Whether you’ve just gotten a professional teeth whitening or want to maintain the current shade of your smile, here are our top tips to keep your teeth white and bright!

Watch Out for Certain Foods and Drinks

Foods and drinks are the main cause of tooth staining. While teeth can be stained by other things—such as exposure to the antibiotic tetracycline in utero or before age 8, or the need for a root canal—foods and drinks are most common culprits when it comes to staining teeth.

Wine and coffee are the biggest offenders of teeth staining, especially if you’ve just gotten a professional teeth whitening [1]. However, tea, pasta sauce, turmeric, and even berries all have the potential to stain teeth, especially when consumed frequently or over a period of time!

Keep Up with Your Oral Care

While it would be difficult to avoid every single food that has the potential to stain your teeth, fortunately, regular brushing can help remove stains on a daily basis.

Some stains will be too set in to remove with at-home brushing, and may require a professional teeth whitening with your dentist to remove. However, most other stains, especially those accumulated daily, can be removed with regular brushing.

Be sure to brush your teeth at least twice a day and wait a minimum of 30 minutes after eating to brush—this will help protect your tooth enamel from damage. In fact, the American Dental Association recommends waiting 60 minutes after eating to brush your teeth [2].

Other Helpful Tips

There a few other tips that can help keep your smile looking as white as possible for as long as possible:

• See your dentist. Those regular professional cleanings can help remove deeper stains
  and keep your smile looking bright even without a professional whitening!
• Consider using a straw. A straw can help liquids such as coffee bypass the teeth and
  limit the staining impact they can have on your smile.
• Drink water. Water can help neutralize the acids that can attack tooth enamel and
  potentially lead to tooth decay and tooth discoloration [3].

Are you worried that your teeth aren’t as white as they used to be? You can help keep your smile bright and white with these tips, but don’t overlook the importance of visiting your dentist as well. He or she can conduct a professional cleaning to keep your smile stain-free and healthy!

Sources:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23421870
2. https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/brushing-mistakes-slideshow
3. https://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/nutrition/food-tips/water-best-beverage

The post Top Tips to Keep Your Teeth White & Bright appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Dental crowns can be made from different materials with the most common being porcelain, a type of ceramic. In the past, these crowns required multiple visits as your impressions had to be sent out to a lab to custom-make your restoration.

Today, 3D digital images allow a machine to make your crown in-office in just minutes. This technology, called CEREC, has been in the making for more than three decades and offers patients the chance to restore their smile in less time than ever before [1].

But are same day dental crowns the right choice for you? Here’s how you can know.

Get Your Smile Back to Normal in Just One Appointment

If you want to get your permanent dental crown as soon as possible, same day dental crowns could be for you. With CEREC technology, you won’t need to make several appointments just to get one crown. Instead of a multi-step process that can be time-consuming, same day crowns offer the advantage of a streamlined process in just one appointment.

Same day crowns are ideal for people who want to get their smile restored as soon as possible, whether they simply don’t have the time to commit to several appointments for one restoration or they have an event coming up such as a graduation or a wedding.

Prevent Injury or Discomfort with Temporary Restorations

With traditional dental crowns, while you’re waiting for your permanent restoration to come in, a temporary one will be made and fitted to your smile [2]. Although temporary crowns are designed to protect teeth while the permanent crown is being made, they have a higher potential to not fit as well and may even fall out.

If you lose your temporary crown, your tooth is more at risk to experience damage without this protection. When you take advantage of CEREC technology, you get your permanent restoration that same day, therefore preventing the potential for injury or discomfort that can come with temporary restorations.

When Same Day Dental Crowns May Not Be Right for You

Same day dental crowns may not be for people who need a dental crown placed on a visible front tooth. This is because these restorations don’t allow for the same level of color specification as a lab-created traditional crown, so the tooth may not perfectly match the other teeth.

In addition, a CEREC restoration may not be possible if your tooth is fractured beneath the gumline, as the technology can’t quite capture images beneath your gum tissue, so you’d likely need to wait for a traditional dental crown.

During your consultation for dental crowns, your dentist can let you know if you’re a candidate for same day dental crowns and if they’re the right choice for your restoration. Ask your dentist if they use CEREC technology at their practice to get a permanent dental crown in just one appointment!

Sources:
1. http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.452.1234&rep=rep1&type=pdf
2. http://www.cda-adc.ca/en/oral_health/procedures/crowns/

The post Are Same Day Dental Crowns Right for You? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

With so many people receiving a professional whitening treatment, it’s natural to wonder how this procedure affects your teeth and gums. For those who want a whiter smile and are considering teeth whitening, is this procedure harmful to your oral health?

Teeth Whitening Is Considered Safe and Effective

When done correctly, teeth whitening is considered to be a safe procedure [1]. Dentists have developed teeth whitening to be an effective treatment that poses minimal risk to teeth. While dentists use a higher concentration of the whitening agent than at-home bleaching kits, these are trained professionals who have done many teeth whitening procedures and know how to keep your smile protected during the entire whitening process.

Some of the minor risks for teeth whitening include temporary heightened tooth sensitivity following the procedure. If you already have sensitive teeth, it’s important to let your dentist know so that you can discuss what protective measures to take to ensure the safety of your smile.

Using Store-Bought Kits Is Riskier

If you’re using store-bought kits to whiten your teeth, the risk to your oral health is going to be higher than getting your teeth professionally whitened at the dentist office.

When using these kits, the whitening agent is more likely to come into contact with your gum tissue, which can cause gum irritation and inflammation. At the dentist office, your gums and the soft tissues of your mouth are fully protected before the whitening process begins.

There’s also the risk to overuse the kits and cause tooth sensitivity. Many people want a white smile for an upcoming event such as a graduation, a wedding, or a job interview. Unfortunately, many people to overuse the kits to accelerate the whitening process which can strip tooth enamel and cause permanent tooth sensitivity.

Professional Care Is Always Best

Your dentist will always take the utmost precautions to protect your teeth during your professional whitening procedure. When done by an experienced dentist, teeth whitening doesn’t pose any serious risks to your smile.

Most side effects—such as tooth sensitivity—are temporary and will last a few hours to a few days after your appointment. Any extreme pain or sensitivity you experience should be reported to your dentist so you can follow up.

Many dentists will even conduct a fluoride treatment following your whitening procedure to ensure that tooth sensitivity is kept to a minimum. Fluoride has been shown to be an effective treatment for patients who experience sensitivity following teeth whitening [2].

It’s also important to note that teeth whitening is not recommended for children by The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry [3].

Considering Teeth Whitening?

Proven to be safe for teeth, a professional teeth whitening isn’t harmful to your oral health. Like any procedure, it’s not without its risks; however, talking with your experienced oral healthcare professional about your teeth whitening procedure can help ensure that this is the best treatment for you based on your goals for your smile!

Source:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4058574/
2. https://bmcoralhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6831-14-113
3. https://www.ada.org/en/member-center/oral-health-topics/whitening

The post Is Teeth Whitening Harmful to Your Oral Health? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

What issues are you looking to fix with your teeth? If you have common problems like an overbite or crowded teeth, Invisalign can easily fix these problems. However, if you have complex bite issues or misalignment problems that are too severe, metal braces may be your only option to properly address these conditions.

Invisalign can treat a variety of bites included overbites, underbites, and even crossbites. Invsialign can also pull gapped teeth together and push crowded teeth apart. Talk with your orthodontist about what issues need to be fixed. This will be a major determining factor in whether or not Invisalign is right for you!

Your Age

Many people don’t realize that their age can be an issue in their Invisalign candidacy. This is because children younger than 13 often still have teeth coming in. Of course, this will depend on your unique smile, but if you’re younger than 13 years of age, Invisalign likely won’t work for your case. Teenagers that have all of their adult teeth in as well as adults make great candidates for Invisalign. Your orthodontist can take a look at your teeth to determine if Invisalign would properly fix your issues without your age being a problem!

Level of Commitment

Invisalign aligners require a level of commitment that braces don’t. This is for a few reasons:

 You control when you wear Invisalign. Since Invisalign aligners are fully removable, you need to be committed to wearing them for the proper amount of time every day—at least 20-22 hours.

 Invisalign takes a little longer. Invisalign doesn’t put quite as much force on your teeth as traditional braces do, so the treatment period may be a little longer. This means you need to be committed to wearing your Invisalign for the required amount of treatment time.

 Wearing a retainer. After your teeth are fixed, you’ll need to wear a retainer to ensure they don’t shift over time. Orthodontists recommend wearing the retainer every night for life! If you can’t commit to wearing the retainer, treatment is often futile.

People love Invisalign because it gives them the option of having removable aligners that they wear when they want. It also eliminates the appearance of metal braces, which many people associate with teenagers. Invisalign also offers no food restrictions since they’re fully removable. Are you interested in having Invisalign aligners to perfect your smile? Talk to your dentist about this attractive option!

The post How to Know if You’re a Candidate for Invisalign appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.

Who Should Get Lumineers or Veneers?

These products are both used for the same purpose: correcting imperfections in a person’s teeth. If teeth are damaged, crooked, short, or in another way do not match the teeth around them, veneers and lumineers are ways to make a smile symmetrical and more visually appealing. So which one is right for you?

Benfits of Veneers

Some refer to veneers as porcelain veneers, but this is merely one type and composite veneers are also available.

Veneer Pros:

– Aesthetic Appeal – This is a great way to even out your smile and create a more aesthetic appearance.

– Natural Coloration – Veneers can be color matched to the rest of your teeth providing a natural appearance without the need to cover every single tooth.

– Strength – Composite veneers are extremely strong and can last for 20 years if cared for well.

– Stain Resistant – Porcelain veneers will actually resist stains better than your natural tooth

enamel, so you can drink your coffee, tea, and wine without regrets.

Who Should Get Veneers?

– If you grind your teeth composite veneers are the right choice for you.

– Veneers are the right option for those seeking a permanent cosmetic solution.

– If a tooth is misshapen or discolored and you want all of your teeth to match.

Benefits of Lumineers

Lumineers are another way to instantly improve your smile. Consider the following benefits.

Lumineer Pros:

– Reversible Procedure – If you ever decide that you no longer want lumineers, you can go back to your regular teeth. This is the primary advantage of lumineers over veneers.

– A Perfect Fit – There is no need for any drilling or numbing. Lumineers are painless.

Who Should Get Lumineers?

– Those who do not want their cosmetic dentistry to be irreversible.

– Individuals with slightly extra space between their teeth since lumineers add a very thin layer to the teeth.

Veneers and Lumineers are two great ways to spruce up a smile. Your dentist can help you determine which is better suited to your needs.

The post Dental Veneers vs. Lumineers: What’s the Difference? appeared first on Your Dental Health Resource.