More Smiles Dental Spa Dentistry Blog | James A. Moreau, Jr., D.D.S.

After a busy week at the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry scientific session in New Orleans, Dr. Moreau was off this morning, bright and early, to join the American Dental Association legislative leadership team in Washington, D.C., for a round of visits with Louisiana legislators. Except for a bomb threat at the airport which delayed boarding his flight (turned out to be unfounded), all is well in the capital city tonight.

Organized dentistry (the American Dental Association - ADA) is approaching universal health care by looking to expand access in ways that will not affect taxpayer money. For instance, the leadership is coming up with a variety of ideas, through legislation, to encourage dentists to see medicaid children and to provide care for the poor and under-served.

Your dentist is in a leadership role in trying to make these changes in Congress. Things are changing in the U.S.--easily twenty cents of every dollar spent on health care is caused by government taxation and regulations. It's important to find a balance between what's necessary and what's in the way of Americans having reasonable access to the best health care in the world. These are complicated issues, but the ADA - and your dentist, as an Action Team Leader for the ADA initiative - are all over it.

Over the course of two days, Dr. Moreau and his grassroots team of Louisiana dentists will be meeting with 6 of 9 legislators from Louisiana to initiate the discussions. Nothing will get done in Congress this year because of the lame duck presidency, but the group is working to set up ideas and bills for the next Congress. Four bills are being proposed through this ADA initiative.

Labels: ADA Seal of Acceptance, American Dental Association, dental leadership, legislation

We had a big discussion in our gum-chewing family recently because I (Julie) was under the impression that sugarfree is sugarfree is sugarfree. Now, our kids know better than to even look at a pack of regular gum with sugar, but I thought any sugarfree gum was as good as another. Apparently not. Dr. Moreau was practically livid when he saw one of our kids about to buy "the wrong kind" of sugarfree gum. So he updated my consumer data base, and now I know.
Leave it to the industrial designers and/or food engineers of the world to come up with a high-tech sugarfree gum that is actually capable of improving your oral health! The American Dental Association has granted its Seal of Acceptance to Orbit, Eclipse and Extra sugarfree chewing gums based on their ability to help neutralize plaque acid, strengthen teeth and fight cavities. Who'd a thought??
The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company says that the award of the ADA's seal is based on over a decade of innovative scientific research. It incapsulates their findings that chewing Wrigley's sugarfree gums help to:

• strengthen teeth by augmenting enamel remineralization
• decrease plaque acid by increasing the level of buffers
• prevent cavities by stimulating salivary flow

With the MoreSmiles' dedication to your oral health and our focus on prevention, we would be remiss if we did not pass this information on to you. Of course, the ADA, and Dr. Moreau, still want you to brush at least twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, floss daily and come see us on a regular basis for professional cleanings and oral exams, but the significance here is that you now have a portable opportunity to use throughout the day to help improve your oral health while freshening up after a meal or snack.
So, when it's not practical to brush, keep some Wrigley's Sugarfree gum on hand for yourself and to pass out to the kids. And if you want more information about the ADA's seal or the Wrigley's products, visit http://www.wrigleydentalcare.com/ or http://www.ada.org/.

Labels: ADA Seal of Acceptance, sugarfree gum