Food Choices

Your food choices impact your smile, your health and your overall body. “It is critical to make important food choices,” says Dr. Anna Lee.

Foods benefit Oral Health

·      Calcium-Rich Foods: cheese, milk, plain yogurt, tofu, leafy greens, almonds

·      Protein-Rich Foods: meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs, beans, peas and other legumes

·      High in Water & Fiber:

Fruits-oranges, apples, pears, pears, strawberries

Vegetables-broccoli, celery, carrots, spinach

Foods harm Oral Health

·      Dried fruits: raisins

·      Sticky candies: taffy, caramel

·      Desserts: cakes, cookies, muffins

·      Sugar-containing drinks: soda, lemonade, juice, sweetened coffee or tea, sports drinks

For more help on which foods are best with your smile, contact Dr. Anna Lee & her team today.

Eating Patterns

Adults and children want to enjoy healthy living and healthy teeth and gums.  Eating patterns and when you eat can affect the oral health. Dr. Anna Lee states, “Foods that are eaten as part of a meal cause less harm to teeth than eating lots of snacks throughout the day.”

 

More saliva is produced during a meal. Saliva washes foods from the mouth and lessens the effects of acids attacking the teeth that cause tooth decay. The recommendations are to limit between-meal snacks and limit the number of snacks eaten throughout the day.

Foods that are high in carbohydrates decrease the amount of saliva production. This decrease not only impacts problems in the mouth overall, “but it creates a breeding ground for more bacteria to impact the teeth and gums,” says Dr. Lee.

For more information on how to prevent problems and keep your smile healthy, contact Dr. Lee & her team today.

Why Does Nutrition Affect Oral Health?

Nutrition is critical to the overall health of your mouth. The food you consume everyday is a vital element to your smile. Dr. Anna Lee, recommends consuming healthy foods to help keep your smile in tip-top shape.

A poor diet can lead to gum disease and tooth decay.  Researchers believe that tooth decay progresses faster and is more prevalent in people with poor nutrition.  Foods high in carbohydrates, sugars and starches contribute to the production of plaque acids that attack the tooth enamel. These acids cause tooth enamel to break down and cause tooth decay.

Contact Dr. Anna Lee & her team today for more information.

NUTRITION & TEETH

      

                     What is good nutrition?

Your smile can be impacted by the foods that you consume. Implementing a healthy

diet can help keep your smile in good working order. Consuming more fruits and

vegetables can help rinse food off of your teeth in order to help support gum health.

Healthy eating is a well-balanced diet so the body can receive the proper nutrients

necessary for good health and wellness.  Dr. Anna Lee suggests, “the mouth is the

body’s initial point of contact with nutrients.”  Having healthy teeth and gums are

essential tools for eating, chewing or swallowing, and it is the first steps in the

digestion process to provide good nutrition to the body.  Eating patterns and eating

healthy food impact the general health, the teeth and the gums.  Studies have shown

that people who have poor nutrition are likely to have poor oral health.

If you are struggling with your oral care contact Dr. Anna Lee & her team today.

Tooth Contouring or Reshaping

Tooth contouring or reshaping is a conservative and inexpensive procedure to help improve the appearance of the smile. Dr. Anna Lee suggests, "this procedure is best for patients who just need minimal adjustments or repairs to improve the look and feel of their teeth."

·      Advantages

-cost, an inexpensive way to improve the look of the teeth

-painless, no anesthesia, no discomfort during the procedure

-improves health of teeth, minimal reshaping/contouring of overlapped teeth may decrease the risk of tooth decay & gum disease

·      Disadvantages

-risk of tooth damage (too much enamel reduction)

-teeth become sensitive (too much enamel reduction)

All Ceramic Crowns

All Ceramic Crowns are fabricated entirely out of a glass-like compound such as porcelain.  There are 2 ceramic materials that are the clinicians’ favorites today:

Lithium Disilicate and Zirconia.

·      Lithium Disilicate restorations are most esthetic restorations in dentistry today.  These restorations match the esthetic characteristics of natural teeth very closely.  Multiple-unit restorations (fixed bridges) are not recommended at this time, suggests Dr. Anna Lee.

Lithium Disilicate restorations are good choices for single unit restorations, both anterior (front) and posterior (back) teeth.

·      Zirconia restorations are strong restorations but are not as esthetic as the lithium disilicate restorations. Early zirconia materials were opaque and white and were not recommended for front teeth restorations.

Zirconia restorations are good choices for single unit restorations for the posterior (back) teeth.

Contact Dr. Lee and her team today for  more information. 

Porcelain Veneer

"Porcelain veneer is a thin layer of porcelain bonded over the front surface of the tooth.  It usually requires a minimal amount of tooth (enamel) reduction," Dr. Anna Lee. This reduction creates room for the porcelain veneer to be bonded onto the front surface of the tooth.

·      Advantages

-provide a natural tooth appearance

-gum tissue tolerates porcelain well

-stain resistant

-change tooth’s color and shape

-minimal tooth (enamel) reduction

-may not require local anesthesia

·      Disadvantages

-irreversible process (tooth reduction of enamel)

-patients wait 1-2 weeks (laboratory time) before getting veneers bonded onto the   tooth

-cost

-not repairable if veneers are chipped or cracked

-teeth may become more sensitive to hot and cold foods and beverages