Chicago Dentist

A cosmetic treatment that has become increasingly popular in recent times and with the increase of various celebrities with sparkling perfect smiles most of us feel motivated or even compelled to get a similar sparkling pearly white smile. With the demand on the increase for teeth whitening procedures there has also been an additional amount of locations that make available these types of services. Teeth whitening by beauty salons has turned highly popular and teeth whitening by beauty salons has become highly sought after and are being highly publicized as a less costly as well as more effective than going to a visit to your local dentist.

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Dental flossing technique. The information found on this page provides instructions for what we would consider a good tooth flossing technique. It’s one that is thorough and one that should be able to keep you in good dental health, if practiced daily. We’d suggest that you study our description of this technique and then demonstrate your interpretation of our instructions to your dentist or dental hygienist. This way they can refine your flossing technique as needed, and also give you tips and pointers that may help you use dental floss more effectively in specific locations in your mouth.

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When using dental floss, think in terms of using the floss to scrub as much of the surface of each tooth as is possible. When reading Dental-Picture-Show.com’s flossing instructions take note of their description about pulling the dental floss up against the side of each tooth being cleaned. The vast majority of people, including those who do use dental floss regularly, simply do not have a grasp of this concept. Dental floss is intended to clean teeth by way of scrubbing dental plaque off their surface. Effective flossing is not accomplished by just placing dental floss between teeth. Effective flossing involves placing dental floss between your teeth and then drawing it up against the side of each tooth individual tooth and scrubbing as much of its surface as is possible.

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ABC’s Good Morning America did a piece last month on dental bleaching at kiosks in malls. They claim that the kiosks are popping-up in malls across the country. I have not been in a mall since probably 1996 but I will assume they are correct and report what they found. ABC News’ Cincinnati affiliate WCPO investigated some mall bleaching kiosks using hidden cameras to uncover what goes on in the booths. The promise? Whiter teeth in just 30 minutes for a fraction of the price a dentist would charge. It’s not a dentist office, it’s a mall. People are getting their teeth whitened in a corridor, wedged between a jewelry story and a makeup shop.

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Bad Breath is an embarrassing problem. Many of us would have suffered from bad breath at some point in our lives. Bad Breath is usually caused by the breakdown of proteins by bacteria somewhere in the mouth. Bad breath is not contagious, meaning you cannot catch it from someone else. Chronic bad breath, known as Halitosis, does not come from the stomach. The only odor that comes from the stomach is when you burp. Food eaten such as garlic and spicy foods once absorbed into the body can release odor through the lungs when you breathe. Food odors are transitory and should not be confused with bad breath. Human’s sense of smell has the ability to adjust to odor. Therefore, most people with halitosis are not aware of their bad breath.

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Bad breath is breath that has an unpleasant odor. It’s also known as halitosis. This odor can strike from time to time, or it can be long-lasting, depending on the cause. Millions of bacteria live in the mouth, particularly on the back of the tongue. In many people, they are the primary causes of bad breath. The mouth’s warm, moist conditions are ideal for the growth of these bacteria. Most bad breath is caused by something in the mouth. Some types of bad breath are considered to be fairly normal. They usually are not health concerns. One example is “morning mouth.” This occurs because of changes in your mouth while you sleep. During the day, saliva washes away decaying food and odors. The body makes less saliva at night. Your mouth becomes dry, and dead cells stick to your tongue and to the inside of your cheeks. When bacteria use these cells for food, they produce a foul odor.

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Don’t let your tongue become a dirty carpet.

Bad breath often strikes when people aren’t properly taking care of their oral health. The odor is usually caused by decaying food particles and bacteria in your mouth. That’s why brushing and flossing your teeth is so important, but don’t forget to gently brush your tongue to get rid of even more bacteria.

Dentist Chicago

How Does What You Eat Affect Breath?

Basically, all the food you eat begins to be broken down in your mouth. As foods are digested and absorbed into your bloodstream, they are eventually carried to your lungs and given off in your breath. If you eat foods with strong odors (such as, garlic or onions), brushing and flossing - even mouthwash - merely covers up the odor temporarily. The odor will not go away completely until the foods have passed through your body.

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Judging a person’s breath by way of organoleptic testing simply means that the researcher performing the breath evaluation has used their sense of smell (their nose) as the means for making the determination. Historically this method of breath testing has been a frequent choice among dental researchers. Noses are readily available, inexpensive to obtain and operate, and to their credit, noses can detect up to 10,000 different smells. One of the problems associated with using organoleptic testing is that this technique is not totally objective. Another is that factors other than just breath odors can and do influence organoleptic evaluations. In fact research has shown that factors such as hunger, menstrual cycle, head position, and the degree of attentiveness and expectation can each influence a judge’s interpretation of what they smell.

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We all know that it is important to brush.  In fact, it is something that one must do regularly to maintain good dental health.  There is often confusion on how to brush, when to brush and whether there is more to do than just routine brushing.  This topic on how to brush is discussed in an article that I wrote several months back.  Since this topic is so important, I though that I would direct you to read it once again.

You can read the article on How To Brush by visiting http://www.chicago-dental.com/how_to_brush_teeth.php.  I know that you will find the information to be helpful.

Take care and I will talk with you soon.

Many people ask me what kind of toothbrush they should buy.  Should I buy an electric toothbrush or just a regular toothbrush, like a manual toothbrush?  Well, it really doesn’t matter.  I always say buy the brush that you like the best.  There are different kinds – personally I like the electric toothbrush the best. 

I think I can get a better job done in a quicker amount of time, but that being said, the regular will do just as good a job if you take your time.  Spend two minutes brushing your teeth and make sure you’re paying attention, getting in all the areas you need to get in.  Even the electric toothbrush, if you just work through it in a few seconds, won’t clean your teeth.  You still need to take the time to make sure that you’re doing a good job with it.

Now which type of brush?  Well, there are a couple of big companies.  One is Sonicare and the other is Oral B.  Those are kind of a couple of the biggest names and to be honest with you, they both work great.  Again, it doesn’t really matter which brush you choose, but choose the one you like; the one that feels most comfortable in your hand, one that has the right size brush head to get around.  Of course, make sure all the brush heads have soft bristles, which is probably all you can buy today.

But you might like the feel of the Sonicare or a sonic type of brush that vibrates stains and moves off.  Some people don’t like that feel at all.  Some people absolutely love it.  It feels like their massage – their gums are getting a massage.  Year over year, the rotary style type of brush oscillates back and forth kind of in a circle, kind of the way it does when a dental hygienist cleans your teeth. 

Is this better because it mimics our type of instrument?  Again, not really; you know when we’re cleaning your teeth, we’re going through tooth by tooth and we have eyes that are looking at.  Sometimes, that’s not always the best way.  But just take your time, make sure that you’re getting all your teeth brushed down around the gum line.  And don’t forget to floss too, and brush your tongue and soft tissue in order to stop bad breathe and keep your breath kissing fresh.

Do you take special care of your gums and teeth? Do you follow your dentist’s suggestions and dental care reminders? Do you follow the recommended annual visits to the dentist? Are you keen in keeping your dental health at its best? Providing proper teeth and gum care are important. Here are some tips to follow in order to keep your oral health at its optimum level.1. Your dentist and dental hygienist can provide you the best education on how to properly take care of you teeth and gums. Follow the tooth brushing techniques and proper oral care advices given by your dental health professionals. Avoid rushing when brushing your teeth. Provide at least 3 minutes of your time to thoroughly clean your teeth. Take enough time to reach all the dental surfaces including those hard to reach areas and the back teeth.2. Your brush should be held at a 45-degree angle to your gums. This will enable the tips of the bristles to point to the gumline. Gently move your brush in very short strokes in a back and forth motion.3. You should not take for granted the inner surfaces of your teeth even if these are not readily visible when you smile or open your mouth. Brush thoroughly both the inner and outer surfaces of your teeth as well as the grinding and incising surfaces.4. It is also advisable to brush your tongue gently. Our tongue usually harbors bacteria and minute food debris left during mastication, which can cause bad breath.5. It is also important to floss your teeth at least twice a day or after every meal as much as possible to remove trapped food particles in between the teeth that may cause bad breath and may become a bacterial breading ground.Today there are a lot of types of dental floss coming out in the market. Choose the product that you feel most comfortable with and that doesn’t cut or hurt your gums.Here are some useful steps to follow on how to floss correctly:a. Use at least 18 inches of dental floss and wind it around the middle finger of each hand. Hold it between your thumb and forefingers and leave about an inch of dental floss. Gently slip it in between your teeth in a sawing motion. Be careful not to snap or jerk the floss into the gums.b. Curve the dental floss into a C shape when it reaches the gumline then slide it gently up the gum. Be careful not to press too hard, you don’t want to cut your gum in the process.c. The floss should be held against the tooth and perform a scraping motion along the side of the tooth. This should be done gently and moving the dental floss away from the gums. Follow this procedure until you reach the backside of the last tooth.d. Bleeding gums may occur during the first 5 or 6 days after you start flossing. If beyond this period bleeding still occurs, you need to call and inform your dentist about it. You may not be doing the right thing and in the process hurting your gums.Properly taking care of your oral health will provide you a good and healthy oral environment, which will give you a healthy, beautiful smile and increase your self confidence.Michael Russell Your Independent Dental guide
forresstanford » Blog Archive » How To Take Care Of Your Teeth For A Healthy Smile

I just returned from the dentist. Sad to say, I neglected a tooth that should have been taken care of a long time ago, but procrastination was not in my favor today. Not only am I seeing a $2,000 bill for root canal and a crown, but I have an infection on top of that. Antibiotics and pain meds are on the calendar for the next two weeks. I also learned having an infection that I have can lead to a serious problem and heart attack. This tooth, which went from getting a crown to a major infection and root canal, even though it is costing me some serious money, my heart depends on having healthy teeth. By the way, I am like many who do not have dental insurance, but I do have my health insurance. Dental hygiene goes past the flossing and brushing of your teeth. It also has to do with an annual or bi-annual dental check ups. So another issue our legislators need to bring up on top of health insurance. Affordable dental insurance. Dental care is just as important to our health as our yearly physical.

Cumberland Times-News - Good dental care and insurance also needed

Everyone knows it is important to take good care of our teeth, but what about the family pet? According to News Now 10, poor dental hygiene can cause the same problems in cats and dogs as those that occur in humans, including gum disease, tooth loss, infections and bad breath. It recommends a number of measures people can take to keep their pet’s teeth healthy, starting with checking them regularly. The news provider also suggests giving cats and dogs hard food every day, as this can help prevent tartar build up. In addition, toys such as nubbie bones, dental rope and greenies can promote healthy gums and cut down on tartar. Most vets say pets’ teeth should be brushed at least twice a week, using special animal toothpaste, News Now 10 reported. Vets can clean a cat or dog’s teeth as dental hygienist would with humans during the pet’s annual checkup. There are a number of ways to tell if a cat or dog is suffering from poor dental health, according to i-pets.com, including red or sore gums, yellow teeth or excessively bad breath.
Dental care for all the family

Choosing a new toothbrush is nothing like it used to be. At one time you simply had the choice of differently shaped heads. Now you can choose everything from inexpensive standard toothbrushes to expensive models that are rechargeable. Which choice is best? Are electric toothbrushes really any better than standard models? Standard toothbrushes are very affordable. In fact, your dentist probably gives you a new one at every checkup. Are these toothbrushes as effective as electric models? The effectiveness of standard toothbrushes depends on several factors. First of all, the bristles need to be stiff, but not too stiff. Toothbrushes with soft bristles aren’t as effective. On the other hand, toothbrushes with bristles that are too stiff may cause damage to your gums. Of course, toothbrushes are only as effective as their user. You must learn to properly brush your teeth. This means not bearing done too hard, brushing in the correct motion, and brushing for the proper amount of time.
Dental Care Tips: Shelf Life of a Toothbrush

This spring, the makers of ARM & HAMMER® oral care products will launch two new offerings that address two of today’s hottest topics in dental care: one, the ongoing trend of teeth whitening and two, the strengthening of tooth enamel. ARM & HAMMER® Whitening Booster is a great new affordable and safe way to brighten your smile quickly and easily. The product – which uses hydrogen peroxide, the common active ingredient in many whitening kits – is designed to boost the whitening power of your favorite toothpaste. Just add the Whitening Booster to any toothpaste you use and brush your teeth as normal. Used as directed, it provides twice the whitening agent of the leading whitening strip and doesn’t leave a sticky mess. Baby boomers and people who care about keeping their teeth in tip top shape will want to try new ARM & HAMMER® Age Defying Toothpaste for stronger, healthier and whiter teeth. It’s the only fluoride toothpaste with patented Liquid Calcium® (a.k.a ACP – amorphous calcium phosphate) that strengthens tooth enamel while cleaning. It protects and rebuilds (or “re-mineralizes”) enamel and dentin.

HealthNewsDigest.com