February is National Children's Dental Health Month, and going to the dentist, as we all know, is an important part of keeping our kids' mouths healthy. Still, it typically doesn't rank very high on any parent or child's "want-to-do" list. Being asked to sit still -- often tipped back in a big chair -- with a bright light in their eyes and someone poking around in their mouth can rattle even the calmest of kids.
Whether your child is mildly nervous or seriously afraid, try these strategies to make visiting the dentist a more positive experience:
Opt for a pediatric dentist. You may be happy with your dentist but a practitioner who specializes in treating kids and adolescents brings extra expertise and experience to the table. Pediatric dentists have an extra two to three years of training beyond dental school so they are experts at managing fearful young patients. In addition, their offices are designed to be kid-friendly. Even little things like outfitting kids with sunglasses to combat the brightness of the lights during an exam or having stuffed animals available for squeezing can help calm nerves.
Start early. The AAPD recommends scheduling your child's first visit as soon as teeth begin to appear or by his first birthday. "An excellent way to minimize anxiety for children is to start regular dental visits before a problem like a cavity develops," says Edward H. Moody, Jr., D.D.S., vice president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and a pediatric dentist in Morristown, Tennessee. The benefits of early and regular dental care are two-fold: Your child gets into the routine of seeing the dentist while he's still young (and possibly less nervous) and staying on top of any potential problems can cut his chances of needing extensive (ouch!) dental treatment down the line.
Do a meet and greet. Did you know that you can bring your child to the dentist's office to get acquainted before the day of their actual checkup? If kids -- or parents -- are nervous we always recommend that they visit the office prior to their appointment so they can meet the staff, see where they'll sit and find out what to expect during the exam. Coming to the dentist can be a bit of an overload. By visiting first kids can get acclimated and come back another day knowing what to expect. It's a great tool that is completely underutilized.
Get a little bit closer. Having a parent's hand to hold or lap to sit on while getting their teeth checked out can be a big comfort for kids.
But don't do too much talking. Yes, it's tempting to maintain a steady stream of chatter in hopes of distracting your child from the exam (I've been guilty of this!), but resist. Letting the dentist do the talking will help him develop a better rapport with your child, say the experts at the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Have questions? Speak to the dentist after he completes the exam.
Consider scheduling your child's appointments with the same hygienist each time. Often that's the pro who handles a large part of a routine checkup. I've found that always having my kids' cleanings done by their favorite hygienist, Denise, makes the appointments go more smoothly. "For younger children or those who tend to be uneasy around new people or things, seeing the same hygienist may be help build a sense of trust and make the visit more relaxing," notes Dr. Moody.
Make the most of distraction. Many dentists' offices have TV screens playing kid-friendly shows or videos mounted near the exam chair to attract kids' attention. Another option: Ask your child's dentist if she can use your smartphone or MP3 player. Popping in the earbuds and listening to favorite tunes or a book on tape can help take the focus off the dental procedure
Forget your own dental demons. If you dread the dentist, your child can pick up on your feelings. Many parents have their own horror stories: when they come in and see that our office is nice and friendly, that can calm the parent down, which makes the child calmer too.
Run interference if siblings or friends tell scary dentist stories. Is the kid next door detailing the time his dentist yanked on his tooth so hard people could hear him scream from blocks away? Put the kibosh on those types of tales as quickly as possible.
Don't say, "Don't worry. It won't hurt." Of course you mean to reassure your child but his mind is going to zero in on the word hurt. Checkups and 90 percent of first visits are nearly always pain-free, so steer clear of that concept entirely, recommends the AAPD.
More tips: visit Parent Magazine
February is National Children's Dental Health Month, and going to the dentist, as we all know, is an important part of keeping our kids' mouths healthy. Still, it typically doesn't rank very high on any parent or child's "want-to-do" list. Being asked to sit still -- often tipped back in a big chair -- with a bright light in their eyes and someone poking around in their mouth can rattle even the calmest of kids.
Whether your child is mildly nervous or seriously afraid, try these strategies to make visiting the dentist a more positive experience:
Opt for a pediatric dentist. You may be happy with your dentist but a practitioner who specializes in treating kids and adolescents brings extra expertise and experience to the table. Pediatric dentists have an extra two to three years of training beyond dental school so they are experts at managing fearful young patients. In addition, their offices are designed to be kid-friendly. Even little things like outfitting kids with sunglasses to combat the brightness of the lights during an exam or having stuffed animals available for squeezing can help calm nerves.
Start early. The AAPD recommends scheduling your child's first visit as soon as teeth begin to appear or by his first birthday. "An excellent way to minimize anxiety for children is to start regular dental visits before a problem like a cavity develops," says Edward H. Moody, Jr., D.D.S., vice president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and a pediatric dentist in Morristown, Tennessee. The benefits of early and regular dental care are two-fold: Your child gets into the routine of seeing the dentist while he's still young (and possibly less nervous) and staying on top of any potential problems can cut his chances of needing extensive (ouch!) dental treatment down the line.
Do a meet and greet. Did you know that you can bring your child to the dentist's office to get acquainted before the day of their actual checkup? If kids -- or parents -- are nervous we always recommend that they visit the office prior to their appointment so they can meet the staff, see where they'll sit and find out what to expect during the exam. Coming to the dentist can be a bit of an overload. By visiting first kids can get acclimated and come back another day knowing what to expect. It's a great tool that is completely underutilized.
Get a little bit closer. Having a parent's hand to hold or lap to sit on while getting their teeth checked out can be a big comfort for kids.
But don't do too much talking. Yes, it's tempting to maintain a steady stream of chatter in hopes of distracting your child from the exam (I've been guilty of this!), but resist. Letting the dentist do the talking will help him develop a better rapport with your child, say the experts at the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Have questions? Speak to the dentist after he completes the exam.
Consider scheduling your child's appointments with the same hygienist each time. Often that's the pro who handles a large part of a routine checkup. I've found that always having my kids' cleanings done by their favorite hygienist, Denise, makes the appointments go more smoothly. "For younger children or those who tend to be uneasy around new people or things, seeing the same hygienist may be help build a sense of trust and make the visit more relaxing," notes Dr. Moody.
Make the most of distraction. Many dentists' offices have TV screens playing kid-friendly shows or videos mounted near the exam chair to attract kids' attention. Another option: Ask your child's dentist if she can use your smartphone or MP3 player. Popping in the earbuds and listening to favorite tunes or a book on tape can help take the focus off the dental procedure
Forget your own dental demons. If you dread the dentist, your child can pick up on your feelings. Many parents have their own horror stories: when they come in and see that our office is nice and friendly, that can calm the parent down, which makes the child calmer too.
Run interference if siblings or friends tell scary dentist stories. Is the kid next door detailing the time his dentist yanked on his tooth so hard people could hear him scream from blocks away? Put the kibosh on those types of tales as quickly as possible.
Don't say, "Don't worry. It won't hurt." Of course you mean to reassure your child but his mind is going to zero in on the word hurt. Checkups and 90 percent of first visits are nearly always pain-free, so steer clear of that concept entirely, recommends the AAPD.
More tips: visit Parent Magazine
Because developing good habits at an early age and scheduling regular dental visits helps children get a good start on a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums, February is designated for National Children's Dental Health Month. Now in its 63rd year, this month-long national health observance brings together thousands of dedicated dental professionals, health care providers and others to promote the benefits of good oral health to children and adults, caregivers, teachers and many others.
Untreated dental care remains one of the most prevalent diseases affecting children and young people’s ability to speak, eat, play and socialize. We believe in innovative oral health education so that parents and children understand the impact of sugar on teeth and the importance of a good oral hygiene regime. A few key lessons include:
Teach kids about how sugar impacts their teeth.
We might understand it, but it can be hard for children to understand that the fizzy drinks they’re consuming and the sweets they’re eating are directly impacting their oral health. With very young children, delay introducing sugary drinks as long as possible. If they only have milk and water, they don’t want anything else. As they get older, you can discuss the sugar content of products and make your child aware of the risks. Sometimes it comes down to showing children how much sugar is in their food.
Encourage oral hygiene by example.
Children will understand the importance of tooth brushing if they see their parents taking care of their teeth.
There are a few ways parents can help teach kids that looking after their teeth is important from an early age: make it part of your everyday routine, brush before bed and at one other time during the day. Make sure you have time to do this properly with the children. We often advise that children’s brushing should be monitored until they are seven years old.
We also prefer that parents get children involved as much as possible. Get them to pick a toothbrush with their favorite character, or play their favorite music while they're brushing (there are even apps for this!) There are also mobile games which you can brush along to ‘kill all the bugs’ which help motivate them. A reward chart to track their brushing habits and also diet habits too are great ways of getting them actively involved.
The next big step is to get them to the dentist - something kids can (understandably) get scared about. We'll have tips for calming nerves and preparing your child in an upcoming blog.
Our patients are asking us how we feel about the latest craze in the path to whiter teeth, and it's covered in a pitch-black paste. Bloggers and vloggers claim that brushing with activated charcoal is an all-natural way to remove surface stains caused by coffee, tea and wine without bleach or abrasives. To prove it, they’re flaunting soot-covered teeth straight out of a horror movie. The result? Fluorescent white teeth after as few as one use, proponents say.
While you may have used charcoal in your skincare and juice routine (see the 
Cosmetic dentistry isn’t about vanity: in fact, we regularly see a change in a patient’s entire health status when they begin to work from the inside out. Practicing self-care to get healthy and overcome insecurities absolutely results in better overall wellness: when patients focus on their own health and happiness, the result is beauty.
Many cosmetic dentistry patients wish they could just cover up their old, stained cracked or uneven teeth. Fortunately, dental veneers do exactly that. A veneer is really an architectural term: it just means a covering over something else. In the same way, a dental veneer is a thin piece of handcrafted porcelain, which is a glass, made to go over and bond/fuse to a natural tooth.
The traditional approach to veneers included an extremely thin, semi-translucent porcelain cap permanently bonded to the front of your tooth. Because these veneers are permanent, the tooth would require some preparation (grinding down) to ensure a seamless fit.
However, some patients don’t want any preparation of their teeth in order to place a cosmetic veneer. This is why PREPLESS VENEERS are a beautiful thing: the end product is a thin layer of porcelain that can be bonded to the person’s tooth without drilling the tooth down in size.
A minimally invasive "facelift" for your mouth
Prepless dental veneers provide the same aesthetic and functional benefits that porcelain veneers do. They are a good option for patients who want veneers but are hesitant to file down healthy tooth enamel.
CONSIDERATIONS
The most important element of a dental veneer is the skill and talent of your dentist. Not every dental office offers prepless veneers: some cosmetic dentists only offer veneers that require a lot of tooth grinding. Your dentist must be a HIGHLY trained and skilled provider to offer the best in conservative cosmetic dentistry. We believe that that non-invasive, no grinding type of porcelain veneers can be made to not only look natural but actually make the teeth much less sensitive.
Prepless veneers appeal to many patients because the procedure can be reversed. If you choose in the future to have your prepless veneers removed, your natural teeth will look like they used to before dental veneers.
As with any dental restoration, they will last longer if you maintain good dental hygiene, and not all veneer cases will lend themselves to no-prep or minimal preparation procedures.
Have more questions? Call our office at 615-254-1393 to learn more and to schedule your consult with Dr. Clark.
No doubt eco-friendly has become an important ‘buzz phrase’ in most dental offices, not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because of patient awareness and inquiries. Still not sure what that means for your smile? Let these trends fill you in.
The paper factor: This past summer, the American Dental Association endorsed new deadlines for dental offices to have devices that capture dental amalgam waste so that it can be recycled. More and more dental offices are thinking and acting ‘green’ by reducing the amount of plastic used in multiple areas such as substituting digital scanning instead of plastic impression trays, and substituting cloth and paper for plastic in both sterilization and other patient protection disciplines.
Digital do-good: Digital is quickly replacing paper and plastic, so much so that many offices have converted to all-digital—especially in X-rays, charting and photo records. And while it doesn’t necessarily affect the health of a patient, it is something that helps the greater good. Biodegradable cleaners and disinfectants are now ‘in’ and dentists have become conscious of how they can make a difference in their offices every day to make their contribution towards cleaner living for our planet. We also now have 3D imaging, which is the most accurate way to get impressions, and we can use it for crowns, veneers and Invisalign. No more 'goop' is needed to get a mold of your teeth.
Lasers get more love: Sure, lasers sound like a high-tech solution for just about anything, but there’s also a real impact on what they help in terms of the environment. By use of a laser and air-abrasion, we can avoid removing so much less of a patient’s tooth structure was removed, and all without any local anesthetic. This is the future of dental patient care, which means fewer materials used because the restorative surface is so much smaller. And because many of the dental materials used today are resin-based, less material used means less resin. Also, keeping restorations smaller means less water used.
Metal is minimized: According to New York cosmetic dentist 
It's one the most common human fears and phobias of all, particularly for those of us beyond our 20s, as we remember the sights, sounds, smells and sensations of going to the dentist in our childhood. The big needle. The high-pitched whirr and jarring vibration of the dentist's drill. The scent of antiseptic and freshly-ground cavities. Those vivid memories may trigger high anxiety and a great reluctance to return to the dentist for much-needed care.
But anyone who has visited the dentist in more recent years has been pleasantly greeted by an ever-expanding array of technologies and techniques designed to make the dental experience far less fearful and far more effective. Pain-free injections. High-precision tools that barely make a sound. Digital imaging that creates instant x-rays and high-definition templates for making crowns. Even lasers that treat cavities without drills or anesthesia.
Those technologies have made modern-day dentistry less well, like pulling teeth and more like what it should be: an easy-to-tolerate, even welcomed part of your overall health maintenance routine. Here's just a sampling of what you'll likely find at the dentist nowadays:
The Wand: One of the greatest sources of dental dread in the past was the large needle used to inject anesthesia. Most of today's dentists are using a gentle, computer-assisted device called the Wand for delivering anesthesia. Held by the dentist like a pen, the Wand slowly administers anesthesia in computer-calibrated amounts through a small needle at the tip. Many patients say they don't even feel the injection.
Digital x-rays: Remember those visits when your cheeks were stuffed with that film-strip apparatus used to take x-rays of your teeth? One section at time, you'd sit there mouth agape, draped in a lead blanket as the technician stepped out to throw the switch on huge camera aimed at your face. Today, those x-rays are captured instantly and comfortably with a hand-held sensor that processes the image onto a nearby computer screen. Radiation exposure is one-10th of what it was with the old method.
Digital impressions: You know that goop that made you gag when they took an impression of your teeth for a crown or other dental restoration? Well, it has been all but replaced by digital technology. A hand-held device fitted with a camera goes gently into the mouth and is used to capture extraordinarily high definition images of your original tooth. Those super 3D images become the template for creating exact-fit crowns, bridges and other tooth replacements.
Electric hand pieces: The often scary sounds and sensations associated with air-driven drills — the loud whine and the whirring vibrations — also are fading away. Following the lead of their European and Asian counterparts, U.S. dentists increasingly are using electric hand pieces, which are faster and more precise. They have a truer spin, a steady torque and don't slow down, stall or stop when the head of the device is applied to the tooth. They're also a lot quieter, almost inaudible when a dental air-vacuum tool also is being used.
Dental lasers: Another fast-evolving technology used in dentistry, lasers are being used for both soft-tissue and hard-tooth procedures. In some instances, they are used to prepare cavities for fillings without the use of anesthesia, as the lasers have a numbing effect themselves. Lasers are able to narrowly target the areas of the tooth structure needing treatment and also remove decay with microscopic precision. Though they haven't replaced other time-proven dental technologies, lasers are an emerging trend.
Regular dental care is an important part, not only of your oral health, but of your overall health throughout your life. That's one of the reasons why we're forever embracing new technologies and seeking ways to make the dental experience better for everyone.
Having chronic gum disease gives people a 70% increased risk of developing Alzheimer's, scientists have found.
Research has linked gum problems and dementia for several years. These studies have usually been small in which a snapshot of people's health in time has been taken, rather than large studies tracking their likelihood of developing disease in the long term.
One of the largest longitudinal studies on the topic has now found a strong correlation between gum disease, or periodontitis, and risk of Alzheimer's. The 
You may see a familiar face in the September 2017 issue of 
[Photographs: Vicky Wasik] // image via web[/caption]
Have you heard the latest health & wellness hype that sparkling waters are bad for your teeth? You may have sworn off your Coke and Diet Coke addictions for the good of your health, but if you've switched to flavored waters like La Croix, you might not be making such a great health decision, either.
Stress can do a lot of bad things to your body, from headaches to backaches, high blood pressure to heart disease. But can