As some of you will recall, Dr Mike broke two teeth playing racquetball in March 2013.  Dr Peggy did a great job making crowns for him, and they’re looking just as good over six months since the permanent crowns were placed.  Great job, Dr Peggy, but Dr Mike is still a little disappointed you couldn’t make him look more like Brad Pitt.

Dr Mike is still playing a lot of racquetball.  He was not wearing an athletic mouth guard when this accident occurred, but now wears one every time he plays.  He also explains to his racquetball buddies why they should wear mouth guards too but has been unable to persuade any of them yet.  Although we make very high-quality laboratory-fabricated mouth guards, even the over the counter mouth guards are much better than none at all.

Here is our four-year-old patient Grace Kline after her first dental visit with our assistant Stacey and Dr Peggy.  Grace enjoyed herself and got to pick a prize.  Nice job Grace!

Five-year-old Trent Fitzgerald, who was so relaxed during Dr Peggy’s (and assistant Tosha’s) gentle treatment that he actually fell asleep while having 2 pulpotomies!  Way to go Trent!

Dr Mike was a Dragon Dad at his daughter Leah’s school today.  Leah is in 3rd grade at Mount Pleasant Elementary School, and Dr Mike enjoyed spending part of the day with her at school.

Leah’s favorite animals are giraffes, and she made this beautiful drawing of a mom and baby giraffe.  Great job Leah!

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) issued an August 2013 statement “Oral Health Care During Pregnancy and Through the Lifespan.” The ACOG states, “prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of oral conditions, including dental X-rays (with shielding of the abdomen and thyroid) and local anesthesia (lidocaine with or without epinephrine), are safe during pregnancy….[A]mple evidence shows that oral health care during pregnancy is safe and should be recommended to improve the oral and general health of the woman.” The ACOG committee issuing the statement included representatives of the American Dental Association.

The New York Times reported on a large study of more than 14,000 patients in the British Medical Journal which showed that a structured exercise program may work just as well or even better than many frequently-prescribed cardiovascular medications.

The authors of this study found no difference in mortality between exercise and drug interventions in the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease or Type 2 diabetes. For stroke prevention, exercise programs were more effective than anticoagulants or antiplatelet medicines. And for treating heart failure, diuretic drugs were more effective than exercise.

Kira did a great job in her very first (practice) gymnastics meet at Olympiad, where she is on team. She’s excited for the regular meets to begin. Here she (at right) is with two of her teammates.

Kira won 1st place in the whole state last year in the 5th grade Fire Safety Essay Contest. Her trophy is now on display at Brandywine Springs School, where she is now in 6th grade. Way to go Kira!

On her half day from school, Kira works hard at the front desk, helping with recall postcards.