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Brushing your teeth regularly is one of the most crucial parts of maintaining good oral health, and perhaps the most fundamental, however, there are also other elements involved. Flossing, for instance, is also vital; some experts would say, and Dr. Gregory Weaver and our team would agree, that it holds just as much importance as brushing your teeth. To give you a better idea of why, here are some reasons that flossing is so vital to your oral health.

Getting in-between the Teeth

While brushing your teeth effectively cleans all of the areas of your teeth that are visible, or otherwise not touching, flossing is vital because it reaches all of the areas between your teeth that you cannot see, and subsequently cannot clean using a toothbrush. These areas are among the most sensitive and vulnerable parts of your mouth because they are most susceptible to plaque and tartar buildup.

Reducing Bad Breath

It is not uncommon for someone who brushes their teeth once or twice a day to still have bad breath. The reason being is that bad breath is often created by smelly bacteria that lives in between your teeth, as well as other areas of your mouth that are not accessible using a toothbrush. And that is why flossing is one of the best ways to reduce or eliminate bad breath. Still skeptical? Try flossing your teeth with unscented floss, then smell it after, that awful scent is the source of your bad breath. Coupled with frequent brushing of your teeth, you will find that flossing can really help that stinky breath.

Brushing your teeth twice a day is hard enough, add flossing on top and it can be difficult to establish a regular habit. However, doing so is totally worth it; just look at the aforementioned reasons why. Use these for motivation the next time you don’t feel like flossing, and let us know if it worked at your next visit to our Raleigh, NC office.

We mark special times throughout the year to encourage better oral health, like Dental Hygiene Month, and Children’s Dental Health Month, and even National Root Canal Day! This July 21st is National Junk Food Day, and we couldn’t let it pass without some healthy ideas to help you make the best of this not-so-dentally-healthy day.

What makes junk food unhealthy? Most of the foods in this category have high levels of sugars, starches, salts, or fats, which aren’t good for your body in large quantities. When it comes to your dental health in particular, some junk foods are worse than others because they are actively destructive to your tooth enamel.

Foods like candy, cookies, doughnuts, chips, energy drinks, sports drinks, and sodas can have large amounts of sugar, starch, and acid. And a diet filled with sugars, starches, and acids puts your tooth enamel under constant attack. 

The bacteria in plaque make acids from the sugars and starches (which break down into sugars) in our diets. These acids then erode the mineral crystals which give our enamel its strength, leaving weak spots which can deepen and become cavities. A steady diet of sweet and starchy foods for you creates a steady diet of sugar for cavity-causing bacteria. 

Just like the acids produced by bacteria can erode tooth enamel, acids in food can also strip away the minerals which keep your enamel strong. Sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks, and many fruit juices are often both sugary and highly acidic, making them very damaging to tooth enamel.

So, let’s spend a few moments today to discuss how you can enjoy a bit of junk food every now and then and still take good care of your teeth.

• Limit Sugars, Starches, and Acids

We don’t just mean limiting the number of treats you eat in a day. It’s also a good idea to limit treats to certain times as well. Eat desserts with meals, when saliva production is higher, to help wash away sugary and starchy food particles. Acidic drinks, when sipped throughout the day, are like bathing your teeth in acids. Better to drink a soda or sports drink in one sitting and drink or rinse with water after! 

• Brush after Eating Sticky Sugary and Starchy Foods

Sticky foods filled with sugars and starches are double jeopardy for your tooth enamel. Not only are they the foods of choice for plaque bacteria, they also tend to stick to your enamel and between your teeth, giving cavity-causing bacteria more time to work. An after-treat brushing will get rid of any sugary or starchy leftovers as well as removing built up plaque.

• —But Don’t Brush Too Soon After Acidic Foods and Drinks

When you eat or drink something acidic, your enamel is more vulnerable to damage immediately afterward because acids remove minerals from tooth enamel. If you brush right away, even soft bristles can be abrasive. Wait about 60 minutes to brush, which gives your tooth surface time to get strong again with the enamel-building minerals found in saliva. 

• Make Water Part of Your Healthy Diet

Easy, available, inexpensive—what’s not to like about water? Oh, and it’s also healthy for your teeth! Rinsing with water after a treat helps remove lingering food particles and acids. And drinking water when you’re thirsty helps you produce saliva. Saliva not only rinses our teeth, it helps neutralize acids and helps replace calcium and phosphate minerals which may have been stripped away by acids.

This July 21st, we’re not really celebrating junk food—we’re celebrating all the things you do to protect your oral health. So, whether you’re indulging today or not, keep your teeth their healthiest by making junk food a rare treat, keeping up with your daily brushing and flossing, and seeing your dentist regularly for checkups and cleanings. Let’s make National Junk Food Day just another day in a year filled with healthy smiles!

Not many people look forward to going to the dentist, especially if you already know that you need dental work done. A small amount of anxiety is one thing, but dental phobia, or odontophobia, is something else entirely. It is an irrational fear of going to the dentist. If you have it, you might be unable to force yourself to go to the dentist, even if you are suffering from bad tooth pain. The effects of dental phobia can be serious, but there are ways to overcome your fear of the dentist to help you achieve and maintain good oral health.

Causes of Dental Phobia

You can develop dental phobia for a variety of reasons, including the following.

• Fear of pain, which you might acquire based on others’ horror stories of their trips to the dentist.
• Fear of needles, such as those used to provide anesthesia.
• A previous bad experience, when something went wrong and pain was intolerable.
• Lack of control from not knowing what is happening or how uncomfortable a procedure might be.

Consequences of Dental Phobia

Avoiding the dentist can have long-term consequences. When caught early, tooth decay is easily stopped with a minor filling. If you let the decay go, you can end up losing your tooth and have chronic pain. A dentist can also check for early signs of gum disease, which, if left untreated, could lead to losing one or more teeth.

Even if you do not have a particular problem, going to a dentist for regular cleanings is a good idea because the hygienist can point out where you need to brush better and remove the plaque from your teeth.

Getting Over Fear of the Dentist

Most patients with dental phobia can get over their condition. These are some approaches that Dr. Gregory Weaver and our team recommend:

• Explain each step of the process
• Let you know that you can stop the procedure at any time
• Encourage you to come with a family member or friend
• Help you with deep breathing techniques

Sports and energy drinks cause irreversible damage to the teeth of teens and young adults. A recent study published in General Dentistry states that energy and sports drinks contain so much acid that they begin destroying teeth after only five days of consistent use. According to the Academy of General Dentistry, an estimated 30 percent to 50 percent of U.S. teenagers consume energy drinks and as many as 62 percent consume at least one sports drink per day. The high acidity levels in the drinks erode tooth enamel and the result is irreversible damage.

Dr. Gregory Weaver and our team at Weaver Dentistry encourage our patients to limit their intake of sports drinks. The enamel erosion ultimately makes teeth more susceptible to bacteria and that can lead to hypersensitivity, staining, and tooth decay. If you do consume an energy or sports drink, make sure to wait at least 45 minutes until you brush, as consumption of acidic drinks causes tooth enamel to soften, making teeth more vulnerable to wear from the abrasives found in toothpaste.

Tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease, five times more common than asthma. It’s also preventable with proper care. Dr. Gregory Weaver and our team can help identify early signs of erosion and offer solutions on how to prevent further damage and more serious problems from occurring.