A healthy lifestyle is important to you, so you’re sure to see your doctor at least once a year for a checkup, you eat a salad every day for lunch, and you maintain the right balance between work and your life at home. But there’s one habit you’re having a hard time breaking – eliminating soda. The fizzy drink is hard to say no to, and I understand how tempting it can be. But did you know that soda can be detrimental to your smile for more reasons than you might expect? That’s why I’d like to share my favorite alternative (that’s just as tasty) – seltzer water.

How Does Soda Impact Your Smile & Overall Health?

Although this beverage is popular, it can be harmful. Soda can negatively affect your smile – and your entire body – in the following ways:

• Tooth Decay & Cavities – Most patients know that soda is laden with sugar that leads to tooth decay and can exacerbate gum disease.
• Calcium Deficiency – Since the caffeine in many carbonated beverages leaches calcium from your bones throughout your entire body, it can make your teeth weak, too.
• Diabetes – The same sugary taste that causes cavities can eventually lead to diabetes if you indulge with soda too often. Remember – there is a connection between diabetes and tooth loss, and since I want to keep your smile bright and healthy, it’s best to avoid this beverage.   Even diet soft drinks are a problem because the artificial sugar satisfies and perpetuates a ‘sugar addiction,’ by tricking our brains. Although these sugar substitutes are better than real sugar, they should also be avoided if possible.
• Crash & Burn – Even if you don’t have blood sugar problems, soda can cause you to crash and burn because of its high glycemic index number – its liquid nature is quickly absorbed, giving you the instant (but short term) pick-me-up you may be searching for, but leading to a crash just a short time later.

How Is Seltzer Water Better Than Soda?

Since seltzer water is fizzy and is naturally unsweetened, it’s one of my favorite alternatives to soda. And, many brands of this fizzy treat are naturally packed with minerals that can make a positive impact on your smile. You can enjoy seltzer water in many ways – try some of these great recipes to make yourself more familiar with this excellent, smile-friendly beverage.

To recap, try seltzer instead of soda to keep your smile happy, and come see me for a professional exam and cleaning. It’s my goal to keep your pearly whites radiant, so schedule your appointment today!

You take good care of yourself – you eat organic produce from Whole Foods, you alternate between yoga and interval training at least four times a week, you reduce your stress by meditating, and you floss twice a day. You do all this because you know an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to your health. You’d love to find a dentist in Erlanger who shares your philosophy, and you’ll be pleased to know that I do. In fact, I believe that the best dentistry is no dentistry, and that preventive dental care is essential to a healthy smile, and a healthy body. In this post, I’ll teach you about the importance of preventive oral healthcare, as well as what you can do at home to keep your smile bright.

What Is Preventive Dental Care?

Preventive dentistry is the practice of caring for your teeth and gums to keep them healthy. This means maintaining a good oral hygiene regimen at home (like brushing and flossing properly), and seeing your dentist at least twice a year for professional exams and cleanings. You and I will work as a team to prevent cavities, gum disease, and enamel problems in my office and at home. I’ll also use the methods below on a case by case basis:

• Fluoride Treatments
• Dental Sealants
• Dental Sleep Apnea Therapy
• Nightguards for Bruxism (grinding)
• Sports Mouthguards
• Oral Cancer Screenings
• TMJD Treatment (jaw dysfunction)

Why Should I See You For Preventive Care?

As your holistic dentist in Erlanger, I believe that overall health starts in the mouth, and then radiates throughout the rest of the body. I take the time to consider your physical, mental, and emotional well-being, and the effects these components have on your smile. By looking at your entire picture of health, I’m able to provide the most comprehensive dental care in Erlanger.

Why Is Preventive Dental Care Important For Me?

Preventive care is the most important aspect of ensuring a healthy smile, and a healthy body. Maintaining good oral health helps by:

• Preventing dental problems like cavities, gum disease, and tooth loss.
• Reducing your risk of heart disease by treating gum inflammation and infection.
• Preventing premature birth and low birth weight if you’re trying to conceive.
• Allowing for early detection and treatment of oral cancers.

What Preventive Dental Care Tips Will Keep My Smile Bright?

Although I love restoring smiles to their former glory with life-like dental implants, tooth-colored fillings, and root canal therapy, I’d much rather help you stay ahead of dental problems with preventive care. I recommend these strategies to keep your smile healthy:

• 2×2 – Brush gently for two minutes, twice a day, and floss while you’re at it. Need to brush up on your technique? Watch these tutorial videos on brushing and flossing to make sure you’re doing this correctly.
• Eat Healthy – Limit sugar in foods and beverages (like sodas and fruit juices) and enjoy high-protein snacks. Make water your beverage of choice, and load up on leafy greens and dairy products that are chock full of calcium for strong teeth and bones – say cheese, too, since this savory treat helps reduce your risk of cavities.
• See Your Dentist Twice a Year – There’s no substitute for professional oral healthcare. Since professional dental exams can diagnose 120 health conditions, I can see if there are bigger issues that are affecting more than just your smile when I take care of you every six months.

Now that you know that my dental philosophy is about preventing problems before they start, and how we can work together to keep your smile healthy, schedule your appointment today!

The sunshine and warm weather of summer puts a smile on our faces, and makes us all want to go outside and have fun. One of the best summer pastimes is lounging by your local pool, especially if you have children. Taking your kids to the pool and letting them swim is a great way to pass summer hours, get them out of the house, and sneak in some relaxation time for yourself.

Recently, a patient shared a summer swimming experience with me. One summer she took her children to the pool for a relaxing family afternoon. As she lay pool side soaking up the sun, her daughter expertly swam laps. She felt so proud of her little fish. Then, her daughter wasn’t swimming anymore. The patient’s daughter pulled herself out of the pool, holding her mouth and crying. She miscalculated the distance to the wall and chipped her teeth. In the blink of an eye, their relaxing afternoon turned into a dental disaster.

That’s how easily accidents can happen, generally, when you least expect them. Fortunately, dental accidents like these can be repaired. My patient’s daughter has a smile as good as new and you would never know she’d chipped her teeth. If you or your loved ones need help restoring your smile, I will work with you to determine the right fix, and get it done fast. Summertime is for family fun and relaxation. Don’t let fear of a potential dental accident stop your summer fun. Accidents happen, let me worry about how to get your smile back in line.

Cosmetic options like Invisalign, Snap-On Smile, and porcelain veneers have rapidly become some of the most popular aesthetic dental treatments in America, and it’s easy to see why. Teeth that are straight, white, and healthy are coveted and revered not only in the world of celebrity, but at every level of socioeconomic status. This is because, according to recent studies, an attractive smile is considered indicative of various desirable qualities and characteristics. In fact, research has shown that Americans perceive individuals with straight teeth to be up to 58 percent more likely to be wealthy and successful as compared to those with teeth that are gapped, crooked or diseased.

Other characteristics attributed to men and women with beautiful teeth include:

• Good health
• Intelligence
• Friendliness
• Confidence
• Active social life and popularity
• Trustworthiness

In addition to this, believe it or not, research also shows that people with attractive smiles were judged to earn an average of $15,000 more per year than they actually did. They were also deemed 10 percent more likely to land a good job and 57 percent more apt to be asked on a date based upon a picture alone. Even more surprisingly, 87 percent of men and women stated that they would gladly give up something they enjoyed for an entire year – including vacations and dessert – if it meant that they could have a beautiful smile for life.

Of course, a smile is, by its very nature, an expression of happiness and friendliness. We’re inherently inclined to share it freely with those that are closest to us in moments of joy, camaraderie, and humor.  Today, I had a husband of a patient for whom I recently did veneers.  He noticed that she was smiling a lot lately and thought he was the source of her happiness.  Then he realized that she was smiling more because she liked her smile.  It’s just interesting, sometimes, to pause and reflect on what that smile really communicates to the world around us.

I feel that the camera brings out my inner critic every time. Having your photograph taken can be a fun experience, especially if you feel confident in the appearance of your smile. However, if you feel self-conscious about how your teeth will look through the exacting lens of the camera, the entire experience may prove stressful and unpleasant. Believe it or not, the way we perceive ourselves just before the click of the shutter makes a huge difference in the end result.

It’s a secret that all great photographers know: it’s incredibly difficult to look good in a photo if you don’t feel great about yourself mentally, emotionally, and physically. Sure, there are digital tools and special lighting techniques that can mask flaws or enhance the image quality, but no amount of Photoshop trickery can produce a radiant glow or a sincere expression. That inner spark and that visible confidence have to come from you.

Some people avoid the camera like the plague, while others love it so much that one wonders if there might be a touch of narcissism at hand. Regardless, one fact will never change: a photograph is a timeless representation of a single moment, captured in an instant. Making the camera your friend is sometimes just a simple matter of acceptance, settling into the knowledge that your healthy, happy smile truly is a treasure for all to see. When you love your smile, it shows. Give the world a real glimpse into who you are, and share your smile openly. Worth far more than a thousand words, your portrait will surely speak for itself.