WrigleyvilleDental.com 773-975-6666

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InsideOnly the Good Brush Young pg 1

Reverse Your Gingivitis pg 2

How Sharp is Your Saw? pg 2

Accepting Aetna pg 3

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Energy Bars pg 3

Summertime in the City pg 4

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and it’s a good thing they did. If they had chosen to ignore the decay, my brother could have lost his front baby teeth prematurely, resulting in crowding or alignment issues. His permanent teeth could have been weak and decayed when they came in, resulting in dental problems for life.

While baby teeth are temporary, they have a pretty big biological effect on permanent teeth. In fact, those “adult” teeth tend to develop in a similar condition as the baby teeth that fell out before them. Part of this has to do with natural development, but part of it has to do with developing dental habits early. If the parent never impresses the importance of good dental care on the child, the child may never adopt the habit of brushing and flossing his or her teeth correctly.

It wasn’t just my brother with bad teeth either. When I was seven, I visited the dentist only to discover that I had about a dozen cavities. After several long appointments, I resolved to never put my teeth through that ordeal again. At a young age, I made a very conscious decision to eat healthier, to always brush and floss, and to focus on my dental health. Those good habits stuck with me well into adulthood, and I do my best to pass them along to my young patients.

The kids I treat often ask me, “Do I have to brush ALL of my teeth?” To which I always reply, “You don’t have to brush all of them, just the ones you want to keep.”

Quick Tips for Parents:

• Your child’s first trip to the dentist should be around age one — or within six months after their first tooth.

• Wipe your baby’s teeth with wet gauze (moistened with water) after each feeding — this will keep the milk and sugar from sitting on their teeth and causing decay.

• Don’t let your child brush their own teeth until they are capable of tying their own shoes. Until then, they simply don’t have the coordination to do it well.

• Ask your child’s dentist how to properly floss and brush their teeth. Trust me, it’s music to their ears!

• Be patient. It takes a while to develop good brushing habits. But start early!

One of the biggest differences between dentistry in the Soviet Union and dentistry in modern America is how people think about baby teeth. When my grandmother was a dentist in the Soviet Union, her version of “dentistry” was drastically different from mine. Children didn’t go to the dentist twice a year for a cleaning or checkup. My grandmother only saw

her patients if something was really (and I mean really) wrong.

To make matters worse, most families didn’t have the luxury of owning a toothbrush — or just didn’t think it was important. My own mother didn’t use her first toothbrush until first

grade, and even then she didn’t know how to use it properly. Baby teeth were considered unimportant, and most children were never taught how to take care of their teeth.

Needless to say, my parents and grandparents had a bit of that “old world” mentality when it came to dental health — despite the fact that they had been living in the United States for several years when my brother and I first got our baby teeth. They never taught me or my siblings how to floss and brush correctly. They taught us how they thought we should brush — but how did they know? No one taught them! And they only started taking us to the dentist when the preschool refused to register us without a dental check-up. They believed that taking care of or cleaning baby teeth was a waste of time because they were just going to fall out anyway.

When my brother was three, my parents took him to the dentist for the first time. Though he still had all his baby teeth, they were already riddled with decay; so the dentist recommended several caps and fillings. My grandmother, the dentist, threw a fit when she heard this – “You don’t treat baby teeth!” she said. She didn’t realize that by ignoring his baby teeth, his permanent teeth would also be in danger.

This put my parents in a tough spot. “Do we listen to the modern American dentist?” they thought, “Or do we listen to the Russian grandmother who was a dentist in the Soviet Union in the 1950s and '60s?” In the end, they opted to take the American dentist’s advice —

ONLY THE GOOD BRUSH YOUNG

CHINATOWN SUMMER FAIRWHEN: JULY 19TH WHERE: CHINATOWN

Come out and enjoy music, art, food, dance and martial arts demonstrations celebrating Chinese culture! This event attracts tens of thousands of attendees each year.

CELEBRATE CLARK STREET WORLD MUSIC FESTIVALWHEN: JULY 18 & 19 WHERE: CLARK ST. BETWEEN MORSE AND TOUHY AVE.

The 10th Annual Celebrate Clark Street World Music Festival promises an eclectic and multicultural musical lineup, as well as dancing, art, and food from all over the world.

LOLLAPALOOZA WHEN: JULY 31- AUGUST 2WHERE: GRANT PARK

One of the country’s biggest music festivals, the Lollapalooza 2015 lineup features over a hundred musical acts across eight stages, including performances by Paul McCartney, Of Monsters and Men, Florence + the Machine, alt-J, Sam Smith, Bassnectar, and many, many more.

The Importance of Caring for Baby Teeth

GREAT AMERICAN LOBSTER FESTWHEN: AUGUST 15 & 16 WHERE: NAVY PIER

The biggest lobster festival in the Midwest, the Great American Lobster Fest at Navy Pier will include lobster flown in fresh from Boston, amazing music, family activities, and fireworks on Saturday night. Enjoy a whole lobster, or choose from a menu of lobster in all its forms including lobster mac & cheese, lobster bisque, and lobster tacos.

SUMMERTIME IN THE CITYMe with my grandparents, and their silver teeth.

773-975-6666 | 14 | wrigleyvilledental.com

3256 N. Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60657

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PAID BOISE, ID

PERMIT 411

- Dr. Teplitsky

HOW SHARP IS YOUR SAW?

THE FIRST HOLISTIC DENTAL OFFICE TO ACCEPT AETNA PPO INSURANCE PLANS

DIRECTIONS

1. Soak nuts overnight. Using a food processor, chop nuts into small pieces. Remove.

2. Add dates and raisins (any combination, as long as they equal one half cup) to the food processor, and pulse until creamy.

3. Mix fruit and nuts by hand until they reach cookie dough consistency. Add cinnamon, if desired.

4. Roll “dough” between two sheets of wax paper, until it is 1/2-inch thick. Cut into bars or roll into energy balls. Store in the fridge.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup nuts (cashews, almonds, or walnuts work best — perfect for kids who are peanut-free)

• 1/4 cup whole dates, pits removed

• 1/4 cup raisins (or more dates, if preferred)

• Cinnamon to taste

To avoid any kind of gum damage, it is important to use the right toothbrush. No, the brush you picked up from the dollar store with “Extra-Hard Bristles” is not doing you or your gums any favors. It is important to use a brush with soft bristles — stiffer-bristled brushes can lead to red and swollen gums. Even better is an electric toothbrush. Many electric toothbrushes have settings that allow you to gently massage your gums while still scrubbing away plaque and bacteria — making your technique less important. Along with using the right toothbrush, try brushing in circular motions instead of back and forth like you’re probably used to.

Every morning and night, we follow routines that get us ready for the day and ready for bed. Among these seemingly mundane routines, is regular teeth-brushing, or at least, it should be. Many run through this activity, thinking the faster they brush, the sooner they can get on with more important things like coffee and bed. But contrary to popular belief, brushing too fast and too hard can damage your gums, causing soreness, bleeding, and even recession.

Imagine this: you’re strolling through the woods when you happen upon a lumberjack attempting to saw down a tree. He’s been working nonstop for hours, and he’s obviously exhausted, but the tree is nowhere near the point of breaking.

“Why don’t you take a moment to sharpen your saw?” you might ask.

“No time!” he might reply, “I’m too busy sawing.”

When you put it that way, it’s obvious to see the error of his ways. Sure, taking a break might mean ceasing the act of sawing for a few moments. But sharpening the saw would ensure that the job got done much more efficiently, so the job would get done faster.

The same can probably be said for you. When’s the last time you took a moment to sharpen your own saw, either personally or professionally?

It can be easy to forget to “sharpen your saw” — to take a moment to re-focus on yourself — to ensure that your tools (your brain, your body, and your spirit) are in top operating condition.

Instead, you continue to hack away at your pile of responsibilities with a dull blade, wondering why that pile doesn’t seem to be shrinking. If someone were to ask you, “Why don’t you take a break?” You would probably reply with, “No time!” making

Once you’ve purchased a nice toothbrush and have perfected your circular brushing motion, it’s time to really get used to the dreaded flossing. Since we were young, we have been told by dentists and our parents alike that we need to floss, floss, floss! Not only does flossing prevent cavities, but it also helps reduce the risk of gum disease. Like brushing, flossing should be done gently; slide up and down between your teeth instead of forcing the floss in those tight spaces and sawing at your gums. Lean the floss toward the side of one tooth, and scrub up and down (up as high as it will go without removing it, and down below the gumline just a tad) to get all the plaque off.

you no better than that clueless lumberjack you encountered in the hypothetical woods.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “To the dull mind, all nature is leaden. To the illumined mind, [or the “sharpened mind,” in this case] the whole world burns and sparkles with light.”

Do yourself a favor and take a moment to sharpen your saw, whether it’s taking a yoga class, meditating for 10 minutes, or going for a walk along the lake. By renewing yourself in body, mind, and spirit, you increase your ability to face challenges, handle your ever-growing pile of responsibilities, and avoid burnout — both in and out of the office. When your saw is sharp, your world is bright.

GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE

Energy Bars

We hear it all the time: “I care about my health. I want to go to a holistic dentist. But I have insurance and I can’t afford not to use it. Why do holistic dental offices only accept out-of-network benefits?”

When I started practicing dentistry, I realized that infections in the mouth and materials used during dental procedures were impacting patients’ overall health. Since then, I’ve discovered research links periodontal disease and diabetes and heart disease, amalgam fillings and autoimmune disorders, tooth decay and abscesses, a depressed immune system, and much more.

As I started using more holistic, non-invasive techniques, and started treating people not just of their tooth aches, but of some of their chronic illnesses, I realized that insurance companies and patient needs were at odds.

Most insurance companies don’t respect how dentistry can impact the rest of the body. They haven’t yet acknowledged that mercury in filling can cause more harm than good, or that certain procedures like Invisalign can be preventative and not just aesthetic. Because they take such a narrow view of dentistry, the payouts from many insurance companies are very low. This forces those who are in-network to use cheaper materials and slash appointment times to keep the doors open. That’s not good for me as a dentist, nor you as a patient.

That’s why most holistic dental offices in Chicagoland, and most likely in the entire USA are out of network.

But after months of negotiating with Aetna Dental, we managed to strike a deal and get them to pay for certain, more expensive procedures when it’s in the patient’s best interest. We know that times are tough, and it’s not fair that only those who can afford out-of-pocket dental care can come to a holistic dentist. That’s why we’re proud to be the first holistic practice in Chicago to accept Aetna PPO insurance plans.

So if you or someone you know has Aetna and is looking for a holistic dentist, come check us out. A consultation will be 100 percent covered.

If your gums bleed, that’s okay. If you do it every day for two weeks, your gums should stop bleeding. (If they keep bleeding, see your dentist!)

Staying on top of your oral health is imperative to keeping gingivitis, or its much more serious sister, periodontitis, away. You should be going to the dentist at least twice a year. But if in between visits you notice your gums are inflamed, red, or swollen, or there’s blood in the sink when you brush your teeth, it may be time for a sooner visit. Gingivitis (inflammation of the gums) can be reversed, but if you let it go and it turns into periodontitis (this involves bone loss), your

gums, not to mention your mouth, will be in a world of hurt and treatment is much more invasive. So, be gentle with your gums and keep your gum health on the top of your to-do list.

GET TICKETS TO THE GUM SHOW

Anyone who expects your

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your Energizer Bunnies all

season long, try these gluten-free,

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SOURCE: WELLNESSMAMA.COM 773-975-6666 | 32 | wrigleyvilledental.com