Ah – ah- ah- ACHOO!

Keeping Your Distance From the Common Cold and Flu

It seems everyone in your home or your office is sneezing up a storm. Your daughter’s nose won’t stop running. She has a low-grade fever and is complaining of a sore throat. Or your colleague in the office next door is hacking away with a deep chest cough. You know that with each cough, germs are being spewed into the air. You wish he had called in sick.

When those around you are suffering from the common cold, there is one strong feeling that probably accompanies your sympathy for them – a strong desire to not “catch” whatever ails them, be it a bacterial or viral infection. Whatever it is, you surely don’t want it.

How Can You Arm Your Immune System for Its Fight Against the Cold or Flu?

There are many commonsense approaches to keep in mind when those around you have a contagious illness: Wash your hands often. Avoid direct contact with the person’s belongings (especially any phone the person may have used!). Use ample amounts of hand sanitizer. Don’t grab a tissue from a tissue box in a common area. Don’t eat food off of a platter from which those who are sick may have also eaten.

Think About Your Face

When there’s a nasty “bug” going around, don’t touch your mouth, nose, ears or eyes with unwashed or unsanitized hands. The bacteria or virus that is causing the illness that is tormenting those around you enters your body through your mouth, your nose your ears or your eyes. Think about how often you casually wipe your eyes after you’ve been working at your computer for an extended period, or how you might casually itch near your mouth or nose. Even resting your chin in your hand is dangerous territory when you’re trying not to get sick. Touching your face is the fastest way to introduce illness-causing germs to gain a foothold in your body.

Boost Your Immune System and Stay Healthy!

Here are some ways to support your body’s natural germ-fighting defenses:

•    Brush your teeth. Yep – it sounds a little silly, but brushing your teeth can help remove some of the germs that may have entered your mouth in an effort to make you the next victim of that wicked cold or horrid flu. Before you brush your teeth, make sure you thoroughly wash your hands. Also, make sure your toothbrush is clean. If it’s more than six weeks old, get a new one. Toothbrushes should be thrown out after you have used them for about four to six weeks. Beyond that window of time, your toothbrush is simply too worn out to be effective. If your toothbrush is newer than that, pour a small amount of hydrogen peroxide on the bristles between brushings and be sure to let your toothbrush dry out before you brush again. Hydrogen peroxide will wipe out the harmful bacteria hiding in your bristles, and bacteria can’t survive on dry nylon bristles. You could even splurge and buy yourself a second brush. By alternating use between two brushes, you can ensure that your brush is dry and bacteria-free before you brush again.

•    Take some probiotics. Probiotics for digestive health can help boost your immune system, because they fortify the native bacteria in your digestive tract. By supplementing with a digestive probiotic, you‘re giving your digestive bacteria a little extra help as they wrestle with the foreign, illness-causing bacteria. While you have probiotics on your mind, add EvoraPlus and EvoraKids oral care probiotics to your shopping list. Oral care probiotics help support gum and tooth health by crowding out harmful bacteria in the mouth. EvoraKids is formulated specifically to address the oral care needs of children ages 3-10, while EvoraPlus is the proper formulation for those over the age of 11. EvoraPlus not only supports gum and tooth health, it also naturally freshens breath at the source and gently whitens teeth.

•    Boost your vitamin C intake. What your mother and grandmother told you is true: drink your orange juice! Orange juice isn’t the only way to get vitamin C, though. Many vitamin C supplements are now combined with other immune-boosting supplements. These products are so common that you can likely find them at your local pharmacy, or in the supplement section of your favorite grocery store.

Don’t fall victim to the common cold and flu! When those around you are suffering with a cold or the flu, taking precautions can help you from becoming the next person who needs a sick day.

Stop the Nagging Cycle!

Looking for Ways to Help Kids Brush Better?

“Brush your teeth!” You say for the 5th or 10th or 28th time this week. Why do some kids need constant reminders to brush their teeth?

If you’re one of the many frustrated parents who finds yourself wondering that very thing fairly often, one of the major things to consider is whether your messages about the importance of good oral hygiene are geared toward the right audience.

Teaching Preschoolers About the Importance of Good Oral Care

Getting most preschoolers to brush their teeth regularly (and well) is as simple as finding ways to make it fun. Try different things, like putting a mirror low enough for your child to see himself while he brushes (kids love to look at themselves in the mirror!) or make up your own silly “brush your teeth” songs. If those ideas don’t seem like the ticket to getting your kiddo to take up the task of thorough, regular brushing, consider making brushing a fun game, or creating a sticker chart, which, once completed, promises a reward.

How to Discuss Oral Care with Younger Grade-Schoolers

By the time many children have entered grade school, they are much more comfortable with trips to the dentist’s office. This is very handy for teaching kids about the importance of brushing! Ask your dentist to talk about how good home-brushing and flossing habits can mean less time getting their teeth cleaned by the hygienists. Your family dentist is also one of your best allies in explaining how important brushing and flossing are to avoiding cavities.

Oral Care for Older Grade-Schoolers

As our children get a little older, it gets much harder to make sure they are taking good care of their hygiene in general. By approximately the age of 10 (depending on the child), children are far less willing to have their parents checking on their cleanliness. No more peeking in the shower to make sure they’re actually soaping up; way more moaning and complaining when you tell them to smile so you can check for plaque.

By those same ages, however, children DO understand the concept of responsibilities – at least better than younger children. If you are able to teach your older grade-schooler that it is his or her responsibility to keep teeth well brushed and flossed, you’re well on your way to ensuring that child’s good oral health.

If that child isn’t buying the “responsibility talk,” however, perhaps he or she would be more motivated by consequences. When used properly – by not being harsh or threatening things you would not deliver – consequences can be a good motivator for stubborn children. Figure out their currency. Is it video gaming? Watching TV? Going to a friend’s house? Tell him or her that the consequence for not brushing and flossing is losing that privilege they hold so dear. Then follow through – every time. Yes, it’s hard for both of you. But poor oral health is harder – for both of you!

Using the “Fear Factor” to Show Your Preteens the Necessity of Brushing and Flossing

If your preteen – or even young teen – is still slacking on his or her brushing and flossing, one of your best weapons is showing them evidence of the consequences of not taking responsibility for their oral health. Yes. That’s right. Google some really ugly pictures of tooth decay, print them out and get ready for a serious discussion about how your teen’s teeth could easily turn out that way if they can’t come to terms with a few minutes of brushing twice a day and once daily flossing.

As harsh as it sounds, this little dose of reality is all it takes for most preteens and young teens – who are highly concerned with their appearances! – to step up to the sink and get the job done right every day.

No matter the age of your child, there are ways to make sure they learn the importance of proper daily oral hygiene.

If you’re looking for other ways to support your children’s oral health, consider adding oral care probiotics to your child’s brushing and flossing routines. EvoraKids Wild Very Berry probiotic chews are specifically formulated to meet the oral health needs of children. For children ages 11 and up, EvoraPlus probiotic mints not only meet those needs – they also freshen breath. If your preteen or teen has that infamous teenager bad breath, they might really need the extra boost!

Choosing the Best Toothpaste

Why Whitening Toothpastes May Not Make You Smile

If you think your smile might be less-than-white, you’re probably tempted to try out a whitening toothpaste.

It’s much easier to stain a smile than it is to whiten it. All you have to do is drink staining beverages, like coffee, tea, cola or red wine, or eat staining foods, like blueberries, beets, spinach or chocolate, and your smile can easily start to yellow.

Did you know that the inside of our teeth – called the dentin – is actually yellow? Is it any wonder then that as we age, the outer layer of our teeth – called the enamel – starts to yellow as well?

And it’s only natural that as our smiles start to get a little less than the really white-white we prefer, we want to reach for what seems like the easiest-to-use whitening product – whitening toothpaste. But what if that toothpaste is actually making your smile more yellow in the long run? It could be.

Whitening toothpastes often contain baking soda, an abrasive that is often used to help remove stains on hard surfaces, from your teeth to your kitchen sink. While these toothpastes may make your teeth whiter at first, ongoing use of whitening toothpastes, however, can roughen the surface of your teeth, attracting more stains.

How About Truly Whitening Your Smile?

What if there was something just as simple to use as toothpaste that could whiten your teeth so gently that it could be used every day? Actually, there is. Probiotic mints are great if you are looking for tooth whitening that is simple, quick, effective and safe. EvoraPlus® contains a patented blend of probiotics that releases a gentle, low-dose of natural hydrogen peroxide that whitens teeth while supporting gum and tooth health and freshening breath.

What’s even better is that EvoraPlus probiotic mints are 100% natural and made in the USA. They are safe and effective!

EvoraPlus oral care probiotics are now available online, as well as at many mass market retailers, including Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, Hannaford, Sweetbay and many more. Simply visit Evoraplus.com to see a full listing of the retailers carrying this innovative mint.

If you’re looking for a naturally whiter smile, on-going tooth and gum health and truly fresher breath, try EvoraPlus!

A Halloween Nightmare

Watch Your Mouth!

With extra candy, gum and other sugary treats lying around during the Halloween season, even the strongest-willed among us are inclined to do a little extra snacking. Who can resist a few nibbles of chocolate here, or a package of gummy treats there?

If you’re worried about your tooth health, and you just can’t (or won’t!) resist those yummy Halloween sweets, here are some ways you can protect your teeth.

Brush After Snacking

Of course, the most common sense rule is to brush your teeth after you indulge in sweets. Because the bacteria that are responsible for tooth decay love to snack on sugar, the best thing you can do to keep tooth decay at bay when you’ve been snacking on sweets is to brush that sugar away.

The other benefit to brushing is that it may slow down your snacking, if you’re the type to graze. You might be able to resist the candy dish (or your child’s bag of Halloween treats) if your teeth are freshly brushed.

Oral Care Probiotics

Using a probiotic mint, like EvoraPlus, can help crowd out the sugar-loving bacteria by competing with them for both space and nutrients. Using oral care probiotics supports gum and tooth health year ‘round, not just at Halloween!

Drink Water!

Drinking water between snacks helps rinse a little of the food – and sugar – from your teeth. It’s not nearly as effective as brushing your teeth, but if it’s the only thing you can do to clean your mouth after indulging in a little treat, it’s certainly better than nothing.

Things to Consider

Less Saliva Means More Cavities

Dry mouth is a common problem that could lead to an even more common – and more costly and painful problem – cavities.

A number of things can reduce the flow of saliva. The prevailing cause generally is medication. From antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications to diuretics, narcotics, antihistamines and blood pressure medications, many prescription and over-the-counter medications can quell your normal flow of saliva.

You may have also noticed that your mouth is dry at night. This is because when we sleep, salivary glands produce less saliva. Our salivary glands also tend to produce less as we age, so dry mouth is more common in older people. Not only that, the composition of our saliva changes as we age, making our saliva less protective as we age.

Unfortunately, any alteration in the quantity or quality of one’s saliva can reduce the benefits that saliva can provide. The presence of xerostomia, which refers to a state of diminished salivary flow, can tip the balance between tooth demineralization and remineralization in favor of tooth decay, or the forming of cavities.

Brush and Floss

Since salivary flow decreases at night, be sure to brush and floss at night before going to bed to ensure that you’re removing both food particles that may be left behind and as much harmful bacteria as possible.

Drink!

Those with chronically dry mouths should drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated, to moisten the mouth and to keep food and bacteria from staying lodged between teeth.

Try Oral Care Probiotics

Saliva isn’t the only thing that protects your teeth from harmful bacteria. The good bacteria that live in your mouth also help to protect your teeth and gums from the harmful bacteria that reside there. Oral care probiotics help replenish those residential beneficial bacteria to support gum and tooth health.

Chew Sugarless Gum

Since chewing increases the flow of saliva, chewing sugarless gum can help increase your flow of saliva without feeding the bacteria known to cause cavities and gum disease.

An Important Time to Take Care of Yourself

Oral Care During Chemotherapy

Those undergoing chemotherapy face many struggles, not the least of which is how to manage their oral care.

Because the body’s natural defense line (the white blood cells) is weakened by the medications used during chemotherapy, infections can crop up anywhere in the body. There are several ways you can avoid oral infections during chemotherapy.

See the Dentist

Your dentist will have many strategies to help keep your mouth healthy during chemotherapy. He may even suggest a dental cleaning before your chemo starts to ensure your teeth and gums are as healthy as possible before your treatment begins.

Clean Your Teeth Every Day

Because your gums may be very sensitive during chemotherapy treatments, special care is recommended for keeping your mouth clean and healthy.

Gently brushing twice a day with a soft-bristled tooth brush or a gauze pad will help keep the surfaces of the teeth and gums clean. If your gums are too sensitive for daily brushing, call your dentist. He may want to see you in the office to check on the health of your teeth and gums.

If nausea and vomiting are an issue, brushing your teeth afterward is especially important. Brushing teeth after vomiting not only improves breath, it also removes the acids from the surfaces of the teeth. These acids wear down the surfaces of your teeth and put you at an increased risk for developing cavities.

Add Oral Care Probiotics

Oral care probiotics, like EvoraPlus, can help support tooth and gum health even if your brushing and flossing habits are lacking during chemotherapy. These beneficial bacteria help keep the bacterial balance in the mouth in a healthy ratio. This is especially helpful if your daily oral care routine is interrupted during treatment.

Oral care probiotics support tooth and gum health year-round, not just during chemotherapy treatment. Taking care of your teeth and gums is a good way to take care of your overall health.

Address Ulcers

Mouth ulcers are very common during certain kinds of chemotherapy. These ulcers, which can occur on the lips, gums, insides of the mouth or tongue, often can be prevented by cautious and careful oral hygiene.

Taking care of oral health during chemotherapy is very important. Be sure to share your oral-care concerns with your doctor and your dentist, and do your best to keep your mouth healthy while undergoing treatment.

Don’t Stress!

Your Anxiety Helps Create Your Children’s Fears of the Dentist

It’s not unusual for children to be afraid of a visit to the dentist, even if it’s their first time in the dentist’s chair. Maybe they learn to be afraid because they sense our anxiety that it might not be a pleasant experience. Maybe one of their preschool buddies had more than their share of cavities and was all-too-willing to tell the tales of the dentist’s chair. Or maybe they are just fearful of the unknown.

One thing is for sure – when your child is afraid of something (like a trip to the dentist), it’s up to you to be the good influence who shows your kiddo that there’s nothing to fear.

Easing Your Child’s Fears of the Dentist

Be a good example. If you skip dental appointments or make a fuss about getting a cleaning or filling when you need one, your child will pick up on your anxieties. Since children – just like adults – need dental cleanings every six months, keeping a good outlook on trips to the dentist will go a long way toward future success. Changing your mind about the dentist will go a long way toward easing your overall stress, too. Regular cleanings are one of the best ways to make dental visits completely uneventful.

Don’t force it. If your kiddo is stressed about visiting the dentist, go easy on how much you expect to be accomplished at the visit. Try to get your child to relax in the chair, check out the equipment and see that nothing bad is happening to the other patients.

Take home care seriously. Children who brush twice daily and floss once daily are far less likely to have problems with their teeth and gums. If your children want their trips to the dentist to not include treating cavities, remind them of the importance of thorough brushing and daily flossing. Adding an oral care probiotic like EvoraKids also supports tooth health and may help kids feel a little more confident about their trips to the dentist.

Healthy Smiles All Year Long

Keep Your Brushing Schedule During Summer Break

Summertime presents a massive change of schedule and routine for many families. Some children wake later and stay up later; others must wake earlier to get to their daily summer destinations.

Through all the changes that the season of summer brings to families, one thing must remain a top, daily priority – good oral hygiene.

While summertime may invite late nights of romping around the fire, roasting marshmallows for the delight of their sticky delicious flavor that piques this time of year, and while parents may succumb to letting little ones crawl into bed exhausted and dirty-footed each night, brushing teeth regularly is still a big priority.

Sure, a missed night of brushing here or there isn’t going to ruin the future health of your child’s beautiful, healthy smile, but letting the nights add up could turn into a disastrous loss of healthy oral care habits.

Same goes for morning. If there is any shift in morning habits – from, say, eating breakfast on the fly at home to eating a leisurely breakfast at Grandma’s house while Mom and Dad are at work – be sure to adjust your child’s tooth brushing routine accordingly.

Because plaque begins to form just 20 minutes after eating, it’s best to brush after meals, but if you know brushing will be forgotten at Grandma’s, at camp or wherever your little ones might be spending their summer days, then go ahead and have them brush before they leave home in the morning. What’s most important is maintaining a routine that supports twice daily brushing and once daily flossing.

To give your kids teeth an extra leg up toward good health, be sure to add an oral care probiotic like EvoraKids to their routine, as well. These beneficial bacteria reach where brushes and floss can’t, giving little smiles an extra advantage.

Healthy Snacks for Healthy Teeth

How Food Choices Impact Tooth Health

Moms the world over have been known to tell their kids to avoid certain foods “because they’ll give you cavities.” It’s true – the foods we eat can contribute to the formation of cavities. The bacteria that cause dental caries (or cavities) love to eat sugar-laden foods and beverages.

And there are certainly some foods that are more likely to hang around long enough for the cavity-causing bacteria to show up, like gummy candies, non-sugar-free gums, and any carbohydrate-laden food. Foods that stick to the teeth or get caught between the teeth are among the most likely to cause cavities.

The formation of a cavity is not a complicated process, nor is its treatment, as you can see in the following video.

So what should you feed your kids to keep their teeth healthy? Basically, feeding any child a diet rich in whole foods and ensuring that they brush at least twice daily and floss at least once daily is going to keep their teeth healthy and clean.

Adding an oral care probiotic, like EvoraKids, can also help keep the bacteria in the mouth in a good balance for happier, healthier smiles.

APPROVED!

Teddy’s Pride Receives Animal Wellness Magazine Seal of Approval

Products pour into the Animal Wellness Magazine offices every day, the makers of each hoping to receive the prestigious Animal Wellness Seal of Approval. Only a small handful of products are chosen for each bimonthly edition of the magazine.

We are pleased to announce that Teddy’s Pride Oral Care has been chosen by the editorial board of Animal Wellness to be featured as a product that has received the Animal Wellness Seal of Approval. In order to be chosen to receive the seal, the editorial department has to decide that the product is genuinely healthy and something their readers should know about.

Look for Teddy’s Pride in the June/July edition of the magazine, on newsstands now. You can also see it featured on their website early in June.

Teddy’s Pride is the very first oral care probiotic that freshens cats’ and dogs’ breath within days and can whiten pets’ teeth safely and naturally using beneficial bacteria found naturally in very healthy mouths. Teddy’s Pride is simply sprinkled on pets’ food once daily. The tasteless, odorless probiotic is designed for even the most finicky eaters!