What You Eat Can Help or Harm Your Dental Health

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Your diet affects more than your weight or overall health. What you eat also affects the health of your mouth. Your mouth is constantly coated by a thin biofilm of bacteria and plaque. When certain ingredients in food and beverages come into contact with this biofilm, they secrete harmful acids that attack tooth enamel. Your Corona dentist gives advice on maintaining a diet that will benefit your dental health.

Refined Sugar and Your Teeth

Refined sugars and other fermentable carbohydrates cause a reaction in plaque when they meet. The byproduct of plaque absorbing and processing these substances is lactic acid, which saps minerals from your teeth in a process called demineralization. Because your enamel is made of mineral crystals (i.e., calcium and phosphate), after acid drains the tooth’s minerals, the enamel cannot remineralize and is vulnerable to attack. As summer dawns upon us, lemonade and iced tea become the popular thirst-quenchers of the season. Aside from their sugar content, lemonade and other fruit juices also contain harmful acids. If you consume a sugary beverage, try to do so quickly in one setting, as opposed to prolonged sipping over time. Also, rinse your mouth with water after finishing your drink to flush away any food debris, bacteria, and lingering plaque. (more…)

Riverside Cosmetic Dentists Explain the Porcelain Veneers Process

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Cosmetic Dentistry Consultation

At our , our cosmetic dentist will discuss your smile desires with you. Would you like to close smile gaps that not only look embarrassing but add excessive wear to your teeth? Are you tired of noticing your chipped tooth in the mirror or is a jagged edge catching your tongue? Perhaps your teeth have permanent stains form medications or just unslightly yellowing. You might be surprised to find that porcelain veneers can actually cover all of these smile imperfections at once.

Unique Veneers Specifications

After our has determined the right type of veneers for you, we will take an impression of your teeth. This impression will be used in the fabrication of your veneers to give you optimal attachment. Our cosmetic dentist will determine the exact shade of your smile so that your dental restorations blend seamlessly and appear natural. The specifications and impression re sent to a ceramics lab for your porcelain veneers to be sculpted by skillful hands.

Smile Makeover Completion

When your veneers arrive at our Riverside dental office, our cosmetic dentist can place the veneers in one office visit. This process involves preparing your teeth for optimal attachment, placing them with dental bonding, and hardening the bond with a curing light. During the entire process, our dentist will make adjustments to the restorations to match your facial structure, occlusion, and smile makeover desires. After a quick polishing, your new smile is ready to show off to the world. (more…)

3 Rules for Chewing Gum from Riverside Dentists

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encourage you to go ahead and chew your gum. But before you pop a piece in your mouth, remember these three rules: 1. choose a sugar-free gum; 2. consider xylitol; and 3. no marathon chewing.

How Sugar-Free Gum Can Prevent Cavities

Our Riverside dentists agree that brushing your teeth after every meal is a good relies on sugar, reintroducing this acid forming substance into your mouth can actually have opposite effects by contributing to cavities. Along with encouraging saliva to wash away bacteria, sugar-free chewing gum can also help dislodge food particles stuck between your teeth.

How Xylitol Fights Back Against Gum Disease and Tooth Decay

May gum manufacturers have taken sugar-free gum one step further by introducing this miracle ingredient into their product. A natural sweetener, xylitol tastes similar to sugar but actually kills pathogens instead of feeding them. Xylitol attracts the bacteria responsible for tooth decay and , traps them, and starves them. Look on the ingredients list for sugar-free gum made with xylitol. Trident is one of the major brands of chewing gum with this sugar alternative.

Spit Your Gum Out to Prevent TMJ Issues

Fifteen minutes is the maximum time you should chew your gum. Any time over that could result in jaw muscle exhaustion. Continued excessive gum chewing may even create problems with your jawbone health, known as . Set a timer on your phone if you must, but avoid chewing gum for long periods of time as the harmful effects may outweigh the benefits. (more…)

Interesting Facts about Our Furry (Slimy or Scaly) Friends’ Smiles

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Fluoride Treatment… for Felines

If you are a frequent reader of our . However, did you know it can do the same for cats? Studies show fluoride supplements in cat water can improve their oral health. Keep fluoride away from your puppy though. Fluoride is considered poisonous for dogs.

The 24,972nd Molar: Snail Wisdom Teeth

The average human mouth can hold up to 28 teeth. That’s why when erupt, they typically crowd surrounding teeth or become impacted. Wisdom teeth, called the third molar, come in behind your two back molars on the top and bottom of your smile. Did you know that snails’ mouths, although microscopic, can hold up to 25,000 teeth? Less impressive, armadillos rack up an average of 104 teeth.

Nature’s Feathery Dental Hygienist

The crocodile bird has a tough job. This smile creature hops into the open mouth of a crocodile to remove food particles and parasites. Out of gratitude for alleviating reptile toothache, the crocodile rewards his feathery friend by not eating him. Don’t have a tiny bird to clean your teeth every night? Try flossing daily to prevent plaque buildup and instead.

Severe Pachyderm Teeth Grinding

Teeth grinding for humans can cause serious damage to your teeth and your overall health. Some symptoms of teeth grinding, called bruxism, include earaches, headaches, sensitive teeth, and chipped teeth. Teeth grinding, for elephants, is just all in a day’s work. Overtime, elephants grind their 7 inch molars down to a nub. This is no matter, however, because the elephant will simply grow a new tooth. This happens about six times over the elephant’s lifetime.  (more…)

Sedation Dentistry FAQs Answered by Riverside Dentists

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What is Riverside sedation dentistry?

may use IV sedation.

How can sedation dentistry in Riverside help me?

Sedation dentistry is a great option for patients with dental phobias, patients who need extra help relaxing in the dental chair, or children who are not old enough to sit still during delicate dental procedures. For these patients, we may offer nitrous oxide. The benefit of this sedation method is that the medication will lose its effect quickly after the dental procedure, allowing patients to safely take themselves home without supervision.

What should I know about sedation dentistry?

At your sedation dentistry consultation with your Riverside dentist, we will discuss pre-operative and post-operative instructions. For patients undergoing dental procedures using nitrous oxide or IV sedation, our Riverside dentists recommend avoiding eating at least 2 hours before your procedure, as this may induce nausea. Additionally, patients who have had local anesthesia should not eat or chew gum until the numbness in their mouth wears off. Chewing with a numb mouth could result in dental injury from biting your tongue or cheek, or biting down too hard.  (more…)

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Riverside Dentists Discuss Bad Dental Habits

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Are your habits causing permanent damage to your teeth? Are you unknowingly putting your oral health at risk? More than likely, you engage in at least one behavior that is harmful to your teeth and gums. In fact many of our patients are often surprised to learn how common behaviors actually do harm to oral health. Our team at Dental Associates of Riversideexplains how common habits may negatively impact the health of your teeth, gums, and mouth.

Habit #1: Forgetting to Floss

When you brush your teeth, you are only cleaning about 70 percent of your mouth. Even if you brush your teeth correctly, your toothbrush cannot clean between your teeth effectively. When you floss, you clean the hard to reach areas between your teeth and disrupt plaque buildup along the gum line. When plaque mixes with calculus deposits, it hardens into tartar. By forgetting to floss, you increase the likelihood of tartar buildup which contributes to gum disease. Because plaque can harden into tartar within two days, Dental Associates of Riverside strongly encourages patients to floss at least once a day to maintain a clean, healthy mouth.

Habit #2: Chewing on Hard Objects

Do you chew on ice cubes or pen caps? If you do, you could potentially permanently damage your tooth enamel. When you chew on hard objects other than food, it can wear tiny cracks in your tooth enamel. Over time, the sensitive interior structures of your teeth will become exposed to harmful bacteria. (more…)

Don’t Be So Sensitive! Tips to Relieve Achy Teeth

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Research shows, up to 25% of Americans have had or currently have problems with sensitive teeth. Other studies tell us that dental health professionals report a rise in gum recession, acid erosion, and tooth wear. These factors contribute to sore, achy, sensitive teeth, but they aren’t the only culprits. In this article, your Riverside Dental Associates of Moreno Valley dentists share tips on treating and deterring tooth sensitivity.

Causes of Dental Sensitivity

  • Aggressive brushing
  • Chips, cracks, cavities
  • Faulty dental work
  • Gum recession
  • Internal tooth infection
  • Over-whitening or bleaching
  • Acid erosion
  • Tooth wear (due to bruxism, grinding) (more…)

Holy Halitosis! How to Combat Bad Breath in Riverside

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Bad breath (halitosis) affects, and embarrasses, everyone at some point in life. Smelly foods, like fish, garlic, and curry, have oils that travel to the lungs and lead to bad breath. Other causes include dry mouth, postnasal drip or sinus problems, certain medications, smoking, gingivitis, tooth decay, and volatile sulfur compounds, or VSFs.

You can avoid smelly foods, drink water to moisten your mouth, medicate your sinus issues, and stop smoking, but if halitosis persists, you may need professional help. Halitosis is the third most common reason that people visit the dentist. In up to 90% of cases, bad breath starts in the mouth. Transient bad breath can come and go, but persistent bad breath is a more serious problem that affects about a quarter of adults. (more…)

Dental Specialists in Riverside: Pediatric Dentists

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Multi-Specialty Dental Practice in Riverside

, or gum disease treatment, we have an experienced and knowledgeable dental professional that can help you restore your dental health. Experience and advanced education are what sets our dental team apart. Additionally, we understand that when it comes to your child’s dental care, you want a pleasant experience in a family friendly atmosphere along with quality dentistry services. That’s why our Riverside dental offices tout not one but five different pediatric dentists to meet all of your child’s dental needs.

What is a pediatric dentist?

A pediatric dentist, sometimes referred to as a children’s dentist or a pedodontist, specializes in children’s oral health care. This means that your has taken advanced education courses, gained extensive experience, and learned specific techniques related to children’s teeth.

Why is pediatric dentistry important?

Dental care individual to a child’s needs is important not only because of dental health conditions specific to children, but also to set the stage for a pleasant experience with professional dental care. A child who has had a good experience with a friendly dentist is more likely to continue routine dental checkups and cleanings into his or her adult life.

How can a pediatric dentist can help me?

A children’s dentist can give you seasoned insight on how to help your child achieve optimal oral health, how to spot dental problems early, and how to encourage proper oral hygiene. often focus on cavity prevention with procedures like sealant placement and fluoride treatments. Children’s dentists also pay special attention to developing facial structure, bite shape, and emerging permanent teeth.

Pediatric Dentistry in Riverside

If you would like to learn more about preventing childhood tooth decay, children’s orthodontics, or other pediatric dentistry services, contact our at (951) 369-1001. Our family dentist office serves patients throughout Riverside County, including Corona, Temecula, and Moreno Valley.