DENTAL BLOGS

If you have a dental bridge, braces, fixed retainers or dentures with retainer bars, you might be wondering how you can still clean around them to keep your mouth and gums healthy. Unless your dental treatment appliances are entirely removable, like invisible aligners and removable retainers, cleaning thoroughly between your teeth with fixed dental work sometimes requires just a bit more effort – but is very important for the success of your dental treatment, as well as a he

Water flossing vs. string floss: Which is better? Though some people swear by one or the other, the truth is that there are pros and cons to both, and studies about each method’s effectiveness at removing plaque are largely inconclusive. If you’ve been considering changing your flossing routine, it’s worth looking into the differences between them to see which one is right for you! Evidence For String Floss vs. Water Flossers? Studies about the efficacy of plaque removal with

What are the best foods and drinks for a healthy mouth? In general, what’s good for your body is also good for your teeth. For example, foods that are high in nutrients, vitamins, fiber and water content all tend to be great for both general and oral health. And the reverse is true, too – foods that are bad for your body, such as sugary and starchy foods with little nutritional value, are bad for oral health as well. Let’s take a look at some of the very best food and drink c

Would you consider your teeth as living things? It might come as a surprise given how hard they are, but our teeth are indeed living things! Human teeth have a unique structure and four distinct types of dental tissue, all of which work together to keep teeth healthy and strong. The three parts that make up a tooth’s structure are: crown, neck and root. The four types of dental tissue are: enamel, dentin, cementum and pulp. Let’s take a closer look into the anatomy of a tooth

Do you know how much bacteria is in the human mouth? Estimates vary between 500 to 700 different species of bacteria, and between 6 million and 20 million microbes of bacteria in the mouth at any given time! Those billions of bacteria adhere to each other and to surfaces within the mouth – teeth, gums, inner cheeks, tongue, and form a complex, slimy, sticky substance called biofilm. Dental biofilm can actually aid oral health. Besides containing hundreds of varieties of both

Have you been thinking about choosing a New Year’s resolution lately? Among the most common New Year’s resolutions are ones related to health – eating healthier, exercising more, losing weight, etc. But one important health-related goal most people don’t consider is the resolution to have a healthier smile! Why Should You Resolve to Have a Healthier Smile in 2022? A healthy mouth is incredibly important to your overall health. Numerous studies show that poor oral health is li

November is National Diabetes Month, and we want to do our part in raising awareness of the effects of diabetes on oral health! An unfortunate truth about living with diabetes is that the disease increases the risk of developing a number of oral health issues, like gum disease, tooth decay (aka cavities), thrush, and more. But fortunately, it is also true that with a bit of extra TLC, you can take control of your oral health, and have a happy, healthy mouth! Diabetes and Your

Do you use an electric toothbrush or a regular one? Does one type seem like it cleans your teeth better than the other? The truth is that both manual and electric toothbrushes are great at cleaning your teeth effectively, as long as they are used properly! That said, there are several pros and cons that may make one type a better choice for you over the other. Let’s take a look! Manual Toothbrush Pros: Affordable and easy to replace - Standard toothbrushes are widely availabl

Do you floss before or after brushing? Which one should you do first? This was actually a topic of much good-natured debate among dentists for a long time. But one thing all dentists always agreed on was that it wasn’t the order that mattered so much as doing both every day! Recently, a small 2018 study published in the Journal of Periodontology found that flossing first had better results! So, why exactly is flossing-then-brushing better than the opposite order? From the stu

As the saying goes, “you are what you eat” - and there’s no better place to see this than in your mouth! Many of the foods and drinks that we consume actively encourage the growth of bacteria-laden plaque in our mouths, which is a main factor in the development of cavities (aka tooth decay). And if you don’t clean your teeth properly, plaque eventually hardens into tartar, which contributes to gum disease and can only be removed with special tools by a dentist or hygienist. L

2020 is almost over, finally! It’s been an extremely strange and challenging year, but we’re ready to turn the page and start a new, brighter chapter in 2021. Check out our suggestions for a New Year’s Resolution to help you kick off 2021 with a healthier, happier smile! Floss! The truth is, we always know when our patients are fudging the truth about how often they floss - the proof is all over your gums and teeth! Sticky, bacteria-laden plaque is constantly forming on and b