San Marcos Gentle Dental Blog

Now is a great time to get your entire family thinking of ways they can contribute to improving our environment.  It’s easy and rewarding to build an eco-friendly plan for you and your family.  These ideas can give you some basic ideas you can implement right now and help your kids learn their actions can make a difference now and into the future. 

*Leave the water turned off while you brush your teeth.  This simple step can save up to four gallons of water a minute.  That means that a family of four can save up to 200 gallons of water a week by implementing this simple step.

*Turn off lights when you leave rooms and ensure everything is turned off when you leave for the day.

*Make it a house rule that televisions, computers, DVD players, and game consoles be unplugged before you go to bed, because these days the off button for these items is not really off but a type of standby.  This means they’ll be using energy even when they are turned off unless they are unplugged.  This can add up to a savings of over $200 annually simply by ensuring you unplug these electronic devices.

*Set up a permanent recycling bin in your home or garage and use it everyday.  It takes 90% less energy to recycle an aluminum can than to make new ones, so think of all the benefits that recycling has.

*Walk, ride your bike, or carpool in order to conserve gas and save money.

*Bring your own bags to the grocery store so that you do not have to waste plastic or paper bags.

*Start composting by using red wiggler worms.  Worms speed up decomposition by eating and digesting organic matter like leftover foods and vegetables, lawn waste, leaves, and even paper.  You can get starter worms and bins online and don’t need a large space to start the process.

*Buy locally grown fruits and vegetables in your town’s farmers market.  Make buying local fresh foods a priority-it’s healthier for you and the planet.

During the colder months with less daylight it is easy to let yourself relax your workout routines.  Also, due to the holidays you may eat more than normal and indulge in more sweets and high fat foods.  Fortunately there are a few things you can do to ensure you maintain your health.

Stay Active:  It is easy to not get out and exercise as much as normal due to less daylight, but switch your evening walks to the morning or go on a lighted track.  Remember regular exercise actually provides you with more energy everyday than not having any physical activity.

Cut out Unnecessary Calories:  As it gets cooler you often turn to mochas and lattes to keep you warm.  These drinks are often full of unneeded calories and fat and should be a treat and not the norm.  Turn instead to tea as a healthier option to keep you warm.

Plan Evening Dinner:  Plan ahead for your evening dinners for the entire week so you do not run out of time and fall prey to fast food options.  Ensure you have all the ingredients you need the weekend before, so you can spend time with your family each evening having a healthy dinner.

Get Enough Sleep:  A good night’s sleep will help you feel energized and ready to tackle your busy days.  Try to stick to a routine with the same times you go to sleep and wake up and take thirty minutes to wind down before you lie down.

Getting your teeth straightened isn’t something just for teenagers anymore.  Many adults just like you who have felt uncomfortable with their smiles now have straight, healthy teeth.  You can, too!  If you weren’t able to get your teeth straightened when you were younger, now is the time to find out more about Invisalign-the clear alternative to metal braces and wires.

Treatment with Invisalign is quick and easy.  With Invisalign, you don’t wear metal braces.  Instead, your teeth are straightened by wearing a series of clear plastic aligners.  The aligners are so inconspicuous that most people won’t be able to tell you’re wearing them.  You’ll wear each set of clear aligners for about two weeks at a time, while your teeth move little by little toward the smile you’ve always wanted.  The aligners are worn all the time, except when you’re eating, drinking anything but water, brushing, and flossing.  Because the aligners are removable, you can eat all your favorite foods.

We can’t tell you exactly how long your treatment will take.  But, on average, Invisalign treatment takes about one year.  The cost of treatment is similar in cost to traditional braces.  In addition, if you have orthodontic coverage, Invisalign is often covered to the same extent as traditional braces.  Dr. Donnelly also offers a variety of affordable payment plans.  Our office will be happy to work with you on all of the insurance and financial details.  Dr. Donnelly even offers free Invisalign consultations for all interested patients.

Be one of the many patients Dr. Donnelly has treated who are enjoying their new smiles.  Call Dr. Donnelly’s office today at 512-396-5225 for a free consultation.  Don’t hold back-straight teeth are now within your reach.

One of the fastest ways to cool off in the summer is to enjoy ice cream, popsicles, or other frozen treats.  But if “you scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream,” the scream may be from an immediate, intense headache, which sometimes is called a “brain freeze.”  The sudden temperature change may irritate the nerves in the roof of your mouth.  These nerves may begin to have spasms, which in turn cause the blood vessels in your brain to dilate rapidly.  The result is an unmistakable, fierce headache.  There are several ways to help alleviate a brain freeze: pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth, slowly sipping lukewarm water, laying your head to the side.  Of course, the best way to avoid a brain freeze is to enjoy your frosty treats more slowly.

Gelato, Sorbet, Sherbet…..what’s the difference?

Gelato originated in Italy and typically includes milk and sugar.  It tends to have a more intense flavor and melts faster than ice cream because it has a denser consistency.  Authentic gelato is made with a forced-air freezer, which is different than a standard ice cream machine.

Sorbet also originated in Italy.  Typically its base is fresh fruit and doesn’t use milk.  Sorbets often are used to cleanse the palate between courses of a meal.

Sherbet can be described as a frozen dessert somewhere between sorbet and ice cream.  It often contains milk, but has a lower milkfat content than ice cream.

Creating a delicious frozen dessert is limited only by your imagination.  Enjoy!!

The change of season can prompt a whole new set of issues such as the first glimpse of ashen skin, blue veins, callused feet, and unexpected hairs.  These can make you feel as though your body is thoroughly unprepared for the summer or winter season.  Your skin is forced to go from being dry after the cooler months to dealing with hot humid conditions which suddenly increase oiliness and acne. 

The right treatments can alleviate many of these skin concerns.  The two keys are moisturizing and things that make the skin glow, such as exfoliation, say many skin experts.  Using a moisturizing body cleanser on a clean washcloth and a light exfoliate is a great start.  Do not apply heavy cream lotions-any light lotion that contains glycolic, alpha hydroxyl, or fruit acid will quickly restore vibrancy to dead looking skin.  For a more intense exfoliation many dermatology offices offer the microdermabrasion treatment Vibraderm; it was shown in a company-sponsored study to remove over 75% of the skin’s outermost layer on those areas in less than ten minutes.

About half of all women suffer from the condition that can resemble goose bumps on the arms that appear white or red.  This is caused by extra skin cells that build up around individual hair follicles, giving you a bumpy texture and a polka-dotted appearance.  A daily moisturizer containing urea, glycolic, or lactic acid can soften the bumps.  Just be sure not to over scrub the area which can cause extra redness and inflammation.  For instant improvement, apply a shimmery cream to refract light.

Many people often find skin around the elbows and knees has faded to gray.  The skin in these areas is some of the driest on our bodies, so it can take on a cracked, whitish, or grayish appearance-especially on olive or darker skin.  The best fix is a potent daily moisturizing cream, such as AmLactin or Salex (by prescription), or even petroleum jelly on the elbows and knees once a week before bed.  A neat trick is even trimming the toes off a tube sock, and shimmy it up the arm so the Vaseline stays in contact with you skin instead of wiping off on your sheets.

High heels and pinched shoes may contribute to calluses by causing friction, but many times they can be alleviated by slipping in a thin insert such as a Foot Petals Tip Toes, a cushion that supports the ball of the foot and is small enough even for open-toe-shoes.  To remove existing calluses, take a shower or bath so that skin is soft and pliable, then buff feet with a foot file, a pumice stone, or a pad pre-moistened with a cleanser that has callus remover on it.  Follow with a cream containing urea, which eats away at and loosens up the dead skin cells, and makes the skin really smooth and hydrated.