Precious Smiles of Virginia

Get ready to ace the new school year with these essential oral hygiene tips!

Share this post with a friend and let’s make oral hygiene a priority this school year!

📚 Back to School Smiles! 😁

Happy first day of school to all our young patients! 🎒 As you head back to the classroom, don’t forget to pack your best smile along with your books. Remember, healthy habits start early—so brush twice a day, floss, and eat plenty of fruits and veggies. A healthy smile helps you feel confident and ready to learn!

Here’s to a successful school year full of learning, laughter, and bright smiles! 🎉

It’s all smiles, at least for mom, when your family is in the No Cavity Club. WTG boys.

Dental Do's For Expectant Mothers

Remain Vigilant About Your Oral Health After Giving Birth
Finally, keep a close eye on your teeth and gums even after pregnancy. With all the time and attention you need to give your newborn, this is often easier said than done, but maintaining your oral health at this stage can minimize the risk of transmitting harmful oral bacteria to your child.

For more information and guidance on proper dental care during pregnancy, schedule a consultation with your dentist. He or she can adjust your treatment plan to maintain your oral health while being sensitive to your needs and concerns.

Dental Do's For Expectant Mothers:

Get Your Dentist's Help For Hormone-Related Dental Problems
While there are plenty of preventative actions you can take at home, some of the most common dental problems pregnant women face are hormonally driven and require the professional care of your dentist. "Pregnancy Gingivitis" is one such condition in which increased blood flow to the gums can result in tenderness, swelling, bleeding, or if left untreated, severe periodontal disease. Many moms-to-be may also discover mulberry-shaped growths along the gumline typically referred to as "pregnancy tumors" (though they are benign). While they usually go away after giving birth, removal by a dentist may sometimes be necessary.

More Dental Do's For Expectant Mothers:

Be Diligent With Your Home Dental Routine
Additional calorie requirements, common pregnancy cravings and even morning sickness can put expectant mothers at an increased risk of tooth decay. You can help keep cavities at bay by making these simple changes to your routine:

Choose sugar-free gum or candy (in moderation) if you crave something sweet
Brush and floss more frequently, especially if you find yourself snacking more
Rinse your mouth with water or mouthwash after a bout of vomiting
Try a blander type of toothpaste if your typical choice becomes nauseating
Self-exams also become more important during pregnancy. Check your teeth and gums regularly and schedule an appointment if you detect any cavities or gum abnormalities.

Dental Do's for Expectant Mothers:

Keep Your Dentist in the Loop
The sooner you share the news of your pregnancy with your dentist, the better. Certain medications used in-office or prescribed for at-home use are not recommended for pregnant women, and your updated health status may alter your dentist's treatment plan and overall approach. If possible, let your dentist know about your intention to grow your family in advance. This way any oral problems and/or elective dental procedures (along with X-rays typically required) can be taken care of before pregnancy is even a factor to consider. If a situation does arise that requires dental work while you're pregnant, the second trimester is the most ideal time to have dental work done.

It National Icecream Day…Enjoy yours!!!!

Orthodontic Mishaps
Orthodontic mishaps can happen no matter how many precautionary steps you take. These are some of the most common:

Loose Brackets
Broken Wings
Loose Spacers or Bands
You can use orthodontic wax to hold loose brackets in place and to prevent loose brackets or broken wires from cutting your mouth until you can see your orthodontist. For spacer or band issues, it is best to make an appointment with your orthodontist as soon as possible.

Understanding How to Properly Brush and Floss with Braces
Both brushing and flossing are dramatically different with braces. Here are a few ways to keep your smile in top condition:
Go Beyond Normal Brushing – When you first get braces, you'll be given small brushes that resemble trees. Use these to brush under the wire and between each set of braces daily. Make sure to use enough strokes on each tooth to remove lingering food and prevent the buildup of plaque and bacteria.

Somewhere between the braces, wires, and rubber bands in your mouth lie your teeth, but how do you get to them? Often, braces prove to be quite the obstacle when you want to brush, floss, or otherwise care for the beautiful, straight smile-in-progress. But this beautiful smile won't be possible without proper care.

Understanding How to Properly Brush and Floss with Braces
Both brushing and flossing are dramatically different with braces. Here are a few ways to keep your smile in top condition:
Floss With Accuracy and Caution – With too much force, flossing can cause issues with your wires. Instead, take care to thread the floss between all teeth and work it back and forth with a gentle sawing motion. By doing so, you can free up food that gets stuck before turning to alternative methods, like an oral irrigator.

Regular fluoride treatments can strengthen your child's teeth and prevent cavities. Ask our team about the benefits of fluoride.

Understanding How to Properly Brush and Floss with Braces
Both brushing and flossing are dramatically different with braces. Here are a few ways to keep your smile in top condition:

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat – Consistency is key for proper orthodontic care. It can be a nuisance to brush and floss after each meal, but you'll be glad you did when your braces come off and you don't have stains or other problems.

General Orthodontic Hygiene Standards
You've been going to the dentist for years and know that you should floss every day, but do you actually take the advice? Many don't. But with braces, following professional advice is a must.

Your orthodontist will tell you to brush after every meal or snack and you should. For some, it's also important to rinse with a fluoride mouthwash to remove food from tiny crevices that your toothbrush simply can't reach no matter how hard you try.

You'll also want to invest in an oral irrigator or other flossing device to flush out food that is too difficult to reach with regular floss. Doing so will keep your teeth clean and healthy under your braces.

Healthy Habits for Batter Oral Health!!!!

Visit Your Dentist: Schedule more frequent dental cleanings. Getting professional help to remove the plaque buildup on your teeth is always a wise move. No matter how much you brush and floss, there will be areas in your mouth that you cannot properly clean yourself.

Incorporating easy habits into your oral health routine will help fight the battle against plaque, in turn, helping to prevent tooth decay and gum infections.

An easy Habit for Better Oral Health!!

Watch What You Eat: When your mom told you not to eat a lot of sweets, she was watching out for your teeth. Foods high in sugar and starch encourage the production of acids, which can destroy tooth enamel and, over time, result in tooth decay. There is no need to eliminate these foods from your diet; however, it's important to brush your teeth shortly after eating them.
Not all foods contribute to plaque buildup. Fibrous foods like fruits and vegetables stimulate saliva flow, which helps wash away food particles and neutralizes acids, keeping them from attacking your teeth. Additionally, calcium-rich foods like cheese, milk and yogurt mix with plaque and cling to teeth, helping to protect them from the harmful acids.

An easy Habit for Better Oral Health!!!!

Use a Mouth Rinse: Not to be confused with mouthwash, mouth rinse is normally used prior to brushing and flossing to help prevent plaque buildup and bad breath, whereas mouth wash is generally used after brushing and flossing to freshen breath and kill any remaining germs. Incorporating a mouth rinse into your daily oral care routine is a great way to help fight plaque.

An easy Habit for Better Oral Health!!!

Floss Daily: Remembering to floss every day can be a challenge. However, it is critical to get at the plaque that accumulates in hard to reach areas between the teeth. When you brush, you are only really cleaning about 60% of your teeth. The best way to ensure you are removing all plaque is to brush and floss. If you struggle to use traditional floss, try out an alternative such as a soft pic or proxy brush.

An easy habit for better oral health:
Brush Regularly and Thoroughly: Plaque begins forming on teeth 4 to 12 hours after brushing, which is why dentists recommend brushing at least twice a day. Be sure you brush all the areas of your mouth, including teeth, tongue, gums and even the insides of your cheeks.

If plaque buildup is an ongoing issue for you, you may want to try an electric toothbrush. Electric toothbrushes have been proven to successfully remove more plaque than manual toothbrushes. You could also try a tartar control toothpaste, which contain an active ingredient that interferes with the formation of plaque from bacteria.

What is Plaque? How to Fight Back!

Have you ever run your tongue across the front of your teeth and felt a sticky coating? That is the buildup of bacteria, also known as plaque. If you let the bacteria stick around too long, it can damage tooth enamel and lead to cavities.

The bacteria is called flora — and it protects you from pathogenic organisms, the ones that cause disease. The flora in your mouth is composed of both helpful and harmful bacteria. When you have plaque formation, it's a sign that the bacteria ratio has shifted in favor of the harmful. The harmful flora irritates the tissues, damaging your gums through the production of acid, which can lead to infections.

If plaque stays on your teeth for too long, it will harden into tartar and can cause permanent damage to your teeth and gums.

Congratulations Marcel and family…Our May contest winners.

Congratulations to the High School graduating class of 2024!!!! We at Precious Smiles of Virginia are so proud of your accomplishment...knowing there will be more to come. Never Give up on your dreams, no matter how Painful and Difficult your Journey is!!!!

Struggling with breastfeeding or noticing your little one can’t stick their tongue out? It might be a tongue tie.

Dr. Williams can help with effective and gentle treatment options. Give us a call today!

Fact vs. Fiction:
"The state of your oral health has nothing to do with your overall health."
Placing oral health low on your priority list can prove costly. With chewing being one of the mouths' primary functions, neglecting it can affect your range of food choices, thus contributing to a nutritional imbalance or deficiency. Disregarding dental care can also cause you to overlook serious diseases and other health conditions, many of which manifest themselves in your teeth, gums or throat. Routine exams and proper at-home hygiene are simple ways to preserve your oral health and that of your body.

Fact vs. Fiction:
"As you become older, your mouth starts to feel dry."
There is no evidence that points to age as a direct cause of dry mouth. The more likely reason that dry mouth (or Xerostomia) appears correlated with age may be due to an increase in prescription medications or to another health condition. There are hundreds of commonly prescribed medicines known to cause dry mouth, and it can also be brought about by nerve damage, or open-mouthed breathing due to a nasal obstruction.

Wishing all the Mothers and Mother Figures a wonderful Day.

Youth sports is so rewarding. Today we got to hang out with the youth of the Central Springfield Little League and the Mets team which we sponsor.

Fact vs. Fiction:
"You don't need to visit the dentist if you have dentures."
Even if you sport dentures in place of natural teeth, you still need to go to the dentist regularly. Dentures wear down over time, and eventually need to be reshaped to avoid causing speech or chewing difficulties. Your dentist can also help detect, prevent and/or address larger oral health complications, whether it be oral cancer or dental side effects to common medications.