Hewlett Family Dental Blog

We all know that dental floss is for flossing your teeth, but did you know there are other things you can do with dental floss? Yup-- Check it out!   Floss Use in Camping and Survival Training Weighing less than half an ounce, campers can easily stash both the waxed and un-waxed varieties in their backpack without a problem. So make Bear Grylls proud, pack it in your camping kit for your next trip. 1.       In a pinch, un-waxed floss and a sterile needle can stitch a wound until you reach an emergency room. 2.       Use dental floss as virtually unbreakable thread for clothing repairs. I personally have used it for sewing on buttons when traveling. 3.       Make a fishing pole with floss and a sturdy branch to catch small to medium size fish. 4.       Stitch busted fishing nets. 5.       Use floss to tie sturdy sticks together for an impromptu tent or tarp. 6.       Tie down a tent or tarp with dental floss. 7.       If you’ve run out of rope, braid a few strand

When most of us think of the affect of food on our teeth, we probably think of the age-old wisdom that sugar causes tooth decay. And while sugar is a notorious culprit, there are many other ways that the foods you eat affect your teeth, & not all of it is bad news. First of all, it’s good to review how sugar actually causes cavities. It’s not the sugar itself that’s responsible for decay. Sugar acts as a food source for bacteria on your teeth & gums, which digest it & turn it into an acidic byproduct you’ve probably already heard of, called plaque. Plaque is sticky & adheres to your teeth, where its acids start to dissolve the hard outer layer of your teeth called enamel. Bacteria can then get into this hole in the enamel & start to destroy the inside of the tooth, causing toothaches & abscesses that require treatment from your dentist (root canals, tooth extractions, etc). Clearly, it’s a good idea to avoid sugar as much as possible & to brush &