Dental Info

People in the United States eat more sugar than any other country in the world. (Fortunately, we also have some of the best dentists in the world.) You hear it all the time: “sugar rots your teeth.” But is it true? What exactly does sugar do to your teeth and why is it so bad? You might want to learn more about this substance that is added to nearly every edible item in the grocery store. Tomball dentist Dr. Michael Cimino tells us more below. Sugar 101 All food causes some buildup on your teeth. After eating and drinking, little bits of food are left behind in your mouth. Out of all the food we eat, sugar does the worst damage to your teeth. Even healthy foods like milk, bread, and produce contain some natural sugar, but these foods also contain necessary vitamins and nutrients. Eaten in healthy amounts, your body has no problem breaking down the natural sugars with the other food bits on your teeth. The problems begin when you eat food that has more sugar than nutritional value...

According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, teeth were the #1 feature that increased a child’s chances of being bullied . A person’s smile and teeth are often the first things people notice, and kids are no exception. Chamblee Orthodontics in Atlanta would like to share some ideas that can help kids feel better about their teeth—with parents’ help! Explain that baby teeth are not all lost until kids reach their early teens, so their smile will continue to change as they grow—and this will be happening to the kids making fun, too. Google “celebrity teeth before and after” for hundreds of examples showing successful grownups who were once kids that probably didn’t feel so great about their teeth. This reinforces that things will eventually get better. During your child’s first evaluation for orthodontics, ask Dr. Ceneviz to show before and after results to reassure your child they can have a beautiful smile at the end o...

Some foods will help you grow healthy teeth and keep them forever. Some foods will prevent you from growing healthy teeth, or harm the ones you already have. You can grow and maintain strong, healthy teeth by eating a diet that your mouth (and your body) will truly love . But do you know what foods to avoid for a healthy mouth? Natural Smiles Dentistry would like to share that information with you today! Diet is Everything The word “diet” has earned a bad reputation over the years as a verb that means eating less to lose weight, but diet is also a noun and a powerful way you can give yourself the best life possible. Your diet is simply the food you eat, and most of us are trying our best to eat wholesome food with just a few sweet treats here and there. Good food sets the stage for a healthy life. Nutrition is vital for growing healthy muscles and bones. And guess what—your teeth are bones, too! Good nutrition helps your body fight infections that cause decay and disease in your mo...

We know a lot of our friends and neighbors aren’t fans of being asked how often they brush and floss, but at Blue Wave Dental , we hope you know it’s because we care and want to help you keep your smile healthy and beautiful for life! Getting to know your habits also helps us personalize your care and offer suggestions such as using a water flosser if the string type floss isn’t your favorite. Our team happens to appreciate the WaterPik® and its comparable effectiveness at removing food debris and getting in those hard-to-reach areas—especially if you’re wearing braces . Floss is Boss Regardless of which flossing tool you prefer, it’s important to remain diligent in the habit. Flossing helps remove plaque, which causes cavities and dangerous gum disease if left to harden and become tartar. If you have any questions about flossing, WaterPiks, or any other dental topic, your Walnut Creek dentist Dr. David Nisenboym would love to hear from you. Contact us today to schedule a visit...

At Michael Colleran, DDS , education is paramount in our mission to help our friends and neighbors improve and maintain their oral health . For this reason, we try to avoid using dental jargon when we’re speaking with our valued patient family. However, there are terms that can’t be broken down as easily; in those cases, we’ll explain things in as much detail as you need to feel comfortable and confident in your care. Usually what we’re describing isn’t as complex as it sounds! That’s a Mouthful As an example: alveoloplasty. That’s just the technical term for the surgical reshaping of your jawbone, often performed after extraction to prepare your mouth for a tooth or tooth replacement . Words (or abbreviations) you’ll hear more commonly include prophylaxis, scaling and root planing, TMJ, and bruxism. For a crash course on these words and more, check out this glossary. If you have questions about the terms you see (or terms that didn’t make the list) and you’d like to talk about it...

You love your teeth. You brush them twice a day, floss once a day, and see your dentist regularly. Right? We love your teeth, too! In fact, there’s so much to know about caring for your oral health that dentistry has quite a few categories of specialties and different kinds of dentists. The primary dentist in your life should be your family dentist, also known as a general dentist. Your family dentist is who you will see most often for dental check-ups. But how exactly is family dentistry different from other kinds of dentistry? Portland dentist Dr. David Case shares more below about family dentistry. Types of Dentistry All dentists have an undergraduate degree and then go on to about four years of dental school. This earns them either a doctorate of dental medicine (DMD) or a doctorate of dental surgery (DDS). To become more specialized, the dentist will need additional education and clinical experience. General Dentist : A family dentist is a general dentist. They treat patient...

When it comes to your oral health, we hope you never have any pains or problems. Good preventive care will help you always feel your best! But even with the best habits, dental problems do happen. In that case, oral pathology is the science and medicine that helps diagnose and treat whatever is making you ache. If you think you have oral disease, don’t be embarrassed, but get help as soon as possible. What is Oral Pathology? Sometimes things go wrong, even in the healthiest people. If you have pain, bleeding, or unusual symptoms in your mouth, oral pathology helps us find the answers you need. According to the American Dental Association : “Oral pathology is the specialty of dentistry and discipline of pathology that deals with the nature, identification, and management of diseases affecting the oral and maxillofacial regions.” In other words, oral pathology is the science that understands the causes and effects of these diseases. Common practices include clinical examinations, la...

A hole in your smile is never a positive thing. It negatively affects physical appearance, eating, speaking, and your overall sense of confidence and well-being. Let Gordon Dental Associates bridge the gap between where you are with your smile and where you want to be! A missing tooth or teeth can also cause jaw pain and bite misalignment. Without a full set of teeth, your other teeth tend to move into the empty space, causing unnatural alignment in your bite and jaw—which can be very uncomfortable and can lead to bigger headaches and TMJ/TMD problems . Dr. Gordon and Dr. Hutson share how each tooth plays an important role in your health and everyday life, and how dental bridges can restore your smile and the function of your teeth. Types of Bridges Depending on your needs, there are three common kinds of dental bridges that your dentist may recommend. The difference between each type of bridge is how they are installed and secured. The core of every bridge is the false tooth...

As a parent, you will have numerous opportunities to teach your children valuable skills and each one will yield priceless memories. Your child’s first step, your child’s first word, your child’s first bike ride, your child’s first unassisted brushing and flossing session…well, maybe that last one won’t be as memorable, but Park Slope Dental Arts wants to remind parents that good oral hygiene habits begin in childhood. So, today, we would like to take this opportunity to give you some tips on teaching your kids to brush and floss. Good Brushing Habits Last Forever Just in case you have that nagging question about baby teeth, we’ll settle it right now. What’s the point of taking care of baby teeth, if they get a whole new set in a few years? As baby teeth come in, they are literally setting the stage for adult teeth. Premature tooth loss can mess up the corresponding adult tooth’s placement. Bad hygiene in the early years can also cause infection, difficulty speaking and eating...

Did you know the same plaque that decays your teeth can cause major heart problems? What if you could fight plaque and heart failure both by improving your oral health? Dr. Richard Schnur is here to tell you more! Someone dies from a heart attack every minute , according to the American Heart Association, and most heart attacks (and 85% of strokes) are caused by cholesterol build-up – aka plaque . But there is good news. You can work with your Parrish dentist and your doctor to understand and minimize your risk factors for developing plaque and tooth decay. Risk Factors for Tooth Decay In 2010, tooth decay was the most common condition in the world! Everyone struggles with tooth decay and plaque build-up for reasons unique to their own body and lifestyle. By learning what puts you most at risk for decay, you are investing in your health for the long term. It’s a Two-Way Street Your oral health affects your whole body Your overall health affects your oral health Genetics Thi...

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dentist! At Northern Trails Dental Care , we know that some folks avoid the dentist’s chair like the plague. According to studies at the Dental Fears Research Clinic at the University of Washington, as many as 8% of Americans are too afraid to go to dentists and 20% are too anxious to visit a dentist for anything other than an emergency. Dr. Buck understands that dental anxiety prevents a lot of people from getting the care they need, so we’ve designed our entire practice around your comfort. Read on to find out about how we can help! Overcome Your Fear of the Dentist First of all, don’t feel bad if you fear the dentist. It’s very common and understandable. Your mouth is sensitive and private, and having someone else poke around in there can be traumatic. However, there are a ton of things we do to make sure that every patient feels safe and comfortable. That means that from the waiting room to Dr. Buck’s chair, you are in good hands! We’ll do whatever it t...

Factors such as a child’s age, level of anxiety, developmental issues, and the length of treatment needed are all considered when hospital dentistry is recommended .  There are times when a patient must be unconscious for safe completion of a dental procedure. Some examples are: Procedures that take longer than usual, or more than one procedure being performed on the same day Medical condition, disability, or young age that makes extended treatment duration difficult Complicated procedures that would make pain intolerable if conscious Your child will ask you questions about the hospital and may be apprehensive. Keep the language you use simple, choosing your words with care. Avoid words like “cut”, “needle”, “shot”, and “sew” It may help to say that mouths sometimes have to be fixed in the hospital and that other kids just like them have to have their mouths fixed in the hospital sometimes, too It may take your child a few days to take in all the information, and they ...

When a tooth has an open contact, it has a proximal contact the doesnt closely adapt to the adjacent proximal tooth.  In layman's terms, the side of the tooth adjacent to another tooth  doesn't make appropriate contact. This is less than ideal because it can allow food to become trapped between teeth When this happens it can cause tooth decay or periodontal problems. Of course if a patient can keep the area clean they may not have any problems. Even if there is no prior filling, a small acid etched composite addition can be used to close an open contact. This can work well as long as the addition is not placed to be in occlusion with the opposing dentition. Still another option that can be used to close an open contact  is orthodontic tooth movement. Orthodontists can close contacts by constricting the arch if that is appropriate. Of course every situation is different and not all open contacts need to be closed. If you are concerned about an open dental contact, it i...

Dental offices can be scary for children, with its unfamiliar sounds and smells and tastes. A first dental visit might challenge all five senses with unfamiliarity. It is overwhelming for a child who has autism spectrum disorder (or many other kinds of special needs, like Down syndrome). For the parent of the child with autism, it might seem impossible. How can you expect this of your child? How can you prepare? How do you manage expectations? Time in the dental chair is part of good oral health for any person. The benefits to your child are worth it to get through that first visit and beyond —from preventing tooth decay to setting them up for a lifetime of dental health. What makes dental visits hard with ASD? The dentist’s office can be alarming to anyone (it’s one of the most common forms of anxiety), but the sensory experience in a dental office is particularly hard for kids with ASD. For instance, the idea of having someone touch the inside of your mouth can cross many lin...

A Better Alternative to Bone Grafting Traditionally, when a patient with bone loss is seeking dental implants, the first factor in question is: “How much jawbone do you have?” Implants embedded in weak or eroded bone have a high rate of failure. Tooth roots reinforce the structure of the jawbone and, when they are missing, the structure of the bone is compromised, usually leading to decay. This bone loss is quite common among wearers of dentures who have gone many years without any kind of fixture to reinforce their bone. A solution for this problem has existed for a long time: in the form of bone grafting . The technique of bone grafting allows for jawbone quality to be manually rebuilt until it is sufficiently thick and dense enough for implants to placed. The Inconveniences of Bone Grafting Cost/Time Increase : Bone grafting requires one or more surgeries and a healing period of a few months after each procedure. This process must be completed before the implants can be placed....

Someone once said, “Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.” How true!  While it can be frustrating to watch your health change as you age, you don’t have to accept poor oral health and tooth loss as just an inevitable part of the aging process. Your oral health is just as important now as it has ever been, and it has a great deal to do with your overall health and wellness. When it comes to senior dentistry and oral health, the Las Vegas dentists of Wagner Dental shares the top concerns you may have, and how to address them. Gum Disease A shocking 70% of adults over 65 years of age have gum disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss among seniors. Gum disease is your body’s way of trying to kill germs that infect and inflame gum tissues.  Chronic exposure to inflammation in the body quadruples your chance of developing Alzheimer’s later in life, according to the American Den...

Many people face tooth loss and are unsure of their options. Tooth loss is difficult socially as well as physically. When you lose a tooth, you also lose the bone that supported the tooth—it simply stops growing since it’s no longer needed. After that bone disappears, your jawbone will continue to shrink away as well, which spells trouble for the rest of your mouth and overall facial structure. Tooth loss affects appearance, speaking, and daily functioning—but the All-on-4® solutions can restore your healthy smile in just one day ! These treatments continue to improve over time. As of 2016, more than 100,000 patients have received All-on-4 teeth replacements. If you’re facing tooth loss, you’re not alone—many others have gone before you and achieved success with this procedure. With Dr. David Nisenboym and his team on your side, you can have the smile of your dreams in just one day. Blue Wave Dental explains more about the All-on-4 solution and how to know if it’s right for you bel...

It’s common to see people wearing mouth guards for protection during all kinds of sports, such as football, basketball, and boxing, but did you know that lots of folks wear mouth guards at night for their dental health? People who grind their teeth (bruxism) can get relief from their symptoms simply by wearing a specially-designed mouth guard at night. Salt Lake City dentists Dr. Laura Provine and Dr. Thomas Brickey have helped many people improve their quality of life with nightguards. Our team at Natural Smiles Dentistry invites you to visit us today to find out more. Nightguards for Bruxism Bruxism, or teeth grinding, is a very common condition. Everyone grinds their teeth at some point, but some folks do it so much (especially during the night) that it causes severe damage to their teeth, headaches, jaw aches, TMJ (temporomandibular joint disorder) issues and more. The problem is that most bruxism sufferers don’t know that they are actually clenching and grinding their teeth...

Most of us have experienced a toothache . At their mildest, toothaches may cause just enough discomfort to get on your nerves and disrupt your concentration, but at their worst, they can be debilitating. Because the pain feels like it’s coming from your tooth, it’s natural to assume that all toothaches are caused by cavities, gum disease or some other tooth-related problem. However, Dr. David Case would like you to know that not all toothaches are related to your teeth . Wait, what? Toothaches that have nothing to do with teeth? Yes– as anyone at Family Dental Health will tell you –it is possible and it does happen. That being said, most toothaches are tooth-related. How can a toothache not come from your tooth? Your mouth is a complex organ that contains a number of different types of tissue, nerves, and microorganisms. While run-of-the-mill dental problems like tooth decay and gum disease are responsible for the majority of toothaches, there are many other conditions that can ca...

Dr. Michael Colleran has been thinking about how much things have changed in the world of dentistry since today’s grandparents were growing kids themselves. Grandparents today are often very involved in the daily lives of their grandchildren—they may live close by, provide financial assistance, or assume childcare responsibilities for working parents. Since oral hygiene and dietary habits are established in childhood, it’s important that grandparents’ dental education is on point. There are a lot of basic facts that grandparents may or may not know about dentistry, such as: Definitions of dental terms The availability of specialized toothbrushes and toothpaste for kids Sending kids to bed with juice, milk, or formula in their bottles can contribute to tooth decay That oral health is systemically linked to overall health The important role of baby teeth in future dental development The advantages that fluoride treatments and dental sealants may provide The capabilities of mo...

If you’ve visited our blog before, you know that we love to talk about tooth decay. The chances are, everyone has had or will have tooth decay at one point. It is classified by the National Institutes of Health as the most prevalent disease in the world. Today we’re going to talk about a few of the factors involved in causing tooth decay and what you and Gordon Dental Associates can do to protect your smile. The Unique Makeup of Your Teeth Even within your own mouth, teeth vary widely in shape, size, and enamel quality and consistency. Some teeth are harder than others, and some—especially molars—may have deep fissures that can trap bacteria, causing decay. Additional defects in enamel formation can cause yellow or brown areas on your teeth that are more susceptible to caries (tooth decay). The pH Level in Your Mouth Research indicates that acidity in your mouth plays an important role in developing tooth decay . A low pH (an acidic state) allows decay-causing bacteria to thrive....

Your Mouth: A Picture of Health Did you know that when a dentist looks at your mouth, they can tell a lot more than just how often you’re brushing? It’s true—your oral health is like a window into your lifestyle and habits. Park Slope Dental Arts should know. We’ve seen mouths from all over Brooklyn in our office! If you’re not taking care of the rest of your body, your gums will give it away. Hormones, sickness, stress, diet, smoking, prescription medicine, and more can all affect your gum health, and that goes both ways. If you don’t take care of your gums, the consequences will stretch beyond just your mouth. Unhealthy gums can lead to an unhealthy heart, diabetes, pregnancy complications, memory problems, tooth decay, and more. Your mouth is naturally good at washing away and fighting germs. But without proper oral hygiene , those bacteria can lead to gum disease. When it comes to your oral health, it’s more than just pearly white teeth you want. Healthy gums play an important ...

You can’t see them, smell them, or feel them. They’re invisible. But they can penetrate your body, accumulate over time, and damage human cells. And most importantly, they can cause cancer! I’m referring to x-rays, which are a form of low-dose ionizing radiation . Don’t get me wrong — X-rays are the only means for dentists and physicians to diagnose certain oral health problems as well as many medical concerns. X-rays are critical for diagnosing bone and other hard tissue damage that requires treatment sooner rather than later. However, high radiation exposure from x-rays predisposes an individual to potential long-term risks. Even though there are many benefits to dental and medical x-rays, you should be aware of the potential harm that ionizing radiation can do to your body. Dental X-Rays: Types and Reasons for Use Several basic types of intraoral x-rays and extraoral x-rays may be required to diagnose oral problems: Bitewing: If your dentist has checked you for cavities...