WHY IS SUGAR so bad for our teeth? Because harmful oral bacteria love to eat it, then excrete acid onto our teeth. Even though tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the body, it is very vulnerable to erosion by acid. That’s why dentists aren’t huge fans of sour, sticky, and hard Halloween candies.
The Worst Candy for Our Teeth
Hard candy is basically a slow sugar delivery system, bathing our teeth in sugar over time. Sticky candy brings the sugar directly to the bacteria on our teeth and gums. Sour candy eliminates the middleman by being acidic on its own!
Is There Any Mouth-Healthy Candy?
So what’s the good news? Chocolate! It contains flavonoids and polyphenols — compounds that slow tooth decay, limit oral bacteria, and combat bad breath. However, the more sugar in the chocolate, the more it cancels out the benefits. That’s why dentists like dark chocolate best.
If it’s a candy sweetened by xylitol instead of sugar, it’s definitely better for our teeth. This sugar-free sweetener actually hurts harmful oral bacteria! Candies containing xylitol are far from the norm now, but maybe that will change in future Halloweens!
The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
TWO OUT OF every five kids develop one or more cavity by the time they turn eleven. That makes dental caries the most common disease of childhood. The good news is that it’s very preventable when parents prioritize their kids’ dental health. We’re here to help you do that for your children by identifying the main culprits of childhood tooth decay.
Oral Bacteria Love Sugar
As much as kids love sugary treats, harmful bacteria living on the surfaces of their teeth love them even more. Oral bacteria eat any sugar that remains stuck to the teeth and excrete acid as a waste product. It takes about thirty minutes for saliva to neutralize these acids, so if a child is constantly snacking on something sweet, they’re giving their teeth a never-ending acid bath!
Parents can fight back by swapping some of those sugary snacks for options like sliced fruits and veggies or cheese. This isn’t just healthier for their teeth, but for their whole bodies!
Bottles and Sippy Cups Versus Oral Health
Sugary snacks aren’t the only problem; juice and soda are full of sugar and very acidic. Even milk isn’t sugar-free. Sugary drinks are particularly dangerous to a child’s oral health when they are able to sip on them over a long period of time, as that prevents their saliva from neutralizing the acid and washing away the sugar.
The risk of tooth decay from bottles and sippy cups is so high that it’s earned a few scary nicknames like “baby bottle tooth decay” and “bottle rot.” As with sugary snacks, we encourage parents to limit sugary drinks. We particularly recommend keeping them to mealtimes instead of letting your child carry them around in a bottle or sippy cup for hours. Water is a much better option for that.
Other Great Strategies for Parents
There are plenty of other ways to help your child keep their smile cavity-free aside from cutting back on sugar and limiting it to mealtimes. One is modeling good dental hygiene habits for them with your own brushing and flossing. Positive reinforcement and encouragement are also great, as is giving them an explanation about why brushing and flossing matter so much. You can also help make it fun for them by letting them choose a toothbrush they like.
One last tip is to avoid spreading oral bacteria by kissing on the mouth, sharing the same spoon, or cleaning off a dropped pacifier with your mouth. Any of these will introduce more types of bacteria into your child’s mouth.
The Dentist Is the Number 1 Fan of Your Child’s Smile!
Even when we do all the right things, kids are sometimes prone to dental health troubles for less controllable reasons like genetics or injuries. That’s why it’s so important to include the dentist when fighting for their cavity-free smile. Dentists have the training and experience to identify oral health problems early on and start fighting back.
We’re here to help you keep that sweet little smile healthy and bright!
The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
Lately, your teeth have been very sensitive to hot and cold liquids. Or perhaps you chipped or completely knocked out a tooth. The pain can be excruciating, but you can’t help but be concerned about what an emergency dentist appointment will cost. Any dental issues that cause extreme tooth pain affect your quality of life and must be treated immediately.
Not only are dental emergencies inconvenient, but they also cost a little more than a routine checkup. You pay for knowledge, extensive experience, high-quality modern equipment, and availability. In short, you are paying for the best possible care right when you need it most.
Standard emergency dental procedures are root canals, filling cavities, tooth extractions, and finishing crowns.
The starting price of an urgent dental visit depends on the emergency and whether you are visiting during regular practice hours or not. A base fee is set for the initial consultation and then increases depending on the type of treatment.
Many things may increase the price of your dental visit, including:
– the severity of the dental problem
– location of the affected teeth in the mouth
– how many teeth are involved
So, suppose your emergency is with the front tooth. In that case, the cost is less than an intermediate tooth with more than one root, like a bicuspid. Molars, on the other hand, are more pricey because they have more roots.
Tooth extraction is a typical dental emergency. Suppose the tooth is infected or fractured, and your emergency dentist has decided a root canal will not be affective. In that case, an emergency tooth extraction is necessary.
The cost of the extraction varies on where the fracture is in the affected tooth and whether you require sedation dentistry. If the tooth has erupted through the gum, it is considered non-surgical. But, if the tooth is impacted in the gum and requires anesthesia, the price will increase.
Fillings for cavities are also common, especially with slight fractures, decay, or surface damage. Your emergency dentist in Midlothian, commonly uses silver amalgam or a resin-based composite. Composite resins match your natural teeth and are a bit more costly to produce than silver amalgam fillings. Depending on which you choose, the cost slightly changes.
Knowing all these details well in advance will help you understand what to expect and hopefully encourage you to seek treatment.
Overall, good oral health is the best way to avoid higher costs. Preventive oral hygiene with good at-home oral hygiene is the most cost-friendly. And when it comes to contact or high adrenalin sports, always wear protective mouth gear.
Visit Your Emergency Dentist in Midlothian, Virginia
Don’t suffer through extreme dental pain alone. Please do not call the emergency room if you require an emergency dentistry visit. Please call our office, Virginia Center for Advanced Dentistry. We’re available 24 hours a day and will work with you to provide affordable and effective emergency dental care services to restore your smile and relieve your pain.
If you are experiencing a dental emergency in Midlothian, Virginia, please schedule an appointment as soon as possible. Your dental trauma is a high priority, and we do our best to offer same day appointments.
MANY PEOPLE HAVE the idea that gum recession is only a concern for older people (that’s where the saying “long in the tooth” came from), but it can start at any age. While we can’t do anything about a risk factor like genetics, there are many we can control.
1. Avoid Overbrushing
Overbrushing is a major risk factor for both enamel erosion and gum recession. Brushing too hard can damage the teeth and the gums. It’s time to ease up if it only takes a few months of using a toothbrush before all the bristles are bent outward. Overbrushing is why we recommend soft-bristled brushes. It’s also important to floss gently instead of snapping the floss directly onto the gums.
2. Fight Back Against Gum Disease
Gum disease can destroy supporting gum tissue and bone around teeth as it progresses, which is what makes it the main cause of gum recession. Dental hygiene habits and limited sugar intake are the best ways to maintain good gum health. That means (gentle) daily brushing and flossing, along with prioritizing regular dental appointments.
3. Break the Bruxism Habit (or Protect Against It)
People with a bruxism habit are more likely to have gum recession, as the constant harsh friction from their teeth puts too much pressure on the gum tissue and can damage it over time. Kids are also vulnerable to many of these gum recession causes, as well as oral injuries.
The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
TIKTOK ISN’T THE best place to go for dental health advice — unless your dentist is active on the app. We’ve seen a lot of worrying DIY dental procedures popping up recently, so now is a great time to nip those in the bud.
“Healthy Soda” Trend
There is no such thing as teeth-healthy soda. Even sugar-free soda is still full of acid (that’s where the bubbles come from), and our tooth enamel is highly vulnerable to erosion by acid. A recent trend on TikTok is the “healthy soda” trend, where people are mixing flavored sparkling water with balsamic vinegar to make a “healthier” soda alternative. In reality, they’re just mixing two acids together and bathing their teeth in them! That’s not something dentists can get behind.
Filing Down Teeth
Some TikTok videos show teenagers and young adults attempting to even out their smiles by taking a nail file to the chewing surfaces of longer teeth. This is a terrible idea because tooth enamel does not come back once it’s gone. Amateur tooth filing can end in fractures, tooth sensitivity, or infection, and the process itself will likely be very painful. As dental health professionals, we sometimes file teeth, but we have the training and tools to do it safely and not overdo it.
The “Veneers Check” Trend
An even worse trend in the same vein involves TikTok users filing their own teeth all the way down to pegs before getting crown restorations. This is extremely dangerous. It can lead to nerve damage and the need for root canal therapy or even cause tooth loss of previously healthy teeth. Even the name of this trend is part of the problem, as this kind of filing only happens before crown restorations, not veneers.
Home Hydrogen Peroxide Whitening
Some TikTokers have filmed themselves swishing 3% hydrogen peroxide for teeth whitening. This is not a safe way to get professional whitening results on a budget, because it can cause gum irritation and long-lasting sensitivity. Anyone interested in whitening should ask the dentist for recommendations, which could be toothpaste, whitening strips, take-home trays, or professional in-office whitening.
DIY Braces
Another very dangerous TikTok trend is teens who try to correct their own crowding or bite issues using things like rubber bands. NEVER DO THIS. The best case scenario is that it won’t work. The worst is what happened to David Campbell, who unwittingly killed the roots of his two front teeth and had to get them removed when he tried to close the gap between them with rubber bands. We hope anyone tempted to try this will enroll in dental school to become an orthodontist instead (and get real braces for themselves in the meantime)!
Dental Health Is More Than a Trend
Anyone unhappy with the appearance of their smile (especially when their teeth are healthy) should speak to a dentist about professional cosmetic treatment instead of irreversibly damaging their own teeth. In the meantime, keep up with good dental hygiene habits like daily brushing and flossing.
Leave the cosmetic dentistry to the professionals!
The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
PARENTS CAN DO a few different things to give their kids’ smiles a healthy start.
1. Find an Effective Toothbrush They Like
It should have soft, polished bristles and be the right size for their hands and mouths, but otherwise, they might like one with their favorite cartoon character on it. Make sure to replace it when the bristles fray!
2. Prevent Cavities With Sealants
Sealants are recommended by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, particularly for kids with a history of tooth decay already. They greatly reduce the risk of childhood tooth decay.
3. Provide Teeth-Friendly Snacks Like Fruit and Cheese
Whole or sliced fruit is a great mouth-healthy snack because the fibers help scrub the teeth clean. Cheese is a good source of calcium and stimulates saliva production. (We need saliva for neutralizing harmful acids and clearing away food debris.)
4. Manage Expectations for Whitening Toothpaste
As much as we would all love having pearly-white teeth, make sure the teens know that whitening toothpaste only contains abrasives and polishing agents to remove surface stains, not deeper ones or white spots.
The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
AS A PARENT, maybe you spend a lot of your time worrying about whether your child’s teeth will develop cavities. Obviously, it’s critical to teach them how to brush and floss and encourage them to do so daily, but there’s something else that can help prevent childhood tooth decay: dental sealants.
The Battle Between Your Child’s Teeth and Bacteria
40% of children develop cavities by the time they begin school. This is a result of poor oral hygiene and frequent consumption of sugary drinks and snacks, and it’s why it’s so important to help them build strong oral health habits at an early age. The human mouth contains many species of bacteria, some of which consume the leftover sugar on our teeth and then excrete acid onto them. As tough as tooth enamel is, it’s very vulnerable to acid, so this causes tooth decay.
The ways we keep oral bacteria in check are brushing, flossing, and limiting our sugar intake. Even then, there are still crevices in our teeth where bacteria can hide, particularly for a child who doesn’t have the dexterity yet to brush as effectively. That’s where dental sealants come in.
What Exactly Are Dental Sealants?
Dental sealants are simply a layer of clear plastic that can be brushed onto the chewing surfaces of teeth in order to “seal them off” from cavity-causing plaque and bacteria. Dentists have been using sealants since the 1960s. They’ve been popular for so long due to how effective they are, as they reduce the risk of childhood tooth decay in the back teeth by up to 80%!
Sealants are typically applied to the molars because they do the most chewing and have deep crevices where bacteria can hide. Sealants fill in and cover these crevices and act as a shield against bacteria. Even better, the application process is so quick and painless that we can do it in the course of a normal appointment!
When Is the Right Time for Sealants?
As soon as your child’s adult molars erupt, they can be protected by sealants. That will usually be around age six. The earlier the sealants are in place, the less chance oral bacteria has to build up on the chewing surfaces of their molars. But the window doesn’t close if your child is older than six and doesn’t have sealants left; they’re still beneficial if they get them later. Even adults can get sealants!
Schedule Your Child’s Next Checkup Today!
Whether your child needs a normal twice-yearly cleaning and checkup or you’d like them to get sealants, go ahead and schedule the next appointment. If you have any concerns about their brushing or flossing or questions about how what they’re eating could be affecting their dental health, just let us know and we can help.
Protecting your child’s smile is our top priority!
The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
With so many dental professionals, most people don’t know where to start when looking for a new dentist in Midlothian, Virginia. Don’t worry; we understand. Our dental practice has compiled a short list of helpful tips to find the best dentist near you.
#1 Internet Search
The first step is to Google “dentists near me” to find all the practices in the Midlothian area. Do not pick out the first dentist in the search results, as there is no guarantee they are a good fit for you. Instead, take some time to read the reviews of other patients’ experiences.
What do they have to say about the dentist? Do they mention their dental care treatments or how their overall experience was? Are the reviews mostly positive?
Hop onto their website and take a virtual tour of the practice to get an idea of the atmosphere. Spend a little time reading the dentist and staff bio pages.
#2 Location & Comfort
Convenience is crucial when it comes to finding a new dentist. Our dentists highly recommend finding a practice located within the surrounding area of your home or workplace. It guarantees you get to your dental checkups and exams. It can also help find immediate help in the case of an emergency dental situation.
Find a dental practice where you feel comfortable in their care. Plan a physical visit to look around and feel the atmosphere. Does the team greet you when you walk through the door? Do they kindly answer your questions?
#3 Recommendations
The best way to find a dentist near you is by asking those you trust the most. Do your close friends, or family members have experience with any dental practices in the area? What do they like about their dentist? What dental procedures have they had?
Of course, choose dental professionals that provide dentistry exams and teeth cleaning. But, no one knows what challenges they will have later, so finding a dental practice offering extensive comprehensive dental services makes sense.
Do you need pediatric dentistry or family dentistry? Are you considering dental implants, wisdom teeth removal, crowns and bridges, or even cosmetic dentistry procedures like teeth whitening? Plan now so you don’t have to find another dentist later. You never know when gum disease will occur or if you will require root canal therapy later.
#4 Insurance & Financing Options
Does the dentist accept your insurance plan, or do they agree to submit claims to your provider?
Not everyone is lucky enough to have dental insurance. Does the practice offer financing? It is crucial to determine whether they provide package deals, payment plans, or out-of-pocket prices.
Virginia Center for Advanced Dentistry | Best Dentist Near Me
THERE ARE SO many choices of toothpaste in our grocery stores. With an entire aisle of toothpaste options to choose from, we want to help our patients narrow things down a little based on their individual dental health needs.
Whitening Toothpaste
Choose a whitening toothpaste to remove surface stains, but remember that it can’t change a tooth’s natural color or fight deeper stains. Whitening toothpaste contains abrasives to polish the teeth and peroxide to break down surface stains. Using it twice a day can lead to visible results after several weeks, but make sure to look for the ADA Seal of Acceptance!
Orthodontic patients should wait until Braces Off Day before using whitening products, toothpaste included so that they don’t end up with patches of different colors where the brackets were.
For Sensitive Teeth
Over-the-counter tooth sensitivity toothpaste is a good option for patients with sensitive teeth. It helps rebuild enamel and minimize discomfort, and if the over-the-counter type isn’t enough, the dentist can prescribe a stronger toothpaste.
Popular Inactive Ingredients?
What about ingredients like activated charcoal or aloe vera? There is little evidence to support the benefits these toothpastes claim to offer. Charcoal in particular is abrasive and may actually damage tooth enamel and make teeth more sensitive. Toothpaste with these ingredients also tends to lack fluoride, which helps rebuild tooth enamel.
The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN getting cavities as long as there have been people, and people before modern dentistry had some strange theories about what was causing them. A popular one believed around the world for thousands of years was the idea of “tooth worms.”
Ancient Sumeria Got the Tooth Worms Ball Rolling
As far back as 5000 B.C., tooth worms were listed in Sumerian texts as being a reason for tooth decay. They’re also mentioned in ancient Chinese scripts from 1500 B.C. in text carved from bone. People in the Roman Empire and medieval Europe also believed in tooth worms, which were said to gnaw at the teeth and live in the gums and cavities.
Why Was the Tooth Worms Theory So Common?
There are a few theories about why people all over the world believed cavities were caused by tooth worms:
Guinea worms in drinking water, which people would have seen and may have incorrectly connected to tooth problems
The worm-like structures of dental roots, which could be mistaken for worms by people who didn’t know better
Henbane seed treatments, in which a person would inhale the fumes of burned henbane seeds. Ironically, the ash of the burned seeds looks like worms, and the plant’s narcotic effects would relieve tooth pain. People may have drawn the wrong conclusions.
Other Cavity Myths
Over the ages, people have attributed cavities to a variety of other causes:
Chemical agents
Defective saliva
Inflammed jaw bones
Sudden changes in temperature
Injuries (this one can be true; a tooth cracked by injury is vulnerable to infection)
How Cavities Actually Form
Thanks to modern dentistry, we know that the culprit behind tooth decay isn’t worms but dental plaque, which is a mixture of bacteria, acids, and food debris mixed with saliva. As it builds up, it erodes the outer layer of a tooth, creating tiny holes called cavities. If the bacteria reach the pulp at the center of the tooth, the tooth will become infected and possibly abscessed, which involves swelling and severe tooth pain.
How to Prevent Cavities
Far from the henbane treatments of old, as modern dental health professionals, we can recommend good dental hygiene habits that will actually help prevent cavities, including:
Twice-daily brushing with a soft-bristled toothbrush and a fluoride toothpaste
Daily flossing (use floss picks or a water flosser if traditional floss is difficult for you)
Limiting your sugar intake (especially from soda and fruit juice, which are loaded with sugar and acid)
Scheduling regular dental cleanings and exams
What’s the Takeaway?
As fun as it is to learn about old, debunked dental health practices, the takeaway is that tooth worms are a myth. Dentists have known this for centuries, and we know the real causes of tooth decay that we should avoid and fight against. Keeping up with your daily dental hygiene habits and dentist visits twice a year are the best ways to protect your oral health.
We love helping our patients maintain healthy smiles!
The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
In my 57 years of life, Dr. Simon is the best dentist I’ve ever seen. We are a military family and have moved several (more than I care to count) times. With each move comes the same challenges relating to finding new doctors, dentists, etc. A good dentist is particularly hard to find, as they are f… Read more
Colleen Moore
Service is great, staff is knowledgeable and courteous. Highly recommended.
Roy Johnson Sr.
I recently went to visit Dr.Simon and was informed that I needed quite a bit of dental work, this came as a shock to me and I was of course very nervous. Dr.Simon and his staff were very kind and accommodating through the entire process. The work that he did was excellent, he takes pride in what he … Read more
Dr. Simon is very sincere and thorough. He takes the time necessary to explain the procedures, expected outcomes and future care. His compassionate approach with a healing hand to all orthotic procedures make him a well-trusted dental professional and an exemplary human-being.
I’ve been a patient of Dr. Simon for many years and he’s the best! I’m faithful about having a check-up every six months because Dr. Simon is always on time and very considerate. I like the Brandermill location and his staff is professional, friendly and courteous.
