guilt Meter through the roof…Valentine’s Day and Halloween!

OMG talk about falling off the healthy snack bandwagon by forgetting to avoid excess refined sugar in our diets!

Well, it is Valentine’s Day 2012; time to think about cupid’s arrow and loving each other and chocolate! Every February 14, across the United States and in other places around the world, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. I have often heard people say that Valentine’s Day is a product of the greeting card and candy manufacturers marketing department. Well I guess it works because Americans send around a billion (yes that’s the 9 - 0’s billion) greeting cards annually. OK, that’s less than half the amount of cards sent around Christmas (2.6 billion says the Greeting Card Association), but it’s still a whole bunch of cards! It isn’t all the manufacturers fault, according to History.com. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. It wasn’t until the 1840s that Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures.

So let’s get back to the Dental Guilt stuff – here’s the good news: sugar does not cause cavities. There is a whole lot of other bad stuff refined sugar can be blamed for but not directly for decay on teeth. Dental caries (decay leading to breakdown of teeth) is actually caused by the bi-product of bacterial metabolism – acid. If we can get rid of the bacteria before it sits on the teeth long enough to cause decay then we can help to prevent cavities. Sugar helps the bacteria stick to the tooth and is among the list of different food products that provide nutrition to the bacteria. So throw out the dental guilt and grab a toothbrush and some floss and get rid of the bacteria!

Meanwhile this is Valentine’s Day and we should express our affection some way. Here at Today’s Dental we love to make people's teeth bright and white. Our Valentine’s Day promotion is the gift of Whiter Teeth. For the rest of the month of February 2012 the first patient (new or existing) that mentions this blog and one of our doctor’s: Dr. Michael Glass, Dr. Bradley DeMark or Dr. Howard Farran can receive a FREE GIFT CERTIFICATE for an in office Whitening Treatment after your teeth are checked and cleaned. The next five patients mentioning our blog (after the first patient) will get $50.00 off any of our whitening treatment systems they choose.

So get right back on to the healthy tooth bandwagon; call Today’s Dental for an appointment; let us know you saw this blog, take advantage of our offers and enjoy Valentine’s Day.

Lose the guilt & share the love!

-Dr. Michael Glass