Season of Giving: FDA’s Favorite Dental Charities

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…to give back! Healthy smiles are one of the best gifts, and we believe that everyone should have access to oral health care.  That’s why we work with Dental Lifeline and Dancing with the Dentists to help people in our community receive the dental care they need.  If you haven’t heard of these two wonderful organizations, let us help you learn more about great work being done in oral health!

Dental Lifeline is a national charitable organization that was founded in 1974.  Its mission is to improve the oral health of people with disabilities or who are elderly or medically fragile.  Through its flagship program, Donated Dental Services (DDS), oral care is provided to people who cannot afford necessary treatments and cannot receive public aid.  With its network of 15,000 dentists and 3,500 labs nationwide, the DDS program has provided $378 million in donated therapies and transformed the lives of 120,550 people.

Our beloved Dr. Knock envisioned Dancing with the Dentists and drew from his local dental network to build a ballroom dancing competition that generated funds for several local charities.  Our very own Dr. Brunacini and his wife, Jenny, won the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy in Season 1!  Dancing with the Dentists Season 4 will take place in 2022, and will feature 10 courageous dental professionals on the ballroom floor, showing off their moves to raise money for The Root Cellar and Dental Lifeline.  A fun competition that also makes a real impact, Dancing with the Dentists raised over $40,000 for charity at their last event!

We have also worked with Dentists Who Care for ME and look forward to continuing to support their great work when they are able to hold the next event for their services.

Giving back and caring about our community has never felt more important. 2020 has been full of challenges, to say the least.  This holiday season, we also look forward to supporting our local business community.  As a locally-owned small business, we feel grateful to be a part of such a conscientious and kind community.  We’re all in this together!

We wish you a wonderful and safe holiday season!  Thank you for being a part of the FDA Family!

*Image courtesy of www.shutterstock.com

 

Celebrating Dr. Knock: Congratulations on your retirement!

As we announced in March of this year, Dr. Glen Knock will be retiring at the close of this month after years of providing dedicated, professional care to patients throughout his impressive dental career. His work has impacted many, and we know a lot of people will miss Dr. Knock, so we asked patients to submit words and phrases that capture Dr. Knock’s numerous great qualities to share with everyone. Please enjoy the visual result below!

Though he will be missed, we wish Dr. Knock the very best and want him to enjoy a happy and well-deserved retirement!

A special thank you to all of our patients who submitted words to help us create this graphic! Please remember to come out to Falmouth Dental Arts on Thursday, June 29th from 2-4 PM to celebrate Dr. Knock’s retirement. As always, we look forward to seeing you!

A Message from Dr. Knock

I was asked to write a few words about my upcoming retirement the end of June.  Yes, it is going to happen and I am looking forward to it after being in dentistry either as a student, a naval officer, or a private practitioner for 49 years!  I became a dentist because I wanted to help people get healthy in some way.  I had a choice of going to either dental school or medical school and I guess you know which one I chose.  And I am extremely grateful that I did.

Over the years I have met so many incredible people in my practice that it is hard to describe how blessed I feel.  Dentistry has opened doors to many other endeavors for me, too.  Some of the highlights for me have been opening my own practice in 1974 (shared with Dr. Frank Adshead at the time), getting introduced to holistic concepts in the late 70’s, helping advance those concepts throughout my career, starting Dancing With The Dentists, and many more things I won’t bore you with.

By far and away, the most important blessing is the people I have been honored to work with – many for decades! I have an incredible staff of highly trained, compassionate and humor-oriented women.  Without our humor every day it would not be fun coming in to “drill, fill, and bill.” And, in particular, I’d like to give a big thanks to Francine, who had been my assistant for over 40 years. We love to take the time with people that they need.  I often tell people “I do dentistry between having a conversation with them.”  I think, that between all of us we have over 300 years of experience!  And much of that at Falmouth Dental Arts!

Falmouth Dental Arts is a reflection of our values, which did not appear out of thin air.  Our mission and values are a product of all the hard work we have put in as a team.  Countless hours of staff meetings, self-improvement, mission statement building, trainings, continuing education and, last but not least, parties and fun.  We are very picky about who makes it on this team.  We are all protective of our culture.  Since we all own it, working here is a breeze for me.  I have never seen a staff like this and I don’t think there will be another one.

The greatest gift I can give to you is to have this practice continue providing you with the treatment you have come to expect and deserve.  That is why I am proud that Dr. Brian Brunacini and Dr. Antonios Karagiorgos are going to continue making Falmouth Dental Arts the place to go for your care and the care of friends and relatives.  I could not have chosen any better (and they are younger!).  They have both demonstrated wonderful care, skill, and judgment in what they do.

I have had an incredible time at Falmouth Dental Arts and have had decades of relationships with many of my patients.  I have been losing my primary care practitioners to retirement, too.  It’s difficult.  But my hope is that, when I hang up the drill in June, I can look back and we can say together, “Wow! That was great!”

Can Brushing and Flossing Help Prevent Heart Disease?

February is American Heart Month. Sadly, heart disease is the number one killer of women. Did you know that there are some studies that suggest a link between oral health and heart disease? While the studies aren’t conclusive yet, many have shown that gum disease, in particular, can be associated with heart disease. The American Academy of Periodontology, for example, found that those with periodontal disease are almost twice as likely to have coronary artery disease.

Some of our hygienists recently attended a course on this possible link between heart disease and oral health in Boston. One possible reason for this connection is that bacteria from the mouth can enter into the bloodstream through the gums, the same bacteria found clumped in artery plaques. Of course, it’s too early to say that avid tooth brushing and flossing can prevent heart disease. But it certainly can’t hurt.

Check out this video from the American Heart Association, “10 Years of Fighting Heart Disease in Women”

can brushing and flossing prevent heart disease

Tooth Whitening and Tooth Brushing are not the same

Brushing your teeth serves a variety of important functions. It clears away plaque that can build up and lead to tooth decay. It keeps your gums healthy and lowers your chance of developing gingivitis. It may even reduce your risk of developing dementia. However, it cannot fully fight off tooth stains. Yellowing of the teeth is common even in the most assiduous brushers.

Stains on the teeth are not necessarily the result of ill health. They are more likely an indication that you enjoy teeth-staining foods and beverages (like coffee). While brushing your teeth can help, it is typically not enough to totally prevent yellowing. This is true even if you use whitening toothpaste.

Fortunately, Falmouth Dental Arts offers treatments that can revitalize your smile. Don’t go another year feeling embarrassed of your yellow teeth. Spend just one hour in our office and you’ll leave with pearly whites. Would you rather whiten in the privacy of your own home? We also offer at-home tooth whitening solutions. Call us today at 207-781-5900.

9/11 Rememberance

Today marks the fourteenth anniversary of the 9/11 Terror Attacks. Falmouth Dental Arts would like to take a moment to remember those who lost their lives that day. They count among their number 2,507 civilians, 343 firefighters, 72 law enforcement officers, and 55 military personnel.