The first week of December is National Handwashing Awareness Week. Why is that a concern of your dentist? Because, most dental professionals are concerned with more than just the health of your teeth and gums. They want your entire body to be healthy. As we enter cold and flu season, they are especially concerned with respiratory illnesses that can be gotten through the mouth. Your Greenfield dentists, Drs. Bagley, Goodwin, and Hrinda, celebrate Handwashing Awareness Week by offering these tips and suggestions for your hands to help you avoid getting sick this winter.
Wash Your Hands
Since childhood, you’ve probably been told to constantly wash your hands—before meals, after using the restroom, and whenever they get dirty. Even for adults, that is excellent advice. Bacteria can easily transfer onto your hands when you touch anything contaminated, such as doorknobs, computer keyboards, and other people’s hands. The bacteria can also transfer off your hands onto whatever you are holding—including your food. To avoid transferring bacteria to your food, make sure you wash your hands with hot, soapy water for at least 20 seconds.
The last three months of the year are prime pumpkin season. From Halloween jack-o-lanterns to pumpkin pies at Thanksgiving and Christmas, it is easy to enjoy all the tasty goodness the large orange staple provides. The even better news is that pumpkins are extraordinarily healthy, as well. Your 
It seems like these days it begins to look a lot like Christmas long before Halloween is even over. Department stores have ensured that they get the most buck for the Christmas bang by pumping out holiday tunes and arranging festive displays of themed merchandise as early as possible – long before the calendar is even turned to December. It’s bound to get all of our wheels turning as to what we want to buy for whom this year. For a little holiday guidance, Drs. Bagley, Goodwin, and Hrinda, your 
There was a time in history when tin grins were the mainstream way to straighten teeth. For adolescents and teens that were not born with perfect alignment, bracket-and-wire braces were the only way to fly. After all of those often uncomfortable months of getting wires tightened and twisted, fastening rubber bands from the top to the bottom, and not being able to eat popcorn or chew gum, the expectation was that you should continue wearing a retainer for a set period of time. This was a long and arduous process to attain straight teeth, but it was the only choice. Your 
Dental anxiety is nothing that a patient should be ashamed of. In fact, there are very few people that march into a 
In a time in American history when most people are on a pretty strict budget, the average household will still spend around $44 on Halloween candy. Is your house already overflowing with lollipops, bubblegum, gummies of all shapes and sizes, and, of course, chocolate? As delicious as candy can be, excessive sugar consumption can be a contributor to cavities. The bacteria that cause tooth decay enjoy sugar as much as a trick-or-treating first grader. The problem is bacteria can metabolize sugar into lactic acid, wearing down your tooth enamel. Still, we don’t want to spoil the fun, so your