Tag Archives: Dentist

Daily Dental Hygiene to Stay Healthy During COVID-19

26 Thursday Mar 2020

Posted by in Adult Dentistry, COVID-19, dentistUSA, DentistUSA.com, General Dentistry

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We are in the middle of our second week of the COVID-19 isolation and most dental practices around the country are only open for emergency cases. It is now imperative to get into a healthy tooth care regiment as you probably won’t be able to see a dentist for some time. We talked to Dr. Ian Rodd, D.D.S. and he gave us some Do’s and Don’ts to help keep your smile healthy and white, while your dentist and his team are in isolation.

Do’s

– Brush your teeth

Twice a day for a full two minutes each time. It seems simple enough but most people don’t meet the two minute requirement. You’ll also want to use a soft bristle brush. Anything harder can wear away enamel and damage your teeth and gums. Don’t forget to turn the water off while brushing!

– Floss

Floss once a day. It’s easy and quick to do and will help clean your teeth more thoroughly than just brushing. Here is how to do it: How to Floss

– Scrape your tongue daily

This is a great way to get rid of unwanted bacteria as well as freshen your breath.

– Gargle after meals

Gargling with an over the counter mouthwash is the best, but most of us don’t carry around a bottle of Scope everywhere we go. Just a simple rinse with water is a good substitute if nothing else is available. When available add salt to lukewarm water to gargle as a disinfectant.

– Check your mouth and throat for any changes

Many features of your mouth that may appear unusual are natural parts of the oral cavity. However, inform your dentist of any NEW changes that appear like lumps, bumps, ulcers or if you have bleeding gums.

Most of the time, stress or changes in your environment lead to these issues and they are not of huge concern. But in some cases it can be an early warning of something more serious. A simple call to your dentist to describe what is going on can help ease your fears of anything more serious.

Don’t

-Don’t brush too often and don’t use a hard bristle brush

Too much brushing with a hard brush can lead to irritated gums, followed by gum recession. It is also too much for the surface enamel that protects the teeth. Brushing too much with a hard brush or too hard with a soft brush can scrape away the surface of the tooth leading to a yellow smile and sensitive teeth. It is sufficient to brush twice a day for two minutes each time, using a soft bristled toothbrush.

– Don’t eat sugar in excess

Sugar promotes bacteria growth. So stay away from high sugar foods and beverages (e.g. candy, soda and fruit juices).  If you are a candy lover, try to find some sugar free alternatives. Don’t forget to wash your mouth after eating sweets and if possible substitute sugary foods with more fresh fruits like apples or pears that help clean teeth as you chew.

We’d like to thank Dr. Rodd for his help! If you keep to these do’s and don’ts, your smile will remain bright and healthy until we come out of isolation (which we hope will be soon). And once this is all over visit your dentist, it will be time for a checkup!

 

5 Alternatives To Toothpaste

10 Thursday Jan 2019

Posted by in Bad Breath, General Dentistry, Tooth Paste

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The other morning, I was awoken by my dog licking my face. His hope was to get me to throw his ball at 6 in the morning. He is lucky he’s really cute. What was not cute? His breath. Which, in turn made me realize my breath wasn’t much better. So I moseyed on up to my bathroom sink and found that my wife had used the last of our toothpaste the night before. Sigh… What is a dragon to do?

What did people do before the invention of toothpaste? Well, toothpastes, in one form or another has been used for thousands of years. In fact, ancient Egyptians are believed to have started using a paste to clean their teeth around 5000BC. Well before the first toothbrush was invented.

In 1850 a more traditional paste in a jar was introduced call Crème Dentifrice. Colgate introduced the first toothpaste tub in the 1890’s. Pastes made before 1945 contained soap. I can only imagine kids cursed a lot more back then and this made it easier for their mothers to wash their mouths out. Today’s modern toothpastes are less harsh, have better flavors and are developed to help more specific diseases, such as tooth sensitivity and tartar. Leaving the washing of foul-mouths to bars of soap.

But what is one to do if there is no toothpaste?

Here are 5 alternatives to toothpaste if your significant other has used it all and you want to get rid of the awful breath you have:

  1. Baking Soda

Mix half a teaspoon of baking soda with a few drops of water to make a paste. Spread the paste over your teeth and let it sit for 2 minutes. Then brush your teeth like you normally would. Rinse the baking soda out of your mouth and you’re finished.

  1. Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen Peroxide is used as a natural teeth whitener. You can either use it as a rinse or make a paste by adding it to baking soda.

To make a rinse, mix equal parts hydrogen peroxide with water (½ cup hydrogen peroxide to ½ cup of water) and swish the concoction around your mouth for a minute. Try not to swallow any of the mixture.

To make a paste, mix a couple teaspoons of baking soda with a half-teaspoon of peroxide Mix together to make a paste and brush as normal. Thoroughly rise afterwards.

  1. Salt

Salt has long been used as an antibacterial and is an ingredient in a lot of toothpastes. Just dab your toothbrush in salt and brush. This can be a bit abrasive and is not recommended if you have sensitive teeth. You can also dilute the salt in water and use the solution to brush your teeth for a less abrasive paste.

  1. Coconut Oil

A lot of people think coconut oil is a healthy catchall. Others think it’s poison. Some people use it as an alternative to toothpaste by adding baking soda and essential oils, like mint. Figure out where you stand on coconut oil and then give it a try.

  1. Flossing and Dry Brushing

This is what I ended up doing. Of course I floss every night, as one should do. (And no, I do not mean the dance.) So I just grabbed some floss and got to work. Then I ran my toothbrush under water, brushed my teeth for the mandatory 2 minutes and then brushed my tongue.

My bad breath went away and I felt ready for my day of grocery shopping… for more toothpaste.

The Dentist Innovators

27 Thursday Apr 2017

Posted by in DentistUSA.com, Innovations, Smile

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Dentists are constantly innovating procedures and techniques to help make your visit more comfortable. Sometimes, these innovations take a step outside of the dental chair and lead to inventions that are used everyday. Here are some of those inventions, ranging from what you’d expect a dentist to invent to the more… bizarre…

Levi Spear Parmly – Inventor of Dental Floss

It’s no wonder a dentist is credited with inventing dental floss. Although, people have been picking at their teeth since the beginning of mankind, it wasn’t until 1819, that New Orleans dentist Levi Spear Parmly published a book called A Practical Guide to the Management of the Teeth. In the book, he recommended that people floss with waxed silk thread “to dislodge that irritating matter which no brush can remove, and which is the real source of disease.”

Dr. William Morrison – Inventor of Cotton Candy

Some people might cry “FOUL” when they learn dentist William Morrison created Cotton Candy. Yes, the air spun, sugary treat, that has been found guilty of many a cavity, was developed by a dentist. To add insult to injury, Dr. Morrison first called his sweet treat, “Fairy Floss.” Was this to make people use sugar as they would dental floss or did he get the recipe from some real hyper fairies? No one will ever know. At least the sugary confection has lead to millions of smiles throughout amusement parks around the world… and probably a few more dental appointments.

Dr. Bob Smith – Inventor of the Modern Snow Goggles

Dentist Bob Smith was an avid skier and was tired of his goggles constantly fogging up. So he did what any normal dentist would do: innovate the first double-pane goggle with a sealed thermal lens and breathable vent foam, to dramatically reduced foggy goggles on the slopes. Once he got a patent for the open-cell foam used for venting, he produced the goggles by hand with his wife and friends using dental tools and employed dental students to glue the pieces together.

Dr. Alfred P. Southwick – Inventor of the Electric Chair

This invention is definitely on the bizarre side. Dentist Alfred Southwick saw a drunken man accidentally shock himself to death in 1881. This inspired him to invent the electric chair, which he figured would be a better alternative to hanging because it would be quick and painless (insert “going to the dentist” pun).

Is your dentist an inventor? You should ask. If you don’t have a dentist to ask, use DentistUSA to find one! Your smile will be happy and you’ll probably get an interesting conversation.