candy

Yellow Teeth After Braces: Why It Happens & How to Fix It

December 17th, 2015

Yellow Teeth After Braces: Why It Happens & How to Fix ItThe last thing you want is yellow teeth after years of wearing braces. But unfortunately, it’s a very common occurrence. If you don’t take care of your mouth while you’re wearing braces, you might be surprised to see white squares where your braces were on yellow-stained teeth after your dentist removes them. Thankfully, it’s easy to avoid this experience. Here are some reasons why people get yellow teeth after braces and how to prevent this from happening. We’ll also talk about how you can fix stained teeth after braces.

Brush Properly With A Toothbrush Made for Braces

With all the brackets and wires crowding your teeth, it’s easy for plaque to build up in hard-to-reach places. That’s why it’s especially important for you to brush properly when you have braces. When plaque is left to sit on your teeth, your teeth start to decay, causing them to turn yellow.
People with braces should ask their dentist about electric toothbrushes that are specifically designed for mouths with braces. These brushes will have bristles that are made to remove plaque around brackets and get through wires.

Floss Every Day, Getting Those Hard-to-Reach Spots

Having braces can feel like a great excuse to not floss, since it’s harder to reach the spaces between your teeth. But with more bacteria buildup, it’s extremely important to floss with braces. Just like with brushing, flossing every day will help keep your teeth from decaying and turning yellow.
Superfloss is the best type of floss for people with braces. It’s made up of three types of floss: soft spongy floss, a stiffened-end threader, and regular floss. The stiffened-end threader makes it easier to get between your braces, and the large spongy floss helps you clean around your brackets and wires.

Avoid Tooth-Staining Food

Some food and drinks contain colored properties that can stick to your teeth’s enamel and change their beautiful white color to yellow. These include soda and “sports drinks”, hard and gummy candy, red wine, and coffee. It’s best to avoid these teeth-staining foods and drinks as often as possible, or slowly consume them with glass of water. When you do eat or drink them, wash out your mouth and brush afterwards to keep them from staining your teeth.

Don’t Smoke

Smoking is a big culprit of yellowing teeth, along with other horrible diseases and issues. There’s really no good reason to continue smoking. One of the many effects of smoking is yellowing teeth, caused by the nicotine and tar in tobacco. This can occur not just from smoking, but also from chewing tobacco. Tobacco use is one thing you should quit for good - not just when you have braces.

Use Invisalign Instead of Traditional Braces

If you haven’t had braces yet, you should consider using Invisalign instead of traditional braces. Since Invisalign braces are removable, it’s much easier to keep your braces and teeth clean, reducing the chance that your teeth will turn yellow. Brushing and flossing will be exactly the same as when you didn’t have braces!

Receive Teeth Whitening Treatment After Braces

If your teeth begin yellowing while you have braces, you don’t have to say goodbye to your pearly whites for good. Ask your dentist about teeth whitening after braces! At Water Tower Dental Care, we use Zoom! Teeth Whitening to change the color of your teeth dramatically after just one visit. This leading teeth whitening system brightens up your smile up to 8 shades in about an hour. It’s as easy as that.
Don’t settle for a yellow smile. Contact us to learn more about whitening your teeth after braces! There’s no better place to bring back your beautiful smile than at Chicago’s top cosmetic dentistry.

Foods to Avoid if You Have Sensitive Teeth

February 12th, 2015

Foods to Avoid if You Have Sensitive TeethSensitive teeth can be caused by a number of issues including an exposed nerve, a fractured or worn tooth, and receding gums. While visiting a dentist is the best way to prevent most of these issues, you can avoid the pain that is associated with sensitive teeth by limiting certain foods and drinks. Here are the most common types of food that can agitate your teeth and cause a lot of pain.

Foods To Avoid If You Have Sensitive Teeth:

Hot and Cold Food

Many of the foods that can cause pain to sensitive teeth are not caused by the specific food but by the temperature of the food. Extremely cold or hot foods can cause pain on the fractured tooth or teeth. Ice cream and cold drinks can cause pain, but the worst is chewing ice. Hot coffee and tea along with hot soup are warmer foods and drinks that can cause sensitive teeth to be aggravated. The best solution is to avoid these types of food and opt for meals with less extreme temperatures.

Acidic Food

Acidic foods such as citrus fruits, like lemons and oranges, along with vinegar-based foods, like pickles and olives, can often cause sensitive teeth and can make the pain that comes along with sensitive teeth worse. Acidic foods wear away at the enamel of the tooth which can make the problem worse.

Sugary Candies

Most kinds of candy will cause discomfort for sensitive teeth. Hard candies such as suckers and peppermints, which people tend to bite down on, can create further damage to your teeth along with causing strong pains. Furthermore, chewy candies such as gummy bears and licorice can get stuck inside open cavities and under gums, which will cause discomfort.
While certain foods can cause pain to your teeth, there are other foods that can help relieve discomfort.

Food That is Good for Sensitive Teeth:

Dairy Food

Milks, cheeses, yogurt, and other dairy products contain a protective protein layer known as casein. This protein acts as a shield from acidic elements that tend to hurt the teeth. As well, casein is able to keep minerals essential to healthy teeth from leaving the tooth.

Oxalate-Rich Food

Oxalic acid is in many nutrient-rich foods, such as spinach, carrots, and radishes. It is what causes the fuzzy feeling on your teeth when eating. This feeling is oxalate crystals precipitating on your teeth, which helps plug up dentinal tubules. This is the area where pain starts. Try eating foods rich in oxalic acid to help stop pain and reverse the causes of the sensitive teeth.
Of course, the best way to prevent sensitive teeth is by proper oral hygiene practices and visiting your dentist at least twice a year. Properly flossing once a day and brushing your teeth at least twice a day are great ways to help prevent your teeth from becoming too sensitive.
If you are experiencing a noticeable amount of discomfort in your mouth when chewing any of the types of food above, it is recommended you visit your dentist to determine the cause of the aching before it becomes a bigger problem than necessary. If you have more questions about teeth sensitivity, contact Water Tower Dental today, we’re happy to help!

Dental Health Tips for the Holiday Season

December 18th, 2014

Dental Health Tips for the Holiday SeasonWe all love the holidays, but it’s important to be aware of your oral health during these festive times. Taking care of your teeth and gums during the holidays is simple. All it includes is avoiding a few nasty habits and being aware of the treats that can be most harmful to your teeth. Here are our four dental health tips for the holiday season.

Be Careful of the Sugary Treats

The holidays are often filled with candy canes, peanut brittle, sweet chocolate, and fruitcake. All of these treats can be very harmful for your teeth. Chewy and hard candy alike can get stuck in your teeth, pull out fillings, and even fracture more sensitive teeth. Most of these sweet treats are best avoided throughout the season.
Of course, we know that’s near impossible, so don’t fret. Just drink lots of water after eating any of these sugary sweets. Why? Well, the worst proponent of these snacks is the sugar. However, sugar is much less harmful when it’s not feeding the bacteria in your teeth. Washing out your mouth with water will help keep your teeth safe from sugar.

Let the Nutcrackers do their Job

Nothing is worse during the holiday season than a fractured tooth. It means you can’t eat all of those delicious meals, and because most dentists are off on holidays, you may not be able to receive medical attention for a day or two. With that in mind, never use your teeth to crack a nut. While grandpa might tell you, “that’s how they did it in the war,” you’re living in a townhouse in the suburbs. Your aunt’s collection of nutcrackers will do a much better job than your teeth, not to mention keep your teeth safe.

Keep Scissors Handy to Open Those Packages

Everyone receives a few gifts during the holidays. As excited as you are to see what your friends or family gave you, we suggest avoiding using your teeth to tear open that package. Instead employ a pair of scissors. They’re easier to use than your teeth, and will allow you to avoid the risk of chipping your front teeth or pulling on teeth that needn’t be pulled.

Avoid Stressful Situations

We understand that the holidays can get hectic. Family is visiting, there are a dozen things on your “To Do” list, and you’re always one hour short of time. That’s okay, it’s the holidays, and no one will be too upset if things go a little wrong. After all, you’re with people that love you.
Those who stress out do two things: they bite their nails and they grind their teeth. Both of these habits can wear down the enamel of your teeth and make you more prone to cavities. As well, biting your nails lets germs and bacteria that were stuck in your fingers into your mouth. This can harm your teeth more than you know. Instead, take a breath every so often. Enjoy a cup of tea (which can help the teeth), and remember, no matter what, things will be okay.
Remember, the holidays are about having fun and seeing friends and family. The best advice for the holidays is to make sure to brush and floss on your regular schedule. Drinks lots of water to wash out the food particles between meals, and have a great time!

Candy That’s Good For Your Teeth

February 20th, 2014

candy thats good for your teethWe’ve all been taught since a very young age that candy is the ultimate destroyer against teeth. However, new candies developed by scientists are turning that old story around. Now, there are several new candies (along with some older) that have beneficial attributes.
Scientists in Berlin have recently created candy that contains good bacteria that fights against certain cavity-building bacteria. The main bacteria that cultivate in your mouth and eats away at the surface of your teeth, dissolving enamel and creating cavities, is a bacterium called Mutans streptococci. Scientists have found that a different bacterium called Lactobacillus paracasei is able to fight against and reduce the levels of the bad bacteria in the mouth. In a study testing different levels of the good bacteria in pieces of candy compared to a control group with normal candy, scientists were able to reduce the levels of Mutans streptococci by 75% in the groups with good bacteria candy compared to the control. You can find the full study published in the Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins.

Though that candy might significantly help your teeth, you probably won’t find it in the sweets aisle anytime soon. However, there are other candies, available today, that are definitely better for your teeth than others. If you are to eat candy, here’s the kind we recommend.

ADA-approved Gums

While most chewing gums can hurt your teeth by allowing harmful sugars and acids to build in your mouth while consistently chewing, there are actually a few good chewing gums. Recently the ADA has approved certain gums for their beneficial elements to teeth. Most importantly, all ADA approved chewing gums are sugarless and sweetened with artificial sweeteners such as aspartame or sorbitol. These gums are able to increase the flow of saliva without creating a harmful environment for your teeth. In fact, the increased flow of saliva can help flush away previous acids and debris. Look for an ADA seal on the gum to be sure you’re chewing the right kind.

Sugar-free Lollipops

Similar to the ADA-approved chewing gum, sugar-free candies help increase the flow of saliva, which can actually flush out the mouth of bad bacteria and help prevent cavities. If you need a hard candy, we wouldn’t recommend anything other than sugar-free. However, be aware that these candies can still hurt your teeth if you bite down on them, so make sure to consume the candy slowly and save your teeth from unnecessary damage.

Dark Chocolate

Though dark chocolate is loaded with sugar, and not the best your teeth, enough studies have shown that the candy contains a rich amount of antioxidants that are good for the rest of your body, especially your heart. Sometimes it’s okay to sacrifice a minute of sugar in your mouth for the rest of your body. Just follow our advice as to how to consume sugar and you should be fine.
Of course, there are plenty of candies you can choose that are terrible for your teeth. Chewy candies and sour candies are definitely the worst as they can get caught in your teeth for days between the backs of molars. As well, they contain high levels of acid that can quickly break down tooth enamel and produce cavities. Avoid these candies at all costs.
Remember, the best defense to fight those bad bacteria and preventing cavities is practicing proper oral hygiene. Brush at least twice a day and floss once a day. You’ll find that a little piece of candy every so often won’t be the worst thing in the world. Just be careful, though Water Tower Dental loves to see all of our patients’ smiling faces as often as possible, but we hate when we have to inform them of cavities. Keep your teeth clean and your smile bright.

Five Foods to Cut From Your Diet to Save Your Teeth

January 23rd, 2014

foods to cut from your dietWe spend a considerable amount of time discussing the best and worst foods for your teeth. And while there are plenty of both foods to consume and not to consume, we’d like to share with you the foods we recommend you completely cut out of your diet. Sure, there are foods like apples that can be bad for your teeth (as well as good), they are ultimately good for your body. However, we believe the following foods have no substantial value to your health, so we feel no hesitancy suggesting you cut these foods from your diet completely, at least for the sake of your teeth.

1. Hard Candy, Caramel, and Long-Lasting Sweets

We’ve discussed the effects of sugar on your teeth before. While you may be able to beat the damaging causes of sugar, we recommend trying to cut out any of the tougher candies that can ruin your teeth. The fact is that you’re letting a high concentration of sugar rest in your mouth. This creates a feeding frenzy for any and all bacteria. Furthermore, because you allow the candy to stay in one place, in the mouth, for a long time, a large amount of acid can build up in those, which then causes demineralization. Along with the harms of sugar, hard candies are often chewed before finished. This can easily crack or fracture a tooth, which causes a whole other deal of trouble.

2. Canned Fruit

Fruits like peaches and pears are already packed with sugar. Unfortunately, food manufacturers can these fruits and pack them with a ton of extra sugar. When it comes to oranges and other canned citrus fruit, it’s even worse as the sugars combine with the citric acid to create a bulldozer of harmful substances to attack your teeth. We recommend eating fruit, but stick with the fresh stuff. If you must buy canned, look for fruit canned in its own juices, or buy frozen instead.

3. Soft Drinks / Soda

Sodas and Soft Drinks (even diet) are horrible for your teeth and should be avoided at all costs. Along with having no substantial value to your overall diet, sodas are filled with acidic sugars that are perfect for rotting teeth. Most sodas also contain phosphoric and citric acids that can also easily erode teeth. Take a moment to research soda and you’ll see that it’s not only a tasty drink, but can help remove rust off of nails and clean stains off of toilets. Is that something you really want in your body? Cutting soft drinks out of your diet is a great way to keep your teeth healthy and to avoid unwanted sugars.

4. Ice

Ice is a very helpful substance that cools our beverages, but when we choose to pop those ice cubes in our mouth and start chewing, then we’re risking some serious damage to our teeth. While, yes, ice is sugar free, it is just as harmful if you chew it. It’s one of the leading causes of cracked or damaged teeth. If you chew ice, we recommend finding something else to occupy your time, try gum with the ADA Seal which helps you understand which gum is good for your teeth.

5. Saltine Crackers and Potato Chips

All processed carbs such as Saltine crackers and potato chips are extremely harmful to the teeth without providing any real benefit to the body. The problem is, though crackers and chips start crunchy, they become gummy in the mouth once chewed. The carbs, which are just sugar, end up snuggling themselves high up into the gums where they can get caught in pockets between your teeth. Even brushing shortly after might not be able to remove all of the gummy carbs that have hid themselves inside your gums. We recommend avoiding these kind of snacks as much as possible.
Of course, we all have our guilty pleasures, and most of these foods fall into that category. If you do choose to eat these harmful foods, do your best to brush your teeth soon after to remove the sugars and harmful acids that can erode your teeth. If you have any more questions, contact Water Tower Dental, we’d be happy to help.