• Brush, brush, brush. Brush everyday, especially after meals.

• Make sure your brushing time is not less than two minutes.
• Floss at least once a day.
• Clean your tongue everyday.
• Rinse your mouth after consuming anything. You can add a couple of drops of mouthwash to the water before rinsing.
• Change your toothbrush when it appears tattered. If you have been using it for three months, change your toothbrush at once.
• Make food rich in calcium, fluoride, vitamin C, and vitamin D a part of your everyday diet.
• Cut down on smoking.
• Don’t use your teeth to open containers or the like.
• Cut down on sugary foods. Restrict the consumption of sweets to the meal times.
• Do not brush immediately after meals. Brush at least after an hour of eating anything.
• Eat plenty of fiber.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Do not ignore the slightest hint of an oral problem.
• Keep all your appointments with the dentist.
• Greet your dentist on World’s Dentist Day (March 6).

A sleeping disorder called sleep apnea may be related to a problem in the jaw because of a misalignment. Sleep apnea is treated by a dentist. If you haven’t heard about this sleeping disorder before, read on to learn more.

What is sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder where the person has breathing problems while sleeping.

What are the symptoms of sleep apnea?
The most common symptoms of sleep apnea are listed below.

• Excessive and loud snoring

• Waking up several times during sleep to breathe
• Perspiring while asleep
• A foul taste in the mouth
• Headache in the morning
• Continued exhaustion and depression
• Insufficient and restless sleep

If you think you may have sleep apnea, mention it your dentist. Your dentist will not only help in finding the problem but also cure you if you get diagnosed with sleep apnea.

Happy smiling!

Mark Twain once humored: “Adam and Eve had many advantages but the principal one was, that they escaped teething.” Can we agree any less? All of us now the problems faced by infants and their guardians when they teethe.

Getting wisdom teeth is no less painful than teething. The following symptoms will indicate if there is a problem with the growth of wisdom teeth and if the problem needs immediate professional attention.

• Pain in the place where the wisdom tooth is growing

• The wisdom tooth disturbing the tongue, cheek, or other parts of the mouth
• Swelling of gums around the growing wisdom tooth
• Limited space for the wisdom tooth to grow

Visit your dentist if you feel discomfort and pain because of your growing wisdom tooth. Your dentist will find the cause of the discomfort and treat the problem accordingly. While waiting for a diagnosis from your dentist, you can use an ice pack on the cheek to get some relief if the wisdom tooth is causing terrible pain.

If the problem is diagnosed to be a wisdom tooth problem, the treatment will most like include removal of the trouble-causing tooth. Your dentist will help you understand the problem and the corresponding treatment.

Problem or no problem, smile nonetheless. Your dentist is going to help you get rid of your dental problems.

Happy smiling!

• Who is an Orthodontist?
  An orthodontist is trained to treat malocclusions. Malocclusion refers to the misalignment of teeth. An orthodontist specializes in aligning and straitening your teeth. The one recommending you braces is likely to be an orthodontist.

• Who is a Pedodontist?
  A pedodontist, also known as a pediatric dentist, is one who specializes in children’s dental care. He/she is trained to make a child comfortable by not only winning his/her confidence but assisting him/her in understanding the importance of dental health.

• Who is a Periodontist?
  A periodontist is the one who takes care of what you have around your teeth – your gums. He/she is the one who will treat you when you develop a gum infection or a gum disease.

• Who is an Endodontist?
  An endodontist is often the most dreaded dentist, though unreasonably. He/she specializes in root canal treatments. He/she rescues you when you develop an infection in teeth pulp.

• Who is a Prosthodontist?
  A prosthodontist is the one who develops dentures for you when you lose teeth. He/she will help you continue normally with replacement teeth that not only look good but also function well.

Ask your dentist for more information on specialized dentistry.

Happy smiling!

The root canal treatment is a dreaded treatment. People associate pain and trouble with a root canal treatment. Let’s bust the most popular root canal myths.

• Tooth extraction is better than root canal treatment.
  Let your dentist decide that. If the pulp of your tooth is infected, a tooth extraction is not the solution. Your dentist will extract the infected pulp and cure your dental problem. A tooth extraction cannot replace he need for a root canal treatment.

• My tooth does not pain. Do I still need a root canal treatment?
  Some of us think that if there is no pain, there is no need for a root canal therapy. You do not want to wait long enough for a pain to develop in order to agree to a root canal treatment.

• Root canal procedures require several visits to the dentist.
  Gone are those days when any treatment required multiple visits to the doctor or dentist. With technological advancements, you do not need to visit your dentist more than twice for a root canal treatment.

• Root canal treatments are extremely painful.
  This is the perception that makes people cringe at the prospect of getting a root canal treatment. However, this is an obsolete perception. With technological advancements, root canal treatment causes no more discomfort than a regular dental filling.

• The effects of the root canal treatment are temporary.
  The root canal treatment can help reap benefits for a lifetime if you take proper care of the teeth after the treatment. Follow your dentist’s instructions and you will realize that the treatment will not disappoint you.

For more information on the treatment, get in touch with your dentist.

Happy smiling!

Like everything else, there are no real right rigid rules about flossing your teeth except for the generally held axiom that it should be done after every meal. The reason behind this dental hygiene practice is simple. Flossing gets to the places that a toothbrush can’t reach. The plague that gets caught up behind your teeth causes the kind of tooth decay that will ultimately lead to gum disease. So there’s no doubt that flossing is an important part of your daily dental care practices. There are a few techniques that you should master when you floss that will prove invaluable.
First off, there’s no need to snap the floss between your gums. Every dentist will advise you to place the floss gently between you teeth so that there is an even pressure. You should also floss the sides of you teeth as well to get any plague that has amassed there. As well as the floss that you can use by hand that comes straight from the package, there are also dental flossers that are available at many drug stores.

When you need the right affordable dental insurance so that you can keep smiling with you family right into you old age, the task of selecting the right carrier might seem a little daunting at first. Rest assured that with the right primer on what to look for in the proper dental care, you’ll have little trouble at all.

First off one of the things that should be important is reputation. Dental health is a very serious business and you want to make sure that the dentist that you’re is going to be a good fit with the affordable dental insurance that you’re getting. Take close look at the carrier that proposing to be the one that’s going to look after you policy. Get a good idea of their qualifications by searching their company name on the Internet and looking for any kind of comments that surface.

Find out as well if the quotes that they supply are state regulated. This kind of regulation goes along way in determining the quality of the quotes that you’ll get and the standards the company has for the work that it does. Remember that affordable health insurance is within your reach if you have the necessary information.

• You have yellow or brown stains on your teeth.

• You have tartar on your teeth.
• Your teeth appear loose and move while brushing.
• Your teeth are chipped or broken.
• You have pain in the teeth and gums.
• Your gums appear red and/or swollen.
• Your gums bleed when you brush.
• You have become too sensitive to sweet, hot, and cold food.
• Your bad breath does not go away even after regular oral care.
• You have sores in your mouth.
• You feel bad taste in the mouth.
• You fell or had an accident that affected your mouth.
• It has been six months since you last visit to the dentist.

  Happy smiling!

  

You already know that this month is the National Dental Hygiene Month (NDHM) as celebrated by the American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA). Any day of the first week of the month is going to be celebrated as the Hygienists’ Appreciation Day. So, this is the best time to visit your dental hygienist and thank him/her for his/her work.

If you are wondering who a dental hygienist is, you are not alone. Most of us know dental doctors simply as dentists. However, there is a team behind a dentist. This team comprises of hygienists, technicians, therapists, and assistants. ADHA describes a dental hygienist in the following words:

“Dental hygienists are licensed oral health professionals who focus on preventing and treating oral diseases-both to protect teeth and gums, and also to protect patients’ total health. They are graduates of accredited dental hygiene education programs in colleges and universities, and must take a written national board examination and a clinical examination before they are licensed to practice. In addition to treating patients directly, dental hygienists may also work as educators, researchers, and administrators.”

A dental hygienist will typically be the one to list out the advantages of proper dental care and hygiene. He/she will also extend you information on proper nutrition. A dental hygienist is usually involved in the preventive measures to keep your teeth healthy.

If you know the dental hygienist at your dental clinic, thank him/her today.

Happy smiling!

How?

• Brush everyday, especially after meals.

• Invest at least 2-3 minutes on brushing.
• Floss everyday.
• Clean your tongue everyday.
• Rinse your mouth after consuming anything.
• Change your toothbrush the moment it appears tattered. If it does not and you have been using it for three months, it’s time to change your brush.
• Pay attention to your diet. Consume calcium, fluoride, vitamin C and vitamin D through the food you eat.
• Cut down on smoking.
• Don’t treat your teeth like tools. Stop using your teeth for opening containers.
• Cut down on sugary foods.
• Do not brush immediately after meals. Brush at least after an hour of eating anything.
• Eat plenty of fiber. Go for a fruit than its juice.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Do not ignore the slightest hint of an oral problem.
• Greet your dentist on World’s Dentist Day (March 6).

Happy smiling!

Happy smiling!