Blog » Saratoga Dentistry

Going Green Button Saves Energy & Money

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Dr. Araldi in Blog, Environmental

Two Southern California energy companies are using something called the Green Button with their customers.

No less than the White House has thrown their weight behind this idea, and it’s something so simple, it seems we should’ve had it for the past decade, at the very least.

The Button basically allows you to monitor and download your energy consumption levels, giving you the ability to keep a closer watch on your usage.

One study showed that subjects who were given access to their data reduced their usage by 8.7% just by tracking it. At scale, this could mean an annual savings of $32 billon per year on the country’s annual $369 billion power bill.

Those are some monster numbers!

If you’ve known me for any length of time, you know I’m all for an initiative like this one, so I hope the government is successful in getting this adopted nationwide.

Would you keep closer tabs on your energy usage, given the ability to check it at any time?

Alzheimer’s Check-ins Continue

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Dr. Araldi in Blog

Our Facebook Check-in deal for the Alzheimer’s Association of Northern California was a great success, and we’d like to extend it into 2012.

We really want to make a big push on this, so please check out the Deal on our Facebook Page.

One thing about this I really want to stress is that you don’t need an appointment to participate. Just stop in for two seconds and execute your check-in.

Not only that, but you don’t need to be a patient. Feel free to stop in, to pass this to friends/family/co-workers, or if you are a patient, drop by with a friend.

This is a great cause and we want to give as much as we can. Thanks so much for your help and support!

Dental Care as New Year’s Resolution

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Dr. Araldi in Blog, Cleaning, Health

USA Today had a list of personal health related resolutions for 2012, and I was glad to see that dental care was brought up.

Specifically, they noted the importance of taking care of one’s mouth beyond the obvious points of gum disease, tooth decay, and aesthetics.

New research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions in November found that people who had their teeth cleaned by a dentist or hygienist had a 24% lower risk of heart attack and 13% lower risk of stroke.

I’ve talked about this before, and the reason is that the research keeps providing further support for it. 24% is a huge number and worth paying attention to!

If you’ve been lax in your dental visits the past couple years, please make the effort to go in 2012.

Facebook Holiday Check-Ins

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Dr. Araldi in Blog, Facebook

This is just a quick note to let you know about our special Facebook check-in deal we’re running during the holidays.

Beginning today, if you check-in on your mobile smartphone with the Facebook App (we can show you how), we’re donating two dollars to the Alzheimer’s Association of Northern California.

If you don’t have an appointment and happen to be in the area, please drop by and check-in, anyway – we want to give as much as we can.

This is a cause that’s very special to us, and we appreciate your participation. Hope to see you soon.

You can connect with the Association on Facebook right here.

9 Possible Signs of Oral Cancer

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Dr. Araldi in Blog

(The staff hard at work signing Christmas cards.)

According to one recent report, cancers of the mouth and throat are on the decline among the well-educated.

In the spirit of remaining educated on the topic, here are nine things to look for that may indicate you should come into the office and get checked out for such things.

* Swellings/thickenings, lumps or bumps, rough spots/crusts/or eroded areas on the lips, gums, or other areas inside the mouth.

* Development of velvety white, red, or speckled (white and red) patches in the mouth.

* Unexplained bleeding in the mouth.

* Unexplained numbness, loss of feeling, or pain/tenderness in any area of the face, mouth, or neck.

* Persistent sores on the face, neck, or mouth that bleed easily and do not heal within 2 weeks.

* A soreness or feeling that something is caught in the back of the throat.

* Difficulty chewing or swallowing, speaking, or moving the jaw or tongue.

* Hoarseness, chronic sore throat, or change in voice.

* A change in the way your teeth or dentures fit together.

Other signs could be persistent ear pains and dramatic weight loss. Both of those can be indicators of a number of other things, as well, so I would hesitate to include them on any primary list.

Now, if we can get the uneducated to absorb this same information and avoid oral cancer, I will be even happier about the report linked above.

Santa Clara Country Puts Fluoride in Water

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Dr. Araldi in Blog, Health

Santa Clara Fluoride (A shot of climbing Lover’s Leap from my Flickr stream.)We’ve had a huge milestone for Santa Clara County, as its now become the last metropolitan area of its size to fluoridate water.

Will it make a difference for the underserved in our region? The investment is large in the short run and the long term benefits may be excellent, as studies have shown that there is a significant impact in communities where water is fluoridated.

If you’re not aware of the issue, the fluoride debates are classic – even some dental health care providers oppose it. The big argument against it: mass medication.

That said, is fluoride a medicine? Is calcium? Salt? What about potassium? Vitamins in general?

Fluoride is an element on the periodic table, and drinking water in some regions has naturally high fluoride ion concentrations. In fact, some are naturally higher than the water company will mix in San Jose.

On the other side of the argument, fluoride can indeed cause improper dental development, resulting in a blotchy spotting and/or pitting of enamel. The technical term for this is fluorosis.

However, water companies provide fluoride at incredibly low concentrations – the levels are set so low that fluorosis could not be a possibility, at least due to water consumption.

Communities in the US have been fluoridating water since the 1940s, and over the past 60+ years, none of these communities show any significant change in cancer/disease rates (not including dental caries) as compared to the national average. Yet, all of these communities do show a significant decrease in dental decay as compared to the national average.

There are many studies which show effectiveness and safety for fluoride programs. Here is a start.

I’d love to hear your opinions of this – please comment or let me know what you think on Facebook.

One Reason to Check Your Dog’s Teeth

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Dr. Araldi in Blog, Brushing

I was doing some reading and ended up stumbling upon the fact that 80% of dogs and cats over the age of 2 have some type of dental disease.

Let me spell that out quite literally: eighty percent!!

Just like in humans, oral disease and infection can lead to serious health conditions such as heart, kidney or liver disease.

The number one sign that your dog might have a problem with their oral hygiene is bad breath.

Make sure to check your dog’s breath at least once per week. It’s never going to smell minty fresh, of course, but anything particularly offensive could be problematic.

This page on the ASPCA website is a great resource, and provides some additional information and tips on making sure your dog has a healthy mouth.

How To Get Rid of Extra Halloween Candy

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Dr. Araldi in Blog, Children, Food, Health

(This is a friend’s dog from a hike this summer – more photos on my Flickr page.)

Dentists across the nation are consumed by worry for their youngest patients today.

Halloween, an undeniably fun holiday that unleashes havoc on the mouths of children (and adults) everywhere.

Many dentists run Halloween candy buy-back programs, like the one we did last year.

One such Doctor is this one in Indiana who is collecting patients’ excess candy and sending it overseas to the troops. The sentiment is a neat one.

What do you do with your excess candy? What kind of limits – if any – do you put on your kids’ consumption?

Fall Referral Contest

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Dr. Araldi in Blog, Contests, Referrals

Our semi-annual referral contest is back in a new edition for October and November.

I really can’t express enough how much it means when you refer in your family, friends, and acquaintances to the practice, and for the Thanksgiving season, we’ve put together the pictured gift basket.

For every new patient you refer in between now and Thanksgiving, you’ll be entered to win this package, which you’ll be able to check out in person if you happen to be in this month.

Just call or email the office with any questions, and you can always leave us a note on Facebook or Twitter, as well.

Thanks again, and let’s all enjoy the upcoming holiday season!

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