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Pop Quiz: Test your knowledge of oral cancer

| Understand the risks and symptoms to help prevent the disease and increase early detection| WHEN YOU HEAR about the dangers of cancer, it’s rarely oral cancer that’s being discussed. Though the death rate for oral cancer is higher than that of cervical cancer, skin cancer, and many others, the disease is barely a blip…
The dangers of gum disease

| Preventing periodontal problems is essential for overall health and well-being | MILLIONS OF AMERICANS have a silent disease working in their mouths and they don’t even know it. It’s periodontal disease — also called gum disease — and it could be doing damage to your health even as you read this. According to the…
Local dentist shares the rewards of giving

In the above photo, Dr. William Nerestant and his assistants, Betzi and Joan, smile for the camera before leaving for Jamaica last year on a missions trip to help the less fortunate with their dental needs. THESE DAYS, we think a lot about personal responsibility and giving back. Some of us might donate to a…

Editor’s Dose: Tips for minimizing back-to-school stress

IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, then come early July you were already thinking about preparations for the new school year. Parents and children in the community this year are getting ready extra early because Polk County public schools moved up their calendar by one week — day one of school is August 15.
Making the choice to breastfeed

THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH in Polk County (DOH-Polk) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) recognize August as Breastfeeding Awareness Month. This is a wonderful time of year to promote breastfeeding as a vital health activity and discuss the health benefits breastfeeding provides. Although every woman has their own…
Editor’s Dose: Keeping kids’ bodies and minds active this summer

WHEN I FIRST had the twins, my mom would say, “Have a schedule for them, or they’ll have a schedule for you.” Basically, she was cautioning that I’d better keep those little minds and bodies active, or chaos would inevitably ensue. Being a mother of eight children, I think she was speaking from personal experience.…