Dental Health - Dentist Edmond OK

Dental Health Is Important To Start Early

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Are parents keeping up with their children’s dental health needs?

The demands of modern society has made it extremely difficult to keep up with our kids’ dental health. We live in such a fast pace of motion that it can easily be missed if we’re not careful. With that said, the ADA is trying to help. Here’s an amazing story about FDI President Dr. Kathryn Kell and how she has made it her mission to reach our kids about dental health.

Here’s some of her story:

Dr. Kell, the ADA’s 10th District trustee from 2004-08, is in the middle of a two-year term as president of the FDI World Dental Federation, the principal representative body for more than 1 million dentists worldwide in more than 130 countries, including the U.S.

With FDI headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, Dr. Kell has circumnavigated the globe several times since becoming FDI president in September 2017.

“In May, I was home for only three days,” Dr. Kell said.

In June and July alone, Dr. Kell traveled to Switzerland, China, Japan, Columbia, England and Minneapolis, speaking as a unified voice for dentistry in international advocacy and supporting member associations in global oral health promotion activities.

In between, she is in the midst of planning two international events — FDI world congresses later this month in Buenos Aires and San Francisco next year. The latter will be conducted alongside the ADA 2019 – America’s Dental Meeting Sept. 5-9 in the Golden Gate City.

Raising the visibility of the FDI — which in turns increases the organization’s leverage when it comes to advocacy and influence — is a major part of the president’s responsibilities, and Dr. Kell is happy to do it. She said she is constantly reminding members of national dental organizations, including the ADA, that if you are a member of your national association, you are automatically a member of the FDI.

“I like to think of it as a part of the quad-partite,” Dr. Kell said, alluding to the ADA, state and local dental societies having a tripartite membership structure.

The presidency is the culmination of more than two decades of purposeful advocacy for, and in, the FDI.

Dr. Kell is an Iowan through and through, graduating from Davenport West High School then the University of Iowa for both her bachelor’s and dental degrees, with her interest in dentistry spurred by having an uncle and cousin as dentists. She also earned a master’s in health care administration from Davenport’s Saint Ambrose University. She maintained a general dentistry private practice in Davenport until selling her practice and plans on treating patients part-time after her presidency concludes… to read the rest of this article Click Here

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What is a tooth crown?

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Getting a tooth crowned kind of sounds painful, doesn’t it? Just what exactly is a crown, what does it do, and when do you need one?

What is a tooth crown?

Basically, a crown is a tooth shaped cap designed to cover a tooth. It helps to restore the size, shape, strength, and aesthetic value of a tooth. Once the tooth is prepared, the crown covers the existing visible tooth from the gum line, and is cemented in place. Crowns come in a variety of appearances and materials ranging from stainless steel, to porcelain or ceramic. Below are a few of the purposes of crowns:

  • Tooth damage – If a tooth has been damaged by decay, cracked, or worn down, a crown can be added to help protect it. In some places, it can be added to cover a large filling where not much of the tooth remains, to help support it.
  • Bridge Support – A crown can be placed on either side of a gap, if an individual is missing a tooth or teeth, with the missing tooth or teeth in the middle.
  • Cosmetics – Crowns can be used to cover discolored or misshapen teeth. If a person has chipped front teeth from an injury, crowns can be used. They are also used to top off a dental implant.

Remember, if you have any questions regarding crowns or anything regarding dental care, contact Dr. Gray’s office to speak with someone or to schedule an appointment!

How do braces work?

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Braces can be an excellent way to help straighten your teeth, and achieve a great smile. But, how do braces work anyway?

How do braces work?

Braces can be dated back to ancient times. In fact, archaeologists have found the mummified remains of people with metal bands stretch across their teeth. Even Cleopatra was known to have worn a type of dental aligners. Braces work by applying constant pressure to the teeth, which over time, will move the teeth to their desired position. As the tooth loosens to move to the new position, new bone will actually grow to support the tooth in its altered position. Today, there are different types of aligners, but we will look at the two most common.

  • Traditional wired metal – These aligners are stainless steel, and sometimes a combination of titanium is used. This traditional method is still the most common. These implement a metal bracket with rubber band ties that hold the wire on to the metal brackets. This method will require more frequent adjustments and cause a bit more tooth discomfort. Another method is self-aligning braces, which do not require the use of rubber bands, as the wire itself will go through the bracket. This method involves less discomfort and fewer adjustments are needed as with the first method.
  • Clear – This system involves clear, plastic aligners that are worn over the teeth to gently direct them into the desired position. Photographs, x-rays, and dental impressions are sent to a lab, where the aligners will be produced. With clear braces, you can remove them whenever you eat, brush, and floss. Since they are virtually invisible, most people will be unaware you have them. These will decrease dentist appointments and your discomfort level!

As always, if you have questions regarding tooth alignment, or are looking for a dentist in the Edmond area, please contact Dr. Gray’s office to schedule an appointment!

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Dentist Edmond: Fluoride for your Teeth

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Dentist Edmond: Why Fluoride is great for the teeth

Fluoride is a mineral that occurs naturally in many foods and some sources of water, and Dentist Edmond recommends it’s daily usage. In the use of your teeth, you lose minerals every day from your tooth’s enamel layer through demineralization. Over the course of eating and drinking, throughout your day you gain minerals back, a process called remineralization. Demineralization happens when your teeth are exposed to acids, these acids are formed when the plaque bacteria and sugars in the food you eat end up in your mouth. Remineralization occurs when fluoride, calcium, and phosphates are redeposited into the enamel layer from the foods that we eat and water we drink. When you have too many minerals leaving your teeth and not enough of those minerals being deposited back into the enamel layer you end up with tooth decay.

Fluoride helps prevent tooth decay by strengthening the tooth enamel against the acids produced by the plaque bacteria and the sugars they consume. Fluoride usage can also help repair early decay in the enamel layer. Dentist Edmond recommends that in children under the age of six fluoride be incorporated into the child’s dental routine as fluoride is used in the development of permanent teeth. The stronger these young teeth are they better suited they are to ward off the acids that accompany a lot of sugary food that are targeted at children.

Dentist Edmond: Where can you get Fluoride and in what forms are they available?

As mentioned above Fluoride is present in many foods and most public water in the United States. If you need something more direct fluoride toothpaste can be used each time your brush. There are also fluoride mouth rinses, though these options are a lower strength when you get them over the counter at a drug store.

 
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Dentist Edmond: The Importance of childhood dental visits

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Dentist Edmond: Why get your child in to see the dentist?

Making sure that your child comes in to see the dentist for regular check ups means that their mouth will be healthier and stay healthy throughout their lives. Early check ups in children help catch cavities and tooth decay from things like sugar and bottle rot. Taking your child to the Dentist Edmond early and regularly will ensure your child is more comfortable with going the dentist as they grow up. Children who look after their teeth and come to the dentist will have healthy teeth and be able to chew food easier and will learn to speak clearly and smile with confidence, that’s what Dentist Edmond is all about.

What does the American Dental Associate have to say?

The American Dental Association recommends that every child visit the dentist by the age of 1, or as soon as the first tooth appears. This early visit in your child’s life will help you as a parent or caregiver how to care for children’s teeth and will help them remain without cavities in the future. As an example, letting children fall asleep with a bottle of juice or milk in their mouth can cause decay. Children should be encouraged to drink milk, water, and juice from a cup as they approach their first birthday. Dentist will also recommend that a mother stop on-demand night time breast feeding once a child’s first tooth has come in.

In the United States the most common disease among children is tooth decay, which can be prevented. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has reported more than 40% of children will have some kind of tooth decay when they reach kindergarten. With states like Washington seeing nearly 60% of this preventable condition in elementary school aged children. Many of these cases are a lack of proper brushing, dental visits, and not using fluoride toothpaste.

 

 

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Dentist Edmond: Get rid of that old brush!

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Dentist Edmond: You should throw away a toothbrush after the Flu

It’s true that once you’ve contracted a cold you won’t be able to reinfect yourself with the same strain of the disease, your body having developed the right antibodies to fight it off. However, it’s still a good idea to get rid of items that you use once you’ve overcome the illness. The Dentist Edmond recommends that you toss items like lip balm, toothbrushes, and some make-up like mascara once the illness has passed. Things that can commonly live in toothbrushes include the Flu, Staph infections, Strep throat, E-Coli, and yeast, all of those are excellent reasons to toss your brush once you start feeling better. The biggest reason for tossing these items is the potential for infecting others, one drop of saliva is enough to infect someone else that you live with.

Dentist Edmond: Never ever share brushes

The Dentist Edmond recommends that you never share toothbrushes with someone else. Another person’s toothbrush is just an avenue for germs to enter your body that they might not otherwise have and besides it’s just plain gross.

 

Bodycare products

We use lip balm in the winter month to keep our lips from becoming dry, cracked, and painful. Many lip balms carry some kind of antimicrobial chemicals in them in order to prevent the spread of disease. But even with these precautions in place, the safest way to prevent infection is to never share lip balms and makeup. Sharing in most cases is caring but in these cases your just providing an infection vector to your friends and family during the Flu season.

It’s not directly an issue regarding your oral health but make sure to change your towels and sheet, cleaning them with steam if you can. The Dentist Edmond hopes you make it through this Flu season healthy and happy and we look forward to seeing you all soon.

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Dentist Edmond: Beware the effects of pool water on enamal

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Dentist Edmond recommends monitoring pH levels in pools

It’s starting to get hotter outside and the pools are close to opening up for the Summer. One of the best ways to cool off during a hot summers day is to relax by or in the pool! Especially if the pool is in your backyard! You may have never considered that the chlorine levels in the water might not be properly balanced. But if they’re not, they can damage the enamel of your tooth. Dentist Edmond is here to share some more information from the New York University of Dentistry about this subject.

A few years ago, Dr. Leila Jahangiri, the clinical associate professor and the chair of NYUCD’s Department of Prosthodontics, spoke about what was found when homeowners attempted to maintain pools of their own. It’s understandable that homeowners would want to save some money by avoiding having to hire professionals to help maintain their pools, it can be dangerous decision. Not having a professional help maintain your pool can often lead to improper pH levels in your water which can, according to Jahangiri, “result in irreversible damage to one’s teeth.”

She also added that “it is difficult balance to maintain home pools properly” and that “proper pool chlorine and pH levels need to be monitored and maintained on a weekly basis.”

Our dentist Edmond knows you might be wondering what a little lab work research could really prove, but rest assured it was more than an educated guess. Jahangiri observed first-hand, in a 52-year old male patient, the effects of improper pool pH levels. His teeth were extremely sensitive and had dark staining and rapid enamel loss over a short, 5 month period. This was a result of his 90 minute swimming exercise routine.

So, before you go diving into the cold, refreshing water in your backyard pool, the dentist Edmond hopes you’ll consider carefully how you plan to maintain proper pH and chlorine levels, for the sake of your pearly whites!

Should you feel the need to have a dental checkup and ensure that things are on the right track with your teeth, don’t hesitate to come and see our Edmond dentist. You may make an appointment with our Edmond dentist at Wallace Family Dentistry by calling 405-340-0411.

If you need a dental checkup, call Philip Gray, DDS, Dentist Edmond today at 405-330-5458 and schedule an appointment!

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Dentist Edmond and dental myths

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Dentist Edmond talks about some common dental myths

There’s a ton of information out there on the internet. So of it’s good, some of it’s not. The dentist Edmond is here to dispel some of the more common ones.

Bad Breath=bad brusher: If you have bad breath, it must be because you don’t take care of your teeth as well as you should, right? Well, bad breath is actually caused by a number of factors. The foods you eat can play a big part in how your breath smells. Foods like garlic, for instance, can take over a mouth no matter how well you brush. Even certain sickness can cause bad breath.

Aspirin directly on a tooth will cure pain: It’s an old at-home remedy….and it doesn’t work. You should always swallow aspirin as it’s the only way it can work to relieve pain in your body. Another reason you shouldn’t put aspirin directly on an aching tooth is that it can react and cause a nasty chemical burn, giving you 2 sources of pain to deal with now!

Don’t brush your bleeding gums: It might make sense at first, if your gums are bleeding don’t agitate them by running a toothbrush over them. But in reality the opposite it true. Whenever your gums are bleeding, it’s a sign that plaque and other germs have gotten into your gums and are starting to cause damage. In order to get the gunk out, you need to keep brushing. If your flossing for the first time in awhile or doing pretty harshly it can also lead to your gums beginning to bleed. It might hurt a little but brushing is the best way to clean up your gums and get them to stop bleeding.

Schedule an appointment with Philip Gray, dentist Edmond, today and get your smile cleaned up!

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Edmond Dentist: Charcoal toothpaste fact or fiction?

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Does brushing with charcoal really work?

You’ve probably seen it going around on nutrition blogs and on social media. Brushing your teeth with substances like activated charcoal will help make your teeth whiter and shinier. It sounds simple right? But does it really do anything for your teeth. The short answer is it can do something, but not in the way you’re hoping. The Edmond dentist is here to lay down what’s fact and what’s fiction about brushing with activated charcoal.

Activated charcoal is supposed to work by cleaning and polishing the enamel on your teeth to clear away the plaque and build-up around them. Elements within the charcoal and the abrasive texture scrub away the bad stuff and leave your teeth shining white.  That’s what it’s supposed to do anyway.

But, according to a study done by the Journal of the American Dental Association there simply isn’t any evidence that that’s the case. Furthermore, claims that brushing with charcoal was 100% safe also could not be verified. More studies are being done but at present there simply is no scientific basis that charcoal does anything for the teeth…except.

Remember when we said activated charcoal can do something? Well if the charcoal is too abrasive, and therefore not approved by the ADA, it can actually wear away the protective enamel on your teeth and expose the underlying dentin. It’s bad enough you might be brushing away your teeth’s best defense, but to add to it dentin is usually yellow meaning your teeth can actually look worse by brushing with charcoal.

So what are the best ways to keep your teeth healthy and shiny? The same ones that have always been: Brushing twice a day, not smoking, flossing, and regular dentist visits.

Schedule an appointment today with Philip Gray, Edmond dentist, and get your smile looking awesome!

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Edmond Dentist: One simple way to strengthen your teeth

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Edmond Dentist: Ask about fluoride varnishes

Ice, coffee, sticky foods, and candy are the stuff of nightmares for teeth. Chomping down on these and other types of foods regularly certainly increases the chances that damage will be done to your teeth and possibly diminish your bright smile. Brushing with fluoride toothpaste and flossing are always recommended as the fluoride in the toothpaste will help to fight off decay and cavities from bacteria, but there is something even more protective that you can do. This treatment will require you to go to the dentist, but isn’t your smile worth a small dental visit?

What is this “Miracle” treatment we speak of? They’re called Fluoride varnishes. When you visit your Edmond Dentist you can request that fluoride varnish protection be used to help prevent tooth decay. Here’s how it works:

The fluoride varnish gel is typically pale yellow in color that is softly brushed on. It sets on teeth quickly and starts working immediately. Fluoride is important, because it enters the tooth enamel and makes the tooth hard. Fluoride helps prevents any new cavities from forming while stopping current decay from worsening. If the varnish is applied at the beginning stages of tooth decay, the fluoride is powerful enough to reverse the decay and repair the tooth.

If you hate going to the dentist to get some work done and then leaving hungry or thirsty but being unable to eat anything, then there’s good news! One of the best parts about fluoride varnish treatments is that you don’t have to wait to eat, though foods should be softer for the first day.

It’s important to say that some brands of fluoride varnish can cause some teeth to look even more dull than before the application, but this is temporary. In such cases, refrain from brushing or flossing the varnish away for a full day. After the full day, brush your teeth and you will reveal a brighter, healthier smile.

Are you ready to strengthen your teeth with fluoride varnish? Then call our Edmond Dentist today at 405-330-5458.