Cosmetic Dentistry Blog

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month and three local professionals will donate their time to speak to parents about important health issues and answer questions that concern you.

• Address your dental questions and concerns
• Find out if your child needs braces
• Learn about common misdiagnoses of ADHD and other behavioral disorders that can be eliminated by the right bite to increase brain function
• Find out how Bed Wetting, Ear infections and Sleep Apnea are Dental Related
• Learn about the importance of mouth guards in sports

Speakers: Konstantin Ronkin DMD, LVIF. Courtney Wager RDH. Wes Barton DMD.

The Event will take place at The JFK Elementary School in Canton. 100 Dedham St. Canton, MA 02021. For more information Click Here or Call (781) 330-0900.

Dental hygiene is directly related to your overall physical health. But how can you be sure you are taking proper care of your teeth, mouth and gums? Generally, your teeth and gums should not hurt or bleed, after brushing; your breath should be fresh for a few hours after brushing and eating breakfast. The easiest way to prevent gum disease is to clean your teeth properly, here are some tips:

1. Use the right mouthwash.

If you use alcohol free mouthwash twice a day, you'll slash your risk of gum disease by 60%. Ideally you should aim to rinse for about 30 seconds with a mouthwash that has microbial protection to fight plaque and gingivitis.

2. Floss before you brush.

You should floss before you brush your teeth, rather than after. That way you'll be able to brush away any food that was stuck between your teeth to prevent bacteria from growing.

3. Use the right toothbrush.

Soft or extra soft bristles are best. Using a medium or hard-bristled toothbrush scratches the tissue of your gums away over time, exposes the root surface underneath and leads to possible bone loss.

4. Brush smart.

To really clean your teeth, aim to brush them for a full two minutes. Also brush your tongue and cheeks as well as your teeth to improve the removal of harmful bacteria. Be sure to replace your toothbrush about every three months.

For more oral health tips, or for routine visits, contact Dream Smile Dental.

Now that Halloween has come and gone, your ghouls now have bags full of candy that they want to eat all the time.
   
Relax parents, The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry says Halloween comes once a year and children can enjoy their treats without harm to their teeth, if the snacking is done sensibly.

Believe it or not, candy is no more likely to cause cavities than most other foods. What is important is how often a child eats. When food is eaten, bacteria living in the mouth produce acid. The acid remains in the mouth for 20 minutes after eating. Children who snack or eat frequently then have multiple acid attacks on their teeth that can lead to tooth decay.

Here are some Halloween candy eating tips for your kids:

Limit how much Halloween candy your children eat. Don’t allow them to store their candy in their room, this makes it less tempting.  

Serve Halloween candy right after meals. Allow children to choose one or two pieces of candy after lunch and/or dinner since an acid attack is already underway due to the meal. Also, increased saliva production will help naturally wash away sugary candy particles and reduce the risk of tooth decay.

Offer your children sugarless gum after they enjoy their candy. Sugarless gum, approved by the American Dental Association, increases saliva production and helps wash away candy particles.

Practice good oral hygiene, including brushing teeth  twice daily and flossing once daily.

Visit your child’s pediatric dentist for regular checkups. Pediatric dentists have specialized training and experience caring specifically for children’s teeth.

Following simple dental hygiene, your children can enjoy the treats from Halloween without the dangers of tooth decay. Help them enjoy Halloween candy in moderation while continuing good oral hygiene and regular dental checkups. Contact Dream Smile Dental for a pediatric dentistry appointment.

Halitosis is the technical name for bad breath. Halitosis is the third-most-frequent reason for going to the dentist, behind tooth decay and periodontal disease. The intensity of bad breath changes during the day, because of eating certain foods, obesity, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Bad breath may be transient or persistent. Transient bad breath disappears after eating, brushing, flossing, or rinsing with mouthwash.

Persistent or chronic bad breath is a more serious condition, affecting 25% of the population in varying degrees. At Dream Smile Dental, we have some tips for you to rid yourself of bad breath.

Tongue scraping- Bacteria collects on the tissue of your tongue and causes a bad odor. To avoid this, brush your tongue while brushing your teeth with your tooth brush or a tongue scraper.

Regular flossing- Bacteria can colonize in the gums between the teeth and if not removed at least once per day, an unpleasant odor can result. The solution: Floss at least once per day!

Regular hygiene visits- The hygienist uses special instruments to remove plaque and calculus leaving your teeth biologically sound. A toothbrush and floss alone, no matter how frequently used, cannot reach areas that the dental hygienist can. It’s important to attend regular hygiene visits to stop periodontal disease from developing.
 
Regular Dental Exams- Tooth decay is also a form of disease. Bacteria cause the tooth to erode which releases a foul odor. To detect any untreated decay it’s important to come in for a dental exam at least twice per year.

Regular use of alcohol-free mouthwash- Mouthwash helps lower the level of bacteria that causes bad breath. We recommend using alcohol-free mouthwash to prevent from dry-mouth.

Chewing sugar-free gum with xylitol- Chewing gum helps loosen soft depositing that may accumulate on your teeth after eating and in between brushing.

The right toothbrush- An electric toothbrush is far superior in removing the bacterial layer than a manual toothbrush. Use an electric toothbrush and make sure to replace the head every 3 months.
 

Kids should be taught all about good dental health, beginning with brushing and flossing, and ending with visits to a pediatric dentist twice a year.  Most children understand that they need to brush morning and night. But getting them to go to the dentist may be an entirely different story.

At Dream Smile Dental, we know how hard it is for parents to convince their child to go to the dentist. Inherently, many kids are afraid of the dentist, most likely because they hear adults worrying about it. If your child does not want to go to the dentist, please don’t put it off. Oral health is very important in children and neglecting oral health can lead to other health problems as well as serious oral problems as an adult. Help your child overcome their fear of the dentist.
 
Firstly, don’t let them hear you complaining about going to the dentist, or overhear your fears of the dentist chair. Talking to them about the importance of dental health can have very positive results. Talk to your kids and tell them why it is important to visit the dentist.

Try to make the visit as fun as possible. In fact, at Dream Smile Dental, we have a WII which your child can play as they wait. This may be encouragement enough! Talk to them about our Cavity Free Club. There are many benefits to joining, not the least of which is great oral health. But even better according to the kids, is getting their picture on our website, along with an initiation certificate. If they become the member of the week, they will even have their picture in the newspaper!

Pediatric Dentistry is very important for good oral health. At Dream Smile Dental we want to help you foster this in your children. Contact us with questions or for an appointment today.
 

Dream Smile Dental was honored with one of the most prestigious Invisalign awards this year. After completing over 800 lifetime cases and over 100 cases in the last 6 months, Dream Smile Dental amongst only 15 other doctors in the world were given this status.

“We are very proud to have reached this point and worked really hard to get here. We are glad that our mission to help our patients has contributed to such a successful result”. –Dr. Ronkin and Dr. Shwartzman.

Properly aligned teeth are easier to brush and floss than crowded or crooked teeth. Properly positioned teeth can help gums “fit” more tightly around them, which may lead to better periodontal health. Properly aligned teeth also reduce the risk of expensive procedures required to repair the effects of abnormal force, such as tooth chipping, breaking, or wear; and can be less stressful on the supporting jaw bone and joints. As you can see, straight teeth aren’t only a cosmetic issue but a health issue as well. With the help of Invisalign in combination with neuromuscular orthodontics, Dr. Ronkin has helped many patients beyond just straightening their teeth.
 
Neuromuscular orthodontics can alleviate TMJ symptoms such as headaches, neck pain, back pain, ringing in the ears, tingling of the fingers and many more.
 
For children, neuromuscular orthodontics lays down the foundation for healthy development and prevention of sleep apnea, respiratory disease, heart disease and other illnesses.

Do you have a hard time getting your children to brush their teeth? Is it a battle every time? This task may seem simple enough, until you have to pry open your sweet toddler's mouth on the day he has determined that he no longer wants you to brush his teeth! If you, like most parents, have experienced some difficulty getting your child to cooperate, then try these helpful, affordable dental hints.

Using the child's interests to your advantage works wonders. There are many affordable dental products available that are attractive to children -- you can find an affordable dental toothbrush and affordable dental toothpaste with almost any character that your child loves to watch on TV. If your child has an emotional bond to Minnie Mouse, then buy her an affordable dental toothbrush shaped like Minnie, and when it is time to brush her teeth, let her know that Minnie Mouse wants to help her get her teeth clean!

Try to make your child's brushing experience as fun as possible. If your children like to sing, then create a special song to sing to them for the duration of the brushing. A brushing song also gives them a time frame for how long they should be brushing. Many children want to briskly swipe the toothbrush across their teeth once and call it good -- having a song or chant ready will help them to be a little more thorough.

Letting your kids know that plaque causes cavities that hurt and make it hard to eat might encourage them to be preventive with their dental care for a healthier, more affordable dental future. Contact us today should you need to set up your next dental appointment and be sure to check our out pediatric dental page for more information on children and dental care.

Most people only visit the dentist when there is a problem with their teeth. The mentality is "My teeth don't hurt. Why go to a dentist?" However, visiting a dentist regularly can actually help to prevent tooth pain before it becomes a problem.

The American Dental Association recommends that you visit your dentist every six months. During these regular checkups, your dentist will perform an oral cleaning, X-rays, and a physical examination of your teeth. These measures are taken to prevent tooth decay and catch potential problems early on, before they get out of hand.

You may be saying, "But I take good care of my teeth". This may be true, but despite your efforts to keep your teeth clean by brushing, flossing, and using mouthwash, there are still areas of your teeth that you cannot effectively clean. Visiting a dentist regularly can help to ensure that these areas are cleaned properly preventing tooth decay that often leads to tooth pain.

Tooth pain is an unnecessary situation. The dentists at Dream Smile Dental can ensure that your teeth are healthy and well cared for. However, tooth pain can sometimes be the least of your worries if you continuously skip visits to your dentist. Tooth pain is usually a sign of tooth decay. Although you may not realize it, this can be a very serious situation. Decaying teeth often develop pus-filled pockets called an abscess. An abscess, if addressed early on, can be cured by either antibiotics or by treating the affected tooth. If left untreated, you may risk losing your tooth which can lead to an unhealthy bite as well as digestive problems

Visiting your dentist twice a year can help to prevent problems with your teeth in the future. It also ensures that any existing problems are addressed before they become serious. If you have not seen your dentist recently, consider making an appointment today.

Neuromuscular dentistry is utterly different from traditional dentistry primarily in the aspect that such dentistry deals with the proper positioning of the jaw. On the other hand, only teeth and joints are observed in traditional dentistry.

Such dentistry gains its importance because it is extremely helpful in painful conditions like temporomandibular joint disorders. In a way, it can endow a person with more relaxed and long-term solutions to some other factors like dentures and smile makeovers.

This is important to note that in the exact position and functioning of the jaw, your teeth, joints, and muscles act in a combined manner. A slight disorder and lack of care in any of these parts can create TMJ and painful dental problems. To resolve the issue of the exact positioning of the jaw, neuromuscular dentistry deals in modern technology.

So how is TMJ/TMD related to this type of dentistry?
Treating TMJ/TMD is probably the most important and revolutionary aspect of neuromuscular dentistry. Some painful and intolerable symptoms don't look like dental problems at times but they appear as the consequence of a misaligned jaw. The symptoms of TMJ/TMD are as follows:

- Headaches
- Pain in shoulder or neck
- Lack of sensation in arms and fingers
- Facial pain
- Jaw pain
- Clicking or popping jaw
- Clenching or grinding teeth
- Ringing ears
- jammed ears

In such cases, a neuromuscular dentist employs an electrical neuromuscular stimulation, which is like a massage and comforts the muscles. It also stops spasms and reduces pain.

Compared to traditional dentistry, neuromuscular dentistry is a superior way to treat dental problems. TMJ/TMD treatment reduces your pain. Outcomes are perfect and of long-term n general dentistry, whereas, cosmetic dentistry endows one with an improved look. Contact us today should you need any work done to your teeth or need to set up an appointment for your next visit.