Smile with Confidence: A Comprehensive Guide to Dental Health and Care

Monthly Archives: May 2015

Diseases that Cause Cavities

A smile says a lot about someone. It’s a natural gesture to want to smile back, but what if your pearly whites are less than attractive? Products that whiten teeth have bombarded the market with effort to improve the everyday appearance of someone’s smile. What if our teeth are trying to tell us something is wrong? Okay, most people try to fix their appearances rather than read into warning signs that our bodies are giving us. What concerns should be addressed when looking at a smile that makes you question how many cups of coffee or sweets a person consumes? Well, you’ve come to the right place, these are common medical questions most people will ask the Internet for the answer before stepping foot into a doctor’s office.

What is Fluoride?

Remember the feeling of the cold leather reclining chair, a blinding light, and a pair of eyes glaring into your mouth followed by the question, “Which flavor of mouthwash would you like?” Well, that’s a very typical trip to the dentist for your bi-yearly teeth cleaning. Have you ever stopped to think, what does the mouthwash contain? Also, why does the dentist tell me I can’t swallow it? Does it really help prevent cavities?  American dentist offices have been using mouthwash for decades, but a lot of questions have been raised about the main ingredient fluoride.

Is Mouthwash Important?

From a young age you might remember your parents nagging you to brush before bed. If your parents were persistent they might have even made you gargle mouthwash too. In adulthood good breath is even more important because we might be facing clients and bad breath leaves a very bad impression. It’s worth keeping breath mints on hand to avoid a close encounter with gross breath. Anyways, how much does mouthwash help? Brushing your teeth regularly seems to do the trick. Besides, mouthwash stings and then there is the added fear of swallowing some. A family dentist has a few reasons why mouthwash is worth your time.

How to Protect Lips from the Sun

Preparing for a day in the sun includes lathering on sunscreen, grabbing a pair of shorts, and putting on sunglasses. As summer approaches there are a few things you need to keep in mind when soaking up rays. The sun provides great warmth from ultraviolet rays (UV).  Spending time in the sun is important, but it’s equally good to be aware of protecting your skin. Our lips in particular are something we might not think to protect. More importantly, men and women are at risk for lip cancer. Let’s cover a few important tips for lip protection before heading to the beach.

How to Maintain Healthy Gums

When you wake up in morning, you make your way to the bathroom, grab your toothbrush and apply toothpaste. While brushing you feel a sharp pain along the side of your mouth. When you go to rinse you might notice in the sink a swirl of blood and used toothpaste. If this is you, then your gums might be trying to tell you something. There are many signs that people should be aware of when exercising good dental hygiene. Bleeding, sore, or swollen gums could mean a few different things. Let’s explore what it means to have healthy gums.

Simple Tricks for a Whiter Smile

Men and women on the cover of fashion magazines have immaculate outfits, flawless bodies, perfect complexion, and beautiful teeth. It doesn’t matter if someone tells you that it’s probably photo manipulated. What does matter to you is your perception. Out of the above-mentioned idealistic person, most of us are drawn to beautiful teeth. Intuitively, we are drawn to fluorescent white teeth because white represents cleanliness and perfection. When people have anything less than bright teeth they feel a need to fix the problem. Is there a safe why to whiten teeth? Is the perfect smile attainable? Well, you’ve come to the right place for answers.

Causes of Sensitive Teeth

Have you ever gone to the local ice cream shop, on a hot summer day, expecting to enjoy your favorite flavor? When you finally tasted the flavor, did your teeth instantly feel pain from the cold? This could mean your teeth are more in control than your taste buds. Many people suffer from feeling immediate tooth pain from warm or cold foods. Some folks will even avoid certain foods altogether knowing it will be too painful to enjoy. So, what causes teeth to feel sensitive? Is it possible for teeth to feel more pain later in life? These are just a few of the questions people have been asking and we have answers.

Are Sports Drinks Harmful for Your Teeth?

Walking through the drink aisle at the grocery store might draw your eyes to the 6 pack of mini sports drinks for $10. It’s even more appealing if you’re still holding on to your New Year’s resolution of going to the gym. There has been a lot of buzz about electrolytes and other benefits to drinking sports drinks. We have been over saturated with commercials of major league athletes drinking these drinks.

Have you stopped to ask if they actually do the trick? After all, if my favorite sports teams can win the game from drinking them, maybe I should give them a try. There are a few things about sports drinks you need to know before you buy.

Are Dental X-Rays Safe?

The feeling of a cold heavy vest on your chest or a panoramic X-ray device scanning your mouth for examination makes you wonder how safe it is. When going through the test you are even told to hold completely still. It doesn’t help that the person administrating the test wears protective goggles and stands behind a door. While X-rays provide useful information that isn’t always visible, are you putting your health at risk by being subjected to the X-ray? What radiation safety requirements are in place for these scans? Are there special certifications that the dentist or dental assistant has to go through? These are legitimate questions; let’s explore the facts.