It's spring again! And with spring comes new life and longer, brighter days. In this issue of Word of Mouth, we fill you in on a little-known secret. Flossing once a day can actually extend your life. We also shed some light on the dangers associated with drinking too much soda, and we will make you aware of some simple “esthetic” procedures that can add sparkle to your smile.

By flossing every day, you can actually increase the length of your life by four years. In fact, according to a study by the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, regular flossing may also help to reduce the risk of cardiac disease. Inflammation of the gums has been known to increase the risk of heart disease. If you take the few minutes it takes to floss your teeth at the beginning or end of each day, it will become as routine as tying your shoes or riding a bike. Combined with brushing at least twice a day, maintaining a healthy diet, and getting regular checkups, you may gain a few more years of traveling, playing with your kids, or tossing the ball with Rover. To learn more about how to improve your quality of life, visit www.LivingTo100.com and take the longevity test.

Esthetics, or cosmetic dentistry, refers to one or more treatments available to help improve the look of your smile. In this issue, we will break down some of the techniques we use in our practice to keep you smiling brighter longer. On the subject of smiling, there is one culprit of poor dental health for which most, if not all, of us have an affinity. Sugar! And perhaps our most prevalent source for sugar is soda and soft drinks. Well, as you’ll learn in this issue, it’s time to kick the soda habit.

We’re subjected every day to temptations that can lead to poor dental health. At Hagen Dental Practice, we feel it is our job to help you manage those temptations. Please call on us anytime with questions about dental care. For now, enjoy this issue of Word of Mouth.

Time to Kick the Soda Habit

Are you one of those folks who craves soda all day long? Regardless if you drink diet soda, regular soda, or sports drinks, you are at a high risk for obesity and tooth decay.

Here are some shocking statistics:

• Your odds of becoming obese increase 60 percent for each can or glass a day of sugar-sweetened soft drinks.
• By drinking 18 ounces of sugar-sweetened soft drinks a day, you can easily gain two pounds per month!
• Individuals drinking three or more sodas a day have up to 62 percent more decayed, missing, and filled teeth than those who drink less!

The effects of drinking sugar-sweetened soft drinks can cause quite a bit of harm to your body. Some of the issues identified with these drinks are teeth corrosion, confusion with the body’s appetite-regulating hormones in the digestive tract, attraction to the bones, and encouragement of organ breakdown that leads to diabetes. In addition, drinking too much sugar can make you feel out of shape, give you mood swings, and lead to erratic energy levels.

Probably the biggest culprit of the sugar-sweetened drink category is soda. Soda is extremely bad for the teeth because of its high levels of acid. By measuring the pH levels in soda, which is an indication of acidity, we can prove how harmful soda is on your teeth. The scale goes from 1 to 14, with battery acid having a pH level of 1 and water having a pH level of 7, which means neutral. Surprisingly, sugar-sweetened sodas have a pH level of approximately 2.5 and diet sodas have a level of 3.2. This high level of acidity stays on your teeth, eroding the enamel, speeding up the decay process, and making it easier for bacteria to enter the teeth.

How much time it takes to consume soda also affects your teeth. Sipping on soda is more harmful on your teeth than if you gulped all of it down at once. This is because soda acidifies the saliva. When you gulp down a whole can at one time, your saliva can return to normal in 20 minutes. Unfortunately, we don’t drink soda in this manner. On average, people drink a can of soda over a period of one hour or more. This is problematic because your saliva is never given a chance to return to normal.

Now that your eyes have been opened to the dangers of sugar-sweetened drinks, it is time to kick the soda habit and switch to drinking water. Also, don’t forget to visit Dr. Hagen to make sure that afternoon pop hasn’t already given you cavities or other dental problems.

Information provided by http://health.msn.com

Esthetics Can Improve Your Smile and Your Self-Esteem

Everyone likes a smile. According to Dictionary.com, a smile is a universal facial expression characterized by an upward curving of the corners of the mouth and indicating pleasure and amusement. What the dictionary doesn’t mention is how bright, shiny teeth enhance the appearance of a smile. We all want a healthy, happy smile, and that sometimes can take a little help. The appearance of a clean smile can improve your self-esteem. Fortunately, there are several procedures available that can improve the look of your smile.

According to the American Dental Association, esthetics, sometimes called cosmetic dentistry, refers to one or more treatments available to help improve the look of your smile. These treatments can include placing veneers on teeth, or filling a tooth to match the natural color of your teeth.

There are various treatments available to patients depending on their desired results. Below are a few different types of procedures we provide in esthetic dentistry that can help improve your smile.

Veneers
Veneers are shell coverings placed over teeth to enhance or correct their appearance. Whether to close spaces, increase size, change color, or straighten the teeth, veneers can give your teeth a clean, healthy look and a more youthful smile.

Dental Crowns
A crown is similar to a cap on a tooth. It covers the tooth above the gum to restore its function and look. There are a variety of materials used to construct crowns. We can even produce crowns that look and feel like your real teeth. Full porcelain crowns can match existing teeth in color, shape, and luster better than ever before.

Teeth Whitening
Whitening teeth is one of the easiest procedures we perform for our patients. Zoom Whitening!, made popular in the television series Extreme Makeover, removes stains and brightens the outer layer of teeth. And while there are different techniques for whitening teeth, we have chosen to offer Zoom Whitening! exclusively due to its ease of use and the level of satisfaction it delivers.

One of the most important benefits of esthetics is that the results are easy to predict. Technology has advanced, and dentists now have many methods for repairing, restoring, or otherwise changing the appearance of teeth. So, whether you decide to have a gap filled, a chip repaired, or a stain concealed, you're unlikely to have unpleasant surprises later.

If you would like to learn about the different options for esthetics we provide, call us and ask. We are more than happy to answer any of your questions about esthetics and how it can keep you smiling brighter longer.

Kris Wickemeier Raises Funds for Cincinnati’s Youth Incorporated

Kris Wickemeier is a 22-year veteran of Dr. Hagen’s office and a model patient, coming in twice a year, brushing every day, and flossing regularly. Kris is also a model citizen, having volunteered her services to Youth Incorporated for the past two years.

Youth Incorporated was chosen as one of five Marvin Lewis Community Fund non-profit organizations, and serves at-risk inner-city youth by giving them an alternative to the juvenile detention system. The organization provides a residential program for youths, with positive role models to help the kids make responsible decisions and good life choices. Youth Incorporated believes “No kid is a ‘Throw Away’ kid.” The organization is committed to giving children a chance at a brighter future than what they would have otherwise.

Kris is working on Youth Incorporated’s annual fundraiser, “Cruise for our Kids with Coach Lewis and the 2007 Bengal Rookies,” as a member of the Silent Auction committee. The two-hour cruise takes place May, 16th 2007. Kris’ Committee is currently looking for auction donations. Interested parties can call (513) 618-3057 to donate items. Those interested in sponsorship of the event can contact Deborah Rogowski at (513) 236-2193. Sponsorship packages start at $2,000. After all sponsorships are sold, any remaining tickets will be available for $200 each. The cruise will include dinner by the bite, an open bar, and the silent auction. Organizers hope to raise $19,000.

Of her involvement with Youth Incorporated and the annual fundraisers, Kris said, “It feels good to be giving back to the community. You hear so much about Cincinnati and the inner city. It’s nice to feel like you are doing something to help make a difference. I enjoy it, and I intend to continue to be involved with it.”

Outside of her involvement with volunteer activities for Youth Incorporated, Kris is the Director of Compliance at RiverPoint Capital Management, an investment advisory firm with approximately $950 million in assets under management. She was the first person in the City of Cincinnati and the second in the State of Ohio to obtain a new compliance designation of Investment Adviser Certified Compliance Professional (IACCPsm). “Compliance is very important to the investment advisory industry, and there are a lot of changes going on right now. I am proud to have reached this special level of expertise and leadership in our industry,” Kris said.

Kris became a Cincinnati resident at the age of 12, when she moved to Finneytown with her family from LaPorte, Indiana. She currently lives in White Oak with her husband, Tom, who owns a home remodeling business. She stays busy exercising, entertaining family and friends, and enjoying the company of her and Tom’s three dogs—a Toy Fox Terrier named Mikey, a Doberman Pinscher named Chance, and Dagan, a 9-mth-old Great Dane.

To get more information about how you can become involved with Youth Incorporated, contact Stephanie Tunison at (513) 681-8483 or stunison@cincinnatiyouth.org. And don’t forget to be a leader in your community and a model patient, just like Kris.

Our Patients are the Best!

CONGRATULATIONS to Kara Bywater for submitting the most answers to the question “How many uses for dental floss can you think of?” Kara submitted 43 uses for floss - too many to list! Some of her uses included DNA evidence at a crime scene and teasing your cat.

As the winner of last issue’s contest, Kara received a free Zoom Whitening! treatment. Kara is thrilled to have won the contest, as she has been trying to win since our first contest. Thanks for hanging in there, Kara! Not only does she know how to use floss, she is now smiling brighter.

For this issue’s contest, the winner will enjoy dinner at one of Cincinnati’s finest restaurants, along with one of the best views of the Queen City. All who submit answers will be entered to win a gift certificate to the Primavista restaurant in Price Hill. As always, you must submit your answer in writing. This issue's deadline is May 23.

Now, for this issue's contest question.

Individuals who drink more than three sodas a day have what percentage more of decayed, missing, and filled teeth compared to those who drink less?

You can e-mail your answer to hagendds@aol.com, or drop off your entry when you make your next visit to our office. Make sure you remember to put your name on your entry, or you can not win. We will notify the winner by phone or e-mail.

Good luck!

A Simple Smile Reminder…and FREE Reds Tickets!

To accompany our recent office remodeling, we’re also upgrading how we communicate with our patients. We would like you to send us your e-mail addresses so we can keep you up to date on the latest dental trends, send you reminders for appointments, and send you the latest dental tips to help you maintain the look and health of your mouth, gums, and teeth. And, using our new “Smile Reminder” program, you’ll also be able to request and confirm appointments via e-mail and text messages to your cell phones.

To show our appreciation for your help with this effort, we’re offering every patient who sends us their e-mail addresses a chance to win a pack of four (4) Cincinnati Reds tickets with parking pass. The actual game date for the Reds tickets will be determined later. We will inform you…via e-mail, of course.

Send us your e-mail address with the correct spelling of your name so we can enter you to win the Reds tickets. Please respond to hagendds@aol.com, or drop off your e-mail address when you make your next office visit. Thanks!