The In-N-Out Cookout Trailer rolled up to 1-800-DENTIST to grill up some double doubles for our hard working team. What a delicious treat on a cool summer day!

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If it weren’t for a nasty broken tooth and a no nonsense desk sergeant who ordered him to get emergency dental treatment, dental anxiety would have kept Uncle Vinnie away from the dentist for his entire life.

A combat veteran who later became a police officer in Camden, NJ, my dad’s younger brother unflinchingly stared death in the face several times in his career. He was a tough guy and totally fearless if you don’t count being deathly afraid of dentists. His dental anxiety was so severe that he once went more than 20 years without seeing a dentist.

That all changed the day Uncle Vinnie got punched in the mouth while subduing a robbery suspect. He got a broken tooth and the perp got three-to-five. Due to his dental anxiety, Uncle Vinnie did everything in his power to avoid dental care. This included eating aspirin like candy and self-medicating between shifts with his favorite Irish whisky. Despite these home toothache remedies, the broken tooth got progressively worse.

After his desk sergeant caught sight of him grimacing in pain during roll call, Vinnie was ordered to go to the dentist. Ironically, the dreaded dental exam was not nearly as bad as Vinnie expected. That’s because the desk sergeant had the foresight to send my uncle to a DDS who specialized in sedation dentistry.

Thanks to sedation dentistry, Vinnie was out like a light both during the initial evaluation and later when he went to an endodontist for a root canal.  By the time he saw a cosmetic dentist for a porcelain crown and several dental implants -- years of unfiltered cigarettes, black coffee and total neglect had done a number on his teeth -- our family thought Vinnie was finally over his dental anxiety.

We were wrong. My tough guy uncle still needed to know that he was getting sedation dentistry in order work up the nerve to walk into a dentist’s office. Not that we mind, at least he was dealing with his dental anxiety responsibly.

You may be wondering why I get to blog for two days in a row. Well, today’s my birthday, so I can do whatever I want. So there!

I’ve had some time to reflect on my dental health over the past 30-something years and I have to say, I’m a little bit worried about what’s to come.

My teeth, although straight, are starting to yellow a bit. I’ve been experiencing bleeding gums when I brush and they have also started receding over the past year. I have to admit my addiction to soda and the lack of flossing during my teen years has finally caught up with me.

What does this mean? Well, receding gums never grow back. Considering my delicate age, I’m setting myself up for missing teeth in a couple of decades if this doesn’t get fixed.

I don’t know about you, but I think 55 is way too young to lose your teeth.

I am doing what I can to keep my gums from receding further, but I have to admit I’m worried. I wish I had done more at a younger age to prevent gum problems now. Of course, like most people, I didn’t think about the consequences of poor oral hygiene when I was younger.

If I can give any advice to our teen readers out there, it’s to really take care of your dental health. Be careful what you eat and be sure to visit your dentist regularly. You only get one set of adult teeth -- if you don’t take care of them, they won’t outlive you.

You may not be able to do anything about wrinkles and sagging skin, but you can prevent many dental problems that come with aging if you take care of yourself now!

Some foods that are good for your body may not be beneficial to your dental health. I already knew deeply pigmented food like blueberries can cause tooth stains. Then I learned that acidic fruits and vegetables such as lemons can cause tooth erosion. Now I’m hearing that my daily tea time can contribute to dental fluorosis!

ScienceDaily.com recently reported that there may be more fluoride in black tea than originally thought. Of course, if you’re using fluoridated tap water to make your tea, you’re most likely ingesting an appropriate amount according to your city’s regulations. But minerals such as fluoride can also become infused into black tea during the brewing process.

The tea leaves accumulate large amounts of fluoride and aluminum, which when combined make it difficult to detect the true amount of fluoride in your drink. Now scientists have found a way to separate the two to detect levels of fluoride in black tea. The results were astonishing: With up to 9 milligrams per serving, the most consumed beverage in the world has almost twice as much fluoride as originally thought!

Although harmless, dental fluorosis is a condition that results from ingesting too much fluoride. The result is permanently stained teeth that can’t be brightened with teeth whitening. Veneers are usually your only option to correct your problem.

I don’t want to scare you off from fluoride – it’s essential to tooth development and cavity prevention. Since dental fluorosis develops before the age of 8, this study may not affect your family at all. I personally don’t know too many American kids who drink black tea with their afternoon snack.

Certain teas have added health benefits and fluoride is an important part of your dental care plan. If your favorite beverages have a high fluoride content, drinking them in moderation can limit your kids’ chances of developing dental fluorosis. You should also be aware of other products that contain fluoride, including toothpastes and mouthwashes. And as usual, visit your dentist if you have any concerns about your family’s fluoride intake.