Choosing the Best Toothbrush
If there’s one piece of personal hygiene equipment you make sure you use at least twice a day, it should be your toothbrush. Brushing your teeth twice a day is crucial to your oral hygiene. You’re going to be using it for the next three months (that’s 180 uses, for those of you that like the numbers), you want to pick one that is comfortable and fits your style. Here are some tips for choosing the best toothbrush for you. Look for the ADA Seal of Acceptance The American Dental Association seal of acceptance is your sign that a toothbrush meets certain quality guidelines. These include: All components are safe for use in the mouth Bristles are not sharp or jagged The handle material is durable Bristles are secure and won’t fall out under normal use Can be used effectively without special training These basic requirements make the difference between a good toothbrush and a bad one. Bristles and Head Soft bristles are considered best for your toothbrush, because they’re less likely to damage gums or tooth enamel. Pick a tooth brush with a small head that allows you to maneuver it into all the places hwere you need your tooth brush to be. In general, a head less than a half inch wide and one inch long is good for this purpose. Pick What You Like Beyond that, you can make decisions about what you like from a toothbrush. Pick a grip that’s comfortable, a neck that makes it easier for you to reach around and get all your teeth, and a color that pleases you and is easily distinguishable from the brushes of other people in your house. These factors don’t make much difference in the effectiveness of your toothbrush. Should You Select Electric? Considering an electric toothbrush? There is some controversy about whether they’re generally more effective, but there’s no doubt that they help some people get better results. An electric toothbrush may be good for you if: You have trouble brushing for long enough (electric toothbrushes often have timers so you brush long enough) Your handedness means you brush better on one side of your mouth than the other You repeatedly have trouble with gum disease or excessive tartar buildup due to poor brushing Your dentist recommends one Your toothbrush is the primary tool that you can use to ensure your optimum dental health. At Ascent Dental in Cherry Creek, we have many other tools to support your efforts. To schedule your next appointment, please contact Ascent Dental today.
The Secret to Keeping Your Teeth White
Healthy teeth are attractive teeth, so if you’re looking out for the health of your teeth with proper oral hygiene and regular dental visits you’re already doing a lot to help keep your teeth white and attractive. However, there are also a few more things you can do to keep your teeth looking their best. Crunch a Bunch Crunchy fruits and vegetables help clean your teeth. Finish every meal with a raw carrot, apple, or celery stick, then rinse with water. This isn’t a substitute for brushing, but it can help if you’re not able to brush your teeth in the middle of the day. Sugar free gums is also recommended to help clean your teeth. Like a clay bar used to take dirt off of cars, the gum can trap bacteria and food particles that were stuck to your teeth, and it also stimulates additional saliva production, which kills bacteria and rinses your teeth. Avoid the Stain There are many staining foods and beverages that we consume on a daily basis. Coffee, black tea, red wine, dark beers, and dark sodas are among the worst. Fortunately, there are many non-staining alternatives. Try substituting green tea for coffee and black tea. Drink white wine rather than red and lighter-colored beers instead of dark ones. Try, if possible, to cut soda out of your diet completely. It offers no nutritional benefits, and the acids in soda are damaging to your teeth. If you can’t quit soda completely, drink it with a straw to minimize your teeth’s exposure. Kick the Habit Smoking is one of the worst staining behaviors. Cigarette smoke leaves very visible stains on your front teeth. Smoking is also damaging to your gums and can contribute to gum disease and tooth loss. Getting Rid of Stains If you have stained teeth and you want to reset them back to a whiter shade, Ascent Dental offers many tooth whitening options. If your tooth enamel is thin or deeply discolored, tooth whitening may not be enough, but porcelain veneers can be used to whiten the most discolored teeth. If you live in Cherry Creek or other areas of Denver, Colorado and want to learn more about restoring and maintaining a beautiful white smile, please contact Ascent Dental today.
Best Foods for Your Teeth
Most of us know that some foods are bad for our teeth, but do you know which ones are the best for your teeth? There are many foods that can support or improve the health of your teeth and gums. Try to incorporate all these types of tooth-healthy food into your recipes. Foods That Clean Your Teeth Proper tooth cleaning is essential to reducing cavities and the need for dental fillings. Some foods are naturally very good at cleaning your teeth. These include your crunchy vegetables like carrots and celery, but also some mildly acidic fruits such as pineapple, strawberry, and others. Remember to rinse your mouth with water after eating acidic foods. Foods That Provide Nutrients for Teeth Just like other tissues in your body, your teeth need nutrition to remain healthy. There are many essential nutrients that can promote your tooth health, including: Calcium—promotes enamel health, found in quinoa, sesame seeds, and dairy products Vitamin D—enhances absorption of calcium, found in many types of fish and soy milk, and is usually added to milk. Vitamin A—essential to the production of tooth enamel. It’s abundant in liver, paprika, sweet potatoes, carrots, and kale. Vitamin C—supports the production of collagen, a structural protein that keeps your gums strong. Found in citrus fruits, of course, but also in strawberries, kiwi, and pineapple. Minerals—many minerals play supporting roles in your tooth enamel, such as magnesium and potassium. Eating quinoa and substituting sea salt for your regular table salt can increase your mineral intake. These are just a few of the important nutrients for your teeth, and there are many more ways to get them. Foods That Suppress Bacteria Tooth decay and gum disease are the result of bacteria living in your mouth. These bacteria excrete acid when they eat, which attacks your teeth and gums. Fortunately, many foods can suppress the activity of bacteria, including: Basil Broccoli Green tea Onions Shiitake mushrooms Wasabi And many others. At Ascent Dental, we look after the health of your mouth as part of your overall health. Your diet is an essential contributor to both your oral health and your overall health. To talk to one of our dentists about how diet can improve your oral health, please contact Ascent Dental in Denver, Colorado today.
Causes of a Toothache
I found this diagram on the internet and it really helps explain causes of tooth sensitivy or pain. Causes of a toothache can be many different things. I wanted to share this. Dr. Johnston
Bonnie and her Steak
Meet Bonnie- Bonnie came to us for a crown that fell out. Upon the exam, it was discovered the she had multiple teeth that needed to be removed. At the consult, she was surprised at the treatment plan of removing her teeth. She was told we could replace the teeth with dental implants. Again, she was surprised at the cost and considered not doing them and just removing the teeth. We removed 4 very importnat teeth (2 on each side) and put her in a partial denture. We bone grafted the extraction sites, which take 4-6 months to be ready for implants. She did not like that partial dentures and elected not to wear them. 4 months went by and we placed the implants. At this appointment she asked me when she was going to get to eat steak. We then had a few more follow up visits on the implants and again she asked me when she was going to be able to eat steak. The time came for the implants to be restored with teeth on them. I again heard about the steak. The day we placed the teeth, I had aranged a steak dinner in our consult room. We placed the teeth and I led her into the consult room to show her, her steak. This was one of the top rewarding moments in my career. To see the smile on her face and her surprise. I had to return to other patients, but was told she didn’t leave a crumb on that plate! Here’s to Bonnie and her Steak!!! – Dr. Johnston
Deep Cleaning / Dental Scaling
When teeth and gums don’t get cleaned properly, the food particles mix with bacteria in your mouth and develop a soft substance called plaque. This plaque if not removed can turn into a harder substance known as dental tartar or calculus. If tartar is still not removed, it start impinging on the gums and create a seperation between the gums and the tooth. Once this seperation occurs, it allows for more food particles and bacteria to work its way down into the gum. The bacteria secrete waste from eating your microscopic food particles that can destroy gums and bone around the tooth. Once this sequence is established, brushing or flossing will not help remove this. A dental deep cleaning or Scaling and root planing procedure is needed. This is where dental professionals such as a dentist or dental hygienist takes their instruments and goes under the gumline to remove this structure of tartar. Once destruction of the bone has occured, the bone cannot grow back. If enough bone gets destroyed around the tooth, the tooth then loses its support and removal of the tooth is indicated. We commonly find that missing rountine cleanings (depending on one’s dental hygiene) over 1-2 yrs will lead to this. Its very important to see a dentist and have your teeth professionally cleaned so this process does not occur. I have attached a diagram that describes this. – Dr. Johnston
Product Review: Sonicare Diamond Clean
I was out in Las Vegas for a huge Cerec meeting, where they introduced a new camera technology for the Cerec. I happened to win this Sonicare Diamond Clean toothbrush there. For all my career, I have been a huge fan of Oral B electric toothbrushes. Its been a really long time since I have checked out Sonicare. I tried this Sonicare Diamond Clean brush the other night. I thought it was really good. This brush comes with a USB charging case, great for traveling. It has about 5 different modes on it.Its a bit pricey at $219. But its very high tech. https://youtu.be/ZHCHoqsF138 I look forward to brushing with this brush everyday. I can’t say I am a total Sonicare fan at this point, but its making me lean a little in that direction. I have asked multiple colleagues and dental hygienist what brush they recommend, and there is about a 50/50 split on Sonicare vs Oral B. The majority of the consesus was electrics are better than manual no matter what brand you have. I am meeting with Sonicare later this month. I may start carrying both Sonicare and Oral Bbrushes in the office for purchase. Have a great day!Dr. Johnston
Reasons skipping the dentist is bad for you
While most don’t love going to the dentist, we try our hardest to make ourselves do it twice a year. But for some reason, we skip the dentist more than any of our other health-related appointments. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 71.4 percent of women over age 18 had their teeth cleaned in 2008. That means more than a quarter of all women are skipping the dentist! Here are exactly what health benefits you are missing out on when you skip a cleaning.(Motivation to set up an appointment?) Here are some non-tooth-related health conditions that may be spotted or prevented by a dentist (or go undiagnosed if you skip an appointment). 1. Heart disease. A new study from researchers at Berkeley found that women who get dental care may reduce their risk of heart disease by one-third. It’s simple – bacteria in the gums, especially bleeding gums can travel to your heart and set up residence. 2. Oral Cancer.Often times oral cancer are asymptomatic. We all have oral cancer risk factors. Smokers (duh) and anyone who consumes more than one alcoholic beverage on a daily basis. New studies are showing HPV from oral sex are very high oral cancer causing risk factors. 3. Nutritional deficiencies. By looking at your tongue and gums, we can tell if you are lacking in certain vitamins and nutrients. One thing they look for is pale tongue, which may indicate an iron deficiency. While its uncommon in our area in Denver, it can be detected. 4. Diabetes. The condition of your teeth and gums may point to diabetes. Uncontrolled gum bleeding after cleanings and other dental observations can lead to a diabetic diagnosis. Just know that the more you skip out on your dentist, the more damage you can do to the rest of your body. More and more studies are finding systemic links coming from the oral cavity. Take care of those teeth and gums and they will take care of you!
Reasons to Have Your Old Metal Fillings Replaced
Reasons To Have Your Old Amalgam Fillings Replaced With Natural-Looking Composite Fillings If your mouth is still full of those old, metallic fillings that were inserted into your teeth years ago, then you may want to consider making the switch to more natural-looking composite fillings. It’s been shown in studies the average life of a metal filling is 8-15 years. If your fillings are older than 15 years, you may want to consider having them updated. Here are some great reasons to upgrade your old amalgam fillings: 1. Hidden Decay A metal filling can have fractures or weak margins allowing bacteria to enter the tooth beside the filling, ultimately causing decay under or around the filling. This cavity can not be detected in the dental x-ray, as the metal filling will mask it. The only way its detectable is to remove it and look under it. 2. Increased Strength Since composite fillings are actually bonded into the matrix of the tooth structure, they can slightly strengthen your teeth and help hold the tooth together. If an old metal filling is large and little natural tooth structure exists, a crown may be the best way to update and strengthen the tooth. 3. Steady Size Silver fillings expand or contract due to temperature change. If your fillings change size whenever you drink hot or cold beverages, then your teeth may develop cracks. Since composite fillings aren’t made of a metal that expands or contracts in such a manner, you will have less potential for tooth damage. 4. Less Invasive If you are terrified at the thought of somebody drilling holes in your teeth, then you should definitely choose natural-looking composite fillings over amalgam fillings. Although the removal of some of your tooth is necessary because of the cavity, much less of the tooth will need to be removed, which means more conservative drilling is involved. Composite fillings don’t need the same depth, thickness and mechanical retention to be stable, unlike metal fillings. 5. Natural Appearance For most people, this is the biggest benefit of composite fillings. Instead of having a mouthful of silver fillings, your teeth will look all-natural, and after a while, you probably won’t even remember which teeth have fillings! 6. Metallic Taste Some get a metallic taste in their mouths from having metal fillings. By getting rid of them, we can eliminate this metallic taste which can allow foods to taste better. Micro metal wear and fatigue occur during chewing. 7. Potential Health risk While the FDA and the ADA do not claim metal fillings pose health risk, there are studies out there that show different conclusions. While I am not legally able to say metal fillings pose a health risk, I do feel there has to be some small merit in these studies. I let people make their own decisions about this subject, and don’t recommend people to remove metal fillings based on this reason alone. Have a great day.
Taste of My Own Medicine
Today, I went to the dentist to update my fillings. I need to admit, I had a horrible love with candy during my teen years, which led to having many fillings completed in my adolescent years. (Being in the dental office so much interested me in becoming one – so its not all bad!) What got me was braces, braces and candy don’t mix. You can’t floss very easily with braces, so I decided brushing would be enough. In college, some of these metal fillings had cracked and needed to be replaced. So in college, I had another round of metal fillings. After college and into dental school, I became and still am, a dental mutt. I had a filling or two done in dental school by other students and teachers. When I graduated from dental school, I had several other dentists I worked with do fillings on me. Two years ago I had a small laser gum surgery at a laser course as a demonstration! So, in my goal book this year, I wrote down to get my routine dental work updated. So today, I went to a dentist I met in a conference in Scottsdale, AZ, who practices in Lafayette, CO. His name is Dr. Greg Keene of Keene Smiles. Last night (the night before the appointment, I was nervous. I thought about shots, drills, feeling the pain, etc. This morning on the drive to the appointment, I was also nervous. I had to tell myself everything would be ok! However, I was going to a new dentist I have never gone to before, trust is huge, other than knowing Dr. Keene at dental courses, I did not know what he was like as a dentist. This morning he replaced 8 metal fillings on my upper right and lower right side. I replaced them with composite and porcelain onlays. My teeth were not bothering me, I just knew that it had been over 13 years since those fillings were placed. I know that fillings can leak and decay can set up under them and go undetected, even with dental x-rays. I was right, some of my fillings, had decay under them. I have had excellent hygiene, a fairly good diet, and received professional cleanings every 6-8 months the last 10 years of my life too! So, today, I felt the needles, drill sounds and vibrations, was opened for long periods of time, numb lip, bad tastes, etc. Was the work totally comfortable? No, but it wasn’t bad at all. Dr. Keene did a great job! I am so proud of myself today that I took care of this and know my teeth are in much better shape. I have one more round on the left side and my teeth and fillings will be up to date. I now have a thorough understanding and appreciation of the drilling noises, vibrations, needles, taste, numbing feel, etc. During the appointment, I thought about all my future patients and what I can do to make it more comfortable for you all. I want to give a big thanks to Dr. Greg Keene of Keene Smiles in Lafayette, CO for all the work he did on me today. In conclusion, I wanted to share with you, that today – I received a dose of my own medicine.
Top 11 Reasons Cerec is Better..
(For those of you who don’t know what a Cerec Machine is….please see our webpage over here here) This past weekend, I attended the Cerec 3rd Annual Symposium, in Scottsdale, AZ at the Scottsdale Center for Dentistry, a premier leader in Cerec Education. Many Topics were covered over the weekend and we even met the software designers from Germany. They presented us the new Cerec software coming out next month, version 4.0, which is one of the best software improvements of Cerec over their 25+ year history. We heard from independent dental material researchers,dental lab technicians, and top clinicians. I took home many things from this meeting, but mainly the confidence that Cerec is the best way of making dental restorations. Here are reasons why Cerec is better than traditional dentistry (presented to us again by top researchers and lap technicians in the world). 1) No Temporaries / One Visit – Temporary restorations can break, fall off, or not last during the 2 weeks needed to fabricate a crown at a lab. Teeth can be sensitive, micro-shift and drift, etc. that can allow the crown from the lab not to fit well or damage to the unprotected tooth. 2) No lab remakes – A lab presenter from a major dental lab stated on average crowns remakes range from 6-10% of the time. This means a crown could take up to 3 maybe even 4 visits! 3) Machine Made Materials – Traditionally porcelain is stacked from a powder liquid technique allowing for weak micro space in the porcelain. Regulated, precise, machine made porcelain is precise and uniform, allowing for a consistent, strong and predictable material. 4) Accurate Impressions – Digital scans are shown to be up to 20-40% more accurate than traditional impression material. Traditionally, a impression is made, sent to the lab and poured up in stone. There are about 20-40 inconsistencies / distortions that can occur in this traditional step. Materials can shrink, expand, get to hot or to cold during shipping, etc. This more accurate scan leads to a more accurate fit and seal with the tooth. 5) Better Bonded Strength- Traditionally, dental crowns are cemented. Cerec crowns are bonded to the tooth vs cemented, using stronger, high sealing, long lasting bonded materials. 6) Every step can be controlled by the dentist – From Start to Finish, the whole CEREC procedure is controlled by the dentist. You can tweek everything about the crown such as bite, tooth contacts, anatomy, width, etc. 7) You can copy– With Cerec, existing Teeth can be copied. This means we can let you keep the exact shape you are used to. This cannot be done with a dental lab. We scan, prepare tooth, copy the scan onto the prepared tooth and give you exactly what you were used to. 8) No 2nd Numbing – many times you need to get numb again to take the temporary off. Not a concern with Cerec single visit porcelain dentistry. 9) In office custom staining and glazing – Traditionally if the crown color we got back from the lab isn’t correct, we had to send it back or you had to go to the dental lab. With Cerec, we can re-stain and glaze the custom color right here in the office. 10) Crown is saved – If you happen to break or fracture a crown make with Cerec, we have the crown stored in the computer. We hit mill and make you a new crown instantly. 11) Environmentally friendly – Instead of delivery trucks to send the case to the lab, we can now email the precise scan to a lab, and the lab can fabricate the crown. You also don’t have to come here twice, so that also saves gas. No need for impression materials, stone, temporaries to go into landfills. Have a great Day
85% don't make it!
Wisdom teeth, or third molars, are the last teeth to erupt in your mouth and are the teeth least needed for good oral health. Most people have four wisdom teeth that usually erupt through the gums in their late teens or early twenties. Sometimes wisdom teeth remain trapped in the jawbone under the gums because there is insufficient room for them to erupt. Wisdom teeth can cause gum disease, crowding or other damage to adjacent teeth, decay (due to the inability of your toothbrush to keep the area clean), and bone destroying cysts. Pain and swelling are the most common symptoms of problem wisdom teeth. Whether you have obvious symptoms or not, it is important to diagnose existing or potential problems caused by your wisdom teeth. Ultimately, at one time or another, its been shown that 85% of all wisdom teeth are removed due to crowding, gum disease and cavities. If they are in, and there is room for them, these usually go on to develop large cavities, as cleaning them is challenging. Waiting to have them removed after your 30’s can go on to become more challenging with longer healing times. We urge you to do this in your teens and 20’s. Removal is the wisest decision for your health and well-being. We can removed them for you, before they cause problems! Make your appointment today! This video can explain it.
Cigarette Warning Labels
Cigarette Health Warnings Beginning September 2012, FDA will require larger, more prominent cigarette health warnings on all cigarette packaging and advertisements in the United States. These warnings mark the first change in cigarette warnings in more than 25 years and are a significant advancement in communicating the dangers of smoking. Effects of smoking on your teeth is one of the warnings. Click here to read more and see all the warnings…
Attitude is Everything
About 4 years ago, I went through a very bad business situation while working for another dentist/dental practice. This led me to having a negative attitude and outlook. The last few years of my life, I have been mentored, coached, counseled and have read many books about attitude. What exactly is attitude and why write a blog about it on your website about dentistry? https://youtu.be/KLn6OOicCz0 Attitude is a noun that is defined as: 1. a manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, especially of the mind: a negative attitude; group attitudes. 2. position or posture of the body appropriate to or expressive of an action, emotion, etc.: a threatening attitude; a relaxed attitude. Now that we know what attitude’s definition is, lets look at my definition. To me, attitude is a mindset, that is naturally developed over time, through experience and learning. It comes in two forms, positive and negative. Positive attitude is a mindset, where things, situations, etc. are going to be okay to good. A negative attitude is a mindset where its believed things are going to go wrong or not work out for the best. Again, these mindsets can come from experiences over time, which develop into beliefs which effect attitude. So, what does this have to do with dentistry? Everything! Lets look at a positive patient attitude verses a negative one: Positive attitude when going to the dentist: Everything is going to go great, It’s not going to hurt, I am glad I am taking care of this and myself, I am in good hands, This is a good investment, etc. Since learning about attitude and how it works, I constantly work on a positive attitude. A positive attitude attracts others with positive attitudes, allowing for successful situations. Negative attitude when going to the dentist: Its going to hurt, Why am I here? This sucks, I could be doing better things with my time and money)It works the same way for patients. When I get in the dental chair, I need a dentist with a positive attitude. This helps put me at ease, knowing two positive attitudes are coming together. I know two is definitely better than one! I see this first hand, patients come in with positive attitudes, it rubs off on the office, so our attitude gets better, which leads to a great visit. I truly feel that positive attitudes lead us down a great path in life. People want and need to be around other positive energy. Is it always easy to have a positive attitude? No, our mind wants to go negative very quickly. I work on my attitude daily, and if my attitude is not where it needs to be, I tell people to let me know about it. My staff, wife, friends all are quick to help make me aware of my current attitude. My 9 month year old daughter is the best detector of my attitude each day. Here are some books that I have read on attitude: Attitude is Everything: by Keith D. HarrellAttitude 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know by John C. MaxwellThe Winning Attitude Your Key To Personal Success by John C. MaxwellLittle Gold Book of YES! Attitude: How to Find, Build and Keep a YES! Attitude for a Lifetime of SUCCESS by Jeffrey H. Gitomer There are many great books out there on attitude. They all stress what this blog does. Have a great day.