Superior Cosmetic & Family Dentistry Bowie,MD

Dental Problems, Treatment, and Prevention Causes and Prevention Teeth can occasionally chip or fracture when you bite down on something hard, like a popcorn kernel or hard bread. Often teeth that have fillings or root canals are at higher risk, because they are not as strong as those that have not had these procedures. However, even intact teeth can chip or fracture if you happen to bite down in just the wrong way on something hard. If you have fillings on your back teeth, try to avoid chewing on bones, hard candies, and ice. Wear a mouth guard if you play sports that could injure your teeth. A survey of college basketball players found that mouth guard users had a much lower risk of dental injuries. Teeth are built to chew and grind food. But if you grind or clench them often, you can damage their surfaces over time. Too much grinding can also cause headaches, muscle pain, and jaw injury. Many people who grind a lot don't realize they have a problem un

One of the most common questions we get from our patients is how to take care of their mouths after any type of Oral Surgery ; primarily extractions.  While the mouth can be a bit sore after procedures such as prepping for a crown, fillings, etc. (swishing with warm salt water will help soothe the gums), we run into the most problems when it comes to extractions.  The following tips will help heal the gums as fast as possible and make for an experience involving as little pain and discomfort as possible! 1. Starting the day AFTER the extraction, swish 3 to 4 times a day with warm salt water (about a teaspoon of salt to 8 ounces of water).  After swishing for about 30 seconds, stand over the sink and let the salt water mixture “drool out”, do not forcefully spit it out! 2. DO NOT drink through a straw for at least 72 hours. 3. If you are a smoker, hold off for as long as possible.  We recommend at the VERY LEAST 72 hours, however the longer the better.  If you smoke

The Importance of Flossing - Dental Care One of the questions that we ask every one of our patients is how often do you floss your teeth?  The most common answer we get is two to three times per week.  While we highly recommend flossing once a day (preferably at night after you have brushed your teeth), we want to give our patients some other uses for all that dental floss that they have lying around! 5 Simple Uses For Dental Floss  1. Use unflavored dental floss to cut through cakes, soft cheeses, fresh baked bread, etc.  Simply wind the floss around your pointer fingers and use a slight sawing motion to get the perfect slice!  2. Use dental floss to hang pictures, ornaments, and even wind chimes!  During the holiday season dental floss can be used to string popcorn together to decorate your Christmas tree by tying it to the end of a sewing needle!  3. If you are ever camping and run out of fishing line, dental floss can be used as a perfect substitute!  4

Let’s face it; we have all been scared to go to the dentist at one time or another.  However, for some of us, going for our dental check-up every six months is downright terrifying.  Whether it is because of a bad experience as a child, fear of the unknown, or what we call “white-coat syndrome”, we want to help our patients to move past this fear and make their experience at our office the most pleasant and comfortable that it can be.  The best things that you can do to overcome your dental phobia are as follows:   1.  Make sure you are comfortable with your dentist.  This may seem like a simple request; however it is of the utmost importance.  If you are not comfortable with your provider you may feel that you cannot ask him or her questions or express your thoughts and concerns which can lead to problems in the future.   2.  Inform yourself!  Before having any procedure done, do some research on your own and make sure you understand exactly what is going on.  Also be su

How to Whiten Your Teeth At Home These days, where you see celebrities plastered all over magazine covers smiling with perfectly white, straight teeth, it is understandable that many of our patients have been very interested in whitening their own teeth. Our in-office KOR whitening as well as the take home whitening kits are both phenomenal systems, however sometimes finances come into play and these systems are not affordable. We want to give our patients other alternatives, especially those who have invested a lot of energy and effort in sustaining a healthy mouth! Steps to take for cleaner, whiter teeth: 1. Avoid sodas and dark colored beverages (i.e. red wine, tea, coffee, etc.) as much as possible. If you cannot give them up, make sure to drink through a straw in order to minimize the amount of liquid touching the teeth. 2. After having your morning cup of coffee, swish with water and spit it out in the sink so the leftover particles of coffee do n

With products on the market for every ailment ranging from headaches to hangnails, homeopathic and organic methods for banishing things we don’t want in or on our bodies are becoming more and more appealing.  An ancient trend that is making its way back into the 21 st century is called oil pulling.  Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic technique that only requires you to swish anywhere from a teaspoon to a tablespoon of organic coconut oil around in your mouth for 20 minutes in order to eliminate toxins and bacteria. The Benefits of Oil Pulling An assistant in our office has been oil pulling for quite some time and loves the benefits!  She feels that her teeth are cleaner and whiter and her gums are much healthier.  Oil pulling with coconut oil has several other benefits such as clearer skin, headache relief, and clearing up halitosis.  Check out the articles below for more information and let us know your thoughts!  Happy swishing! J        WHAT IS OIL PULLING + W

So many patients are always asking us what the best and worst foods are for healthy, strong teeth. Unfortunately, it is true that if you eat predominantly “bad” foods, the chances of developing a cavity are greatly increased.    In order to distinguish between good and bad foods for the teeth, it is important to know how cavities form.    The steps to forming a cavity are as follows: 1.        First you need a thin, sticky film of bacteria to form on the tooth surfaces.   This film is called plaque.   Plaque accumulates if someone does not practice good oral hygiene techniques (i.e. regular brushing and flossing). 2.        The plaque then needs to come into contact with sugars and starches to produce acids that can attack our teeth for 20 minutes or more after we finish eating.   Continuous attacks can result in tooth structure breakdown and ultimately result in cavities. Now that we know the steps necessary for cavities to form, it is important to see what foods in