Benefits of Dental Bridges

Teeth are necessary for us to efficiently chew. While we don't give much thought to our teeth beyond this, and beyond the appearance of the smile, these structures are also important to functional speech, and to the contouring of the face. Teeth hold the lips in a plump, youthful position. Without them, the area between the nose and the chin would collapse inward. To have a lovely smile is not a luxury; it is something we all deserve. Tooth loss can stand in the way of this, but it doesn't have to. Our cosmetic dentists in Mentor OH often create lifelike dental bridges to help Erieview Dental patients regain confidence in their smile.

Prompt attention is needed for the person who has lost a permanent tooth. Replacement is necessary not only for aesthetics, but also for oral health and for overall oral function, too. The dental bridge is a proven method of restoring necessary oral integrity, providing a number of benefits, including:

• Optimal chewing, without creating stress for the joints of the jaw.

• Aesthetic value.

• Speaking remains clear, as the tongue hits teeth in the right places to create various sounds.

• Bite force is evenly distributed amongst all teeth, rather than just a few.

• Proper support is restored to facial structure.

Treatment with Dental Bridges

There are a few different types of dental bridge. Most patients opt for the fixed bridge due to the stability it provides. This structure includes two dental crowns and a pontic, or artificial tooth. A bridge can hold more than one pontic between two crowns. To begin the restorative process, the teeth outside the gap are reduced in order to accommodate their crowns. Impressions are taken and a model is sent to the dental lab. Temporary crowns will be affixed to these teeth. When the final restoration is complete, the temporary crowns are removed and the bridge is put into place. Before we bond the bridge, we evaluate bite and fit to ensure long-term results. Secured onto the anchor teeth, the bridge should last for several years.

Tooth loss can have steep consequences, but we can help you avoid them! Call our cosmetic dentists in Mentor OH at Erieview Dental to consult with us about dental bridge treatment.

Save Your Tooth with Root Canal Treatments

Dentist in Mentor OH Discusses Why Root Canal Treatments May be Necessary to Protect Your Smile

There are a number of treatments available that are made to repair and restore your smile. Dentistry has come quite far and has the ability to give patients a completely new and transformed look just by improving the way your teeth look and feel. Your dentist in Mentor OH can perform a root canal, saving your infected tooth from a potential extraction. Learn more about this procedure and why it’s highly recommended and successful.

Millions of teeth are treated and saved every year with the popular endodontic treatment. The pulp of your tooth can become infected or inflamed, causing a great amount of discomfort for the patient. There are a number of reasons that a tooth can become damaged: severe tooth decay, chips or cracks in the tooth, repeated treatment on one tooth, faulty crowns or other procedure all have the ability to infect and injure your smile.

Inside your tooth and under the protective surface of the enamel and dentin, there’s soft tissue called pulp. This contains blood vessels, nerves and connective tissue which helps grow the root of your tooth during its development. While this area can become infected and damaged, a fully developed tooth has the ability to survive without the pulp since its protected and nourished by the surrounding tissue. A root canal treatment is the process of removing the infected/inflamed pulp so it doesn’t continue to spread and damage the rest of the teeth.

Without a root canal treatment, patients will suffer from difficulty eating and drinking, intense and sharp pain, dull aches and pressure to the tooth and surrounding area, and tenderness of the nearby gums. The pain can appear in short bursts or can last throughout your entire day.

After the pulp is removed, the inside of the tooth is carefully and efficiently cleaned and disinfected, then filled and sealed with protective mineral so there’s no way bacteria can return to that area again. After being further protected with a crown or filling, there will be a restoration period before your tooth goes back to functioning like the rest of them!

If you think you need a root canal, don’t hesitate to call your dentist in Mentor OH at (440) 357-1222 and schedule an appointment today.

Preventing Gum Disease

Fight Back Against Gum Disease with Our Mentor OH Dentist

At Erieview Dental, our Mentor OH dentists work together with countless patients utilizing a selection of dental treatments. In fact, our team, lead by Drs. Greenfield and Thomas, is dedicated to helping patients achieve better oral health and wellness. Using the latest technologies and most advanced techniques, our team helps patients with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of periodontal disease.

When we advise patients to brush and floss their teeth after every meal and visit our office at least twice a year, this is because we care for our patients’ smiles. We know that with proper attention, patients can avoid the development of conditions such as periodontal disease. Periodontal disease, which is referred to by some patients as gum disease, is a preventable condition that often develops due to poor oral health habits. By taking care of the smile, patients keep this from developing and maintain better health and wellness overall.

If periodontal disease does occur, it needs to be properly diagnosed before a treatment plan can be developed. Diagnosis is done right at our dental office and may be performed with a simple physical examination. Periodontal disease has several visible elements that may indicate a problem such as pockets between the gum tissue and the teeth, loose teeth, or red and swollen gums. Diagnosis also determines the stage at which the disease has reached.

Treatment varies depending on how severe the disease has become. The earlier stages may be resolved with a simple cleaning and antibiotic treatment, while more severe cases may require scaling and root planing and a long-term treatment plan with more regular check-ups and examinations.

It is important for patients to understand that periodontal disease cannot be reversed, only controlled. With the attention of our quality Mentor OH dentists, patients will achieve better oral health even after this condition has been diagnosed. Drs. Seth Greenfield and George Thomas of Erieview Dental are here to help! Contact us today at (440) 357-1222 and make an appointment to discuss prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of periodontal disease.

Let's Get this Straight

Having straight teeth means having better oral health; that is, if you brush and floss on a regular basis. Straight teeth also mean having a more attractive smile. When you have a more attractive smile, you feel more comfortable in your own skin. The level of confidence that stems from this subsequently affects your social and professional wellbeing. This is the nature of the smile. It is not a little thing that sits front and center on your face; it is vital to your quality of life.

So what do you do if your teeth are not as straight as you'd like? You call our cosmetic dentist in Mentor OH to talk about the value of Invisalign treatment. We are no longer tied to metal braces if we want a healthier, more attractive smile. Now, we can achieve the desired outcome from care with a whole new approach.

Why Patients Love Invisalign

What's not to love about Invisalign, really? Here are just a few of the key elements to this teeth-straightening method:

• Comfortable. Most people appreciate the choice of trading in metal brackets and wires for smooth aligner trays that mold around the teeth. Nothing to irritate lips or cheeks!

• Discreet. Thermoplastic aligners are made in such a way to deliver necessary force without being bulky and obvious in appearance. Most people never notice aligners on someone else. In the event of a photo op or important meeting, just remove aligners for a short time if you prefer.

• Less care. Teeth are moved through the continual wear of precision aligners. Every two weeks, a new set replaces the one that came before. This system requires very little from your dentist, which decreases the number of times you need to see us. The primary purpose of follow-up visit throughout the treatment plan is to check progress. That's it!

• Easy peasy. Who doesn't like a little more convenience placed into their life? With Invisalign, you can straighten your teeth without having to develop new habits that revolve around brushing and flossing or eating. Removable aligners allow you to continue your normal routine with ease.

We enjoy helping our patients achieve the results they want through personal dental care. To schedule your visit with our cosmetic dentist in Mentor OH, call (440) 357-1222.

Why Get a Dental Cleaning

Why to Schedule Your Mentor OH Dental Cleaning Today!

One of the most common appointments made at Erieview Dental’s Mentor OH office is for a preventative dental cleaning and exam. These appointments, if scheduled and follow-through on every six months can greatly benefit your oral and whole body health for years to come. Unfortunately, we often see that patients will overlook the importance of these visits, and skip them for months, even years. In order to help show how important these visits can be, we have compiled a few reasons below that you should schedule your next cleaning today!

 -Cleanings bright your smile: our diets are one of the biggest contributing factors to the discoloration of our teeth. Over time, tea, coffee, alcohol, tobacco and more can stain the teeth- resulting in a shade less desirable than the pearly white we love. Dental cleanings can remove built-up stains and polish your teeth, resulting in a brighter, better smile.

-Prevent decay: even if you brush and floss on a daily basis, there are still some hard places to reach with the “standard equipment” that might be impacted by tartar and plaque. Regular cleanings can help remove these from the pockets of your gums, between the teeth and other places that may not be as easy to clean- but can decay and cause cavities, disease or worse if not handled.

-Beat bad breath: could you imagine smelling a 5-month-old piece of meat? Probably not very desirable, right? Well now imagine that stuck between your teeth, never being removed. Safe to say, this can result in bad breath. Cleanings can help remove any lingering, rotting particles or other issues that result in bad breath- leaving your next exhale much more pleasant than it was before.

Besides the above, cleanings and exams can also save you big money and time spent in the long run. Avoid costlier, more time consuming dental treatments by addressing the issue when it is still “young” with an exam and taking care of it right away.

To schedule your next Mentor OH dental cleaning at Erieview Dental, call our office today at (440) 357-1222.

Guard Your Smile with Oral Appliances

Dentist in Mentor OH Shares the Different Mouth Guards Available to Protect Your Teeth

Here at Erieview Dental, we do everything that we can to ensure our patients have the best smile around! There are a number of ways that we do so—with prevention, general and cosmetic dentistry, your dentist in Mentor OH wants each and every patient to leave our office with a bright and healthy smile. Another way of doing so is offering appliances in order to protect your teeth when you’re sleeping or when you’re playing sports. Learn more about these appliances below!

Night Guards

Many people don’t realize that they may need to wear a night guard until they visit the dentist. A majority of people who grind their teeth are doing it when they sleep, so they’re unaware of their bruxism-tendencies until they’re told by a professional. The only way they notice that something’s wrong is when they wake up with a sore jaw and sensitive teeth.

A solution that we offer is occlusal night guards, mouth pieces that can be worn at night when a person is sleeping. When you wear this, you’re less likely to grind down your teeth and cause any damage on the enamel or cause sensitivity.

Sports Guards

These are a popular option that many athletes wear when they play sports, whether it’s professionally or just for fun! These are to prevent any injuries to your teeth, lips, cheeks, tongue, and jaw. While most of these can be bought at a sports store, they’re not always the most comfortable to wear. Here at our office, we offer customized sports guards that are created to fit your smile!

One-third of all dental injuries are sports related, which is why athletes wear these mouth guards. Most of the incidents are due to trauma, so wearing these mouth guards while you play is going to protect your teeth from severe impact.

To learn more about these appliances, contact your dentist in Mentor OH by calling our office today at (440) 357-1222.

Restore a New Smile with Crowns

Why CEREC Dental Crowns are a Great Choice for our Mentor, OH Patients

Dentistry has evolved so significantly in the past several decades that it can be hard to keep up with all the wonderful changes. Patients of Erieview Dental receive care that considers not only the immediate need for comfort, but also the long-term need for function and aesthetic beauty. It is in the achievement of lasting, life-like results that we create value for our patients. One of the methods that makes this possible is to craft dental crowns and other restorations with our CEREC milling machine. If you are not yet familiar with this service from our Mentor, OH practice, read on for more information.

The aspect of CEREC care that is most often recognized is the fact that treatment takes place in just one visit, as opposed to 2 or more. The process is very simple: we remove damaged tooth structure as needed to prevent further problems. We then capture an image using a small intraoral camera and send that to special software, where it is processed into a 3D model of the tooth. The CEREC milling machine reads this model and carves the necessary restoration from beautiful ceramic material.

It's not Just about Convenience

There are additional benefits to CEREC treatment that must be mentioned:

• CEREC restorations are fabricated from ceramic that closely resembles natural enamel. They are not only color-matched to your teeth, but they also appear translucent. Your new restorations not only strengthen teeth but they compliment natural beauty.

• Restorations are bonded to teeth, which means there is only minimal reduction necessary. The preservation of natural tooth structure is important to your dentist, and to your long-term oral health.

• The all-ceramic crowns and other restorations made in our CEREC machine are gentler to teeth than metal fillings. This is because ceramic and enamel are similar in the way that they expand and contract in response to temperature changes.

• The fit of CEREC restorations sets the stage for longevity. Many of these restorations continue to function at optimal levels decades after initial placement.

Your comfort, appearance, and full satisfaction with dental care are important to us. Learn more about your options for general and cosmetic dental care at 440-357-1222.

Why Consider Teeth Whitening?

Why Patients Choose to Have Their Teeth Whitened by a Professional Like Our Mentor OH Dentist

What makes a beautiful smile? Is it straight, aligned teeth? A clean and perfect gum line? Or is it bright, brilliant enamel? For most patients, the number one priority in achieving a more beautiful smile is whitening the teeth. Our teeth are exposed to a lot of elements that can negatively detract from its natural brightness. The food we eat and the beverages we drink can dull the enamel and cause it to look dull and yellow. Some of us are genetically predisposed to having darker teeth than others. Even medications such as tetracycline can cause unwanted staining on the teeth and impact the overall look. When patients visit Erieview Dental and talk to our Mentor OH dentist about cosmetic procedures, the most recommended treatment is that of professional teeth whitening.

Whitening the teeth is completely safe. It is done with FDA-approved bleaching gels that provide amazing results in a short period of time. While there are many drugstores that offer over-the-counter whitening products, many of these fall short of providing noticeable results. In fact, many of our patients come into our practice having already tried these methods and feel as though they have been throwing their money away. These strips, toothpastes, trays, and other methodologies of brightening the smile are often low-cost but poor improvements.

This is when many patients in the community turn to a dental professional for thorough, effective alternatives. Our practice offers two methods of whitening including our in-office power bleaching and our professional-grade, custom-made whitening trays. Patients seeking same day results may benefit from our in-office services while the take-home trays often provide gradual improvements over the course of several weeks.

Whether you live in Mentor, OH or one of the surrounding areas, our team of professionals can help you brighten your smile quickly and easily with professional-grade whitening solutions. Contact our Mentor OH dentist today by calling (440) 357-1222 and making an appointment with our staff. Our front office team is friendly and can help in scheduling a visit that is convenient for you and your busy schedule.

Eat Right & Address Stress

Cosmetic Dentist in Mentor OH Shares the Importance of Dealing with Stress to Protect Your Smile

We want to make sure that your smile is a top priority of your day, but we understand if it’s not on the top of your list, especially when you’re having a stressful day. But we want to share with our patients that stress can be a major factor towards an unhealthy or unstable smile. That’s why your cosmetic dentist in Mentor OH wants to discuss what stress can do to your teeth and how to protect them.

One of the most common occurrences that people experience is poor cleaning habits. When you’re stressed, your oral and dental health isn’t always the first thing that you think of. If you’ve had a long day, sometimes you just want to fall in bed and go to sleep to get as much rest and relaxation as you can, so it’s easy to skip out on brushing and flossing. But when you keep up with this notion, your teeth are going to suffer.

Another instance of poor cleaning habits when you’re stressed is unhealthy eating. It’s easy to indulge in the foods that aren’t always good for you, like chips, cookies, fast food, and other harmful items filled with sugars. While it can seem difficult to correct your dental issues, it’s much easier to get cavities and suffer from tooth decay. This bad habit can even result in gum disease without any dental care done by a professional.

You want your smile to last a lifetime, even when stress is trying to bring you down. Let your cosmetic dentist in Mentor OH improve your smile in more ways than one—call our office today at (440) 357-1222 to schedule an appointment or consultation.

Save Your Smile with Simple Steps

By Scheduling an Appointment for Dental Cleanings in Mentor OH, Your Smile can Last that Much Longer!

It can be easy to get caught in the whirlwind that is your everyday routine. Distractions are everywhere and they’re common; whether you’re at school, at work, or even at home where you want to relax. This can cause people to easily forget or skip certain short parts of their day in order to potentially save time in order to get the necessary steps completed first. Below, we’ll explain why it’s important to keep up with your oral hygiene routine and how it can benefit more than just a pretty smile in the future.

Visiting our office in Mentor OH for dental cleanings twice a year can dramatically improve your oral and dental health more than you may think! During your visit, we will work to not only improve your teeth and gums, but we can also tell if a patient is at risk for any serious chronical diseases. Having poor oral and dental health can lead to severe issues if they’re not properly addressed and taken care of as soon as possible. With good oral health, it will lessen the chances of any diseases even occurring or erupting!

A patient having poor oral health can easily lead to periodontitis (also known as gum disease) at an alarming pace. There are known relationships between gum disease and overall health issues like heart disease and a high risk for strokes. Other diseases can have side effects that occur in the mouth, like swollen gums, dry mouth, and more. Diabetes, oral cancer, and kidney disease are only a few, but they can still have a negative effect to your teeth and gums.

There are only a few simple steps to avoid serious dental disasters! Keeping up with your daily dental routine of brushing and flossing your teeth for at least two minutes and twice a day is the most important step to improving your smile. Avoiding harmful foods, drinks, and habits like smoking and chewing tobacco are also ways to improve your oral and dental health. And, last but not least, visiting our practice in Mentor OH for dental cleanings for your bi-annual check-up will let us help you!

To schedule an appointment with your Mentor OH dentist, call our office at (440) 357-1222 today!

Beat Bad Breath

Cosmetic Dentist in Mentor OH Explains how Bad Breath May Stick Around for Too Long

One of the most common issues that many people face in the morning is bad breath. Even if you brush your teeth before you go to bed, there can still be a lingering scent that offends your nose the moment you first yawn while waking up. Bad breath can also stick around for a while once you’ve eaten something pungent. But what happens if you’re suffering from bad breath throughout your entire day? Below, your cosmetic dentist in Mentor OH breaks down how halitosis can harm your smile.

According to the Academy of General Dentistry, there are up to 80 million people who suffer from halitosis. No matter how often or how well you brush and floss your teeth or use mouthwash, sometimes bad breath still sticks around for the long run. This can negatively affect your daily routine if you’re embarrassed to talk near anyone in fear of sharing your bad breath and may result in personal isolation.

We want to help patients tackle the root of their bad breath and what they can do to protect their smile. Of course, we know that there are a lot of foods that can cause bad breath (garlic and onions), but sometimes that smell can linger even as the food is being digested. Other major contributors to bad breath are habits like smoking cigarettes and chewing tobacco, poor dental and oral health, dry mouth, and certain medications. While some of these can be out of your control (mostly medications), it’s still important to address these issues in order to save your smile!

Some solutions that you can look into while you’re at home or on the go are:
• Mouthwash specified for bad breath: there are mouthwashes tailored to different oral issues, like dry mouth and bad breath. Check out the ones that you think can help!
• Scrape your tongue: a lot of the smelly bacteria tends to linger at the back of your tongue, to look into buying a specialized tongue cleaner and going back to front to remove harmful particles

If you’re interested in learning about more solutions for bad breath, don’t hesitate to schedule a consultation with your cosmetic dentist in Mentor OH by calling our office at (440) 357-1222 today.

Abscessed Tooth Truth

Your top cosmetic dentists in Mentor OH at Erieview Dental want you to know that an abscessed tooth is no laughing matter. Abscesses usually can be caused by infection, leading to the tooth being surrounding by a pocket of pus. They can occur both at the gum level, and at the root of the tooth. Each of these will have their own symptoms and complications- which we cover below:

Symptoms of an Abscessed Tooth:

Pain and swelling that progressively gets worse.

A swollen and tender mass around/next to the tooth.

Bleeding gums.

Cold and hot sensitivity.

Fever and/or taking in less food and drink.

Complications of an abscessed tooth:

Infection of surrounding tissue or bone.

Sinus or facial infections

Ludwig angina- swelling of the neck or tongue that can block airways and even result in death.

Most cases of tooth abscess can start because of tooth decay, plaque, cavities and even dental work or surgery- but can obviously progress into a much more serious issue. If you feel you are suffering from an abscess in your mouth, call your dentists in Mentor OH for us to assess and treat you right away. However, if you are suffering from the more advanced swelling complications, seek emergency care right away.

Manage Dental Anxiety with Music

Dental anxiety can be an absolutely devastating issue to try and tackle. Patients who suffer with this condition can be lose sleep before appointments, have panic attacks, get sick or have trouble breathing. This can cause some patients to skip coming to their appointments for years on end in some cases, resulting in higher risks of gum disease, cavities, tooth loss and more.

While your Mentor Ohio dentists at Erieview Dental have done all they can to not only accommodate patients with dental anxiety, but to prevent it, sometimes a great atmosphere, relaxing staff and pain-free methods aren’t even enough. Sometimes when a patient is in their own head, only they can break themselves free of their anxiety.

One thing that is proving to help reduce anxiety and pain more and more is the usage of music in the office. Studies have shown that music can help reduce pain, influence mood, reduce anxiety and even lower blood pressure or heart rate. Relaxing classical and piano based music has proven to be the best for these results- but any music can help distract a patient- especially with anxiety.

You should always be comfortable when seeking care, or even when thinking about seeking care. If you are a bit apprehensive about making an appointment with your Mentor Ohio dentists at Erieview Dental, maybe think about bringing along an iPod next time with your favorite tunes! We will work with you to ensure your treatment is always as pain and anxiety free as possible!

For more information or to schedule your next visit- call us today at (440) 357-1222.

Decoding Dental Terms

Mentor OH Dentist Clears Up the Conversation

Patient education is a crucial pillar of the work performed by your Mentor OH dentists at Erieview Dental. We make sure to spend enough time with every patient discussing their treatment and why it is being done that way, as well as what can be done to keep them healthy outside of our office walls.

Unfortunately, sometimes specific technical medical terms may be used in these conversations…as they are just common place to dental professionals. We will never use terms you do not know to confuse you or keep you in the dark…it is just a phenomenon of practicing a specialty so long. For example, you may be a professional musician and use the terms “crescendo” and “staccato” on a daily basis…where we may use terms like “prophylaxis” in our office instead. The result of both conversations can be confusion- which is never desired.

If we ever happen to use a term you are unfamiliar with directly, or it is overheard in office, please feel free to ask us about it! We know that not every patient may not be completely comfortable with inquiring about these types of situations though. For that very reason, we have provided the following website for you to catch up on your dental terminology at your own leisure: Click Here for More.

Whether you know the difference between “occlusal” and “occlusion” may not matter much in your day to day. Knowing that you should keep regularly schedule appointments with your Mentor OH dentists, however, THAT is something to know and hold onto! Call our office today to schedule an appointment at (440) 357-1222.

Dentist in Mentor vs Grinding

The battle of bruxism, or teeth grinding, is something your cosmetic dentists in Mentor OH at Erieview Dental take part in every day. We help our patients overcome this, oftentimes, subconscious clenching or chronic grinding that experts feel is tied to stress specifically the best ways we know how. More often than not, bruxing can occur while sleeping, making a patient not even know they are really committing the act. With that in mind, today we have arranged a list of some of the signs and symptoms that can be associated with grinding:

-Substantial tooth wear or cracks in the teeth.

-Loose teeth or sensitive teeth.

-Newly formed popping or clicking sounds when you move the jaw.

-Severe jaw or facial pain.

-Chronic headaches.

And while this list is not 100% complete, these will be some of the “red flags” you should consider when self-diagnosing your potential bruxism. Left untreated, this condition can lead to decay, disease, tooth loss, structural damage and more. Your Mentor OH dentists suggest taking a look at occlusal night guards, mouth guards that you wear while you sleep, behavioral cognitive therapy and stress management classes to resolve your issue before turning to something like surgery to correct the problem.

For more information on the damage bruxism can do, or if you fear you may be grinding your teeth while you sleep, contact your Mentor cosmetic dentists at Erieview Dental today at (440) 357-1222.

Dental Fossils

Dentist in Mentor OH Provides Historic Information about Our Ancestors’ Teeth

We’ve come a long way in terms of evolution, but have you ever wondered how our teeth have progressed, as well? Our smiles have gone through a lot and still do to this day, even with all of the advances in technology that is at our disposal. Your dentist in Mentor OH wants to share some history about the way our teeth have molded to how they look now.

The most common fossils of our ancestors, also known as hominin, are mostly teeth since they’re the hardest part of the human body. This provides a lot of helpful information of the time period that they’re from, their diet and more. As humans continued to evolve, the teeth actually shrink. It’s most noticeable in the teeth in the back, which are your wisdom teeth. Nowadays, because of the work done to wisdom teeth over a period of time, most wisdom teeth are extremely small and in some cases, not even developed. But with hominins, their wisdom teeth were about two to four times larger than that.

The reason that modern human’s teeth have shrunk is because of the professional work that has been done over the years, molding smiles in the future.

There are also other speculations and ideas for the shift, literally and figuratively, in our teeth. Click here to read more about what researchers and scientists have to say about these fossils.

Make sure you’re always taking care of your smile by visiting your dentist in Mentor OH! Contact our office today to schedule an appointment by calling (440) 357-1222.

The Guide to Mouth Rinsing

Mentor OH General Dentist on Rinsing The Right Way

On a daily basis, your top providers of general dentistry in Mentor OH at Erieview Dental help patients in establishing a proper at-home oral health regimen. As dental professionals, we always recommend and see the benefit of, twice daily brushing for at least two minutes per session and daily flossing for most patients.

Once we make this recommendation, however, most patients will ask about mouthwash. And while mouth washing is not 100% needed in every patient’s regimen, it does have some great benefits. Not only does mouthwash help your breath smell nice and fresh after a meal or a smoke, but it can help destroy bacteria that lead to gum disease, reduce your risk for tooth decay, eliminate tartar build up and even help whiten the teeth.

But how does one choose a mouthwash with all the options out there? Or how do you know what ingredients in mouthwash are beneficial to you? When it comes to action- how long should you be swishing? And ultimately- do you actually really NEED to mouthwash?

While we acknowledge that every patient is a unique case, we found a WebMD page that answered a great number of these questions in a similar fashion to how we would. You can review that mouthwash guide here: Click Here.

For any more questions concerning your oral health and/or mouth washing, schedule an appointment with your top dentists in Mentor OH by calling (440) 357-1222.

National Nutrition Month

Dentist in Mentor OH on March (Nutrition) Madness!

While it may be a little too late to qualify for a “New Year’s Resolution” diet- your dentist in Mentor OH at Erieview Dental wants you to know it is never too late to change the way you eat! This coming March marks another National Nutrition Month, where the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics try to make everyday people more aware of what they eat and drink on a daily basis. We wanted to do our part today to let you know how your nutrition can impact your oral health in particular.

It is safe to say that most people aren’t thinking about oral health as soon as they eat something. They may consider how it tastes…smells…what it will do to their waistline and a whole load of other thoughts before the damage it can do to a smile. Even the small things, or supposedly healthy ones, such as “diet” products or a little lemon, can slide under the radar completely.

Items high in acid content (like those above) or especially sugary ones can lead to all sorts of dental detriments. Cavities, gum disease, lost teeth- you name it, and it is possible from your diet alone. Without being overly pessimistic, there are a whole group of things that can do your oral health good too.

Yes, milk, albeit a cliché- can do your mouth good. It, along with whole grain and wheat foods and more, contain vitamins and nutrients that not only improve your overall health- but the health of your mouth too. Many fruits and vegetables can also deliver mouth-saving blasts of vitamins and nutrients that ward off bacteria, whiten your smile and keep you healthy.

As with many things in the world of food and drink, there is a fine line between just enough and too much. The world won’t end if you have a soda every once and a while, but if you have a few a day, your mouth and body may not be thanking you for it in due time. Being aware of the difference between these two realities and knowing what it is you put in your body is the main National Nutrition Month- and we hope you stay vigilant of your diet not only through March but year-round as well.

For more information on National Nutrition Month as it relates to your oral health, call the office of your dentist in Mentor today at (440) 357-1222 to schedule an appointment!