Brushing is important. You have to do it. Not brushing will cause unbelievable, and sometimes irreversible, damage. We’ve spoken to you before about how it is possible to brush too much. But now we would like to take a minute to give you some of the basics of brushing your teeth.

Brushing your teeth is a delicate process. Most of us rush at it like we’re attacking and punishing our mouth for doing something wrong. No matter how many bad words you’ve said, your mouth doesn’t deserve that. Anyway, isn’t soap reserved for that kind of punishment?

The Right Brush for Those Pearly Whites

Learning proper brushing technique at a young age will help set up a lifetime of healthy teeth.

To clean old paint off of furniture and and other tough surfaces, we use steel wool. But your teeth aren’t furniture, and hopefully they don’t have any paint on them. For something as delicate, and important, as your teeth you really should lean towards caution when choosing your toothbrush. It’s best to find a soft bristle brush. It may seem counterintuitive, but a soft bristle toothbrush is plenty strong enough to remove plaque and debris from your teeth. It is also soft enough to not do any damage to your gums or enamel. It’s best for this soft bristle brush to be on a small head so that you can reach all the way back to those hard-to-reach teeth the commercials always tell us about. Once you have this toothbrush and begin using it, you should only continue doing so for about three months, or until it begins to obviously wear down. If you happen to get sick sometime before either of those happen, then you should get a new brush as soon as you are no longer sick.

Finding The Right Toothpaste

Choosing the right toothpaste is also an important task. Do you have sensitive teeth? Is it more important to you to whiten your teeth, or prevent plaque and gingivitis? Do you already have cavities, or are you trying fiercely to prevent cavities? These are all tough questions to consider. If you’re having a hard time deciding, you should ask a dental professional. Once you decide, it’s important to remember not to use too much. Toothpaste is made with cleansing chemicals, and too much of that hitting your gums too often can cause damage over time. It’s best to just use a small dollop on your toothbrush, and to brush gently.

Brushing Technique

Now that you have the right toothbrush, and the right toothpaste, it’s time to start brushing. Place the toothbrush at a 45% angle to the gums. This angle allows you to access the most area, helping you get everything nice and clean. Don’t just go at your teeth with a rough scrubbing action. Make nice, easy strokes in a circular motion, move over the crown of your teeth, moving from outside to inside and making sure to get every tooth. Don’t forget to take care of the chewing surfaces – while we try to swallow most of what we eat, a lot of it can get stuck on those chewing surfaces. Finally, give your tongue and the roof of your mouth a good scrub. This will help with many bad breath issues.

Proper brushing takes care of a lot of things. It keeps your teeth clean, your breath fresh, and the people around you happy. Do it once in the morning before hitting the world, and once in the evening before hitting the sack, and you should be in good shape. If you are consistently taking care of your teeth, and you are still having trouble, please come in and see us.

“Teeth in a day”…. Fact or Fiction?

As an Arlington, Texas dentist, Dr. William Miller is often asked about the concept and possibility of  ”teeth in a day”. Typically, this question will come from patients that are missing teeth or patients that feel their current teeth are esthetically unattractive.

Can You Get Teeth Fixed in 1 Day?

The answer to that question may range from “yes”, “maybe” or “no” – no conclusive answers can be given till your teeth are examined by a dentist, since there are many factors that must be considered before giving a correct answer to an inquiring patient. This article is not intended to give specific information for any one individual patient but to serve as just a few thoughts and comments to consider when reading or discussing “teeth in a day.”

Mouthguards Aren’t Just For Rocky Anymore!

For many of us, the most vivid image that comes to mind when someone mentions a mouthguard is one on the television screen when the camera zooms in to a boxer taking a hit to the face and spitting a mouthguard out. For parents, though, the image they see would be their child with a mouthguard sticking out of the front of their face while they smile from the sidelines of their first big game. But mouthguards do more than protect athletes and provide us with cute pictures. To make sure you don’t wait to get a mouthguard till your teeth are broken, Dr. Miller, a dentist in Arlington, TX has some convincing reasons to share with you.

Stick this list on your fridge or mirror to remind yourself to drink water frequently.

While offering dental services in Arlington TX means we focus mainly on oral health, we’re aware of the comprehensive benefits that water offers the human body. Drinking water frequently and in large quantities helps with health, fitness, appetite, weight loss and much more! We’ve compiled a list of the benefits of drinking water that you can stick on your fridge or wherever handy. Whenever you head to the fridge, read a few of the benefits listed below and you might just change your mind a reach for a glass of water instead!

Drinking Water Helps Your Mouth Stay Clean

• Washes out leftover food from mouth.
• Keeps teeth and gums healthy.
• Discourages bacteria and plaque from building up on enamel.
• Prevents dry mouth and helps saliva remineralize teeth to prevent decay.
• Freshens breath by keeping tongue clean.

Drinking Water Helps Keep Your Body Fit

• Controls appetite (warm water especially helps curb cravings).
• Balances your body’s fluids and replaces what is lost through sweating.
• Water regulates your internal temperature and avoids overheating.
• Hydration assists your muscles work efficiently and helps endurance.
• Drinking water helps to boost the body’s metabolism.

Dental implants, bridges and dentures might become obsolete in time. Recent research has gotten us closer to discovering how to grow our own teeth!

While teeth implants, bridges and dentures are useful, they might not be the only options available for tooth replacement in the future. Researchers in Finland have found a way to pinpoint stem cells that are essential to growing teeth. Don’t get too excited yet – the stem cells they are working with belong to the incisors, or front teeth, of mice and therefore still far removed from actually growing a human tooth. However, this is still an exciting and useful discovery since mice incisors grow continuously throughout their life, and studying this process is likely to lead to information that can be used to grow human teeth. Another important application for this study is growing new dental enamel, especially since enamel wears down over time and is irreplaceable. All speculation aside, here are the options for teeth replacement:

A member of prestigious dental associations, Dr. William Miller is recognized as an accomplished dentist.

Find A Dentist You Can Trust
Dentistry is constantly changing with advances in dental science and technology, so it is important to choose a dentist based not only on their services, but also their continuous dedication to learning and improvement. An indication that a dentist can offer current and superior service is by checking to see if they have received awards or honors that can only be earned through commitment to learning and cultivation of their dental knowledge. Dr. William Miller, a dentist based in Arlington, Texas, is dedicated to providing the best possible dental care to his patients and can prove this through his recognition within prestigious dental associations throughout the country. Even if you are not a patient of Dr. Miller’s but know your dentist has also earned these honors and accomplishments, you can rest assured that your dentist has taken the additional time and education to do their best in the practice of dentistry.

For the past several years times have been tough for most.  The effects of a depressed economy have been felt here in our local community and across the globe.  Many have lost jobs, whereby medical and dental benefits have been lost and it has been difficult in acquiring basic and routine medical and dental check-ups.

Although times are tough basic dental cleanings and check-ups are important to keep a person’s smile healthy.  When delaying these common and basic dental visits, more significant problems  can occur within the oral cavity.   A basic dental cleaning is very important in keeping the teeth clean, plaque free and an effort in fighting off potential tooth decay.

Some Facts about Dental Insurance and Dental Insurance Payments

• Please note that if you have any dental PPO insurance coverage you still may have services completed within our office.  Your PPO carrier will still pay their portion for services but at a lower schedule.  Therefore, your “out-of-pocket” expense will be higher.  If you have HMO/DHMO coverage they will not pay at all for any services within our office. (With an dental HMO/DHMO, the insurance company selects the dentist for the patient)
• Dental insurance is very different from typical medical insurance coverage.  ”Dental insurance”  is basically a pre-payment arrangement between an employer and an insurance contractor.  In our office, dental insurance may cover only 30-50% of our fees for service.  Please remember that insurance companies are a “for profit” enitity.
• Most insurance companies have maximum limits of $1,000 to $1,500 per year.  The maximum insurance coverage in 1959-1965 was the same at $1,000 per year.  Based on inflation alone, dental insurance maximums per year should be at least $7,000 to $8,000 per year!

Dental cleanings are a very important part of a healthy mouth and great smile.  Clean teeth are healthier teeth.  A person’s teeth and smile are very important for chewing and appearance.  Usually, an examination including x-rays may be completed at the same appointment.  It is important to have a complete dental examination by a dentist to check for any problems along with a cleaning.  X-rays may also be taken so that the dentist may be able to check-out and diagnose any underlying problems accurately.

A smile is one of a person’s greatest asset.  Tooth enamel is one of nature’s most beautiful substances.  Plaque, stain and calculus can form on the surface of the teeth within a very short amount of time.  Although, regular brushing and flossing are both important on a daily basis, that is not a substitute for a professional dental / teeth cleaning by a dental office.  Cleaning frequency recommendations will vary from patient to patient.  In general, the range could be from one time annually to every three months. Many different factors come in to consideration when selecting the correct frequency of cleaning for a person.

Many times people will say that they would like an “Implant”.   After a further discussion patients will assume that by saying “implant” that will allow them to start chewing on that “implant” when the procedure is complete.  That’s not the case.

There are several steps that must take place to achieve acceptable results with the placement of a dental implant.  When we speak of an implant procedure there are three basic items to consider.  I like to compare these basic items to the following;  root, tooth and crown.

The first comparison or analogy to make is that of the “implant” and the root of a natural tooth.  Many times I will state that we are going to “build” a new tooth where we are missing a tooth.