With fresh beginnings and resolutions, the new year is a great time to reevaluate how we take care of ourselves. Self care is important and that includes making sure you are regularly making appointments to gather input and advice from local experts. To start the year off right, we asked local health care professionals for their tips for guiding our well being through healthy habits.
Dr. Sarah Hansen, DMD, MDS
HLS Orthodontics
Locations in Sylvania and Maumee, Ohio, and Lambertville, Mich.
419-882-1017
perfectbraces.com
What’s something, with regard to your specialty, that you wish people knew about their health?
Baby teeth are so important! Even though they eventually fall out, they work as space holders in the mouth until they are no longer needed. Often when baby teeth are exposed to too much sugar or aren’t cleaned properly, they may need to be removed before they are ready to fall out. This causes the back teeth to shift forward, leaving no room for the permanent teeth to replace them. This can create the need for an early phase of orthodontic treatment, or may make future treatment longer and more complex.
How can parents instill healthy habits in their children from a young age?
The best way to instill healthy dental habits at a young age is to help your children learn, and get used to a routine of proper brushing and flossing. One way is for them to watch you! When they see you brush and floss, they will be more likely to try. As soon as you see baby teeth erupting, it’s time to start brushing them, and as soon as a baby tooth touches the one next to it, it’s time to start flossing. Even if regular floss is difficult to use, flosser picks and water flossing are great alternatives!
What advice do you have for people who are beginning a new, healthy lifestyle?
You don’t have to totally give up the things that you love in order to have a healthy lifestyle. Sometimes making a simple switch like cutting back on sugary drinks can make a big difference. Replacing sugary drinks with water and substituting a sugar-free option, like a cappuccino or cold brew, can keep your teeth healthier.
What part of your practice brings you the most joy?
I love seeing how patient smiles and self-confidence change as a result of orthodontic treatment. Your smile is one of the first things people notice about you, and straight teeth can greatly improve how you view yourself! It’s wonderful seeing patients who wouldn’t smile much before or during treatment finally show off their teeth at the end.
Dr. Jon Frankel, DDS
Jon Frankel Dentistry
5012 Talmadge Rd., #100
419-474-9611
jonfrankeldentistry.com
What’s something, with regard to your specialty, that you wish people knew about their health?
A healthy mouth promotes a healthy body. There is a strong correlation between heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
How can parents instill healthy habits in their children from a young age?
Bring your child to the dentist when the first tooth pops through. If you have dental fear, do not share that concern with your children. Make visits to the dentist, eating healthy, and brushing and flossing fun and engaging.
What advice do you have for people who are beginning a new, healthy lifestyle?
For children, make toothbrush selection a special treat, play a two-minute favorite song, or use a toothbrushing app to make the time fly while brushing your teeth. Brush your teeth with your children demonstrating proper technique and a commitment to oral health. As parents, give yourself an incentive. Perhaps teeth whitening or a new electric toothbrush. Don’t forget to floss. It is the only way to clean in-between your teeth.
What part of your practice brings you the most joy?
When happy, healthy families come for regularly scheduled visits, the joy is contagious. The excitement children display when they pick their television channel, the color of their toothbrush, and a special gift from our treasure chest is simply the best.
Parents who give their children the gift of regularly scheduled dental visits are also giving them the enhanced potential for healthy lives. What could be better?
Ashley Bush, MSW, LISW-S, PMH-C
Bloom Women’s Counseling, Consulting, and Wellness, LLC.
112 E Dudley St, Maumee.
419-326-5732
bloomwomenscounseling.com
What’s something, with regard to your specialty, that you wish people knew about their health?
It’s very hard to be physically well if your mental health is suffering. Mental health IS health!
How can parents instill healthy habits in their children from a young age?
Parents can help their children thrive by working to remove the stigma from mental healthcare. At some point in their lives, most people have a need for mental healthcare. If we remove the stigma and shame around seeking care for our minds as well as our bodies, we can impact the world for generations to come!
What advice do you have for people who are beginning a new, healthy lifestyle?
Work to understand why you’ve struggled to stick to healthy lifestyles before and remove those barriers. A qualified mental health provider can help you process these barriers more fully.
What part of your practice brings you the most joy?
Seeing our clients grow, thrive and live happy lives bring us so much joy.
Dr. Nick Goin
Innate Health Chiropractic
26580 N. Dixie Hwy, Ste 101, Perrysburg.
419-872-2255
getinnatehealth.com
What’s something you wish people knew about their health in regard to your specialty?
You don’t have to have neck or back pain to see a chiropractor. A large portion of our practice comes for healing from other health challenges like colic, reflux, digestive issues, poor sleep, anxiety, ADHD, ear infections, prenatal care and baby positioning and much more.
How can parents instill healthy habits in their children from a young age?
The best way to instill healthy habits is to lead by example and educate. Children often imitate what they see around them. When they understand why they are making certain decisions, it will become who they are. Make it fun!
What advice do you have for people who are beginning a new healthy lifestyle?
My best advice for people beginning a new healthy lifestyle is to start with addition not subtraction. Start by adding something healthy into your lifestyle rather than taking something away. You will be more successful with the change and feel more empowered to sustain it.
What about your practice brings you the most joy?
What brings me the most joy is seeing the testimonies of healing. Our bodies are made for health when given the right things and have an amazing ability to heal from the inside out. Chiropractic care is one of the best things you can do for your health.
Dr. Regina Eich, MD
Maumee Pediatric Associates
520 W Sophia St, Maumee.
419-893-1880
maumeepeds.com
What’s something you wish people knew about their health in regard to your specialty?
Children have ways of letting us know what is bothering them; we just have to listen to them.
How can parents instill healthy habits in their children from a young age?
The best way to instill healthy habits in their children is for parents to have healthy habits for themselves and try to find ways to include their children.
What advice do you have for people who are beginning a new healthy lifestyle?
Don’t try to do too much at one time. Focus on one area or one healthy activity at a time and then build from there. Taking on too much at one time can be overwhelming and lead to a sense of frustration and failure.
What part of your practice brings you the most joy?
The humorous perspective kids have on the world and their honest candid ways of expressing that!
Dr. Erin Knierim, DMD, MS
3036 West Sylvania, Toledo.
419-474-0733
drknierim.com
What’s something you wish people knew about their health in regard to your specialty?
A pediatric dentist is more than a dentist that loves kids — we have a minimum of 2 additional years of specialized training where we learn to treat the unique needs of your growing child. We love hanging out with kids all day (and their parents too) and have limited our practices only to them. Kids should start seeing us by their first birthday!
How can parents instill healthy habits in their children from a young age?
Start creating healthy habits early on, and lead by example. Kids look up to parents and older siblings; if you model healthy habits they will naturally want to be a part of your good health practices!
What advice do you have for people who are beginning a new healthy lifestyle?
Celebrate the small wins, don’t be so hard on yourself if you don’t get to meet your goal every time. Change doesn’t have to be perfect, just keep moving in the right direction!
What part of your practice brings you the most joy?
I think the most joyful and rewarding part of my practice is when you can take a child from fearing the dentist to someone who actually likes coming to see me. It’s not always an easy process, sometimes you take one step forward and two steps back, but it is so worth it! I am so thankful for the chance to build relationships with my young patients and show them that the dentist is a safe and fun place!
