Want Whiter Teeth?

Brush Less! Sounds crazy right? A recent study by the American Dental Association (ADA) showed many people believed you need to brush after every meal to keep your teeth white. The American Dental Association recommends you only brush twice a day. Why? When you brush your teeth after every meal or snack you are damaging the enamel on your teeth. 

If you feel the need to brush your teeth, try chewing on a piece of sugar free gum. Chewing gum helps increase saliva flow, which protects teeth.

Holiday Dental Emergencies: An Ounce of Prevention

Ok, so in reality, no one can actually plan for a toothache. It generally presents as a surprise; completely unplanned,  robbing us of a wonderful holiday experience or a weekend trip or even a couple of nights of good sleep.  The best thing is always prevention but in some cases, things happen and you find yourself in need of a dentist, pronto!  And worse,  it's 6PM on Christmas Eve.  I'm not going to lie, if that is the case then you are in a bit of a spot. Your option at that point is probably the ER.   But a little bit of advance planning can save you a lot of pain, both physical and financial.  Here are some of my best ideas for preventing those holiday dental emergencies.

• Plan a cleaning and exam sometime in late November or December.  Chances are an exam will reveal any potential problems and you can ward them off with early treatment. 
• Check with your dentist's office (just a quick phone call) and find out what their holiday hours will be.  You never know if you or a family member will have a dental emergency. 
• Always call your dentist's office at the first sign of a problem.  Even if they are closed, they may be on call or have an answering service and if nothing else, he/she can get you an antibiotic if necessary.  If the dentist is unavailable, however, the ER may still be your only option.
• If you have a problem tooth and it's been nagging you for weeks but you just haven't had the time to go to the dentist....now is the time. Don't put it off.  Generally, the way they see it at the dentist's office is that "A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on our part".  Not cool, but seriously, you should get it fixed ASAP!  

It happens.  Life, that is. Inasmuch as no one can plan for a toothache caused by the occasional loss of a filling or crown or a cracked tooth, prevention can go a long way toward not having your holiday ruined by tooth pain.  Take the extra time this season and get that exam you've been putting off!  You'll likely be glad you did.  

Keep smiling! 

Can Sugar Free Things Still Damage Your Teeth?

You may think that since your soda's, energy drinks and candy bar's say "sugar -free" that they are automatically better for your teeth. Sorry to say but according to recent research, they can still damage your teeth.

Australian researchers tested 23 sugar free and sugar containing products such as sports drinks and so on. They found that even if they say sugar free, the acidic additives and low pH  levels still harm the teeth.

According to Eric Reynolds the CEO of the Oral Health Cooperative Research Center at Melbourne University said his colleagues and himself found most soft and sports drinks caused dental enamel to soften by 30-50 percent. Both by sugar free and sugar containing drinks and flavored mineral waters caused measurable loss of tooth surface.

Remember cutting down on your sugar intake isn't always good for your teeth! Always check the list of  acidic ingredients on drinks before you buy! Knowing what to look for can end up saving your teeth and smile!

Click here to see Mr. Reynolds tips on how to protect your teeth!

Dental Patients: Don't Be Afraid To Ask Questions

Just about everyday I get a call from one of our members that has questions about the work that dentist recommended. It is not that they are necessarily questioning the work that has been advised, more times than not it is a case where the patient is confused as to what the dentist wants to do. More times that not my response is "Have you asked your dentist about this?". Surprisingly, the majority of the time the answer is "no". After a while, it started to make me wonder what the apprehension is to ask to the dentist, so I started to ask about it. Here are some of the reason that I have been given.

1. I don't want to offend the dentist.
2. I don't want to make the think I am questioning his ability.
3. I don't want to waste the dentist's time.
4. I was too embarrassed

These are just a few of the ones that I have heard. Whatever your reason is for not asking questions it is something that I would strongly advise that you overcome and just ask the questions. It is no different than when you are talking to your general doctor. When you are discussing whatever treatment that they want to do, I am willing to bet that the majority of you ask questions and explore options. It no different with dental work. The work that is being done to your mouth is important to your health and at times can be a rather large investment. Ultimately the decision of what treatment is performed is up to you and there is no better decision than and informed decision.

I am confident that I can speak for the dentist when I say that they prefer that you ask the questions. I have never heard of a dentist getting offended by it, nor have I heard of a dentist complaining that it is a waste of their time. You can ask for questions without questioning their ability and there is nothing to be embarrassed about. Dentists do not expect you to know every term and everything thing involved in your treatment plan. Also, I have learned over the years that dentists themselves are more comfortable working on a patient that has a clear understanding of what is being done.

So again, don't be afraid to ask your dentists questions. They know better than anyone else what the actual condition of your dental health is.

VIDEO BLOG: New Video From Santa!

Don't miss out on the great items that Santa left in his bag for you. You can ONLY see them at www.SavonDentalPlan.com. Check out this video where tells you all about it!

Could Diet Soda Be As Bad For Your Teeth As Sugary Soda?

The answer is yes!  In fact, diet sodas contain artificial chemicals and acids that can be bad for the body altogether, as well as your teeth.  We all know that sugary drinks such as soda and fruit blends can be harmful to the enamel on teeth, but studies have shown that diet soda and it's acidic additives such as phosphoric, tartaric and citric acids can be equally as harmful.

For prevention of tooth erosion, limit your intake of acidic beverages (these include soda, diet soda, fruit juices and citrus juices..) If you are going to drink them, it is best to do it with a meal, then rinse or brush shortly afterward. According to research, Tap Water (typically fluoridated) Root Beer, Coffee and Black Tea are among the better choices for acidic drinks..  Milk is also a good choice. The compounds in these drinks are less harmful than other, more acidic drinks. Also, the routine of brushing your teeth twice per day with an enamel strengthening toothpaste can help ward off erosion.

It's really all about moderation and common sense.  Obviously if you drink a dozen diet drinks in a day, or sip fruit drinks like lemonade and grapefruit juice all day, you're going to damage your teeth over time!  Just be smart about your choices and you'll keep that pearly smile for many years to come.

Member Question - Blood Thinners And My Dental Procedure?

Member's Question:
“I am in my 70's and I have been on blood thinners for a few years now.  I have been going to the same dentist for quite sometime and have only needed cleanings and minor fillings.  The last time I went in, he decided that I needed to have a tooth extracted but would not do it at this visit because of the blood thinners.  If they can do all of the other work, why can't they just pull the tooth?”

Savon's Answer:
You are taking blood thinning drugs (antiplatelet or anticoagulant) to maintain the consistency of blood and prevent blood clotting.  These make the blood thin enough to flow through fine vessels and this reduced consistency can be dangerous in case of deep wounds or surgeries.

For dental procedures that do not involve cutting — like fillings, whitening, or cleaning — it is relatively safer for you to continue using blood thinners than to give up the medication completely.  That’s because, there are a number of local measures (like using gauze) which can be applied to control bleeding.

Sometimes, patients using blood thinners need major dental surgery or procedure like implantation, extraction, or root canal.  As always, the benefits and potential risks of stopping the blood thinners must be analyzed and weighed.  Dentists might require conducting a series of blood tests to determine the consistency of the blood, and prescribe some pre-treatment medication to the patient.

Although it is very rare in dentistry to cause critical or life threatening complexities, it is important to inform the dentist about blood thinners before going for a dental procedure.  Not only about anticoagulant medications, but you should also discuss with the dentists about every medicine you are taking.  While people using anticoagulant medications can have dental work, dentists recommend patients to share their health record with them.

(the content of this blog was originally posted in our December 2015 newsletter in the article "Here's Your Answer")