You know the drill. You’ve gone to the dentist every six months for basically your whole life. The dental assistant takes X-rays of your teeth, the dental hygienist cleans your teeth, and the dentist examines your mouth. But during this visit, something is different—the dental assistant takes your blood pressure. What does that have to do with your smile? Why are they implementing this new step in your appointment? Read on to learn three good reasons why your dentist wants to know this information.

As you get ready to go to your six-month dentist’s appointment, you look at your teeth in the mirror. They look fine to you—no cavities that you can see or feel. You wonder whether you really need to go. You absolutely do! This checkup is about so much more than just examining your teeth for cavities, cracks, or chips. Here are four important things you didn’t know that your dentist does during your checkup appointment!

Your eye color. Your blood type. Your height. There are many things about you that uniquely result from your parents, grandparents, and others in your family tree. But what about your smile? Are “bad teeth” genetic? Sometimes the genes you’re born with include unfortunate traits too—like having poor oral health regardless of how hard you try. In this post, you’ll learn more about how your genes can affect your teeth and gums and what you can do to keep your smile strong.

You and your family have just moved to a new area. As you learn where the grocery stores are, research new restaurants you want to try, and get the kids situated with their new schools, you also look around for necessary resources, like a dentist’s office. You ask yourself, “How do I find the right dentist?”

Should you go with a single general dentist? A practice that has more than one dentist? Do you take your kids to a specialist? With so many options, it can be difficult to decide. However, here’s why you should consider choosing a practice that has multiple dentists and that offers basically all services.

It’s getting late in the day, and you’re exhausted. You have work in the morning, but you lose track of time watching your favorite show. To make up for it, you decide to cut your going-to-bed routine short tonight. As you half-heartedly brush your teeth and spit out, you notice pink toothpaste in the sink. A quick look in the mirror reveals your red, puffy gums, the first signs of gingivitis or gum disease.

While many questions pop into your mind, the most pressing concern for you is how long this symptom will last. However, you should understand more about bleeding gums and gum disease before you can answer how long it will take to overcome this issue. Read on to get the information you need!

You’re a pretty laid-back, easy-going person. You don’t get worked up over little things, and you try to be low maintenance. While these characteristics may be valuable in some areas of life, they may not be helpful if you take this approach to your oral health.

At your dental appointment, your dentist tells you that your gums are receding, but what exactly does that mean? Can gums grow back? Is this something you should actually worry about? Read on to find out!

Over this past year, you’ve stayed at home. During that time, you’ve learned that many things can be handled from the comfort of your home, including making bread, schooling the kids, doing DIY projects around the house, and even maintaining your oral health.

If you’ve noticed that your gums are swollen and red, you may have the beginning stages of gum (periodontal) disease, which is called gingivitis. Although more serious issues, like advanced periodontal disease, definitely require treatment from a dentist right away, you might be able to take care of mild gingivitis on your own. Here are some ways that you can manage this situation at home.

As you prepare to leave your house for work, you bundle up. After all, winter is now hitting hard now! You have a thick coat, gloves for your hands, a scarf for your neck, and a hat for your head. But as you open the door and step outside, you realize that there’s one area that you still need help with—your mouth! Read on to learn the problems you can face and what to do about winter mouth issues.

Your alarm goes off for the fourth time, signaling that it really is time to get out of bed and start the day. You groggily make your way to the coffee shop on your way to work. Once you’ve had that first sip, you feel yourself wake up. When you get to work, you see you have a day full of meetings, so you grab some more coffee to get you through. In the afternoon, you need another boost to stay awake, which means another cup of coffee. Does this sound familiar?

It’s estimated that about 54 percent of Americans over the age of 18 drink coffee every day. In some ways, coffee can be beneficial, but are you thinking about how this daily beverage could be affecting your oral health? Read on to learn more!

The winter months are a welcomed change for some people. The cold temperatures, the beautiful white snow, and evenings spent warming by the fireplace are what this time of year is all about. Unfortunately, with frigid temps come colds, cracked lips, and dry mouth. Many of the most common winter mouth issues occur when the weather changes, so if you want to avoid chapped lips, dry mouth, tooth sensitivity, and cold sores, read on to find out what you can do to keep your smile healthy and beautiful throughout the winter.