Upcoming holidays are around the corner, and you’re probably already thinking of all the foodie goodness coming your way. November is Good Nutrition Month, so you might want to consider adding healthy options to your meals to maintain good oral and general health and wellbeing. The goal of our dental practice is to help you keep your teeth healthy, strong and bright!

Nutritionally-Rich Foods

A healthy smile starts with eating a balanced diet to protect teeth and gums. Not only do healthy teeth allow you to chew (and digest) the nutritious foods that your body needs, but if your diet is poor, your mouth’s resistance to infection is lowered. Mouth-healthy foods include fresh fruits, leafy greens, vegetables and lean meat and dairy, all giving you the nutrients you need to thrive.

Sugar Attacks

Modern diets can’t seem to get away from sugar because manufacturers add it to nearly everything. If you read the packaging on processed foods, it’s often added for flavor and as a preservative. The problem is sugar feeds the oral bacteria, which then attacks tooth enamel and creates harmful plaque and tartar.

If you love soda, you should know that it is one of the biggest “bad guys” when it comes to sugar (and acid). Sucrose is a major culprit in tooth decay, so regular consumption of soda, candy, cakes, pies and cookies are top tooth hazards. Even dried fruits harm tooth enamel since they are high in sugar and often sticky, so they cling to enamel. Sugar is also derived from starches like bread, chips, cereals, and pretzels, leading to tooth decay when consumed regularly.

Sticking to fresh fruits like raw apples can safely satisfy sweet cravings and protect your pearly whites. Raw fruits require lots of chewing, which stimulates saliva production that lowers oral acidity, rinses away food particles, and diminishes cavity-causing bacteria in the mouth.

Acid Attacks

Permanent damage to teeth and gums also arises from acidic foods and drinks as they erode precious tooth enamel, and unfortunately, it doesn’t take much to begin the erosion process.

Highly acidic liquids:

– Citrus juice (lemon, grapefruit, lime, orange)
– Fruit juices (apple, grape, cranberry)
– Wine
– Soda
– Tonic water
– Iced tea
– Sports drinks

Highly acidic foods:

– Fruits (such as pineapple, berries, oranges and lemons)
– Tomatoes
– Pickles (such as cucumbers, artichokes, beets and sauerkraut)

Protect your teeth from an acid attack by waiting half an hour after eating or drinking before brushing your teeth. You can rinse food particles and oral debris out of your mouth after consuming these items by swishing with plain water for 30 seconds. When you do brush, use a soft-bristled toothbrush and brush gently at a 45-degree angle.

Oral Care Tips

– When you are away from home and can’t brush, try chewing sugarless gum. The act of chewing stimulates saliva production and flushes away food particles while lowering your oral acids.

– Avoid dry mouth (insufficient saliva production), which increases your risk of tooth decay. Stay well hydrated, and be sure to brush your teeth before bedtime. Saliva production slows down while you sleep, so don’t skip your nightly brushing routine!

– Don’t skip your biannual dental checkups. These are crucial to a healthy smile as we remove hardened dental plaque and check teeth and gums for potential problems.

This November, we hope you enjoy the sweetness of being with loved ones, consuming tasty, healthy foods and beverages and remember all the things you are thankful for! We are here to help you take good care of your teeth and gums so you can be grateful for your healthy smile and body!

We learn at a young age that brushing and flossing are vital to keeping your smile healthy. We need to continue these daily habits in our ongoing quest to maintain healthy smiles for strong teeth and gums. Seeing your dentist regularly for professional cleanings and checkups at least twice a year is another habit you should incorporate. Together with our dental team, you are creating an optimal oral environment for a lifetime of smiles in great condition.

Professional dental cleanings are typically recommended twice a year, but if you are in treatment for dental illnesses or are at high risk for disease – such as gum disease – you may need to come in more frequently. Of course, dental cleanings are just one aspect of these visits. Our dentist will also conduct an oral exam, which may include taking dental X-rays to assess the condition of your teeth, jaw and gums.

We will be looking for signs of tooth decay, gum disease and oral cancer. If this is your first visit, we will want to know about your health history, what medications you take, current allergies or adverse reactions you have had to medications in the past. And if you have dental anxiety that kept you from seeing your dentist before, please let us know so we can discuss ways to minimize your discomfort and help you feel more relaxed and comfortable during your time with us. We are happy to work with you to make your experience safe, relaxing and convenient for you.

Professional Dental Cleanings

Regular professional dental cleanings remove calcified plaque, known as tartar, that accumulates in the hard-to-clean areas of the mouth. These are not easily accessible by your daily brushing and flossing efforts. To do this, our dentist or hygienist may use a special dental instrument – either a hand scaler or ultrasonic dental instrument – to remove tartar from around and below the gum line. Once this calcified plaque has been removed, your teeth will be polished with a mildly abrasive paste to clear away leftover plaque and tooth stains. After a final floss and evaluation from our experienced team, we will send you on your way.

If you run your tongue along your tooth surfaces, you should be able to feel the clean, smooth surface of the enamel. When the surface is smooth, it is harder for plaque to attach. We will also be happy to review whatever hygiene issues you may be experiencing as well as go over brushing and flossing techniques to help you better care for your teeth at home. We will be happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have concerning your oral care.

If you would like to know more about how dental checkups can help your oral health, feel free to give us a call or schedule to come into our office for your next exam! Our goal is to help you attain your best smile and have a great dental experience, so call us today to set up an appointment.

Spring has sprung, and summer is almost here! The sun shouldn’t be the only thing shining bright this season. Your smile is a great feature to show off to friends, family, coworkers, social media, a date and everyone else! Need help to show off your smile confidently? Our team can help you achieve the look you desire.

The American Dental Association (ADA) found in a study that 28-29% of the people they surveyed said the appearance of their mouth and teeth affected their abilities to effectively interview for a job. In the same study, one in four adults (and 35% of young adults) said they avoid smiling because they are unhappy with their mouth and teeth, and one in five adults (and 33% of young adults) said they experience anxiety when it comes to showing off their smile.

A few insecurities people typically feel about their teeth include gaps, crookedness, discoloration (yellowing) and chips in the teeth. With modern technology and encouragement from all of us here, you have options to create a smile to be proud of and show off to the world. Some treatment options include the following:

– Teeth Whitening: Do you have yellowing teeth or want your teeth to have a brighter shine? Professional teeth whitening can help you achieve the desired whiteness that will last longer than an over-the-counter option.
– Chip Repair: Dental veneers and dental crowns are both options to repair that chip or crack in your tooth.
– Orthodontic Treatment: Orthodontics not only improve your look by straightening your teeth but can benefit you healthwise. The better alignment of your teeth allows more secure gums and correct jaw alignment as well as better speech and chewing. A popular option is clear aligners for those who don’t want to wear metal braces.
– Dental Implant: Missing tooth? You can fill in the space with an implant, which not only helps your smile aesthetically but also improves your oral health.

Be sure to take care of your smile as well with the following tips:

– Dental Care: Brush twice a day, floss once a day, use mouthwash to get rid of bacteria and avoid smoking or using tobacco.
– Eat Healthy and Drink Lots of Water: By eating right and drinking water, you can help your teeth get the needed nutrients they need to be strong. Drinking water throughout the day helps flush out food particles that lead to unwanted bacteria.
– Visit the Dentist: Be sure to visit your dentist twice a year to get a dental cleaning and exam. We check for cavities and any signs of oral cancer.
– Mouthguards: If you are playing a contact sport or doing something that may cause a fall, be sure to wear a mouthguard to protect your teeth from chips or losing a tooth.

If you’re having trouble being confident with your teeth and mouth, give our office a call. Our team will be happy to help you find the answers to a better smile and the look you want. It’s time to be confident in your healthy smile! Schedule a consultation today, so we can answer any questions you may have about treatments. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Although we are turning back the clock for daylight savings, you can’t turn back time on your teeth. Studies have shown that one in five Americans has untreated cavities, which is decay that has damaged a tooth’s hard, outer enamel layer and created small holes. Cavities can arise in people of all ages, including children and infants. Factors can include how well you take care of your teeth each day, what foods and beverages you regularly consume, and your family’s dental history. These can all play a role in developing cavities.

Dry mouth, or insufficient saliva production, is a common oral condition that places you at higher risk of cavity formation and is often accompanied by bad breath. Tobacco and alcohol users are prone to dry mouth as are those taking certain medications, aging, or undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatment.

Cavities form when sugary, starchy foods feed the oral bacteria that thrive in the sticky bacterial film you know as plaque. The bacteria produce acids that wear down the tooth enamel until they reach the softer dentin layer underneath protecting the tooth pulp. Cavities tend to form in the back of the mouth within the grooves of the molars, between the teeth and around the gum line, which are also areas that are harder to clean and get rid of plaque.

Signs You May Have a Cavity:

– Experience tenderness in the gums
– Tooth sensitivity when consuming hot or cold items
– Painful sensitivity in or around your teeth
– Having tooth pain that interferes with your sleep
– Dark stains
– Small holes
– Pain when you bite down
– Soft areas on your teeth

What You Can Do

The good news is, preventing cavities is very simple if you follow some of these basic rules:

– Limit your intake of sweets and sodas
– Brush at least twice a day
– Floss at least once daily
– Rinse with an antibacterial mouthwash
– See your dentist for routine dental cleanings at least twice a year
– If you are cavity-prone, use products with fluoride that protect tooth enamel or consider having dental sealants placed.

Detecting cavities in the earliest stage – when they can be treated easily and less invasively – can save you pain, time and money. For example, cavities found early on can be treated with a simple dental filling. For bigger or deeper cavities, a root canal treatment may be necessary to remove damaged pulp or treat an abscessed tooth. A badly broken tooth may be fixed with a crown at the gum line. If a tooth is lost, a dental crown, bridge or implant may be needed to keep the surrounding teeth from shifting into the gap left behind.

The best way to prevent cavities is to take daily care of your pearly whites and to visit your dentist twice a year to support those daily efforts. To find out if you have any cavities or need to treat an existing one, please give our team a call, and we will be happy to set up an exam with our skilled team. We look forward to helping you keep your smile healthy, beautiful and cavity-free!