In This Issue:

Quick Facts: Sarrell Dental Center ... 1

Did You Know? ........... 1

Baby Bottle Tooth Decay .................................. 2

The Benefits ofDrinking Water ........... 3

The Floss WireA newsletter publication by Sarrell Regional Dental Center Vol 3. May 2009

Selected as an Outstanding Organization 2007-2008 by the NFL Alumni - Atlanta Chapter

¡Hablamos Español!

Dental & Eye Services for Children Ages 1 - 20 with Medicaid & ALL-Kids

A Non-Profit For Alabama’s ChildrenEye Center

www.sarrelldental.org • www.sarrelleye.org

Talladega 256-315-4940 223 Haynes St.

Heflin 256-463-2700 226 Brockford Rd.

Anniston 256-741-7340 230 East 10th St. Ste. 106

Boaz 256-840-2021 603 B Medical Center Parkway

Enterprise 334-347-5550 2841 Neal Metcalf Rd.

Did You Know?A person can live without food for a month, but can only live without water for about one week. •

In the United States, people consume more soft drinks than water. The sugar in soft drinks adds to in-•creased weight gain and causes cavities in teeth.

Tap water is less expensive than bottled water, and is healthier for both• adults and children because it contains fluoride.

Healthy adults should drink about 2 liters of water per day.• Children should drink at least 6-8 glasses of water a day.

Along with oxygen, water is the most vital element of human life.•

80% of the human body is made of water.•

It takes 2 gallons of water to brush your teeth.•

One Goal in Mind….. Opening its doors to the public on January 6, 2004, Calhoun County Dental Center set out to achieve one primary goal. That goal was to provide dental services to underserved children on Medicaid and ALL-Kids insurance in Cal-houn County. Being an independent and non-profit organization, the Dental Center initially got off to a slow start. To overcome the slow start, the Dental Center hired Jeff Parker in early 2005 to become the CEO. To honor the origi-nal founder of the Dental Center’s vision, Dr. Warren G. Sarrell, Mr. Parker changed the name of the Dental Center to Sarrell Regional Dental Center.

Setting Out to Achieve that Goal…. Backed by a strong management team and dedicated dental professionals, Sarrell Regional Dental Center has grown and expanded to become the larg-est dental practice in the state of Alabama. Since beginning in Anniston, the organization has expanded its operations to include five other locations and a mobile dental bus. In addition to Anniston, Sarrell Dental has locations in Heflin, Talladega, Enterprise, Boaz, and Bessemer. The Bessemer location is co-branded with UAB’s Dental School. The partnership with the UAB Dental School is the only one of its kind.

Building Healthier and Brighter Smiles….In 2008, Sarrell Dental saw over 35,000 patients. That patient number is pro-jected to grow to over 50,000 in 2009. Sarrell Dental also screened 20,000

Sarrell Regional Dental Centerstudents at 40 Alabama schools in 2008, and projects to more than double that number in 2009. In addition to treating and screening patients, Sarrell Dental has educated children and parents on the impor-tance of oral health. To further reach the people in the community, Sarrell Dental takes its oral health educa-tion into daycares, Head Starts, and other community events. Because of its outstanding work in the commu-nity, Sarrell Dental was recognized in 2006 for being an outstanding organization by the NFL Alumni Association-Atlanta Chapter Caring for Kids Program. They are the only organization to receive that award in Alabama.

Through hard work, the staff at Sarrell Dental decreased the aver-age revenue per patient visit from $328 in 2005 to $125 in 2008. In 2009, Sarrell Dental plans to double its $146,000 of charitable dental services in 2008. With its initial goal never changing, Sarrell Dental con-tinues to build brighter and healthier smiles.

The Floss Wire A newsletter publication by Sarrell Regional Dental Center May 2009 1

Baby Bottle Tooth DecayBased on the article of UAB Pediatric Dental Residents: S. Luque, J. Gamotis, S. Mitchell and J.D. Ruby

infant to use a pacifier that has been dipped in anything sweet. These simple steps can help you protect your infant’s teeth.

High Sugar = Added Risks…In addition to developing cavities, high sugar intake can cause early childhood obesity. Obesity is one of the biggest threats to children’s health and has also been linked to type 2 diabetes. This problem can be contributed to the availability and consumption of drinks containing large amounts of sugar. Parents should strongly monitor what children drink.

2 May 2009 A newsletter publication by Sarrell Regional Dental Center

May 3 – 9: National Drinking Water WeekFor more than 30 years, the American Water Works Association (AWWA), along with other organizations, has or-ganized National Drinking Water Week. This week recognizes the importance that water has in our everyday life.

Too Much Sugar...

At a growing rate, children are consuming drinks with high amounts of sugar. These drinks include soft drinks, sports drinks, flavored milk, and juices. The bacteria and germs in your teeth feed off the sugars from these drinks. Over a period of time, these sugars will form cavities in children’s teeth and may also lead to toothaches. The serious develop-ment of cavities in children’s teeth is called “Baby Bottle Tooth Decay”.

Cutting Back on the Sugar…To prevent “Baby Bottle Tooth Decay” and have healthier teeth it is recom-mended by the UAB Department of Pediatric Dentistry to drink water and pure milk. These two drinks contain less sugar than other soft drinks. A study about how much sugar is in kid’s drinks was conducted by the UAB Pediatric School of Dentistry. Some of these Pediatric Dentists also work at Sarrell Regional Dental Center.

Protecting Your Infant’s Teeth…A parent should be aware of how to protect their infant from develop-

ing cavities at a young age. You should not allow your infant to go to bed with a bottle filled

with milk, formula, juice or sweetened drinks. Addition-

ally, you should not allow your

The Floss Wire

American Pediatric Academy Recommends…

Children ages 1-6 should limit •the consumption of juice to 4 to 6 ounces a day.

Children ages 7-18 should limit •the consumption of juice to 8 to 12 ounces a day.

Answers for Fluzzle: 1. B, 2. C, 3. A, 4. B, 5. D, 6. B, 7. D, 8. A, 9. B.

How Many

Teaspoons

of SugarAre in Your Drink?

Fluzzle Circle the correct answer to the question.

The Floss Wire A newsletter publication by Sarrell Regional Dental Center May 2009 3

The Benefits of Drinking Water

1. The human body is made up of how much water? 50% b. 80% c. 100% d. 30%a.

2. What is the best thing for children to drink? soft drinks b. sports drinksa. water d. chocolate milk c.

3. The week of May 3-9 is called?National Drinking Water Week a. Soft Drink Weekb. Cavity Weekc. Tooth Decay Weekd.

4. Along with oxygen, ________ is the most vital element of human life.

coffee b. watera. sugar d. gum c.

*answers on page 2

The month of May is represented by the National Drinking Water Week which is May 3-9. Drinking water is important for your health. Because the human body is made up of 80% water, your body is in constant need of water. On of the best times to drink lots of water is when exercising. This is because your body loses more water when you sweat. Dehydration occurs when you lose more water than you take in. The signs of dehydration can be headaches, hunger, and fatigue. Knowing the signs of dehydration is important for your health. Most of our daily headaches occur because we do not drink enough water. A few glasses of water a day can help keep the headaches away.

Here is a list of the benefits of drinking water:

Drinking water is healthier for your teeth.•

Water refuels your body faster than any other liquid.•

Drinking water helps to improve healthy skin.•

Drinking water keeps your body energized.•

Drinking water helps to regulate your body temperature. •

5. It takes how many gallons of water to brush your teeth?4 b. 7 c. 5 d. 2a.

6. What is in tap water that makes it healthy for both adults and children?

sugar b. fluoridea. iron d. copper c.

7. How long can a person live without water? 2 weeks b. 7 weeksa. 1 day d. 1 week c.

8. What should an infant not go to bed with?bottle b. blanketa. stuffed animal d. socks c.

9. A few glasses of ______ a day can help keep the head- aches away.

milk b. watera. soda d. sweet tea b.