Energy and sports drinks are extremely popular amongst teenagers and young adults, especially. Students gulp down Monsters to stay attentive in class, interns sip on 5 Hour Energy cans in order to meet deadlines, and athletes guzzle Red Bull and Gatorade to help enhance their performance. But are they really a “healthier” option? The two major ingredients found in energy and sports drinks are caffeine and sugar. Surprisingly, they contain 4-8 teaspoons of sugar (about half of what’s found in a can of Coke). The residue left on enamel after drinking is converted into acid. Acid is what eats [...]

It’s hard to believe that nearly half of summer has come and gone.  It won’t be long before back to school advertisements will bombard our screens and the pressure to gather supplies and purchase the latest shoe trends will consume a parent’s thoughts…and wallets. Many families navigated the challenges of remote learning and all sorts of unusual circumstances last year; thus, it’s reported that approximately 1/3 of regular patients chose to put off annual doctor and dental visits due to the uncertainty of COVID.  So, perhaps now more than ever, a check up for your kid before school starts, [...]

Have you ever glanced in the mirror and been shocked at the state of your not-so-white teeth? Do your teeth have an unattractive yellowish hue that makes you feel self- conscious? But maybe, like me, you are also ready to fiercely battle anyone that tries to tell you to get rid of your coffee or pop addiction, which can contribute to that tint. Fear not. You can still indulge a bit and work to reinstate your pearly whites. Also, it may surprise you to know that yellow teeth are not necessarily a sign of poor dental hygiene, so rest [...]

No doubt, dentists get asked all sorts of interesting questions when their patients are in the chair, but nothing takes the cake quite like this one: “Do you actually clean your dental instruments?” Hopefully, the question implied is HOW are the instruments sterilized, not ARE they actually cleaned.  If someone has a sarcastic dentist, they may get a response like, “I only sterilize for patients that I like,” or “I try to sterilize at least once a week.” But obviously, it’s a fair question for a person to ask because dental safety and hygiene is extremely important.  So, despite [...]

More than 25 million root canals are performed each year in the US, according to the American Association of Endodontists. That comes out to about 41,000 procedures each day.  In other words, root canals are “pretty normal” when it comes to the dental world and meeting the specific needs of a patient. A root canal is a procedure where the decay and bacteria are extracted from the tooth pulp, root and nerve.  This is followed up by disinfecting the area with antibiotics.  The empty roots will then be filled.  In order to prevent any further decay, the area is [...]

Typically, when we see celebrities, they have beautiful, straight teeth and gorgeous smiles! Don’t be deceived; most of them have had a lot of work done to get a perfect look. But it hasn’t always been so easy to obtain impeccable teeth. When we look throughout history, there are many famous leaders and aristocrats who suffered greatly from poor oral health, without modern day conveniences like veneers and cosmetic dentistry. Take Queen Elizabeth 1, for example. She lived a life of luxury and glamour, in a castle, and yet, she was known, by the people, for her dark, discolored teeth. They were decaying and [...]

Habits are hard to break.  Some of us look forward to the time of day when we can enjoy a can of pop (or soda, depending on where you live, but that’s a whole other topic for another day). Drinking pop is one of the worst things you can do for your oral health.  One can contains 10 teaspoons of sugar.  If that doesn’t sound like a lot, feel free to get out the sugar jar and scoop out 10 teaspoons for effect. It’s a lot.  The sugar found in soda is the simplest form of carbohydrate, which means [...]