Happy Holidays

Ash wishing you a wonderful holiday season and an amazing New Year!

Until 2017,

Dr. Lynda Tran

KaiDentistry.com

What I Am Thankful For...

There is so much to be thankful for this year but I wanted to just spend a few moments to share profound "thankfulness" for my amazing team! Anna, Lia and Tanya are so dedicated to our patients' well being. (Now, we also have Nancy and KaCee as part of our team! I am thankful for their willingness to help serve our patients with so much attention and care.) Of course, we are most thankful for our supportive, kind, talented (!), and wonderful patients. You all make our time at the office both fun and worthwhile! 

Sharing thanks to you,

Dr. Lynda Tran

KaiDentistry.com

My Trip to Loreto

I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Mexican Medical Ministries to serve the community of Loreto this weekend! It was a relatively short trip compared to my past dental mission trips, but we were nonetheless busy! It also happened to be the same weekend that the city of Loreto was celebrating it's own birthday! The streets were lively and there was lots of energy!

We worked out of a trailer that was converted to a dental clinic with two chairs. It's amazing how MMM was able to streamline everything we needed. I cannot write about this trip without mentioning the awesome opportunity I had to work with a "local" dentist. Dr. Yxchel Clavel Gutierrez (from Arte Dental Essex) practices in La Paz but has been working with MMM for 10 years. She was a real inspiration and was so supportive. It was a treat to be able to work with her (below is a photo of Dr. Gutierrez assisting me during a procedure)! 

I am so excited to share this trip with you and I am already looking forward to my next dental mission. I could not have been able to go on this trip without the help of my amazing team at Kai Family Dentistry!

Hope you're staying dry,

Dr. Lynda Tran
KaiDentistry.com

Halloween Candy Guide

With the 31st nearly upon us, I wanted to share a candy guide from the Academy of General Dentistry for the treats to come. See which goodies past the "Good" test by clicking the image above!

Happy HALLOWEEN,

Dr. Lynda Tran

KaiDentistry.com

Truth About Sparkling Water and Your Teeth

Can't believe the autumn is almost upon us!

For today's entry, I wanted to share a conversation that one of our patients had with our wonderful hygienist Lia. They had had a conversation about sparkling water and its effect on teeth. Lia had passed along an article that summarizes the "Three Myths About Sparkling Water" very well. I hope you'll take a look....

Three Myths About Sparking Water (From Lifehacker.com)

Happy Tet Trung Thu,

Dr. Lynda Tran

KaiDentistry.com

P.S. Tet Trung Thu is Vietnamese name for the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrating the full moon! 

Only Dental Office in US a Member of One Percent for the Planet!

Anna Stewart, Lia Stone, Dr. Tran with Our One Percent for the Planet Plaque

(Not Pictured: Tanya Martin)

We hope your summer is amazing. Feeling very refreshed after a month vacation, we are back and have some very exciting news to share! 

Kai Family Dentistry is currently the only dental office in the US to be part of One Percent for the Planet (onepercentfortheplanet.org). 1% of our profit will be donated to a non-profit organization dedicated to big, positive changes for our environment. The organization that we have decided to partner with is Save Our Shores (saveourshores.org). Having volunteered with them a few times a month, I really believe in their cause and their dedication to our planet.

Watch this video to learn more about One Percent for the Planet.

Happy Friday everyone,

Dr. Lynda Tran

KaiDentistry.com

Oral Cancer's Startling Stats

Hope everyone had a wonderful start to May! What a wonderful, whirlwind the last few weeks have been. We had the wonderful chance to celebrate Anna on Administrative Assistant's Day. She is such an important member of our team and we couldn't do what we do without her. Big shout out to Anna!

So for the next few blogs, I was hoping to focus on Oral Cancer. It is something that is becoming more and more prevalent. CDC now recommends that patients over the age of 17 have an annual oral cancer screening. At Kai Family Dentistry, we conduct oral cancer screenings at least twice a year. We have even incorporated a special oral detection device that helps us detect questionable tissue early in its development. Early detection is key. Take a look at the startling statistics on oral cancer in the infographic above or click here for the larger version. 

Happy Friday 13th,

Dr. Lynda Tran

KaiDentistry.com

Why Do Teeth Turn Yellow?

Happy April everyone! Hope you all are enjoying the beautiful weather we've ben having. 

Just this week, I have had more than a handful of patients ask me the question above. I found an online article on Live Science that does a wonderful job exploring this topic. One of the sentences that I want to highlight is this really great advice: "According to the Mayo Clinic, the best protection against thinning enamel is proper saliva production and fluoride. Brush twice a day with a fluoridated toothpaste, drink water treated in fluoride and see a doctor if you are experiencing dry mouth to help prevent thinning."

The article can be found here. 

Happy Kinda-Tax Day,

Dr. Lynda Tran

P.S. If you're curious as to why Tax Day is on a different day this year, check out this article here. 

$60 Braces - What Could Go Wrong?

Apologize for the hiatus! Can't believe the end of March is here. Hope everyone has been doing well. I just wanted to share this article from The Washington Post regarding the design student who made his own clear aligners for $60! While I applaud the creative use of his design knowledge to address an esthetic concern, the orthodontists interviewed make a few very important points about the pros and cons of clear aligners fabricated by someone with little to no orthodontic training.

The article can be found here. 

Happy Cesar Chavez Day,

Dr. Lynda Tran

KaiDentistry.com

Brushing Do's and Don'ts

As we near the end of the first month of the year, I wanted to share that many of our patients have made it their 2016 resolution to brush more frequently. How wonderful is that?! To support everyone in achieving this awesome resolution, here is a video that helps identify some frequent mistakes when brushing and the "ideal" way to brush. As always, we are here to help if there are any questions!

Happy Friday,

Dr. Lynda Tran

KaiDentistry.com

Marijuana's Impact on the Mouth

We, here at Kai Family Dentistry, hope your year is off to a great start!

Over the holiday break, a friend of mine was concerned about the oral implications of her mom using medical marijuana. Around the same time, the Academy of General Dentistry produced a great summary of the impacts that marijuana can have on your mouth. I thought this information would be great to share so here is a reproduction of the concerns below:

Marijuana's Impact on the Mouth

Marijuana use can cause or contribute to the following in the oral cavity:

• Alveolar bone loss
• Gingivitis and periodontal disease
• Gingival hyperplasia
• Gingival leukoplakia
• Increased appetite for cariogenic (cavity-producing) foods and drinks
• Leukoedema
• Oral cancer
• Oral candidiasis
• Poor oral hygiene practices and poor diet
• Possible peripheral dilation and tachycardia associated with acute marijuana toxicity when an anesthetic is given
• Uvulitis
• Tooth decay and tooth loss
• Tooth staining
• Xerostomia (dry mouth)

If you have a question about any of these impacts on your oral health, please contact us or reach out to your dental care provider. 

Here's to a wonderful year,

Dr. Lynda Tran