What Fluoride Can Do For Your Teeth

what fluoride can do for your teeth

What Fluoride Can Do For Your Teeth

benefits of fluoride treatments

Fluoride treatments are one of the dental tools that have been used for decades by dentists to help people enjoy peak dental health. So, what are fluoride treatments and how does this mineral work? Read on and learn what the experts at Green Dental Care in Parker CO have shared about fluoride and dental health.

What is Fluoride?

Fluoride is a mineral that occurs naturally in the earth’s crust. It can be found in oceans, soil and other water bodies. This mineral can occur in a gaseous, solid or liquid form. Our doctors explain that nearly a century ago, it was observed that fluoride could help rebuild the enamel on teeth once demineralization occurred. This discovery was so profound that dentists started offering fluoride treatments to their patients as a way of increasing resistance to tooth decay and strengthening teeth.

What is a Fluoride Treatment?

Your Parker CO dentist is likely to give you a fluoride treatment when you visit for your routine dental cleanings. The treatment is applied as a highly concentrated foam, rinse, gel or even varnish.

Dr. Green and Dr. Ionescu can use a swab, tray, mouthwash or brush to apply the fluoride on your teeth.

This quick treatment delivers a lot more fluoride to your teeth than what is typically found in your toothpaste or in the municipal water supply. Fluoride treatments need just a few minutes to be applied. However, the dentist at Green Dental Care is likely to advise you to refrain from eating or drinking anything for at least 30 minutes after the fluoride treatment. This interval is intended to allow your teeth to absorb the fluoride sufficiently so that you can enjoy its protective benefits.

When you visit Green Dental Care, reveal your full history (medications you are taking and dental issues you have been facing, for example) so that the dental care professional can select the most appropriate fluoride treatment for your needs.

How Fluoride Protects Your Teeth

While some people may think that fluoride treatments are primarily intended for children, this is far from the truth. Everyone, including adults, can benefit from getting periodic fluoride treatments.

For kids whose teeth are still developing, Dr. Green explains that fluoride helps harden the enamel during the formative stages. This is when the teeth are most susceptible to decay due to weak enamel. The fluoride hardens the teeth and makes them better able to resist acid damage.

Dr. Lesson, a dentist in St. Petersburg FL, adds that fluoride boosts remineralization. This is a process through which leached minerals are restored to the structure of the teeth. Demineralization (the loss of minerals like calcium from the teeth) is normally accelerated by the action of plaque-causing bacteria. Fluoride helps to accelerate the remineralization process.

Fluoride also helps reduce the size of tiny holes in your teeth called fissures. By filling most of those gaps, fluoride prevents food particles and oral bacteria from lodging in those fissures. In this way, the experts at Green Dental Care assert that you will be less prone to cavities and other dental issues.

Using Fluoride at Home

The fluoride treatments administered our doctors need to be supplemented by adequate fluoride use at home. This can take the form of using fluoride toothpaste to brush your teeth at least twice each day. Another way is by drinking fluoridated water (instead of bottled water that may not have any fluoride in it).

There is only one place to seek help if you aren’t sure whether you are getting as much fluoride as you need. Your Parker CO dentist at Green Dental Care is best to advise you on your fluoride intake since he knows your dental health and the risks you face as you seek to maintain peak oral health. Contact Green Dental Care today for answers to all your questions about fluoride or any other aspect of your oral health.

 

Helping Your Child Overcome Their Fear of Dentists

Helping Your Child Overcome Their Fear of Dentists

Helping Your Child Overcome Fear of Dentists - Green Dental Care

For a child, going to the dentist can be a frightening and overwhelming experience. The experience of sitting in the dental chair while a strange new person uses hard metal instruments to poke around their mouth can be too much for a child. While the fear is understandable, it’s important to help your children keep their teeth and gums healthy from a very young age. At Green Dental Care, we pride ourselves on creating the best experience for all of our patients. We want to ensure that future visits to your Parker CO dentist are enjoyable and stress-free. Dr. Ionescu has put together the following steps that you can take to helping your child overcome their fear of dentists. 

Early Introductions to Your Dentist in Parker

The sooner a child pays a visit to the dentist, the better comfortable they will ultimately be. Our friends Dr. Kristina Neda at ThoroughDent Smiles, a pediatric dental office in Georgetown, KY,  recommends that the first visit to the dentist be at the age of 1, or soon after the first teeth start to erupt. Keep it upbeat and fun, and encourage your child with plenty of positive reinforcement.

Keep it Age Appropriate and Easy to Understand

When you’re preparing your child for a visit to the dentist, try not to go into too much detail. This can lead to creating plenty of unnecessary anxiety as your child tried to understand what is going to happen. Keep up with a positive attitude and tone of voice when discussing any upcoming visits or procedures.

If your child needs treatment, keep the explanation simple and age-appropriate, reassuring your child that the doctor and staff are there to help.

Be Mindful of the Words that You Use

There are some words that should be avoided when discussing dental or doctor visits with children. Just the words alone can often lead to anxiety.

  • Shot
  • Injection
  • Hurt
  • Pain
  • Drill

Instead, allow your child’s pediatric dentist and hygienists to use their own language when describing what they will be doing. A common description of treatment is to use the words “sugar bugs.” Simply tell your little one that the dentist is going to check their smile and look for any invisible sugar bugs so that he can clean them off.

  • Focus on positive words.
  • Clean teeth
  • Strong teeth
  • Healthy teeth
  • Happy smiles
  • Healthy smiles

This can help to make the visits to your Parker dentist feel fun and interesting, rather than alarming and frightening.

Playing Pretend

Children learn through playing, and playing pretend with your child can help to reassure them about what to expect from an upcoming visit to the dentist. Pretend to be the dentist and take turns with your child playing the dentist. All you will need is a toothbrush and your imagination. Count your child’s teeth and have them count and examine yours. The type of play you engage in doesn’t need to be specific or anything other than keeping it fun. The goal is to get your little one familiar with the routine of a dental office visit.

Pick up a few picture books that have lots of illustrations and an easy-to-understand dialogue to help children get an idea about what can be expected.

Prepare for a Bit of Fussing

It is very normal and very age-appropriate for young children to be fussy, cry, whine, and argue about being seen by their Parker CO dentist. Try to remain calm and collected, remembering that your children can often pick up your own anxiety. Remember, also, that your dentist in Parker CO has worked with many children. Each member of the team will know how to handle the fussing best that your children may demonstrate.

It’s your job to be the cool-headed and calm parent, while the dental professionals handle the business of keeping their teeth healthy.

Focus on the Importance of a Healthy Mouth

Teaching your children that dental visits are necessary and not optional will help them to understand that the dentist will help them to take care of their teeth. You may want to explain that the dentist can help to keep teeth free from cavities and help to ensure a beautiful smile for many great years to come.

Start your children with the best oral health care and make an appointment for an examination with the best dentist in Parker. You’ll find our entire team kind, compassionate, and really understanding when it comes to working with our littlest patients. We offer a wide range of dental services that will meet each of your oral healthcare goals.

Post Root Canal Instructions

Post Root Canal Instructions - Green Dental Care

Post Root Canal Instructions

41,000 root canals are being performed daily in the U.S, which sums up to around 15 million procedures per year. For those patients whose teeth cannot be saved by a simple filling, a root canal is a perfect option for them. So, what exactly is a root canal? A root canal is a dental procedure that focuses on removing damage to the interior pulp so that the natural tooth is reinforced and protected from any possible future damages to the teeth.

Those patients who follow their dentist’s instructions on how to take care of their teeth after the root canal are the ones most likely to not face problems later on.

Post Root Canal Instructions

If you are going to undergo a root canal, it is in your best interest to follow these aftercare instructions.

Following these instructions will help speed up the recovery time after the procedure.

 DO’s                                         DON’Ts

Keep up with hygiene Brush overly aggressively
Take non-prescription pain relievers as neededAvoid signs of complications; call your dentist 
Avoid stress on the tooth Chew hard/crunchy foods 
Get the crown placed as soon as possibleAvoid or skip follow -up appointments 

Reduce Stress on the Tooth

The tooth is unprotected until the crown is placed so, it is best to avoid chewing on that side of your mouth so that the amount of stress placed on that tooth is minimized.

Brush Teeth Gently 

After the procedure, the tooth needs proper care. Hence, you have to be careful while brushing and flossing in the treated area. When trying to floss this particular area, you may face some difficulty so, take your time and be patient. You can also consult your dentist when you are having difficulty in dealing with your tooth that was operated on.

Choose Soft Foods

We asked our friends Dr. Jordan Smith, a dentist in Georgetown, KY, about post root canal instructions. Dr. Smith says eating soft foods is a must. After having a root canal, you may be curious about what to eat. Patients can eat normal foods whenever they think they’re ready but, it is advised to stick to soft foods and avoid hard or crunchy foods.

Get the Crown Placed 

The structure of your tooth is weakened by the root canal because during the procedure the interior portion of your tooth is removed.

Treat Discomfort as Needed

Due to advancements in techniques and pain management, the patients in today’s day should not be worried before undergoing the root canal therapy. At Green Dental Care, we help patients preserve their natural teeth with our modern restorative procedures after the treatment is complete. The most advanced pain relief techniques, such as sedation, are used by our team of specialists, Dr. Christopher Green and Dr. Andrei Ionescu, to ensure that the whole process is pain-free for the patient as patient satisfaction is our top priority.

To take care of any discomfort you may take pain relievers. Non-prescription, anti-inflammatory medicine such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen will help in removing the pain you’ll feel the first few days after the procedure

Why Root Canal Aftercare is Important

Root canal procedures, in general, are rather routine procedures that offer promising outcomes. The fact that it affects the structure of the root, is the reason why it’s aftercare should not be overlooked. There are certain rules that the patient needs to follow to guarantee a successful recovery.

Sadly, some patients lose teeth after a root canal because the tooth splits or gets fractured. If a tooth gets fractured, there is no way to save it and it will need extraction. In most cases, the teeth require a protective dental crown. Patients who do not visit the dentist for dental crown placement over time, risk fracturing their teeth. 

What to Expect After a Root Canal?

As mentioned above, there is little to no pain during the root canal procedure. The mild discomfort that the patients feel is mostly related to bruised tissue around the operated tooth. This pain usually goes away in about two to three days after the procedure, but if this is not true in your case and the pain is increasing, then it can be a sign of a problem and you should contact Green Dental Care about this issue immediately.

After the root canal is complete, the purpose of your next visit will be just to make sure things are running smoothly and there aren’t any complications. Skipping these visits can lead to possible tooth infection.                                                        

Post Root Canal Instructions - Green Dental Care