Smoking Puts Your Oral Health At Risk

DID YOU KNOW that smoking is the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the United States? It’s well known that smoking can lead to a number of lung-related diseases but in reality, the negative effects of smoking can be seen in almost every part of the body, especially the mouth.

Smoking Compromises Your Oral Health

Among other cancers, smoking puts you at a much higher risk of developing oral cancer. In fact, approximately eight out of 10 patients with oral cancer are smokers. Smoking remains the biggest controllable risk factor for this deadly disease.

Tobacco use is also related to severe gum disease. Because smoking weakens your body’s ability to fight infection, bacteria build up more easily in your mouth in the form of plaque and tartar. Bacteria in plaque irritate the gums and cause them to pull away from your teeth, resulting in bleeding and sensitivity. This can ultimately lead to tooth and bone loss. Those who smoke are two times more likely to develop gum disease than a nonsmoker.

Other dental problems that can be caused by smoking include:

• Bad breath
• Tooth discoloration
• Coated or black hairy tongue
• Tooth decay
• Dulled sense of taste and smell
• Dry mouth
• Slowed healing after tooth extraction or other surgery
• Lower success rate of cosmetic dental procedures

Watch the video below to see how smoking affected Brett’s smile:

A Note About Electronic Cigarettes

Within the past couple of years, electronic cigarettes have gained popularity, especially as a “safer” alternative to smoking. Since e-cigarettes are relatively new, not much research has yet been published about their long-term health effects. What we do know is that while e-cigarettes don’t contain tobacco, most contain nicotine, which is known to cause damage to the mouth.

Because nicotine is a vasoconstrictor, it reduces the amount of blood that can flow to your gums. This means that the gums don’t get the oxygen and nutrients they need, causing gum recession and tooth sensitivity as well as putting you at a higher risk of cavities. The reduced blood flow to the gums caused by nicotine use can also mask the signs of gum disease, making it harder to detect and diagnose. This delays treatment and allows the disease to progress.

Until further research is done, we can’t really know how safe e-cigarettes are. As health care professionals, we advise you to avoid them until their long-term effects are known.

Count Us As A Part Of Your Support System

Our patients are more than just patients–they are friends. We care about your health and well-being and want you to count us as a part of your support system to help you quit smoking. If you aren’t quite ready to quit, continue to see us regularly as recommended so we can help you maintain your oral health as best as possible. Talk to us about quitting today and how we can help you!

Thank you for your friendship and loyalty!

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Take Care Of Your Tooth Enamel

TOOTH ENAMEL IS THE hardest substance in the human body. But don’t let that fool you–it’s far from invincible. In fact, there are things you may be doing on a regular basis that weaken your enamel, which could lead to more frequent cavities, tooth discoloration and sensitivity.

Tooth Enamel Acts As A Protective Barrier

The enamel makes up the tooth’s protective outer layer and is the first line of defense against harmful acids and bacteria. Unlike other parts of the body, tooth enamel cannot regenerate or heal. This means that once damage is done to the enamel, it cannot be repaired. That is why we want to give you some tips on how to best take care of your teeth and keep your tooth enamel in tiptop shape!

Keep Your Tooth Enamel Healthy And Strong

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM7m9vPTSss

There are a number of things you can do to care for your enamel and protect it from erosion.

Watch what you eat and drink

Sugary, starchy and acidic foods and beverages are the top offenders when it comes to weakening and ultimately eroding tooth enamel. Calcium-rich foods and drinks, however, help to neutralize acids in the mouth and strengthen tooth enamel. You can find calcium in dairy products, dark leafy greens such as kale, soybeans, and sardines.

Our simple recommendation is to try to eat healthier and cut back on sugary snacks and drinks, soda in particular. Soda is especially damaging to tooth enamel due to its high sugar content and acidity. If you must drink something acidic or sugary, even fruit juice, use a straw!

Drink plenty of water

Drink water throughout the day to avoid dry mouth. Rinse your mouth out with water after meals to get rid of food debris as well as stimulate saliva flow. Not only does our saliva contain antimicrobial agents that protect teeth and defend against bacteria, it also consists of calcium and phosphate that remineralize and build up tooth enamel.

Brush and floss properly and regularly

When bacteria in the form of plaque is allowed to remain on the teeth for long periods of time, they produce acids that eat away at tooth enamel. Regular brushing and flossing rid the mouth of plaque and food debris. Be sure not to brush too aggressively as this habit will weaken enamel over time.

See your dentist

Regular checkups and cleanings are vital to maintaining a healthy mouth. When you come in for your biannual appointments we look for signs of tooth enamel wear, such as tooth grinding and cavities, and can help you get them under control early.

Do Your Teeth A Favor

Your tooth enamel works around the clock to defend your teeth. By following the above guidelines, you can return the favor by protecting your enamel from wear and erosion. Do you have any questions about tooth enamel? Feel free to comment below or send us a message on Facebook!

We’re ENAMELED with our patients!

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Make Your Game Day Snacks More Smile-Friendly

WATCHING FOOTBALL IS ONE OF AMERICA’S GREAT TRADITIONS. Many families and friends gather together on a weekly basis to watch their favorite teams go head to head. And while people come for the football, we all know what they’re really there for… the food!

Traditional game day snacks may be delicious–think wings, sliders, nachos, pizza–but they are certainly not the healthiest for our bodies, or our teeth for that matter.

Make Healthier Choices On Game Day

October is one of the busiest sports months of the year. For all you sports fans out there, you’re going to have a lot of games to watch and, as a result, a lot of unhealthy finger food you may be planning to eat. Making healthier choices for the big game is easy… and well worth it!

For more smile-friendly snacks, try these healthy alternatives to traditional game day food:

• Veggie-filled wraps instead of sliders. Leafy greens contain vitamins essential for healthy teeth and gums.
• Yogurt instead of ice cream. You know dairy is good for your teeth! But watch out for added sugars you can find in ice cream and some yogurts. Make a greek yogurt parfait or a yogurt-based dip for fruit to protect those chompers.
• Bruschetta instead of pizza. Fresh-made bruschetta, especially with calcium-rich cheese on top, is a great substitute for greasy pizza.
• Vegetables instead of chips. Refined, starchy foods can be worse for your teeth than sugar. Bake your own kale chips or substitute cucumbers, celery, and carrots for greasy chips. You’ll get that crunch factor you crave as well as protect your teeth from decay.
• Zucchini or sweet potato fries instead of french fries. Bake your fries instead of deep-fry them. Sweet potatoes have a lot of vitamin C which promotes healthy gums. Zucchini has an extremely high water content which will get your saliva flowing.

You could even try this healthy spinach and artichoke dip at your next watch-party!

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Here’s another fun fact: including apples and strawberries in your snack game plan can actually help whiten your teeth! These fruits contain malic acid which removes surface stains from your teeth and whitens enamel.

In addition, nuts, celery, carrots and again, apples, are great finger foods that work as natural toothbrushes. That’s right! Because of their abrasive texture, they naturally remove bacteria and plaque. They also increase saliva production, helping to wash away food particles and bacteria in your mouth. So the next time you want to just eat the wings and leave the celery, think again.

Eat Right For A Winning Smile

We know you want your team to win the big game, but it’s even more important to have a winning smile! What are your favorite healthy game day snacks? Let us know in the comments below. We’d love to get some more ideas!

Happy watching to all our football fans!

Top image by Flickr user Abdulla Al Muhairi used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Flossing Is Essential To Your Oral Hygiene

WE’VE MENTIONED IT TIME AND TIME AGAIN… Flossing is an essential part of good oral hygiene. Many people don’t see the need for flossing when they already brush their teeth; others simply hate the task. We understand that it can be tedious! But as your trusted dental professionals, we want to assure you that flossing will greatly benefit your dental and overall health.

So, How Does Flossing Benefit My Health?

Did you know that when you don’t floss, you miss cleaning 35 percent of tooth surfaces in your mouth? That’s because brushing simply cannot get into those hard-to-reach spaces between your teeth. Unfortunately, however, bacteria can! Flossing completes brushing by cleaning the spaces your toothbrush can’t.

Regular flossing can:

• Prevent cavities. Have you ever flossed, even after brushing your teeth, and were surprised to find a remnant of your last meal? Flossing removes food debris and plaque, preventing cavity formation between the teeth, a common place for tooth decay.
• Fight bad breath. If food or plaque are left in between teeth, they will eventually release a bad smell. Yuck!
• Inhibit tartar buildup and gum disease. If left on teeth for too long, plaque hardens into tartar, which can only be removed by a dental professional. The presence of tartar can lead to gum disease and tooth loss. Gum disease is associated with other systemic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and stroke.
• Improve your appearance. Food debris and plaque make teeth look more yellow and gritty. Clean, healthy teeth always appear whiter and brighter!

From years of experience, we can confidently say that flossing makes a big difference in your oral and overall health.

For Flossing To Work, It Has To Be Done Correctly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhdoPXNKNm4

To reap the benefits of flossing, it has to be done correctly. In a 2006 study, researchers wanted to see whether flossing at home had the same benefits as having daily flossing done by professionals. The study showed that participants who were flossed professionally had a 40 percent decrease in their risk of cavities than their at-home flossing counterparts. The researchers concluded that flossing, when done properly, has a substantial, positive effect on oral health.

Many people simply snap the floss in between their teeth and pull it back out. The correct way, however, is to curve the floss around the tooth, as if the floss were hugging it. Still curved around the tooth, move the floss up and down to scrape the plaque. Do the same on the other tooth.

Take The Flossing Challenge

We’d like to challenge you to make daily flossing a part of your oral healthcare routine. We promise you’ll feel the difference! If you still have questions about flossing, call or come in to see us. Seeing our patients is the best part of our day!

Top image by Flickr user angela n. used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Snacking Tips To Keep Your Child’s Smile Healthy

GOOD NUTRITION IS ESSENTIAL for a child’s healthy growth and development. It’s also important for their dental health! A good diet can help your child build strong, healthy teeth, while poor eating habits puts your child at a higher risk of tooth decay.

You may understand how important nutritious meals are, but one thing some parents struggle with is snack time. Here are our best tips on how to make sure your child’s snack time is tooth-friendly!

Not All Snacks Are Created Equal

Stay away from starchy, sticky or sugary foods during snack time, like dried fruit, crackers, chips and cookies. These types of snacks can stick to the teeth for long periods of time, potentially causing cavities. For snack time it’s best to opt for fruits, vegetables, nuts, yogurt and cheese.

If You Indulge, Do It During Mealtime

Don’t worry, we don’t expect you or your child to never eat sweets or starches. There is a better time to eat them than at snack time, however, and that is during meals! That’s because it’s not just important what you eat, but when you eat. At mealtime, there is an increased amount of saliva in the mouth that can help wash away those starches or sugary treats, counteract acid-producing bacteria and remineralize teeth.

Watch Out For Added Sugars

Almost all foods have some type of sugar in them. Naturally occurring sugars–like those found in milk and vegetables–are less worrisome, since these choices are healthy overall. What you want to keep an eye out for when choosing snacks are added sugars.

According to the American Dental Association, added sugar consumption should be limited to less than 10 percent of total energy intake, ideally less than five percent. To put things in perspective, one can of soda is equivalent to three times the daily recommended sugar intake of a child!

Choose Beverages Wisely

On that note, we’d like to advise parents to choose their children’s beverages wisely. Soda and juice may be your child’s preferred drinks, but milk and water are much healthier choices. Good sources of calcium, like milk, aid in building strong teeth and bones and water helps to wash away food particles that may be clinging to teeth, thus protecting against decay.

Sip All Day, Get Decay

Whether your child is drinking milk, juice or soda, don’t let them sip it throughout the day. Constant consumption of either food or drink is harmful for teeth, because not only are you feeding yourself, you’re also feeding the cavity-causing bacteria that reside in your mouth. Limit snacking to once or twice a day and have your child sip on water. If they drink anything that contains sugar, have them drink it during mealtimes or all at once.

Your Family’s Health Is Our Priority

If you have any tips or healthy snack ideas that your kids love, leave it in the comments below! At our practice, we care about the health of your whole family. Proper nutrition, especially at snack time, will ensure healthy smiles for you and your children for a lifetime!

Thank you for being part of our practice family!

Top image by Flickr user Larry Grubbs used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

The Benefits Of Brushing With An Electric Toothbrush

BRUSHING TWICE A DAY is important to keeping your smile healthy, but what can switching from a manual to an electric toothbrush do for your oral health routine?

Electric Toothbrushes Provide Many Benefits

While a manual toothbrush can get the job done if used properly, an electric toothbrush provides benefits that go beyond simply scrubbing your teeth.

They clean teeth more thoroughly. When we brush by hand, we average about 300 strokes per minute. Electric toothbrushes can average thousands or even tens of thousands of strokes per minute depending on what technology they employ.

They’re easier for those with dexterity issues. Certain conditions–such as arthritis, limited mobility, or involuntary tremors–can make brushing with a manual toothbrush difficult. The larger handles of electric toothbrushes can be easier to hold, while the powered toothbrush head does all the cleaning for you.

They help ensure you’re brushing properly. Many electric toothbrushes feature built-in timers and pressure sensors. These features help ensure you’re not too brushing too hard and that you brush for a full two minutes.

They clean hard to reach spots around braces. Some electric toothbrushes even have special attachments made specifically for cleaning around brackets and orthodontic appliances.

Check out the video below to see how to properly use an electric toothbrush.

For more information about your oral health, please call our office. (254)799-5746

Top image by Flickr user William Warby used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Let Lumineers Brighten Your Smile

WOULD YOU LIKE to bring out the best of your smile? With Lumineers®, you can have a bright, beautiful smile faster than you’ve ever imagined.

Lumineers Have Many Advantages Over Traditional Veneers

Unlike traditional veneers, Lumineers are designed to be ultra-thin—about as thin as a contact lens—so they can be applied seamlessly over your teeth. Lumineers are so thin, in fact, that little to no tooth reduction is required for treatment. Traditional veneers are much thicker and often require grinding down of the original tooth structure for proper placement.

Lumineers’ innovative design not only makes application far less invasive than traditional veneers, but it also makes for a speedy treatment process. Most cases can be taken care of in as little as two visits. That’s right, only two visits!



Lumineers Solve A Variety Of Dental Problems

Here are just a few of the ways Lumineers improve smiles:

• Brighten stained and discolored teeth
• Restore chipped teeth
• Eliminate spacing and gaps
• Align crooked teeth
• Reshape small or misshapen teeth
• Renew old dental work
• Perfect your Hollywood smile

We Love Brightening Our Patients' Smiles With Lumineers

The joy of a beautiful smile is priceless. We love helping our patients achieve the smiles they’ve always wanted, and with the help of Lumineers, it’s as simple as ever. If you have questions about how Lumineers can help your smile, give us a call to set an appointment or reach out to us on social media! We’d love to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you for placing your trust in our practice. We love our patients!

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Is Your Smile Cramping Your Style?

Let's fix that!

• Are you embarrassed by old silver-colored fillings showing up in photos?
• Are you self-conscious about the gray ridge around your crowns?
• Do you look at other people and wish you had their smile?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, we can help! 

    With today's superior quality materials, we can quickly, painlessly, and easliy replace your old fillings and crowns.  People notice a beautiful smile. It's one of the most important social links we have. And when a person is confident about their smile, they exude happiness... and that's a very attractive feature!
    If you find yourself covering your smile, drop that hand and call us for a consultation. We can whiten your old restorations quickly and have you laughing out loud in no time!

Keep Your Secret! With Invisalign

    The preferred method for straightening teeth used to be metal train-track braces. We are happy to say that Dr. Ross and Dr. Billman are certified in Invisalign, one of the most advanced components of adult cosmetics.

What is Invisalign?
It's a proven method for straightening teeth using a series of custom-made, nearly undetectable aligners. 

How does Invisalign work?
Each aligner is precisely calibrated and manufactured to custom-fit over your teeth and gently move them through every stage of your treatment. There are no metal wires and brackets, and you can still enjoy your favorite foods, and brush and floss easily.

Can I benefit?
Adults account for nearly 25% of all orthodontic patients! The most common problems are crowded teeth, teeth spaced too far apart, protruding upper or lower teeth, and upper and lower front teeth that do not touch.

How do I get started?
After consultation and deciding on a treatment plan, we take an impression of your teeth, and submit it to Invisalign. Using the latest 3-D computer technology, our instructions are translated into a series of medical-grade plastic aligners. You can view your own virtual treatment plan   when you start, so you can see how great your straight teeth will look!    

We know you'll be inspired to consider Invisalign!

Please call us for a Free Invisalign Consultation.

 

Pear Pearls

Stimulating your saliva production can help reduce the buildup of plaque deposits, reducing your risk for cavities. Pears stimulate saliva production plus they contain a significant amount of water which, when chosen as a snack over highly acidic foods, will help reduce the risk of enamel damage. When you need "that little sweet" after a meal, nothing beats a pear.

BAKED PEARS

whole fresh pears     frozen yogurt
cinnamon                  raspberries
water                        mint garnish

Peel and cut pears into spears & place in a microwavable dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Fill base with water a quarter of the way up the pears. Microwave until tender-about 3 minutes. Serve on your favorite frozen yogurt or drizzle with mashed raspberries!

 

Part of Smart Ageing

Reinforce the Power of Your Smile

Good for you!  You're taking better care of yourself so that as you age, you remain in optimum health.  You're using the stairs (not the elevator), protecting your skin, and ramping up the fiber, fruits, and vegetables in your diet.  Now think about this:  if you live longer, your teeth have to function longer too!

Now is the time to consult with us about the benefits of not just rejuvenating the whiteness in your smile, but also the structure and durability of your teeth.  Missing or damaged teeth severely compromise your capacity to chew and digest healthy foods...negatively affecting your overall health.  Not to worry...We have solutions!

• One option is a bridge.  It replaces a missing tooth by securing a new replacement tooth to the adjacent healthy teeth.  Bridges look natural, are easy to clean, and because they're fixed in place, they're stable.

• A crown completely covers or "caps" an existing tooth that has a serviceable root but is damaged above the gumline.  It improves the tooth's strength and appearance, and extends its lifetime.

As part of your healthy lifetime team, we will advise you on the best, most cost-effective way to improve your smile.  Dental enhancements like bridges and crowns are a great self-investment.  You'll look terrific, enjoy a confident smile, and situate yourself wisely to benefit wholly in both oral and overall health!

Go To Sleep!

    A certain amount of stress can be a healthy motivator, but sometimes the accompanying brain-chatter will take a nasty toll on our sleep... hour after hour...night after night. Here are a few tips to help you slumber with success.

• Get regular frequent exercise. Only 3 hours per week can make a difference.
• Keep the same bedtime and wake-up time every day. Don't deviate on weekends.
• Wind down. Avoid devices with blue-screen glow.
• Try relaxation exercises like deep breathing, visualization, or meditation. 
• Be patient, practice letting go, and allow your body to relax. Sleep will soon be within reach.