Dental News & Blog

Many individuals believe that by avoiding sugary treats, they are taking their dental health seriously. However, they may be surprised to learn that some seemingly harmless or healthy foods can also damage their teeth.

**Common Foods That Can Damage Teeth**

While it’s well-known that sweets, soda, and chewing ice can harm your teeth, other foods can also be problematic:

– **Corn on the Cob**: This popular summer picnic food can potentially crack or loosen fillings and may damage orthodontic work for those with braces.

– **White Bread and Toast**: Bread contains sugar and has particles that can stick to your teeth. This creates an acidic environment that can damage enamel. Additionally, biting into hard toast can exacerbate any damage caused by eating bread.

– **Peanut Butter and Jelly**: All three components of this classic sandwich contain sugar, creating a breeding ground for bacteria. The stickiness of both peanut butter and jelly tends to linger on your teeth until properly addressed through brushing and flossing.

– **Apples, Dried Fruit, and Citrus Fruits**: Some apples are acidic, while dried and citrus fruits are sticky and high in sugar. These fruits also contain acids that can harm your teeth.

– **Pasta Sauce**: Various pasta sauces, especially darker ones like red sauce, can damage enamel due to the acids in tomatoes and may contribute to staining over time.

– **Potato Chips and Popcorn**: These snacks often get stuck between your teeth, allowing bacteria to grow and potentially leading to cavities.

– **Curry**: This heavily pigmented food can cause yellow staining on your teeth over time.

Thank you for taking the time to read about foods that can damage your teeth. If you’re searching for an experienced dentist in Dallas, Dr. William H. Miller offers personalized one-on-one care that focuses on the patient. With over three decades of experience, Dr. Miller and his staff provide a wide range of services. He stands by his motto, “With a smile, we’re changing lives.” So, be sure to give us a call today!

Flossing is very important in daily dental hygiene.

Floss Your Teeth

Flossing teeth is never on anyone’s list of favorite things to do, yet for several reasons, it’s important that it be done on a daily basis. Neglecting to do so can be the cause of several issues down the road.

Many people believe that simply brushing their teeth is sufficient to avoid any dental issues. However, a toothbrush only cleans the top and side of your teeth, while flossing gets under the gum line and between teeth. Combining these two chores can help limit any dental problems you may run across. The benefits of flossing teeth are clearly evident by looking at five solid reasons listed below

The advantages and disadvantages of professional cosmetic teeth whitening methods and systems.

Professional Teeth Whitening Procedures are Effective and Convenient
While brushing teeth with chalk, bark, and baking soda was a viable teeth whitening option 200 years ago, advances in dentistry now allow us to comfortably and efficiently keep our teeth clean and white without having to put some strange concoction into our mouths. Now we can schedule an appointment with our dentist, and after only a couple of hours, our teeth are white and gleaming. We can also take home prescription trays or over-the-counter white strips or toothpaste that also whitens satisfactorily. While it is aesthetically appealing to have whiter teeth, caution needs to be exercised when choosing the whitening procedure. Gritty or acidic substances are found in some over-the-counter whitening products, and these may scratch off enamel or cause soreness to the gums. It is best to consult with a dentist before grabbing the first white strips available, and if time is of the essence, then a professional whitening procedure may be the best option to get results fast.

Whitening Procedures

Common Professional Whitening Procedures
Many dentists’ offices now have not one, but several methods to use to whiten teeth, depending on the situation. A client has the option of choosing a treatment that can whiten teeth dramatically over a few hours in a dentist’s chair or over a few weeks at home with a prescription tray. Dr. William Miller, a dentist in Dallas, Texas, explains how a typical teeth whitening session works. “When opting for an in-office cosmetic whitening procedure, usually the dentist will apply a gel to the patient’s teeth and then use a laser or light to activate the bleaching agent within the gel.” This technique and variations are used in systems like BriteSmile, Rembrandt Teeth Whitening. If an in-office whitening treatment is out of the question, then you can ask your dentist about receiving similar treatments at home, through the use of a personally fitted tray and gel (more powerful than any over-the-counter brands) that can be applied personally at home. Another professional procedure that creates a whiter smile is the practice of taking a thin layer of composite resin or porcelain material molded to the tooth and bonding it to the front of the tooth. This method covers stained or yellowed teeth, immediately giving the patient a “whiter” smile. This is not whitening the actual teeth, as there is no application of a bleaching agent to the enamel, only covering it up with an artificial material, but this is one of the most effective ways of giving a smile a cleaner and whiter look, and even helps to correct other flaws like chipped or crooked teeth that have been damaged due to normal wear or teeth grinding. Lumineers is a well-known name within this dental service and offers porcelain veneers, which, though costly, can last longer than ten years.