May 16th, 2012
There are several important steps to take in order to maintain good oral hygiene. Your daily routine should consist of brushing at least twice a day and flossing once a day. Make sure you use a soft bristled tooth brush and a toothpaste that is approved by the American Dental Association (ADA). If you can brush after every meal, it will be even more effective at removing food particles from your teeth.
Flossing is also an important part of your daily oral hygiene regimen. It removes plaque and food debris between your teeth that cannot be reached by a toothbrush. Wrap the floss between your two middle fingers and hold it between your thumbs and index fingers. Gently guide the floss in between your teeth and down to your gum line, moving the floss in an up-and-down motion.
While these daily oral hygiene practices are important to maintaining optimum levels of oral health, you should also visit our dental office twice a year for your regular dental checkups. This will give Scottsdale dentist Dr. Donald Wilcox a chance to evaluate your teeth for signs of decay and make sure you are not developing the early stages of gum disease. Professional teeth cleanings at our office will help remove plaque and tartar that has been resistant to brushing and flossing so that you can maintain healthy teeth and gums for years to come.
Please contact Desert Smiles today to schedule your dental checkup. Dr. Donald Wilcox serves patients in Phoenix, Glendale, and Scottsdale, Arizona.
Posted in General Dentistry | No Comments »
May 14th, 2012
Certain foods and drinks have the unintended side effect of staining your teeth. Some of the worst staining agents are drinks such as:
- Coffee – Those daily cups of coffee can help you stay alert and awake during the day, but they also stain your teeth. The darker the coffee, the more it will stain your teeth. Lightening your coffee with milk will help lessen tooth discoloration slightly.
- Tea – Tea has many properties that improve your oral health, such as compounds called tannins which attack the bacteria that cause plaque and tooth decay. But tea will also stain your teeth. Black teas result in the most discoloration, so if you are worried about staining your teeth, you may want to switch to green or herbal teas.
- Cola – Dark colored sodas are very harmful to your teeth. They stain your teeth, and their acidic composition can erode your tooth enamel and lead to cavities. Drinking your soda through a straw can help reduce discoloration. Or you can just stick to clear colored sodas.
If you would like to brighten your smile and eliminate the stains caused by regularly drinking coffee, tea, and colas, you might want to consider tooth whitening. Arizona cosmetic dentist Dr. Donald Wilcox uses the Zoom! professional in-office tooth whitening system with his patients. You can whiten your smile as much as six to ten shades from your Zoom! tooth whitening treatment, and your procedure can be completed in less than an hour.
Please contact Desert Smiles today to schedule your tooth whitening consultation. Dr. Donald Wilcox serves patients in Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Glendale, Arizona.
Posted in teeth discoloration | No Comments »
May 10th, 2012
One of the most important decisions to make when getting porcelain veneers involves the shade of your new cosmetic dentistry restoration. Your porcelain veneers can be customized to achieve your desired shade. Do you want something dazzling and bright or more subtle?
It is important to keep in mind that you will want your results to look natural. If you choose to get porcelain veneers that are an extremely bright white shade, they most likely will not blend in with your surrounding natural teeth and they may look less natural overall. In this situation, your porcelain veneers may actually detract from the appearance of your smile instead of enhancing it.
In most cases, it is best to ask Phoenix cosmetic dentist Dr. Donald Wilcox to match the shade of your porcelain veneers to the color of your surrounding natural teeth. This will ensure a beautiful, even smile that does not draw attention to your new porcelain veneers.
If you are getting a smile makeover that includes tooth whitening as well as porcelain veneers, you will need to undergo the whitening session first since porcelain veneers are resistant to tooth whitening. By having your teeth whitened first, Dr. Wilcox can then match the shade of your porcelain veneers to the shade of your newly whitened teeth for a beautiful result.
Please contact Desert Smiles today to schedule your porcelain veneers consultation. Dr. Donald Wilcox serves patients in Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Glendale, Arizona.
Posted in veneers | No Comments »
May 8th, 2012
How often do you floss? Do you frequently come up with reasons not to? If so, you are in good company. According to a 2008 survey, only 49% of Americans floss daily, and 10% admit to never flossing at all. Unfortunately, this poor compliance with a regular flossing routine can lead to serious oral health issues down the road.
Flossing at least once a day is an important step in the removal of plaque and food particles from between your teeth that cannot be reached by a toothbrush. If you fail to floss, this plaque will build up and harden, forming a substance called tartar. Over time, plaque and tartar can lead to tooth decay and gum disease.
The flossing process is simple, and it will only take you a few minutes to complete. Wrap the floss around the middle fingers of each hand. Grasp the floss tightly between your thumbs and index fingers and use a gentle motion to guide it between your teeth. Wrap the floss around the contours of your tooth when it meets your gum line, and move it in an up-and-down motion to remove food particles and plaque.
Of course, regular brushing and flossing should not be the only component of your dental hygiene routine. It is also important to come to our Phoenix dental office twice a year for your dental checkup and teeth cleaning. This will help ensure that you maintain optimal levels of oral health for years to come.
Please contact Desert Smiles today to schedule your professional teeth cleaning appointment. Dr. Donald Wilcox serves patients in Phoenix, Glendale, and Scottsdale, Arizona.
Posted in General Dentistry | No Comments »
April 26th, 2012
Preventative dentistry protects the function and beauty of your smile by ensuring good oral health. Preventative dentistry may include:
- Teeth cleanings
- Dental examinations
- Tooth sealants
- Prevention of tooth decay
- Oral cancer screenings
By detecting oral health problems early, preventative dentistry can save you the expense and time of more invasive dental treatment down the road.
Preventative dentistry is critical to preventing gum disease, the leading cause of tooth loss in adults. If plaque is not removed, it accumulates on your teeth, especially along the gumline. The plaque can quickly progress into an infection, damaging your teeth and gums. To prevent gum disease, regular dental cleanings and a proper at-home oral hygiene routine are imperative.
To learn more about preventative dentistry, please contact experienced Glendale, Arizona dentist Dr. Donald Wilcox to schedule a consultation at Desert Smiles Cosmetic & Sedation Dentistry.
Posted in Preventive Dentistry | No Comments »
April 24th, 2012
Even if you have received professional teeth whitening at our office, you can maintain your brightened smile by preventing teeth stains:
- Brush and floss your teeth. Both of these cleaning habits remove plaque, which stains stick to. Don’t brush aggressively: teeth are effectively cleaned with feather-soft pressure.
- Visit the dentist regularly. When you go to your dentist for a teeth cleaning, the hygienist uses special instruments that provide abrasion, which removes stains and stain-attracting plaque. The hygienist will also polish your teeth, leaving your smile refreshed and brightened.
- Be wary of certain beverages. Coffee, tea and red wine are especially stain-inducing. When you have coffee or tea in the morning, try to drink your morning beverage in one sitting instead of drinking it throughout the day. Rinse or brush your mouth after drinking these beverages.
- Rinse or brush after eating certain foods. Some of the healthiest and most colorful fruits and veggies can cause tooth stains. Continue to eat healthy, but combat staining by rinsing your mouth with water or brushing your teeth after eating.
- Use a straw. You can use a straw when drinking iced tea, sodas, juices, red wine and other staining beverages. The straw allows the liquids to bypass your teeth.
- Don’t smoke or use other tobacco products. Brown tobacco stains penetrate your tooth enamel. These stains are often difficult to remove, even with high-strength, in-office teeth whitening.
At Desert Smiles, we are committed to providing you with all the knowledge you need to protect the luster and health of your smile.
If you live in Glendale, Arizona or nearby, and would like to learn more about teeth whitening, please contact experienced cosmetic dentist Dr. Donald Wilcox to schedule a consultation at Desert Smiles Cosmetic & Sedation Dentistry.
Posted in teeth discoloration | No Comments »
April 22nd, 2012
April 20-21,2012 Dr. Donald Wilcox attend the spring conference of the Academy of Clinical Sleep Disorders Disciplines of which he is a member. The conference dealt with a number of the most popular and latest oral sleep appliances for snorers and those suffering from obstructive sleep apnea. Ellen Crean PhD, DDS lectured on “Establising Conditions for Appliance Use” which reviewed the importance of nasal issues and tongue position in the effectiveness of oral appliance therapy. Rod Willey, DDS, spoke about the Herbst appliance which we successfully use for Glendale and Peoria snoring patients. Dr. Mark Abramson is the inventor of the OASYS appliance which we are currently incorporating into our options for Phoenix sleep apnea patients. It is a very unique design which shows great promise and results which we are excited to offer to our patients. It increases nasal patency and also works to position the tongue more forward out of the airway besides allowing for forward advancement of the jaw.
An appliance that requires no mandibular advancement whatsoever was presented by Bryan Keropian DDS. The appliance actually positions the tongue out of the airway and showed a 90% compatibility for patients. This will give us another option for patients who cannot tolerate CPAP but struggle with advancement appliances and keeping their TMJ and muscles comfortable.
For more information regarding mouthpieces for snoring and CPAP intolerance with sleep apnea visit www.DesertSmiles.com or www.SnoreArizona.com.
Posted in Continuing Education, Oral appliance therapy for Sleep Apnea, sleep problems | No Comments »
April 19th, 2012
If you think of a smile makeover as something reserved for celebrities and people in the spotlight, think again. In recent years, more and more people like you have decided to invest in their smile by correcting the many common cosmetic problems with their teeth. At Desert Smiles, we firmly believe that everyone should be able to benefit from state-of-the-art cosmetic dentistry.
When considering a smile makeover, ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you avoid smiling in public?
- Are any of your teeth permanently stained or discolored?
- Do you have a “gummy” smile?
- Are any of your teeth slightly crooked or chipped?
- Do you have gaps between your teeth?
- Are some of your teeth too small or worn down?
- Would you like to have a bright, straight, and attractive smile again?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, Dr. Wilcox can help. We offer personalized smile makeovers that are tailored to meet your specific needs and cosmetic goals. If you are concerned about fitting a smile makeover into your budget, we offer several convenient financing options to help keep our cosmetic dentistry options affordable and accessible to everyone.
To schedule a personal smile consultation with experienced Phoenix cosmetic dentist Dr. David Wilcox, please contact us today. Desert Smiles serves patients in the Phoenix, Glendale, and Scottsdale areas of Arizona.
Posted in smile makeover | No Comments »
April 17th, 2012
When it comes to dental care, patients are often mistaken about several basic facts. The prevalence of certain dental myths among the general public has led to a lot of misinformation. Below, we debunk five of the most common dental myths:
- Losing your baby teeth because of tooth decay doesn’t matter – Most people assume that tooth decay is not a major problem in baby teeth since they eventually fall out anyway. Unfortunately, tooth decay in a baby tooth can cause damage to the developing tooth below it, and if a baby tooth is lost too early, the permanent tooth may grow in out of position.
- Poor oral health only affects your mouth – Research has shown that gum disease is connected with other chronic inflammatory conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Treating gum disease may help with the management of these other conditions. Conversely, leaving it untreated can worsen them.
- More sugar equals more tooth decay – It is not the amount of sugar you eat, but the amount of time that the sugar is in contact with your teeth that does the damage. When slowly-dissolving candy and soda are in the mouth for a longer period of time, the oral bacteria from the sugar forms acids that heighten the risk of tooth decay.
- The harder you brush, the better – Brushing too hard for too long does more harm than good. The enamel on the surface of your teeth can wear down if your brushing is too overzealous, leading to tooth sensitivity and other problems down the road.
- Using a toothpick creates gaps between your teeth – Toothpicks cannot force spaces between your teeth. However, gum disease is frequently a contributing factor to gapped teeth.
If you are looking for a dentist you can trust in the Glendale, Arizona area, please contact us today to schedule an initial consultation with Dr. David Wilcox. Desert Smiles serves patients in the Glendale, Phoenix, and Scottsdale areas of Arizona.
Posted in Dental Myths | No Comments »
April 16th, 2012
There is still much to learn about our body’s sleep functions and the relationship to diabetes. But what we do know is there is a growing amount of evidence that sleep plays a significant role in determining risk for diabetes. Recent studies have shown:
* Poor sleep is linked to insulin resistance and weight gain in healthy adults.
* Sleeping fewer that 6 hours a night increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabites. Sleeping less than 5 hours elevates the risk of diabetes even more.
* Just one night of sleeping only 4 hours can trigger insulin resistance.
If you or your bed partner is having trouble getting the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep because of snoring or sleep apnea arousals, Glendale dentist Dr. Donald Wilcox has a sleep solution for you. We have successfully treated dozens of Phoenix and Scottsdale patients with oral appliances to control their snoring and sleep apnea and enable them and their bed partners to get a better nights sleep. They also can be a great adjunct to your health if you have tried and failed with CPAP like many have.
For more information about dental sleep solutions for you and your bed partner in Phoenix and Glendale, visit www.desertsmiles.com.
Posted in Oral appliance therapy for Sleep Apnea, sleep apnea, sleep problems, snoring, Weight gain and sleep | No Comments »
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