cavities

Have you ever taken a sip of water and felt a sharp pain in your teeth? This likely means that you have sensitive teeth, and that doing something simple, such as drinking a glass of water, or taking a deep breath through your mouth, can be painful.

So what causes this and how can you fix it?

Tooth Sensitivity

Tooth sensitivity occurs when the protective enamel on our teeth gets thinner, or when our gums recede. There are many reasons why this could be happening:

• You might be brushing your teeth too hard. When you put too much pressure on your teeth while brushing, you can gradually start wearing down the protective layers of your teeth. When this occurs, the tubes or canals that lead to your nerves may become exposed, which can lead to pain or discomfort, especially when eating or drinking something hot or cold. Try using lighter strokes when brushing.
• You could have cavities or loose fillings. Cavities are holes in your teeth that can grow bigger over time. The bigger the hole gets, the more sensitive your teeth can feel. If you think you might have a cavity, or one of your fillings may be loose, make sure to see your dentist right away.
• You’re grinding your teeth. Grinding your teeth can wear down the protective enamel on your teeth, but many people may not even realize that they’re doing it. Oftentimes, people grind their teeth in their sleep.
• You could have a cracked or broken tooth. A cracked or broken tooth can expose the tooth’s nerve, which can cause sensitivity or pain.
• You may have gum disease. Gum disease is caused by plaque, the sticky bacteria that constantly forms on our teeth. If that plaque is not removed with brushing and flossing, it may harden and form “tartar,” which is then very difficult to remove. Teeth sensitivity can be a symptom of gum disease.
• Your mouthwash or toothpaste could be causing it. Some teeth-whitening toothpastes and mouthwashes contain chemicals that your teeth may become sensitive to. Try switching to a mouthwash with less chemicals and a desensitizing toothpaste, such as Sensodyne.
• The foods you’re eating might be too acidic. Excessive consumption of acidic foods or beverages can put your teeth at risk for tooth sensitivity.

Treatments For Sensitive Teeth

If you’re experiencing pain associated with sensitive teeth, there are a number of treatments a dentist can perform that may help, depending on the cause.

• Desensitizing with Gluma is a dental treatment that can help your teeth become less sensitive by stopping by occluding (blocking) the microscopic tubules that compose dentin, thereby preventing the flow of fluid and decreasing sensitivity.
• Gum Disease Treatment Therapy can help treat gum disease, a major contributor of teeth sensitivity, with targeted treatments designed just for you.
• A crown, inlay or bonding can fix a broken tooth or decay that might be causing your teeth to be sensitive. Water Tower Dental Care is proud to offer porcelain crowns in just one visit with CEREC technology.

If you are experiencing tooth sensitivity or have any questions about it, please contact Water Tower Dental Care today.

Over the years, the use of fluoride in both water and toothpaste has been very controversial. Some people argue that fluoride can cause serious health issues, while experts have found that fluoride can significantly improve dental health. So what’s the truth? Today, we’re going to look at the scientific facts to determine whether fluoride is good or bad for your teeth.

What is It?

Remember that periodic table you were forced to learn about in high school? Well fluorine is on that table. The fluoride ion comes from fluorine, which is an element. Fluorine is found naturally all over the earth, in soil, food, water, and minerals. Fluoride can also be made in laboratories to be added to water and dental products, like toothpaste. Fluoride is commonly added to water to reduce tooth decay in communities.

Why is Fluoride Good for Your Teeth?

Studies have shown that adding fluoride to water has reduced dental decay by 20 to 40%, according to American Dental Association (ADA). That’s a huge positive effect! In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that adding fluoride to water is one of the ten great public health achievements of the 20th century.
So why is fluoride so good for your teeth? When you consume fluoride, it collects in areas that are high in calcium, including your teeth. This helps teeth in several ways:

• When children with developing teeth eat or drink fluoride in safe amounts, it builds up inside their teeth. This provides them with extra lasting strength and protection against acids.
• Fluoride can also strengthen enamel in adult teeth. When you eat or drink fluoride, it becomes a part of your saliva. Since your saliva constantly soaks your teeth, it provides your teeth’s surface with fluoride, strengthening enamel and preventing decay.
• Topical fluoride, like toothpaste and mouthwash, help to make the surface of your teeth more resistant to decay.
• Your saliva works to keep your enamel hard by constantly replenishing your teeth with minerals, like calcium and phosphorous. When there’s fluoride in your saliva along with these other minerals, the minerals that replenish your teeth are extra strong. This keeps your teeth as hard and protected against decay as possible.

As long as you have healthy teeth and a low risk of tooth decay, drinking water that contains a safe amount of fluoride and brushing regularly with a fluoride toothpaste should provide you with a sufficient amount of fluoride.

Can Fluoride Be Bad for Your Teeth?

If fluoride is so great for your teeth, why is it so controversial? Some people think that it can cause serious health issues, including cancer, kidney failure or bone disease. It’s true that too much fluoride may cause issues. But as long as it is consumed properly, it is safe and effective, according to the ADA. In fact, for generations, millions of people have been drinking natural water with fluoride in higher concentrations than those now recommended.
Since fluoride in toothpastes and mouthwashes isn’t ingested, the real fear people have is when it’s found in water, other drinks and food. The ADA notes that 60 years of research and practical experience has given us sufficient evidence that indicates that fluoride in community water is safe and effective. American Cancer Society (ACA) also states that the general consensus of scientific reviews is that there’s no strong evidence of a link between fluoride in water and cancer. However, more research can be done to clarify the link.
As long as you use fluoride in the correct dosage, it should provide safe and effective protection against tooth decay. You should never swallow toothpaste, mouthwash, or other dental products that warn against ingestion. If you or your child receives fluoride supplements, you or your child must take only the amount that is prescribed to avoid overdose. If you’re worried about the amount of fluoride in your local public water, the ACA recommends contacting your local community water system.

Where Can You Get It?

There are many ways you can get fluoride to support your dental health. Just make sure to follow the indicated instructions and use the correct dose. Here are some common sources of fluoride:

• Toothpaste
• Mouthwash
• Water
• Dietary fluoride supplements
• Food
• Beverages
• Professionally applied foams, gels and varnishes

It’s important that you get enough fluoride to keep your teeth healthy. If you’re worried that you’re experiencing tooth decay, come on into Water Tower Dental Care! We can help you find out if you need more fluoride and can tell you the most efficient way to get it. Feel free to contact us today!

When it’s mixed with something, lemon is one of the most refreshing flavors out there. There’s nothing like sipping on a cold glass of lemonade under the sun, or drinking a cup of hot lemon water on a rainy morning. Unfortunately, your enamel doesn’t think lemon is as tasty as your tastebuds do. In fact, your teeth react to it pretty sourly. Though lemon juice can taste good and has some health benefits, it’s pretty bad for your teeth if it comes into contact with them. Let’s take a look at why now.

Why Is Lemon Juice Bad for Your Teeth?

Lemon juice is one of the most erosive ingredients out there. During a study comparing fruit juices and beverages published in the Journal of Endourology, lemon juice had the highest citric acid content of all the juices studied. Acids are your enamel’s biggest enemy. When you eat a lemon or drink lemon juice, the acids from the juice stick to your teeth and wear away your enamel. The acids also help feed bacteria to form plaque and tartar, which lead to cavities.

So What’s A Lemon Good For?

Just because lemons are bad for your teeth doesn’t mean you should avoid them forever. Lemons are very nutritious. Lemon juice contains pectin fibre, calcium and potassium, and is a great source of Vitamin C.

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, Vitamin C is essential for the growth and repair of tissues throughout your body. It’s also an antioxidant. Antioxidants may help to fight off physical aging and health issues including cancer, arthritis and heart disease. Lemon juice also improves digestion, according to Global Healing Center.

How To Stop Your Teeth From Going Sour Because of Lemon Juice

Because we love your teeth so much, we recommend switching to regular water instead of a beverage with lemon juice for your everyday drink of choice. Lemon juice really can do severe damage to your teeth over time, and you can get the nutrients from someplace else!

If you continue to drink lemon juice regularly, you can easily limit the damage it does to your teeth. Here are just a few ideas!

• Use a straw while drinking beverages with lemon juice. Try to make sure the liquid goes directly into your throat rather than sitting in your mouth. The goal is to keep it from coming into contact with your teeth.

• If you do drink a beverage with lemon juice without using a straw, drink water too. The water should wash away some of the acids that are trying to stick onto your teeth.

• Don’t brush your teeth right after you’re done drinking lemon juice. Since your enamel is weakened by the lemon’s acids, brushing can easily damage your teeth. Instead, wait about 30 minutes to an hour before brushing.

• Immediately rinse out your mouth with water or mouthwash. Since you shouldn’t brush your teeth after consuming lemon juice, washing out your mouth is the next best thing. Swishing with water or mouthwash after you’re done will help to wash away the acids.

• Visit a dentist to see if your lemon juice habits are affecting your teeth. This way, you’ll know whether you should stop. If lemon juice has already significantly damaged your teeth, we can help with Enamel Remineralization Treatment!

Got any more questions about lemon juice and your teeth? Contact Chicago’s number one general and cosmetic dentistry! We’d love to help you keep your teeth as healthy and strong as possible.

Everyone in Chicago knows that the city’s winter weather can be hard on your commute, skin and nose. But extremely cold weather can also affect your teeth and mouth. Many Chicagoans experience uncomfortable sensations or even extreme pain in their mouth while in icy weather. Let’s take a look at why that happens and what you can do to keep your teeth and mouth feeling great all winter long!

The Effects of Chicago Winter Weather On Your Teeth & Mouth

Since teeth are naturally porous and sensitive, many people experience tooth sensitivity in the cold. Subtle irritation from time to time is normal and usually nothing to worry about. However, constant sensitivity in the same area of your mouth during the winter months may mean that the cold air is revealing a problem with your teeth.
If you have regular discomfort in the same area of your tooth, it could be caused by a variety of issues, including tiny fractures, bigger cracks, thin enamel, teeth clenching habits, or cavities. Each of these problems can lead to sensitive areas of your teeth being exposed, which in turn can cause teeth pain and discomfort all winter long.
Fillings, crowns or bridges that don’t fit your teeth anymore may also cause sensitivity.
Now let’s not let teeth take all of the spotlight here. Gum disease may be the culprit when it comes to your sensitive teeth and mouth. Gum disease can cause your gums to move away from your teeth, exposing your very sensitive roots. Two telltale signs of gum disease are sore and inflamed gums.
Surprisingly enough, a sinus infection can also be the source of your tooth pain. Swollen sinuses put pressure on the roots of your teeth, which can cause your teeth to hurt. This typically occurs in the back top teeth.
Finally, cold sores are known to wreak havoc during the winter thanks to the flu, stress, fatigue, and extreme weather conditions, according to Sitavig.

Tips To Keep Your Teeth & Mouth Feeling Better During The Winter

Now that you know what’s causing your teeth and mouth sensitivity during the winter, it’s time to get to the important part: how to make it better. If you’re experiencing regular irritation, you should visit a dentist to get to the root of your problem. It could be something serious, like gum disease. But until then, here are some tips to hold you over:

• Breathe in through your nose as much as you can. This way, the cold air won’t be able to reach sensitive areas in your mouth and cause irritation.
• Try not to clench your teeth when you are cold. Clenching can cause tooth erosion and more pain in cold weather.
• Drinking something warm, like tea, when you’re out in the cold should help ease any pain caused by low temperatures.
• Make sure you’re brushing your teeth properly twice a day and flossing once a day.
• Try using a fluoride mouthwash and toothpaste designed for sensitive teeth twice a day to create extra protection from the cold air.
• If you have allergies or think you might have a sinus infection, visit a doctor to find out how to treat it.
• Avoid stress, keep your lips moisturized and wash your hands during the winter months to minimize cold sore breakouts, according to Sitavig. You can also receive laser therapy for cold sores at our offices in Chicago! Laser therapy will help reduce the number of breakouts you have by destroying the herpes simplex virus.
• If your teeth sensitivity or mouth problems persist or feel abnormally bad, make time to visit your dentist. You may have a dental issue that needs to be addressed before it gets worse.

Want to get rid of your winter mouth and teeth issues once and for all? Visit Chicago’s top general and cosmetic dentistry! We’ll do everything we can to get to the root of your mouth discomfort and tooth sensitivity issues.

We’ve all been there. Eating lunch with a coworker or a friend and getting a big piece of food stuck in our teeth. They may point out that you have something stuck in between your pearly whites and you may quickly work to get it out. Or, even worse, you might notice it afterwards in the mirror and know that they were too hesitant to point it out.
Not only can getting food stuck in your teeth be embarrassing, but it can also be uncomfortable and even painful. Worst of all, leaving food lodged between your teeth to rot can cause serious dental issues, like cavities and gum decay. Here are some of the biggest food culprits that like to stay wedged between your teeth. Make sure to bring floss along when you’re planning to eat these food items.

Poppy Seeds, Sesame Seeds... Pretty Much All Seeds

Seeds are probably the most frustrating of all the foods on this list. You can’t really eat around them if they are in your meal or snack because they are so small. And once seeds are stuck in your teeth, it can be incredibly hard to dig them out of there because of their size. If you wear braces, it’s best to stay away from food that contains seeds. They can bend or break your wires if they get lodged in the right place.

Popcorn

The buttery, salty goodness of popcorn is the perfect companion during a comforting movie. But its aftermath is enough to put many of us off of it. Sharp kernel pieces can shove their way between your gums and teeth, especially in your molars, causing pain, discomfort and a dangerous space for bacteria to breed. Next time you eat popcorn, try to pay attention to how you’re eating it to avoid discomfort at best, and gum issues at worst.

Sticky Candy

Most of us love the sugary sweetness of caramel, taffies and gummies. But most of us also know that these candies pretty much always stick to our teeth in the most annoying spots. Bacteria love sugar, so leaving these candies stuck to our teeth for hours at a time can easily result in cavities. Try swishing water in your mouth and flossing after you’re done munching on chewy candy, and brush about 30 minutes after eating.

Raspberries

The real issue with these delicious fruits isn’t the raspberries themselves. Rather, it’s the hundreds of tiny seeds inside of them. Just like poppy seeds and sesame seeds, raspberry seeds can get lodged in the most inconvenient spaces, particularly in your molar region, which is the hardest to reach.

Chewy Meat

Now that we’ve covered the small bites, it’s time to take a look at the big guys: meats. Chewy strings from steak, rib, chicken and beef can easily make their way into tight spaces between your chompers. If you marinate the meat with acidic, seasoned liquid, these pieces of meat can attract lots of bacteria that will eat away at your enamel.

Tips to Keep Food Out Of Your Teeth

Just because these food options are likely to get stuck in your teeth doesn’t mean you should stop eating them. Here are some tips from our dentists to keep your smile food-free:

• Drink water while you’re eating
• Swish water around your mouth after your meal or snack
• Chew gum that contains xylitol after you’ve chowed down on sticky food
• Always keep toothpicks on hand
• Floss soon after eating these types of food, and brush 30 minutes afterwards

Want to chew gum? Do it! As long as there’s xylitol in it, your dentist will approve. Xylitol is the perfect sugar alternative. Not only does it not cause tooth decay. It’s also good for your teeth. Yes, you heard that right. Something that tastes as wonderful as sugar actually benefits your teeth. Let’s take a look at why.

What is Xylitol?

Though it tastes like magic, xylitol can actually be all natural. It’s a five-carbon sugar alcohol compound. What does that mean? It’s not actually sugar or alcohol. Instead, it’s a carbohydrate that looks and tastes like sugar. But instead of damaging your teeth, xylitol actually protects it.
Xylitol is found naturally in plants, berries, and vegetables. It can also be manufactured from starches and sugar. Unfortunately, since we eat so much sugar, we can’t get enough xylitol from the foods we eat to sufficiently help our teeth. That’s why we brush, floss and take xylitol supplements.

How does it benefit your teeth?

To understand how Xylitol helps protect your teeth, you have to first understand how you get cavities. According to Registered Dental Hygienist, the average American consumes about 31 teaspoons of sugar every single day. Our teeth aren’t made to eat that much sugar. Inevitably, all of this sugar leads to tooth decay, usually in the form of cavities. The sugar in food causes bacteria in your mouth to grow. These bacteria create hungry acids that eat away at your teeth, causing tooth decay.
Bad bacteria can’t digest xylitol to grow like it digests sugar. In fact, xylitol works to keep the pH level neutral in your mouth. The less acidic your pH levels are, the fewer bacteria will grow and the better off your teeth will be.
Xylitol also stops bacteria from sticking to your teeth. So even if there are bacteria in your mouth after taking xylitol, it’s much less likely that the bacteria will damage your teeth because it can’t stick on to them.
Thanks to increased pH levels, xylitol also promotes enamel repair. As pH levels get higher than 7, calcium and phosphate salts in your saliva help to rebuild weak enamel.

Where can you get Xylitol?

Now that you know great xylitol is for your mouth, you’re probably wondering where you can get some. Since you usually eat sugar during the day, you should try taking xylitol throughout the day as well. You should always look for xylitol in toothpaste and mouthwash. Most of the big names in toothpaste and mouthwash include xylitol because of its benefits.
Since it can be inconvenient to carry your toothbrush and mouthwash around all day, it’s beneficial to have another source of xylitol on hand. Gum, candy and mints frequently have xylitol in them. These products can help you battle bacteria throughout the day. A 1998 article from The British Dental Journal writes that chewing gum containing xylitol prevents cavities and promotes enamel remineralization.  You can also find the sweetener in corncobs and stalks.
Consuming xylitol is one of the tastiest ways to keep your teeth healthy! Find out more about the benefits of xylitol and the best places to get it from by contacting the number one Chicago dental practice, Water Tower Dental Care. We would be happy to put you on the right track to a healthy and happy smile.

When it comes to taking care of your teeth, there’s a lot more you can do than just brushing and flossing. In fact, those are just the first two steps to keeping your teeth healthy. Adding oral probiotics to your teeth-cleaning routine will help to ensure that you keep cavities away and an attractive smile going.

What Are Probiotics?

Probiotics have been growing in popularity for years because of their ability to improve digestive health. But in recent years, probiotics have also been found to improve your oral health by naturally getting rid of cavity-causing plaque. So what exactly are probiotics and how are they so helpful?
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health defines probiotics as live organisms that are intended to have health benefits. Typically, these live organisms are good bacteria. Yes, you read that right. Bacteria can be good for you - and even for good your teeth. Probiotics work by crowding out the bad bacteria in your mouth with good bacteria. The more good bacteria there are in your mouth, the less room there will be for bad bacteria to grow and rot your teeth, slowing down the plaque build-up process. While foods like yogurt are full of probiotics, the probiotics derived by this kind of food can’t fight bacteria in your mouth like it can in your stomach.

 How Can Probiotics Help Your Mouth and Teeth?

So now that you know that probiotics can cause less bad bacteria to grow in your mouth, you’re probably wondering how exactly that helps your teeth and mouth. Evora, a maker of oral probiotics, notes that there are three major ways that the ProBiora3 probiotics improve your oral health:

• They support gum and tooth health.
  Since less bad bacteria will be growing on your teeth and gums, probiotics will help to keep your teeth healthy. Mayo Clinic writes that high levels of bad bacteria can cause gum disease and tooth decay. 
• They make your breath smell better.
  Stinky breath is caused by bad bacteria sitting in your mouth. Since probiotics don’t allow a lot of room for the bacteria that cause bad breath to grow, your mouth should smell a lot better.
• They whiten your teeth over time.
  ProBiora3 probiotics from Evora produce low doses of hydrogen peroxide. Over time, these low doses gently whiten your teeth. Unlike other teeth whitening treatments, you won’t feel any sensitivity or gum irritation from this natural teeth whitening process.

Probiotics are an important addition to everyone’s dental health routine. Though they don’t replace brushing and flossing, probiotics do support these activities, making your teeth and gums even healthier. All you have to do is eat probiotics a few times a month to make a difference in your mouth.
If you’re interested in learning more about probiotics or purchasing them for the first time, speak to our dental experts at Water Tower Dental Care. We would love to help you pick the best type of probiotics for your teeth and gums and help you better understand how they make your smile look its best.

Just because you have a particularly hungry sweet tooth doesn’t mean you're doomed to have cavities. There are a handful of sugar and sweetener alternatives out there that aren’t bad for your teeth. In fact, some of these sweet substitutes have actually been found to be good for your teeth. We’re here to let you know which sugar alternatives and sweeteners are best for your teeth.

Why Is Sugar So Bad for Your Teeth?

Surprising to many, it’s not actually sugar that is your teeth’s enemy. Rather, it’s the bacteria that turn sugar into enamel-eating acids. Sugar is extremely easy for bacteria to break down into acid, which is why dentists want you to avoid eating a lot of sugary food, candy and drinks. When the sugar is broken down into acids, the acids break down your enamel, causing cavities, dental decay, and eventually, an unhappy trip to the dentist.

Best Sugar and Sweetener Choices to Keep Your Teeth Healthy

Unlike sugar, sugar alternatives aren’t as easy for bacteria to break down into acids. A group of sweeteners known as polyols actually have antibacterial properties, according to The New York Times, making them the best possible sugar and sweetener alternatives for your teeth. If sweeteners are antibacterial, they cannot be broken down by bacteria in your mouth and won't cause cavities.
So what are these polyols? Polyols are sugar alcohols that come from a chemical process. Not only are they great for your teeth, but they also contain fewer calories than sugar. Common polyols include xylitol, sorbitol, malitol, and isomalt. Since these sugar substitutes won’t cause cavities, they are often used in gum. In fact, a 1998 article from The British Dental Journal found that chewing gum containing sugar sweetener alternatives, like sorbitol and xylitol, actually helped to prevent cavities due to increased saliva flow.

Are Polyols Healthy for You in Other Ways?

So now that you know that polyols such as xylitol, sorbitol, malitol, and isomalt are good for your teeth, you’re probably wondering if they’re safe for the rest of your body too. According to the Calorie Control Council, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recognized some polyols as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) and others have been approved as food additives. An Expert Committee of the World Health Organization has concluded that polyols are safe for human consumption after careful review.
For very sensitive people, polyols have been found to cause gastrointestinal problems, such as gas or laxative effects, but these issues aren’t permanent. Polyols have been used for many years by people all over the world. They are pretty well documented as being a safe and effective sugar and sweetener alternative.
You don’t have to sacrifice delicious sweets in order to keep your teeth healthy. Polyols taste just as delicious as sugar without the harmful tooth decaying effects! If you have any more questions about the best sugar and sweetener alternatives for your teeth, you should reach out to us on Facebook!

Many people think they should brush their teeth right after they eat. At first glance, this seems to make sense. If you brush your teeth after a meal, you should keep your teeth healthy by getting rid of the food in your mouth, right?
Actually, that’s not always the best option. Like most things in life, deciding when the best time is to brush your teeth isn’t so black and white. It really depends on what you’re eating. In fact, if you brush your teeth immediately after eating acidic food, you can cause irreversible damage to your pearly whites. Let’s take a look at the best times for you to brush your teeth so that you can keep them as healthy as possible and avoid damaging them.

When To Brush Your Teeth After Eating

In most cases, it’s best to brush your teeth after eating a meal rather than before. After you eat food, bad bacteria can form that cause acids to eat away at your enamel. These acids attack your teeth for at least 20 minutes after you eat your food. This is especially true when you eat food that is high in carbohydrates and sugars.
When you brush your teeth with toothpaste right after you eat, you get rid of a lot of the bacteria that could otherwise cause cavities. This is why many dentists suggest brushing your teeth after every meal. Make sure to brush with a correct technique, and don’t brush too hard or with a toothbrush with overly strong bristles.

When To Brush Your Teeth Before Eating

There is an exception to the brushing-your-teeth-after-eating rule. When you drink or eat something that is acidic, like orange, grapefruit or lemon, you shouldn’t brush your teeth right afterwards. The acids that these foods contain weaken your tooth enamel directly after they are in contact your teeth. If you brush your teeth while your enamel is in this weakened state, you can damage your teeth by removing enamel. Mayo Clinic recommends waiting at least 30 minutes to brush your teeth after you’ve consumed an acidic food or drink.
Instead of waiting to brush your teeth after you’ve eaten acidic food or drink, you can brush your teeth beforehand. When you brush your teeth before you eat acidic food, you reduce the amount of bacteria in your mouth. That means less bacteria will be around before you feed your mouth, and consequently the remaining bacteria as well, with sugars, which cause the bacteria to grow. After you’ve brushed your teeth and eaten your acidic food, you should drink a glass of water to get rid of any remaining acids.
While it’s important to eat acidic fruits, it’s best to avoid unhealthy and unnecessary acids that can ruin your teeth, such as those found in soft drinks. If you stick to a healthy diet filled with food that is good for your teeth and practice proper oral hygiene, your teeth (and your dentist) will thank you.

Balancing work, friends, family, hobbies and relaxation time is hard enough. Trying to find the time to squeeze in a dentist appointment to fix your broken tooth before it gets worse may seem impossible. You need to fix your broken tooth before your nerves are exposed to dangerous bacteria that can cause serious infection, but you can’t seem to find the time to get around to making multiple visits to the dentist. That’s where CEREC One-Visit Crowns come in. 
In the past, having a porcelain crown created and placed took at least two visits to the dentist. With our CEREC technology, it only takes one hour to perfectly fit, craft and place your crown, inlay or onlay. Sound too good to be true? We’ll take a look at how exactly CEREC One-Visit Crowns work at Water Tower Dental Care in Chicago so that you get the full picture.
Doubting if CEREC One-Visit Crowns work? Here’s a review from one of Water Tower Dental Care’s CEREC patients: “The tooth feels like it’s my old tooth, so there’s no difference. And of course, the thing that’s really cool about it is it looks like your teeth, so no one really knows that I’ve got a crown in my mouth.”

How CEREC Creates and Places the Perfect Crown in One Hour

You’re probably wondering how exactly CEREC One-Visit Crowns work so well after being created and placed in just one hour. Traditionally, you have to have your dentist make an impression of your tooth, send that impression to a dental lab, receive a temporary crown, wait weeks for your final crown to get crafted, hope that the fit and color are right, and, if so, finally get the crown placed. As you can see, this is a long and drawn-out process that leaves lots of room for human error.
At Water Tower Dental Care, we’ve replaced this traditional way of doing things with the latest dental crown technology, making our process much more precise and accurate. Here’s the step-by-step process:

• First, our Chairside Economical Restorations of Esthetic Ceramics (CEREC) machine creates a 3D image of your teeth and oral structures using a special camera.
• It then designs the crown, inlay or onlay with 3D modeling, determining the size and shape for a perfect fit for your teeth.
• The images are then sent to Water Tower Dental Care’s in-house milling unit, which carves the crown, inlay or onlay out of a porcelain block.
• After the computers have built the perfect porcelain restoration, our doctors take over, custom coloring, polishing and placing the crown, inlay or onlay and having you ready to go within the hour.

The Perfect Crown and Fit Every Time

Since almost every step of the process is completed by accurate computerized technology, there’s virtually no room for human error. This means you won’t have to come back into the office for another fitting or correction. Your CEREC One-Visit Crowns are custom colored and polished during your visit to accurately match the rest of your teeth. Nobody will be able to notice that you’re wearing a crown. You also won’t have to deal with temporary crowns falling out, additional injections or unsightly metal in your teeth. Best of all, if you’re unhappy with your current crowns or fillings, we can use CEREC One-Visit Crowns to immediately replace them.
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If you want to learn more about CEREC One-Visit Crowns, feel free to give us a call at (312) 787-2131. We would love to help you find the easiest way to keep your teeth looking and feeling their best!

With long sunny days outdoors and exotic vacations, ‘tis the season for love. And with love comes lots of smooching! When you’re in the moment with your loved one, we’re guessing that you aren’t thinking about how your kisses are affecting your mouth. Interestingly though, kisses really do impact your oral health, both positively and negatively. Our experts are here to tell you how exactly kissing does this with juicy detail. We’ll start with the bad news first.

The Ugly Oral Health Side to Kissing

Unfortunately, kissing can cause some bad stuff to go on in your mouth. Let’s take a look at a couple of the most common ways kissing can go wrong.
You can get herpes from kissing. You don’t need to go any further than kissing to catch an STD. Herpes infection viruses can be spread through your saliva, causing cold sores or blisters on your lips, around your mouth or even inside your mouth. Though they are typically harmless, they can get pretty annoying. Worst of all, there’s no cure. So be careful who you kiss!
Bad bacteria can increase your chance of developing gum disease. If your kissing partner has gum disease, or periodontitis, you’re getting their bad bacteria inside your mouth when you kiss. In fact, you’re sharing around 80 million bacteria with them! The worse the bacteria in their mouth are, the worse it will affect your mouth.
Don’t let these two issues scare you away from kissing. As long as you and your partner take care of your mouth and teeth, and communicate any oral diseases that you have, you shouldn’t be surprised with any unhealthy oral developments. In fact, kissing is typically great for your oral health, as you’ll see below.

Healthy Kissing is Good for Your Teeth, Gums and Mouth!

Your dentist orders you to keep kissing your partner! Well, as long as they have good oral health. Here’s why:
More saliva means fewer cavities. While you’re kissing, your salivary glands begin producing more saliva. Saliva is made up of water, electrolytes, mucus, glycoproteins, enzymes and antibacterial compounds that do lots of good things, including neutralize acids in your mouth, fight off bacteria and wash away food particles. All of these changes will lead to less tooth erosion, which means your dentist should find less cavities in your teeth.
Saliva protects your tooth enamel. Saliva is amazing. Along with fighting off bacteria and acids, the mineral salts in your saliva help rebuild the minerals in your tooth enamel, protecting your teeth from erosion and cavities.
More salvia means healthier cheeks and gums. Your gums and cheeks typically heal more quickly than your skin thanks to your saliva. According to Discover Magazine, proteins like vascular endothelial growth factor help to trigger the formation of blood vessels, which boosts your mouth’s healing processes.
Sharing kisses boosts your immune system. During a quick, 10-second kiss, you transfer as much as 80 million bacteria to your partner. But don’t let that stop you from smooching. It’s actually good for you! According to a study from the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, sharing these bacteria during a kiss boosts your immune system, keeping you healthy.
So there you have it! You have our approval to keep kissing a healthy mouth all summer long. If you or your partner needs a cleanup before a smooch session, feel free to stop by Water Tower Dental Care on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile! We’ll not only make your mouth sparkling clean, but we’ll also make sure it looks picture perfect for your partner with our cosmetic dentistry treatments.

Just as you might expect, as the rest of your body ages, your teeth age as well. So what exactly happens to your teeth as they get older and what can you do now to help them out?

The Biggest Threat to Your Teeth

From the first day a tooth pops out of your gums as a child to the last day you have them, the biggest threat to your teeth is acid erosion. This is caused by the sugars and carbohydrates in your mouth that provide food for the bacteria in your mouth. In turn, that bacteria produce acids that can easily wear away the enamel of your teeth. The result of this process is the tiny pits that can widen to become cavities.
As a kid, this might not seem like a big deal, but as you grow older, you’ll want to work at preserving your teeth as much as possible for old age.
While candy and its sugar is a top offender, beware of sweetened carbonated drinks and starchy carbohydrates. All of these foods can cause serious wear to the enamel of your teeth.

Preventing Chips and Cracks

Surprisingly, as you age, your teeth do not become more brittle. They stay as strong as ever. However, if something happens to your tooth that requires medical attention, it could take longer to heal. For example, you could accidentally crack your tooth by biting into ice. Replacing or capping an elderly person’s tooth can cause more pain for extended time compared to a younger person.
This doesn’t mean an older person should start eating mush. It just means they need to be careful and conscious of what they eat.

Keeping Teeth White

Some older patients experience stained teeth. This is mostly a cosmetic issue, though if enough organic compounds from the stain build up, it can cause enamel wear. It’s important to keep your teeth looking as white as possible, at least for their own protection. Make sure to avoid foods that can stain your teeth as much as possible along with using whitening toothpaste every so often. As well, you can visit your dentist for cleanings that will help with the color of your teeth.

Protect Your Gums

The biggest issue that can arise from older age is gum disease. It can happen at any age, but the older you get, the more likely it will happen. When you’re older, your gums are weakened, and there are often more pockets for bacteria to hide. Left untreated, bacterial infections can cause inflamed gums and even bleeding. To prevent gum disease, make sure to floss once a day, brush at least twice, use an antibacterial mouthwash, and eat foods that are good for your gums.
Old age doesn’t mean your teeth are going to fall out and you’ll need dentures. Bad oral health care can lead to your teeth falling out. If you care for your teeth and gums by brushing and flossing, eating the right foods, avoiding sugars, and visiting your dentist on a regular basis, you can have a healthy smile for your entire life.

You may have heard of the many health benefits of tea, but did you know tea is really good for your teeth as well? Both black and green tea contain catechins, also known as antioxidants, which help remove harmful bacteria from your mouth.
However, tea does so much more than that. Next to water, it’s the most helpful liquid you can drink. Here are five ways tea is helping your oral health.

Tea Helps Your Gums

Tea is known to have anti-inflammatory elements that help control swelling, bleeding, and infection in your gums. By replacing bad bacteria with good bacteria in your mouth and helping prevent your gums from becoming inflamed, tea is a great way to help fight against periodontal disease.

It Helps Prevent Cavities

Along with clearing out bacteria, tea also helps lower the acidic levels of saliva and plaque in your mouth. Acidic elements are what eat away at the teeth to create cavities. When tea washes away this acidity, it’s harder for cavities to start.

It Keeps Your Teeth In Your Mouth

That’s right, not only can it keep your gums and teeth healthy, it can also help keep your teeth from falling out when you’re older. Studies have shown that men and women who drink one or more cups of tea a day hold onto their natural teeth for longer.

Tea Improves Your Breath

Bad breath derives from bacteria that grow in the far back of your throat, a place that’s hard to reach with a toothbrush. Without proper care, the bacteria breed enough to cause a foul smell. Tea helps by washing away and killing the bacteria, making it easy for your breath to smell fresh all day.

It Helps Prevent Oral Cancer

Antioxidants help every part of the body fight cellular damage and tumor growth. When you drink tea, you’re filling your mouth with antioxidants that are able to help keep your mouth from developing cancerous tumors.
To better help your teeth and mouth, you should know the best way to drink your tea. First, green and black tea are both good for you, but green is definitely better. Black tea is slightly more processed, which results in less antioxidants. And if you like white teeth, black tea is better avoided as it can stain those pearly whites.
To make tea correctly, boil water and pour the hot water over the tealeaves in a ceramic cup. Then, cover the cup with a saucer for 2 to 3 minutes as the tea steeps. This will help get the most out of every bag of tea.
Avoid adding sugar to your tea as bacteria loves to feed off of sugar. Also avoid bottled iced tea as it tends to have citric elements that can help raise the acidic levels of saliva.
If you have any more questions about how tea can help your teeth or if you would like to visit Chicago’s number one rated dentistry, contact Water Tower Dental today. We’re happy to help answer any questions and put you on the path to a better, brighter smile.