How Much Do You Really Floss?

Finding which dentist Newport Beach has to offer is right for you and going to your checkup is only half the battle.  If you’re like most Americans, odds are that you’re not flossing enough with the right technique.  

Why Floss?

Brushing your teeth is very important, but it can’t reach between your teeth or below the gumline.  That’s where flossing comes in.  Regular flossing with good technique can remove “biofilm”, a thick collection of the bacteria between your teeth that can cause gum disease and tooth infections.  Over time, buildup of bacteria can cause tender, bleeding gums, gingivitis, and even put you at risk of tooth loss.

Use Proper Technique

You can always ask your dental hygienist for a flossing demonstration, but correct flossing technique isn’t difficult to learn.  Here are some tips:

• use about 18 inches of floss
• wrap one end around the middle finger of one hand, and the other around your other middle finger
• using your thumbs and forefingers, grasp the floss and gently move it between each pair of teeth with a back-and-forth motion, then between the same teeth with an up-and-down motion
• move to a fresh section of floss and do the next pair of teeth
• don’t forget the back teeth

Remember, the idea is to disrupt the bacterial colonies, so floss even if you don’t see obvious debris on the floss.  Bacteria, after all, are microscopic, but their effects sure aren’t!

Read more here: http://www.dentist-newport-beach.com/much-really-floss/

Happy Blood Sugar, Happy Teeth

As one of the most prevalent diseases in America, it’s likely that you know someone affected by diabetes, or perhaps you are a person with diabetes yourself.  Did you know that for someone with diabetes, visiting a Newport Beach dentist is even more important?  While managing your blood sugar is important for keeping your teeth and gums healthy, the opposite can also be true.  Maintaining a healthy mouth is important for keeping your blood sugar in range.

1. Avoid Infections

Uncontrolled blood sugar means that your risk of infections of every kind is increased, but oral infections can be insidious and move quickly.  Regular checkups and cleanings can help catch infections while they’re managable, or prevent them altogether, avoiding the pain, risk of tooth loss, and even surgery that can sometime be required to treat severe infection.

2. Reduce Inflammation

Even mouth irritation like gingivitis, which many people assume is “mild”, can cause your body to activate your immune system.  This systemic inflammation is hard on more than just your teeth.  It can increase your risk of heart disease, and actually cause your blood sugar to be elevated (in the same way that you might notice your blood sugar is harder to manage when you have a fever).

3. Improve Quality Of Living

Avoiding infections and inflammation can help you keep your blood sugar in range, which in turn can help avoid other complications of diabetes.  But feeling guilty about complications that might occur someday doesn’t work as a motivator for everyone, and luckily great dental care can start improving your life today.  Keeping your mouth health can help you both avoid tooth pain and difficulty eating and feel confident about smiling.  Your quality of life is too important to suffer from poor oral health.

Read more here: http://www.dentist-newport-beach.com/happy-blood-sugar-happy-teeth/

What’s Your Brushing IQ?

You’ve made it your business to find the best dentist Newport Beach has available, you’ve had a cleaning, and now you’re enjoying your sparkling teeth and clean mouth.  If you’d like to keep your mouth as healthy as possible until your next appointment, you might want to brush up on your tooth care routine.  Let’s take a look at the recommended methods for taking care of your mouth:

1. Use The Right Toothbrush

While there’s all sorts of designs of toothbrush on the market, you can get your teeth clean with a simple, manual brush with the following features:

• smaller head design to allow the brush to reach the back molars
• soft bristles
• densely-packed, rounded-end synthetic fibers

What if you have arthritis or wrist pain issues?  Electric toothbrushes can do a good job cleaning your teeth, too, provided that they use a rotation oscillation action.

2. Use The Right Brush Stroke

While vigorous back-and-forth scrubbing might seem like it would be more effective at removing plaque, too much mechanical action can actually damage your gum tissue and tooth enamel.  Dentists recommend using very short, up-and-down or circular brushing motions to remove plaque on the tooth and near the gumline.  Hold the brush at a 45-degree angle to the tooth.  Avoid pressing too firmly.  

Wondering how firm is too firm?  Take a look at your old toothbrushes: do the bristles tend to become squashed and deformed?  If you’re worried that you’re pushing too hard as you brush, try holding the handle of the toothbrush with just the thumb and forefinger, almost as you would a pen, rather than gripping it with four fingers.

 Read more here: http://www.dentist-newport-beach.com/whats-your-brushing-iq/

How To Make Your Child’s First Visit To The Dentist Fun

You’re careful to make sure your kid gets their yearly checkups with the pediatrician, and you ensure that they’re getting enough to eat and adequate sleep, but remembering to schedule dental appointments can be tricky even if you’ve found a local Newport Beach dentist you love.  Or, even if you’ve got an appointment, you may worry that your child will be frightened or resistant to going to the dentist.  Here’s some hints, for everything from scheduling to attitudes.

1. Report Cards Mean Cleaning

With the business involved in modern life, it can be difficult to remember to schedule dental appointments.  Regular cleanings, however, are very important for your child’s oral health.  Choose an event that you know will happen during the school year, such as receiving spring or winter report cards, and use that as a reminder to schedule a cleaning.  If report cards don’t work for your lifestyle, choose a different event, or use an electronic calendar that can be programmed to send you a reminder.

2. Start Young

Did you know that it’s recommended to take your child to the dentist for the first time about the time that they celebrate their first birthday?  This allows your dentist to catch any cavities early, and also accustoms the child to the dentist’s office, so it’s not so scary later on.  But what if it’s too late–your child is older, and still not used to the dentist?  Check our our next tip.

3. Talk About It Beforehand–But Not Too Much

If your child is starting regular dental visits late, take the time to explain to them how the visit is going to work.  Avoid telling stories about any extractions or fillings you may have had.  Instead, choose a neutral (and true) statement like, “the dentist is going to check your teeth and count them, and clean the sugar bugs off to keep them strong”.  Try not to promise anything more than that, in case your child ends up needing a procedure.  Additionally, try to stay as calm and relaxed as you can, yourself.  If you seem to think the dentist is no big deal, your child is liable to pick up on your attitude.

Read more here: http://www.dentist-newport-beach.com/how-to-make-your-childs-first-visit-to-the-dentist-fun/

Upgrade Your Health At The Best Dentist

Everybody knows that without proper dental care, problems like pain, cavities, and unsightly tooth damage can occur.  But there’s even more reasons to seek out the best Newport Beach dentist.  Did you know regular dental care and cleanings can actually improve the health of your entire body?

How Lack Of Dental Care Can Make You Sicker

Why do dentists work with such care to remove plaque from your teeth?  Over time, a buildup of plaque and tartar will cause inflammation in your oral tissues.  This can be painful in your mouth, producing sensitive gums and eventually cavities.  But even without dental pain, inflammation can still harm you, because inflammation anywhere in the body affects the entire body.  Did you know that oral inflammation can worsen:

• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Diabetes
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Sleep apnea
• Dementia
• Risk of premature birth

Read more here: http://www.dentist-newport-beach.com/upgrade-health-best-dentist/

Looking For Your Ideal Newport Beach Dentist? Here’s Some Tips For Finding A Practice You Love

Dental health is one thing that many people neglect until they have a problem.  By then, however, it’s often too late–if you’re experiencing pain, a lot of damage has likely already occurred to your tooth.  Why suffer more than you have to?  With our tips, you’ll have no trouble finding a local  Newport Beach dentist you love.  (We are partial to Anthony Rich Dentistry.)

1. Check Your Dentist’s Reputation

In the internet age, there’s no reason to pick a name blindly out of the phone book.  If you’re considering a dentist, a simple first step is to run an online search for their name and practice, and see what kind of patient reviews they have.  This also enables you to see any newspaper or blog articles about your prospective dentist.

2. Check The State Dental Board

Did you know that your state requires dentists to be regulated by a state dental board?  You can access their website or give them a call to check whether there are any claims against a particular dentist.  Many people omit this step, but if your dentist is in trouble from the state regulatory board, wouldn’t you rather know before you go to your appointment?

Read more here: http://www.dentist-newport-beach.com/looking-ideal-newport-beach-dentist-heres-tips-finding-practice-love/

Why Should We Replace A Missing Tooth?

Got a gap? Even adults may lose a tooth sometimes, whether it’s caused by a physical accident, decay, tobacco use, or age.

Losing a tooth may be a common problem even to adults. This may be caused by a lot of things like tooth decay, smoking, age, and accident.

You may think a missing tooth is just a minor cosmetic problem but in reality, there is more to it than just a gap in your smile. You have to talk to your dentist to replace it immediately. Here’s why:

HEALTH – Food becomes difficult to chew when you have missing tooth/teeth. Nuts, meats, fruits, and vegetables are essential to get enough nutrition, but it is going to be really hard to chew if you have missing teeth.

READ MORE:http://www.dentist-newport-beach.com/replace-missing-tooth/