Monday, March 23, 2015

10 IMPORTANT THINGS YOUR SUN CITY DENTIST WANTS YOU TO KNOW, PART 2

This four-part article series presents 10 things every dentist would like their patients to know, from avoiding garlic before an appointment to the truth behind several myths and misconceptions about dental health.

Welcome to the second installment of this four-part article series on all the information tidbits every Sun City dentist wants their patients to know and appreciate. Previously, in Part 1 of the series, we covered the following two items:

# 1: Dental X-rays aren’t dangerous; they’re necessary.
 
# 2: Your smile (and therefore dental health) is one of the first things people notice about you.

Now, let’s move on to the next two items…

Item # 3: Your dentist won’t necessarily tell you that you have bad breath; you have to ask.

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Many Sun City residents believe their dentist would tell them if their breath was bad and therefore, if they’ve come out of a dental appointment without being told, they’re in the clear. This isn’t always true…

“We won’t pointedly tell a patient that they have bad breath,” says one Sun City dentistry professional. “What we will do is highlight the presence of any tooth decay and/or gum problems and we may encourage you to brush and floss more frequently and thoroughly. If we find your oral hygiene to leave much to be desired, then you can probably assume you suffer from halitosis.

“If, however, a patient asks us about the quality of his or her breath, we will be honest. We just don’t want anyone to assume that we would tell him or her that their breath smells bad, because we try to keep things professional in the office. Plus, you’d be surprised how much offense some people can take. The last thing we want to do is embarrass our patients, because it could deter them from future dental appointments. This would prove to be a major problem for their dental health, because routine preventative care is necessary.”

Item # 4: What might look good on your favorite celebrity smile might not suit you.


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“We get a lot of patients coming in with a picture of their favorite celebrity, asking to get their teeth done to look just like them,” says a Sun City dentist. “First of all, what these patients fail to take into account is that their face shape and proportions might not necessarily suit the set of teeth belonging to that particular celebrity. There are a great number of considerations that need to be made before we can simply design a patient a new set of teeth: either through porcelain veneers, crowns or even dental implants.

“Secondly, the dentist’s office doesn’t work like a hair salon and while your hair will grow back and color will fade, the work we do on your teeth is permanent. A lot of careful planning and work goes into designing a patient a beautiful new smile, so please manage your expectations. You may walk out of our office with gorgeous teeth, but don’t expect to walk out looking just like Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt.”

Stay Tuned for Part 3

Stay tuned for the third installment of this four-part article series to find out more important facts our Sun City dentistry professionals wish we all knew.

Sunday, March 22, 2015

10 Important Things Your Sun City Dental Professional Wants You To Know, PART 1

This four-part article series presents 10 things every dentist would like their patients to know, from avoiding garlic before an appointment to the truth behind several myths and misconceptions about dental health.

When it comes to the health of our teeth, there is a staggering amount of ignorance abound. All we really know is that we’re meant to brush them twice a day, but beyond that, little else. Occasionally we might visit our Sun City dental healthcare professional for a check-up if we’ve noticed anything wrong, but on the whole there is a great big gaping hole in our appreciation for good oral health and hygiene.

And so, in this four-part article series, Sun City dentists will be explaining 10 different things they wish all their patients knew. These information tidbits range from important facts we should know about dental health to the kind of appointment etiquette we’d all appreciate if we were dentists, too. At the end of the day, dentists are humans and we should learn to take our oral health as seriously as they do.

Let’s begin!

Item # 1: Dental X-rays aren’t dangerous; they’re necessary.

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“So many patients turn down an annual dental X-ray because they are frightened it might cause cancer,” says one dentist in Sun City. “The reality is, just one hour in the sun exposes you to far more radiation than a set of dental X-rays and yet you don’t shy away from the beach. What you should be worrying about is what ailments, infection or decay might lurk beneath the surface of your gums, between your teeth or in your jawbone and what might happen if they remain undetected by X-ray.

“This diagnostic technology is so important in the early detection and treatment of a great variety of oral ailments. Even our highly trained eyes can’t always pick up on health issues, especially if they are located underneath the gums or inside your teeth. Early detection and treatment not only prevents permanent damage to otherwise healthy teeth; it also saves you a whole lot of money on the cost of advanced treatment for problems that have become severe due to neglect.”

Item # 2: Your smile is one of the first things people notice about you.

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According to several studies and polls, your smile – and therefore, indirectly, the health of your teeth and gums – is one of the first things people notice about you. Your eyes are the first, teeth the second and hair the third. Yet, in spite of the important role your smile plays in making first impressions and in communication and social interaction, Sun City residents spend far more money on their hair than they do their teeth.

“All you need to spend money on to really care for your teeth is a professional cleaning by an oral hygienist twice per year and a dental check-up once per year,” say Sun City dentists. “If you’ve had gum problems in the past, it’s better that you see your dentist twice per year. This is, of course, in addition to the obvious toothpastes, floss and toothbrushes. It’s not a lot of money to spend on something that is of extraordinary importance to your social confidence, quality of life and ability to eat and speak properly. Yet so many people neglect their teeth.”

Stay Tuned for Part 2

Stay tuned for the second installment of this four-part article series to find out more important facts our Sun City dental healthcare professionals wish we all knew.