Dental Advice

4 Reasons to Baby Your Teeth During Pregnancy

You’re having a baby, Congratulations!

Excitedly, you contacted friends and family to share the life-changing news, but did you also remember to call your dentist? You might wonder, “What does my dentist have to do with our new addition to the family?” Well, dentistry may effect your pregnancy more than you might realize.

The Oral Systemic Link

An important facet of caring and planning for your new bundle of joy involves maintaining your own health, both before and during your pregnancy. Studies reveal that maintaining healthy teeth and gums affect more than just your mouth. The condition of your mouth can also impact your overall health, as well as that of your developing baby.

If you’re still in the planning stages of adding a new addition to the family, we strongly encourage you to visit your dentist and resolve any dental issues beforehand.

Pregnancy and Oral Health

Maintaining good oral hygiene during pregnancy can be a challenge as your body undergoes significant hormonal changes, some of which can have a negative impact on your teeth and gums. Several potential issues may be:

Morning Sickness—Nausea and vomiting can repeatedly expose your teeth to corrosive stomach acid. Over time, this acid may weaken the protective enamel coating on your teeth and lead to tooth decay or other complications.
Pregnancy Tumors—These are lumps that may appear along the gum line and between your teeth. They may bleed easily but are neither harmful nor cancerous. Usually they will disappear after pregnancy, but your dentist can help you care for this problem if required.
Increased Snacking—Pregnancy often results in an increased appetite and snacking. If these snacks are sugary, full of starch, or acidic, it greatly increases your likelihood of developing plaque and tooth decay.
Pregnancy Gingivitis—The hormonal fluctuations experienced by expecting mother puts you at greater risk for experiencing swollen, bleeding gums, and the development of gum disease. Left untreated, this can lead to infections within your teeth, gums, and jawbone. It may even result in a low birth weight baby, or a possible premature birth.

Take Preventative Action

Pregnancy can be a busy time. Nevertheless, don’t forget to make time to care for the health of you and your baby. Maintain your oral health with the help of your trusted dentist. Develop good habits when it comes to brushing your teeth, flossing, and eating healthy. If you suffer the unpleasant effects of morning sickness, rinse your mouth afterwards with water or a fluoride rinse to help protect your teeth.

Due to the extra challenges expectant mothers face, it is a good idea for pregnant women to visit their dentist more frequently during this time period to receive preventative oral examinations and professional cleanings. Book your appointment with us today to give you and your baby something to smile about.

Share this information with all your friends who are planning a new addition to the family, along with those who are are already expecting!

Gulp! Gulp! Youch! what Causes A Brain-Freeze?

It’s hot out and you’re sooo thirsty! You get yourself an ice, cold slushie and begin to slurp it back…then it happens: That instant intense pain in your forehead… Brain-Freeze!!

The Brain-Freeze

It’s also called an ice cream headache, or a cold-stimulus headache, but the actual scientific term is sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia. Regardless of the name, if you’ve ever eaten ice cream quickly or eagerly chugged back an icy beverage, you know about that intense, unpleasant pain.

Brain-Freeze 1-0-1

A brain-freeze is a brief cranial pain—a short-term headache. Typically, the intense headache lasts around 20 seconds—though some experience longer lapses of pain. It’s basically your body’s way of putting on the brakes and getting your attention right away, telling you to enjoy your icy beverage a little less energetically.

What Causes a Brain-Freeze?

Science Daily and Medical News Today shed some light on what is believed to go on behind the scenes during brain-freeze:

Brain-freeze occurs when something really cold touches the roof of your mouth. When you slurp a frigid drink or eat ice cream too fast it rapidly changes the temperature in the back of your throat. This is where your internal carotoid artery (responsible for feeding blood to your brain) and your anterior cerebral artery meet. When the cold hits, it causes a dilation and contraction of these arteries. Nerve endings that shoot into overdrive give you that sensation of PAIN, though as they stabilize the pain can disappear just as quickly.

So What Do I Do?

To help a brain-freeze stop, you can try pressing your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Other than this, just try to avoid them altogether! Try not to drink icy cold beverages and drink them slower at the very least… this is the easiest way to prevent this brief, intense pain.

In any case, the next time you experience a brain-freeze, impress your friends by informing them “no worries, it’s only sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia.”

Top Ten Reasons to Be Thankful for Your Teeth!

With Thanksgiving coming up this week, it’s natural to be thinking about all of the things we’re thankful for. And as dental professionals, we’d be remiss if we didn’t place our teeth and our mouths at the top of that list.

Not only do they help us chew our way through that delicious Thanksgiving feast, but they have many other winning qualities! Please enjoy our list of the top 10 reasons to be thankful for your teeth and from all of us at Owens Dental, we hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving.

They’re multilingual

As the saying goes, a smile is the same in every language. It’s also pretty great at breaking down barriers between people. Way to be educated and compassionate, teeth!

They help you communicate

Your teeth and tongue together allow you to speak. Thanks for giving us a voice.

They work hard

The muscles you use to chew are the strongest ones in the body, since we use them all the time. (This means your jaw is in great shape! Aww yeah.)

… and they party hard, too

In a country that celebrates National Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19) and National Waffle Day (August 24), it probably comes as no surprise that teeth have several holidays all their own: take National Tooth Fairy Day on February 28, and World Smile Day on the first Friday in October, for starters. We can appreciate a good work-life balance, teeth. Thanks for setting the example on that.

They’re sturdy

Tooth enamel is the hardest surface in the human body. Thanks for not giving way to pressure, guys.

They’re team players

Great oral health is linked to holistic health and can prevent heart disease, osteoporosis, and diabetes. Nice.

They’re well-behaved

Snails have over 12000 ridged “teeth” on their tongues. Tongues, people. Let’s all take a minute to be thankful that we only have 32, and that they stick to the edges of our mouths.

They’re self-sufficient

Did you know saliva is a natural cavity deterrent? Now, don’t get too excited. This isn’t a good enough reason to keep you from ever coming to the dentist again. But it’s oddly comforting to know that our mouths are automatically engineered to take care of themselves, isn’t it?

They’re perceptive

Right-handers chew on the right side of their mouths; vice versa for left-handers. And over time our mouths have evolved to realize they don’t need wisdom teeth (now, many people are born without them!). That’s some crazy intelligence right there, and we appreciate that.

They’re unique

Your smile, and your tongue print, are completely your own… no two are the same! Kind of amazing, huh?

Well, hopefully we have given you a few more reasons to be thankful this Holiday Season. Until next time, take care of those teeth and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

For help caring for your custom smile, contact us for an appointment — we would love to meet you!

White Christmas: Tips & Tricks to Whiten Your Teeth This Holiday Season

You’re probably familiar with “White Christmas,” the song by Irving Berlin and the film by the same name. Here in Fort Collins, we’ll hope to get enough snow for one this year. But at Dr. Owens’ office, we’re focused on another type of white Christmas, one that concerns your pearly whites.

If you’re dreaming of that kind of white Christmas, we can help. There are many ways to whiten your teeth, both in-office and at home. While the whitening provided by our office is much faster and more effective, we wanted to share these inexpensive, at-home tips and tricks to a whiter smile!

“Nature’s Toothbrush”

For help maintaining a white smile, eat vegetables or fruits that are firm or crisp, especially at the end of a meal. These help prevent plaque buildup if you are not at a place where you can brush your teeth. Foods considered to be “nature’s toothbrush” include: apples, celery, carrots, broccoli, spinach, etc.

Eat nutritious foods

Seek out the proteins in dairy products that shield teeth from stains; the malic acid found in strawberries; and the saliva-producing agents in apples, oranges, celery, and carrots (which help your mouth create more of its chief self-cleaner and keep your teeth sparkling). Acidic citrus fruits can also help whiten teeth, but be sure to use in moderation since they can also eat away at enamel.

Be smart about stain-causing foods and beverages

While beverages like coffee, tea and juice can be some of the chief perpetrators of teeth stains, several little tips can help prevent or slow staining. If you do drink coffee and tea, add some milk or creamer. If you enjoy juice with your lunch, drink water or milk immediately after to rinse out that staining liquid. Of course, avoid smoking and tobacco use as they cause severe staining and have other negative side effects for oral health. Also, it’s a great general rule to drink water and/or brush your teeth immediately after you finish your beverage of choice.

Use Baking Soda

Choose a toothpaste that contains baking soda, or brush with baking soda alone to create your own homemade version of a store-bought whitener. Brushing with baking soda each day can help whiten your smile, but it’s abrasive, so you will want to consult a dentist if you begin to experience sensitivity. Again, for best results, brush as quickly as possible after eating or drinking to keep those teeth dazzling white!

Be Toothpaste-Aware

There are so many options for “whitening” toothpastes out there – be sure to do some fact-checking before you pick one. Not all whitening toothpastes work as they claim to, and many can actually be harmfully abrasive. For help deciding, consult our toothpaste abrasiveness index. Aim for a toothpaste that whitens (has chlorine dioxide, baking soda, peroxide, etc), but won’t eat away at your teeth. For example, we recommend CloSYS 2 — a great option for safe and effective home care developed by a periodontist.

Try one or all of the above tips to find an at-home whitening method that works for you. If you are interested in a faster, more effective method of whitening, click here to check out the services we offer in our office. As always, feel free to contact us if you have any questions about getting a white smile!

Wishing you and yours a joyous Christmas season,

The Team at Owens DDS

The First Dental Visit: What You and Your Child Can Expect

Many of us can’t remember our first dental visits. But we do remember acquiring general dental anxiety as the years have gone on. And while we may find it challenging to reverse this in ourselves, we can try to teach today’s children a positive dental mindset. They are the future, you know.

Read on for some tips on how to make your child’s first dental visit go as smoothly as possible!

Before the First Dental Visit

Use positive language when speaking to children about the dentist. We won’t know if they need a filling until we examine their teeth. For this reason, we recommend avoiding talk of drills and shots. We don’t want them prematurely stressing out about something that may not happen!

Try reading aloud children’s books about coming to the dentist for the first time. You might consider Mercer Mayer’s Just Going to the Dentist, or Dora the Explorer’s Show Me Your Smile! You can also search Amazon for similar titles. New experiences have a way of becoming less scary the more we know about them. So read these books and help your child familiarize him- or herself with a dental office before they come in!

If you yourself don’t mind coming to the dentist, you may even consider bringing your child along on your next exam and cleaning. You might think they’re not paying much attention as they’re watching a TV show on your iPad, but if they don’t hear any complaining from you, they’ll start to associate coming to the dentist with positive reactions.

At the First Dental Visit

Any child aged three or under is welcome to a complimentary “happy visit” at our practice. The purpose of this first visit is– you guessed it – to get the child leaving happy and excited to return to us in the future! Your child will become acquainted with our office and our staff and will see there’s nothing to fear.

Your child can expect his or first checkup – exam and cleaning – at four years old, but we won’t have to take x-rays until we can no longer see between the teeth (usually about five years). In most children’s mouths, enough space exists between the teeth for us to readily diagnose problems on sight. But if their teeth are already crowding on that first visit, we’ll probably recommend x-rays to see what needs to be remedied.

If a filling is necessary, know that Dr. Owens and our dental assistants are well-equipped to alleviate children’s anxiety. We’ll introduce them to our friends, who will make sure the process is as painless as possible! Who can they expect to meet if their mouths need a little extra care?

Whistler – a drill who whistles while he works
Bumpy – a drill who bumps along as he fills
Sleepy Juice – the anesthetic that numbs the gums; your child won’t even feel the numbing shot because of this device!

After the First Dental Visit

Your child can pick out a toy from our treasure basket on the way out! We may even have some smiley face stickers for their enjoyment as well.
If your child is anxious about receiving further treatment, we may refer them out to a pediatric dentist for specialized care.

Please note: These guidelines are suitable if your child has never been to the dentist before, or if they have already visited once or twice with positive effects. If your child has already had a traumatic experience at the dentist, we recommend taking them to an office that specializes in pediatric dentistry. They’ll have games in the waiting room and an abundance of other goodies to make sure their first visit is a memorable one, as well as nitrous oxide to help ease any lingering treatment anxiety.

Let us know if you have any additional questions about your child’s first dental visit via our contact form, or call us at (970) 377-2557. We look forward to meeting you soon!

Smile More! 3 Reasons to Smile in 2017

Happy New Year & Welcome to 2017! If you’re working on your New Year’s Resolutions, we would like to offer up a rather unconventional suggestion…smile more! Let 2017 be the year that you release your beautiful smile – you’ll be surprised how much it can brighten your year and here’s why:

Smiling Increases Happiness and Reduces Stress

We smile every day, but often don’t realize how much smiling positively affects our health and happiness, as well as that of everyone around us! Smiling is proven to reduce stress and increase happiness. Oftentimes smiling is looked at as a result of happiness, but it goes both ways.

If you’ve ever wondered why, it’s because smiling releases endorphins and serotonin, two of the major chemicals that cause happiness. Not only does smiling trigger happiness-it also helps reduce stress, lower blood pressures and strengthen the immune system.

When smiling the body is more relaxed, causing stress reduction which leads to a stronger immune system. Another study suggests that more smiling can also be associated with lower cortisol levels, which is another factor in reducing stress and strengthening overall health. More happiness and less stress? That sound like a pretty good deal!

Smile: You’re More Likely to Get the Job

Smiling helps in many aspects of the workplace as well. During job interviews it is very important to smile as smiling shows confidence and friendliness, as well as other qualities that employers are likely to be looking for. It can also show that you are a positive and happy person, passionate about what you do and you would improve the workplace with your positive energy.

Even if you’re not trying to land a new job, smiling can help out at work. Smiling can be contagious! Smiling more at work can greatly improve the work environment for you and your coworkers which, as we’ve just learned, can help increase happiness and reduce stress. Another way that smiling helps in the work place is that those who smile often are actually more likely to get promoted in jobs than their less-smiling peers. Can you believe it? Well, start smiling and let us know how it goes!

Smiling Makes You More Attractive!

Smiling also causes people to be more attractive and naturally beautiful. Studies find that 70% of people find smiling faces more attractive than faces with makeup. This is partially due to the fact that smiling can actually cause people to look younger!

The muscles used in smiling naturally lift the face, so smiling is a sort of natural, free face lift. As we’ve mentioned, smiling is contagious, so others around you receive the innumerable benefits that come along with smiling as well. Through smiling more, we can all be healthier and happier!

Creating Beautiful Smiles

If you are not smiling with confidence, now is a great time to do something about it – start the New Year out with a new smile! According to Dr. Owens, “with all the new technology it’s a great time to be improving to improve your smile – from simple whitening procedures to more complex cosmetic restorations there are so many possibilities.” For more information, talk to your dentist about the options available to make your smile beautiful!