Breckinridge Dental & Orthodontics Blog

February is American Heart Association Month, a nationally-recognized time of the year dedicated to learning about how the health of your heart is connected to other parts of your body. Over the last decade, several studies have been released that established a strong connection between gum disease and heart disease. Read on to learn how you can protect your overall wellbeing by defending your gums from the effects of harmful oral bacteria accumulation.

Tooth enamel is one of the most vital components of your mouth because it helps preserve your teeth and prevent cavities and infections. While many people know that it’s one of the strongest and hardest substances in the human body, researchers only recently discovered another secret that your tooth enamel has been keeping. Even though enamel is known to be powerless against acidic substances, for many people, it still manages to preserve their teeth for a lifetime. How is that possible? Read on to learn what provides our enamel with the ability to function and stay intact despite oral adversity.

Trying to stay cavity-free during the holidays isn’t always easy. Considered to be one of the most sugar-filled times of the year, all the delectable treats can make it hard to say “no.” While you may be telling yourself that the diet starts after the new year, you shouldn’t wait to take care of your oral health until then. If you want to keep your dentist happy and spend more of your time with family and friends and not in the dentist’s chair, here are 4 things you can do to keep your smile happy and healthy throughout the holidays.

If you were to learn that each year, more than 160 million people with private dental insurance lose more than $900 in unused dental benefits, would you believe it? When you calculate all of that wasted money, it totals more than $152 billion! Since most people would agree that is a lot of money, why not find out how you can maximize your dental insurance benefits to keep from being one of the millions who watch their money disappear at the end of the year.

Besides being the spookiest month of the year, October is also National Dental Hygiene Month. They probably named it that month to try and offset the damage done to teeth from copious amounts of Halloween candy. Whatever the reason, it’s still an important month to celebrate. Let’s look at 4 ways you can help observe this month in style.

Fun fact: September is National Gum Care Month. Now here’s a not-so-fun fact: most people don’t take nearly as good care of their gums as they should. Gum disease will affect about half the adult population of the U.S. at some point. Fortunately, September is the perfect time to learn why your gums are so important and how to take care of them, so you don’t contract gum disease.

It’s about that time of year for your child to head back-to-school. As a parent, it’s your job to make sure your little one is well-cared for even when they’re out of your sight, and that means making sure they always have a healthy lunch to enjoy. But be careful when it comes to their teeth! Some foods – like sugary candies and starch-filled potato chips – could lead to decay over time. Here are 4 alternatives that will make your young scholar’s dentist happy.

An estimated 42% of children age 2-11 have had tooth decay in their baby teeth, and around 21% of kids age 6-11 have had cavities in their permanent teeth. Despite these statistics, cavities are completely preventable. One of the best tools for prevention is regular checkups, and since school just ended for the year, there’s no better time! Keep reading to find out how summer dental visits for your kids can help them avoid tooth decay and look forward to a lifetime of great dental health.

You think it won’t happen to you until it does. Oral cancer is a serious disease that claims many lives each year, and it doesn’t just affect those who smoke or drink alcohol heavily. It may also surprise you to learn that your dentist can help you find it early, helping improve your chances of beating it. This April, which is Oral Cancer Awareness Month, is the perfect time to learn more about oral  cancer and ways to ensure that you can catch it sooner rather than later.

In honor of National Children’s Dental Health Month, you’ll get valuable information in this blog about childhood oral health that every parent should know. And, although these statistics are concerning, the good news is that there are many effective ways to completely prevent oral health problems. That’s why you’ll also get tips for preventing these issues so you can minimize the amount of work your child needs from a dentist and help them have a healthy smile for life. Learn more below!