I have a toothache! What now?

If you woke up this morning and realized that you are suffering from a toothache, you are not alone. If you woke up today and realized that your tooth still hurts, even after weeks of pain, you are not alone. If you woke up today frustrated with yourself that yet another day has come and gone and you still haven’t scheduled an appointment at the dentist, you are not alone.

Everyday we see patients, sometimes with terrible toothaches, who are coming to a dentist for the first time in years. Often times our patients are embarrassed or ashamed that they haven’t been to a dentist in some time, or they don’t like how their teeth look, or worse yet, they are in miserable pain. At first, a toothache can sound like a small, trivial thing, however a toothache should never be ignored or overlooked. It is almost always a sign of a problem that won’t go away on it’s own and it can truly affect our daily lives. Our teeth are a big part of our emotional responses, such as laughing and smiling, and they help us to talk and communicate with others. In addition, our teeth help us to eat, allowing us to fuel our bodies and nourish our daily lives. A toothache can really wreak havoc with all of this, leaving a person in rough shape!

Ideally, we like to avoid toothaches whenever possible. One way to strive for this is to see your dentist regularly, every 6 months. This allows for a regular ‘check-in’ to see how your at-home care is going, and see if there are any areas of concern. If there are, the idea behind the regular check-up is that we can treat any concerns before they become painful.

However, for many people going to the dentist on a regular basis was just not a developed habit. When a toothache happens to someone who doesn’t have a regular dentist, it can create unnecessary anxiety and more stress, on top of the pain. Don’t let this stress or anxiety hold you up! We encourage everyone to listen to their body and call a dentist at the first sign of pain, discomfort or swelling. Don’t wait!

At Grand Avenue Dental Care we never judge you on how long it has been since you’ve been to a dentist, or on how long you’ve been in pain. You are here now! Which means, that we can help you. Ultimately, we want all of our patients to avoid toothaches and be pain free as much as possible. However, when it does happen, we are here to help. Don’t let a toothache take over, whether you have a dentist or not, call today!

Holiday Party Tips

As the holiday season is rapidly approaching (two weeks until Thanksgiving!), it’s time to talk about how to keep your teeth in tip-top holiday shape! Regardless of whether you are out with friends, at home with your family or enjoying your holiday work party, enjoy these few tips from us to help your teeth stay healthy.

1. Choose light or clear beverages. Rather than a cola-based drink or a red wine, opt for a white wine or lighter color drink. This will help your teeth to stay whiter and brighter for the pictures that will, inevitably, follow. 

2. Find the Cheese! Almost every holiday party has a cheese tray. Not only does it taste great and help to tide you over until dinner, but the cheese will help to neutralize the pH level in your mouth while drinking acidic drinks like alcohol, soda or coffee. 

3. Schedule Your Post-Holiday Check-Up. The remainder of this year is going to fly by. We all know that. It’s better to schedule your first visit for 2019 now, so you don’t get caught up (as we all will) in the holiday festivities and forget to even make the call until after the New Year. Get your next preventative visit scheduled today!

And one more reminder: If you have insurance benefits remaining for 2018, you should try to use them now! Insurance benefits don’t usually carry over to the new year, so use them or lose them!

The Candy is Coming! The Candy is COMING!

We all know that in the next week or two, Halloween candy will be everywhere, as will be the temptation to eat it, All. Day. Long. Halloween can also be an opportunity to discuss good oral habits and teach them to your kids. Here are a few tips that are easy to understand and discuss, and can make a big impact on your dental health at Halloween and all year round. 

1. Don’t spread your candy-eating out! While we aren’t telling you to eat all the candy in one sitting, it is a better idea to eat a few pieces at once after a meal, rather than eat one piece of candy every 20 minutes throughout the day. Remember the candy alters the pH of your mouth and when it’s gone, your mouth can recover. The sooner you finish eating the candy, the sooner your mouth can get back to normal. 

2. Drink water! There isn’t a better time than right now to start carrying a water bottle and drinking it throughout the day. Quite the opposite as what’s above, drink water throughout the day, frequently. This helps wash debris off of your teeth and allow your pH to return to normal quicker. 

3. Use fluoride products! Some people have fluoride in their water, specifically if they live in the city and drink city water. However, some people do not or they drink bottled water, which may or may not have fluoride. Regardless, we can all benefit from the fluoride in toothpaste and mouth rinses. Using these every day can really make an impact on our teeth and lessen the chances of decay. 

4. Eat First! Candy Second! Making sure we stick with our regular meal plans and eating habits can help us to not over-indulge on the sweets. Be sure you have a full stomach and are hydrated before you dig into the candy drawer!

As long as we are eating normally, drinking water throughout the day and keeping up with our brushing, flossing and rinsing, Halloween treats should not negatively affect our teeth. It is also a great opportunity to talk with your kids about the importance of our dental health and how they themselves can really make a difference in their smile. 

One more fun idea for you to try with your little ones is to set up a candy bank for your kids. Because we don’t want our kids eating the candy all day long, have the candy in one location that they know you have to retrieve for them. Only after they finish their meal or help with a chore are they able to choose 1 or 2 items. This limits the time that they are eating candy and also makes sure that they understand it is a special thing. 

If you are trick-or-treating this weekend, we hope you are having fun, being safe and, of course, Sharing Smiles. 

Halloween Dental Tips!

Let’s be honest, in the coming weeks, we are all going to be eating more than our fair share of Halloween treats. During this time, it is especially important that we are taking care of our teeth in the best way that we can. It also is a good idea to limit your treat-eating to a particular time of day and make sure you aren’t grazing on sugary treats all day long. Along with making sure you are eating a healthy diet throughout the day, here are some tips to make sure you are giving your teeth the care that they need.

1. Brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes each time. You’ve heard this one before. Consider buying yourself an electric toothbrush to help in brushing for the right amount of time and making sure you aren’t pushing too hard. 

2. Floss once a day! Remember that 33% of your tooth surface exists between your teeth and can only be cleaned by flossing!

3. Rinse! Using a mouthwash, or even water throughout the day, can help to rid your mouth of debris and return your mouth to a normal pH level. Using a fluoride rinse at night can help give your teeth a little boost during this extra-sweet Halloween season.

4. Visit your Dentist. We would venture to guess that the majority of us are OVERDUE for our preventative visit with our doctors. These should happen every 3-6 months, based on what your oral hygiene needs are. While this is always important, we think it’s even more urgent, as the end-of-the-year holidays are getting closer and we don’t want to be spending our holiday time in dental pain. Call today to take care of your teeth!

Halloween is Coming!

It’s that time of year when we start eyeing the candy aisle and wondering what we will buy for all of our cute, costumed, trick-or-treaters that will show up in a few weeks. While, it is true that nearly all sugar-y candy is not good for your teeth, there are a few tips on what to buy for your neighbors and how to handle your own intake of candy:

1. Stick to the chocolate! While, yes, there is still sugar, chocolate melts off of the surface of your teeth and so the sugar won’t ‘stick’ there for a long time. Compared to a sticky candy, like a Jolly Rancher, a milk chocolate is a better option. (You still need to rinse with water after eating chocolate though!)

2. Limit how many and how often you will eat your Halloween candy. Treating it like a dessert and having 2-3 pieces after dinner in a  short amount of time is better than having one piece every 15-30 minutes throughout the day. You can also have your child just choose their favorite kinds of candy to keep and donate the rest to groups like Support the Troops that send them overseas to our soldiers!

3. Be sure to brush and floss! Whether you are eating milk chocolate or sticky candies that can get stuck in-between or in the grooves of your teeth, it is important to keep up with your at home brushing and flossing routine. 

4. Spit, but don’t rinse, when you brush your teeth. This seems weird, and is not what most of us probably do. However, if you don’t rinse with water right after brushing, the fluoride from your toothpaste has a few more minutes to sit on the surfaces of your teeth, giving a little extra boost to it’s benefits to your teeth. Try it!

Halloween is a fun time and a special treat for all of us. It is also a great opportunity to remind ourselves, and our children, about how to keep up our brushing and flossing habits at home, and also talk about why sweets should be eaten only in moderation.

Friendly Reminder: If you haven’t yet finalized your costume, consider this your 3-week warning!