Creative Christian Mama

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Wellness

Dr. Kami Hoss Explains How Cosmetic and Preventative Dentistry Differ

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Over the years, the field of dentistry has grown tremendously. This is as a direct result of changing technologies, which has enabled dentists to provide appropriate care for their patients, regardless of the issues they are dealing with. Today, dentistry is no longer a small subdiscipline of general medicine, it is a discipline of its own right, with lots of different branches. Two of those are cosmetic and preventative dentistry, which are also the most commonly practiced.

Dr. Kami Hoss finds both fields of dentistry interesting, not in the least because, for all their differences, they are also very similar. Preventative dentistry, as the name suggests, is about ensuring people do not develop dental issues that can lead to dental damage, trauma, and loss. This can also be for esthetic purposes. Overall, however, it is about ensuring the face, mouth, jaw, and teeth can function properly. This is also the goal of cosmetic dentistry, while adding that these areas look good.

Dr. Kami Hoss on Preventative Dentistry

Preventative dentistry is all about maintaining and looking after teeth in order to stop dental problems from occurring. In very basic terms, it is about making sure people look after their teeth properly so that they stay healthy. It helps people avoid enamel wear, cavities, gum disease, and other problems that make teeth weaker and worse performers. Preventative dentistry also looks at certain dental diseases, including tooth sensitivity, scurvy, gingivitis, and periodontal disease. These are easily preventable diseases, but, if they set in, they can be distressing and quite tricky to treat. While the goal of preventative dentistry is to prevent these conditions from occurring, it also offers treatment for them.

Dr. Kami Hoss on Cosmetic Dentistry

Cosmetic dentistry is all about making the teeth, gums, and bit of individuals look better. It is, therefore, less about the functioning of the teeth, although that does play an important role as well. People may, for instance, have difficulty speaking or eating because of the positioning of their teeth, which is an area in which the two will overlap. However, cosmetic dentistry mainly looks at the overall appearance of the teeth, which includes their alignment, their color, their size, and their shape.

Sometimes, cosmetic dentistry also looks at minor enhancements. These are not directly and clearly noticeable, but they do increase an individual’s self-esteem and confidence. For instance, they may have a missing tooth replaced or their teeth whitened. These are quick and easy procedures. Cosmetic dentistry can do pretty much everything in terms of correction.

There are clear differences and similarities between cosmetic and preventative dentistry. Both have the same objective, however, which is to ensure that patients have both a healthy and a beautiful smile. The key difference between the two areas is how the work is done, and when the work is done. Preventative dentistry is something that should start from birth, whereas cosmetic dentistry usually doesn’t come into play until people have reached adulthood. 

Keeping a Close Eye on your Child’s Vision

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According to recent research, one in twenty pre-school children now wears glasses, and problems with visual acuity is a growing problem among younger people. This is down in part to poor eating habits, lack of exercise and increasing amount of time spent in front of a screen (as well as natural eye diseases and macular degeneration), and it highlights the need for parents to pay attention to their children’s vision.

But how can you do this? And what steps can you take to ensure your child’s eyes stay healthy? The first thing you can do is to ask your child if they have any problems with their vision. Often children don’t know there’s a problem (particularly if they’ve had issues from birth), or they don’t want to say anything for fear of being different from their counterparts. Ask your child regularly if they have any issues, and keep an eye out for tell-tale signs such as problems reading or difficulties at school.

Similarly, you should also ensure you get regular eye tests for your child. This is the best way of ensuring their eyes are healthy, or dealing with any problems with their vision. It may be that your child needs glasses or an operation, but it’s better to fork out for surgery or a pair of must-have Ray-Ban glasses than have them struggle through their school years with vision problems.

When it comes to keeping your children’s eyes healthy, there are several simple steps you can take:

  • Ensure a varied and healthy diet, containing fruits, vegetables and plenty of amino acids
  • Make sure you child gets regular exercise
  • Limit screen time, ideally to less than two hours per day
  • Schedule yearly eye examinations, both to ensure their visual acuity is good, but also as they can be an early indicator of other diseases
  • Ensure appropriate eye protection is worn during sports and other activities
  • Ensuring children’s eyes are protected from the sun, with 100% UV protection sunglasses being worn whenever appropriate

Of course, there are some things you simply can’t prevent – such as disease or certain injuries – but you can take steps to limit the likelihood of these things occurring, and keep your children’s eyes healthy for longer.

5 Ways To Relax as a Stressed-Out Parent

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Everyone will always tell you that whilst being a parent is stressful, it is so rewarding that you can live with it, something I fervently disagree with. Yes, being a parent is stressful and yes, the rewards far outweigh the problems but that doesn’t mean that you should simply accept being stressed out, on the contrary in fact.

The world is a stressful place and everyone needs to deal with this stress in some way, and being a parent is no different. And so, if you are a parent and want to alleviate the stress, here are some ways in which you can do it.

Meditation

Meditation is a great tool because with just 10 or 15 minutes each day, you can considerably reduce your stress levels. The key to mediation is to sit down somewhere quiet in a comfortable position, spend the next 10 or 15 minutes trying to clear your mind as you take a series of deep breaths. Don’t worry if you can’t get into it right away, most people can’t but if you stick with it then within a week you will be switching off, zoning out and calming yourself down.

Sharing is Caring

If you are the only parent who feels the stress because of the amount of time which you have with your kids then it is time to speak to your partner about sharing the load. Even just being without the kids for a couple of hours each week can do wonders for your stress levels.

Exercise

Exercise is not just awesome in terms of keeping yourself in shape, it can also be a wonderful stress management tool. Now, as a parent you may not be able to dedicate an hour per day to exercising but making 30 minutes every 2 days to do a fitness video or go for a run, can really help to bring your stress levels down.

Sleep

Being able to sleep as a parent is very difficult, not only are you always busy looking after the kids, but even when they are in bed, the worrying is enough to keep you awake. Sleep however, is vital in terms of keeping your stress levels down and if you can get into a nightly routine of sleeping at least 7 hours, you will be doing yourself a great favor.

Positivity

People will say that laughter is the best medicine and they are really on the money with this. The key to your happiness and your levels of stress, are a positive attitude. It can be easy to get wound up when things don;t go to plan but if you can approach them with a positive mindset and the kind of attitude which can shrug off issues, you will be far less stressed. We can all change our character if we want and if you are not a naturally positive person, you can become one, with just a little bit of effort on your part.

Parenting isn’t easy but you can take measures to reduce how stressful it is.