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You Are What You Eat!
Your body is a complex machine. The foods you choose and how often you eat them can affect your general health and the health of your teeth and gums, too. If you consume too many sugar-filled sodas, sweetened fruit drinks or non-nutritious snacks, you could be at risk for tooth decay. Tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease, but the good news is that it is entirely preventable.
Tooth decay happens when plaque come into contact with sugar in the mouth, causing acid to attack the teeth.
Foods that contain sugars of any kind can contribute to tooth decay. To control the amount of sugar you eat, read the nutrition facts and ingredient labels on foods and beverages and choose options that are lowest in sugar. Common sources of sugar in the diet include soft drinks, candy, cookies and pastries. If your diet lacks certain nutrients, it may be more difficult for tissues in your mouth to resist infection. This may contribute to gum disease. Severe gum disease is a major cause of tooth loss in adults. Many researchers believe that the disease progresses faster and is potentially more severe in people with poor nutrition.
For healthy living and for healthy teeth and gums, think before you eat and drink. It’s not only what you eat but when you eat that can affect your dental health. Eat a balanced diet and limit between-meal snacks. If you are on a special diet, keep your physician's advice in mind when choosing foods.
For good dental health, keep these tips in mind when choosing your meals and snacks:
Drink plenty of water.
Eat a variety of foods from each of the five major food groups, including:
- whole grains
- fruits
- vegetables
- lean beef, skinless poultry and fish; dry beans, peas and other legumes
- low-fat and fat-free dairy foods
Limit the number of snacks you eat. If you do snack, choose something that is healthy like fruit or vegetables or a piece of cheese. Foods that are eaten as part of a meal cause less harm to teeth than eating lots of snacks throughout the day, because more saliva is released during a meal. Saliva helps wash foods from the mouth and lessens the effects of acids, which can harm teeth and cause cavities.
For good dental health, always remember to brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste that has the ADA Seal of Acceptance, floss daily and visit your us regularly. With regular dental care, we can help prevent oral problems from occurring in the first place and catch those that do occur in the early stages, while they are easy to treat. (Healthymouth.org)
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March was National Nutrition Month
This March was the 41st celebration of National Nutrition Month, an annually sponsored by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. This year’s theme, “Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right,” focused on finding the balance between the foods you like and getting the nutrients you need.
Healthful eating is important for many reasons, including your dental health. Your eating habits play a big part in prevent cavities and gum disease. For more information about nutrition, ask Dr. Widen or visit Mouth Healthy Nutrition section.
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Are Porcelain Veneers Right For You?
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Are your teeth crooked? Porcelain veneers are like instant orthodontics. That's right in as few as two visits you can straighten your teeth by placing porcelain veneers that would take braces years to complete.
Porcelain Veneers:
- Can cover up discolored teeth
- Repair a damaged tooth
- Change the shape of your teeth
- Change the size of your teeth
- Allow you to smile beautifully again
- Increase your confidence
- Boost your self-esteem
- Are extremely strong
- Won't stain like natural teeth
- Retain their luster
Call us at 312-266-0044 to ask us how!
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Dental Implants can help you smile again!
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Dental implants are used to replace a single tooth, many teeth on one side, or used to support an entire fixed or removable bridge replacing all the upper or lower teeth for our guests in Chicago. The most common dental implant used today is the osseintegrated dental implant. This dental implant is placed into your lower or upper jaw. Depending on the number of teeth being replaced, one or more dental implants are placed in the bone. If necessary a substrucure is made and then a crown, bridge or denture is securely fastened to the substructure or implant.
Dental Implants are useful for patients in Chicago that have tried but can't wear conventional dentures. Patients in Chicago that lost a tooth, have two teeth with no or small fillings adjacent to the hole and don't want to cut the teeth down to make a bridge, would also make good candidates. In either case, our Chicago patients have to commit to good oral hygiene. So make sure to keep the implanted areas healthy, by brushing and flossing daily. Dental implants are usually placed in outpatient settings and have a healing phase of 6 weeks to 3 months.
Dr. Widen places many of his own guest's dental implants. Call our Chicago office at 312-266-0044 to see if you are a candidate.
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