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Archive for February, 2012

My teeth feel fine. Do I still need to see a dentist?

Friday, February 24th, 2012

Simply put, yes! Visiting the dentist on a regular basis is essential to keeping your smile in tip-top shape. At Gainesville Dental Associates, we offer a number of preventive services to ensure the health of your mouth and the beauty of your teeth. We’d like to think that your smile is just as important to us as it is to you!

Another good reason to visit our office every six months is to check for “hidden” problems you may not even realize you have. Tiny cavities can form in the hard-to-reach areas of your teeth and may only be found through a professional exam. If left untreated, these cavities can get worse, needing more extensive treatment, and costing you even more time and money. During your routine exam, your hygienist will also check to make sure your fillings or other dental restorations are in good shape.

If it has been more than six months since your last visit to our Gainesville office, please give us a call! We look forward to your next visit!

Tags: dentist Gainesville VA, Gainesville Dental Associates
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Cavities – Not Just Kids’ Stuff

Friday, February 17th, 2012

Cavities occur as a result of the destruction of tooth structure, called tooth decay. Tooth decay can affect both the enamel (the outer coating of the tooth) and the dentin (the inner layer of the tooth). While it is very important to brush and floss every day to remove food particles and plaque, regular cleanings and checkups at Gainesville Dental Associates is the best way to help avoid cavities.

Our team can discover cavities during your regular dental checkup. The tooth surface feels soft when probed with a dental instrument. X-rays can also show cavities before they become visible to the eye. In advanced stages of tooth decay, you might experience a toothache, especially after consuming sweet, hot, or cold foods or drinks. Other signs of tooth decay are visible pits or holes in the teeth.

Don’t wait for a toothache!

Remember, the longer you wait to treat a cavity, the more extensive your treatment will be. A small cavity can be treated with a filling, while a large cavity that weakens the structure of your tooth may require a crown. If the decay is so bad that it causes the nerve or pulp of the tooth to die, a root canal or tooth removal may be your only options. If you think you may have a cavity, contact Gainesville Dental Associates and schedule an appointment. We’ll make sure you leave with a healthy, pain-free smile!

Tags: cavities, dentist Gainesville VA, Gainesville Dental Associates
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Why you should avoid gum with sugar – from Dental Hygienist, Sandie Pierce

Wednesday, February 8th, 2012

In my 37 years as a dental hygienist, the worst decay situation I have seen came from gum chewing. That is gum with sugar in it, not sugar-less gum. You can chew sugar-less gum all day and not get decay. In fact, gum sweetened with Xylitol will help retard decay! But gum sweetened with sugar can decay the top half of a tooth in a very short amount of time. We encourage our patients not to accept gum from others unless they know that it doesn’t contain sugar. Read the labels. One family that comes to mind had five children, and their parents were not aware how destructive bubble gum could be. The two oldest children chewed bubble gum with sugar and they both had decay in most of their 6 year molars. They then had to have root canals, crowns put on those teeth, as well as large fillings put in their 12 year molars.

As preventive specialists, we would like to see our patients avoid the pain and expense of a situation like this. We recommend frequent dental visits where we can clean the teeth, place sealants and treat w/fluoride to help interrupt bad habits that can lead to decay.

- Gainesville Dental Associates’ Dental Hygienist, Sandie Pierce

Tags: dental hygienist, dentist Gainesville VA, Gainesville Dental Associates, sandi pierce, sugarless gum, tooth decay, xylitol
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February is American Heart Month

Friday, February 3rd, 2012

Did you know February is American Heart Month? It’s a great time to take notice of the health of your heart, say Drs. Theo Batistas, Tony Chehade, Faline Davenport, Donald Campbell, Carlos Aponte, Sukh Sidhu, and Melissa Quiggins . Cardiovascular disease remains American’s number one killer, according to the American Heart Association. Studies have shown a correlation between gum disease and heart disease, underscoring the importance of good oral health care.

Visiting our office on a regular basis can help prevent gum disease or at least catch it in its early stages. And because people with dental insurance are more likely to visit their dentist when they should, a healthy mouth begins with a visit to Gainesville Dental Associates. In observance of Heart Month, Drs. Theo Batistas, Tony Chehade, Faline Davenport, Donald Campbell, Carlos Aponte, Sukh Sidhu, and Melissa Quiggins say it’s also important to know your numbers: blood pressure (less than 120/80), cholesterol (less than 200) and BMI (less than 25). If you have any questions about heart health, or about your treatment at Gainesville Dental Associates, please give us a call today.