Did you know that, according to the CDC, about 69% of current adult smokers want to quit completely? If you are smoker with the desire to quit, you are not alone; you are in the majority!

Smoking tobacco can lead to nicotine dependence and a variety of serious health problems for the smoker and their loved ones, who become exposed to second-hand smoke. Smokers can and do quit smoking.  Cessation can significantly reduce the risk of suffering from smoking-related diseases.  In Fact, today there are more former smokers than current smokers!  

Here are some resources to help you or your loved one quit smoking. 

• CDC Fact Sheet on Smoking Cessation
• Smokefree.gov
• Smoking-cessation.org - Quit Smoking Today
• How to Quit Smoking: Guide to quitting and kicking the habit for good
• Quitnet.com

For more information on smoking cessation, talk with your medical doctor.  Also, remember that most health insurance plans and even employers want to help you quit, so they offer many smoking cessation programs as well.

(Portions of this blog post were adapted from CDC information on smoking cessation located here)

Happy New Year!  We wish all our clients, friends & family a blessed 2012!

Have you made some inspiring New Year's resolutions yet?  If not, here are some thoughts to help you get started:

• If you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backward.
  
• If you don’t plan to succeed, you are planning to fail.
  
• Are you thriving or just surviving?

Can I get some Likes on this post?

Check out this insightful article on what's really wrong with the education system in the U.S. and what can be done to fix it. A MUST READ!!

http://www.caseyresearch.com/articles/uss-education-bubble

We need to make sure our young people hear this message!

Did you know that sipping on coffee, or any other sweetened drink for that matter, can cause accelerated tooth decay?  Below is a link to an interesting article with all of the details. 

Latte decay: Slow sipping may boost cavities in adults

It is my pleasure to announce the birth of Claire Marie Parisek!  Thanks be to God for Claire, the newest member of our family!

Justin on his tricycle

 
This is probably one of the best parodies of the famous Old Spice commercials I've ever seen!
 

Just when I thought I had heard of everything, along come the DentureVault.com people, selling...  You guessed it!  "Denture Vaults," disguised as a scented candle!

My prediction: DentureVault version 2.0 will feature a functioning, alcohol-powered candle; I'm not sure if it will be scented, though, that feature may have to wait for version 3.0!!  :-)

(Tessa, please don't get me one of these if I ever need to wear dentures; I have enough trouble finding my glasses in the morning!!)

It is my privilege to announce that all of our dental treatment rooms are now equipped with the new, Isolite dry-field illumination technology!

All over the U.S., high-tech private dental offices are implementing Isolite dry-ifeld illumination technology in an effort to take the dental care they provide to the next level, and our office is now part of this new, emerging trend.

Better Isolation = Better Dentistry.  Better isolation means I can provide better, faster, safer and more comfortable dental treatment to my patients, compared to the old way of providing dental care.  This means our patients have shorter, more comfortable dental visits and find themselves returning to their daily activities much sooner than it used to be possible.

At the heart of the Isolite system is the soft, flexible, non-impinging single-use mouthpiece that suctions saliva while it retracts and protects the tongue and cheek.  The mouth piece also provides bright, shadowless LED illumination, making it much easier to see the teeth compared to relying on a traditional dental light alone.

Even dentists need fillings!!  I personally had the Isolite used on me during the replacement of two of my old fillings in November and I was thrilled with how comfortable the Isolite is for the patient!  My recent dental procedure went by way more quickly and comfortably than any of my previous visits!

I look forward to using emerging dental technology, like the Islolite, to provide my patients superior dental care now and in the future.