Halloween can be tricky when you or your child wear braces. A single piece of hard or sticky candy can pop off a bracket, bend a wire, or leave sugar trapped around your teeth for hours. The good news is that you do not have to sit out the fun entirely. With a little planning, it is possible to enjoy …
Can a Sinus Infection Cause Tooth Pain?
You wake up with a dull, throbbing ache in your upper back teeth, and your nose feels stuffy too. Is it a cavity, or is it your sinuses? The two can feel remarkably similar, which is why so many people end up guessing, and sometimes treating the wrong problem for days. At Forest Smiles in Forest, Virginia, Dr. Shane Claiborne, …
How Does Acid Reflux Affect Your Teeth?
If you deal with regular heartburn or acid reflux, you are probably focused on the discomfort in your chest and throat. What often gets overlooked is what that stomach acid is doing to your teeth every time it makes its way up into your mouth. At Forest Smiles in Forest, Virginia, Dr. Shane Claiborne, Dr. Emma Schmidt, and Dr. Maysa …
How to Treat (and Prevent) Canker Sores
If you have ever bitten the inside of your cheek and then noticed a small, painful sore show up a day or two later, you have likely experienced a canker sore. These small mouth ulcers are common and usually harmless, but they can make eating, talking, and even brushing your teeth uncomfortable until they heal. At Forest Smiles in Forest, …
Water Flosser vs. String Floss: Which One Actually Works Better?
What the Research Actually Shows Flossing is one of those habits almost everyone knows they should do more consistently, and the rise of water flossers has a lot of people wondering if there is finally an easier way to get the job done. So which one actually wins: the classic string floss your dentist has recommended for decades, or the …
Tooth Sensitivity: Causes, Fixes, and When to Worry
What’s Actually Causing Your Tooth Sensitivity? That sharp jolt when you bite into ice cream or sip hot coffee is one of the most common dental complaints out there, and it can show up seemingly out of nowhere. According to the Cleveland Clinic, tooth sensitivity happens when the protective enamel on your teeth wears down or your gums pull back, …
The Real Causes of Bad Breath, and How to Fix Them
How to Get Rid of Bad Breath for Good Almost everyone has worried about their breath at some point, whether it’s before a big meeting or right after lunch. But if bad breath keeps coming back no matter how often you brush, it may be a sign of something more than just your last meal. According to the Mayo Clinic, …
Bleeding Gums? Here’s the Difference Between Gingivitis and Periodontitis
What Increases Your Risk of Gum Disease? If you’ve ever noticed your gums bleeding when you brush, you may have wondered whether that is something to worry about. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly 47 percent of American adults, about 64.7 million people, have some form of gum disease, and that number climbs to over 70 …
7 Signs You Might Need a Root Canal (and What to Expect)
What to Expect During Root Canal Treatment Tooth pain has a way of showing up at the worst possible time, and it is tempting to hope it will simply go away on its own. Unfortunately, when the pain is coming from deep inside a tooth, waiting it out is rarely the right move. According to the American Association of Endodontists, …
Back-to-School Dental Checklist: Getting Your Kids’ Smiles Ready
Six Steps to a Healthy Smile Before the First Day of School As summer winds down and Central Virginia families start shopping for backpacks and notebooks, one item is easy to overlook on the back-to-school list: a dental checkup. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. children lose an estimated 34 million school hours every year because …