It’s time of year again – time to visit your dentist. But there’s one problem: you don’t like the dentist, to put it mildly, which is preventing you from making that appointment. And scheduling dentist appointments is an important part of your health regimen because oral health is a strong indicator of overall health. Your dentist can even discover potential issues before they become major ones, and they can prevent others before they even begin. But despite these great reasons to see your dentist, your dental phobia can stop you from going.

When a patient sits in a WaterLase dentist’s chair, they may only think they are about to experience the absolute best/coolest/amazing way to take care of many dental situations.  What they may not realize is that they are also taking part in a major revolution in dentistry – that also has a very interesting history.

Smoking is one of the most hazardous things you can do to your smile. When you smoke cigarettes or tobacco from a pipe, you are not only causing your teeth to discolor, you are creating a variety of other risks, as well. The yellowing of the teeth is often the first sign of damage for smokers. This yellow color is embedded into the actual enamel of the teeth, so it's not something that can be removed with brushing. It can take several whitening treatments to get your teeth back to the normal shade, and many times the natural shade is unreachable, depending on the length of time you've been smoking.

Kids love chocolate.  They love candy, and many of the refined sugary goodies that aren’t healthy for them – or their teeth.  A treat once in a while is ok, but what happens when a child’s diet consists mainly of processed, refined foods instead of natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains?  Combine that lack of proper nutrition with a lack of exercise, and obesity could be on the horizon.

As everyone knows, the cost of healthcare can be quite hefty, and in many cases, practically prohibitive. In these situations, parents may not be able to take their children to get dental checkups, and that is unfortunate. Learning proper dental habits and procedures early in life bodes well for great oral care – and the state of a person’s teeth and gums is a major indicator of a person’s overall health.

After you have finished eating your breakfast, you walk into the bathroom, take your toothbrush and squeeze on a decent layer of bacteria for cleaning. Wait…bacteria? While you may not intentionally add bacteria, your toothbrush is still loaded with it. And that’s what you are using to “clean” your teeth.

Having a consistent, healthy diet, is good for your body AND for your smile. Many people don’t realize how important their food is for their teeth. Just like unhealthy food can cause your enamel to wear away and stains to occur, healthy foods can keep your teeth strong and can even make them whiter. 

Dental care has come an incredibly long way from ancient times, though for the lack of technology, there were some very advanced practices in the history of dentistry.

If your gums ache or your teeth are sensitive then you need to get the issue checked out, but you don’t like going to the dentist. In fact, when you anticipate the needles, the numbing, and the drill, you just might be terrified of going. But did you know you’re not alone? If you have younger or school-aged children, they can pick up on this fear regardless if the signals are obvious or not, and they can become frightened of going – even before they have ever had an appointment!

Bad breath is something that many people deal with, only because they don’t know how to properly take care of this problem and eliminate it from occurring in the future. There is nothing worse than talking to someone and noticing that they are backing away because your breath is less than pleasant. You can take a few steps that will help your bad breath clear up, but first you need to understand why it’s happening.