Happy November! As we celebrate Thanksgiving this month, we want to express our deepest gratitude again to you, our valued patients, for voting us “Best of the Best” General Dental Practice. Your trust means the world to us!
November is also Alzheimer’s Awareness Month—a reminder of the importance of overall health, including oral care, in supporting brain health.
Finally, don’t forget that open enrollment is happening now! It’s the perfect time to review your dental benefits and ensure you’re set for the year ahead.
Thank you for being part of our dental family. We’re thankful for you!
In This Issue:
- Fun Fall Adventures
- Alzheimer’s Awareness: Why Visiting Your Dentist is More Important Than Ever
- Do you have Sensitive Teeth?
- Thank you again, We’re Best of the Best!
- Reminder: Open Enrollment Season – Important Insurance Update for CareFirst Patients
- Recipe of the Month: Spicy Black Bean Soup
- Please Leave us a Review!
Fun Fall Adventures
Fall is one of our favorite times of the year and we’ve been having so much fun. If you’ve visited our office recently, you may have seen some of these highlights on our waiting room bulletin board. If not, we wanted to share them here with you as well!
Flora had a lot of fun with her family exploring a local fall market!
Chelsea’s Halloween costume killed it!
Samantha’s son Kash was super cute for his fall photo shoot!
We love this photo of Abbey with a baby piggy.
Ryn and her family dress in theme costumes every year.
Alzheimer’s Awareness: Why Visiting Your Dentist is More Important Than Ever
It’s Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. The article below was published in our newsletter in 2019. We’re republishing it, with a 2024 update, as a reminder of the importance of taking care of your gums. The evidence in 2024 is even more definitive about gum disease exacerbating or even causing A.D.
2024 Update from Lena: Now, my mother is bedridden, nonverbal, and it’s hard to tell if she recognizes me. Even though there seems to be a genetic component to Alzheimer’s Disease, the field of epigenetics states that our genetic programming can be influenced by the environment and our behavior. Please do whatever you can to prevent this horrible illness by following the advice below.
From 2019:
I’m Lena, Dr. Harvey Levy’s wife. I’m writing today from my mother’s home in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where the temperature yesterday was above a hundred. Today, vicious thunderstorms wreaked havoc on city traffic.
Alzheimer’s disease is wreaking havoc in my mother’s brain. Maybe, if she’d taken better care of her gums, her brain would be healthier.
She can’t remember that last week she had leg surgery after a fall, or even that it hurts her to walk. She refuses to do what the physical therapist asks of her. She asks me how Harvey is doing, I respond, and one minute later she asks me again. After the sun sets, she can’t even remember her own name or recognize her own bedroom.
Symptoms of late onset Alzheimer’s disease can start as early as age 65, but the amyloid plaques and tau tangles symptomatic of the disease start forming in the brain 10-20 years earlier. There is no cure; all medications focused on reducing plaques and tangles developed in the past 15 years have not been effective.
However, there are six well known recommendations to prevent Alzheimer’s and keep it at bay:
- Don’t smoke
- Exercise your body
- Exercise your brain by continually learning new subjects and skills
- Sleep enough and well
- Eat nutritious foods
- Engage in meaningful relationships with others
There’s now a seventh recommendation:
- Keep your gums healthy.
Chronic inflammation, including the gums, has generally been associated with Alzheimer’s for some time. Now we are coming to understand that Alzheimer’s plaques and tangles may be a defense of the brain against P. Gingivalis. This is a bacterium commonly found in the mouths of people with gum disease, and that is able to penetrate into the brain. (reference)
A third of all adults have gum disease. If your gums bleed when you brush or floss — or if you already have been diagnosed with gingivitis or periodontal disease – keep your gums healthy by visiting your dentist as often as the dental hygienist recommends. And, of course, floss daily since bacteria easily accumulate between the teeth.
As a child I was always told to take care of my teeth. What my mother didn’t know to tell me was to also take care of my gums. Healthy gums will help us keep both our teeth and our minds!
Do You Have Sensitive Teeth?
Source: https://www.mouthhealthy.org/all-topics-a-z/sensitive-teeth
Is the taste of ice cream or a sip of hot coffee sometimes a painful experience for you? Does brushing or flossing make you wince occasionally? If so, you may have sensitive teeth.
Possible causes include:
- Tooth decay (cavities)
- Fractured teeth
- Worn fillings
- Gum disease
- Worn tooth enamel
- Exposed tooth root
In healthy teeth, a layer of enamel protects the crowns of your teeth—the part above the gum line. Under the gum line a layer called cementum protects the tooth root. Underneath both the enamel and the cementum is dentin.
Dentin is less dense than enamel and cementum and contains microscopic tubules (small hollow tubes or canals). When dentin loses its protective covering of enamel or cementum these tubules allow heat and cold or acidic or sticky foods to reach the nerves and cells inside the tooth. Dentin may also be exposed when gums recede. The result can be hypersensitivity.
Sensitive teeth can be treated. The type of treatment will depend on what is causing the sensitivity. Your dentist may suggest one of a variety of treatments:
- Desensitizing toothpaste. This contains compounds that help block transmission of sensation from the tooth surface to the nerve, and usually requires several applications before the sensitivity is reduced.
- Fluoride gel. An in-office technique which strengthens tooth enamel and reduces the transmission of sensations.
- A crown, inlay or bonding. These may be used to correct a flaw or decay that results in sensitivity.
- Surgical gum graft. If gum tissue has been lost from the root, this will protect the root and reduce sensitivity.
- Root canal. If sensitivity is severe and persistent and cannot be treated by other means, your dentist may recommend this treatment to eliminate the problem.
Proper oral hygiene is the key to preventing sensitive-tooth pain. Ask your dentist if you have any questions about your daily oral hygiene routine or concerns about tooth sensitivity.
Thank you again, We’re Best of the Best!
We are thrilled to announce that, thanks to you, we have been voted #1 in Best of the Best Dental Practice by the Frederick News Post for the third year in a row! This is an incredible honor that is a testament to the trust and support you place in us. We couldn’t be more grateful!
At our practice, you are not a number – you are an individual. We strive to create a welcoming, safe environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and comfortable while receiving excellent dental care. We are committed to maintaining this standard and to making your experience positive and judgment-free.
Thank you for your enthusiasm, trust, and loyalty. We are humbled to be a part of your healthcare team. We will continue to go above and beyond to provide you and your loved ones with the care you deserve. We wouldn’t be here without you, and we’re excited to serve you for many years to come!
From all of us, thank you again for voting us Best of the Best!
OPEN ENROLLMENT SEASON – IMPORTANT INSURANCE UPDATE FOR CAREFIRST PATIENTS
Starting January 1, 2025, we will no longer be in-network with CareFirst. We want to reassure you that if you have out-of-network benefits through Carefirst, you can still continue receiving care in our office! We’ll work with your benefits and submit claims on your behalf, and we offer financing options as well.
During open enrollment, our front desk coordinators are ready to discuss your options such as other insurances we’re in network with or our Dental Health Club. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions. We’re committed to making this a smooth transition for you!
Recipe of the Month: Spicy Black Bean Soup
Source: https://cookieandkate.com/spicy-vegan-black-bean-soup/
This healthy black bean soup recipe is easy to make with canned beans. Thanks to some basic aromatics and Cuban spices, it’s incredibly flavorful and delicious. This soup is naturally vegan, vegetarian and gluten free. The recipe yields quite a bit of soup (6 to 8 servings)—it is easily halved, or you can freeze the leftovers.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
- 3 celery ribs, finely chopped
- 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
- 6 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 4 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (use ¼ teaspoon if you’re sensitive to spice)
- 4 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 cups (32 ounces) low-sodium vegetable broth
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, to taste, or 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Optional garnishes: diced avocado, extra cilantro, thinly sliced radishes, tortilla chips…
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions, celery and carrot and a light sprinkle of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, cumin and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the beans and broth and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook, reducing heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, until the broth is flavorful and the beans are very tender, about 30 minutes.
- Transfer about 4 cups of the soup to a stand blender, securely fasten the lid, and blend until smooth (never fill your blender past the maximum fill line, and beware the steam that escapes from the top of the blender, it’s very hot). Or, use an immersion blender to blend a portion of the soup.
- Return the pureed soup to the pot, stir in the cilantro, vinegar/lime juice and salt and pepper, to taste. Serve.