What's in a Smile?

Interesting article in the New York Times about when and how we interpret smiles. A short excerpt from the article:

people recognize smiles by mimicking them. When a smiling person locks eyes with another person, the viewer unknowingly mimics a smile as well. In their new paper, Dr. Niedenthal and her colleagues point to a number of studies indicating that this imitation activates many of the same regions of the brain that are active in the smiler.

A happy smile, for example, is accompanied by activity in the brain’s reward circuits, and looking at a happy smile can excite those circuits as well. Mimicking a friendly smile produces a different pattern of brain activity. It activates a region of the brain called the orbitofrontal cortex, which distinguishes feelings for people with whom we have a close relationship from others. The orbitofrontal cortex becomes active when parents see their own babies smile, for example, but not other babies.

So, smiling at each other does lead to positive feelings. Growing Smiles recommends plenty of them! To read more from the article, follow the link here.

The Importance of Early Dental Health

As an effective way to begin a lifelong program of preventive dentistry, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends that dental visits begin with the appearance of a child's first tooth, typically around six months but no later than one year.

During the first visit, Dr. Kelli Henderson and her staff check for proper oral and facial development to determine whether teeth are growing in properly and to detect early tooth decay. It also gives the Growing Smiles team a chance to walk parents through a home dental care program for their children.

Early preventive care also is a sound health and economic investment. Studies show that the dental costs for children who have their first dental visit before age one are 40 percent lower in the first five years than for those who do not see a dentist prior to their first birthday. In addition, without preventive care, the impact of tooth decay on child development can be striking. Numerous studies have linked childhood cavities with lower than ideal body weight. Even more disturbing is evidence that the effects of poor oral health may be felt for a lifetime: emerging research suggests that improper oral hygiene may increase a child's risk of eventually having low-birth-weight babies, developing heart disease or suffering a stroke as an adult.

In addition to regular dental visits, Dr. Kelli Henderson recommends that parents take the following precautions to help prevent tooth decay in children:

• Brush your child's gums twice a day with a soft cloth or baby toothbrush and water even before the first tooth appears.

• Talk to Dr. Henderson about your child's fluoride needs.

• If you must put your child to sleep with a bottle, use nothing but water - other beverages can damage teeth, leading to cavities.

• Never dip a pacifier into honey or anything sweet before giving it to a baby.

• The best times for your child to brush are after breakfast and before bed.

• Limit frequency of snacking, which can increase a child's risk of developing cavities.

• Take good care of your own teeth. Studies show that babies and small children can catch cavity-causing bacteria from their parents.

Happy Holidays from the Growing Smiles Team!

Just a short note to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday. Hope that you are enjoying family and friends and spending quality time with everyone. We are taking a short break at the office but will re-open December 27th. If you need to reach us, please visit the website or call us at 785-856-5600.

Great Video For Growing Smiles

For all you kids (and parents) who want to know about teeth cleaning, watch the video below!

Growing Smiles Featured on the News!

Just a quick update to the candy buyback program. We were featured on Channel 49 in Topeka. If you would like to view the video, click here to see it. You can also click here to read the story. Thanks again to everyone who participated! We sent it out to the troops and they should be receiving it shortly.

Toys-For-Tots Drop-Off

For the Fourth Year in a row, Growing Smiles is a drop-off location for Douglas County Toys-for-Tots.

Please bring a new, unopened toy to Growing Smiles at 1425 Wakarusa, Suite D. The last day we will be accepting toys for the program is December 20, 2010. All toys and money donations go to children in and around Douglas County.

We are looking forward to helping this great program. Please call us at 785-856-5600 if you have any questions.

Over 500 Pounds of Candy Donated By Growing Smiles Patients!

On November 3, 2010, over 200 families showed up to Growing Smiles to donate candy to our military personnel overseas during the Candy Buyback Program! We collected over 500 pounds of candy (and probably eliminated a whole bunch of cavities too!)

Here is a picture of just part of the candy we received:

The kids had a great time getting a ticket for each pound of candy they donated. Then they entered it in a raffle to win a cool prize, like an XBox 360, a Nintendo DS and lots of other cool prizes.

Thanks again to all of those who participated and to the winners of all the neat prizes for making this such a fun event. We also collected several letters from kids to our service men and women that we will include with the care package. If you missed the event, we will be doing it again in 2011!