Momom

This past Friday I was able to attend the first annual momom, in Springfield, Missouri. Momom stands for Missouri Mission of Mercy. Momom is a fairly new program. Missouri is the ninth state to join the movement project. Momom was designed to give outstanding dental care for people in need. With is program all dental care given, is free.

The day began with my alarm clock going off at 2:45 A.M. Volunteers were required to be there at 4 A.M.  Patients were let in the doors at five. Although they were let in a five, the first person in line had been waiting there since noon on Thursday. Yes, just like a person would do on black Friday… When I arrived on Friday morning the line was literally over a mile long. Thousands of people lined up to rid them of their pain and worries.

As the patients came through the doors they were given a breakfast burrito from McDonalds and a clip board with all their necessary paperwork. The patients went through so called “stations.” First, was medical triage, where their health history and vital signs were reviewed. Second, patients were seen in the dental triage area, where they were diagnosed with the treatment to be preformed that day. Rather if it be an extraction(s), filling(s) or a cleaning. From this point on began the actual treatment phases. The patients were escorted to the proper area for treatment, until all the chairs where full. Then of course, a line began forming…a long line I might add. But what I thought was crazy were that the people didn’t seem to care. The vast majority of the people we so extremely grateful to be given this free dental care that potentially could be life changing for them. No longer would they live in pain or self consciously.

The day that I volunteered there were approximately one thousand patients. Each given, in this environment and situation, the best and most adequate dental treatment one could ask for. 

I just want to share a story that touched my heart while I was at Momom. One of the patients was in tears expressing her EXTREME thankfulness for the Momom program. Her husband had been taken away from her, for being mistakenly accused, and sent to jail. She had just lost her home, and had to move in with her son. She owned four rental homes and not a single one had paid their rent in six months or more. She had nothing…literally. Her budget for food was five dollars a month, she said she had her own meat and fruit she had grown and with her five dollars she bought bread and milk. This woman had no money to get her teeth taken care of, but with the help of the Momom program, she was able to have a glimpse of hope. Just like many others that were served through this wonderful project.

My eyes were opened widely at Momom this past week. I realized how great of need there is for dental care, just here in the Ozarks. Imagine the need around the world. I would strongly encourage anyone and everyone to volunteer a few hours out of their day to participate in a Momom (or any state near you) project…you don’t need any dental experience what so ever. But this experience has changed my aspect and made me much more grateful for my own life. 

Stop the Pop

Whether you call it pop, soda, cola, or coke…it all contains the same, no good properties. Each day, soda consumption alone provides the average teenage boy about fifteen teaspoons of refined sugars, and the average girl about ten teaspoon. These amounts approximately equal the recommended limit for a teens’ daily sugar intake from all foods (MDA). According the National Soft Drink Association (NSDA), the consumption of soft drinks is now over six hundred twelve ounce servings per person, per year. The highest consumption rates recorded are on males between the ages twelve and twenty nine; they average a half gallon a day or one hundred sixty gallons per year…that’s a lot of pop.

Now that you have an idea of just how much pop is consumed, I will discuss why people even bother to drink pop. I believe eMed Expert has really great explanations. The number one reason people consume pop is obvious, it taste good! When people love the flavor they get addicted to it very easy, making it extremely easy to consume with every meal. Next, pop is everywhere we go. It’s in vending machines, at fast food chains, and supermarket checkout lines. With pop being one of the top sellers on the market you can find it virtually everywhere. And since it’s almost anywhere we go, that lead me to the next point. Pop is extremely convenient. It can be grabbed in a hurry and taken on the go. Also being served in a convenient bottle, cup, or can is a plus for pop consumers. Another reason people drink pop is they are intrigued by the soft drink company’s advertisements.  Billions of dollars are spent on advertising, and hey, it works! Pop is also fairly cheap, when compared to 100% fruit juices and milk. You can usually add a large drink to a combo meal for just an extra dollar. After all of these great reasons that people consume pop, lastly they form a habit. When someone gets use to drinking many sodas a day, it becomes a vicious never ending cycle that’s extremely hard to overcome.

All of the things I’ve listed above make not drinking pop near impossible. But with this following information maybe I can changes a few peoples mind. I found this really great blog that campaigns “water for life,” and has some great reasoning to back their campaign. First off, the pH of soda is comparable to the pH of vinegar. Which means is extremely acidic, therefore leading to the next issue. Pop will dissolve your tooth enamel, with pops high sugar count and acidity, it easily dissolves tooth enamel. One of the main concerns with soda consumption is the increased risk of obesity. The comparison between pop consumption and body weight is so strong researchers calculate that for each extra soda consumed, the risk for obesity increases 1.6 times! Last but certainly not least in the case; as people are becoming more obese (much of it from pop) they are just increasing their risk for many other systemic diseases such as: diabetes, weekend bones, increased blood pressure, liver, and kidney damage. Now this is just to name a few, but it gets the point across.

Last I just want to discuss where my title name came from. Stop the Pop is a program from the dentist of the Missouri Dental Association (MDA). This program is used to raise awareness on the harmful effects pop has on our bodies. Many participating dentist have brochures and other material in their offices for patient education. I believe that this program has great potential to help inspire individuals to quit drinking pop for their own good. 

Apple’s greatest technology…

About a year ago, some of my closest family members move 18 hours away from me. When you’re so close to someone, or the entire family, it’s extremely hard to say goodbye. I remember the exact day I found out they were leaving, two weeks later, they were gone. It was such a short notice, and a life changing move, but with this amazing thing call FaceTime I feel like our relationships and lives really haven’t missed a beat.

FaceTime can be done on iPhones or iPads, with a wireless internet connection. Basically, what you do is call the other person in FaceTime mode and it dials through and connects with your camera on that is on the front of the phone or iPad. Once there is a connection, you can see and hear each other, just like you’re talking face to face. I don’t exactly know how it works, but let me tell you…it’s AMAZING!

What makes this so special to me is I get to keep in touch with my three favorite little nephews, who are the ages eight, seven, and two. It’s such a wonderful joy to see their faces light up each time we get to FaceTime. We get to catch up on everything going on in each other’s lives. I get to see them in the football uniforms, as if I were actually at the game myself and seeing their smiles, and hearing there laughs fills my heart every single time!  Now, the two year old doesn’t quite understand how it works, but he’s a little star in front of the camera every time, it never fails!

Recently, my grandparents stay the night at my house. I decided to surprise them with FaceTiming their three great grandchildren; which they hadn’t seen in about a year. We had got the connection going and I handed my phone to my grandma, as she watch little Heston play in the background…it put her in tears!! She got to see and talk to all three boys, just as like they were face to face; and the boys were just as excited to see grandma and grandpa. Of course my grandparents had never seen such a thing, and they obviously live in the dark ages; but they actually admitted how neat that experience was.

Some people think that smart phones and all the technology are dumb and/or a waste of money, but I have to argue differently. Technologies like FaceTime, have changed how we communicate. Some say its weakened communication skills, and it aspects maybe it has. But in my personal opinion, it has changed for the better. My experience with FaceTime, it’s made a world of difference in keeping in touch with my family that’s half way across the country now. It’s almost as if they never left Missouri. Each time we FaceTime, is leaves encouraging feeling that helps me rejuvenate. I can refill my sprit in hopes that we will someday soon see each other again. But for now, I’ll settle for the next best thing, FaceTime.

Buy or Rent?

Currently in my life I am trying to make this decision, so I thought I would do a little research to see what the best choice for me and my future husband to make would be.

First I'll start by explaining the benefits and reasons to buy a home instead of renting. I found this opinion piece that does a good job explaining the top five reasons to buy instead of rent. Makes since, but is it right for everyone? We shall see. Number one, housing cost is more stable. Rent payments can change and typically increase each year and most mortgage payments remain the same for the entire length of the loan. Two, possible tax savings. People who own homes can be qualify for considerable tax savings; because a person can deduct the mortgage interest and property tax from the federal income tax. Three, debt consolidation, if needed a person can refinance a loan to merge other debts, which is also tax deductable. Four, equity; instead of making payments to someone else, a home owner is building their equity. Equity is money in your own pocket when the home sales, instead of the land lord’s. And lastly, it’s yours! When it’s all said and done, the person owns it, can do whatever they want to it and can have as many pets and they please. These benefits of buy a house seem to be pretty good reasoning to purchase instead of rent…

But here is an advocate for renting forever instead of buying that makes a good argument. Renting is more flexible. With renting there are virtually no tie downs. A person can pick up and move at the drop of a hat for job reasons, or whatever may arise. Also, someone else does the repairs. When you own a home, it’s your problem, but with renting, the landlord should be responsible for the maintenance. Another aspect to see it as, renters insurance is much cheaper than home owners insurance. Homes come with a risk of depreciation. Where instead of the house gaining value or staying the same, it decreases; which leaves a person in high chance of losing money when selling, or foreclosure.

A few more factors to consider are: how long will you be staying and how fast pricing and rentals rise. According to the New York Times, if a person stays in their home for six years buying is better. It will cost ten thousand four hundred and sixty dollars less than renting; which is an average savings of almost two thousand dollars each year.  I think this article does a great job reporting all of the facts that a person must consider before deciding to buy or rent.

I’ve read and heard from numerous sources that this is one of the biggest decisions that a person will make in their lives. So with that being said; I believe that this decision is strictly an individualized choice that the person/persons have to make. Each must take into consideration their own personal situation and financial factors to come to the right conclusion. And if there is anyone else at this point in their life trying to make the right decision, good luck!

Brides in Heaven

Everyone knows that trying to plan a wedding is quite a challenge. I believe that’s why God gave somebody the genius idea of a something called a bridal expo. A few weekends ago I attended the Metropolitan Bridal Expo in Springfield, MO. Let me just say Aaaamazing!! If anyone is trying to plan a wedding, I would highly recommend attending some sort of bridal expo.

If you’ve never been to anything like this, don’t worry, I’m about to explain it.

Upon arrival I had pre-registered to attend so I didn’t have to at the door.  It cost $5 to get in, but it’s so worth it, well to me it was. We walk in and there was a duet of violin players blasting love tunes. At the grand entrance, was a recreation of a couple’s wedding that had just taken place a few months ago. The two were there dressed in their wedding day apparel greeting every guest, making us feel as if we were attending their big day. After this grand entry, we walk in to the main attraction. At this particular bridal expo, there were hundreds of vendors lined up side by side and in many rows. These vendors bring their best displays of what they’ve got… and there is quite the variety. There were beautiful florist displays all around, fresh and artificial. Catering was another hot item…literally. I was so stuffed after I left there; the catering companies had endless samples of their specialties. And that doesn’t even include all of the cake I ate from the many different bakers, trying to win me over from all the other competition. There were also many rental companies. Places to rent tables, chairs, chair covers, tents and anything else one could every dream of for their big day. Need a dress, veil, or tux? No worries, the expo has it! There were many retailers showing off their beautiful ball gowns and fancy tuxedos. I’m no exaggerating…whatever is needed for a wedding, the expo has it! It’s a one stop shop for every wedding need.

Another neat thing they had at this expo was many raffles, give aways, and contest. No, sure enough I didn’t win a thing, but it was still great to experience it all. A few pointers I would like to share in case anyone is considering attending a bridal expo… Make some address labels that have your name, phone number, e-mail, and wedding date on them. This way you can just peal one off and stick it on the paper that the vendor wants filled out. This saves a lot of time and is so convenient when you get in with a big crowd trying to sign up too. Also take a big purse or bag, usually they give you one at the door, but if for some reason they don’t you’ll be sorry. The vendors will give out so many papers; you will want some where to put them. And last...wear comfy shoes!

I hope if anyone attends a bridal expo they enjoy it as much as it did. It really is a great way to get started planning a wedding. There is free food and it’s lots of fun, so hey, why not? 

Periodontal Disease

Periodontal disease is often more commonly known as gum disease. According to Perio.org; the definition for chronic periodontitis is: a result in inflammation within the supporting tissues of the teeth, progressive attachment and bone loss. This is the most frequently occurring form of periodontitis and is characterized by pocket formation and/or recession of the gingiva. Periodonal disease affects mostly adults, but is not confined to the adult population and can occur in children as well.

Porphyromonas gingivalis which is pronounced, pour-fy-roh-mo-nas ging-jih-val-lis, is one of the leading bacteria found in the mouth of a patient with periodontal disease. Porphyromomas gingivalis is a gram negative obligate anaerobe; which means this bacteria species stains red in a laboratory test called gram staining. Gram staining is a simple test that reveals all different types of bacteria’s properties. Let’s take for example, Porphyromonas gingivalis. Since it stains as a red bacterium, it is call gram negative; these bacteria have a double cell membrane and are believed to play an important role in tissue destruction associated with periodontitis. Porphyromomas gingivalis is also an anaerobe; this means that the bacteria cannot live in the presence of any oxygen what so ever. Another characteristic of P. gingivalis is that it is a non-motile bacteria; non-motile means that they do not move. ( Foundations of Periodontics for the Dental Hygienist: Textbook) 

Porphyromonas gingivalis is found in nearly everyone’s mouth, just at different levels. Patients with low numbers of P. gingivalis are associated with have healthy gingival tissue or gingivitis with no destruction. On the other hand, if a patient has a much higher amount of P. gingivalis detected they are more likely to suffer from periodontal tissue destruction.

Oxford Journals states that: Porphyromoas gingivalis is most generally found in the sub gingival plaque of patients with periodontal disease. However, the bacterium has also been reported in other oral sites such as: the tonsils, periotonsillar abscesses, saliva and root canals. There have been a low number of reports on the separation of P. gingivalis from patients with infections found outside the oral cavity.

            Treatment of periodontal disease and lowering the number of P. gingivalis that is in the oral cavity is as follows. There are two treatment options depending on how severe the case is. One is non-surgical treatment and the other is surgical treatment. In the majority of cases, non-surgical treatment is what is generally required. Non-surgical treatment consists of a procedure called scaling and root planning. This is a deep cleaning below the gum line, which usually requires local anesthesia to numb the gums. During to procedure the dental profession will remove, plaque, tarter and bacterium such as P. gingivalis. A quick break down: plaque is the white stick substance that you use a toothbrush for to remove daily. If the plaque is not removed it hardens and then is referred to as tarter. Tarter can only be removed by a dental professional with their special instruments.  Surgical treatment can entitle many things. To name a few: bone grafts, soft tissue grafts, bone surgery and pocket reduction surgery. These surgical treatment considerations are extremely severe and complicated, all other options should be review before resorting to surgical treatment of periodontal diseases, but unfortunately it is require in some cases.

            Periodontal disease can be prevented with good oral hygiene home care and regular dental check-ups! 

suggestions anyone?

Well I’m laying here on my couch listening to a hunting show that my dad is watching; lame if you ask me. But hey, at least I’m not interested in watching it so I can write this post! I’ve been at my computer for the past hour or so staring at a blank work document that now has a few words on it…

Each week in this class we have to write two blog post…this is only the fourth post and I’m already having trouble coming up with things to write about. This isn’t good since we have approximately twenty-six more to write for the semester.

So I thought I would use this post to see how everyone else comes up with ideas to blab about. I am open to any suggestions, ideas, ANYTHING!!!! I guess my life is just completely lame. I drive to Joplin every day, go to class, come home do homework, study, eat and repeat! With this schedule, I rarely have time to get inspired and write about it. It’s not that I don’t mind doing it; I just need some major brainwaves to overcome me with thoughts to blog about. I often read other peoples blogs in hopes that it might strike some genius idea that I can write about. But after the fact I just think to myself...wow that was awesome and a good idea, why didn’t I think of that? Hmmm…this hunting show has horrible back ground music and they are roasting an entire dear over an open campfire; WEIRD!

Well now this post has 264 words. Not quite to the goal of 500. But hopefully I can make it up in the next post after I get enlightened by my other great classmates about how to come up with intriguing ideas that make for fabulous blog post. A BIG thanks in advance to anyone who comments with master mind suggestions! J

Your appreciative classmate,

Megan

What was he/she/they/whoever thinking?

It seems like daily hear about unfortunate crimes and robberies all over town; but you never really think about it until it hits home. This weekend was a great Labor Day weekend right? Wrong…my grandma and grandpa were robbed! It was about 7:30ish on Sunday night, the thief came on a stolen motorcycle. They tore through their house, top to bottom, every room, every drawer. After stashing all of my grandma’s jewelry…FINE jewelry I might add, seven guns, two laptops, the thief set my grandpa’s shop on fire…He is a mechanic for many local farmers, I don’t have any idea what the sticker price would be for all of his belongings. And on top of that he was working on someone else’s tractor at the time of the fire that was demolished. And last but certainly not least, they used his pick up as a getaway vehicle and left the burnt up motorcycle, yes they tried to burn the evidence.

So after this incident this weekend, I started wondering how or if the crime rates have fluctuated compared to the past. I feel like the robbery, crime, and murder rates have significantly increased. I believe much of this has to do with the weak economy, unemployed and the desperate time of need United States citizens are experiencing.

According to the FBI; in the years 2006 and 2007 from January to December the robbery rate percentage was -0.5. Within a short for years, we jump to the year of 2010. In this year, the robbery rate had increased to -9.5. That’s a pretty extravagant difference I think.

I found that Neighborhoodscout was a helpful resource to help understand how close the crime really is to home. The population of Missouri is estimated at 5, 837,861. Annually, the report total for burglary was 45,788 and for theft there were 150,032 crimes reported. The national median chances of becoming a victim in crime or theft is 32.1%. In Missouri, your risk is greater at 37.10%. Now I realized that is not a huge difference but if you think about the entire United States…that’s not good, not good at all!

Another view to look at this at this is the fact that since we are in a time of economic lows there is obviously unemployment. I didn’t really think about it until I read this article but, many of these job cuts have been police patrol, security guards and etc. Also many businesses are hurting and in these hurting times they are skipping out on privileges like security cameras or alarm systems.  Sure these things come at an extra expense, but could it pay off in the long run if something were to happen close to your home or business?

It is very sad to see the crime, burglary, and murder have increased. And like I said before; I believe it is from the hard economic times that Americans are facing. I hope to see a decrease in these rates in the near future to help preserve the lives of American citizens. 

two weeks down...fourteen more to go!

Today is Wednesday, August 31^st. Hump day some like to call it; we are over the hump to the second week of school. Fourteen more weeks to go…Woohoo!! The purpose of this opinion piece is to express my feelings to whoever is reading about how important it is to answer your phone and be a reliable person for someone counting on you. As I have said before, I am in the MSSU dental hygiene program. Tuesday I was scheduled to see my first patient, but they didn’t show up, never answered their phone, nor returned my calls…nothing. So here I am this first day of patients, without a patient.  I guess folks don’t understand that my grade depends upon them answering their phone, confirming the appointment and then actually showing up.

Plan B, stalk people in the hallways to come be my patient…NOW! First of all, I feel like a total idiot walking up to a total stranger in worst get up you’ve ever seen; safety glasses and hideous “grape” colored scrubs. “Hi, would you like to come be my patient in the dental hygiene clinic today?” they reply with a seriously confused look on their face”Umm..…Now?” Secondly, I feel horrible for disturbing a diligently studying student, a person eating lunch, or maybe they’re just texting. It doesn’t matter what they are doing, I still feel like a horrible idiot. But yes, I’m that desperate for a patient. Plan B, failed me on Tuesday, but hey you can’t blame the innocent citizens of MSSU.

Tuesday I took a hit on my grade. We have so many requirements in a semester, and so little time. I never thought I would say three and a half hours wasn’t enough time for a dental appointment, but in this program it’s not enough time. So I’m zero for one on meeting my million requirements for the fall, but on the bright side (well sort of bright) there is 14 more weeks to go to get them all done. I often try to remind myself that it’s not impossible; there have been many people graduate from the program before me. They put their pants on the same way I do, so I should be able to manage.

So even though my semester has gotten off to a not so good start, things can only go up from here. I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things after a few weeks off. Only two hundred and sixty one more days till I graduate, so I’m well on my way.

Well, to wrap this thing up…I hope my rambling made since on how important it is to be reliable when someone (and their grade, success and career) is depending on their word. This is a daily occurrence at the dental hygiene clinic, so I’m not the only one upset over the issue. I know it seems petty at times, but this doesn’t just relate to showing up to a dental appointment. Being trustworthy, reliable and dependable are all features one should desire to possess. 

Why should people really quit smoking?

I’m pretty sure that everyone in their life time has heard about how horrible smoking is. Some people have probably even tried to make the “benefits of smoking” sound good. I’m sure it’s just so they don’t feel as guilty doing it. But I am here to persuade you differently. In this case it’s about weighing the benefits against the risk. So let’s start weighing...

According to Better Health Channel, a government website, Cigarettes contain about 4,000 chemicals that harm just about every organ in the human body. To name a few: Tar, which is sticky, brown and leaves stains on your teeth. Tar also contains an ingredient that is known to trigger cancer tumors. Carbon monoxide is another one. This is an odor less gas that is fatal if consumed in large enough doses. Last, but defiantly not least is radioactive compounds. Hello…RADIOACTIVE; this is also know to be cancer causing. These chemicals harm almost every organ in the body. Let me explain more…I’ll begin with the respiratory system. Smoking creates a permanent affect on how someone breaths and even speaks. It affects the lungs in ways you wouldn’t fathom. Next, the circulatory system; this basically regulate the blood flow and functions the body. Smoking cause sticker blood, reduces the blood flow, therefore less oxygen can be carried by the blood. Smoking also affects the bodies overall immune system; making a person more prone to infection and illness. Not  only are these people at a higher risk of contract something, it takes them much longer to get over it compared to someone with an healthy immune system.

Now let’s discuss the other cost of smoking. The actual financial cost of smoking cigarettes will blow you way. According to Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, we as Americans, spend a total of 96 million dollars each year for public and private health care expenditures caused by smoking alone. Some more facts from KidsHealth: The average cost for a pack of cigarettes is $4.50. Which means, if you buy one pack a day that’s $234 a year; but many people smoke that in a day. This would bring the total spending to $1, 642. Personally, I’d rather spend the money shopping!

Above this paragraph are a lot of really good reasons people shouldn’t smoke. Now I will discuss the “Benefits of Smoking.” Some say that smoking reduces stress. The nicotine that cigarettes contain causes the release of dopamine into the brain, and extends the effect dopamine has on the brain. Another promotion for positive aspects of cigarettes is: nicotine helps your digestive system. It suppresses the appetite making one less hungry and smokers often lose weight. Nicotine is also a laxative, which helps with bowel movements. That concludes the “benefits” smoking.

Well in conclusion, I don’t know how much more clearly the facts could be. Smoking causes detrimental effect on the human organs; and personally I believe there are no true benefits of smoking.  Like I said before, the benefits must out weight the risk; with smoking, the risk out weights the benefit.