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As our nation prepares to observe its birthday, we’d like to share some timely dental tips to help make celebrating the Fourth of July more enjoyable for you and healthier for your teeth and gums.

Hydrate

It might be hot and humid where you’re living, so be sure to keep hydrated in the backyard or along the parade route. Proper hydration is essential for both your overall health and your oral health. Drinking water helps prevent cavities by washing away food particles and bacteria and reducing acidic conditions in the mouth. 

Use Ice for Cooling, not Chewing

If you’re enjoying an icy cold beverage to beat the heat, don’t crunch down on that ice! Chewing on ice can lead to immediate disaster in the form of a chipped or cracked tooth or a broken filling or crown. And, over time, munching ice will damage your enamel, making your teeth more sensitive to heat and cold and more vulnerable to cavities. 

Enjoy All Your Cookout Favorites

If you celebrate the Fourth with family and friends, there’s a good chance you’re celebrating outdoors. According to surveys, Independence Day is the most popular grilling day in the country. Are you sitting on the picnic table sidelines because of loose teeth, tooth pain, or missing teeth? Don’t miss out on any of the fun in Clarksburg, MD and Frederick, MD! 

• Tooth pain can be caused by cavities. It can also be a sign of a damaged tooth or an infection. If you suffer persistent tooth pain lasting several days or more, it’s time for a dental appointment.
• Gum disease can cause bone loss, loose teeth, and lost teeth, making sharing a meal with friends something you avoid instead of something you look forward to. Regular flossing, cleanings, and checkups will help keep your gums in the pink. If you have advanced gum disease, we can discuss treatment options.
• If you or a loved one wear braces, be sure your BBQ choices are not only delicious, but safe for wires and brackets. Offer menu options which are braces-friendly—that is, which are soft and easy to eat rather than hard, crunchy, or sticky. Remove kernels from corn on the cob and have utensils available to cut finger foods like burgers and hot dogs into fork-friendly bits. 
• Missing teeth not only make dining difficult, but can also lead to gum disease, decay, and misalignment in adjacent teeth. To enable you to enjoy your meals and to protect your dental health, talk to Dr. Viney Saini about implants, bridges, or dentures to make your smile complete again.

Whether you’re marching in the parade, enjoying a meal with family and friends, oohing and aahing at the fireworks, or all of the above, we wish you a healthy and happy Fourth of July! If you have any dental concerns, we’re here at Viney P. Saini Orthodontics to help you achieve your best smile every day of the year.

Your teeth were once naturally white and bright. Wouldn't it be great to keep them that way all of your life? Unfortunately, everyday living can dim our smiles. Food, coffee, some juices, and soft drinks can stain your teeth. Poor brushing and flossing can also leave tooth stains. Injuries to teeth or gums can cause some yellowing as well, and in some cases, medicines can discolor teeth.

So, you may need some extra help to maintain or restore your teeth's natural beauty. Here are some of the best ways to whiten your teeth:

1. Reduce additional staining by drinking with a straw or cutting back on coffee and soft drinks.

2. Brush and floss every day.

3. Try a whitening toothpaste or mouthwash.

4. Visit our office for teeth cleaning and an exam every six months.

We can also help you whiten your teeth with in-office professional teeth whitening at our Clarksburg, MD and Frederick, MD office. These whitening products are much more effective than whiteners you can buy at the store and are completely safe. Since they're stronger, application by a member of our team is essential to achieve the best results.

Some teeth can resist bleaching. If that's the case, we can try several techniques:

• Deep bleaching that applies whitening agents over several visits.
• Veneers and bonds that cover existing stains with a whiter, brighter surface.
• Laser whitening that uses light to clean stubborn stains off teeth.

Take Care!

You may come across “bleaching stations” in shopping malls or at fairs. Avoid using these as the so-called whitening techniques can irritate your teeth and gums, leaving them highly sensitive to pain. Note too, that the operators of these whitening stands will make customers apply the bleach themselves, to avoid charges of practicing without a license. That should serve as a red flag and a caution to seek trained professionals, like Dr. Viney Saini, instead.

An emergency usually evokes panic, and for good reason. Emergencies don’t discriminate when it comes to time or place. They’ll happen during your vacation, at home, while you’re shopping for groceries, at the movies … whenever they can.

We’ve identified the five most common reasons for emergency visits to our office, so if you ever find yourself in one of these situations, don’t hesitate to reach out and schedule an appointment with us!

1. Getting a piece of food stuck where it doesn’t belong. This might sound trivial, and even comical, but a piece of food stuck and left unattended can cause inflammation, pain, and a serious infection.
2. Losing a filling. If this happens to you, it’s crucial that you receive care immediately. The purpose of a filling is to shut off a space where bacteria can enter. If that barrier is breached, your tooth becomes more vulnerable to decay.
3. A chipped tooth. Even if the chip is small, it’s essential to get it repaired before it grows bigger. Unless chips are affecting a nerve, they are usually easy to repair with a crown, bonding, or veneers.
4. A broken tooth. This can result from a small, hidden chip in the tooth. It’s clearly something to address quickly, because the pain will be much more severe than what you’ll feel with just a chip.
5. Losing the entire tooth. This is the worst of the list. When you lose a tooth, you should not delay in seeking emergency care. Usually, you have a window of one to two hours during which the original tooth can be salvaged and successfully reattached.

Though any of these scenarios can be nerve-wracking, Dr. Viney Saini and our team are here to assist you with any and all dental emergencies. Don’t wait; give our Clarksburg, MD and Frederick, MD office a call!

Father’s Day is coming up, and, just in case your dad has enough ties, we have some gifting suggestions for you. Here’s a selection of gifts large and small tailored to your dad’s interests and his dental health.

• The Outdoor Dad

If your dad is happiest out camping, or his most relaxed at the lake fishing, or gets rid of stress with a 20-mile hike, help your dad stay happy, relaxed, and stress-free with an emergency dental kit for any unexpected problems which might crop up during his adventures.

You can find these lightweight kits in sporting stores and online. Supplies like cotton rolls, dental floss, oral pain relievers, a dental mirror, and even temporary fillings are included, because, as your dad no doubt told you, it’s always best to be prepared!

• The High-Tech Dad

For the dad who’s first with the latest in smart phones and tablets, a new smart toothbrush might tick all the boxes.

Modern electric toothbrushes have plenty of options for the tech-savvy. They come with different settings for brushing and massaging. They can let your dad know if he’s brushed long enough (two minutes, please!), if he’s brushing too hard, or when the brush head needs to be retired. Smart models even link to apps, which can, among other things, map out any missed spots in his brushing coverage or suggest more effective brushing angles.

• The Dad on the Go

With his active life, any gift which makes your dad’s busy schedule run more smoothly is a good thing—such as a portable kit filled with dental necessities.

A travel toothbrush, a small tube of his favorite toothpaste, a compact mirror, dental picks, dental floss, and a mini-bottle of mouthwash are great basics for a confident smile any time of day. Put everything in a sturdy lightweight travel bag. And don’t forget to include a pack of sugarless gum! Sugarless gum helps increase saliva flow (for better hydration) and decrease oral acidity (to help prevent enamel erosion).

• The Dad with Gourmet Taste

If your dad has foodie tastes, a thoughtfully curated gift basket is a great idea for pleasing his palate and supporting his dental health.

Include items like cheeses, which are full of calcium and phosphorus for strong teeth. Fresh fruits provide vitamins for healthy teeth and gums. Nuts offer plenty of tooth-healthy minerals and vitamins, as well as packing a protein punch. For your dad’s sweet tooth, dark chocolate (at least 70% cacao) is a great source of antioxidants, iron, zinc, magnesium and other valuable minerals. It’s lower in sugar content, and some studies suggest that dark chocolate has cavity-fighting properties and supports gum health.

• The Athletic Dad

He can deke the goalie, throw a perfect spiral, and hit those threes from downtown. Or, at the very least, he gives his favorite sport his best shot! If your dad has some of his happiest moments, win or lose, on the ice, the gridiron, the court, or any other sporty venue, consider a custom mouth guard to protect his winning smile.

Custom guards are more comfortable than store-bought options because they are molded to fit the user’s teeth and mouth precisely. This is especially helpful for those with dental work like braces or bridges. And, because the fit is custom, breathing and talking are easier.

• The Picture-Perfect Dad

Your dad’s smiles light up family photos! And if he’s ever expressed an interest in lightening and brightening that beautiful smile, a professional whitening treatment might be a perfect gift.

Professional whitening at our Clarksburg, MD and Frederick, MD office is the most effective way to brighten teeth, with results which are generally faster and more long lasting than over-the-counter treatments. And it’s done with your dad’s dental health in mind, with a checkup to make sure his teeth are in perfect shape before whitening, and with protective measures in place for sensitive mouth and gum tissue.

Of course your dad will appreciate another tie, or any other traditional gift, because you give it to him. But just in case you’re looking for something a little different to celebrate Father’s Day, choose a dental-healthy gift designed with your dad in mind—so you can celebrate his smile for years to come!