Celina Dentist Discusses How Pilgrims Brushed Their Teeth

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Not so long ago, dentistry operated quite differently. As the holiday season continues in full swing, many patients might travel across the country to see friends and family members. Holiday gatherings often center on an oven-roasted or fried turkey. Additionally, side dishes of vegetables, starches, and delicious desserts often find their way onto the holiday serving table. During this year’s annual holiday feast, take time to consider dentistry from the olden days. Your Celina dentist, Dr. Newton, discusses how pilgrims brushed their teeth.

Mayflower Brushers

When the Mayflower arrived on Plymouth Rock so many years ago, survival remained paramount to success in this new-found land. However, the pilgrims likely made careful considerations to their oral health as well as their overall health. The pilgrims likely used hog hair bristles to brush their teeth. Additionally, pilgrims probably understood the importance of using herbs like tarragon as a breath freshener and cleaning agent.

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Afraid of the Dentist? Celina Dentist Discusses Helping Fearful Patients

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About 75% of American adults suffer from dental fear or dental anxiety. Accompanied by feelings ranging from unease and nervousness to nausea and full-blown panic, dental fear and anxiety prompts many people to avoid visiting the dentist for years. Often, fearful patients wait to seek dental treatment until their oral health has reached a point where only invasive, emergency procedures can correct the problem. Your Celina family dentist, Dr. Newton, discusses three solutions for helping fearful or anxious patients.

Nitrous Oxide, or Laughing Gas

Ever since dentist Horace Wells performed the first dental procedure using nitrous oxide in 1844, millions of dental patients have enjoyed the calming effect of the gas commonly known as laughing gas. Administered through a mask that fits over the nose, patients describe the feelings produced by nitrous oxide as giddy, happy, calm, and euphoric. Many children tend to feel nervous about even very simple procedures, such as placing a composite filling, and nitrous oxide makes an especially ideal solution for helping them feel at ease. (more…)

Celina Dentist Suggest Veggies, Cheese, and Seltzer to Keep Teeth White

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We see a lot of patients that are interested in teeth whitening. Whether you opt for in-office whitening, or at-home bleaching, whitening your teeth can build your self-esteem and take years off of your life. Unfortunately, once you have taken the time to make this improvement, you’re probably going to try and avoid stain causers like tea, coffee, and red wine. Have you ever been enjoying yourself at a party, sipping away at a nice cabernet, when you feel like the person you’re talking to can’t focus on anything but your teeth? You make your way to the bathroom, only to find that your teeth are practically purple. Your Celina dentist, Dr. Newton, has some great tips so that you don’t necessarily need to abstain from a nice glass of red wine now and then, just because your teeth have been whitened.

Avoiding Teeth Stains from Red Wine

  • Seltzer: Sipping on a little seltzer can remove stains. Swishing the fizzy elixir around in your mouth after drinking red wine can be like a magic trick. Watch the stains disappear before your eyes. (more…)

On Eruptions Cysts, Celina Dentist Asks: What Would You Do…?

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Eruption cysts occur when fluid gets trapped between the jawbone and gums, causing a hematoma that is visible when your teething child opens their mouth. Your Celina dentist, Dr. Newton, quizzes you to see what you know about eruptions cysts, and how you might deal with one.

Questions

Q1. True or false – A baby’s teeth form inside the jawbone before they emerge through the gums.

Q2. You see a brown, dark red, translucent, or bluish-purple bruise on your child’s gums, but they don’t seem upset and are playing happily. Do you:

a. Keep an eye on it

b. Call your pediatrician for advice

c. Hit the internet to find an answer from a parenting forum

d. Call your dentist

Q3. True or false – In rare cases, a major surgical procedure will be necessary when an eruption cyst traps a tooth below the gums. (more…)

Kids Know Candy Is Bad for Their Teeth, Says Celina Dentist

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Our kids deserve plenty of credit. They are smart, funny, and extremely astute. In fact, they are so aware, the American Dental Association (ADA) revealed that children think they eat too much sugar, and would rather be gifted a toy or video game than a bag full of candy. Your Celina dentist, Dr. Newton, explains how your child might naturally avoid over-consumption of Halloween treats that can contribute to tooth decay.

Research from the American Dental Association

The ADA and PopCap Games created a questionnaire for children from 5 to 13 in the U.S. These kids were considered “trick-or-treating age” and provided their views on Halloween. Even though 65% of the children questioned consider Halloween to be their favorite holiday of the year, and 94% participate in trick-or-treating, two-thirds felt they eat too much candy around Halloween. Amazingly, 89% of the children queried said they would still love Halloween if candy was not the focus. The most enjoyable activities linked to Halloween were trick-or-treating and dressing up in a costume. Attaining a hoard of candy was third on the list of Halloween perks.

Trading Tooth Decay for Video Games (more…)

Celina Dentist Urges: Don’t Bite Off More than You Can Chew

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Think about how important chewing is to your life. If you enjoy eating (and a great many of us do) chewing makes it all possible. Imagine your favorite food. The last thing you’d probably want to do is stick it in a blender and drink it through a straw. No, chewing is a ritual that is as important in our culture as food itself. We just don’t tend to give much thought to the whole process of masticating food. Your Celina dentist, Dr. Newton, explains some of the reasons why mindful chewing can affect the health of your teeth and your jaw.

Supersized Dental Problems

Taking bites of food that are actually too big for your mouth can injure your jaw. Unfortunately, in American culture, increasingly larger portions have become the norm over the years. Enormous hamburgers, sandwiches, burritos, and pastries, for example, sometimes require the eater to open their mouth so wide that jaw joints can be injured. To that same effect, stuffing your mouth with so much food that you look like a foraging hamster can hurt your jaw and overstress your teeth, and provide you with dental problems.  People who suffer from temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) are in a higher risk category, since their jaw joints are already sensitive and susceptible to soreness. If an item of food forces you to open your mouth so wide that it causes discomfort, consider cutting the item into smaller bites before eating it.

Chewing More to Eat Less (more…)

Celina Dentist Says Popcorn Can Hurt!

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When the smell of popcorn fills the air, thoughts of the cinema are sure to come to mind. Whether people are at home, or at their local theater, salty, buttery popcorn remains to go-to snack for movie watchers. Many problems seen at dental offices around the country are caused by this tasty, salty treat.

What is a Popcorn Abscess?

An abscess is an oral infection caused by bacteria, and it usually starts as a cavity or infected tooth. Continuous poor oral health can result in abscess development, and so can eating popcorn. Most people are familiar with popcorn husks being stuck in their teeth, but few realize the potential impact that little husk can make.

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Your Celina Dentist Discusses Latest in Dental Technology

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It’s hard to believe that just 100 years ago, most people would eventually require dentures. As recently as 50 years ago, only a minute number of patients were fitted with braces. Today, not only are fewer people losing their teeth, but advancements in cosmetic dentistry have made teeth much whiter and straighter. Today, your Celina dentist discusses the latest technological advances in the world of family dentistry.

A New Age in Dentistry

Thanks to technology, the unpleasant (and anxiety-inducing) sound of the dreaded drill has become a thing of the past. The following technological advances will make your trip to the dentist today more pleasant than ever. (more…)

Taking Your Toddler To Their First Dentist Visit

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From the moment your baby’s first tooth appears, you should begin planning their first trip to the dentist. That initial appointment is a fine time to not only get your child acquainted with a dentist, but to show them that oral hygiene can be fun. Today, your Celina dentist discusses important information to consider when planning your child’s first visit to the dentist.

When Is the Best Time For The First Time?

Most experts recommend that you should schedule your child’s first dental appointment within six months of their first tooth’s arrival. However, if your child’s initial tooth is discolored, or otherwise unhealthy in appearance, you may want to schedule a visit much sooner.

What To Expect (more…)

All About Oral Cancer Screenings from Your Celina Dentist

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According to the Oral Cancer Foundation, close to 40,000 Americans will receive a diagnosis of oral or pharyngeal cancer this year. Though cancer is a scary prospect, early detection can make all the difference in a patient’s prognosis. Oral cancer, in particular, has a 50 to 80 percent survival rate when discovered at an early stage. Technology, and a trusting partnership between patient and doctor, can make all the difference in oral cancer detection. Your Celina dentist, Dr. Newton, explains what an oral cancer screening entails.

Early Signs of Oral Cancer

You shouldn’t panic every time you have a bump or sore in your mouth. Most often, the bump will have a benign cause. However, this can be an early sign of oral cancer, so it is important to keep an eye on the amount of time that the sore persists. Soap opera star, Colleen Zenk Pinter, says that her oral cancer began in the form of something she thought was a canker sore. The bump would appear to heal, and then recur, finally persisting long enough to prompt  a dental examination. Mouth bumps that don’t show signs of healing after a week are worthy of an appointment with the dentist, just to double check. (more…)