10 Tips For Reducing Stress And Improving Your Health

Being stressed impacts on your health and wellbeing. It also impacts on your dental health increasing your risk of dental decay, gum disease, mouth ulcers, clenching and grinding, facial pain, cold sores and poor oral hygiene. A holistic approach deals with the underlying cause of a problem as well as the symptoms that result. When you feel under pressure try these fabulous tips to decrease your stress levels and take care of your health.

1. Stay calm and centered. Remember to stay calm and take it easy. When you feel stressed close your eyes and breathe gently in and out through your nose, make your breaths long and steady but gentle.

2. Care for yourself. No one can take care of you as well as you can. Say when you need a break, take time out for you and do things that help you unwind

3. Sleep well live well. Having the right amount of sleep changes your outlook on life. You feel more alive, less reactive, more productive and much more joyful. Aim to prepare well for sleep by winding down and relaxing before bed. Choosing not to stay up late and waking early leaves you feeling the most rejuvenated.

4. Eat well and avoid stimulants. Food is our best medicine or worst poison. A healthy diet keeps the body strong and is perfect for wellbeing. Watch those double shot lattes and avoid sugar and processed foods full of additives. Caffeine and nicotine put more stress on the nervous system by producing adrenalin and cortisol. Repeated use of stimulants adds to the stress of modern life.

5. Stop the clock. Constantly telling yourself that you are short of time speeds up your biological clock resulting in faster heart rate, increased blood pressure and more adrenalin production. Stay in the present moment and focus on the task at hand, your body clock will slow down, and time seems to expand for you.

6. Take control of anxiety. When we expect the worst and expect things to go badly it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Instead of focusing on the negative, picture how you would like things to turn out and put a positive outcome in its place. This helps you to overcome negativity and feel less reactive to situations and people.

7. Avoid conflict and hostility. The stress of extended and unresolved conflict is as dangerous as smoking. So get honest, look at what is behind the conflict, deal with the issues and seek resolution.

8. Let go of perfection. There is no such thing as perfect. Be able to let things go and accept them for how they are without the need for control or perfection. Make mistakes and learn from them. Setting unrealistic expectations is setting you up for more stress.

9. Connect to nature and the Divine. Instead of drinking or using drugs, try walks in nature, meditation or prayer. Stress tends to dissolve away when you connect to your inner most.

10. Go with the flow. Stress is not something out there in the environment; it is in how you handle it. So prepare yourself to deal with life; have fun, laughter, connection, exercise, sleep, meditation, and love in your life and you will be better equipped to deal with whatever the World throws at you. -By Dr Rachel Hall

Graves Disease And Dental Treatment

Graves Disease and dental treatment are associated in that there is a known method that oral health professionals are able to do in Graves Disease patients to help them with their illness.
Before the procedure for Graves Disease and dental treatment, the oral health professionals must be familiar with oral and systemic manifestations of the disease so that he or she can assess the degree to which the condition can be controlled. If there is a suspicion as to the diagnosis, elective dental treatment must be first put on hold until such time that the medical evaluation is completed.
Different dental treatments are offered with different level of thyroid condition. There are dental treatments for hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism and thyroid storm.
Oral manifestations for patients that have hyperthyroidism such as increased receptiveness to caries, enlargement of the extraglandular thyroid tissue, accelerated dental eruption and the burning mouth syndrome should be well evaluated by the oral health professional before proceeding to any procedure concerning Graves Disease and dental treatment.
Graves Disease and dental treatment procedures help increase the likelihood of keeping the disease from becoming more fatal to the patients. However, with these dental treatments, there is no assurance that the disease is totally taken out of the system since it has been known to us that the disease is incurable. To have yourself assured that you will be able to regain your vibrant health, there are available books today concerning the natural way of treating the disease. Not only do these books speak about this natural method but they also assure you that it really works and by far is the safest way to deal with the disease.-By Charlene Nuble

Braces Placement: Does It Hurt So Bad?

Let's face it! There are just a few lucky ones who can feel proud of a straight, white and healthy smile. The rest of mortals have yellowish and imperfect teeth due to many causes such as a deficient diet, excess of drinking and smoking and genetic inheritance.

However, we don't have to settle for this. Of course not, cosmetic dentistry has advanced at huge steps and is now able to work wonders for our teeth.

One of the most common recommended solutions by dentists is wearing braces. Conventional methods in orthodontics are still the same in essence, some have been ruled out, though they are now enhanced with new materials and techniques that make them more comfortable and more esthetic.

Braces treatment varies according each person, depending on such factors as: Age, teeth's position, dental bone structure, mouth's health and esthetic wishes.

The treatment lasts from one to two years approximately, as I said, depends on each case. In kids and teens is easier to handle because their teeth are constantly moving and not hard and fixed as adults'; nevertheless, the dentist has to foresee the appearance of wisdom teeth, since they could pushed the frontal teeth.

But don't think if you are pushing base three or four you don't have a solution. Of course you do. It takes more time because your teeth are already formed though, but the risk of moving teeth is far less than in young people.

The braces treatment follows these steps (the order is not strict):

Diagnosis: The orthodontist checks your mouth to check your teeth's position, the presence of cavities, plaque, and any other deficiency that could interfere in the treatment. (The dentist might use an intraoral camera).

For a deeper study, the dentist will give you and order to get dental X-rays to have a view of your teeth's bones.

The orthodontist gives you a quotation of the treatment (braces and other procedures). This is a good time for discussing about your expectations and esthetic preferences.

X-rays: X-rays are taken at a radiography center. It takes no more then 5 minutes. The results are ready in 15 minutes or 2 days at maximum. The type of X-rays depends on the dentist's request.

Dental impressions: Plaster copies of your mouth. A tray with an elastic dental dough is placed inside each of your jaws. With a slight pressure the dentist keeps it in your mouth for 3 to 5 minutes. This, along with the X-rays, is meant for outlining your dental treatment plan.

Cavity fillings: Your teeth must be in perfect conditions before the braces' collocation. Once, the dentist has identified the cavities -if you have any- during the diagnosis and on the X-rays.

Extractions: The worst part, but is a must. In order to create gaps to make the spaces that will be filled by the crooked teeth -that don't have enough space- the dentist has to remove four teeth: Two upper and 2 lower incisors.

Prophylaxis and fluoridization: Your mouth must be clean and bacteria free. This is an easy procedure plaque removal and fluoride application. It can be done manually or with ultrasound.

Braces placement: The dentist pastes each brace onto each tooth with a resin. A metallic arc wire (gray or transparent) is passed through the braces' middle gaps, which is fastened with tiny color elastics. Around the upper and lower molar teeth metallic bands are put to support the wire.

You can choose between these alternatives:

- Metallic braces: The regular gray ones. - Ceramic braces: Transparent, barely noticeable, but delicate to handle. - Metallic-Ceramic braces: the braces are transparent and the wire is transparent. - Lingual braces: They are metallic and their particularity is that they are placed on the teeth's interior face. They are unnoticeable. - Self-ligating: They do not require the metallic wire neither the elastic ties. They are attached by interactive clips. Treatment lasts less time than with the conventional braces.

Elastic ties change: The fastening elastics are changed biweekly or monthly. You might feel your teeth tight and certain pain for a few days until the bands stretch out.

* Teeth whitening: This is optional but is great way to give the final touch to your teeth. You have many options like laser whitening -quite popular these days- ; blue-light whitening, the conventional loaded trays or you might do it at home or at the office with self-bleaching products.

In order to the treatment to succeed, you must cooperate being constant and following the dentist instructions. After it finishes still you have to visit the dentist once or twice a year for a whole check-up.

Though this treatment costs time, money and pain; the personal and physical gratifications do worth the price.

By Isabel Mejia

Simple Ways to Whiten Your Teeth Easily

Whiter teeth can really improve your appearance. You can confidently talk to anybody knowing that you are carrying a set of healthy, white teeth. There are numerous ways to whiten teeth and this article will discuss some of the useful yet easy ways on how to do that.
Looking back at old times, there are no available toothpastes with formulation of fluoride to whiten teeth. There are no whitening products that are being applied. But we can observe that people at early times also have white teeth. Here are some interesting things they do to keep their teeth healthy:
• Mashed strawberries or sage leaf were applied and massaged on teeth's surface.
• Toasts (usually burnt) are often applied on teeth. The mixture of ground burnt bits, some powder and flavored oil are used as toothpaste then.
• Food particles left in between tooth are often rinsed only by gargling water.
• Cotton soaked in baking soda and lemon juice mixture is wiped to the teeth.
• Baking soda mixed with hydrogen peroxide is the most expensive whitening product then.
Nowadays, there is an emergence of clinically approved teeth whitening products and processes. The procedures are claimed to be fast and effective but also quite expensive. Teeth whitening can be complicated in some ways and can have drastic effects not only to your gums and teeth but to your personality as well.
Before giving in to some advertisements and clinical measures which promise crystal clear smile, you might want to try some home based and personal ways to whiten your teeth. These processes are not only safe and very inexpensive; they can also be done easily.
• The rule of the thumb is to brush your teeth after every meal. Brushing will prevent the formation of plaque that sets stains. Many people think that once a day brushing is enough but this isn't true. Healthy gums and teeth will be maintained by brushing your teeth regularly.
• Use toothpastes that carry the seal of approval from the American Dental Association. It will be better to use whitening toothpastes.
• Worn out toothbrush is a no-no! How can you have clean white teeth, if your brush can't do the job? Your teeth will not be brushed thoroughly with bristles that are worn out so change your toothbrush every two months.
• Floss once a day because food strips that are left in between your teeth can also stain them.
• Visit your dentist and have your teeth cleaned at least once a year. Teeth cleaning done by professional dentist can help maintain the natural color of your teeth.
• Avoid drinking red wine and coffee because these can stain your teeth quickly. Smoking on the other hand, can turn the color of your teeth to yellow. Drink milk and lots of water instead.
• Eating fruits and vegetables is also beneficial for the teeth. Raw vegetables are not only healthy but can also clean your teeth; so have them for your snack. Strawberries are loaded with Vitamin C which has bleaching elements. You can also use lemon peel to whiten your teeth; just massaged it over the surface of your teeth and rinse thoroughly.
Taking care of your teeth begins with the foods you take in your body. Healthy food equals healthy body and alongside; healthy bones and teeth. White teeth can be achieved not only by undergoing clinical treatments. Inexpensive, natural ways are also effective. Just be patient and observe your teeth grow whiter everyday!

By Susan Bell