Halloween TIPS from The Smile Zone

It’s that spooky time of year again! Whether you are going door-to-door trick or treating, attending a party dressed in a clever, silly or scary costume, or simply getting together with friends and family to watch scary movies, Dr. Rob Andrew and Dr. Jerome Caouette and our team want you to keep in mind the following tips from our friends at the American Dental Association to help reduce tooth-decay.

•Eat treats with meals. Saliva production increases during meals washing out food particles and helping to neutralize cavity causing plaque acid.

•Consider chewing ADA-accepted sugarless gum after meals. Certain sugarless gums have earned the ADA Seal of Acceptance for scientifically proving that chewing the gum for 20 minutes after meals helped prevent tooth decay.

•Follow the 1-2-3s of good daily oral hygiene: Floss once a day, brush twice a day and eat three balanced meals a day.

•Visit Dr. Rob Andrew and Dr. Jerome Caouette for regular checkups.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN from your friends at The Smile Zone!

5 tips to avoid plaque, from The Smile Zone

At The Smile Zone, we know nobody likes getting plaque on their teeth. Here are five other ways you can avoid that dreaded enemy of the teeth during orthodontic treatment, courtesy of WebMD.

Let’s start with brushing regularly.. Brushing your teeth twice a day with a fluoride-containing toothpaste is vital to a healthy mouth. Make sure you softly brush all the surfaces of your teeth.

Next on the list is flossing daily: a simple daily flossing between teeth clears away plaque before it can cause damage and can also clean plaque at the gum line. Plaque is known to reach the spaces between teeth.

Also, evading a trip to the dentist is probably not a great idea. Let’s say you brush and floss daily. You’re still at risk for plaque. With time, the plaque hardens and turns into tartar. Consider visiting your general dentist at least twice a year or as recommended by your dentist, and you have a lower chance of getting cavities or losing your teeth while wearing braces.

You’ll also want to stop avoiding those fruits and veggies. Believe it or not, there are foods out there that play a key role in keeping plaque off our teeth. They include apples, carrots, cucumbers and other raw fruits and vegetables. You can still eat these types of fruits and veggies if you have braces, but be sure to cut them up into bite sized pieces to avoid breaking off brackets.

Finally, before you pick up that candy bar, remember to not give in to your sweet tooth. Consuming sugary drinks or eating candy or other junk food allows sugar to stick to our teeth. The bacteria, then, becomes plaque, which turns into acid and damages our teeth. Avoiding these five bad habits keeps your plaque in check and your mouth as healthy as can be during your orthodontic treatment with Dr. Andrew. If you have any questions, give us a call or ask us on Facebook!

Who's afraid of the dentist?

Does the sound of a drill make you flinch or cringe? Do you worry about your twice-yearly dental checkup? Trust our team at The Smile Zone when we say you’re not alone! In fact, the Journal of the American Dental Association has estimated that 30 to 40 million people have a fear of visiting the dentist.

To eliminate some of that fear, we’ve put together six steps to help you or your child overcome your dental anxiety before visiting The Smile Zone office.

1. What are you most afraid of? Is it the sound of the drill? Do you have needle phobia? Have you been traumatized by previous dental visits? Write down your fears, one by one.

2. Don’t wait. The more frequently you visit our office, the less work needs to be done at any one visit. Simply having your teeth cleaned professionally twice a year—or as recommended—prevents many, if not most, problems.

3. Bring a distraction to your appointment. Bringing along an iPod is a great idea. Just plug in those earphones, close your eyes, and get lost in the music. Listening to music can also be a pain killer.

4. Relax. Inhale slowly, and count of five. Hold your breath for 10 seconds, then exhale slowly to the count of eight. Repeat. It's easier if you're not totally focused on the work going on inside your mouth.

5. Ask. Before any procedure, ask the Doctor or one of our assistants why we’re using the tools we’re using. Ask us what we're doing, what the tool is used for, and how it will benefit you during the appointment. Also, please ask about anti-anxiety medications that we may prescribe to help you relax during your appointment.

6. We are here to help you. Remember, we are health care professionals who want to improve your oral health, and will never judge you or the state of your mouth. At The Smile Zone we will do all we can to ensure a trauma-free and pain-free experience!

We hope this helps! For more on dental anxieties, we encourage you to visit this helpful article, ask us during your next visit to our convenient Edmonton office! Or, ask us on Facebook!

Happy Thanksgiving! From The Smile Zone!

Happy Thanksgiving! It’s a day to sleep in late, eat turkey, pumpkin pie and enjoy the colours of the season. As always, Drs. Rob Andrew and Jerome Caouette and our team at The Smile Zone have a lot to be thankful to be for.

How about you? What are you thankful for today? Friends? Family? A day off? Your new smile?

Drs. Andrew and Caouette and team would like to wish you a safe and happy Thanksgiving. It's a big food holiday, so be careful what you eat, and always remember to floss! If you have any stories or pictures to share with us, we'd encourage you to send them below or post them to our Facebook page!

Gobble Gobble!

What can I eat with my braces?

You just got braces at The Smile Zone and Dr. Rob Andrew has informed you that during your orthodontic treatment you will want to avoid eating anything sticky, hard, crunchy, or chewy. What does this leave for you to eat? Lettuce? Nothing?

Luckily, our friends at the American Association of Orthodontists, or AAO, created a variety of “braces-friendly” recipes that will allow you to enjoy your favorite treats without interfering with your orthodontic care!

Recipes include main dishes, side dishes and even yummy desserts! After all, a healthy diet provides essential nutrients and helps the patient achieve the best possible results from orthodontic treatment.

If you have any questions about the recipes listed or about the foods you should be avoiding during your orthodontic treatment, please give us a call or ask us on Facebook!

Enjoy!