Secrets to a Brighter, Whiter Smile

by | Jun 19, 2015 | Dental Clinic Blog, Oral Health, Roseman Dental - NV, Roseman Dental - UT

There are more things you can do to whiten your teeth besides switch toothpaste, visit your dentist, and use whitening strips and trays. Even if you’re already taking these actions, there are several other steps you can take to brighten your smile without spending a lot of money.

Swap Your Toothbrush More Often

Trade out your old toothbrush for a new one every three months or whenever your bristles start to look faded and worn. Doing so ensures that your toothbrush is always providing the proper friction for scrubbing your teeth cleaner and whiter.

Avoid Eating Dark Pigment Foods

No matter how much you might like blueberries, marinara sauce, soy sauce and other dark foods, they aren’t doing your teeth any favors. Such foods can leave stains on your teeth thanks to their dark pigmentation. While not all dark foods are necessarily bad, it’s a good idea to limit how much of these types of foods you eat and make sure you enjoy them with plenty of water to help reduce the chances of staining.

Use Apple Cider Vinegar

While not as powerful as other whitening methods, rinsing with apple cider vinegar is a natural way to help brighten your smile (though perhaps not a very enjoyable one). To make the most of this tip, you’ll want to rinse your mouth out for a full minute with a mixture of one part apple cider and two parts water.

Avoid Drinking Energy Drinks

Besides dark foods, tea, coffee and red wine, energy drinks have also been known to cause staining on your teeth due to high acid content. Acid is also found in citrus fruits, so you’ll want to be careful of those as well. If you simply can’t go without your energy drink or soda, it’s better that you drink it through a straw to keep the liquid from coming into direct contact with your teeth.

Making a few small changes can do wonders not only for the color of your teeth, but for your overall oral health. Pay attention to the small signs that your teeth and mouth might be giving you about the state of your teeth to get a whiter smile and a healthier mouth.    

What is Prosthodontics?

by | Mar 18, 2015 | Dental Clinic Blog, Oral Health, Roseman Dental - NV, Roseman Dental - UT

There are many different specialties under the umbrella of oral care professionals. Everyone has heard of dentists and orthodontists, but there are others out there. One branch of oral care you may not be familiar with is prosthodontics. In fact, so few people understand what these professionals do that there is a whole prosthodontics awareness week in April. What type of work do they do? How do they help people?

Experts in Replacing Teeth

When teeth are lost due to injury, accident, or removal, your regular dentist may send you to a prosthodontist. Prosthodontists specialize in the replacement of lost or removed adult teeth. Whether you need a crown, bridge or dentures, either full or partial, look no further than a prosthodontist. They have special training that allows them to create and implement these important and common pieces of dental technology in order for their patients to live comfortably with their teeth.

Cosmetic Dentistry

Cosmetic dentistry is oral care that is not medically necessary, but instead is related to enhancing the look of your teeth. Looking to get ceramic crowns or veneers? Want a brighter, whiter smile? Prosthodontists can help with that, as well. They often have advanced training that allows them to handle any type of cosmetic dentistry, including using bonding agents to close gaps and fill cracks or divots in a tooth.

Complex Cases

Sometimes, an injury is so severe that it cannot be fixed by a traditional dentist. That is when they send you to a prosthodontist. These dental professionals are capable of repairing damaged palates, rehabilitating victims of traumatic injuries and reconstruction for people who have survived oral cancers. In order to make sure their patients are fully treated, prosthodontists also help to manage the care for these patients across multiple medical and dental professionals.

Prosthodontics is an incredible dental specialty that is particularly concerned with replacing lost teeth, providing cosmetic changes and dealing with complex or traumatic cases. This branch of dentistry is incredibly beneficial to many people who have had injuries or need some kind of oral reconstruction.

Defeating Monster Mouth: Planning Ideas for National Children’s Dental Health Month

by | Feb 11, 2015 | Dental Clinic Blog, Oral Health, Roseman Dental - NV, Roseman Dental - UT

February is the American Dental Association’s National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM), and this year’s theme is Defeat Monster Mouth. In order for the program to be successful and make a positive impact on kids’ knowledge about dental health, outreach and education are crucial. If you work with children (for example, teachers, dentists, nurses, or other professionals) and are interested in contributing to this project, consider downloading the free NCDHM planning program guide. This document includes a wealth of important knowledge, including tips on how to schedule a proclamation signing, various ideas for kids’ activities and a planning timetable.

Proclamations

Having your town’s mayor sign a proclamation can send a message to the community at large that children’s dental health is an important priority for your town. Publicizing the event can be a great way to increase awareness, both among children and their parents, about the importance of brushing, flossing and eating healthy. A sample proclamation can be found in the planning program guide, along with helpful tips for how to schedule the signing.

Activity Ideas

Many children learn best through games and activities. That is why the planning program includes many great activity ideas, including:

  • Coloring contests: Organizing contests and games that get the word out about NCDHM can be an effective way to educate children.
  • Health fairs: You can get in contact with different health fairs in your area and design a booth that promotes Defeat Monster Mouth and distributes information about healthy dental habits. Also find out about local Give Kids a Smile events that provide free dental care to children.
  • News coverage: The media, both print and television, are another great avenue through which to reach out to the community about the program.

Planning Timetable

Also included in the guide is a planning timetable. This schedule can be quite useful, particularly if this is your first time helping to organize NCDHM events. From October to March, there is work to be done to ensure that National Children’s Dental Health Month goes smoothly. Take a look at the timetable for ideas on how you can get started.

Bringing awareness to the public at large about how children can take care of their teeth can have a large and positive impact. On the whole, the Defeat Monster Mouth planning program guide is an excellent resource for dentists, teachers and parents who wish to get involved in the program. It includes helpful information regarding how to schedule proclamations signings, a planning timetable, and potential activities for kids and adults alike.