BLOG # 13 CORONAVIRUS UPDATE Dr. Spiker Davis D.D.S.  713-781-2800   W/ Dr. John Seger M.D. Cardiologist 713-791-9444 The current projections for expansion of the Coronavirus in the United States are only probable due to continued insufficient worldwide data.  It is most likely to be widespread in the US by mid to late March or into April.  Based on recommendations from physician patients, friends and medical/dental societies here is what they all recommend.  These are the same precautions currently in use during our flu seasons.   1) NO HANDSHAKING! Use a fist bump, slight bow, elbow bump, etc.   2) Use …

Most people have heard of the Coronavirus over the last 2-3 weeks.  It comes out of China and is spreading rapidly around the world.  Last I heard, there were over 17,000 cases with close to the 400 deaths.   This virus is similar to SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome which is also a Coronavirus) from back in 2003.  This is interesting because so far this year in the United States the flu has infected 15 million people with 8,200 deaths.  Right now, every country is being very cautious because we are still learning about this virus and a vaccine is probably …

Guess what?  It is 2020 and I can’t believe it.  This year I have been very late in sitting down to write my goals for the year.  I do have OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE LIST DISEASE and I usually have it done before the end of the year.  My excuse was too many grand kids but how can I complain about that.  So today, I finished my list and it made me think of all of you.  I hope you have written down your goals or at least New Year’s resolutions.  So while I was thinking of that, I tried to figure …

Over the last 5-10 years I am noticing what I call a “DENTAL EPIDEMIC”. Epidemic is defined as- a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community. What I mean by DENTAL EPIDEMIC is that many of my patients over this time period have developed a dry mouth. Dry mouth then leads to decay and gum disease which are both caused by bacteria and therefore qualify as a disease. There are many causes of dry mouth that range from snoring to cancer therapy and medications. I have seen many other causes in my years of practice including stroke, diabetes, …

I heard years ago at a dental convention that Dr. Charles Mayo said “PREVENTIVE DENTISTRY CAN ADD 10 YEARS TO YOUR LIFE”.  Of course, as a dentist I loved that, but it really made me think-WHAT IS PREVENTIVE DENTISTRY?  Back then my view was that every patient needed to brush and floss.  After some research I added that patients need to also add removing sugar from their diet and tongue scraping.  Today it has changed even more and that’s what the subject is today.  “WHAT IS PREVENTIVE DENTISTRY IN 2019”.  Let’s cover each item one by one. BRUSHING– In my …

THE MOUTH IS THE WINDOW TO YOUR HEALTH!             Wow, what a crazy month.  Launching this BLOG has turned out to be one of the most fun and interesting things I have ever done.  It took a lot more time and effort than I had anticipated but I feel that I am doing something really good for the health of my patients and mankind.  I am a firm believer that we doctors (The word means teacher) of all kinds need to do more teaching and less treating and I’m hoping this blog will help us all to be more responsible …

The federal government has many rules and regulations that apply to school lunches. These are designed to make healthy lunches available in school, but in reality, what ends up on a child’s plate isn’t always nutritious.  Eating unhealthy lunches for years can take a seriously negative toll on both mental and physical health.  Also school lunches are not necessarily tied to coaching and sports.  What I see that happens a lot is that teachers, coaches and even grandparents tend to encourage something different such as Gatorade for endurance and candies/junk for performance! One major risk of unhealthy school lunches is …