Thursday, September 29, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Vegetables: Eating for a Beautiful Smile
All vegetables are good for you, and along with whole
grains, should be the foundation of your diet. Just a few of the health benefits include glowing skin,
strong hair and nails, a trim figure, and reduced risk of preventable diseases.
Let’s look at how they affect your smile.
Raw Vegetables
Raw, crunchy veggies like celery and carrots massage the
gums and clean between teeth. The
chewing they require also produces saliva, which helps to neutralize
bacteria and prevent cavities. Vegetables are naturally
low in sugar as well, which is obviously better for your teeth.
Leafy Greens
Leafy green vegetables such as cabbage, chard, collard
greens, endive, lettuce, kale, mustard greens, asparagus, spinach and
watercress provide you with a ton of vitamins and minerals needed to maintain
and improve oral health. Nutrients found in these dark green foods include
vitamin A, vitamin C, beta carotene, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium. Spinach
and other leafy greens are rich in magnesium. Broccoli, cauliflower, brussels
sprouts and kale contain large amounts of vitamin C and phosphorus. Phosphorus
is stored in the teeth and bones, and is instrumental in helping your body
balance and absorb calcium and magnesium.
Any Vegetables
From vitamin A (in pumpkin, carrots, sweet potato, broccoli)
to vitamin C (spinach and swiss chard), to calcium (broccoli and bok choy),
vegetables contain the nutrients your teeth need for healthy enamel and gums,
without the stuff that does nothing your teeth, like fat and sugars.
If your diet includes plenty of vegetables, you’re doing a
good thing for your mouth and entire body. If you aren’t a fan of vegetables, try to find some you
like, or try sneaking them into dishes where you don’t notice them so
much. When you start to see the
benefits, you’ll be surprised at how you develop a taste for what your body
really needs.
As always, if you live in or around the Atlanta, Alpharetta, or Roswell areas, and would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Sarah Roberts, call 678-319-0123 or email us today.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Beans: Eating for a Beautiful Smile
How do beans affect your oral health? Well, specific vitamins and minerals
are vital to healthy teeth and gums.
Those include calcium, iron, and vitamins A, B, C, and D. Beans are chock-full of every single
one of these vitamins and minerals.
Let’s discuss how each of these vitamins contribute to a
beautiful smile.
Calcium
If you do not get enough calcium, you are at risk for gum
disease and cavities. That’s
because your teeth and bones are made mostly of calcium. Calcium combined with phosphorous makes
up calcium phosphate – another name for the dense, hard material that is your
teeth and bones. So you can see
that calcium directly affects the strength and appearance of your teeth and
bones. It is a myth that calcium
must come from dairy. There are
plenty of healthier ways to get plenty of calcium. Beans are an excellent
source.
Iron
Iron deficiencies aren’t uncommon. Oral signs of an iron
deficiency include the formation of sores inside your mouth and in some cases,
an inflamed tongue. Beans are rich
in iron.
Vitamin A
Beans are rich in Vitamin A, which has a lot to do with the
health of your skin, teeth, and gums.
The antioxidants in Vitamin A help destroy free radicals that cause
decay. Vitamin A = healthier skin,
teeth, and gums.
B Vitamins
Symptoms of not enough B vitamins (B3, B2, and B12 are found
in beans) include bad breath and canker sores.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps your body absorb iron
(see above) and promotes healthy teeth and gums. A Vitamin C deficiency can
cause bleeding gums and loose teeth, among other things.
Vitamin D
We’ve all heard that we get Vitamin D from being in the sun,
and that’s true, but beans also contain Vitamin D. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium (see above).
On top of all of these vitamins and minerals – which
directly affect the appearance and health of your teeth – beans are high in
protein, fiber, and complex carbohydrates, and low in fat and contain no
cholesterol. Making beans a
regular part of your diet will improve the health and appearance of your entire
body. And a healthy, attractive
body gives you one more reason to smile confidently!
As always, if you live in or around the Atlanta, Alpharetta, or Roswell areas, and would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Sarah Roberts, call 678-319-0123 or email us today.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Series: Eating for a Beautiful Smile
Starting this week, I’ll be featuring posts on specific
foods that are crucial if you want to have the healthiest, whitest smile
possible. If you make these foods
part of your diet, in addition to the highest quality dental care, you will have a smile that is both healthy
and head-turning.
I’ll explain why these types of foods specifically lead to
healthy teeth. Consequently,
you’ll find that the same foods that are good for your teeth, are good for your
entire body. Funny how that works
out!
First up for tomorrow: Beans.
As always, if you live in or around the Atlanta, Alpharetta, or Roswell areas, and would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Sarah Roberts, call 678-319-0123 or email us today.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Smile! It's Friday!
Happy Friday! The weather is perfect and everyone at Crabapple Dental
is excited for the coming Fall! Enjoy your weekends everyone.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Indian Toothpaste Laced With Nicotine?
Recent studies have found many brands of toothpaste sold in India are being laced with cancer-causing nicotine. Those brands include Colgate Herbal, Himalaya, Colgate Herbal, Neem Paste, Neem Tulsi, RA Thermoseal, Sensofoarm, Stoline.
You can find the full article here.
I hope this finding is further researched, and action taken. Nicotine does not belong in toothpaste, obviously.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Smile! It's Friday.
It's Friday, and Atlanta is experiencing the first of the cooler Fall weather.
I hope you all enjoy your weekends! And if you're the cappuccino-drinking sort, enjoy one. Just make sure to brush your teeth afterwards! :-)
I hope you all enjoy your weekends! And if you're the cappuccino-drinking sort, enjoy one. Just make sure to brush your teeth afterwards! :-)
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Before and After Cosmetic Dentistry
To see what a huge difference simple cosmetic dental procedures can make, some of Crabapple Dental's patients volunteered their dental before and after pictures.
Before:
After a root canal, internal bleaching, crown and veneers:
Before:
After a composite filling:
Before:
After:
As you can see, these patients will now smile more confidently!
If you'd like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Sarah Roberts, you can email us or call 678-319-0123 today!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
I’m an adult. What are my teeth-straightening options?
I hear so many adults say they wish they’d worn braces as a
child. They say this because they
aren’t happy with their teeth’s alignment, but they don’t want to wear braces
as adults.
I can totally understand their hesitation. Somehow, kids in braces are a much more
common and “acceptable” vision, probably because a) kids aren’t as
self-conscious about their appearance and b) what looks goofy and cute on a
kid, doesn’t always have the same affect on an adult.
But. If you are
an adult, and you’d like your teeth to be straighter, you should stop thinking
thoughts like “It’s too late” and “There’re no options.” There are many options! You can have a straight, white smile,
and it is never too late.
Perhaps the most common alternative to braces is
Invisalign. Depending on your
individual teeth, Invisalign can work just as well as traditional metal
braces. In some cases, Invisalign
has been used, in combination with braces at the end of treatment to sort of
apply the ‘finishing touches.’ In
more cases, Invisalign does the job on its own.
The most obvious benefit to Invisalign, especially to
adults, is your appearance while wearing them. They are barely noticeable (no one would be able to tell
you’re wearing them unless they got up close and personal to your mouth), in
contrast to a mouthful of metal brackets.
So while your teeth are getting straighter and straighter, no one is the
wiser (until one day you smile and they think “wow, what a beautiful smile!”).
The other obvious benefit is that you can take them out
while eating and while cleaning your teeth. So, during an Invisalign treatment, you can eat what you
want, and do a better job of keeping your teeth clean, than you can while
wearing traditional braces.
You can talk to an orthodontist or a qualified cosmetic dentist about your teeth straightening options, to determine the best route for
you. But whatever your age, and
whatever your teeth require to be straight, it is never too late. With today’s technology, there’s a viable
option for you. You can have straight teeth and a beautiful
smile! And unlike in the past, that
usually doesn’t require years of metal brackets.
If you live in or around Atlanta, Alpharetta, or Roswell areas, we would love for you to schedule an appointment with Dr. Sarah Roberts by calling 678-319-0123 or by emailing us.
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