Advanced Dental Care of Las Colinas, wishing you a safe and relaxing Memorial Day Weekend!

Memorial Day weekend, a time to remember and honor the men and women lost while serving for our country. Memorial Day is also the unofficial start of summer, and for many folks in Irving, getting out of town for three days after being cooped up in the classroom or the office spells sweet, sweet relief.

What about you? What are you up to this Memorial Day weekend? Whether you are headed to a barbecue, a camping trip, or just hitting the great American open roads, we’d like to hear all about it!

Our entire team at Advanced Dental Care of Las Colinas wishes you a happy, safe and relaxing Memorial Day weekend!

May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month!

Did you know the month of May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month? In 1983, President Ronald Reagan encouraged Americans to incorporate more physical activity into our lives. The reminder is even more significant today as people are more distracted by television, social networking, video games and working more hours. Living an active lifestyle can improve physical and mental health, productivity and overall well-being. The best part? It doesn’t have to take a lot of time or effort.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has provided these public health guidelines for your reference. The guidelines call for people to exercise one hour every day of moderate intensity physical activity (such as playing sports or brisk walking) or one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous activity (jogging, dancing and jumping rope).

At Advanced Dental Care of Las Colinas, we always encourage our patients to exercise or participate in sports. However, we want to remind you to always wear a mouth guard or other forms of facial protection when doing so. To learn more about how often you should exercise, we recommend you check out these helpful tips, courtesy of our friends at the American Heart Association.

What, exactly, are wisdom teeth?

Wisdom teeth are a type of molar that is found in the very back of your mouth and are the last molars to develop. There are four wisdom teeth: upper left, upper right, lower left, and lower right. These teeth usually appear in late teens or early twenties but may become impacted (fail to erupt) due to lack of room in the jaw or angle of entry. The removal of wisdom teeth has become so commonplace that it is almost a rite of passage for young adults.

Dr. Jerry Dunn will tell you that when a tooth is impacted, it may need to be removed. If it is not removed, you may develop gum tenderness, swelling, or even severe pain. Impacted wisdom teeth that are partially or fully erupted tend to be quite difficult to clean and are susceptible to tooth decay, recurring infections, and yes, even gum disease.

Our friends at WebMD have developed a helpful explanation about wisdom teeth and how they impact your health. Also, feel free to give us a call with any questions you have or ask us on Facebook!

What’s on your reading list?

With the school year close to winding down for a lot of our patients at Advanced Dental Care of Las Colinas, we wanted to remind all our patients about the importance of reading. Sure it’s easy to keep putting off reading this time of year, but reading is a vital step in brain development and literacy. And if you needed any more reason to read, May marks “Get Caught Reading Month.”

Today, we thought we’d ask: What's on YOUR reading list? What are some of your all-time favorites? Out of ideas for great reads? Ask us for suggestions, and Dr. Jerry Dunn and our team would be happy to provide a few. You may also ask a local librarian for some ideas on what to read next!

Happy reading! Be sure to share with us your book picks or your all-time favorite novels or literature on our Facebook page!