Stop Gum Disease Before it Becomes a Major Health Issue
If you think gum disease only happens to the other guy (or gal), think again. If you’re over 30 you have a 50-50 chance for an infection. After 65 the risk climbs to 70 percent. Fortunately, we can effectively treat most cases of gum disease. But depending on its severity, treatment can involve numerous intensive […]
Take These Steps to Prevent Early Decay in Your Baby’s First Teeth
When your baby’s first teeth come in, you might not think it necessary yet to worry about tooth decay. But even infants can develop this common dental disease. In fact, it has a specific name in children 6 and under: early childhood caries (ECC). About one-fourth of U.S. children have ECC, and poor or minority […]
What to Do For Mouth Injuries Your Child Might Encounter
Famed educator Maria Montessori once said, “Play is the work of the child”—and most kids take their “work” very seriously. But their avid enthusiasm might also raise the risk of blunt force injuries, particularly to the mouth. While you should certainly take steps to protect their mouth (like a custom-made guard for contact sports), you […]
Jamie Foxx Chips a Tooth – This Time by Accident!
Some people are lucky — they never seem to have a mishap, dental or otherwise. But for the rest of us, accidents just happen sometimes. Take actor Jamie Foxx, for example. A few years ago, he actually had a dentist intentionally chip one of his teeth so he could portray a homeless man more realistically. […]
Tips for Picture-Perfect Summer Smiles
June is the month when lots of important events happen—like weddings, graduations, and family get-togethers. When the weather turns balmy and the days get longer, it’s the perfect time for a celebration…and today it’s easier than ever to capture those special moments in pictures that will be treasured for years to come. Are you ready […]
What You Can Do to Support Your Child’s Dental Development
Your child’s teeth and gum development is truly a wonder. In just a little more than two decades they’ll gain and lose one set of teeth, while the subsequent permanent set will grow in coordination with other facial and oral structures. All of these structures will finally reach maturity sometime in early adulthood. Sometimes, though, […]
Finding the Right Solution for Your Gummy Smile
Even with picture perfect teeth, you may still be unhappy with your appearance. The problem: too much of your upper gums show when you smile. There’s no precise standard for a “gummy smile”—it’s often a matter of perception. As a rule of thumb, though, we consider a smile “gummy” if four or more millimeters of […]
How Kathy Bates Retains Her Movie-Star Smile
In her decades-long career, renowned actress Kathy Bates has won Golden Globes, Emmys, and many other honors. Bates began acting in her twenties, but didn’t achieve national recognition until she won the best actress Oscar for Misery — when she was 42 years old! “I was told early on that because of my physique and […]
Sealants Could Protect Your Child’s Teeth From Future Problems
Teeth lost to tooth decay can have devastating consequences for a child’s dental health. Not only can it disrupt their current nutrition, speech and social interaction, it can also skew their oral development for years to come. Fortunately, we have a number of preventive tools to curb decay in young children. One of the most […]
Pros and Cons for Flossing Before Brushing and Vice-Versa
For best results in cleaning your teeth of disease-causing plaque you need both the power of brushing open teeth surfaces and flossing in between them. But you may be wondering: should you perform one task before the other? In general terms, no—there’s no solid evidence that flossing is better before brushing, or vice-versa. But that […]