The Dental Center At Easton Town Center

The news keeps getting better!  A few years ago it was discovered that red wine could be beneficial for your heart but now a researcher has concluded that red wine may also be good for your teeth.

Researcher Hyun Koo has found that polyphenols, a compound in red wine, are an effective tool that can be used to fight a molecule created by bacteria that lives in everyone’s mouths.  These bacteria typically break down the sugars that you eat which then cling to your teeth, preventing cavities.  When sugar sticks to your teeth for an extended period of time, it begins to eat away at your enamel and cause permanent damage to your teeth.

The polyphenols in the red wine can also come from the fermented grape stems, skins, and seeds that are remnants of the wine making process.  Getting a hold of this byproduct of wine making would also be good for your teeth but, just maybe, drinking the actual wine would be more enjoyable.

So from our professional standpoint, we’ve concluded that, if you’re of legal drinking age, red wine has three qualities that we think make it the perfect drink.

1. It’s good for your heart.
2. It’s good for your teeth.
3. It’s delicious!

While conducting the research, Koo also discovered that eating cranberries may have the same benefits as red wine.  While cranberries don’t have polyphenols they do have another very scientific-sounding compound called A-type proanthocyanidins.  This compound also helps to keep bacteria from letting sugar stick to teeth.

While these are fascinating advancements in dental research, no one is suggesting you start your red wine and cranberry diet.

The benefits of red wine are clear but you don’t need to drink a gallon of it to see the results.  Also, red wine tends to stain teeth, which is another problem unto itself.

Cranberries also have their drawbacks.  Since getting fresh cranberries is not the easiest thing in the world, most people get their cranberry fix by purchasing them in sauce or juice form.  Typically, cranberry sauce and cranberry juice are loaded with sugar, which, as we all know, is terrible for your teeth.

So while wine and cranberries may be good for your dental health, they are best consumed in moderation.  A glass of wine and a few cranberries a day never hurt anyone and now they may help.  If you’d like a recommendation on which wine is right for you, let us know (but we’d probably be better helping with your other dental needs!).

Halloween is a fun time of year and we want to keep it that way.  Yes, we’re dentists but we’re also regular people who love candy, too!  The key to keeping your teeth healthy this Halloween is not to avoid candy , but following these tips and reminders!  Happy Halloween!

1. Always maintain healthy dental habits no matter the time of year.  It’s easy to focus on teeth during Halloween but the truth is, if you take care of your teeth year round, they will be strong enough to get through October with no problems.
2. Eat healthy when you can.  We don’t expect you to skip out on candy entirely but it’s probably best if your meals consist of something besides chocolate.  Nuts make a filling substitute when you’re looking for a quick snack.
3. Brush your teeth in the morning and before you go to bed.  This is simply a good habit to get into.  Not only will brushing your teeth be good for them, it will have you looking and feeling fresh throughout the day and night.
4. Floss when you brush.  You may remember flossing being a hassle in the past.  You would have to get just the right amount of string and then try to squeeze your fingers in your mouth to get your back teeth.  The hassle is gone with dental flossers that are about the length of a toothpick.
5. Ration out your candy.  Bad things happen when you eat all your candy at once.  First of all, it’s bad for your teeth.  Second of all, if you eat it all at once, you won’t have any candy later!  If you eat a few pieces of candy a day, your teeth and your sweet tooth will be happier.
6. Brush your teeth right after eating candy.  Like we said, we don’t want you to stop eating candy; we just want to help you be responsible when you do it.  If you brush after a chocolate bar, the sugars won’t have time to really damage your teeth.
7. Maintain your regularly scheduled appointments with your dentist.  Your dentist knows your teeth almost as well as you do so he or she will be able to keep your teeth and your dental health up to par.  When you see your dentist frequently, you will be able to take care of issues before they become real problems.

If you don’t have a dentist, give us a call at The Dental Center at Easton Town Center and we’ll get your teeth in shape for a Happy Halloween.

Dental hygiene can seem an ongoing chore.  There are times when the daunting task of never ending tooth care can feel more like forever climbing a peakless mountain.  Certainly, brushing your teeth does is not as dramatic as a Hollywood thriller all the time but it can seem a nuisance nonetheless.  Easton Dentists know your pain but instead of resting on their laurels and sitting contentedly behind their own pearly whites, they are here to help you.  They are here to make tooth care a little more bearable and, hopefully, a little bit easier on your wallet.

Every week, it seems, companies roll out a new toothbrush that has all the bells and whistles that will make your teeth so white they’ll glow in the dark and your breath so fresh people will fall in love with you when you speak to them.  Easton Dentists haven’t yet found a toothbrush to do all that but they have found one that they think works pretty well.  The Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush is about as a good a toothbrush as there is on the market today.

As electric toothbrushes are a relatively new arrival in the consumer market, it is entirely possible that you have never used one but have stuck to the old standard of a manual toothbrush.  Manual toothbrushes have worked for generations so why change now?  Both a manual toothbrush and a Sonicare DiamondClean will clean your teeth; it’s just that a Sonicare DiamondClean will do it so much better.  A manual toothbrush works only as fast as you do.  With as much effort as humanly possible, you may be able to attain one to two hundred brush strokes per minute.  With a Sonicare DiamondClean or most other sonic toothbrushes, you’re looking at upwards of 31,000 brush strokes per minute.

What separates the Sonicare DiamondClean from other electric and sonic toothbrushes is the detail Philips put into it.  There are five cleaning modes designed to tailor the toothbrush to your specific needs.  Clean mode works to give a general brushing experience.  Polish mode is designed to make your teeth shine.  White mode lifts stains.  Gum Care mode focuses primarily on the health of your gums and Sensitive mode is perfect for people who need a gentler cleaning.  Additionally, the USB charger makes it easy to travel with the brush.

If you are in the market for a new toothbrush, Easton Dentists have already done the research for you and they highly recommend the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean.

For decades, toothpaste commercials have told us that fluoride helps prevent tooth decay, but have you wondered what makes fluoride so special? Fluoride acts as an enzyme inhibitor. For this reason it is believed to help prevent cavities by literally poisoning the bacteria in the mouth. In fact, for many years, fluoride has been added to public water supplies in much of the U.S. to reduce tooth decay.

The deal with bottled water and fluoride is that according to the American Dental Association, the majority of bottled water on the market does not contain optimal levels (0.7-1.2 ppm) of fluoride. In addition, some types of home water treatment systems often reduce the fluoride levels in water supplies, essentially decreasing the decay-preventative effects of optimally fluoridated water.

There are a number of factors that affect whether or not you’re getting enough fluoride:
● The fluoride level in your bottled water, which can vary greatly by brand. If the fluoride content does not appear on the label, contact the company and ask.
● The amount of bottled water you drink during the day.
● Whether you use bottled water for drinking, cooking or reconstituting soups, juices and other drinks.
● Whether you also drink fluoridated water at school, work or elsewhere.

Good news! There are over 20 companies that produce fluoridated bottled water, such as Absopure, Mountain Park Springs, and Wisconsin Glacier Springs. In fact, some brands can be found in major stores, like Walmart. To be certain, make it a habit to read the product label for specific content.

Regardless, fluoride is not the end all cure all. It is always important to visit your dentist regularly for check-ups and follow a daily oral health regimen.

“Fluoride alone cannot prevent all dental diseases. Be sure to brush and floss daily. Eat nutritious foods and snacks low in sugar. See your dentist regularly. You can enjoy a healthy smile for life.” (ADA 1991 brochure: Fluoride Help Prevents Tooth Decay)

For more information on whether you and/or your family are getting an adequate amount of fluoride in your daily diet, or to schedule a consultation/exam, contact the professional, friendly staff at The Dental Center at Easton Town Center today!

You may have recently passed a mirror and noticed your smile reflecting back has lost its sparkle. Without a doubt, a bright, beautiful smile is one of the most effective ways to improve your appearance. With a brighter smile you’ll be more confident and smile more, radiating a healthy lifestyle with a youthful and energetic appearance.

Teeth discoloration is most commonly caused by smoking, tea, coffee, soda pop, red wine, colored food and aging. Dental teeth whitening is a simple, non-invasive treatment used to change the color of your natural teeth enamel and is an ideal way to enhance the beauty of your smile.

● In-Office Whitening. This has become one of the most popular dental procedures of
the past decade. With in-office whitening, the concentration of peroxide is between 25-30% and a UV light is used to activate components within the whitening solution to speed up the process. Each session usually lasts for 45 minutes and will get your teeth approximately eight to 10 shades whiter. How white your teeth becomes utilizing this procedure depends on how porous your teeth are.

● Take-Home Whitening. The bleaching process is done during the day for up to 1 hour or overnight while you sleep for 6-8 hours. This type of teeth whitening usually requires two visits. At the first appointment, impressions (molds) will be made of your teeth to fabricate custom, clear plastic, trays. At your second appointment, you will try on the trays for proper fit, and adjustments will be made if necessary. The trays are worn with special whitening solution either twice a day for 30 minutes or overnight for a couple of weeks depending on the degree of staining and desired level of whitening.

Don’t Slack on oral care! It is wise to visit your dentist regularly to help maintain a beautiful, healthy, white smile. Besides getting a professional cleaning every six months, brushing your teeth with whitening toothpaste twice a day is the obvious first step toward maintaining a brighter smile. Yet, it is very important to have a complete diagnosis of the condition of your teeth and gums so that you can effectively and safely get the results you want.

Contact The Dental Center at Easton Town Center today to schedule your dental whitening
consultation! Their professional friendly staff will be happy to go over your options and recommend the teeth whitening treatment that is right for you!

Yes, you read it right! A new confection exists that combats tooth decay. Thanks to the research and development of oral biologist Dr. Israel Kleinberg of New York’s Stony Brook University, there is an inexpensive dental product exclusively licensed to Ortek Therapeutics Inc., called BASICMints®, that keep pearly whites cavity-free for adults and children.

This innovative “dental candy” is made with Cavistat, an all-natural product that imitates the positive effects of saliva. Cavistat contains arginine, an amino acid that neutralizes sugar-generated acid by metabolizing bacteria. It is a well-known fact among family dental professionals that saliva plays an essential role in fighting cavities by balancing the pH levels in the mouth. By combining an amino acid with the calcium in Cavistat, a protective layer forms to the teeth preventing enamel destruction.

Unfortunately, candy, processed foods, and sodas are widely consumed in today’s society. These products are normally saturated in tooth-decaying, cavity-causing sugars. However, based on Dr. Kleinberg’s research, children who ate two of the BASICMints® twice a day, during a two-year period, had 68% fewer molar cavities than the children who did not. “The number of cavities, we think, ultimately is going to get to almost zero,” Dr. Kleinberg predicted. The soft mints dissolve into the biting surfaces of the back teeth when chewed. As providers of family dental services, we’ve noted the back teeth are where 90% of cavities occur.

So, in a gist, BASICMints®:
● Nourishes healthy biofilms
● Sustains the structure to dental enamel
● Supports an ideal pH environment
● Supplies essential saliva-based nutrients for people who experience chronic dry mouth
● Adds support to daily dental hygiene

Although BASICMints® will have both parents and children smiling ear-to-ear, it should never be relied upon as the only source of preventative dental care. It is highly recommended that adults and children continue good oral hygiene (brushing, flossing, and rinsing) to prevent cavities, along with regular check-ups by your local dentist. And if you’re in the Columbus area, contact us for affordable, quality family dental services.

Be sure to stay tuned for more innovative news and information shared by The Dental Center at Easton Town Center as it pertains to improving your dental and oral hygiene habits and practices.

Since baby teeth begin to form before birth, it should be no surprise that a child’s dental care really begins during the mother’s pregnancy. Pregnancy is a time when the mother makes important choices (or not) to eat balanced, nutritious meals and ingest the necessary amount of the essential vitamins and minerals to support a healthy pregnancy. Furthermore, pregnant women should have a thorough dental exam and have any cavities or gum disease addressed and treated, as well.

Infant teeth first appear through the gums at or around the age of six months. This is also the awkward, clumsy stage of development when infants are learning to crawl, sit, stand, or take steps. As we provide emergency dental services at Easton Dental, the most common infant dental injuries we see happen as a result of a fall or impact, resulting in a direct blow to the teeth.

In many cases, the teeth become loose or displaced, as the bones in which the teeth roots are anchored are still soft and elastic. A study conducted by researchers at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio suggests that within a 10-year span an estimated 45,398 children under the age of three required emergency room treatment due to accidents involving baby bottles, pacifiers and sippy cups. These are injuries that are preventable.

Below are guidelines that we suggest to promote infant oral health and prevent dental injuries:

● Do not put your infant or small child to bed with a bottle of milk, formula, juice, or other product that contains sugar. The sugar and acids in these liquids can cause tooth decay. Do not prop the bottle up in your baby’s mouth. Remove the bottle as soon as your baby has finished feeding or is asleep.
● Use lidless cups by 12 months of age to prevent dental injuries from falls and impacts, and limit the use of the pacifier after the age of six months to prevent infections.
● If your child sucks his or her fingers or thumb, help your child to stop. If the child can’t stop, contact your dentist.
● Experts recommend that dental care for children start at 12 months of age and continue with routine visits every 6 months afterwards.

For more information or to schedule an emergency dental appointment for your child or infant, contact the friendly, professional staff at The Dental Center at Easton Town Center today! We provide family dental services to patients throughout the Central Ohio area – call for directions today.

Sometimes, visiting your dentist on a regular basis and treating a cavity the traditional way just isn’t enough for some researchers.

As we now know, tooth decay affects our physical, mental and social well being. Caused by acids secreted by bacteria in our mouth, tooth decay (cavity) is almost always been treated by removing the decayed area on the tooth and refilling the area with a substance such as gold, silver amalgam, composite, or ceramic. Because of recent scientific development and research at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry, we can add one more material to that list—Nanotech!

Researchers using nanotechology (the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale) at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry have created a dental filling that can do much more than the traditional dental filling materials used in the past. The new material consists of tiny, nano-size particles of silver and calcium, along with an antibacterial primer and antibacterial adhesive.

Professor Xu, who directs the school’s Division of Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, explains, “The reason we want to get the antibacterial agents also into primers and adhesives is that these are the first things that cover the internal surfaces of the tooth cavity and flow into tiny dental tubules inside the tooth.” Simply put, the nanotech filling material not only treats cavities, but it also kills the harmful bacteria that exists in the mouth, in addition to cultivating growth to the tooth structure that is often lost to bacterial decay.

What’s even better is researchers expect the nanotech dental fillings will last longer than the traditional dental filling substances that typically last five to 10 years. However, the exact lifespan of nanotech fillings has not yet be determined and patents are currently pending.

The professionals at The Dental Center at Easton Town Center are consistently following progressive advancements in the field of dentistry and oral health. They actively engage in passing on vital information, promoting the necessity for optimum dental health, to their patients and public, alike. If you’ve delayed a trip to a dentist in your area, now’s the time to make an appointment to remove that tooth decay. We’re accepting new patients now!

It’s pretty safe to say that dry mouth (also known as Xerostomia) has been around as long as humans have existed. However, dry mouth shouldn’t be overlooked. It can lead to severe problems including chronic bad breath, deep cavities and other dental issues that could require a trip to your local dentist.

When you are asleep, the jaw relaxes and opens. Therefore, the salivary glands can’t replace the saliva in the mouth as quickly as it evaporates. In addition, your brain knows you are not alert and that you will not be eating, therefore it produces less saliva. This leads to the tongue and palate drying out very quickly. So while you are sleeping, bacteria is breeding and wreaking havoc in every space and crevice in your mouth. This leads to bad morning breath and the layer of scum you feel on your teeth. This is why is it is very important to brush, floss, and rinse your mouth out in the mornings. Remember the following saying: Dry mouth at night: bacteria’s delight. Dry mouth at morning: halitosis! Take warning!

Dry mouth can also be caused by the effects of medication, diseases/infections, dehydration, radiation therapy, or from the surgical removal of the salivary glands. Although dry mouth is, in and of itself, a symptom, it often occurs along with other symptoms, such as:

● Frequent thirst
● Burning or tingling sensation, especially on the tongue
● Red, raw tongue
● Sores in mouth or at corners of lips
● Difficulty swallowing
● Problems with taste
● Sore throat and hoarseness
● Bad breath
● Problems with speech
● Dry nasal passages
● Dry, cracked lips
● Increase in dental problems, such as cavities and gum disease
● Difficulty wearing dentures
● Repeated yeast infections in the mouth

Only your dentist or physician can truly evaluate dry mouth thoroughly and effectively. If you feel have the symptoms referenced above, do not wait to discuss them with dentist in your local area. Dental decay can develop quickly in a dry mouth that is otherwise healthy. If you currently do not have a dentist, the professionals at The Dental Center at Easton Town Center are more than happy to assess and evaluate your situation. Contact them today to set up an appointment to review your dental needs – but if you feel it’s a dental emergency, we also have urgent dental services if your dry mouth has been going on too long!

The well-known daily drill of brushing and flossing twice a day is fine and dandy, as your dentist will tell you, but massaging your chompers after lunch adds to the protection against tooth decay. In fact, the University of Gothenburg (Sweden) researchers have found that by massaging high-fluoride toothpaste on your teeth in between your morning and bedtime brushing routine, you can increase protection against tooth decay by approximately 400 percent.

This is terrific news, seeing that dentists have been noticing a significant rise of cavities and tooth decay among young children. We, at The Dental Center at Easton Town Center, recommend the massaging regimen to all our patients. Rubbing toothpaste on your teeth allows fluoride to remain on the surface longer than just brushing. It is almost like brushing your teeth for a third time. However, it should never be a replacement for daily brushing and flossing. Your local dentist will remind you this routine is still needed for adequate plaque removal.

Below are three easy steps to the dental massaging technique that provide your teeth and gums added protection.

1. Massage high-fluoride toothpaste on the surface of your teeth and gums after lunch or in the afternoon.
2. Let sit for 30 minutes or so.
3. Rinse with water and voila!

Check with a family dentist in your area before implementing the dental massaging method on children. Children have different requirements when it comes to fluoride and too much can cause dental problems, such as developing fluorosis (a disturbance of dental enamel from overexposure to fluoride).

However, for adults, especially those who are dealing with dental issues or poor oral hygiene, the massage method is definitely something to consider. In addition to brushing and flossing twice a day, and seeing your dentist every six months, massaging your chompers will help keep them cavity-free and you’ll avoid dental emergencies down the road.