Have you started thinking about your New Year’s resolutions yet? I know I have. As hard as they are to make and stick to, it is a tradition that I think helps us look toward the new year as an opportunity for change and improvement. That’s why I often encourage my patients to make their smiles part of their New Year’s resolutions. Here's how:

Four Tips to Get Your Smile Healthy and Keep it That Way

Keep up on your dental visits. Not only do cleanings keep your teeth and gums feeling good, it gives my Lenexa dental team more chances to keep an eye on your oral health and stop problems before they get serious. That saves both your teeth and your wallet.

Get serious about your oral hygiene routine. Your smile doesn’t only allow you to talk and chew. We sometimes forget that it is directly connected to the rest of your body. That means that your mouth is an easy way for bacteria to get into your bloodstream. In fact, if you have gum disease, your risk for everything from heart attacks and cancers to low birth weight babies and tooth loss goes through the roof.
Don’t just eat for your body, eat for your smile! You know that sugary foods or refined carbs can be bad for your overall health. They can also be bad for your smile. Acidic drinks like sodas and sports drinks can too. Try eating more crunchy fruits and vegetables, drinking green tea and coconut water, and eating foods high in calcium and phosphorus to protect tooth enamel and even help remineralize them.
Feel self conscious about your smile? Do something about it this year! The truth is, even elective procedures like whitening or veneers can have health benefits. Feeling confident helps you move through the world with more power – and that can make you smile more, release more endorphins, and even stick to your New Year’s resolutions more effectively!

Why not schedule a checkup and cleaning with my Lenexa dental office today? We’ll look at what is going on in your mouth and we can discuss your needs. Then all you have to do is sit down and plan how to keep the rest of your resolutions! I’d love to help my Lenexa, Overland Park, and Kansas City neighbors feel better about themselves in 2016!

Just as with all medicine, dentistry is an ever-evolving field. At my dental office in Lenexa, we’re constantly updating technology and improving our knowledge to better serve patients just like you.

But imagine if you lived 200 hundred years ago. What was dentistry like then? How about during the middle ages? Would the dentists of those times have been able to replace your lost tooth? Would they have been able to fill a cavity? What would they have recommended you do for a toothache?

Let's take a look.

Dentistry in the middle ages

For the common folk, dentistry consisted mostly of self-care and occasional visits to practitioners or barber surgeons who treated a toothache by pulling the offending tooth and suggested things like kissing a donkey to cure the toothache. It also wasn’t unheard of to recommend concocting a mixture of newts, lizards, and beetles into a powder and applying it to the painful tooth throughout the day.

The truth is, in spite of inconsistent professional care, most medieval commoners had clean, white teeth. Why? Their diets were similar to what a modern dentist would recommend for a healthy mouth: One very low in sugar and refined flours and high in calcium. They also used all kinds of fairly effective tooth cleaners and mouth rinses, including a paste made from crushed peppermint and rock salt.

Dentistry in the 19th Century

Dentistry didn’t begin to resemble what we think of as dentistry today until the early 18th century, and by the 19th century, dentistry began to seem quite modern. European surgeons had begun experimenting with implanting teeth; dentures were being created out of both human teeth, the teeth of animals, and porcelain; and nitrous oxide, the same laughing gas we sometimes use today, was introduced by Humphry Davy around 1800. In 1840, the Baltimore College of Dentistry, the first dental college, was founded by Chapin Harris and Horace Hayden. It was the first step into dentistry as we know it today.

Our Dentistry

At my Lenexa dental office, we’ve continued to adapt and improve our services as the advancements in dental care improve. We always ensure the utmost in comfort, technology, and service. To schedule an appointment and experience the difference, give us a call today!

Welcoming patients from Lenexa, Overland Park, and Kansas City.

Put Your Dental Health on Your Resolution List

Dentistry Through The Ages