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.

Alcohol Use and Oral Health

Nearly a quarter of all U.S. adults 18 and older have engaged in one or more nights of excessive drinking this past year. Excessive drinking is defined as five or more drinks for men, and four or more drinks for women. While some may only see this as a concern for your overall health, at my Columbia dental office, we’d like to explain how it can also be detrimental to your oral health.

Why Is Alcohol Dangerous?

Alcohol is naturally drying, and that’s bad news for your mouth. The mouth needs saliva to stay healthy. Without it, dangerous bacteria can linger around and cause problems. Alcohol is also acidic, and acid causes enamel to soften and makes them more susceptible to attacks.

What Could Happen

If someone abuses alcohol, it could result in several dental problems. While some are much more serious than others, they can all lead to extensive dental damage and even whole-body concerns. Some of these problems include:

• Tooth Decay

• Gum Disease

• Chronic Bad Breath

• Oral, Throat, and Esophagus Cancer

Reduce Your Risk

There are steps you can take to reduce your risk of alcohol-induced oral health problems. Follow these tips to help protect your smile.

• It’s All About Moderation. The best way to avoid oral health complications from excessive alcohol consumption is to limit the amount of alcohol you drink. Not only can drinking in moderation protect your mouth, it can protect your whole body.

• Brush & Floss. Brushing at least twice a day and flossing at least once will help fight off the damaging effects of alcohol. Additionally, brushing 20 minutes post-alcohol consumption may decrease the chance of alcohol-induced complications.

• Keep Your Dental Appointments. Regular visits to your dentist in Columbia aren’t just about getting a deep cleaning and checking for cavities. Appointments at least every six months can catch any problems early, and early detection is key. In fact, sometimes your dentist may be the first to suspect an alcohol addiction by what’s seen in your mouth.

At my dental office in Columbia, we care about our patients’ overall health, not just their oral health. If you suspect you may have an addiction to alcohol, we encourage you to seek counseling. And if it’s been awhile since you’ve seen a dentist, we’d love to see you.

Accepting 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.

Does Your Teen Want To Stop Eating Meat?

As parents, sometimes when our offspring announce their intentions we can barely contain our horror, fear, or, perhaps less flatteringly, our unwillingness to accommodate phases that make extra work for us.

But if your teenager has decided to stop eating meat, don’t worry. According to the American Dietetic Association, a vegetarian diet can be safe for everyone. And there are documented health benefits like a reduced chance for high blood pressure and cancer. A vegetarian diet may even help your teen control his weight!

Wait up! It’s safe?

The unfortunate part of a vegetarian diet is how difficult it is to get foods rich enough in calcium and vitamin D to keep your teeth and gums strong and healthy. So if your teen is thinking about it, check in with your Columbia dentist next time you come by for a visit.

It might be a good idea to make sure your teen understands the various types of vegetarian eating. Here are a few definitions:

• Vegetarians who only eat fish. These are called pescetarians--people who avoid all meat-based proteins except for fish. Most pescetarians also eat cheese and eggs.

• The most common vegetarian diet is called the lacto-ovo diet. These vegetarians consume animal products like cheese, eggs, and yogurt.

• Some vegetarians also avoid all animal-derived food sources including eggs, cheese, and milk. This diet is called a vegan diet. Some vegans even avoid honey!

For all types of vegetarians getting enough calcium and vitamin D might be tricky!

Here are a few things to help your teen with (if he’ll let you):

1. Take him to a dietician. Many dieticians offer inexpensive exploratory consultations.

2. Provide or encourage a diet rich in broccoli and dark leafy greens like kale, spinach, turnip greens, and collards to get enough calcium. A variety of vitamin calcium-fortified products are available at the supermarket: some brands of orange juice, tofu, soy milk, and cereal are calcium-enriched.

3. Vitamin D is especially tricky for vegetarians because it naturally occurs primarily in fish. Make sure your teen understands that calcium is useless without vitamin D to help the body absorb it! Many of the products listed above that are fortified with calcium are also fortified with vitamin D.

4. Offer a vitamin D supplement, especially if your teen isn’t big on soy milk, orange juice, or cereal.

Need more tips?

Come see us next time you’re near by and talk to us about how to help your teen protect his oral health while maintaining a vegetarian diet. Remind him that, while web research is an important starting place, it’s best to work in concert with his health professionals including us: his Columbia dentist, his general practitioner, and any specialists he sees to ensure a balanced vegetarian diet.

Accepting patients from Columbia, Elgin, and Lugoff.