Halloween is Coming!

It’s that time of year when we start eyeing the candy aisle and wondering what we will buy for all of our cute, costumed, trick-or-treaters that will show up in a few weeks. While, it is true that nearly all sugar-y candy is not good for your teeth, there are a few tips on what to buy for your neighbors and how to handle your own intake of candy:

1. Stick to the chocolate! While, yes, there is still sugar, chocolate melts off of the surface of your teeth and so the sugar won’t ‘stick’ there for a long time. Compared to a sticky candy, like a Jolly Rancher, a milk chocolate is a better option. (You still need to rinse with water after eating chocolate though!)

2. Limit how many and how often you will eat your Halloween candy. Treating it like a dessert and having 2-3 pieces after dinner in a  short amount of time is better than having one piece every 15-30 minutes throughout the day. You can also have your child just choose their favorite kinds of candy to keep and donate the rest to groups like Support the Troops that send them overseas to our soldiers!

3. Be sure to brush and floss! Whether you are eating milk chocolate or sticky candies that can get stuck in-between or in the grooves of your teeth, it is important to keep up with your at home brushing and flossing routine. 

4. Spit, but don’t rinse, when you brush your teeth. This seems weird, and is not what most of us probably do. However, if you don’t rinse with water right after brushing, the fluoride from your toothpaste has a few more minutes to sit on the surfaces of your teeth, giving a little extra boost to it’s benefits to your teeth. Try it!

Halloween is a fun time and a special treat for all of us. It is also a great opportunity to remind ourselves, and our children, about how to keep up our brushing and flossing habits at home, and also talk about why sweets should be eaten only in moderation.

Friendly Reminder: If you haven’t yet finalized your costume, consider this your 3-week warning!

October is National Dental Hygiene Month!

What better way to celebrate this October holiday than by trying to implement our four dental health tips into your daily routine. Dental Hygiene Month is meant to raise awareness of how important the health of your mouth is and to also encourage everyone to take better care of their teeth! With that, we give you four tips for better oral health:

1. Brush: We are aware that we sound a bit like a broken record here, but you should brush your teeth TWICE a day for TWO minutes each time. It is THAT important. =)

2. Floss: One time per day. Over 30% of your tooth structure exists between your teeth, so flossing ensures that ALL of your teeth and ALL of their surfaces gets clean.

3. Rinse: There are a lot of great mouth rinses out their that can provide a fluoride boost before bed. Remember though, even rinsing with water throughout the day or after a meal can help get rid of debris in your mouth! If you do use a mouth rinse, look for one without alcohol.

4. Chew: While too much chewing can put additional stress on your TMJ (temporomandibular joint), chewing a sugar free gum after a meal, can not only pull food debris out of the nooks and crannies of your teeth, but it increases saliva flow and helps to restore your mouth to a neutral pH level. Better yet, find a gum with xylitol, like this one, and give your teeth a protective boost!

All in all, try to set some good habits going now. That way, by the time the stress of the holidays come around, your dental habits will be in tip-top shape and ready to take on the changes in the routine that are sure to come up.

Join us for a FREE, Educational Implant Seminar!

Are you missing one or more teeth and wondering what your options for teeth replacement are? Join us this Thursday, 9/27 for a FREE, educational Implant Seminar. This event is open to the public and you do not have to be a current patient to join us. We will explain what dental implants are and why they are used, as well as go over how they compare to bridges, dentures and partials. We hope that attendees leave with a better sense of what is best for them, so that they can make an educated decision about their individual dental care.

Light refreshments will be served and seating is limited, so we do ask that you call and reserve your spot today!

Preparing for Fall!

It’s about this time every year, where you are supposed to do a checklist of things to prepare your house for the changing of the seasons. Checking the gutters, changing the furnace filter and replacing batteries in your fire alarms are just a few examples. We think this is also a great time of year to do a few things to make sure your dental health is taken care of. 

1. Replace your toothbrush! Similar to replacing your furnace filter, it is time to get a new toothbrush! You should actually do this every 4 - 6 months to make sure you have the best tools to properly care for your teeth.

2. Eliminate one bad habit or start a good one. This is a great time of year to pick ONE thing that you know you need to work on and do it. Whether it is drinking less soda, flossing every day or eliminating sugary snacks throughout the day, start it now. If we begin implementing this now, we should have a good foundation to stay strong with this habit throughout the holiday season, which can be challenging.

3. Drink more water! We know pumpkin lattes are delicious, but be sure you are drinking water throughout the day to rinse your teeth of sugar and acid. In addition, as it gets colder and drier outside, we need more water! 

4. Check your insurance benefits. This is the time of year to see what you still have remaining in your dental insurance benefits so that you can maximize them. If you have been holding off on something, do it now, before the chaos of the holidays. Even if you don’t have benefits left, if you need dental treatment you should work out a way to get that done so that your mouth is in good health as the holidays approach. 

Use this time of year to get yourself prepared for the holidays, make the most of your dental benefits and set good oral hygiene habits!

Kindness, Love and Sharing Smiles

Many of us know exactly where we were on this day seventeen years ago. We know who we were with and what we were doing. We watched on TV as the unthinkable happened and we likely had mixed emotions as the day unfolded. 

Today we remember those who bravely ran into the buildings to help strangers. We remember all of those who volunteered to help in the wreckage afterwards. We remember all of those who did not make it home on the evening of September 11, 2001. 

As we remember what 9/11 was and how it affected all of us, may we also take stock today of what we have and be grateful for it. While we remember those who helped strangers and ran into burning buildings, might we also help others in some small way. What better way to remember those who gave everything than by giving back in our own community?

So, today and all week, we encourage everyone to practice Sharing Smiles. Buy someone’s coffee while in line at the drive-through. Help someone cross the street. Carry someone’s groceries. More than anything else today, let’s practice kindness and love. 

After all, isn't that what gets us though? Kindness, Love and Sharing Smiles.