Bottoms Up!

Great news for oenophiles!  Earlier this year, the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry published a study suggesting that red wine may help prevent cavities and gum disease.  This study out of Spain indicate that some compounds in red wine not only help prevent tooth demineralization, one of the first steps in getting a cavity, but also prevent bacteria associated with periodontitis, or gum disease, as well as tooth decay, from sticking to teeth.  So it may be in your dental health's interest to go ahead and enjoy that glass of cab or pinot!

Of course, if you notice your teeth are getting stained, we can help out!  We offer several options to whiten your teeth, including Zoom QuickPro, which takes just a few minutes and can be combined with your cleaning or any other appointment.  We conveniently offer late night hours every Wednesday and have limited Saturday and Sunday appointments. 

Contact us by email at 5757dental@gmail.com or by phone at 212-935-0719 to book your dental appointment.

Time is Running Out!

Thanksgiving is just a few days away, and the holidays and New Year are just around the corner.  Our one year anniversary is also coming up, and in the spirit of giving, we would like our patients to suggest a charity close to their hearts!  On December 15^th, the winning charity/patient will be drawn, and we will make a donation of $57.57 to that patient’s favorite charity.  Let us know your favorite charity at your next appointment, or through any of our social media pages if you won’t be visiting us until 2018.  You can find us @5757dental on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

With the new year fast approaching, this also means you only have a couple of weeks left to get the most out of your yearly dental benefits and maximums.  Visiting the dentist may not be on your holiday To Do List, but it is key to maintaining optimal oral health.  With the busy holidays, not to mention all of those treats and sweets you look forward to, now is the perfect time to prepare and protect your pearly whites so you can enjoy the holiday season.

Don’t Let Your Money Go to Waste

Most dental insurance plans provide a certain dollar amount of benefits each year, the annual maximum, and run on a calendar year, January 1st – December 31^st.  If your plan is on a calendar year and you haven’t been in to see us in a while, you could have unused benefits that will go to waste when the clock strikes midnight on December 31^st!  If this benefit amount is not used, your insurance starts over and sets a new maximum for the upcoming year, and most dental plans do not let you rollover unused maximums to the next year.  So, essentially, you use it or lose it!

Right now is a great time to get your dental appointments in because you can get your dental care out of the way before the busy holiday season really begins.  And if you have been thinking about whitening or other cosmetic procedures, remember the holidays are all about photos and lasting memories, so it’s a great time to give your smile a boost.  And getting your teeth looked at now can help you avoid potential, unwanted, dental emergencies over the holidays, which are already stressful enough!

We conveniently offer late night hours every Wednesday, and have Saturday and even limited Sunday appointments.  

Beat the end of year rush and get in early! Contact us by email at 5757dental@gmail.com or by phone at 212-935-0719 to book your dental appointment.

Floss like a Boss

I know that I’ve written about this before, but flossing is incredibly important!  A recent GQ article interviews a dentist who has great advice and information about caring for your teeth; you can read it here. 

If you don’t floss your teeth, you aren’t cleaning between the teeth (almost 40% of your tooth surface) which your toothbrush can’t reach.  Flossing also helps to keep the gums and bone around the teeth clean and healthy as well.

I often tell my patients that flossing is kind of like weight lifting.  When you first start lifting weights, you are sore.  But, the more you do it, the stronger you become and the less likely your body hurts afterwards.  It sounds counter intuitive, but the more you floss the less likely your gums are to bleed. 

As difficult as it may be to hear, the most common reason for bleeding gums is poor oral hygiene.  I recommend my patients angle their toothbrushes 45 degrees up or down (depending on where you are in the mouth) to clean around the gum line.  Brush your teeth at least twice a day for two minutes, and floss once daily.

I’m always happy to speak more with patients about oral hygiene.  And you can find out more about proper brushing and flossing techniques here.

Which Toothpaste is Best for Me?

One question I am asked a lot is which toothpaste to use.  The short answer is, whichever one has fluoride and tastes good to you.  Or the brand that is on sale.  As with many things, there are an amazing amount of toothpastes to choose from.  Some claim to make your teeth white, some claim to be all natural, some from foreign countries, and I even came across one that was flavored like bacon!  (I didn't try it ... yet!)   If you have a specific need (such as tooth whitening or sensitive teeth), there is probably one that is better for you.  You can check out some helpful facts in this article which is also available on our Facebook page.  And of course, please feel free to ask us any questions you may have!  We love to help educate our patients!

The Tooth Fairy

The tooth fairy is paying an all-time high for your kids' chompers.  According to a survey by Delta Dental, the tooth fairy is paying an average of $4.66 per tooth; that's up almost 75% from 2015!  In some houses, though, the fairy leaves toothpaste and toothbrushes under the pillow because adult teeth are for keeps, after all, and are priceless!

Is Sugar a Drug?

This is an excellent question and comparison that is discussed in a new book, The Case Against Sugar, by Gary Taubes.  Full discloser: I have not read the book (though it is now on my To Read list), but learned about it in an excerpt printed in The Guardian. While taking a stance on whether to classify sugar as a drug is a bit out of my scope, I can confidently say that the consumption of foods high in refined sugars can make your teeth more prone to cavities, so be sure to limit your intake of them.  And, as always, don't forget to brush and floss!

Happy New Year! #2017

Happy 2017!  It's a new year and a common time to be a new you.  In fact, a recent Marist poll shows that the number one resolution for 2017 is to be a better person.  Losing weight and exercising more, eating better, improving health, and spending less are most people's top goals this year.

We at Fifty-Seven 57 Dental want to help you achieve your New Year's Resolutions!  A healthier you includes a healthy mouth, so be sure to keep your teeth pearly white this year by going to your routine dental exams and cleanings.

Eating well can help keep your teeth healthy, too.  Cutting down on sugary foods and drinks is important for dental health and overall health.  Leafy greens are not only low in calories, but can be good sources of calcium, which helps strengthen teeth, and folic acid, which may help prevent gum disease.  You can find a nice summary of waist and tooth friendly foods here.

Ensuring routine care of your teeth may also help save money.  Generally speaking, preventing problems or addressing them when they first are known is typically easier (and less costly) than waiting until they become bigger concerns.  I tell this story to my patients all the time: when I was in high school (or maybe college ... it was a long time ago!), the door handle to my mother's Honda got stuck to the point where we would have to jimmy it in a particular series of directions to get it to open.  When my father learned of the cost, he said he'd wait to fix it.  A few months later, the door would not open at all, and with three daughters to taxi around, it became a somewhat emergent situation.  Not only did my parents need to pay the amount to fix the door and door handle that they were originally quoted, but the mechanics had to take the door off, too, requiring extra time and labor costs!  In the same way that it's easier to fix a door handle than to take off the entire door to fix the handle, it's easier (and less annoying, less visits, etc., etc.) to have a cleaning/fluoride treatment/filling than a root canal!

I can't help too much with the exercising more resolution, unless you want to walk to our practice!  Or maybe take a walk through nearby Central Park afterwards.  Other than that, you may want to check out this article, which may hold the key to explaining why some people love and other people detest exercise.  (Spoiler alert: blame or thank your parents!  There's a good chance this is an innate love or hate that is influenced by variation in your dopamine receptors.)