Category: Preventive Care

Teaching your child to take care of their teeth is just one way you can show them how to take responsibility for their body.  This can be a challenge because toddlers are motivated mainly by fun and pleasure, not by health and necessity.  If you want to end your child’s resistance to brushing, your best bet is to make this chore a fun ritual for them.  They will eventually catch on that brushing their teeth is a regular and necessary part of taking care of their whole body—and they’ll enjoy doing it.  Here are some tricks you can use to Read More →

There are a number of common habits that can cause harm to your teeth that you may not know about. For example, drinking certain beverages, chewing on things like ice or popcorn kernels, smoking, and lip or tongue piercings. Casual everyday things, such as, not wearing a mouth guard, hard bristled brushes and using your teeth to open things can damage your teeth in many ways. Ask about a custom mouth guard at your next visit! Mouth guards are recommended for anyone participating in contact sports. They protect your teeth from cracks and fractures. Tongue or lip piercings can chip and crack Read More →

Cancer – the uncontrolled growth of cells that invade and cause damage to surrounding tissue. Unfortunately, the frequency of oral cancer is on the rise – 100 new cases per day in the United States are being reported – one person every hour of every day will die from it. Risk factors include use of tobacco and alcohol and most recently determined, some strains of HPV (human papilloma virus), but within the last 5 years cases are increasing in males and females under age 50 with no risk factors. The fatality rate for oral cancer is one of the highest due to Read More →

Summer is here and we know the hot weather will keep you thirsty, but before you head to the cooler, you may want to rethink what ice cold drink you are reaching for! Did you know?? The sugar from the drinks you choose mixes with the bacteria in your mouth to form acid. Sugar free drinks often have acid added to them in the form of phosphoric acid, citric acid, malic acid, and many others. The acid from these drinks attacks your teeth for up to 20 minutes for each sip you take, weakening your tooth enamel in the process! Read More →

As a hygienist, I am asked daily what a patient can do about sensitive teeth. First, we need to understand the basics of what may cause tooth sensitivity. Recession is the most common cause I find here at the office. Recession can be described as an area near the gum line of a tooth where the gums have “pulled away” or receded from the tooth. This process exposes the root of the tooth, causing several nerve endings to be exposed. If you look closely, you can sometimes see a yellow or dark gray color where the root is exposed. As a Read More →

There can be A LOT of questions when it comes to a child’s teeth. Are they coming in right? Are they too crowded? Why did my child’s tooth turn gray? These can be difficult to understand without an exam with a dentist, but we asked our hygienist, Erin, to give us an idea of some of the more common issues with children’s teeth. Here is what she had to say:   Trauma/Tooth Discoloration: If a trauma has occurred, such as a fall or being hit in the mouth with an object, and the child’s front teeth have been hit, the damaged Read More →

If you have bad breath, you are not alone! Many of our patients deal with this, so we asked our hygienists to provide some tips to help you keep your breath feeling fresh! Be sure to brush thoroughly for two minutes, twice per day. Be sure you brushing thoroughly around your back teeth (molars) where plaque and bacteria that can cause bad breath can more easily hide. Floss thoroughly once daily to get that pesky plaque and bacteria that hides between your teeth! Rinse with Listerine or Crest Pro-Health mouthwash. Both are proven to kill bacteria in the mouth. Brush Read More →

Have you ever awoken with a toothache and feared it was a cavity? You may not have even known that a cavity had been forming on your tooth because not all cavities are visible to the naked eye, and do not always show signs and symptoms right away. We asked our Licensed Dental Assistant, Jamie, to help us understand signs, symptoms, and prevention. The most common signs to look for are: Pain when biting down Pain when eating or drinking something sweet Pain while eating or drinking something hot or cold Holes or pits on the biting surface of your tooth Read More →

Do you ever wake up with a stiff, sore jaw and/or headache? Do you feel like your teeth are sensitive to cold drinks? If you have any of these symptoms, you could be clenching or grinding your teeth! Most people aren’t aware of this habit, as it is generally done during sleep. Grinding your teeth can be very damaging. It contributes to breaking and chipping, can reduce sleep quality, and in severe cases it can damage the nerves in your teeth, resulting in a need for a root canal. This condition is also called Bruxism. Studies indicate that people who clench or grind their teeth can Read More →

Have you heard all the recent hype about not needing to floss anymore? Well, let’s look at what this is really about. Since 1979, the federal government has recommended flossing. Last year, the associated press reviewed 25 studies that compared brushing alone versus brushing and flossing. This review concluded that the evidence for flossing was “weak and very unreliable.” As a result, the Department of Health and Human Services removed the flossing recommendation this year. However, the American Dental Association (ADA) sites several other studies that show the benefits of flossing. The ADA and Family Dentist Tree will continue to Read More →