Anmol Singh, Author at Esthetics Implant Dentistry

How to Keep Your Teeth Healthy for the Holidays

Posted on December 18, 2024 - 11:49 am by Anmol Singh

The holiday season is here. Houses light up the night sky. Seasonal songs greet us wherever we go. Mailboxes are flooded with sales offers.

For most people, it provides an opportune time for families to meet and share gifts. We play games, laugh, maybe argue a bit, but there is always plenty of food to eat. Family buffets brimming with sweets and casseroles and meats and treats.

When you see a blueberry cobbler or a fresh-baked apple pie, you are possibly thinking more about your taste sensations rather than your oral health. However, it is possible to make both happy.

Below are some tips to keep your teeth healthier this holiday season.

Avoid gummy, chewy, sugary foods.

Overindulgence is likely to happen during the holidays, but be selective. It’s easy to overdo certain snacks that can destroy our teeth.

Avoid or limit the following treats during this holiday season:

Candy canes and other sour or chewy foods
Crisps – these starchy treats can create acid in your mouth
Ice – Chewing ice can cause enamel to break down.
Carbonated drinks – Opt for a glass of water instead of Coca-Cola.
Dried fruit – This contains far more sugar than you may think

In other words, choose items that aren’t bad for your teeth, such as sprouts, vegetables, and fruits. Turkey is another fantastic holiday food option since it contains nutrients good for your teeth, like phosphorus.

If you must eat biscuits this holiday season, try gingerbread, which contains less sugar than many other variations we’ve been accustomed to!

When it comes to beverages, opt for clear liquids. Red wine is known for discoloring your teeth and usually makes them feel sticky. Well, if you can’t avoid wine, try nibbling on cheese at the same time. The alkaline in the cheese usually balances your mouth’s PH level.

Up your dental health game

Do you always forget to brush or floss your teeth after a long night out? This is not the time to relax your oral health standards. Take some floss and toothbrush out with you, if necessary. This way, you’ll remember to brush your teeth right after a heavy meal or drink session.

Note: You should brush your teeth for at least two minutes and floss twice daily. This will spare you from costly dental bills after the holiday season. And if that has not persuaded you enough, try to think of how many more years of great Christmas gatherings you’ll be able to enjoy if you keep your teeth in good shape!

Drink plenty of water daily

The daily amount of water nutritionists recommend to drink is 11.5 glasses for women and 15.5 for men.

It is likely to binge on alcohol and consume large amounts of treats during the holidays while forgetting to drink water. However, this special liquid can make a significant difference to your oral health. Water, especially fluoridated water, prevents tooth decay and cavities.

It is highly advisable to drink water after eating. Usually, this helps get rid of bacteria left in the mouth. It also dilutes the acid from alcohol.

The last benefit of water is its unique ability to fill you up without adding calories. If you’re still hungry after dinner and considering having seconds, drink a glass of water instead. It’s beneficial to your waistline and teeth!

Don’t open gifts with your teeth.

This may seem obvious, but when an impatient kid hands you a toy, tightly sealed in Teflon-strength wrapping, your instinct will be to rip it open. Resist that temptation and grab a pair of scissors.

Teeth are handy in doing many things, such as chewing and enunciating. However, they do not make good cutting tools. Using your teeth to open packages and bottles erodes the enamel and weakens the edges of your teeth. This leads to tooth breakage and cracking and probably expensive cosmetic dental work.

Schedule your post-holiday dental check-up now

It is advisable to schedule a post-holiday dental cleaning and check-up before the holidays start. Note down your appointments somewhere, as this can easily slip your mind when juggling cooking, house cleaning, seeing family, and shopping.

Generally, there is an excessive demand for dental visits during the holidays; thus, booking in advance ensures you reserve a convenient appointment time. The sooner you can go for a dental cleaning and check-up, the less time your holiday indulgences will negatively impact your oral teeth.

Holiday dental care is very important.

When it comes to holiday dental care, prevention is definitely better than treatment. Developing a dental care routine is the most practical way to preserve your teeth this holiday season. But all said and done; do not overindulge in chewy, sugary snacks between meals and drink considerable amounts of water.

Article resources:

Information in this article has been gathered from multiple public health sources, including:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/

https://www.cdc.gov/

https://www.healthline.com/

Top Dental Care Tips for Kids

Posted on December 11, 2024 - 6:31 pm by Anmol Singh

Healthy adult teeth begin in childhood. They affect not just our children’s dentition, speech, and eating abilities, but also their self-esteem. A study report by the California Society of Pediatric Dentistry reports;

“Untreated dental disease compromises the child’s ability to eat well, sleep well, and function well at home and at school. The unaesthetic nature of untreated dental decay compromises the child’s self-esteem and social development.” (Source: The Consequences of Untreated Dental Disease in Children)

Poor dental health can affect your kids and lead to infection, gum disease, or other problems.

Oral tips for your kids

It can be challenging to encourage our children to be responsible for their dental health. We have listed the best dental tips for your kids. Small steps lead to drastic results.

1. Be their role model and educate your children

Whether it is younger or older children, they like to model their parents. Be their role model for dental hygiene, as you demonstrate proper habits to them until their adulthood. You can make certain routines like brushing and flossing shared activities with them.

Educate them about the importance of oral care and the right techniques of brushing and flossing. Read books and watch videos that explain dental hygiene to kids in a fun and educational way.

Plaque can be difficult to see, unlike cavities. You can do a fun science experiment with a plaque-disclosing tablet to talk about how plaque forms and looks to your children. Fun activities like these can reinforce the significance of oral health and its impact on their overall health.

2. Make brushing and flossing part of their daily routine

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends parents brush their children’s teeth until they are eight years, and floss them until they are 10. For babies and toddlers, their gums can be cleaned with a soft washcloth until their milk teeth erupt.

You can, of course, support daily brushing and flossing habits by getting your child to get more involved. They can shop for their favourite toothbrush, and you can have so many options these days with fun characters and colors. Look for soft bristle brushes for children. There are electric toothbrushes for children which clean teeth better. You can pick floss with a handle for your kids to use it more comfortably.

Your kids can pick their favorite toothpaste flavor. Make the daily brushing and flossing routine exciting for your children by playing songs in the background. The American Dental Association (ADA) has a special playlist for children to encourage their brushing habits.

Their toothbrushes need to be changed every 3-4 months, and the ADA recommends this. One sign when their brushes need to be tossed out is when they start to fray and get ineffective in their functioning. You should also teach your kids to brush and clean their tongues as well.

The ADA has changed its earlier stance and now recommends fluoridated toothpaste for all kids from the time their first tooth erupts. Tooth decay is the most common disease in childhood, overtaking asthma in recent years.

Children should learn to brush their teeth twice a day and floss once a day. The right technique of brushing and flossing is also important as an aggressive action or an incorrect method can harm their teeth and gums.

You can organize a craft session for your kids where they can make their track chart. It can be hung in their bathrooms and checked each time they brush and floss their teeth. They can also be rewarded for their consistency with anything they like to do. Alternatively, you can access fun coloring pages and activities on the ADA site.

3. Stock and prepare enjoyable teeth-friendly food options

There are so many teeth-friendly food choices for your children. Fruits, vegetables, lean meat, cheese, and nuts don’t just make great nutritional choices but can also reduce their risk of developing cavities. Limit processed food, cookies, candy, chips, and sugary soda beverages.

You can give a list of healthy teeth-friendly options to your child and let them pick their favorite foods from the grocery store.

If your child shows interest in gardening, you can encourage him or her to grow their own fruits and vegetables and prepare meals together.

4. Schedule regular dental visits

Like adults, you should bring your children to the dentist twice a year. Both the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommend bringing your child to a dentist around their first birthday or when their first tooth appears.

Starting early will help your child get accustomed to dental visits, which are important for sustainable dental health. You can also ease dental anxiety in your children by reading books about dentist visits and help them be mentally prepared beforehand. A good family and pediatric dentist will also be adept at reducing your child’s fears and making them feel comfortable in the clinic.

A family and pediatric dentist will examine your child’s family history and look for any early signs of a cavity. They can also guide your child on the proper brushing and flossing techniques. There are many options like sealants for children to protect their teeth from harmful bacteria and cavities.

Final Thoughts

Celebrate with your children by showing some love for their teeth. A little bit of chocolate and candies hurt no one as long as your children are on track with their oral care. You can take pointers from our article, and of course, our dentists are always a call away.

And we assure you that your kids will have a lot to smile about all year long.

If you’re currently looking for a family dentist in Orange Park, FL you can trust Esthetics Implant Dentistry for expert dental care. Call us for any dental queries, concerns, or to schedule an appointment.

(Disclaimer: We routinely draw upon public health resources to inform our write-ups. Information in this article has been gathered from multiple public health sources, including:

Root Canal vs. Dental Implant: How to Make the Right Choice for Your Smile?

Posted on November 16, 2024 - 11:42 am by Anmol Singh

Do you have an infected tooth that’s causing a lot of pain? Or do you have extensive tooth decay?

I’m Dr. Sridhar Sagili, dentist in Orange Park, FL. When a patient’s tooth becomes infected, we must decide whether to save the tooth by performing a root canal or to extract the tooth and then go for dental implants.

At Esthetics Implant Dentistry, our primary effort is always to save your natural tooth. This is our first choice for both health and cosmetic results. Ethically if the tooth is salvageable, we believe we should always save it and do the root canal treatment. Saving your natural tooth helps:

Maintain efficient chewing
Maintain normal biting force and avoid collapse of the bite
Maintain natural structure of your jaw
Limit the need for more costly, ongoing dental work

However, sometimes the decay is so bad, the tooth cannot be saved. We have no choice but to extract it. The best choice to replace an extracted tooth is implant, which provides permanence and the beauty of natural looking teeth.

We think about the prognosis of tooth decay, the cause of the problem, longevity of the treatment, and other factors, such as the dentin strength and age when deciding on the two treatment options.

Let us understand the two treatment procedures, the benefits, and risks in detail.

Root Canal Treatment (RCT) in Orange Park, FL

Model of a tooth at the dentist.Doctor shows the patient a tooth.Reception in the dentist's office

When your tooth becomes infected, a root canal treatment lets you keep the tooth rather than extracting it. Keeping your tooth helps prevent the rest of your teeth from shifting out of line and causing jaw problems.

How does it work?

Root canal treatment or endodontic therapy is the most traditionally used treatment when a root is infected, or a tooth has severe decay or damage. Root canal procedures eliminate bacteria from the infected root canal. The cavity is cleaned, disinfected, and finally filled and sealed, thereby preserving your tooth.

The RCT is a safe and effective process of removing the infected, injured, or dead nerve and tissue (pulp) from the tooth. This procedure protects what’s left of the tooth and allows normal function.

The space inside the hard layers of each tooth is called the root canal system. The system is made up of soft dental pulp consisting of nerves, tissues, and blood vessels.

The infected pulp tissue is manually removed with files of various sizes to clean out the canal. With the help of very fine dental instruments, the dentist removes the pulp by cleaning and enlarging the root canal system.

The root canal is the first step in the whole tooth restoration. After the root canal, the tooth is prone to becoming dry and brittle. The goal is to restore or fix the tooth to look, feel, and function just like your natural tooth.

The final steps are the core build-up and crown. The canal is shaped, filled, and sealed most commonly with a natural replacement material called gutta percha. The opening of the tooth is sealed with a temporary filling first, and then a permanent filling and a crown to restore the tooth. The choice of restoration, such as a crown or posts to support the crown, will depend on the strength of the part of the tooth that’s left.

What you should know about root canal treatment in Orange Park, FL

Considerable advancements in technology allow dentists to complete root canal treatment, even for teeth with complex anatomies, to the highest level of precision.

Most root canal treatments are successful and done in 1 or 2 appointments. After the treatment, your tooth may be tender for the first one or two weeks. If you suffer from severe pain or swelling, you should immediately call your dentist.

A second root canal treatment would be needed in a few rare cases and is called retreatment. During the retreating of a tooth, the root canal filling material is taken out, and the canal system is recleaned, reshaped, and refilled.

Sometimes root canal surgery is needed when a regular root canal treatment cannot be done or has not worked. A root canal surgery is done to check for fractures or cracks in the root, remove parts of the root that could not be cleaned during the root canal treatment, and clear up an infection that did heal after regular treatment.

With proper care and regular dental visits, the restored tooth lasts as long as your other teeth. Often, the tooth that has had a root canal treatment can be saved. However, when nothing can be done further, a tooth must be extracted.

Benefits of a Root Canal

Some top benefits of getting a root canal treatment are:

You don’t lose your original tooth.
Minimal pain
Less expensive than a dental implant procedure
Takes less time than a dental implant
Less recovery time than dental implant
High success rate

Risks of a Root Canal

While the root canal treatment offers many benefits and has a very high success rate, complications like abscesses can arise if the entire infected pulp is not removed, which underscores the importance of visiting an experienced dentist trained in endodontics.

Call the best dentists in Orange Park, FL if you’d like to discuss treatment options.

Dental Implants in Orange Park, FL

Smiling dentist showing an artificial dentures

If the dental examination reveals that saving the tooth is not the best long-term solution for you, only then will we consider a dental implant. Dental implants are used to replace missing teeth and support artificial replacement teeth.

What are dental implants?

A dental implant involves removing the original tooth, installing a metal post in the jaw, and finally, inserting a porcelain dental crown to the post.

A dental implant is an artificial root made of titanium metal. It is inserted into the jawbone to replace the root of the natural tooth. An artificial replacement tooth is attached to the implant. The implant acts as an anchor to hold the replacement tooth in place.

First, the original tooth is removed. A dental implant, which is an artificial root made of titanium metal, is inserted into the jawbone under the gum tissue. The gum tissue is stitched back into place and takes some time to heal. During the healing process, which can take up to several months, the dental implant will bond with the bone and attach to the gum.

After the healing process is complete, the dentist will attach an abutment to the implant. An abutment is a post that connects the replacement tooth to the dental implant.

An artificial replacement tooth is made and attached to the abutment. It can take several appointments to fit the replacement tooth to the abutment correctly.

If the dentist is replacing several teeth or all of your teeth, a fixed bridge is anchored to the dental implants on each side of the missing tooth or teeth.

What you should know about dental implants?

You may need several appointments with your dentist during the procedure for an implant-supported dental bridge. Checkups will be scheduled in the following year as well to check if the implants are functioning properly.

At Esthetics implants dentistry, we also offer All-in-4 dental implants which can be completed in one-day. You read that right! “All on 4” dental implant, which involves placing four implants in the jawbone to support a full arch zirconium prosthesis, usually completed in a single visit. This technique provides patients with immediate results and eliminates the need for bone grafting in most cases. However, it may not be suitable for individuals with significant bone loss or those who require individual tooth replacement.

Dental implants look and function like natural teeth. So, they need the same amount of care as natural teeth. Your dentist will demonstrate the proper cleaning technique for implants. Regular cleaning using a toothbrush and floss and dental checkups are essential.

Dental implants can cost more than other replacement procedures. But they are a one-time cost, unlike other tooth replacement procedures.

Very rarely, there could be possible complications arising from dental implants such as infection, bleeding, numbness, and injury.

Benefits of a Dental Implant

Here are some benefits of a dental implant:

They are aesthetic, comfortable, look, and function like natural teeth
Long-lasting and can last decades with proper care
Low failure rate

Risks of a Dental Implant

Below are some of the cons of getting a dental implant:

Lengthy process in case of a implant supported overdentures and bridge/crown
Time intensive
Costly without insurance
Longer recovery period

Root Canal vs. Implant: Which is the best option?

Making comparisons between the two treatments is like comparing apples with oranges.

The American Dental Association reports that both root canal therapy and dental implants have high success rates. A similar study published by the Journal of Endodontics found no notable difference in the success rates of a standard RCT versus dental implant.

Root canals and dental implants are equally successful, but implants may need more follow-up procedures.

The decision to pursue a particular treatment procedure should be based on the complexity of the patients’ individual cases, health, and preferences.

If your tooth is salvageable, we would always work to save it and recommend root canal to preserve your natural tooth. However, if you have extensive tooth decay, the tooth has a poor prognosis, and you have healthy gums and enough bone in the jaw to hold an implant, then we would recommend extraction followed by an implant..

Need more information about the root canal treatment or a dental implant? Call Esthetics Implant Dentistry at 904-272-7277 to make an informed decision.

Author Archives: Anmol Singh