Livingston Dental May 2018

3 Camping Tips Camping season is upon us. We all like to enjoy the scenery and adventure of the great outdoors with our families, but sometimes “roughing it” can be, well, rough.

For Your Best Adventure Yet

Plan a Simple, Tasty Menu Nothing ends a camping trip as quickly as realizing you didn’t bring enough food. To avoid this, plan your menu with a few ready-made meals and some nonperishable items. Dutch oven meals and hot dogs roasted over the campfire are great options, and snacks such as trail mix and fruit are easy to store. Think about the meals you normally cook at home, then decide which are adaptable for the campsite. Once you’ve decided on the meals — which could be a fun opportunity for the kids to get involved in the preparation — make a list and head to the grocery store. As you pack, make sure you have proper storage options for perishable and nonperishable items. If bears are a concern, think ahead about how you’ll safely store your food. Plan Activities — And a Few Backups If it rains during the trip, don’t let the weather ruin your whole weekend. You may have to save fishing and hiking for another day, but there are still some activities you can enjoy in a sheltered area or a cozy tent. Bring along a few indoor activities, such as a deck of cards or games like Boggle, which require little equipment and can easily be stored in a backpack. To keep kids engaged outside, bring some picture books listing the plants and animals native to the area where you’re camping. You could even use the picture books to set up a nature scavenger hunt along a trail, which is a great way to motivate reluctant hikers. A few games can prevent the most dreaded words a parent will ever hear: “I’m bored.”

Luckily, a little prep goes a long way and can make camping more enjoyable for everyone. These three simple tips will let you spend more time soaking in the natural beauty around you and less time stressing about who brought the trail mix. Do Your Research Triple-checking your packing list won’t do you

much good if you arrive at your destination and find it’s lacking some of the necessities you were counting on, such as water or restrooms. Campsites offer different amenities, and some can be quite meager. With a little research, you can find a spot that fits your family’s needs. Don’t want to pack in all your water? Find a site that has a pump. Are you bringing your dog? Look for a site that’s pet-friendly. Prefer a cabin or yurt over pitching a tent? Plenty of locations have these options. Most U.S. Forest Service websites and state and national park resources include these details. By doing your homework, you can find and reserve the place that fits your priorities.

What’s Behind That Headache? At the onset, you feel a dull ache that eventually becomes a sharp and pulsating pain. Light sensitivity, visual auras, and an upset stomach are all part of the mix. If you’ve ever experienced a migraine, you are probably all too familiar with these symptoms. How can you find relief? There are many strategies you can utilize to manage your head pain. Keep a journal of when symptoms occur to help you identify environmental triggers. Stress and a disrupted sleep schedule may contribute. Certain foods and odors can serve as triggers, and avoiding them may reduce the severity and frequency of your migraines.

Millions of people suffer from the debilitating pain of migraines every year. And what’s almost as bad is how little is understood about them. Research shows that preventive migraine medications only work 40 percent of the time, and only one out of every three people are properly diagnosed. What might be behind your chronic head pain? Part of the difficulty in diagnosing migraines is that there are many different symptoms that people experience when they get one. Symptoms range from visual auras to vomiting, making it challenging to pinpoint a singular cause. One possible contributor to your headaches is your jaw. The complex mechanics of this joint can be easily disrupted, and when you consider that the human bite creates over 260 pounds of force, small imbalances can lead to big pain. Trauma to the jaw, the daily impact of chewing, clenching or grinding your teeth, and orthodontic issues may all be behind your migraine symptoms.

Your dentist can also help you to identify whether or not your jaw is the source of your headaches and may have the resources to give you treatment. Over 300 clinics in the U.S. offer TruDenta, which is a drug-free option for treating headaches. Precise diagnoses and customized treatment plans are helping many people find relief. Did you know that Livingston Dental now offers TruDenta, the treatment specifically designed for migraine sufferers? If you’re ready to say goodbye to your headaches, talk to your hygienist today or call our office to schedule a consultation and see if you qualify. And on the next page, read more about Shelbi, the TruDenta therapist who may hold the key to your migraine relief.

2 (307) 885-4337 | www.drlivingstondds.com

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