New peanut allergy prevention guidelines start in infancy

New peanut allergy prevention guidelines start in infancy

An article published by CNN states that peanut allergy affects about 2% of the children in the United States, and those numbers appear to be growing. 

A serious peanut allergy can lead to anaphylaxis and, rarely, even death, which means some parents avoided introducing peanuts to their children.But on Thursday, an expert panel published new guidelines about when to introduce some infants to peanut-containing foods as a way to prevent food allergies, a technique validated by the Learning Early About Peanut allergy, or LEAP, study.

Your Dental Benefits: Use Them or Lose Them

Your Dental Benefits: Use Them or Lose Them

When it comes to dental benefit plans, millions of people each year are ringing in the New Year leaving money on the table. According to the National Association of Dental Plans, only 2.8% of people with PPO dental plan participants reached or exceeded their plans annual maximum. Many people also have Flexible Spending Accounts, which help pay for dental and medical care with pre-tax dollars.

Treating Anxious Patients

Treating Anxious Patients

Treating anxious patients is nothing new to dentists.  However, I have always been astonished by how much a patient’s anxiety affected me while treating them.  Despite my best efforts, it is difficult to separate my anxiety from their’s when a patient is rude, short, squirming, or crying while under going treatment.  I believe that part of our humanity is in our ability to be empathetic. Because of this I would imagine (and hope) that many clinicians feel their own anxiety as we treat scared and fearful patients.  As dentists we need to have a strong understanding of what anxiety is, how a patient’s anxiety can affect us and the efficacy of our treatment, how it can affect our practice economically, and how it can impact our own stress level.

Hurricane Matthew

Hurricane Matthew

Due to the upcoming hurricane, we have closed our office temporarily.  We will be closed starting Thursday (October 6, 2016) at noon and the entire day Friday (October 7, 2016). We anticipate to reopen Monday (October 10, 2016). 

Please be safe and know that we are always available even if the office is closed.  Please call the office and the on-call doctor number is on the voicemail. 

Rally Round the Flagpole: By Donna Snively Hulsey

Rally Round the Flagpole: By Donna Snively Hulsey

I believe that part of what makes our practice so amazing is our patients.  I am always amazed by how much they accomplish.  Most recently Donna Hulsey finished her first book, Rally Round the Flag Pole.  

When Donna Snively Hulsey found out in July 1989 that she'd be the first principal of a state-of-the-art elementary school, she teamed up with the community and got to work.

It didn't matter that the school in Jacksonville, Florida, would not open until the fall of 1990: Before the first steel girder of Alimacani Elementary School was erected, the community began to spread a positive image of the school.

Within seven years of opening, the school was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School and a National Safe and Drug-Free School, and accordingly was honored twice by the president of the United States at the White House.

Redbook magazine named Alimacani the top school in Florida for its "uncompromising commitment to excellence in school and community partnerships." Three Alimacani teachers were individually tapped as Duval Teacher of the Year, Florida Physical Education Teacher of the Year, and Florida Media Specialist of the Year.

Whether you're a parent, an educator wanting to fix problems at an existing school or establish a solid foundation at a new one, or a concerned citizen working on behalf of children, you'll find a blueprint for educational success in Rally Round the Flagpole.

Donna Snively Hulsey is an award-winning principal who has served America and its youth as a teacher, principal, and regional director in the Duval County Public Schools in Jacksonville, Florida. She has also taught undergraduate and graduate level courses. She has two children, five grandchildren, and lives in Jacksonville with her husband.

New York Times: The Value of Sealants

New York Times: The Value of Sealants

In an article published in the New York Times, "a review concluded that sealants are effective in reducing cavities for at least four years after each application." and that "when your dentist offers sealants for your children, it’s not an upsell, but a deal you should accept."  

We agree! We routinely recommend that children have sealants placed on permanent teeth when appropriate. Moreover, it is important that sealants are done properly to ensure that they will last a long time.  

Cancer drug 'like taking Tylenol' developed in Australia, given fast-track approval in US

Cancer drug 'like taking Tylenol' developed in Australia, given fast-track approval in US

A revolutionary drug that melts away cancer in some stage four patients has been given fast-track approval in the United States.  Developed in Australia, Venetoclax is one of a new generation of targeted drugs which attack specific cancer-causing biological factors like cell-structure mutations.