TALLAHASSEE (CBS) Governor DeSantis signs AI and vape bills Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed 28 bills, including a measure requiring disclaimers on certain political ads created using artificial intelligence and a bill about regulation of vape products.
ESTERO Gold Star Golf Tournament honors fallen veteran Behind each putt and swing of a golf club at the Gold Star Golf Tournament is someone who knew John Wirka Junior.
NEW YORK (AP) How TikTok grew from a fun app for teens into a potential national security threat If it feels like TikTok has been around forever, that’s probably because it has, at least if you’re measuring via internet time. What’s now in question is whether it will be around much longer and, if so, in what form?
FORT MYERS Man wanted for armed robbery at Fort Myers convenience store Crime Stoppers is asking the public for help identifying an armed robber who held up a convenience store Saturday morning.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Rifles, inappropriate texts and Donut shop debacle This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features a scary mall trip, an inappropriate coach, and a Dunkin Donuts assault.
The Weather Authority: Sunny Saturday with a nice breeze; fire danger increases Warm temperatures for your Saturday with a nice breeze into the afternoon.
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas was surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
BONITA SPRINGS Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg Lee County deputies say the teen was accidentally shot in the leg.
PUNTA GORDA Exclusive: Brother and best friend of accused pedophile priest speak out Riley’s brother reached out to WINK on Friday, saying people aren’t getting the full story.
IMMOKALEE Caught on video: Huge gator crosses Immokalee neighborhood Fridays in Florida are for gators
FORT MYERS FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herself One season in FGCU, freshman pitcher Allison Sparkman is already ruffling feathers in the circle.
Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society raises concerns An large amount of pets are being surrendered by their owners. About half of the dogs at the Gulf Coast Humane Society are surrender dogs.
Students benefitting from millions in sales tax dollars So far, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax has brought in $507 million for the Lee County School District.
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidation It takes some people decades to pay off their student loans. One woman’s last payment was in sight until she took a gamble she said she was told to take.
FORT MYERS Homeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods Law enforcement has swept multiple encampments, cleaning the trails of mess and muck left behind, and some of these encampments are right in our backyards.
TALLAHASSEE (CBS) Governor DeSantis signs AI and vape bills Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed 28 bills, including a measure requiring disclaimers on certain political ads created using artificial intelligence and a bill about regulation of vape products.
ESTERO Gold Star Golf Tournament honors fallen veteran Behind each putt and swing of a golf club at the Gold Star Golf Tournament is someone who knew John Wirka Junior.
NEW YORK (AP) How TikTok grew from a fun app for teens into a potential national security threat If it feels like TikTok has been around forever, that’s probably because it has, at least if you’re measuring via internet time. What’s now in question is whether it will be around much longer and, if so, in what form?
FORT MYERS Man wanted for armed robbery at Fort Myers convenience store Crime Stoppers is asking the public for help identifying an armed robber who held up a convenience store Saturday morning.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WINK Neighborhood Watch: Rifles, inappropriate texts and Donut shop debacle This week’s segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features a scary mall trip, an inappropriate coach, and a Dunkin Donuts assault.
The Weather Authority: Sunny Saturday with a nice breeze; fire danger increases Warm temperatures for your Saturday with a nice breeze into the afternoon.
NORTH NAPLES Senior Airman surprises cousin on Aubrey Rogers softball senior night Aubrey Rogers senior pitcher and infielder McKenzie Vargas was surprised by her Air Force cousin for Senior Night.
BONITA SPRINGS Police: 15-year-old injured after accidentally shot in the leg Lee County deputies say the teen was accidentally shot in the leg.
PUNTA GORDA Exclusive: Brother and best friend of accused pedophile priest speak out Riley’s brother reached out to WINK on Friday, saying people aren’t getting the full story.
IMMOKALEE Caught on video: Huge gator crosses Immokalee neighborhood Fridays in Florida are for gators
FORT MYERS FGCU softball pitcher making a name for herself One season in FGCU, freshman pitcher Allison Sparkman is already ruffling feathers in the circle.
Surrendering-pets trend at Gulf Coast Humane Society raises concerns An large amount of pets are being surrendered by their owners. About half of the dogs at the Gulf Coast Humane Society are surrender dogs.
Students benefitting from millions in sales tax dollars So far, the voter-approved half-cent sales tax has brought in $507 million for the Lee County School District.
PORT CHARLOTTE ‘Shady’: One woman feels misled after federal student loan consolidation It takes some people decades to pay off their student loans. One woman’s last payment was in sight until she took a gamble she said she was told to take.
FORT MYERS Homeless encampments inch closer to neighborhoods Law enforcement has swept multiple encampments, cleaning the trails of mess and muck left behind, and some of these encampments are right in our backyards.
Do-it-yourself dentistry is ruining mouths and costing families a lot of money. Now, a patient and dentist from Southwest Florida are warning you what to watch out for. Nancy Kate Barr is from Cape Coral and has worn retainers since she was 15 years old. Recently, she needed new ones. “I was calling around dentists in the area,” she told WINK News. “A lot of them were wanting quite a bit of money for retainers.” She made the decision that hundreds of people make every year and sought help online. Eventually, she connected with a company that helps you do it yourself. “They sent a make-your-own-retainer kit in the mail,” she explained. Making the impressions needed for her replacement was not easy. “They said, ‘you made them completely wrong,’” she explained. Instead of trying again, she got a refund and turned to a local expert, Dr. Phillip Kraver. “When you talk about DIY dentistry, there are a lot of different ways patients take matters into their own hands for their oral health,” Dr. Kraver explained. He helped Barr get the retainers she needed without hurting her smile for about $150. Not everyone is so lucky. Dr. Kraver added, “one of the things that scares me the most right now is orthodontics.” He says online methods that claim to straighten your teeth can actually do a lot of damage. Teens are putting plastic rubber bands around their teeth and promising others it will close any gaps in videos posted online. Serious damage can be done when those rubber bands work themselves into the gum line and the bone. “Even small movements in your teeth can cause a lot of problems to the whole system,” Dr. Kraver said. That’s leading to lost teeth and costly repairs, but it’s not just straightening. “In my practice, we’ve seen a lot of enamel wear and gum recession from aggressive brushing with very strong whiteners,” Dr. Kraver went on to say. That includes activated charcoal pastes which claim to give you a whiter smile, but Dr. Kraver says they actually do the opposite. “It’s not really whitening the tooth itself,” he explained. “It’s just stripping the enamel off and getting to the deeper levels of the enamel.” He says rather than try to aggressively whiten or straighten your teeth, your best bet is to visit an actual dentist’s office. “We can tell you what’s good, what’s bad and what to look out for. We can guide you through treatment that will give you the best ultimate outcomes,” Dr. Kraver concluded. That’s exactly what Barr says Dr. Kraver did for her. “I would’ve just wasted more of my money,” Barr said. “Who knows if I would’ve been able to make the right impression?” Dr. Kraver says generally, those teeth whitening strips you can buy at the grocery store are safe to use; they’re not removing the enamel from your teeth. Just watch out for products containing chlorine dioxide, which can destroy your enamel. To be 100 percent sure, talk to an actual dentist before making any changes to your teeth.