Beware of Valentine’s Day!

Jan 23, 2012

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and you may be getting ready for some big fat kisses to come your way.

So even though at Falmouth Dental Arts, we’re concerned about cavities, gum disease, bad breath and lots of saliva, we won’t use this month’s blog entry to gross you out about kissing. But we will tell you some interesting facts that you can tell your kissing partner right after they smack one on you!!

Anthropologists have argued for years about the origin of kissing. Many now believe that it has evolved from the time when mothers chewed food for their babies and then went mouth to mouth at feeding time. (Well, okay – we might gross you out a little bit!) This action became so comforting to babies that the habit continued even after they could chew for themselves, and then developed into a sign of affection.

Nowadays kisses aren’t just about romantic love. Of course parents kiss their children. Worshippers often kiss religious artifacts.  Some people kiss the ground when exiting an airplane.  And who doesn’t want to have a “boo boo” kissed when they get a bruise?

But February 14th is a day for the romantic kind of kiss, and if you are craving one, there may be a scientific reason. While this action can promote a psychological response of warmth and affection, it also causes your brain to secrete some important and productive chemicals, such as:

  • Oxytocin, which helps people develop feelings of attachment, devotion and affection for one another
  • Dopamine, which plays a role in the brain’s processing of emotions, pleasure and pain
  • Serotonin, which affects a person’s mood and feelings
  • Adrenaline, which increases heart rate and plays a role in your body’s fight-or-flight response

But along with that, when you kiss, hundreds or even millions of bacterial colonies are transported from one mouth to the other. And let’s face it – no one wants to kiss a person who has poor oral hygiene, bad breath, or just a generally yucky mouth. So let’s start with the basics:

  • Make sure you brush at least twice a day with a soft toothbrush and fluoridated toothpaste.
  • Floss once per day – if you have trouble flossing or are not sure how, please ask! We’ll be glad to show you the ropes.
  • Avoid sugary and acid-laden foods such as soft drinks, sports drinks, and candy. (Okay – we won’t tell anyone if you have a tiny bit of candy on Valentine’s Day!)
  • Eat a well balanced diet including lean proteins, healthy fats, fruits and vegetables, nuts and fiber.
  • If you need to slip in a piece of gum or breath mint, make sure it contains Xylitol, which as been proven to reduce tooth decay.
  • Drink plenty of water! This helps to rinse away food particles, and staying hydrated is good for fresh clean breath.
  • See your dentist on a regular basis and call immediately if you suspect there are any problems with your oral condition.

Here at Falmouth Dental Arts, we want you to have a kissable February 14th and a lifetime of excellent dental health. If you have any questions or need to set up an appointment, please give us a call at 207-781-5900. We are here for you!

Hey – Why Are My Teeth So Yellow?

May 25, 2010

Hey – Why Are My Teeth So Yellow?

Legend has it that comedian Rodney Dangerfield once asked his dentist for advice.

“Doc – my teeth are yellow. What should I do?”

To which his dentist replied: “Wear a brown tie!”

Fortunately, these days we can give much better advice than that.

Most of us begin life with beautiful sparkly white teeth, but just as the years bring wrinkles, sags, bags and more – the age fairy can make our teeth much more yellow or brown than they used to be. Why does nature add this cruelty to her bag of tricks?

Here is a brief primer on yellowing teeth. The outer coating of our teeth is made of enamel – a beautiful smooth sparkling white surface. On the inside is a material called dentin, a darker material which makes up the core of our teeth. Normal activities such as chewing and exposure to acids in foods cause microscopic cracks in our enamel, allowing the yellow dentin to show through.

As most of us know, certain foods and drinks can also stain our teeth, contributing to a darker appearance. Smoking makes things much worse (and it’s not too good to the rest of your body either!)!

Basically there are two types of tooth stains – extrinsic stains (those that form on the outside of the teeth) and intrinsic stains (those that come from within).

Simple extrinsic stains can be removed by a good professional tooth cleaning and polishing. As these become more complex, tooth bleaching – either professional or over-the-counter, will be required.

Intrinsic stains, those that come from the inside of your teeth, are more difficult to remove and typically involve treatment from a dental professional.

A question that we are often asked at Falmouth Dental Arts is “Do those whitening kits I can buy at the drug store actually work?” The answer is: Maybe!

For easy to remove light staining, in some cases they can do the trick. Best of all, it certainly won’t hurt to try them! However, we find that most of our patients achieve mush better results with professionally supervised whitening. Not only are the materials stronger, but in many cases we fabricate a custom application tray which fits your teeth perfectly, allowing the whitening materials to work at their maximum.

The good news is, you no longer have to put up with yellow unsightly teeth! Modern tooth whitening techniques are one of the greatest, easiest to use, most predictable and economically comfortable advances we have seen in dentistry in a long time! At Falmouth Dental Arts we would be happy to discuss your teeth whitening options with you. Give us a call at 207-781-5900 and we’ll happily bring you in for a free whitening consultation. Our goal is to give the you biggest happiest smile possible!