Penrod Dental Care

Penrod Dental Supports the PADRE Foundation!

officeStaff — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 17:03:07 +0000

At Penrod Dental Care we provide superior care for both our patients and our community. We are happy to support the Padre Foundation’s 2012 Auction. PADRE stands for the Pediatric-Adolescent Diabetes Research Education Foundation.

Are electric toothbrushes really better?

officeStaff — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:21:22 +0000

Not necessarily! There are a number of electric toothbrushes that are fantastic. In our office, we like to recommend the Sonicare toothbrush, which looks most like a standard toothbrush, cleans very effectively, is user friendly and is a quality product. But the most important factor in picking your toothbrush is: which toothbrush will you will use the most?

The Ideal Time: Two Minutes
The ideal length for an adequate brushing session is two minutes. One benefit of going electric is that many electric toothbrushes have timers telling you to when two minutes are up. Some even tell you when to switch from your top to your bottom teeth! Electric toothbrushes are also a great way to get kids excited to brush two times a day and quite possibly for a longer interval at each time.

Brush Bristles: Firm or Soft?
Manual toothbrushes can do a very good job if used for the full two minutes and at an angle that reaches both the teeth and the gums. However, did you know that some traditional toothbrushes sold at the grocery stores can cause damage to your teeth? Less is more when it comes to the firmness of the bristles. I like to recommend a soft or even ultra-soft toothbrush for all of my patients. A firm brush can actually wear notches into your teeth, and ultimately cause sensitivity

The bottom line is that you can keep your teeth and gums just as healthy with either toothbrush style as long as you take the time and effort to adequately maintain them. Most people, however, appear to have better success with less effort with a good electric toothbrush. We feel it is a wise investment.

How bad are sports drinks for my teeth?

officeStaff — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:08:00 +0000

Though sports drinks’ marketing campaigns emphasize their health benefits, their success is (at least in part) due to their flavor. If Gatorade tasted like prune juice, it would likely not resonate with as many consumers!

The Risk
Consequently, sports drinks are guilty of “softening” your teeth up by adding sugar to their recipe. This encourages bacterial activity in your mouth, making it easier for “bad” bacteria to make their way into the weak spots in your teeth. If this continues for more than a couple of days the bacteria set up shop and start destroying the internal structure of your teeth. This is where your tooth structure slips from good health to decay.

Chemical Balance
Our bodies operate within a specific chemical balance window. We are constantly shown in advertising that sports drinks allow boosted performance by our muscles and other systems. They take our sport to “another level” and allow us to “Be like Mike”, a popular Gatorade marketing campaign in 2006 where, after drinking the popular sports drink, an athlete could showcase their talent without their bodies holding them back and emulate the sports superstar, Michael Jordan. While sports drinks do serve to replenish lost vitamins and minerals during the processes of metabolism and dehydration, it is easy to abuse them. The victim, of course…..is your teeth.

Overuse
For some, these drinks have taken over as main sources of hydration over simple water. In many cases, these sports drinks are not even being used in sports scenarios. Vending machines at high schools and elementary institutions sell millions of these drinks every year to our children who carry around and drink them all day.

It is true that maintaining our chemical balance is essential for life and that, if maintained, we can perform at our best in sports. But that does not mean that constant drinking of sugary drinks will not affect our teeth. As with all forms of ingested food or drink, moderation is key.

Few realize that our teeth are also subject to an essential chemical balance which, when maintained, keep them from becoming brittle and opening themselves up to attack by decay causing bacteria present in your mouth. When we drink the regularly from sports drinks or other sugary drinks and juices, we make it easier for our teeth to become weakened by a localized and sustained acid attack. For those of you who love trips to the dentist, it shouldn’t be surprising that overuse of Sports drinks will get you better acquainted with your dentist!

Is there really a way to straighten my teeth without wearing braces?

officeStaff — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:28:28 +0000

Yes!

When it is appropriate, Invisalign is a great way to straighten your teeth without having to wear braces! Instead of using wires, brackets and rubber bands to move your teeth, clear, custom trays are made to get the work done.

The trays are hardly noticeable—you will be able to talk, work and do all your normal daily activities with the trays in place. Every two weeks you get new trays that help gently guide your teeth back into place. Treatment length is different for everyone, depending on the amount of tooth movement required, but is usually between six and 24 months. There is minimal discomfort during the process. The fees are similar to regular orthodontics, ranging from $2500 to $5000. Invisalign is a great alternative to traditional orthodontics for many of our patients.

It is however not appropriate for all orthodontic issues. Some of the more severe cases cannot be done with Invisalign. Ask us at your next visit if it is a good fit for you.

Penrod Donates to Reilly Elementary!

officeStaff — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 02:09:32 +0000

Last week Penrod Dental Care felt very fortunate to help with the Reilly Elementary 5th Graders! We donated a Gift Certificate for Teeth Whitening for the auction. The Auction was designed to help raise money for the 5th graders to go to camp. Penrod Dental Care loves to help support the local community multiple times per year. Stay tuned for our next area of community support!