Gum recession is often a normal part of aging, but it can be caused by many different things. Age plays a role, but it's not the whole story. Decades of chewing, brushing, and normal wear do thin the gum tissue over time, making your teeth...
Most people assume a toothache always points to a cavity or a cracked filling. Sometimes they’re right, but tooth pain can have many other different causes. Your mouth is closely connected to the rest of your body, and pain can travel to your teeth from...
You brush, you floss, you show up for your cleanings, and yet your dental health continues to suffer. If your home care hasn't changed but your mouth has, the missing piece might not be your oral care routine at all. It might be whatever's been...
One time we had a new patient who was only four years old. She was so scared, she refused to open her mouth. That is, until she got to "drive" the dental chair herself, pressing the button to raise and lower it several times. Once...
Have you ever been browsing through photos and noticed how you’ve aged? Your hairstyle changed, your wardrobe changed, and somewhere along the way, your smile got a little duller, too. This type of change happens so slowly that you’ll probably never notice it in real...
Small, consistent choices add up to a much healthier mouth over time. These ways to keep your teeth healthy aren't complicated, but they do take a little intention, especially the ones people usually skip. Building even two or three of these into your week is...
It's a fair question. Fresh fruit has a lot of vitamins and fiber and water, which are all good for your teeth. But it also has sugar, and some fruits have acids, which aren’t very good for your teeth. And the concentrated sugars in dried...
One of our patients called our office in a bit of a panic three days after his implant surgery. He'd forgotten his own instructions and grabbed a handful of tortilla chips during a football game, and the crunching sent a jolt of pain straight through...
A patient of ours wore the same set of dentures comfortably for almost eight years. Nothing changed (or so she thought) until she developed a raw, tender spot on her gums that just wouldn't heal. She figured it would eventually go away, but it didn't....
Here's a stat that might surprise you: most Americans are chronically dehydrated. Now add the heat of an Arizona summer, and you've got a real problem. Dehydration doesn't just make you feel sluggish. For your mouth, it sets off a chain reaction that leads to...