Tag: cavities

Exciting Games for Kids about Dental Health

by smilebystanogmailcom • 31 Oct 2017

Good dental care begins in the home. It helps to find ways to engage your children in fun activities about dental health. Here are some ideas for younger children:

Taste Test:

Gather edible items which are sweet, sour, bitter, salty or savory. Tell your child to stick out their tongue in front of a mirror and point out the bumps on the tongue. Tell them that these bumps are called taste buds and that they help them know what food tastes like. Have them try each food and ask whether the food is sweet, sour, salty, bitter or savory. Review the right answers with them at the end.

Proper Brushing:

This is a fun artsy way to teach your child about the reason behind brushing your teeth and proper brushing techniques. Sketch an outline of a tooth on a dark piece of construction paper. Then give your child an old toothbrush with a bit of white paint and ask them to cover the entire tooth with their “toothpaste”. You can help demonstrate different techniques like brushing up, down, sideways and circular motions to make sure that the entire tooth is white.

Supermarket Collage:

When you feed your child healthy food, you might get some resistance. But do they really know what’s good and bad for their teeth? Write on one side of a piece of paper “Good Foods” and on another “Foods that can hurt my teeth”, and draw a line in the middle. Then gather some supermarket fliers from the mail. Help your child to cut out various foods and glue them on one side or another.

If this is the time for a dental checkup in the Mechanicsville, Virginia area, you can call Paul R. Stanovick, DDS at 804-781-1919 for an appointment with Dr. Paul or Brant Stanovick.

Tips for a Lifelong Smile

by smilebystanogmailcom • 24 Oct 2017

Did you know that beyond basic dental hygiene, there are things that you should be doing to preserve the health of your smile? Drs. Paul Stanovick, Brant Stanovick, and our team are happy to offer advice on things you can do for your smile.

Lifestyle Habits
If you want to have your smile for more than just a while, avoid bad oral habits. Chewing on pens and your nails can wear down your teeth, or even crack, chip, or break them. Chewing on ice can also cause issues like chipped teeth or injured gums. Another oral habit that can damage the teeth is opening things with your teeth.

Visit Our Dentist
For the health of your smile, visit Paul R. Stanovick, DDS at least twice a year for your regular dental cleaning and exam. During this appointment, our hygienist will remove all plaque and tartar from your teeth and gums. During this appointment, our dentist will examine all of your teeth and your gums for any problems and potential problems. This exam allows for any dental problems to be treated early on.

Complete Your Dental Treatment
You should not leave dental treatment unfinished. Any procrastinated dental work could mean a worse dental issue developing.

We encourage you to contact our office at 804-781-1919 today if you would like to learn more about keeping your smile for life and to schedule a visit with our dentist in Mechanicsville, Virginia.

Chewing Gum and Its Oral Health Care Benefits

by smilebystanogmailcom • 7 May 2017

The oral health care benefits of chewing gum are often disputed as gum itself cannot directly do much for your smile, other than help brush away food particles that may cling to your teeth and gums. In addition, if you suffer from a temporomandibular disorder in your jaw or if the gum contains sugar, you could actually do more damage to your oral health.

The best use for sugarless gum is to promote the creation of saliva in your mouth. Saliva has known cavity-fighting properties including neutralizing harmful acids as well as helping to wash away bacteria and food particles. Studies have shown that by chewing sugarless gum for up to twenty minutes after mealtime can stimulate enough saliva to help prevent cavities and keep your smile safe.

Sugarless gum is also capable of helping prevent and treat individuals suffering from heartburn. Heartburn is caused when stomach acids travel up the stomach, often into the mouth. These acids can cause dental erosion and need to be dealt with whenever serious heartburn occurs. Saliva created by sugarless gum is an excellent tool in combatting the acid’s harmful effects.

Don’t delay in visiting our team at [practice_name] to check if your teeth need our help. To schedule an appointment with Dr. [doctor_name] and our team at our dentist office in Mechanicsville, Virginia, please call us at 804-781-1919. A healthy smile is a happy smile!

Fluoride Treatments and Supplements Can Help Prevent Cavities

by smilebystanogmailcom • 18 Nov 2016

Your tooth enamel is composed of microscopic mineral structures. The density of these minerals is what gives your teeth the strength to bite and chew food. However, it is possible for the acidic foods and beverages you consume throughout the day to erode the mineral density of your tooth enamel. This creates microscopic pores and textures that can harbor bacteria and tooth decay.

If your teeth show signs of tooth decay, or if you’ve struggled with multiple cavities in the past, your dentist, Dr. Stanovick and Stanovick, might recommend a standard fluoride treatment. You see, fluoride counteracts the effects of demineralization by restoring the microscopic mineral crystals that make up your tooth enamel.

Your dentist will usually administer the fluoride treatment immediately following your regular dental checkup. This is done by pouring concentrated fluoride gel into a special tray that is inserted into your mouth and held there for a few minutes. You will need to avoid eating and drinking for up to an hour to maximize the fluoride saturation of your teeth.

If your tooth enamel has been significantly compromised, we might also prescribe daily fluoride supplements. This often comes in the form of a concentrated fluoride toothpaste or mouthrinse that you use right before going to bed.

If you are concerned about the health and integrity of your tooth enamel, you should call [practice_name] at [phone] to understand your fluoride options in Mechanicsville, Virginia.

Don’t Forget to Add These Smile Friendly Thanksgiving Foods to the Menu

by smilebystanogmailcom • 9 Nov 2016

While you are cooking up a storm this Thanksgiving holiday, Dr. Paul R. Stanovick, Brant Stanovick, and our team in Mechanicsville, Virginia, hope you include some smile-friendly fare on your menu. Most people are familiar with heart-healthy food choices, but smile-friendly food choices are not as well-known, yet both are vital to good health. Following are some smile-friendly choices we hope you include in your family’s bounteous spread.

— Chewing cheddar cheese lowers acid levels in the mouth and stimulates saliva production, both of which promote good oral health. Cheese also has calcium and protein which aids tooth enamel.

— Crunchy foods like apples, raw carrots, and celery can help clean plaque off of your pearly whites. They also contain fiber, which stimulates both the gums and saliva production which help wash away plaque.

— If you want to build tooth enamel, in addition to cheese, eat plenty of leafy greens such as spinach and kale, and almonds, which contain calcium. And meat, eggs, and fish supply the body with phosphorous, which also helps tooth enamel.

— If you have eaten and can’t brush your teeth, chewing sugarless gum helps remove bacteria in the mouth, which prevents plaque from building up on your teeth.

— Drinking milk after consuming sugary foods can help neutralize the acid created by bacteria which forms into plaque.

— Polyphenols, which are compounds found in both black and green teas, slow down bacterial growth that can cause cavities and gum disease. Drinking these teas are also good for fighting bad breath.

As you can see, you can help your family enjoy the holidays while protecting those hard-earned smiles. Remember to brush and floss no matter how busy you are, and keep those twice a year dental cleanings and checkups. To schedule a visit for you or a family member, please call 804-781-1919 today. Dr. Paul R. Stanovick, Brant Stanovick and the rest of our team at Paul R. Stanovick, DDS wish you and yours a healthy Thanksgiving!

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