This two-part article series provides professional tips as well as at-home advice for keeping your teeth and gums – and smile – in great condition.

We all want the benefits of a fabulous and sexy smile. What’s great about oral healthcare is that a healthy smile IS a beautiful smile; so really, by looking after your teeth and gums you’re killing two birds with one stone! In this two-part article, dental implants experts in Houston will be discussing seven professional and at-home secrets for a sexier and healthier smile!

1. See your dentist more often!

When last did you pay a visit to your dentist and oral hygienist for a check-up and a professional cleaning? Too many people allow years to lapse in between visits to the dentist. You may not think you have a problem that requires professional attention, but when it comes to the health of your teeth and gums, prevention is ALWAYS better than cure. You do not want to face the prospect of an appointment with the Houston dental implant specialist before you start taking your oral health seriously.

Additionally, many oral ailments do not present with obvious symptoms until it is too late. You can avoid the discomfort and expense of the dental surgery generally needed to fix problems that are wholly preventable in the first place by going for regularly scheduled appointments with your dentist.

2. If your fear of the dentist keeps you from going for regular appointments, you’re just not seeing the right one.

If your current dentist doesn’t make you feel comfortable enough to keep regular scheduled appointments, it’s not necessarily your fault! Many people put their fear of the dentist down to some deep-rooted psychological aversion or fear. While this may be the case for a select few truly phobic patients, in most cases, fear and anxiety can be totally abolished by a gentle and compassionate dentist. If your dentist’s bedside manner doesn’t put you at ease enough to keep regular appointments, perhaps it’s time to find yourself another dental healthcare professional!

3. Nothing replaces the value of regular flossing.

Flossing is an absolutely essential component of your oral healthcare regime. Not flossing is like getting into the shower and only washing the top half of your body. You’re leaving the lower half dirty! Brushing alone is not effective enough to remove all the plaque (bacteria) and food debris from between your teeth, which is why it’s important that you floss every day, especially before you go to bed at night.

“If patients could see what remains on and between their teeth even after they’ve brushed, they’d be truly shocked,” says an expert in the placement of dental implants in Houston. “Try it: have a good and thorough brush and then floss. You will be amazed at all the food and plaque that you excavate from between your teeth. You’ll become a flosser for life!”

4. Your mouth doesn’t lie!

The appearance of your teeth, gums and other soft tissues in your mouth tells the dentist everything he or she needs to know about your lifestyle. Reconsider lying the next time they ask you whether or not you floss, smoke or drink a lot of coffee! Your mouth doesn’t lie, so better you get to work improving your habits before your next appointment with the dentist.

Stay Tuned for Part 2

To read more advice from Houston dental implants experts on how to keep your teeth in excellent condition for life, stay tuned for the second installment of this two-part article series.

This article provides an overview of the “All-on-4” dental implant protocol and its benefits over traditional removable dentures.

Periodontal or gum disease is a pervasive ailment today, in spite of our advanced medical technology and increased health awareness and standards of hygiene. According to the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, more than 30 million people in the United States have lost all of their original adult teeth in one or both of their jaws. And the most common cause of rampant tooth loss and edentulism (the state of having lost all of one’s teeth) is gum disease.

The traditional approach to replacing missing teeth, especially in cases where most of your teeth have fallen out or have been extracted by the dentist, is removable dentures. But these bulky plastic dental appliances and all of the challenges and repeated expenses they come hand-in-hand with have been eclipsed by a far more sophisticated and non-removable technology:

Dental implants and in particular, the “All on 4” protocol.

About Modern Dental Implant Procedures in Houston

“All on 4 dental implant protocol” may sound complicated and full of medical jargon you don’t think you could understand, but the procedure is actually very simple in concept! A specially-trained implant dentist places four dental implants in the mouth, which are used to support a non-removable prosthetic dental bridge (refer to the picture above). This bridge is fabricated from exceptionally strong, durable and non-corrosive materials so that it can endure many decades of chewing, grinding and biting with little risk of breakage.

Furthermore, because the bridge is supported by dental implants, which are in turn anchored by the jaw, it doesn’t need to be big and bulky like removable dentures do. This eliminates many of the challenges patients experience with dentures, such as gagging, sore gums, impeded taste ability and impeded texture and temperature sensation.

The Benefits of All on 4 Dental Implants in Houston

Nowadays, removable dentures are no longer the best option edentulous and near-edentulous patients have. You no longer need to follow in the footsteps of mom and dad as far as getting new teeth is concerned. If you have lost most or all of your teeth to the ravages of periodontal diseases, your smile quite literally has a second chance. All on 4 dental implants in Houston can provide fixed and non-removable tooth replacement solutions that enable patients to eat all the foods they like while enjoying the many benefits of having a natural-looking and confident smile.

Because All on 4 dental implants are non-removable, they are cleaned and maintained like natural teeth and don’t require any of the repeat expenses that dentures do, such as messy, sticky adhesives, overnight soaking solutions and special cleaning pastes. The “All on 4” dental bridge is also custom fabricated to fit snugly against a patient’s gums, which prevents it from harboring food debris and bacteria: a common problem with dentures that leads to chronic bad breath.

All on 4 Implants: Fact, not Fiction

With typically only a single surgery of a few hours only, you can go from toothless to having a mouth full of fixed, non-removable and gorgeous-looking pearly whites. This may sound very much like the stuff of dreams, but it is a reality thanks to the incredible advancements that have been made in the fields of fixed oral rehabilitation and dental implantology!

This two-part article series provides professional tips as well as at-home advice for keeping your teeth and gums – and smile – in great condition.

Welcome back to this two-part article on the Seven Secrets for a Healthier Smile! In the first installment, the Houston dental implants experts we consulted with discussed the importance of flossing as well as going for regular, scheduled appointments with your family dentist and oral hygienist. It was explained that if your fear of the dentist is keeping you from seeking professional healthcare, then it might be time to find someone a little more gentle and compassionate. Last, but not least, readers were cautioned that no amount of pre-appointment brushing and flossing will be able to mask the damage done by your bad habits! Dentists can tell from the appearance of your teeth, gums and other soft tissues just what you’ve been up to!

Now, let’s check out the remaining three secrets for a healthier smile.

5. If you wait until a problem causes you pain, it’s probably too late to fix!

Don’t make the mistake of thinking you don’t have an oral problem unless it hurts. Oral bacterial infections by their very nature don’t tend to cause pain other than some mild localized sensitivity. A cavity also won’t hurt until it actually exposes the delicate insides of your tooth, at which stage infection and decay could require you to have a dental implant placed by a Houston specialist! In addition, oral cancer (which could present as a strange lump, white patch or other abnormality) can be totally pain free. Regular appointments with the dentist are the only thing that can help in the early detection and treatment of potentially severe, or even fatal oral maladies.

6. Seeing the dentist about an oral problem could actually save your life!

Few people truly realize just how closely linked their oral health is with their general health. According to Houston dental implants specialists, gum disease can be a sign of serious diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease! Bacteria that are commonly found in the mouth are also present in the plaque that lines the heart’s arteries. By having oral ailments diagnosed and treated promptly, you not only help to prevent the development of other health problems, but you could actually have potentially fatal conditions diagnosed and treated too. Good oral health is imperative for good general health, so take both very seriously!

7. Understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to cosmetic dentistry

Wish you had George Clooney’s teeth or Keira Knightley’s pearly whites? Here’s something to bear in mind when asking your dentist about veneers, crowns or dental implants in Houston: there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach. Everyone’s teeth are different and will respond to cosmetic treatments, such as whitening or bleaching, differently. Don’t undergo extensive work because you think it will make you look more like your favorite celebrity. Those big teeth may suit Julia Roberts, but they might not suit you!

Aim to keep your teeth clean and healthy and, should you wish to have a cosmetic procedure done, don’t expect to walk out looking like George Clooney or Keira Knightley. Rather, expect to look like you, just with a much more beautiful and radiant smile!