Hand Washing Wisdom in The Woodlands

How often do you wash your hands every day? Do you wonder if you’re washing them long enough or with the right product?

Because cleanliness and sterile conditions in our dental office are so important to us, I’d like to pass on a few tips about good hand washing. You can get your children started with good washing habits too!

My suggestions come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). This is the agency that sets guidelines for dental offices, in addition to the ones set by the state of Texas.

When Should You Wash?

First of all, when are the important times to wash your hands? Any time you’re around food, either cooking or eating. If you’re the cook, it’s good to wash before, during and after working with food. Any time you’re caring for someone with a cold, or with a cut or wound, or after sneezing and coughing. And of course, after using the toilet and after changing a diaper or helping a child in the bathroom. If in doubt, just wash!

How Clean is Clean?

Here are a few tips to make sure you’re washing enough to really clean your hands:

●      Wet your hands with clean running water (warm or cold) and apply soap.

●      Rub your hands together to make a lather and scrub them well; be sure to scrub the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.

●      Continue rubbing your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the "Happy Birthday" song from beginning to end twice.

●      Rinse your hands well under running water.

●      Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry.

Some sources claim that too much hand washing could lead to germs that become resistant to antibiotics. The CDC studied this in 2005 and found two things: 1) It doesn’t matter whether you use antibacterial or regular soap; they’re equally effective. 2) There’s no evidence that antibacterial soaps are creating any supergerms!

Obviously, we wash our hands a lot! But we do much more to ensure a completely safe and sterile office. If you’d like to know more about how we keep our dental office in The Woodlands clean and sterile for our patients, we’d be happy to show you during your next visit!

Oral Cancer – Do You Know the Risks?

April is Oral Cancer Awareness month, but for me, it’s an important topic all year round, and I want to take this opportunity to give you some important information about oral cancer, its causes, and about prevention. Oral cancer may not be in the news as often as other cancers, but nearly 7,000 people will die in 2013 as a result of oral cancer and nearly 36,0000 new cases will be diagnosed. (Source: ACS, revised 02.26.2013)

Oral Cancer Symptoms     

Oral cancer in The Woodlands isn’t difficult to diagnose, but the danger is that it’s often caught in late stages when it’s spread to other parts of the body. If you notice any of the following symptoms in between checkups, please call us right away:

●      A sore that doesn’t heal

●      A lump or thickening of the lining of the mouth

●      Difficult or painful chewing or swallowing

Who Gets Oral Cancer

More than 80% of oral cancers in men (65% in women) occur in tobacco and alcohol users, and combined heavy tobacco and alcohol use increases the risk 300 times that of non-users. (Source: National Institutes of Health, 2006)

Notice I didn’t say “smokers.” There is NO safe tobacco product, despite what you might hear. Even smokeless tobacco, pipes, and clove cigarettes increase your risk dramatically.

HPV and Oral Cancer

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted virus that causes approximately 25% of head and neck cancers, including oral cancer.

At our dental office in the Woodlands, I do an oral cancer screening at every checkup. It’s also a good practice to check your own mouth for any changes when you brush and floss.

I hope you also have annual and periodic health checkups and cancer screens, and make sure regular dental checkups are part of that routine. Call our Woodlands dental office today to make an appointment for a checkup. Information and prevention are good keywords for every aspect of your health, including dental health!