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August 2023 Newsletter

What´s New at Savon

Quote Of The Month:   “In school, you‘re taught a lesson and then given a test.  In life, you‘re given a test that teaches you a lesson.”  (Tom Bodett – American author, voice actor – 1955–Present)


Congratulations To:

R. Dematteo of New River, AZ and J. Roberts of El Mirage, AZ  Winners of our July early payment drawings for 1 free additional year of membership.

Congratulations to our winners and thank you to everyone that entered the drawing.


To Your Health With Jourdin Hendershot:

Coffee Vs. Your Health

Jourdin
The best way to wake–up, is to the smell of that delicious coffee brewing!  As we all know, many Americans drink coffee every morning or all through the day, but did you know that there are many pros and cons about drinking coffee?

PROS:

Diabetes: In 2005 researchers found that people who drink 4-6 cups of coffee a day lower their chance of type two diabetes by 30 percent.  These are some ingredients in coffee that help our bodies fight off diabetes:
  • Magnesium: helps body use carbohydrates
  • Chronic Acid: antioxidant that lowers glucose levels
  • Quinides: improves insulin sensitivity and glucose control
Mental Performance: People who drink coffee in the morning perform better than non coffee drinkers.  Why?  Coffee is a stimulant unlike alcohol which is a depressant.  The caffeine in the coffee works by blocking the adenosine receptors and increases the activity of the central nervous system, which improves mental alertness.

There are many other pros in drinking coffee such as:
  • Helps with Parkinson‘s disease
  • Helps protect the liver against liver cirrhosis
  • Can lower the risk of gallstones and kidney stones
CONS:

Causes Osteoporosis:  Coffee can cause the body to excrete calcium in urine.  You do not want to lose your calcium because this can cause osteoporosis.  To counter balance your calcium intake you can eat calcium rich foods or you can add one to two teaspoons of milk to your cup of coffee.

Heart Rhythm disturbance:  Coffee can cause irregular heartbeats also known as (Artial fibrillation)

Other Cons of drinking coffee can consist of:
  • Dehydration
  • Cholesterol problems
  • Heartburn
If you have questions you would like to discuss with Jourdin, feel free to drop her an email by clicking here.

The above health material is provided as an information service.  It should not be used for diagnostic purposes nor is it intended to take the place of the important relationship between you and your doctor.


Grandma´s Kitchen With Grandma C.:

Homemade Brown Sugar Coffee Creamer

Grandma C.
Ingredients
  1.  ¼ cup Brown Sugar, light or dark*

  2.  ¼ tsp Cinnamon

  3.  ¼ tsp Sea Salt, fine ground

  4.  1 tbsp vanilla extract

  5.  2 cups Half and Half cream
Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan on the stove.  Whisk to combine.


Heat the mixture to a simmer, then turn off the heat.

Let it cool, then store it in the refrigerator in a covered container such as a plastic shaker or a mason jar.

*Dark brown sugar will give you a sweeter creamer.  You can use more or less brown sugar, depending on the level of sweetness you desire.

You can also use coconut sugar if you are trying to keep cane sugar out of your diet.

Enjoy!  And remember, if it looks and smells good, eat it!!

If you have a recipe that you would like to share with Grandma C., drop her an email by clicking here.


spotlight

James M. McGee DMD

Dr. McGee
Our spotlight for August goes to the city of Stone Mountain, Georgia and shines on the practice of James M. McGee.

Dr. McGee was born and raised in Mississippi.  He graduated from the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry in Jackson, MS. In 1997, with a D.M.D. degree, moved to Atlanta and immediately began practicing dentistry in a large group practice.

In 1998 he opened his own practice in Stone Mountain.  Dr. McGee and his professional staff strive to provide their patients with the best that dentistry has to offer.

Dr. McGee also continues to educate himself and his staff on the newest dental techniques and procedures.  This gives them the ability to provide their patients with comfortable and personalized dental care.

Dr. McGee has the great ability to put his patients at ease and his patients usually leave with a laugh and a smile on their faces.

The practice is located at 2120 Rockbridge Road SW, Stone Mountain, GA. 30083.  The phone number is (770) 879–4510.  We also invite you to visit them on the web.

Say thank you to your dental office for the excellent manner in which you are treated by nominating your dentist!


Fun Facts:

Crazy, Zany Facts We Bet You Didn´t Know

confused
  • Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.

  • The real name of Monopoly mascot Uncle Pennybags is Milburn Pennybags.

  • Oreo has made enough cookies to span five back and forth trips to the moon.

  • On average, 100 people choke to death on ballpoint pens every year.

  • Toy Story helped sell the Etch–a–Sketch.

  • Four out of five children recognize the Mcdonald‘s logo at three years old.

  • The average adult spends more time on the toilet than they do exercising.
Come back for more in next months issue!


Dental Talk - A Member Blog Forum:

Blogging
Come blog with us!  Dental Talk with Savon is a fun forum to post your interesting topics!  Your comments are welcome, it´s free to use and no membership is required.

Some of the topics include;

These are just a few of the topics.  Our blog site contains many other interesting topics.  Please join us!!


Here´s Your Answer

Questions From Our Members

Addressing a very common question. 

“Do I need to contact Savon when I change my dentist?”

Savon’s Answer

Although Savon allows its members the freedom to use any participating preferred provider on the plan;  we do ask members to notify Savon when switching to a new provider.

As a courtesy to the dentists, we provide them with monthly membership rosters, informing them of new additions and removals within their practice.

If you have changed your provider, or would like to change providers, please contact our Customer Service department and they will be happy to assist you.


Tooth Talk With Tommy The Wisdom Tooth

Toothbrush Injury Causes Stroke In 2–Year–Old Boy

A direct reprint of an article by Melissa Busch of DrBicuspid.com
Tommy
A 2–year–old boy fell while brushing his teeth, causing a blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) to the pharynx, and leading to an ischemic stroke, according to a clinical note published July 28 in Pediatrics International.

The child remained paralyzed on the lower half of his body on the left side after treatment and a lengthy hospital stay, the authors wrote.

“Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial to prevent the development of cerebral infarction and other complications,” wrote the authors, led by Dr. Kento Kawakami, of the Children‘s Medical Center, Yokohama City University Medical Center, Japan.

A 2-year-old boy unable to move

While brushing his teeth, a 2–year–old fell, and the brush became stuck in the posterior pharynx.  Once the toothbrush was removed, he showed no further symptoms, so he was not taken to the hospital, according to the note.
On the following morning, the boy‘s parents noticed that he could not move his left upper and lower limbs and the left side of his face.  This triggered them to take the boy to a nearby dentist.  The clinician examined the child‘s toothbrush wound and found no problems, the authors wrote.

The next day, the boy developed dysarthria.  He was taken to a hospital and underwent a computed tomography (CT) scan.  Imaging showed suspected cerebral infarction, and he was transferred to another hospital.

During a physical exam, he registered a 12 on the Glasgow Coma Scale and had mild swelling over the right jaw to the neck.  A neurological exam revealed muscle weakness and pyramidal tract sign on his left side.  A clinician saw only a small scar in the right retromolar region, which appeared to be an abrasion caused by the toothbrush, the authors wrote.

Contrast–enhanced CT and computed tomography angiography (CTA) showed air contamination in the interspace of the pharynx, which suggested that the toothbrush had penetrated the oral cavity and reached the area of the internal carotid artery.  Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) of the head and neck revealed a cerebral infarction, as well as interruption of the right carotid artery and the right middle cerebral artery.  Other diagnostics, including an echocardiograph, showed no cause for brain infarction, they wrote.

Therefore, he was diagnosed with ischemic stroke associated with blunt cerebrovascular injury due to intraoral blunt trauma with a toothbrush.  To prevent the lesion from expanding, the boy was admitted to the intensive care unit and was treated with aspirin, edaravone, and antibiotics.

Follow–up imaging showed no serious complications like pseudoaneurysm formation, hemorrhage infarction, cerebral hernia, or abscess formation.  On the 26th day of his stay in the hospital, the boy was discharged.  The lower part of his body on the left side remained paralyzed, the authors wrote.

Common accident needs close attention

Falling with stick shaped objects in the mouth is one of the most common causes of intraoral injuries in children, especially infants and toddlers.  Sometimes objects, including toothbrushes, can injure blood vessels without directly reaching them.  Blunt trauma in the oral cavity can result in immediate and local hyperextension of the internal carotid artery, resulting in occlusion or thrombus formation.

The development of symptoms may vary.  They can occur when the thrombus is formed or when the blood clot reaches distally from the internal carotid artery.  It can take three to 60 hours from the time of the injury for symptoms to appear.

CTA and MRA are used to screen adults with suspected blunt cerebrovascular injury.  Some screening criteria have been examined for blunt cerebrovascular injuries in children; however, they may not be relevant for minor oral injuries.  This along with the delayed onset of symptoms can make diagnosis difficult in pediatrics.

Therefore, children with oral injuries may require close follow–up or hospitalization for at least three days, Kawakami et al wrote.

“In this case, poor comprehension of the fact that BCVI occurs with time after injury led to a diagnostic delay,” they wrote.

Until next time; brush, floss and keep smiling!

The above material is provided as an information service and is not intended as medical advice.

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