Home Remedies for the Healthiest Legler Smile

Tis the Season for sweets, sweets, and more sweets. We all deserve to take a break and divulge in our favorite guilty pleasures. Your taste buds may be smiling as you bite into that scrumptious piece of gooey, sugary, pie but, your teeth are thinking otherwise. Don’t fret… Legler Orthodontics is here to rescue your precious pearly whites from a decaying disaster. Store bought toothpaste and mouthwash can get pretty pricey so, why not make your own at home? It saves money (which we all love), gives a feeling of accomplishment, and allows you to leave out the harmful ingredients commercial products permit. Here are two simple recipes for DIY toothpaste and mouthwash concluding with some helpful tips to keep your smile bright, white, healthy and smelling fresh.

Homemade Toothpaste

Each batch yields the equivalent of one 5.3oz tube of toothpaste. Use a mason jar with a lid or a plastic container and place somewhere near your toothbrush. When it’s time to brush, simply wet your toothbrush, scoop out a healthy amount of paste and begin brushing. Remember as Dr. Legler recommends, circular motions!

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup baking soda 
• 1 tsp of fine sea salt (optional- minerals from sea salt are great for teeth however can be left out if too salty.
• 2 tsp of peppermint extract or 10-15 drops of peppermint essential oil (substitute with favorite flavor- spearmint, cinnamon, orange, lemon etc.)
• Filtered water 

Making Paste in 3 Simple Steps

1. Start with the ingredients 
2. Mix together baking soda, optional sea salt (recommended), and peppermint. 
3. Add water a little bit at a time, stirring consistently until paste is formed. 
4. For future days, add a small amount of water if the paste begins to dry out.

**Cost Savings**

$3-$4 per tube!

Homemade Mouthwash  

Artificial sweeteners and chemical additives in conventional mouthwash are a No-No in Legler Orthodontic’s book. “Natural” DIY mouthwash is cost effective and prevents dangerous chemicals from entering your body. Store mouthwash in a mason jar with a lid or glass bottle (we recommend a used apple cider vinegar bottle).

Ingredients

• 2 tsp of baking soda 
• 2 drops of tea tree essential oil 
• 1 tsp Xylitol 
• 2 drops of peppermint essential oil (or favorite flavor) 
• 1/2 cup filtered water 

Making Wash

1. Pour water into mason jar or glass bottle 
2. Add tea tree essential oil, peppermint essential oil and Xylitol 
3. Add baking soda and stir 
4. Shake before use (baking soda settles at the bottom) 

   

 Helpful Tips for a Brighter, Whiter, Healthy & Fresh Smile J

  Oil Pulling

      This oral therapy may be a growing trend however, it has been a practiced tradition for centuries, first originating in India. Oil pulling is the practice of swishing the oils from plants in your mouth to produce a wealth of health benefits.

     

      Coconut oil is incredible for oil pulling and is one of the best ways to whiten teeth, remove bacteria and promote healthy teeth and gums! Other popular oils used in pulling include, sunflower and sesame oil. Many practioners have found these alternative oils to be equally beneficial.  

     

      This remedy is believed to cure tooth decay, kill bad breath, heal bleeding gums, soothe throat dryness, prevent cavities, soften cracked lips and strengthen the jaw.

How- To:

1.      Purchase coconut oil from the local grocery or health foods store.

2.      Store coconut oil in temperatures above 75 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent solidification. Chunky oil is not easy to swish around your mouth!

3.      Make sure to pull first thing in the morning before brushing teeth or drinking.

4.      Gently swish 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil for 10-20 minutes. We recommend doing this in the shower and while you get ready. We know it’s a lengthy process!

5.      Spit the oil out in the trash (not the sink, so it doesn’t clog plumbing) and immediately rinse with warm salty water.

6.      Finally brush your teeth as usual, using your homemade toothpaste!

       Spice Up Your Life

      

      Snack on some cloves, fennel, or anise after each particularly odorous snack or finish a meal with parsley, we find these to be invigorating breath enhancers!

      Sugarless Gum

      

      It is always a good idea to carry some mints or sugarless gum for that quick spruce up. You never know who you might meet around the corner!

      Watch Your Drinking Habits

      The worst options are coffee, wine, whiskey and beer. These beverages, that we tend to sip, contain acid causing the pH levels in the mouth to decrease and bacteria to fester. This leads to cavities and gum infections. We know…it’s hard to resist!

      Brush Frequently & Don’t Forget the Tongue

Carry a toothbrush and a small container of homemade toothpaste or mouthwash along with you when leaving home. Brushing after each meal may not be convenient, but it is refreshing! One of the main causes of bad breath is food and plaque residue on the surface of your tongue so, give it a nice gentle brush-over too! Most importantly, keeping your teeth clean prevents cavities and dental problems from emerging down the road.

Our team at Legler Orthodontics strives to find new healthy and natural methods to keep dental health exciting. Check out these links below to learn more about at home dental treatments. 

http://www.livescience.com/50896-oil-pulling-facts.html

/http://www.diynatural.com/homemade-toothpaste/

/http://www.diynatural.com/homemade-mouthwash/

10,000 hour Rule? Try 20!

Did you ever hear that it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to be really good at something? I first came across this concept when reading Malcom Gladwell’s book ”Outliers”. He quoted research and case studies showing that athletes become great; musicians become famous (like the four guys from Liverpool); and smart guys become Bill Gates- primarily because they spent 10,000 hours perfecting their skills. While listening to a Ted talk ( The first 20 hours—how to learn anything) one day, this guy named Josh Kaufman tells me that the 10,000 hours is only if you want to be exceptionally good- top of your field- great. If you only want to learn a new skill, hobby etc. it only takes 20 hours or 45min a day for about a month. Wait a minute, I just wasted 300 hours at calligraphy class?! As most of us have limited free time between work, carpooling kids and repairing the house, enjoyable things like new hobbies, sports and game skills or playing an instrument, get postponed or cancelled due to unrealistic expectations of time involvement. Josh Kaufman says there are 4 steps to this amazing 20 hour technique: 1) Deconstruct the skill – break it down to small pieces and practice the hardest parts the most 2) Learn enough to self-correct – use DVD’s, YouTube etc. 3) Remove practice barriers or just plan time to practice 4) Practice at least 20 hours. Josh demonstrated this theory by putting in 20 hours of time learning to play the ukulele . I assure you – after only 20 hours of ukulele practice, he is among my TOP 5 FAVORITE UKULELE PLAYERS EVER! So have at it you future accordion, bridge, pickle ball players, yoga, cross-fitters, chefs, wine connoisseurs, ballroom dancers, gardeners, fishermen, artists, writers, volunteers- you can do it with less time than you ever imagined! Good luck on your new endeavors and thanks, Josh!

Dr. Legler’s top 10 Tips for Choosing a Career

Career Advice from Legler Orthodontics:
I am often asked by kids during dental health month or high school/ college students shadowing me in my office for suggestions on choosing a career.  Here we go:

10.  Take off the earphones and put down the ipod, cellphone, videogame or other distraction.

  

  9.  Get out of the house and observe – watch other professionals in various jobs or careers.

  

  8.  Ask questions about their job and even see if you can spend a few hours observing.  In my    experience from age 10 to 16, I thought I wanted to be a Veterinarian…until I spent a day in the office!

  7.  Ditto tip 10

  6. Once you identify a career that might be of interest – time to do your homework!  Now you should engage the internet and investigate education requirements and grades you must have, appropriate colleges and expenses.  Most importantly, the job market or openings in that field and where they may be located.

  5.  Repeat tip #7

  4.  Follow your passion:  but only if you can make a living doing it.  At age 17 I loved drumming and wanted to be in a rock band.  I was passionate about pole vaulting.   For me personally, my life would have been much different and less fulfilling had I pursued either one of these as a career choice.  I can still drum and be in a rock band… and have a really great day job!

  3.  It’s ok to change your mind.  My freshman year of college I was a business major.  After taking intro biology and having a phenomenal teacher (War Eagle!),  I realized that a career involving science was more interesting to me than the business courses I would be required to take.

  2.  Repetir paso numero cinco!

and Dr. Legler's #1 Tip for Choosing a Career is...

1.  As long as you work hard, constantly strive to learn more and improve your knowledge, always seek to learn from others who know more than you and most importantly, get along well with others, you will succeed at whatever career you choose!