Learn How to Properly Brush Your Teeth from a General Dentist

In our general dentist office, we treat patients of all ages and show both kids and adults how to brush their teeth correctly.  If you only brush your teeth occasionally and try to rush through it, you probably aren’t getting the best clean.  While your intentions are good, if you don’t brush correctly you may be wasting your time.  Make the most of your efforts by changing your routine and incorporating these simple tips:

• Timing matters.  The faster you can get sugar off of your teeth, the better.  Carry a soft travel toothbrush with you and use it throughout the day.  As an added bonus, your teeth will be less likely to stain, and your breath will smell fresher without the need for gum. No matter what you should brush your teeth at least every night and every morning. 
• Use the right brush.  As a general dentist, we recommend that our patients use a soft toothbrush instead of a hard one.  This is important because a soft toothbrush will get your teeth clean, but it won’t strip the enamel off of your teeth or irritate your gums.  If you can use an electric brush that is even better.
• Keep it new.  The bristles on your toothbrush need to look new. Once they start to fray, you have kept it for too long.  We recommend buying a new brush every three months and if you have an electric one, switching out the brush heads.  This will help you to consistently get a good clean. 
• Toothpaste.  You should use toothpaste that contains fluoride because this is a mineral that will keep your teeth strong and help to prevent cavities. We recommend that children receive fluoride treatments when they visit our office, and this is one additional way to keep teeth healthy and strong in between teeth cleanings.  If your teeth are sensitive, you may want to use desensitizing toothpaste instead. 
• Brush in circles.  You should brush your teeth in a circular pattern that starts at the gum line and moves towards the center of your mouth.  This way bacteria, plaque and food, are pushed away from your gums. This is a far better way to brush then going from back to front, which can irritate your gums.
• Keep it clean.  Your toothbrush needs to stay clean and dry so that bacteria cannot develop on the brush itself.  Use a toothbrush holder so that it can air out throughout the day.  You can also put it in an empty dishwasher so that your brush can get cleaned and sterilized on a weekly basis.

When you visit our general dentist office, we will remove any plaque and bacteria that have been left behind from your daily brushing and flossing.  Working together we can help to prevent cavities and gum disease so that you can stay in excellent oral health.  Taking the time to do so will prevent you from experiencing discomfort down the road.

Learn How You Can Save Money While Visiting the Family Dentist

Don’t let money prevent you from visiting our family dentist office.  There are ways that you can save and reduce your overall dental care expense.  We also offer financing solutions and can discuss payment plans if you need it. This way you and your family can get the care that you need without worrying about your budget.

When trying to manage your health care cost, you can start by planning for preventative care.  We recommend that you schedule a teeth cleaning for twice a year.  This way we can remove bacteria and plaque from your teeth in order to prevent cavities and gum disease from developing.  When you prevent infections, you also prevent the need for more expensive dental procedures.  Most insurance companies will pay for this type of treatment so you may have little to no out of pocket expense. 

You can also save money by investing in a dental savings plan.  These plans can be bought online and work by giving you discounts on a variety of treatments.  It can be used by itself or in combination with an insurance plan. This is especially beneficial for people that want to get orthodontics treatments or major dental work.  You can get more information when visiting our family dentist office. 

Whenever possible, take steps to avoid a dental emergency so that you can keep your health care cost at a manageable level.  Brushing your teeth two to three times a day, using fluoride toothpaste, flossing, and eating healthy are all ways to do so.  They keep your teeth clean and strong so that they are less prone to infection.  We also recommend that the athletes in the family wear a mouth guard.  The American Dental Association claims that over 200,000 high school and college athletes avoid injury every year by wearing one.  When you can prevent injuries and infections, you can prevent the need to pay for major emergency dental work. 

If you do need a dental procedure, ask about your options.  There is typically more than one way to have dental work done.  For example, if one of your teeth has fallen out you can use dental implants, a dental bridge or dentures to replace it.  Likewise, a chipped tooth may be fixed with a bonding procedure, dental veneers, and a dental crown.  During your consultation let us know if you have specific budgetary constraints so that we can make recommendations as to which procedures can solve the problem while staying within your budget.  

In our family dentist office, we understand that at times families need to have dental work completed but simply can’t afford it.  Whether you chip a tooth during the holidays or while saving to buy a house, medical emergencies can strike at inopportune times.  We offer financing solutions and payment plans that can help. This way you can get the procedure that you need without having to pay anything out of pocket immediately.  

These are some of the ways that you can continue to get the dental care that you need while saving money and living within your budget. 

Get Tips for Staying Away from Sugar From Our Family Dentist Office Halloween

As the holidays approach, we treat patients of our family dentist office and help them to stay cavity and pain-free.  While conducting teeth cleanings and dental exams, we regularly ask our patients about their diet and what foods they are eating to either strengthen or weaken their teeth.  One of the most common issues we see is that people eat way too much sugar.  Sugar is in virtually all processed foods, so it is hard to get away from.  When you combine that with sugar in your coffee or a daily candy bar, it creates a sugar overload and a risk to the health of your teeth and gums.

When sugar settles onto your teeth, it can create an acid that starts to attack the tooth.  This is why people that leave sugar on their teeth are at a greater risk of getting a cavity.  We recommend that patients brush their teeth throughout the day instead of only in the morning and at night in order to remove bacteria and sugar before it has the opportunity to create a problem.  When doing so make sure to use a soft toothbrush so that your gums won’t become irritated.

In our family dentist office we believe in the importance of preventative care which includes brushing at home, having your teeth regularly cleaned, and eating a healthy diet.  With that in mind, here are our favorite tips for staying away from sugar:

• Drink lots of water.  If you stay hydrated and drink water, you will feel fuller throughout the day.  It is hard to have room for dessert when you are full from drinking a bottle of water.  In fact, before you eat make sure to drink a cup of water and do so again when you are done.  Wait a few minutes before ordering dessert, and you will likely find that you are simply too full. 
• Carry healthy snacks.  It is easy to head to the vending machine when you are hungry.  To prevent this, carry healthy snacks with you.  This can include apples, string cheese, baby carrots, granola, and other foods that are easy to transport.  Load up your bag with snacks in the morning so that you can stay healthy throughout the day. 
• Eat a balanced diet.  It is important to eat a diet that contains complex carbs and lean protein.  This way you will have sustained energy throughout the day and avoid crashing.  When you eat a diet full of simple carbs, like cereal or white bread, you will crash quickly and it is natural to reach for something else that contains sugar in order to get your energy levels back up.  This isn’t good for you so to avoid it, eat a healthy and balanced diet that will help you to stay full and have plenty of energy.

As a family dentist, we understand that the healthier you are at home; there is less of a chance that you will develop gum disease or cavities.  Combine these healthy habits with trips to the dentist so that you can stay in good oral health. 

Tips for Treating Sensitive Teeth from Your General Dentist Office

If you have sensitive teeth, schedule an appointment with our general dentist office.  We can clean your teeth and remove any bacteria that may be irritating your gums and teeth.  Afterwards, we will examine them to determine if any cavities or infection are present.  Often, tooth sensitivity comes from having a cavity that makes it painful to bite down or eat your favorite ice cream dessert. Additionally, gum disease can create sensitive teeth because when your gums are infected they will be swollen and sensitive, overall.  If they are left untreated, the disease will cause your gums to recede, and part of your tooth and roots will be exposed.

If we identify any oral health issues during your dental exam, we will treat them right away.  Gum disease, for example, can be treated with a thorough deep cleaning and if that isn’t enough we can perform a gum graft to cover the exposed portion of the tooth and roots.  Likewise, a cavity can be treated, and if necessary we will perform a root canal to remove the infected area of the tooth and the infected root.  Afterwards, a dental crown will be used to protect the tooth.

When no infection is present, tooth sensitivity is typically caused by the loss of enamel.  This is something that can be treated in our general dentist office and at home.  When your teeth lose enamel, it can be painful because the enamel is what protects the actual tooth structure that is made of dentin.  Dentin is a porous material and the holes inside of it lead directly to the roots of your tooth.  That is why when the enamel wears away doing something as simple as drinking iced tea can lead to shooting pain.

Here are tips for reducing your tooth sensitivity:

• Brush with a soft toothbrush.  Switch out your hard toothbrush for a soft one.  If you can buy an electronic toothbrush – do so.  This is the best way to get a good clean without needing to brush your teeth aggressively. 
• Use desensitizing toothpaste.  It typically takes several applications to notice a difference but this type of toothpaste will block the sensation of pain from traveling through your tooth and to your nerves.  
• Fluoride treatments.  You can get a fluoride treatment at our general dentistry office, and this will help to strengthen your teeth.  Fluoride is a mineral and by placing it directly onto your teeth they will be strengthened.  This does not directly replace your enamel but provides good protection. 
• Bonding.  If teeth are especially sensitive, having a bonding procedure completed may be a good option.  This is where a tooth colored material is applied to the surface of your teeth in order to seal and protect the dentin. 
• Crowns.  Dental crowns are a cap that surrounds the tooth so if your sensitivity is not going away, you may want to consider wearing crowns.  This way nothing directly touches your tooth.  Instead, food, water, and air will touch the crown. 

To learn more about how you can protect your teeth and reduce sensitivity, visit our general dentistry office.

How Coffee and Gum Health Work Together: Previously Unknown Tips from the General Dentist

As a local general dentist office, we focus on finding ways to keep our patients in the best possible oral health.  This involves preventative care and ongoing education.  We are constantly reminding patients to brush and floss along with providing tips for which foods are good for teeth and which ones aren’t.   We also pay attention to new scientific research that can shed light on how to keep teeth and gums in better health.

Recently, the University of Boston released a study that found coffee can actually improve your gum health.  The study itself is interesting because researchers followed a group of one thousand men for thirty years in order to get the data.  This long-term study has given us information on how coffee can impact the health of teeth and gums in the near and distant future. Researchers found that men who drank one or more cup of coffee a day had fewer teeth with bone loss than those who did not.  Bone loss is a common symptom of gum disease, the absence of which indicates that coffee is good for overall gum health.  Men with stronger and more bone dense teeth were less likely to suffer from tooth loss as well, making it possible to preserve more of their natural teeth. 

Gum disease can ravage teeth and even cause them to fall out.  This disease can be prevented by brushing and flossing throughout the day along with regular teeth cleanings at our general dentist office.  Some people are more likely to get the disease, no matter what.  For example, diabetics and pregnant women suffer from restricted blood flow which can naturally cause the gums to swell and lead to gum disease.  Additionally, those who smoke or use chewing tobacco are also at a greater risk for the disease along with other oral health issues.  

The caffeine inside of coffee is likely what creates the immediate benefit to gums and teeth.  Caffeine is an anti-inflammatory and can prevent or reduce swelling in the gums.  This is excellent news for those that like to drink coffee along with those that need a natural way to reduce swelling.  Medication can be great, but it typically comes with other side effects and is expensive. Drinking coffee every day is an affordable way to prevent swollen gums and according to the research, has no negative side effects to oral health.

As a general dentist, we recommend drinking coffee as part of an overall oral hygiene routine.  It cannot replace anything but can augment it.  Brushing and flossing throughout the day is still important, and drinking water is more important than ever.  The body needs to stay hydrated in order to function and to produce saliva, a natural defense for the mouth.  Coffee can dehydrate you so if you add it to your routine, add an additional cup of water, as well.  Finally, don’t forget to have your teeth cleaned twice a year in order to prevent and detect early signs of gum disease. 

Your Family Dentist Can Protect Your Teeth From Getting Injured While Playing Sports

As a local family dentist, we can protect your teeth from being damaged while playing sports.  It is extremely common for people to get a tooth injury while practicing or playing the game.  It doesn’t matter what sport you play or how often you play it, people are at risk of injuring their tooth and often do.  In fact, around 40 percent of adult tooth injuries are due to playing sports and the American Dental Association claims that 13 to 39 percent of tooth loss is due to sports injuries.  When you consider the fact that most adults don’t play organized sports, these numbers become even more significant.  

You can take an active role in protecting your teeth from becoming injured.  It starts with a healthy diet that will make your teeth stronger.  Eating nuts, dairy products, lean protein, and veggies will help to strengthen your teeth.  You can also brush with fluoride toothpaste so that minerals are deposited directly onto your teeth.  This is important because as people age they tend to lose the minerals that make their teeth strong.  These are ways to re-mineralize your teeth and keep them healthy. By doing so, you decrease the risk that they will become injured during the game. 

As a family dentist, we understand that it doesn’t matter if you are in a soccer league or playing a pickup game of basketball.  In any sport where you can come in contact with another person or ball, your teeth are at risk.  The goal is to minimize this risk as much as possible.  In addition to keeping your teeth in good oral health at home, you should also visit our dental office for a teeth cleaning twice a year.  This way we can remove any lingering bacteria and plaque in order to keep cavities and gum disease away.  When teeth are free from infection, they can withstand the potential damage caused by accidents. 

We also recommend that you, and all the athletes in your family, wear a mouth guard.  The American Dental Association estimates that every year more than 200,000 injuries are prevented by college and high school football players wearing a mouth guard.  This is only one sport and one demographic.  It doesn’t take into account the people playing sports like hockey, rugby, basketball, soccer, and baseball.  All of these sports are high energy, and your mouth can come in contact with a flying ball or flying elbow.  Sports like basketball do not require the player to wear a mouth guard, but it is still very dangerous.  The University of California found that 11 percent of their basketball players experienced a tooth injury.  When you combine this with the knowledge that 40 percent of adult tooth injuries is due to playing sports, it makes a compelling case for wearing a mouth guard. 

If you are playing sports and your tooth does become injured, we can help. As a family dentist office, we can repair and restore your tooth to its natural state in no time. 

Seniors Trust Local Dentist to Care for Their Teeth

Dr. Krupa treats patients of all ages in his dentist office.  Seniors have come to trust that he will provide dependable advice and solutions to all of their oral health care needs.  Dentistry has improved significantly over the past several decades which have enabled more people to keep their natural teeth as they age.  Even with these advancements, around 70 percent of the U.S. adult population will experience some form of tooth loss.  This makes regular teeth cleanings and working with an expert important.

Seniors can suffer from a variety of oral health issues.  When adult teeth first come in they are strong and full of enamel and other minerals.  As people age their teeth go through the process of demineralization where teeth start to lose their strength.  Regular teeth cleanings, fluoride toothpaste, and a specific diet can help put minerals back on teeth and make them stronger again.  Still, they are typically not as strong as when a person was younger simply due to the constant stress and strain that teeth experience. This makes them more susceptible to becoming damaged, cracked, or broken.

Another condition seniors often suffer from is dry mouth. This is where the body stops producing the saliva it needs to wash away bacteria naturally.  This can lead to bad breath that smells stale and an increased risk of cavities.  Patients with this condition can benefit from drinking more water and having their teeth cleaned at our dentist office on a quarterly basis in order to keep their breath smelling fresh.

Restorative Solutions

There are many restorative dentistry solutions that are available to people today.  Dr. Krupa is an expert at providing real solutions so that patients can continue to enjoy their life and the taste of their favorite foods.  He provides a variety of services including:

• Dentures.  This can be a temporary or permanent solution that can be completed fairly quickly.  Many patients prefer dentures because they don’t want to have oral surgery but need their appearance improved ASAP.  A full or partial set can be created and patients are on the road to recovery much faster.
• Dental Bridges.  A bridge is created when a crown is placed on the two teeth surrounding the missing one.  A bridge forms in between them and holds the new tooth in place.
• Dental Implants.  In this procedure, a metal piece is inserted underneath the gums and secured to the jawbone.  The implant needs time to heal and once it does a new tooth is attached that will look and feel completely natural.

There are many ways that Dr. Krupa helps patients restore teeth that have become damaged or fallen out but it starts with preventative care. As a local dentist, Dr. Krupa recommends that seniors have their teeth cleaned at least twice a year so that oral infections and gum disease can be prevented.  By keeping the teeth and gums healthy seniors have a greater chance of being able to keep all or most of their teeth throughout their lifetime.  This should be combined with a good oral hygiene routine at home.