Every dentist in Bountiful, Utah will tell their patients that dental hygiene is one of the most important aspects of daily life for maintaining healthy teeth and gums. Another thing they will tell you is that proper oral hygiene practices should start at home, which makes it a prime responsibility of parents to inculcate positive dental habits into their children – but how exactly can you go about such a task?

Inculcate Dental Awareness

Before your child can even develop interest in brushing and flossing every day, you need to make their importance clear to your little one. Begin by teaching him about his teeth, what they’re used for and what could happen if he doesn’t keep them clean. You can also help him identify his molars, incisors, and cuspids.

Reading Books

Here are some facts about getting dental hygiene-related books for your kids from the She Knows website:

“Young kids are more apt to understand dental health and other subjects if they see the topics illustrated in books. From the time your children are infants, you should begin to incorporate books about dental health, teeth brushing and visiting the dentist into their regular reading. Read these books about dental health to your little ones. You can find them at your local library or bookstore.”

Keep Things Interesting

You should also keep your brushing and flossing time interesting and fun. For starters, buy cool toothbrushes that you just know they’ll love, preferably with eye-catching designs or cartoon characters that they like. You can also integrate games into your tooth brushing time.

Proper dental practices doesn’t end in the house, though – it’s also important to visit your dependable Bountiful dentists, like those from Alpenglow Dental, at least once or twice a year. With these two combined, you can be assured that your children’s dental health remains at an optimum level until they are old enough to go to the dentist on their own.

(Source: How to get your kids to brush and floss, SheKnows, LLC)

Dental emergencies could happen any time while you’re busy going through your daily activities. Thankfully, you can always give your friendly and dependable Pleasant Grove dentist a visit to have your chipped or loose tooth fixed. To keep you well-informed, here are some of the important facts you need to know about dental emergencies:

Simple Precautions

While they can’t really be foreseen, it’s easy to identify which particular activities are most likely to lead to a teeth injury, so it’s important to have sufficient precautions then. For instance, wear a protective mouthguard whenever you engage in contact sports (e.g. football, basketball), or simply keeping away from hard food that could easily chip or damage your teeth.

First Aid for Knocked-Out Teeth

If you had your teeth knocked out, call your dentist immediately, and here are some simple first aid tips from Knowyourteeth.com that you must keep in mind:

“Touching the root of the tooth can damage cells that are necessary to reattach the tooth to the bone. Gently rinse the tooth in water to remove dirt. Do not scrub the tooth! Place the clean tooth in your mouth between the cheek and gum to keep it moist. It is important not to let the tooth dry out.”

Mouth Injury

Serious dental emergencies often involve much more than the teeth – if the impact is enough to knock one or two out of place, it’s likely that you’ll have cuts or lacerations in your mouth as well. In this case, clean up the wounds immediately with warm water to prevent infection. If the cut is large enough to result in severe bleeding, get emergency care immediately.

There are always a good number of dentists like those from Alpenglow Dental who can perform dental emergency services for you. Your reliable dentist in Pleasant Grove could also offer a vast array of other services that could help restore your mouth, teeth, and gums to their optimum function.

(Source: What to Do in a Dental Emergency, Know Your Teeth by the Academy of General Dentistry)

A root canal procedure serves as a treatment to repair and save a decaying tooth and prevent it from causing you more serious problems in the long run. You can receive such treatment from a reputable dentist in Salt Lake City from established practices like Alpenglow Dental. As is true with most dental procedures, you will need to prepare for the recovery period to ensure optimal healing.

Post-Treatment

Here are some pointers from the American Association of Endodontists regarding caring for your teeth right after a root canal treatment:

• Do not eat anything until the numbness in your mouth wears off. This will prevent you from biting your cheek or tongue.
• Do not chew or bite on the treated tooth until you have had it restored by your dentist.
• Be sure to brush and floss your teeth as you normally would.

Food

You should eat nothing but soft foods at least during the first few weeks right after the treatment – nevertheless, this doesn’t mean turning your back on nutrition. Make sure that you have enough fruits and vegetables in your diet (you might have to settle for fruit shakes or juices though). Eat soup with soft meats, fish, or tofu for your protein intake, while pasta or mashed potatoes are the best sources of carbohydrates.

Future Maintenance

After the recovery period, you might find that your teeth are already beginning to return to their function and strength. In this case, you will still have to keep up with proper cleaning and maintenance practices like you would before your root canal treatment. Your trusted Salt Lake City dentist might also have to periodically run your teeth through an x-ray to check if the healing process is complete.

(Source: Post Treatment Care, American Association of Endodontists)

Dentures are suitable replacements for lost teeth. However, the onus for taking care of them is on the wearer, as John Sharman of the Sutton Guardian in Britain reports:

“A man who left his false teeth at an AFC Wimbledon match has thanked fellow fans for helping to find his gnashers.

George, who asked us not to print his surname to avoid teasing, said the dentures must have slipped out of his pocket before kick-off at Saturday’s game against Exeter.

He denied internet speculation the false teeth had fallen out while he was eating a pre-match pie and said he did not wear them often, despite complaints from his girlfriend.”

The danger of losing dentures anywhere may weigh heavily on residents of the great state of Utah. Many experts agree that losing them may lead to serious issues, such as sagging facial muscles and declining self-confidence. If you’ve been recommended to wear dentures as a solution to pre-existing oral problems, a reputable Saratoga Springs dentist, including such medical professionals at Alpenglow Dental, can guide you through the process and after-care.

A Saratoga Springs Dentist Guiding You to Take Care of Your Dentures

When not in use, your dentures should be stored in a secure but discreet location. However, do not use stopgap measures, such as wrapping them in a table napkin, to prevent losing them by accident. You can take a cue from Mr. George by acquiring a special dentures container, which any dental office can provide you.

Dentures are not meant to be worn around the clock. As such, you will have to take them off before going to sleep and store them in a container or glass filled with cleaning solution. You can also use a soft toothbrush and the solution to scrub it clean of dirt before storage.

A dentist from Saratoga Springs such as Alpenglow Dental’s Stuart Lindsay, DDS, is capable of installing implants to secure the dentures to your gums. Consult your practitioner on the special precautions needed, such as when your dentures have metal linkages

Not every person with dentures is as fortunate as Mr. George. Dentures help preserve your oral health, but the challenge and responsibility are on you to maintain and keep them in good shape.

(Article Information and Image from Owner of missing false teeth thanks Wimbledon fans for finding his dentures, Sutton Guardian)
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Sometimes, brushing your teeth may be a bit tedious during a rush. Britain’s Daily Mail, however, can clue you in on an option that’s just as efficient:

Manual toothbrushes are just as good as the fashionable electric variety, new research recently claimed.

Many dentists, however, believe that while both types remove dental plaque and prevent gum disease, the electric variety can be superior.

‘The bottom line is that powered toothbrushes can be a useful aid in improving oral health,’ says David Collins from the British Dental Health Foundation, an independent charity who give free dental health advice (helpline 0845 063 1188) to the public.

‘Some people clearly do benefit from using powered toothbrushes, and the degree of benefit relates to their dental condition, their brushing technique, the type of toothbrush, and other factors.’

An electric toothbrush has been a fixture in American dental hygiene since Squibb released the Broxodent in 1961. Advances in technology over the next few decades enabled electric toothbrushes to be more user-friendly. However, electric toothbrushes are simply tools that will only perform as advertised if you know how to use them effectively—something that a dentist in South Jordan such as the professionals at Alpenglow Dental can guide you with.

In deciding whether to use an electric toothbrush, you only have a choice of battery-powered or corded, rechargeable models. Your dentist may guide you on the nuances of operating either version, such as accounting for the cost of replacement batteries. Unless the device has some sort of an energy gauge, you might not know if it’s working at optimal efficiency or not.

Electric toothbrushes have different operating heads, including the rotating, oscillation, circular, side-to-side, and ultrasonic. A dentist may advise you to move the brush in a circular motion, apply fluoride toothpaste to boost the cleaning, and brush for a total of two minutes. Once it is done, dip the head into a glass of water to clean it up, and then let it dry.

An electric toothbrush is designed to help ease your dental hygiene routine. Dentists in South Jordan can teach you how to use them properly, and how to take care of them so they may last longer.

(Article Information and Image from Your electric toothbrush guide, Daily Mail)

Routine dental care and good oral health have an important role in the maintenance of your family’s wellness as well as your own. Therefore, when it’s time for you to choose a family dentist in Bountiful, UT, who has the knowledge and expertise to meet the basic dental health needs of your loved ones (regardless of their age), here are some tips that you have to keep in mind:

Welcoming Office

Before deciding on a family dentist in Pleasant Grove, Bountiful, or any other city in Utah, give the offices of your top potential dentists a visit. See to it that you opt for a dental office that has a hospitable staff, a friendly atmosphere, and comfortable furniture. Sitting in a comfy office can make waiting for the dentist tolerable, if not enjoyable.

Good with Kids

An article from Yahoo! Voices shares this critical pointer:

“Obviously, a family dentist needs to be good with kids, especially if you have multiple children. You don’t want your child to grow up hating the dentist, so you should find one that gets along with your son or daughter and makes him or her feel comfortable about being in a doctor’s office. In most cases, a dentist that has children themselves will be a great candidate as your family’s dentist.”

Payment Options

Reputable family dentists from established practices, such as Alpenglow Dental, would be more than happy to discuss payments and financing plans. If your family has dental insurance, make sure that your chosen dentist accepts your provider. Moreover, do inquire about repayment schedules and discount plans.

(Article Information and Image from 5 Tips for Choosing a Family Dentist, Yahoo! Voices)

Dental emergencies can be traumatic for adults and children, as it involves acute pain in the teeth, gums, supporting bone structure, or other structures in or around the mouth. Patients should not ignore injuries that have been inflicted on the teeth and gums, and should seek immediate treatment. Ignoring a dental emergency could lead to serious and permanent damage, as well as expensive restorative treatments.

Toothaches

Individuals should thoroughly rinse their mouths with warm water, and if the pain is not too severe, should use dental floss to remove any lodged food particles. If the mouth is swollen, patients should apply a cold compress to the exterior of the mouth or cheek. Patients should never allow an aspirin or other painkiller to come into contact with their gums as it could burn the gum tissue. Individuals should consult an emergency dentist in Saratoga Springs as soon as possible for treatment.

Chipped or broken teeth

Individuals with chipped or broken teeth should save any broken pieces. They should rinse their mouths with warm water and rinse any broken pieces of the tooth. If they’re bleeding, individuals should apply a piece of gauze to the affected area for approximately 10 minutes or until the bleeding stops.

A cold compress should be applied to the exterior of the mouth, cheek, or lip area near the broken or chipped tooth to reduce swelling and relieve pain. Individuals should consult an emergency dentist in Salt Lake City for treatment in order to prevent infections, relieve pain, and save the broken or chipped tooth.

Soft tissue injuries

If the tongue, lips, or cheeks are bitten, cut, or punctured and start bleeding, individuals should apply a firm pressure on the injured areas with gauze or a clean cloth. If the bleeding does not subside within 15 minutes, patients should contact their dentist or physician immediately for further treatment. Emergency dentists—like the physicians at Alpenglow Dental—can assist patients in Sandy, South Jordan, Bountiful, Salt Lake City, Saratoga Springs, and other locations in Utah.

(Article Information and Image from Dental Emergency Procedures Can Help Save a Tooth; Colgate)

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The tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body, making the teeth harder than the bones. No matter how careful you may be, however, you can’t avoid accidents that cause you to chip a tooth or worse, knock one out entirely. An article posted on the Academy of General Dentistry website discusses what you need to do to save a knocked out tooth:

“… It is important to see your dentist within an hour of when your tooth is knocked out for the best chance of the tooth surviving the trauma. Handle the tooth by the crown (the top), not by the root (the pointed part on the bottom).

Touching the root of the tooth can damage cells that are necessary to reattach the tooth to the bone. Gently rinse the tooth in water to remove dirt… Place the clean tooth in your mouth between the cheek and gum to keep it moist… If it is not possible to store the tooth in the mouth, wrap the tooth in a clean cloth or gauze and immerse it in milk or saline solution (the solution used for contacts)… The patient should be seen as soon as possible to make sure there are no remaining pieces of the tooth.”

If you fail to save your teeth, you would need to undergo a tooth replacement procedure to prevent bone loss and the drifting of your neighboring teeth. Not only will these conditions affect the appearance of your face and smile, but they will promote periodontal disease and tooth decay, as well. To avoid replacement costs and keep your oral environment healthy, visit a trusted Utah emergency dentist as soon as possible.

Typically, emergency dentists in Utah such as those from Alpenglow Dental operate on extended office hours to accommodate untimely situations. These dental professionals will provide immediate treatment to save your tooth and prevent additional damage.

(Article Information and Image from What to Do in a Dental Emergency, Academy of General Dentistry)