Smile-Friendly Breakfast Secrets

BREAKFAST MAY BE THE MOST IMPORTANT meal of the day, but for many of us it’s also the most unhealthy. A bad breakfast is not only bad for our teeth, but makes us feel sluggish before we even get out the door—setting us on a track for unhealthy choices throughout the day.

How Often Do You Eat Breakfast On-The-Go?

We usually don’t give ourselves time for healthy breakfast options. We grab something handy and rush out the door. Donuts, starchy muffins, and sugary pastries gulped down with acidic orange juice or tooth-staining coffee aren’t exactly tooth friendly. Even our morning cereals may contain more decay-causing sugar than candy bars!

3 Smart Breakfast Tips To Protect Your Teeth

1. Choose whole grains. They’re better for you, and easier on your teeth than refined starches.
2. Yogurt naturally neutralizes acids on teeth. Adding granola, chopped nuts, or fruit can make your breakfast more nutritious and delicious!
3. If you eat acidic fruits, juices or smoothies, rinse your mouth with water when finished.

Smile-Healthy Breakfasts

What’s good for your teeth is usually what’s good for your body. Here are some great menu ideas:

• whole grain, sugar-light cereal with calcium-rich milk
• scrambled eggs and whole-wheat toast
• yogurt with granola or muesli

What’s your favorite quick-and-healthy breakfast? Share in the comments below. We love to hear from you.

Thanks for being a valued part of our practice family!

Yes, Soda Really Is Bad For Your Teeth

HERE’S ONE REALLY SIMPLE THING that you can do to make your mouth healthier:reduce the number of sugary, acidic drinks in your diet!

When we say sugary, acidic drinks we mean more than just soda. We’re including sports drinks, energy drinks, and even fruit juice. Read on!

Sugar + Acid Create The Worst Possible Cocktail For Your Smile

Oral bacteria in our mouths metabolize sugars in our drinks. This reaction creates an acid byproduct that erodes our teeth. If you have a healthy balance of bacteria in your mouth, you suffer less decay, but no one is completely free of harmful oral bacteria, even with great genes and perfect brushing habits.

Acidic Drinks Erode Teeth

In addition to the sugar, these drinks are loaded with acid! Acidity in soft drinks takes a more direct route than sugar, eroding your teeth without the help of oral bacteria. Each attack of the teeth lasts about 20 minutes and when you take another sip, it starts over again. This is why diet and “sugar-free” sodas do just as much damage as regular soda.

Many Of Us Drink At Least One A Day

As many as half of us drink at least one soda per day! Many people drink more. How much do YOU drink each day? Imagine how much better your enamel would feel if you replaced that soda with milk or water.

Teeth Are An Important Part Of Digestion

CHEWING IS THE FIRST STEP in digestion! But chewing our food only enough to swallow it down doesn’t count. If you’re rushing proper chewing—especially if it’s due to dental distress—you’re robbing yourself of some important benefits!

Chewing Helps Retain Energy And Absorb Nutrients

Chewing our food does more than simply give us time to taste flavors. The more we chew our food, the more it’s broken down into elements we can absorb and use. When we swallow minimally chewed food, some of the nutrients and energy remains locked in—making it more difficult to enter our bodies.

Chewing Aids Digestion

When saliva mixes with the foods we eat, we begin to digest it before we even swallow it. This is because saliva contains digestive enzymes that begin breaking our food down right away. In addition, un-chewed pieces of food can cause digestive discomfort.

Chewing Gives Us Time To Notice We’re Full

Often, especially when we’re wolfing down our food, we eat more than we should before our body is able to give us the “full” notification. Eating slower can help us control our portions and feel more satisfied.

If Your Bite Is To Blame, Let’s Visit

If you’re not chewing your food properly, are your teeth to blame? Malocclusion (an uneven bite), tooth sensitivity, missing teeth, or poorly fitting dentures can all cause minimal chewing. You might swallow food down earlier because chewing is uncomfortable. You might even avoid certain healthy foods just because they require more chewing.

Breakdowns in our oral health start to affect our overall health. If your teeth aren’t doing their job helping you chew, digest, and absorb nutrition from your food,don’t ignore the problem. Talk with us about it. We can get your teeth back into shape so they can better do their job.

The Lifespan Of Fillings, Restorations, And Other Dental Work

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD someone say that after you cut your finger, and it heals, that the scar tissue is stronger than normal tissue? Some opinions vary, but it appears that this notion is more myth than truth. But what about your teeth and your restorative dental work? Can a filling or a crown get a cavity?

It’s Important To Keep A Watchful Eye On Fillings And Other Dental Restorations

Regardless of where (or how long ago) dental procedures were performed, it’s really important to keep an eye on them. That’s a big part of your regular checkups. Here’s why:

1. Decay can sneak in around fillings, crowns, and other restorative dental work.
2. Sometimes, restorative work gives plaque additional nooks and crannies to hide in.
3. Typically, the lifespan of fillings is shorter than the lifespan of your tooth.
4. Checking for unusual wear, cracks, and chips can save much bigger problems later including more serious problems like gum disease and tooth loss.

How Long Should A Filling Last? 

The results from research and studies into this question vary greatly. One of the reasons it’s difficult to predict the lifespan of a filling is because the conditions surrounding that filling are different in every case. It can depend on one or several of the following factors:

• The material used to create the filling. Amalgam, composite, gold?
• Where the filling is situated in the mouth. Under frequent pressure? Rarely used for chewing?
• How the filling is cared for. Consistent, thorough brushing and flossing?
• Is the patient a “grinder”? People who grind their teeth are harder on their dental work.
• Nature of the host tooth. Is the filling a small portion of the tooth? A larger portion?
• Does the patient frequently eat hard, sticky foods and/or candies?

“An Ounce Of Prevention Is Worth A Pound Of Cure”

Your mom was right—an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure. That’s why regular checkups are SO important. When fillings and other dental work get older and worn, they can be more prone to cracks (or even falling out). Regular appointments allow these things to be monitored and checked to catch problems before they become emergencies.

Next time you visit, ask us about possible options for replacing old fillings, and how long you can expect yours to last. For some people, this is also a cosmetic decision because today’s tooth-colored fillings and restorations can look a lot nicer when you smile. If you have concerns or questions BEFORE your next appointment, please comment below or on our Facebook page and we will get right back to you.

We hope this information has been helpful to you.

We can’t express it often enough… Thank you for being our valued patients and friends! We appreciate you.