Get Your Teeth as White as Winter’s Snow

There’s nothing more pristine and white than fresh winter snow. But it doesn’t take much, and before you know it, the snow looks dingy and dirty. The same can be said for your teeth! But don’t worry, the friendly team at my Columbia dental office is ready to help take your smile from drab to dazzling quicker than you can say blizzard. In the meantime, try these tips to help keep your smile bright!

Rethink Your Food and Drink

Now’s the time of year when we tend to enjoy delicious drinks and foods that can lead to not-so-pearly whites. Red wine, soda, berry juices, coffee, and black tea are all common beverage offenders. Sauces, gravies, and sweet treats will also leave a little something behind. To help your smile stay snowy white, try drinking through a straw. Swallow quick without allowing your beverages and foods to linger too long.

Brushing Up on the Basics

We can’t stress enough how important it is to remain vigilant about your daily brushing routine. Even if you still eat and drink stain-causing stuff, regular brushing and flossing will help keep your teeth white too. Do it twice a day, once in the morning and again at night, to keep stains to a minimum. If brushing isn’t enough and you’re still struggling with stains, stop by for a consultation.

Brighter is Always Better

When teeth whitening is what you’re after, there are a few alternatives to achieve perfection such as brushing with a whitening toothpaste or investing in porcelain veneers. Remember to check with your Columbia dentist before beginning any whitening procedures. In terms of your toothpaste, look for the American Dental Association seal of approval on the label to ensure they’re safe and effective. If teeth are truly stained, consider talking with us about the possibility of porcelain veneers. These thin sheets of ceramic bond directly to the front surfaces of teeth for a healthy, white smile. They’re also highly resistant to pesky stains!

We’re always happy to see your smiling face in the office, so don’t forget to ask about whitening options the next time you visit my dental office in Columbia. Brighter is better when it comes to smiles!

Welcoming new patients from Columbia, Elgin, and Lugoff.

Kissing Under the Mistletoe – Prepare to Pucker Up

‘Tis the season for festive festivities and reminiscing with family and friends. Whether you’re standing under the mistletoe or possibly planting a smooch on a loved one’s lips, my dental office in Columbia wants to help ensure your kiss is fresh and clean this holiday season.

Brushing and Flossing

Be sure to spread holiday cheer not jeers this season by making sure to not skip your regular, daily brushing and flossing routine. Food and treats are usually pretty plentiful this time of year, so it’s important to make sure your teeth are consistently clean. Proper care helps wash away food debris while attacking plaque build-up head on to maintain fresh breath. Don’t forget to brush twice and floss once daily to keep bad breath at bay. If you do this correctly, your breath will be fresh and ready to share a kiss or a conversation.

Tongue Tied

While brushing and flossing help keep breath smelling great, don’t forget about your tongue.  This magnificent muscle helps us eat the foods we love and communicate with those we care about, so don’t forget to show it some TLC during your daily brushing routine. We always remind patients to do a thorough tongue brushing or scraping. This helps to remove dead cells and unwanted food particles causing bad breath. It’s a quick step to improve your breath and overall oral health. Questions or concerns? Contact my Columbia dental team. We’re always happy to help and our tongues are never tied.

Stress Less

This time of year can wreak havoc on our calendars, our body and our oral health. Holiday parties, tons of travel, and an overall end-of-the-year burnout can lead to unwanted stress and bad breath. Remember to eat right, drink plenty of water, get adequate rest, and continue to exercise. A healthy body ensures your breath will be ready for every conversation and kiss that comes your way.

No matter what time of year – a healthy smile and fresh breath are always best. Give my Columbia dental office a call anytime to discuss your oral health. Together we can resolve any issues and discuss possible treatment options. Happy holidays from our family to yours! We look forward to seeing you and your healthy smile in 2016.

Welcoming patients from Columbia, Elgin, and Lugoff.

Stop Stressing, Protect your Mouth

As the hustle and bustle of the holiday season approaches, we’re faced with the stress of going here and there, buying presents, cooking food, visiting family, and the seemingly never-ending whirlwind that happens every year around this time. While we all know stress isn’t good for overall health, my dental practice in Columbia, wants to let you know how it can also affect your mouth.

Clenching & Grinding

Whenever stress is a factor in someone’s life, they’re at increased risk for clenching and grinding. Both habits can cause some serious tooth problems including chipped, cracked, or fractured teeth. They have also been linked to TMJ disorder, which brings its own host of problems. If you notice any signs of clenching or grinding like worn-down teeth or jaw pain, give your Columbia dentist a call.

Gum Disease

Research shows a link between stress and the development of gum disease. Gum disease is a serious condition that not only affects your mouth, but your whole body as well. If left untreated, gum disease can cause tooth loss, heart disease, and pregnancy complications, along with a host of other health problems.

Keep Calm for a Healthy Life

If you find your blood pressure rising during talks of Aunt Millie coming in for the holidays, or stressing about how in the world you’re going to make it to all those parties, you owe it to yourself, and your smile, to try to relax. These tricks can help:

• Take a deep breath… or several. Practicing deep breathing techniques has been proven to lower blood pressure and reduce overall anxiety levels. When you find yourself spinning in stress, find a quiet place, close your eyes, and just breathe.

• Sweat it out. Physical exercise releases endorphins -- those magical chemicals in your brain that give you the feeling of happiness. Set aside some time for a walk, join a gym, or break out that yoga mat and strike a warrior pose. Namaste.

• Catch some Zzzz’s. With a crazy schedule it can be hard to get enough sleep. You deserve some you time -- with nothing but your pillow and a comfy blanket. When your mind is in a constant state of stress, getting enough sleep is crucial to keeping you healthy so you can actually enjoy the holidays.

Don’t forget, it’s also important to never neglect your oral health routine. When you’re rushing around to parties and stores, it’s easy to forget to brush and floss everyday. Take the advice from the team at my dental office in Columbia and keep up with your oral health. Your smile will thank you.

Welcoming patients from Columbia, Elgin, and Lugoff.

Alternative Uses for Dental Floss

Dental floss. If you’re a patient at my Columbia dental practice, we know for sure that you have it in your medicine cabinet for use during routine, at-home dental hygiene. But did you know that it might be a good idea to keep some rolls in other rooms of the house as well? You might even want to keep it in your glove compartment!

Why? Because floss has to be strong and flexible enough to fit in between your teeth without breaking, and it’s strong and flexible enough to perform all kinds of other tasks that string or thread might not be capable of handling.

Of course we have our own favorite uses for dental floss, but we have also scoured the internet for creative and handy tips for even more uses. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Protect your walls: Use it instead of wire to hang pictures. Dental floss will not scratch or scrape paint the way wire does.

• Support delicate plants: Floss is strong and slightly stretchy, making it the ideal way to tie your plants and vines to a supportive wooden dowel.

• Use it as an emergency shoelace: Again because of its flexibility and strength, dental floss can handily replace a broken shoelace

• Reattach a button: Another great emergency use of floss when no thread is available.

• Make a camping clothesline: It’s actually strong enough to hold several bathing suits and t-shirts!

• Lift cookies from a tray: Many spatulas are too thick to get under a stuck cookie without crumbing it. Dental floss is thin and flexible and easily slides under cookie to loosen them. Try lifting a whole row!

We'd love to hear other uses you might have for this amazing string. Tell us at your next appointment! Speaking of which: Is it time to schedule a hygiene appointment at my dental practice in Columbia? You know we'll supply you with a new roll of handy floss!

Welcoming patients from Columbia, Elgin, and Lugoff.

Fact or Fiction: Skip Brushing, Use Mouthwash Instead.

At my dental office in Columbia, we recommend brushing for at least two minutes, twice a day, every day. But we know there are times when brushing may not be an option. Perhaps you forgot your toothbrush or ran out of toothpaste. When these things happen, it’s common to turn to the mouthwash instead. But is mouthwash an acceptable replacement to proper brushing?

Masking the Problem

Let’s face it, the purpose of mouthwash is to freshen breath. But is it really doing its job? No. Mouthwash is only a quick fix for a fast burst of freshness, and using it repeatedly doesn’t fix source of the bad breath. Often the bad breath is a symptom, rather than the problem.

When breath is chronically a little sour, it could be a sign of something more serious like gum disease. Gum disease is a scary problem that could lead to whole-body problems including increased risk for stroke, heart attack, or diabetic complications. That is why it’s important not to mask all signs of bad breath, but to recognize it as a warning to make an appointment with us as soon as possible!.

Making it Worse

Using mouthwash as a substitute to brushing, or even more often than recommended, may actually cause additional damage. Many mouthwashes contain some level of alcohol. And too much alcohol is bad news for your mouth: It causes decreased saliva production which leads to a super-dry mouth, which means more bacteria. The more bacteria in the mouth, the worse the breath tends to smell. The only way to combat bad breath bacteria is by properly brushing and flossing at least twice a day and maintaining regular visits with your Columbia dentist.  

What to Do

It’s normal to experience periodic bad breath, especially after eating or drinking certain things like garlic, onion, alcohol, and coffee. If you find yourself in a lunch-induced bad breath situation, choose a sugarless gum instead of mouthwash. It’s better for your teeth and works just as well, if not better than, mouthwash. But if you or a loved one is suffering from chronic bad breath, call my Columbia dental office. We’re here to help work with you to identify the problem and get you on a path to resolve it.

Welcoming patients from Columbia, Elgin, and Lugoff.