Pregnancy and your oral health, from Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk

Maintaining good oral health is an vital aspect of your overall well being, especially when you’re expecting. If you’re pregnant or considering pregnancy, schedule an appointment at Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk, and remember to raise the issue of your oral health at prenatal appointments.

If pregnant, Drs. Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk want you to be aware of the following issues:

• Tooth Decay
Excessive morning sickness can also contribute to tooth decay, as the acids in your stomach introduced to the mouth during vomiting wear away the protective enamel coating on your teeth.

• Gingivitis & Gum Disease
This is a major issue. The precursor to gum disease is gingivitis, a condition in which plaque buildup on teeth irritates the gums, making them red, swollen and sensitive. The high levels of hormones in the bloodstream brought on by pregnancy exaggerate your gums’ reaction to irritation from plaque.

• Loose Teeth
Another risk faced during pregnancy is loosening teeth. The large amounts of hormones in your bloodstream can have an unfavorable affect on the bones and ligaments that create the foundation of your teeth, weakening them to the point that teeth may loosen.

The ideal time to schedule an appointment at Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk is before becoming pregnant. Our doctors will perform a check-up to determine the state of your oral health and how pregnancy might affect you. We will discuss completing any necessary treatments prior to your pregnancy. Give us a call today!

Government sites kids should check out this summer, from Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk

It may be summer, but that doesn’t mean the learning should stop. Our team at Drs. Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk thought we’d point your child to a few helpful websites to keep their minds sharp this summer, courtesy of our friends at More4Kids. Here are 12 helpful websites we think your child will love!

Do you have any great websites for summer learning? Please share them with us on our Facebook page, or by giving us a call. We always enjoy connecting with our patients in between office visits.

Artificial sweeteners and your child’s health

The media always seems to be debating over the health effects of artificial sweeteners, and aspartame is most surely one of the most controversial food additives to ever receive approval by the FDA. Here at Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk, we try to provide you with the most up to date information on topics relating to the health of our patients and their loved ones. That is why we want to share with you a few facts that we recently learned in a Huffington Post article.

The many names of aspartame

Did you know that aspartame is now sold under many commercial names, including NutraSweet, Canderel, and AminoSweet? Yes, that’s right. When checking nutrition facts, it is important to keep an eye out for all of these ingredients! This sweetener can be found in diabetic foods, jams, breakfast cereals, chewing gum, soda, and even prescriptions and vitamins.

What’s so harmful about aspartame?

With over 10,000 official complaints, aspartame reactions are more commonly reported than that of all other food additives combined. Of these reports, two-thirds consist primarily of headaches, mood alterations, and hallucinations. Aspartame has also been linked to causing weight problems, the metabolism of amino acids, protein structure and metabolism, neuronal function and other primary functions.

How to treat your sweet tooth without the artificial sweets

Determining your nutritional type and the foods that your body craves is key to satisfying sugar cravings. The recommended fructose level is below 25 grams per day, which includes both natural and artificial sweeteners.

Next time you're in for an appointment, let us know if you have any questions about aspartame or on this article. As always, please remember to use a straw if you choose to sip soda, coffee, or other dark colored beverages to take care of that beautiful smile!

Getting social with Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk

In honor of Social Media Day, Drs. Ressler, Hirschl and Lelchuk would like to take today to discuss our approach to social media and online patient communications. At Ressler, Hirschl and Lelchukwe, we embrace technology and the benefits that it can bring to our office. Our high-tech website, innovative treatments, and social media presence, are all examples of ways that our office utilizes state-of-the-art technology.

As you might have noticed, we love engaging in conversation with our patients online. It’s great to connect with our patients, sharing news, ideas, and upcoming events at the office. We have found that our Facebook fan page and blog are great tools for making this connection.

Drs. Ressler, Hirschl, and Lelchuk and our team are interested in hearing about your thoughts on social media. How would you prefer we use our social networks? What would you like to see us share on our blog? Let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or by giving us a call!

Summer plans?

It’s finally summer here at Ressler Hirschl and Lelchuk DDS!, a season full of vacations, adventures and great memories. Whether you are headed to a barbecue, a camping trip, hitting America’s open roads or just having fun in the backyard, our staff wants to hear all about it! Leave a comment on our blog or Facebook fan page and tell us about your summer!

We also encourage you to post any summer photos you may have to our Facebook wall!

Happy travels everybody!

More happy patients at Ressler, Hirschl and Lelchuk DDS!

Our dental practice, serving Miami and surrounding communities, has been receiving some great patient reviews lately! Check out what our current patients are saying about Drs. Ressler, Hirschl and Lelchuk! Please feel free to contribute your own thoughts about our office!

"The care Dr. Ressler takes and the relax atmosphere of the office." ~ Yolanda M.

"TVs in each room! Very friendly staff who explain everything to you in laymen's terms." ~ Linda D.

"Friendly and customer service oriented. Everyone makes going to the dentist a pleasure." ~ Saul A.

"They are up to date with technology. I love it!" ~ Wanda D.

"I like everything (so far!), the office location, the internet accessibility, the office personnel - I like everything so far! Thanks." ~ Julia H.

The effects of smoking on your gums and oral health, from Dr. Hirschl

It’s long been established that smoking and tobacco use (cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco) increases the risk of cancer, lung disease, heart disease, and other serious health problems. It is also a recognized risk factor for gum disease. Not only does tobacco use increase the occurrence of gum disease, it can also hinder the healing process by decreasing your ability to fight infection in your gums and make you susceptible to a variety of oral health problems at a faster rate than non-smokers.

Smoking is responsible for almost 75% of gum disease in adults, and, similar to smokers, adults who smoke pipes and cigars, as well as those using smokeless tobacco, are just as susceptible to gum disease and other tobacco related health problems.

As soon as you use tobacco products, you become more likely to experience any of these oral-health problems:

• Oral cancer
• Gum disease
• Tooth loss
• Loss of bone in the jaw
• Gum recession
• Delayed/impaired healing process after oral surgery or any other treatment
• Decreased success rate of dental implant (tooth replacement) procedures
• Mouth sores
• Loss of your sense of taste and smell
• Bad breath
• Tooth and tongue stains

If you are interested in protecting your oral health we strongly recommend you quit using tobacco products! The following steps are recommended by the Surgeon General to help you quit smoking and using tobacco:

• Get ready – set a quitting date and remove all materials from your home, car and office
• Get support
• Learn new skills and behaviors
• Get medication and use it correctly
• Be prepared for relapse or difficult situations

For support, start with Ressler Hirschl and Lelchuk DDS! We can help by recommending different options to help you quit, and above all we will support you throughout the quitting process. We are dedicated to helping you protect your oral health – and quitting smoking is significant step in the right direction.

Happy Friday and we hope you have a great weekend!