As they mature, your child's teeth, gums and jaws develop—if all goes well, they'll all be healthy and functioning normally when they enter adulthood. But tooth decay and other problems could derail that development and cause lingering oral health issues later in life.

Following these 4 guidelines now during your child's early years will help ensure their teeth and gums have a healthy future.

Start oral hygiene early. There's no need to wait for their first teeth to come in to begin your child's regular oral hygiene. Start with wiping their gums right after feeding with a clean wet cloth to minimize bacterial development. Then, start brushing as soon as teeth appear—to begin with, use a slight smear of toothpaste on the brush. As they mature, teach them to brush and later floss for themselves.

Check your water. Most utilities add tiny traces of fluoride to their drinking water supply. If your water supplier does, it can make a big difference (along with fluoride toothpaste) in helping your child avoid tooth decay. If your system doesn't, then speak to your dentist about whether your child could benefit from topical fluoride applied directly to their teeth.

Keep a check on sugar. Decay-causing bacteria thrive on the sugar added to processed foods, candies and many beverages. Even milder forms of sugar like lactose found in milk or formula can stimulate bacterial growth. So, in addition to daily brushing and flossing, do your best to minimize sugar in your child's diet. And don't put infants or toddlers to bed with a bottle filled with any liquid other than water.

See the dentist. Starting around their first birthday, regular dental visits can help keep your child's dental development on track. Dental visits are also an opportunity for preventive treatments against decay like sealants or topical fluoride. Your dentist may also detect the early signs of bite problems that if addressed now, could lessen their impact later in life.

Your child's dental health could get off course before you even realize it. But partnering with your dentist, you can help make sure your child's teeth and gums have a bright and healthy future.

If you would like more information on how best to care for your child's oral health, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Top 10 Oral Health Tips for Children.”

When you were a kid, a plate of green beans or carrots probably seemed less appealing than a handful of cookies or a bowl of ice cream. Mom or dad telling you to “eat your vegetables” was the last thing you wanted to hear.

Hopefully, you've made friends with fresh fruits and vegetables as you've grown up. But even if you're just acquaintances, these foods are nonetheless essential to good health, particularly your teeth and gums. Among other things, they're packed with vitamins and minerals that help prevent tooth decay, gum disease or even oral cancer.

Here's a sampling of dental health-boosting micronutrients and the foods you'll find them in.

Vitamin C. Found in a variety of fruits and vegetables, vitamin C boosts the immune system to fight infections like tooth decay or gum disease. It's also an antioxidant that lowers your risk of cancer.

Calcium. This mineral obtained through dairy products, bony fish, greens and legumes, strengthens teeth and bones. It can also improve nerve and muscle function.

Vitamin D. This vitamin helps teeth absorb calcium to make them less prone to decay. You can find this essential vitamin in dairy foods, eggs, fatty fish or sunlight.

Phosphorus. Like calcium, phosphorus also strengthens teeth and bones. You'll find it plentiful in dairy and meats, especially seafood and poultry.

Magnesium. This mineral helps teeth and bones absorb other minerals and can also help with enzyme function needed to avoid disease. You'll find it in nuts, legumes, whole grains, dark leafy greens, seafood and chocolate.

If you don't think you're getting enough of these and other nutrients, you can obtain them through dietary supplements. But do be careful: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can remove harmful supplements from the market, but only after consumer use has provided evidence that they're unsafe. And, you won't be getting fiber or other elements found in regular foods that your body needs to be healthy and function properly.

Still, if you think you need to supplement a nutritional deficiency, speak first with your doctor or dentist about it and what you should take. If at all possible, though, eat your veggies—your teeth and gums, as well as the rest of your body, will be the healthier for it.

If you would like more information on nutrition's role in dental health, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Vitamins & Dietary Supplements.”

In looking at options to replace your missing teeth, you might have heard others rave about dental implants. You're almost sold on this innovative restoration method—but you're a little skittish about the upfront cost.

Here are 3 reasons why getting dental implants to restore your missing teeth is a sound investment.

A solid long-term solution. Based on findings from over 3 million implant installations over the last forty years, more than 95% of implants continue to successfully function after ten years—and many are on track to last decades. That's something that can't be said for other forms of restoration. An implant's large upfront cost could in fact even out over the long-term and ultimately cost less than other restorations that may need to be replaced sooner.

A benefit to bone health. One of the more negative consequences of missing teeth is ongoing bone loss, a process that can continue to occur even when teeth are replaced by dentures or bridges. But bone cells readily grow and adhere to the titanium metal implant imbedded in the bone, slowing or even stopping continuing bone loss. If for no other reason, their positive impact on bone health is a top reason for choosing implants.

A range of choices. Replacing multiple missing teeth individually with dental implants can be quite expensive. But individual tooth replacement is only one of the ways implants could benefit you. It's possible to place just a handful of implants along the jaw to support other types of restorations like bridges and partial or full dentures. Not only is this cost-effective, but the implant-supported restoration may be more stable and secure. And these implants may also contribute to bone health.

But before you make your decision, visit us for a complete dental examination. We'll assess if your dental condition makes you a good candidate for implants, and then provide you more information on the process and costs.

If you would like more information on dental implants, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Dental Implants 101.”

Is a “teeth crush” a thing? According to a recent confession by Lucy Hale, it is. Hale, who has played Aria Montgomery for seven seasons on the hit TV show Pretty Little Liars, admitted her fascination with other people's smiles to Kelly Clarkson during a recent episode of the latter's talk show (Clarkson seems to share her obsession).

Among Hale's favorite “grills”: rappers Cardi B and Post Malone, Julia Roberts, Drake and Madonna. Although some of their smiles aren't picture-perfect, Hale admires how the person makes it work for them: “I love when you embrace what makes you quirky.”

So, how can you make your smile more attractive, but uniquely you? Here are a few ways to gain a smile that other people just might “crush” over.

Keep it clean. Actually, one of the best things you can do to maintain an attractive smile is to brush and floss daily to remove bacterial plaque. Consistent oral hygiene offers a “twofer”: It removes the plaque that can dull your teeth, and it lowers your risk of dental disease that could also foul up your smile. In addition to your daily oral hygiene routine at home, professional teeth cleanings are necessary to get at those hard-to-reach spots you miss with your toothbrush and floss and to remove tartar (calculus) that requires the use of special tools.

Brighten things up. Even with dedicated hygiene, teeth may still yellow from staining and aging. But teeth-whitening techniques can put the dazzle back in your smile. In just one visit to the dental office, it's possible to lighten teeth by up to ten shades for a difference you can see right away. It's also possible to do teeth whitening at home over several weeks using custom-made trays that fit over your teeth and safe whitening solutions that we provide.

Hide tooth flaws. Chipped, stained or slightly gapped teeth can detract from your smile. But bonding or dental veneers, thin layers of porcelain custom-made for your teeth, mask those unsightly blemishes. Minimally invasive, these techniques can turn a lackluster smile into one that gets noticed.

Straighten out your smile. Although the main goal for orthodontically straightening teeth is to improve dental health and function, it can also give you a more attractive smile. And even if you're well past your teen years, it's not too late: As long as you're reasonably healthy, you can straighten a crooked smile with braces or clear aligners at any age.

Sometimes a simple technique or procedure can work wonders, but perhaps your smile could benefit more from a full makeover. If this is your situation, talk to us about a more comprehensive smile renovation.  Treatments like dental implants for missing teeth combined with various tooth replacement options, crown lengthening for gummy smiles or tooth extractions to help orthodontics can be combined to completely transform your smile.

There's no need to put up with a smile that's less than you want it to be. Whether a simple cosmetic procedure or a multi-specialty makeover, you can have a smile that puts the “crush” in “teeth crush.”

If you would like more information about cosmetic measures for enhancing your smile, please contact us or schedule a consultation. To learn more, read the Dear Doctor magazine articles “Teeth Whitening” and “Porcelain Veneers.”

If you're into social media, you might have run across the idea that there's nothing to straightening your teeth. According to some SM influencers, you can even do it yourself with a few rubber bands. But the truth is, the mechanics of moving teeth are much more complex—and taking orthodontics into your own hands can cause extensive dental damage.

In reality, all bite problems (malocclusions) require the advanced knowledge and expertise of an orthodontist to correct them safely and effectively. Some, in fact, may require other devices along with braces or clear aligners to achieve the desired outcome for a particular malocclusion.

Here are a few of those additional tools an orthodontist may use and why they may be needed.

Headgear. Some malocclusions result not just from misaligned teeth, but problems with jaw or facial structure development. To accommodate additional factors like this, an orthodontist may include headgear during treatment, usually a strap running around the back of a patient's head or neck and attached in the front to brackets bonded to the teeth (usually the molars). Wearing this headgear for several hours a day can improve jaw and facial development.

Elastics. Unlike basic rubber bands DIYers might use to move their teeth (often with damaging results), elastics are specialized bands designed for targeted tooth movement. They're needed for bite problems that require moving some teeth and not moving others. As such, elastics can be applied in conjunction with braces to perform either intended task—move or prevent movement for specific teeth.

Anchorage. One of the tools often used with elastics for targeted tooth movement are temporary anchorage devices (TADs). These are typically tiny screws imbedded into the jawbone a short distance from fixed braces. An elastic band connected to the braces at a specific point is then attached to the TAD, which serves as an anchor point for the elastic.

These and other devices can help orthodontists achieve a successful correction for certain individual bite problems. And unlike the DIY methods touted on the Internet, these additional tools help them do it safely.

If you would like more information on straightening teeth through orthodontics, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Orthodontic Headgear & Other Anchorage Appliances.”