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Last December, we had the amazing experience of visiting orphanages and nutrition centers in Paraguay to provide dental care to children in need. We literally saved lives through procedures ranging from removing abscesses with severe infection to fillings and education about routine oral hygiene. It was an inspiring and life-changing experience for myself and the other participants.

This month, we have the honor of bringing another dental team to Chiang Rai, Thailand to build on the past successes in Paraguay. A team of employees and dentists will travel to remote villages in Thailand to do what we can to raise the level of oral health for children who have most likely never before been exposed to things like toothbrushes or flossing.

Our team will also train the local dental professionals and leave behind much of our equipment so they have the tools and the knowledge to continue the work we’ve started.

We leave on May 17, and I can honestly say I can’t wait. I’ll be in touch soon with images and stories from our experience.

If you’ve recently received the news that you need braces, your
next thought may be about how it will affect your physical appearance. Should
you opt for the old-school metal kind, a ceramic of “tooth-colored” option, or
go with an option like Invisalign?

 You’ll want to weigh quite a few factors in this decision,
including cost, durability and length of time to wear the braces. For example,
ceramic and tooth-colored braces are popular because they blend in with the
color of your teeth, are strong and don’t stain easily. They also don’t tend to
irritate gums the way some metal braces can. But on the other hand, they are
usually more expensive than metal braces, and tend to take longer to treat your
bite than using a metal option.

 Metal braces may get a bad rap as nerdy-looking, but modern
versions can be quite stylish, in shiny silver or gold. They are strong and
tough, and you can liven them up by swapping out the colors of your rubber
bands. Treatment tends to cost a little less and last a little shorter than
other options. But, they certainly are much more visible.

An option like Invisalign has become very popular among my
patients – at least, I get a lot of questions about it! It’s appealing because
it’s almost impossible to tell if someone is wearing braces. But Invisalign (a
strong plastic tray molded to your mouth) is really only for those with minor
orthodontic issues. And none of these orthodontic procedures are entirely
pain-free. After all, we are trying to move your teeth around, and it’s going
to cause a little pressure no matter what.

 Ultimately your choice of braces is up to you – but your
orthodontist, dentist or dental hygienist is a great resource for helping make
that decision.

If your dental professional tells you that you have “xerostomia,” it doesn’t mean you have a bizarre, serious ailment. It means you have a condition colloquially known as “dry mouth,” where your mouth feels persistently dry due to lack of saliva.

Dry mouth is caused by a variety of factors, such as anxiety, alcohol or drug use, smoking or dehydration. It’s also a common side effect of many diseases, treatments, and medications, including chemotherapy, antidepressants and antihistamines.

Dry mouth can be more than just a minor annoyance – it can actually affect the health of your teeth. Saliva controls bacteria and fungi in your mouth, which helps prevent tooth decay. If your saliva isn’t naturally washing away food particles, that can lead to bacterial growth.

While usually you can resolve the problem with an adjustment of your type or dosage of medication, it’s important to ask your dentist and hygienist for their input. They may also prescribe a special mouthwash, or advise you to use a saliva substitute. And they’ll definitely remind you to drink plenty of water!

While we all know how important regular visits to the dentist are, most people don’t actually enjoy them. Aside from being knocked out which isn’t generally recommended for a simple dental appointment, I’ve seen a few ways that my patients have successfully tuned out which clearly makes the appointment go faster and more smoothly.

Rock the iPod. Listening to music has so many valuable uses. It can make us run faster on the treadmill, feel better after a bad incident or dance the night away. No matter what kind of music you like, listening to some of your favorite tunes can take you to a much happier place. So bring that iPod with you, hit play, and dream of a world far away as your dentist cleans and beautifies your pearly whites.

Warm Neck Wrap. A warm neck wrap that will enhance your relaxation during treatment will also help you tune out the unpleasantness that you may be feeling. It can be soothing, and if the room is cold, it will keep you toasty as well!

Catch Up On Your Favorite Soaps. Some dental offices even have a TV above the chair, so as you’re getting your dental services done, you can find out what soap Susan Lucci is currently on, or find out who killed Marlene on Days of Our Lives.

In fact, it is! As long as a few guidelines are followed. There have been quite a few studies done on the topic, and some do show that chewing gum can have an indirect positive effect on your teeth. Gum stimulates production of saliva which is a natural buffering agent that washes the teeth and neutralizes some of the acid produced by bacteria which is what erodes enamel and eventually causes cavities.

And if you’re one of those people who doesn’t produce enough saliva in general, gum can help here too! Chew gum for 10 minutes every hour for two weeks and you can actually increase your salivary flow to a functional level which will lead to an increased buffering capacity.

However, as I said, it’s important to remember a few guidelines. Since gum typically contains some type of sweetener, be sure to avoid the ones containing sugar. Artificial sweeteners like Xylitol are a much better choice and some can actually prevent cavities. Sugar can be harmful to your teeth if you chew gum with sugar too often or, interestingly, if you remove the gum from your mouth too soon. So if you must chew gum with sugar, chew it for at least 15 to 20 minutes. After this time, the sugar is gone, but the saliva is sufficiently stimulated to rinse away some of the sugar residue.

But the better choice: sugar-free gums.

No one likes to be the office goody-two-shoes who brushes their teeth in the employee bathroom after lunch, but with the amount of time the average person spends at work, taking care of your teeth is an inevitable activity at work. As we all know, food sitting on teeth and in between teeth leads to decay and cavities so it’s time to get past our fear of taking care of our teeth at work and take a few steps to sparklier teeth!

Bring your toothbrush to work. It may feel dorky to be that person in the employee bathroom standing over the sink with a toothbrush, but it’s not. Brushing your teeth at work does not make you the office geek; it makes you the office star with the sparkliest teeth and healthiest mouth.

Chew Gum. Somewhat counterintuitive, chewing gum can actually be good for your teeth. As long as its sugar free, chewing gum stimulates saliva production and neutralizes acids in the mouth that can cause tooth decay and cavities. So after that soup and sandwich, pop in a piece of minty goodness and do go for those chompers!

Mouthwash. If you really don’t want to brush at the office but are willing to do a bit more than chewing gum, try mouthwash. Rinsing for even 20-30 seconds will make a difference, and it can be less conspicuous than the full on tooth brushing. Plus it’ll help rid you of that garlic breath you’ve got from eating pesto with garlic bread for lunch!

No one appreciates how easy it is to brush and floss as much as someone who has had braces. There’s no way around it - brushing with braces is an involved process. Wires, rubber bands and various other tooth-flexing appliances can really get in the way when you are trying to clean your teeth. As difficult as it can be, however, daily care is the only way to make sure that the straight smile you have at the end will still be healthy and white.

Here are three ways you can make this process easier:

1.       Start by flossing.Many people save flossing for last, but it’s easy to have food particles get caught in you braces during the process. By flossing first, you’ll ensure that these particles are cleaned away when you brush.

2.       Next, use your regular brush.Even though there are hard to reach places, your regular toothbrush will get most of the surfaces and help break loose anything between the wires and your teeth.

3.       Use your proxabrush (or as one of my young patients calls it, the tiny bottle brush). Despite what many think, the proxabrush is not just for when there is something wedged between braces, it should be used during every brushing.

No matter what you do, properly cleaning your teeth with braces will take a little more time. Just remind yourself that it’s only for a time and that the smile you’ll have at the end will make it all worth it.

Most people don’t think about tooth injuries until they sustain one, which is obviously a problem if the injury is serious and you need to act quickly.

The most common injury is to a tooth that has a filling or crown. These are far more likely to break or chip, because they are not as strong as the real thing. These can sometimes be damaged by something as simple as hard or sticky food. You’ll want to get this kind of damage taken care of sooner than later, but there’s no need for immediate concern.

Another common cause of tooth injury is sports related head and face trauma. As you would probably guess, the more physical contact there is in the sport, the more likely the injury. Basketball is one of the most common culprits, (even though it’s “non-contact”) because so few players wear a mouth guard. If you do sustain a serious injury, (such as a tooth fracture or knocked out tooth) contact a dentist right away to avoid permanent damage.

Of course, the best way to take care of a tooth injury is to avoid it! Wear a mouth guard if you are playing a sport that could result in an injury. You can pick them up for a few dollars at a sporting goods store, or we can even have one custom made for you if you’d like something more comfortable.

Several people have been asking me about tooth whitening lately, so I thought it would be a great topic to explore here in the blog. The rise in the number of questions I’m getting about whitening treatments probably has something to do with the rise of options on the market – whitening toothpaste, trays, strips, mouthwash, professional options – there’s no question that teeth whitening is on peoples’ minds. 

Here are a few things to consider if you are planning to whiten your teeth:
No option is “best” for everyone. Some people can get great results with a few uses of whitening strips; others may need something more intensive. The best option for your specific smile can often vary based on the kind of stain you are trying to treat. Some are better for simply whitening your teeth a few shades, while others are better for specific stains. Choosing the wrong one can potentially make matters worse, as some treatments can make spot-stains look even more noticeable rather than less.

My best advice? Ask your dentist before you decide something on your own. We’ll give you our honest opinion on what will work best for your smile.

We’re committed to our philosophy of providing “Smiles For Everyone” in everything we do – whether that’s a mission trip to Paraguay, or a day of giving free dental care to kids from the community near our Aurora, Colorado office, like we did recently.

On Sunday, February 26, our Aurora office welcomed 26 children from the Denver Children’s Home into the office to receive complimentary dental services. Additionally, our staff was able to treat 6 parents who were in the waiting room. We did everything from routine cleanings to wisdom teeth extraction and orthodontics, including giving one child a free set of braces.

The dental staff team members who gave their time and participated were overjoyed to have made such a difference. Jodi V. Taylor, the office manager of the Aurora office, told me how touched she was by the excitement that one boy had that his mother was getting her work done.

“He was so happy that she too could be seen, and he held her hand through her entire visit,” Jodi told me.

The kids had the opportunity for face-painting and crafts while they waited for their turn to be seen. We were astonished at how they used this as an outlet to show their appreciation. One girl made “thank you” bracelets for Dr. Vidhya Sampath and her assistant, and other children drew thank you cards for the staff.

“This definitely was one of my best Sundays in a long time,” Dr. Sampath told me.

It was an immensely rewarding experience for us as dental health providers. I hope we’ll have the opportunity to give back to the community in an office near you soon.