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.

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.

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.

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.

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! :-)

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!

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.