Our Blog

Watching the clock tick down the final seconds until midnight, many of us- Elite Smiles Dental included- feel nostalgic about the passing year and hopeful about the new one to come. New Year’s Eve is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the world, with over-the-top celebrations taking place in dozens of countries. The Gregorian calendar, which is widely used in Western nations and around the world, was implemented in 1582. Since that time, December 31st has marked the final day of the year, with midnight heralding the beginning of a brand new year. In the United States, New Year’s Day is a public holiday; government offices, schools, public organizations, and many businesses are closed for the day. Ponder the following fun facts as you think about your plans for the holiday:

• Approximately one billion people watch the New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square, New York City. This televised event is one of the most iconic New Year’s celebrations in the world. For many years, watching the ball drop meant tuning in to Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve, an iconic television special dear to the hearts of many viewers.
• The idea for the New Year’s Eve ball came about because of a citywide ban on fireworks. Before 1907, when fireworks became illegal in New York City, celebrations included an elaborate fireworks show. The large, glittering, illuminated ball was developed as an alternative. Although the first ball was heavy at 700 pounds, the modern New Year’s Eve ball is made of Waterford crystal and tips the scale at six tons!
• The top five New Year’s resolutions are: to lose weight, quit smoking, get a new job, return to school, or increase personal savings. However, approximately 88% of New Year’s resolutions fail. But don’t let that discourage you! Resolutions are most likely to succeed when they are clear, achievable goals. Setting out a concrete plan to achieve your resolution also boosts your chances of success.
• Eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day is said to bring good fortune in the new year. Collard greens, cabbage, and ham hocks are also considered lucky foods to enjoy. Just steer clear of the chicken or turkey dinners; eating poultry is a bad omen for the year to come.

Whether you plan to stay in Appleton, WI, or head out into the crowds to watch the ball drop in Times Square, New Year’s Eve is a time to enjoy friends and family. Send your loved ones well wishes for the New Year, and look for that special someone to share a midnight kiss with for good luck!

While there is no definite evidence that if your prevent gum diseases, like periodontitis, that you may be able to prevent a heart condition or heart disease. The only thing experts, like Dr. Dale Scharine and Dr. Mark Pflum, know for sure is that if you take care of your gums it can lessen atherosclerosis, (build-up of artery clogging plaque) that may result in a heart attack or stroke.

Could periodontal disease cause heart attacks?

Regardless of your oral health, if you're at a high risk for heart disease, you need to take action.

• Maintain a healthy weight or lose weight.
• Consume healthy foods and beverages.
• Exercise several days the week. Walking is a powerful and lightweight exercise and will clear your head while helping your body get or stay healthy.
• Control any medical conditions you may have such as high cholesterol, diabetes, or high blood pressure.
• Reduce your stress. Have lunch with a friend, go for a walk in the park, take a bubble bath, mediate, or do whatever you find relaxing.
• Get a social life. Laughing reduces stress and “feel good” hormones. Everyone needs to feel like they are a part of something: join a book club or any activity where you can interact with other people at least once or twice a week
• Be sure to get enough sleep. The recommended amount is eight to nine hours a night. It has been proven that a lack of sleep increases your risk for angina, strokes, and heart attacks.
• Practice good oral hygiene to keep bacteria in check and your mouth healthy.

Contact our Appleton, WI office if you have questions about your heart and oral health. If you take practice good oral hygiene, both your mouth and your heart will thank you.

It might seem like you’ve gotten a great night’s sleep—but why aren’t you well rested? Worse, why are you waking up with:

• A headache
• Ringing in your ears or an earache
• Pain in your jaw
• Worn or sensitive teeth
• Dry mouth or mouth and cheek injuries
• An unhappy partner who’s been kept awake all night?

If you suffer from any or all of these symptoms, you might be one of the millions of people who have a sleep-related disorder called bruxism, better known as teeth grinding.

There are any number of causes that have been linked to bruxism. Stress and other negative emotions seem to trigger episodes, as can lifestyle habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol or caffeine. Sleep apnea can lead to grinding your teeth, or you could have bite or tooth alignment problems. Certain medications might set off this disorder, and some studies have shown a hereditary tendency in families. Whatever the reason you grind your teeth, there are many important reasons to stop as soon as you can.

As bad as the nagging headaches and earaches that can accompany bruxism can be, long-term damage to your teeth can develop over time. With continuing grinding pressure on the teeth, enamel is worn away prematurely. Teeth can crack or chip. They may loosen or develop sensitivity to heat, cold, and pressure. Gum tissue can recede or become inflamed. Dental restorations can be cracked or broken.

If you—or someone in your house—suspects that you are grinding your teeth at night, give our Appleton, WI office a call! We can recommend relaxation techniques, diet changes, or tips to help you relax your jaw. Dr. Dale Scharine and Dr. Mark Pflum might suggest a nightguard, a custom-fitted appliance worn while you sleep, to reduce the impact of grinding. There are options available. Let’s work together to make every night’s sleep a restful, healthy one.

2026 is right around the corner and now is the time to familiarize yourself with any changes to your dental insurance benefits to prepare for next year. Take time to read and understand your insurance benefits. Insurance plans can be sneaky and word things in ways that lead the patient to believe their coverage is better than it truly is. We have team members who specialize in helping patients understand their insurance plans so they can maximize their plan for their specific needs.

To ensure you receive the full value of your plan, it's important to stay on track with the recommended care. At Elite Smiles Dental, we suggest visiting every 6 months for your routine cleaning and exam. This will help us to find issues early and fix them when they are minor and less expensive. Remember, dental issues never get better with time; they only get worse.

Planning ahead is also key. Taking care of necessary treatment early in the year allows you to better plan for the rest of the year, or even next year. It also gives you the opportunity to save patient portions on future treatment. We like to give patients treatment plans that have phases when there is more than one appointment needed. We phase the treatment to address the most urgent items first, and the less important or slower progressing issues later. This allows the patient to take the treatment as they can afford without sacrificing the urgency of some issues. This also allows us to show the patient how their dental insurance will help, and to plan for their out-of-pocket costs.

For any costs, we always provide our patients with a step-by-step breakdown of total cost of treatment, what we expect the insurance to help with, and what their portion will be. We also discuss the different options for payment such as cash, check, credit card, or Care Credit if they need to spread their payments out.

Keep in mind that you will likely have out-of-pocket expenses. We’ve noticed insurance companies have gotten sneaky in how they word their policies. Their goal is to cover as little as possible. So, they might tell you that you get two cleanings and exams per year, but they often require that this stays within your yearly maximum as well. An example would be if you get $1,000 coverage per year and you use the full $1,000 toward fillings in January, the insurance will NOT cover anything further in most policies. We will always try to help that patient maximize how their insurance will help them pay for this treatment.

And if you’re not sure what you may need, don’t worry! We always send reminders when patients have outstanding treatment, regardless of insurance status. We do not allow insurance to dictate what we diagnose, as we have the patient's best interest in the forefront.

Make it a goal in 2026 to get the care you need! See your dentist, have them give you an idea of what is on the horizon for the year, and make a plan on how you will tackle this plan using your benefits.

We hope you have a wonderful start to the year and we’ll see you in 2026!