Patient Education

Manual or Mechanical?

Back and forth goes the argument—what toothbrush is best? Gadgeteers can spend $150 for an electric brush designed to rotate and oscillate, with angled neck, sure-grip handle, dual speed control, and even a timer. Researchers say that rotation-oscillation electric brushes remove plaque and reduce gingivitis better than any other kind—but only slightly better. Do-it-yourselfers can [...]

Manual or Mechanical?

Toothpicks: a Pointed Problem

What’s long, slender, hard, sharp, indigestible and potentially hazardous? That common and seemingly harmless sliver of wood called a toothpick. Reports in the Journal of the American Medical Association point to toothpicks as causing thousands of injuries a year, mostly to young children. Youngsters aged five to 14 were most likely to be injured by [...]

Toothpicks: a Pointed Problem

Facing Chemotherapy?

Tell Your Dentist Anyone facing cancer therapy already knows—chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer is a serious response to a serious condition. What they may not know is that a dental appointment scheduled at least two weeks before treatment begins can reduce the risk of complication and help preserve salivary glands. The reason is this: [...]

Facing Chemotherapy?

Alcohol and Your Teeth

Dentally speaking, is drinking alcohol a good thing or a bad thing for your teeth and gums? As with everything alcohol related, there are positives and negatives. On one hand, a mixer-free shot of vodka is probably less hazardous than caramel candies, which coat the teeth with a sticky goo that practically begs for cavities. [...]

Alcohol and Your Teeth

Pregnancy and Oral Health

How does pregnancy affect my oral health? It's a myth that calcium is lost from the mother's teeth, but you may experience some changes in your oral health during pregnancy. The primary change is a surge in hormones--particularly an increase in estrogen and progesterone-- which is linked to an increase in the amount of plaque [...]

Pregnancy and Oral Health

Fear…It’s All in Your Head

Fear is a learned response, and what can be learned can also be unlearned. We still have a lot to learn about fear, but certain things we do know. Dental fear, for example, is often the result of vicarious learning. Take you, for instance. Even though you've never had a tooth removed, you've maybe heard [...]

Fear…It’s All in Your Head

3 Tips to Protect Your Teeth

Tips on teeth you may not know! Think Calcium! You've heard it before: calcium does a body good. You probably didn't know that much of that good goes straight to the mouth. It’s essential for tooth and bone development. A calcium-deficient diet means less jawbone mass—which can lead to painful fractures and permanent tooth loss. Dairy [...]

3 Tips to Protect Your Teeth

The Shading of Your Smile

Regardless of what your smile needs (cosmetic improvement, tooth restoration, even dentures), there’s one thing you’ll want when we’re done: attractive, natural-looking teeth. Getting teeth to look their natural best comes from the shape and color assessments we make throughout the procedure. Color depends of tooth size and thickness, location in the mouth, your skin [...]

The Shading of Your Smile

How Are You Sleeping?

We have informational brochures in our office concerning snoring and sleep apnea. If you suffer from these problems or are losing sleep because of someone who does, answering these simple questions may help you identify your symptoms. A Sleep Quiz I have been told that I snore. I have been told that I snore loudly, [...]

How Are You Sleeping?