It is common knowledge that everyone should brush their teeth in order to maintain good oral health. For whatever reason, flossing your teeth daily does not hold the same level of importance with the every person. But by flossing just once a day, you can decrease your risk of gum disease, improve your overall health, and increase the odds of achieving and maintaining good oral health.
New or expecting parents often inquire about what age their children should begin seeing the dentist. In a perfect world, we would begin seeing children for visits after their first teeth begin erupting. Unfortunately, very few would be willing to cooperate at that age. Our hope is to become their ‘dental home’ at an early age and start developing a sense of familiarity and a positive relationship. We more frequently recommend their first visit around the age of 2-3 or when all of their primary (baby) teeth have erupted.
In the past, many dentists were hesitant to treat pregnant patients. As a result many women did not receive timely dental care they needed. However, dental treatment during pregnancy is typically beneficial and there is now a shift towards continuing routine dental care during pregnancy.
More than ever before, dentists and dental professionals are confronted with questions about teeth bleaching for children and young adults. While opinions may differ, we would like to help educate the parents and the patients of their options when it comes to bleaching their teeth.
The Cincinnati Enquirer recently released an article discussing how a Cincinnati charter is reopening a debate on water fluoridation. The article says “A task force revising the Cincinnati city charter uncovered a forgotten provision that may give Cincinnatians a unique voting right to remove the chemical from their water supply.” I am not too familiar with the political system or how this may turn out, but I strongly believe that fluoridation of the water will greatly improve the health of you and your family’s teeth.
Over half of out body is composed of water, so it should come as no surprise that staying hydrated can help you stay healthy. Along with everything else, it is vital in keeping your mouth, teeth and gums healthy. During the summer, dehydration can sneak up on you when you are outside enjoying the weather. So it is important to remember to drink lots of water to avoid dehydration, and as an added bonus it will promote good oral health.
With football, soccer, and other sports starting back up this month, it is a good time to review the importance of your children (or you) wearing mouth guards. Football is a high contact sport and it is logical that participants protect their teeth, gums, and jaw bone from injury. However, sports like soccer, basketball and volleyball can involve high impact collisions, but mouth guards are not yet required. Protecting your children with sports mouth guards lowers the threat of injury to their teeth, and new evidence is suggesting that it may even reduce the risk of concussions.
Too often we see students return home after year or two away at college with a number of cavities in between their teeth. Many of them don’t have a history of getting tooth decay, so it can definitely be disconcerting. So what happened while they were away that created all of these cavities? Below we will discuss different things to avoid and what your child can do to remain cavity free.
For anyone that has dental insurance, chances are you have seen or are familiar with the phrase Usual and Customary Rate (UCR). Dental insurance companies like to use this term, but what does it mean for the average person and how was this number determined? Our goal is to help you better understand where these numbers come from and how it is applicable to you.
More than ever before, people want to know if they can whiten their teeth and what is the best way to go about doing so. Should you try over the counter or professional whitening? Should you bleach at home over a longer period of time or try to do it in one appointment at the dentist? We will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each.
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