Are there teeth grinders in your house?

Grind, grind, grind. If you live with a teeth grinder, you may be familiar with this unpleasant sound. A recent study published in the journal Head & Face Medicine suggests that people—adults and kids—faced with stress tend to cope by grinding their teeth.

During stressful times, teeth grinding can be a nuisance that causes headaches and sleep problems, but it also can cause lasting problems for your teeth and gums, including chipped teeth, worn enamel, chronic pain, or even TMD, a painful jaw disorder.

The first step of recovering from teeth grinding is noticing the problem, says Dr. Baker. Symptoms of teeth grinding include:

• Sensitivity in the teeth
• Tightness or pain in the jaw
• Dull headaches, earaches, or facial pain
• Chipped, worn down, or loose teeth

An important thing to remember is that people frequently grind their teeth in response to stress, and taking measures to reduce or eliminate stress can help solve the problem. If the teeth-grinder in your house can’t stop, schedule an appointment to see us by giving us a call. Dr. Baker and our team at Baker Orthodontics can help determine the cause of the problem.

Lifting the tobacco smoke screen, from Dr. Baker and Healthy Smiles

Dr. Bradford Baker and our team participate in the San Diego State University’s health program, “Healthy Smiles.” This month’s topic is other forms of tobacco, such as hookah. This form of tobacco is relatively new in the U.S. and we wanted to provide our patients with some current information about hookah.

Hookah or the “water pipe” refers to the use of tobacco in a method by which the smoke passes through water prior to entering the smoker’s body.

Passing smoke through water does NOT make it healthier or safer. In fact, smoking hookah is just as harmful and addictive as cigarettes!

Smoke from a single hookah session contains approximately 36 times the tar, 8.3 times the carbon monoxide and 1.7 times the nicotine of the smoke produced by 1 cigarette.

Smoking hookah has been linked to lung cancer, oral cancer, and respiratory, cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases. Shared mouthpieces pose a health risk for infectious diseases such tuberculosis.

Hookah bars expose non-smokers to second hand smoke risks including high levels of fine particles known to cause cardio-respiratory problems.

The tobacco industry markets hookah to teens and young-adults and portray tobacco as exotic, sophisticated and fun. Hookah is usually available at bars or lounges around college campuses, even in San Diego, CA!

Smile wider, live longer, from Baker Orthodontics

Folks with big smiles may actually live longer than those who don’t, according to a March 2010 study at Michigan’s Wayne State University. Dr. Baker has known for quite some time that positive emotion has been linked to both physical and mental health, but researchers at the university did something quite interesting: they looked at photos of 230 ball-players who began their careers in baseball prior to 1950 and studied their smile intensity (ranging from big smile, no smile or partial smile). The players' smile ratings were compared with data from deaths that occurred from 2006 through 2009. The researchers then took into account other factors that impact life longevity, including body mass index, career length and even college attendance.

The results? Researchers found that players who weren't smiling in the photos died at the average age of 72.9 years. Players with partial smiles lived to be 75. Those with big smiles, however, lived on average to be 79.9 years old.

The take-away from the new study? Smile now, smile often and you might just live longer! Have you been perfecting your smile by visiting Baker Orthodontics on a regular basis? If not, give us a call!

Silly March holidays with Dr. Baker and team

This March, our team at Baker Orthodontics would like to have some fun with patients and celebrate a few of the month's wacky holidays. Stay tuned in the upcoming weeks as we post updates about a few of our less-celebrated occasions, such as International Pancake Day. We would love if you shared your responses to these holidays on our Facebook page, or by commenting on our blog.

Happy International Pancake Day, from all of us at Baker Orthodontics!!

Are you feeling lucky?

Is there a pot o' gold at the end of your rainbow? Do you have any good luck charms, or slight superstitions that you believe are associated with good luck? Here at Baker Orthodontics, we create our own luck! In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, however, we are hosting a Lucky Charms Contest to bring out the Irish in us all.

Now through March 31, we invite patients to stop Baker Orthodontics and enter our Lucky Charms Contest. The contest winner will receive $25 in gold coins.

Good luck!

Technology helps you relax at Baker Orthodontics

It used to be that people were terrified to see the orthodontist. And Dr. Baker understands that some patients are still nervous. But fear not! The days of fear and loathing when driving to an orthodontist appointment are gone! And it’s all due to technology. That’s right, technology has allowed orthodontists everywhere to zero in on patient care and comfort.

For example, braces are much more comfortable and the treatment time has been reduced. In addition, the advances in the orthodontic field have permitted digital photos and X-rays of your mouth, patient charting and improved communications between doctor and patient.

If you have any questions about how Dr. Baker uses state-of-the-art technology, give us a call and ask!

A great braces-friendly winter recipe, from Baker Orthodontics

Winter is here, and sometimes we here at Baker Orthodontics just feel like a hot delicious meal is in order. Our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) made an appetizing (and braces-friendly!) dish that is sure to delight. Dr. Baker would like to remind you that a healthy diet provides essential nutrients and helps you achieve the best possible result from your orthodontic treatment.

Pasta Pomodorini

Ingredients:

• ¾ pound spaghetti or spaghetti
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• ¼ cup sliced garlic
• ½ teaspoon finely minced Calabrian chilies, or 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 pint small cherry tomatoes, stems removed, crushed between your thumb and forefinger
• Sea salt, preferably gray salt
• ½ cup fresh basil leaves, each torn into 2 or 3 pieces
• Wedge of Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta. While the pasta cooks, heat the 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add the garlic and cook until the slivers are golden brown and crisp, then add the chilies and cook for about 30 seconds. Raise the heat to high and add the tomatoes. Simmer briskly to soften the tomatoes and thicken the juices, about 3 minutes. Season with salt. When the pasta is al dente, scoop out about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta. Return the pasta to the warm pot off the heat. Add the sauce and the basil and mix well. Add some of the reserved cooking water if the pasta seems dry. Transfer to a warmed serving bowl and grate Parmesan over the top to taste. Drizzle with a little more olive oil. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Enjoy this great winter dish and have a great week!
--From Dr. Baker and staff