How to make brushing fun for kids!

Children who brush their teeth properly not only enjoy good dental health in childhood, but they establish habits early on that contribute to a lifelong well-being. So, how do you get children to brush correctly? Make it fun!

1.       Brush Side-By-Side: When the family consistently brushes their teeth together, it becomes part of their important daily ritual, giving children a sense of belonging and shared fun. Brushing side-by-side can also extend precious parent-child time.

2.       Track and Reward: A funny, motivational poster or calendar with places for stickers to commemorate each brushing can make a game out of oral hygiene. Posters can be handmade by the family, downloaded and printed for free, or purchased commercially. A healthy reward when the poster is full adds to the fun.

3.       Two Minute Tunes: Brushing time seems short when a child gets to listen to two minutes of their favorite music. You can sing a two-minute song, put on their favorite two-minute track or use a toothbrush or a free brushing timer app that plays two-minutes tunes. There’s even a Bluetooth-enabled brush available that plays music for them while it tracks oral hygiene for you and your dentist.

4.       Fun Tools: A toothbrush that seems more like a toy than a dental instrument can make brushing seem like playtime. Children can pick out a brush in their favorite color or they might select one shaped like their favorite character. And, toothpaste in their favorite flavor makes brushing as sweet as dessert.

For more tips on proper dental health for you and your children, call Affleck Dental!

Toothpaste Brands - Why Some are Better Than Others

The toothpaste aisle at the store can be rather daunting. Of all the toothpastes out there, which one should you choose? Or, are they all the same?

Which toothpaste is best for you depends entirely upon what you need. Flouride is the most important ingredient when a person needs extra help avoiding cavities. Fluoride not only hardens the important outer enamel layer of your teeth, but it can also restore it in the early stages of damage.

Other toothpaste characteristics you may want to consider are: whitening and tartar control. The ingredients in tartar control toothpaste reduce the amount of hard build-up that collects on your teeth. Too much tartar can harm your gums, which are important to the overall health of your teeth and mouth. And while the whiteness of your teeth doesn’t impact your health, many people find that white teeth make them more confident and able to smile in social settings.

Some people suffer from tooth sensitivity. If you’re one of those people, you may want to choose toothpaste that offers relief from tooth pain over long periods of use.

What about abrasiveness? Some toothpastes are “rougher” or “harsher” than others and can wear down the outer surface of your teeth, cause sensitivity or damage gums over time if used frequently. If this is a concern for you, look for toothpaste with baking soda, which cleans the teeth and gums more gently.

FREE Consultations

Congratulations! You’ve had all of your regular check-ups and your major dental issues have been handled. Now what? Or you’ve found a new dentist and you’re not sure what to ask for. What needs to be done and how will you know it?

Ask your dentist for a FREE consultation. At this appointment, you and your dentist will discuss your dental history and overall dental health. What work have you had done in the past? Are you experiencing any pain or discomfort now? As you share your concerns, he will be able to show you what options are available and answer all your questions about them.

Your dentist will also ask you how satisfied you are with your smile. Are you interested in restoring or enhancing your smile through cosmetic dentistry such as whitening, crowns, alignment or sculpting? Some cosmetic procedures can also tighten up the spaces between teeth or fill in gaps in your bite, making it easier to chew and easier for your teeth to resist cavities. Your dentist will be able to address your concerns and questions, and advise you on which treatments would be best for your unique wants and needs.

Your FREE consultation will also include some discussion on the likely costs of your procedures, taking into consideration your insurance coverage. Payment options will be discussed, so it is important to bring along any family member who makes financial decisions with you. When your free consultation is over, you and your family will have the confidence of knowing what procedures you need next, how they’ll impact you and how you’ll pay for them.

CareCredit™ - How it works for you

CareCredit™ is a credit card offered by GE Capital specifically to help you finance the out-of-pocket costs associated with health and beauty care products and services. Your dental plan may not cover all your costs. CareCredit™ helps take the sting out of coverage uncertainties and inconvenient timing of dental needs. It lets you have your procedure performed now, without waiting, and set up a payment plan for the future. CareCredit™ has no annual fee and offers special interest rates that are different from the “teaser” rates offered by many credit cards.

 

There are a couple financing options available when making purchases with the CareCredit™ card. One option is to pay no interest by paying off the purchase amount in full within a specific time period. This period could be as short as six months or as long as twenty-four months and requires regular progress payments throughout the promotional period. If your costs are higher, you may choose instead to take a longer time to pay them off (up to sixty months for purchases of $2,500 or more); and to take advantage of CareCredit’s special interest rate (currently 14.90% APR) with fixed monthly payments. This flexibility allows you to choose a payment plan that accommodates your lifestyle while permitting your dental work to go forward now. If you have any questions on how this works, call Affleck Dental today! 801-

Advances in Cosmetic Dentistry

If you’ve been putting off cosmetic dentistry because of low expectations, time constraints or discomfort, here’s a quick run-down of the latest technological advancements that may change your mind.

Using the latest in scanners and computer-aided design and manufacturing, your dentist can now create a full-color, 3-D, virtual model of your mouth and digitally design precise veneers, crowns or bridges. A computer then carves your pieces from solid ceramic material. Using these systems, your work from start to finish may be done in a single visit. Also, computer-designed and crafted pieces are stronger, fit precisely and color-match your other teeth perfectly.

Advancements in pharmaceuticals have created new options that make cosmetic dentistry completely comfortable. These include desensitizers administered before treatment and non-injection sedation to calm anxiety. There are also pain-free slow-delivery injections and methods to reverse the numbness many people experience following treatment.

Precision tooth sculpting is also available now due to advancements in laser technology. This greater precision means a tighter bite, a faster procedure and a better smile.

Clear, easily removable aligners have overtaken old-school wire braces. Braces are now virtually unnoticeable and have no irritating, sharp metal edges. You can also remove them for eating, brushing, flossing or for special occasions.

With the latest advances in cosmetic dentistry, improving your smile is now easier and more comfortable than ever with better results. There’s now no reason left to avoid it. Call Affleck Dental today to schedule a FREE consultation! 801-782-5010

Start the New Year off right with Cosmetic Dentistry

Why Cosmetic Dentistry? Why not is what you should be asking yourself. Traditional dentistry focuses mainly on preventing and treating oral issues as well as hygiene. Cosmetic Dentistry is focused on the appearance of your smile. Your teeth may currently be free of plaque and other harmful additions to your teeth – but how do they look when you smile? Cosmetic Dentistry options can help with this.

There have been many advances in cosmetic dental options offering natural looking and durable dental options. This can range from choosing a filling color made from porcelain or composite materials so that they match the color of your teeth as much as possible to teeth replacements. A smile makeover is not comfortable, convenient and affordable.

Not many dentists are specially trained in the Salt Lake, Layton and Ogden area to provide these options. Affleck Dental, located in the Ogden/Layton area, can. Teeth whitening is one of the more popular methods and with the new Zoom Whitening options, Affleck Dental is able to accommodate all types of patients.

Other treatments for cosmetic dentistry are inlays and onlays and composite bonding to correct the appearance of your mouth and teeth. Along with veneers, these options are intended to simply correct and repair chips and cracks in the tooth. Dental implants can take it the next step further by adding artificial tooth implants all the way from the root. This option can enhance your smile and bring back your youthful look.

These are only a few of your options at Affleck Dental. Dr. Michael Affleck is one of the few local prosthodontists who can perform these procedures and ensure your excellent results. Start the new year off right with a free cosmetic dentistry consultation!

Your Teeth Whitening Options - Affordable and Easy

When you look in the mirror, what is one of the first things you might notice? Your smile of course. A smile looks good on everybody, but it helps for those teethy smiles to have a nice clean looking smile. Unfortunately there are many reasons why our teeth don’t stay a pearly shade of white. Smoking, food and drinking are only a few items that stain teeth. Nevertheless, this can be resolved with a healthy diet, no smoking, and minimizing staining foods and drinks. Teeth whitening is another option and is more readily available and affordable than most people think.

At home teeth whitening strips offer a simple solution with a straightforward procedure — applying teeth whitening strips directly to the teeth. One down fall is that these strips may not cover all the gaps and grooves in the teeth and could potentially leave dark gaps.

Bleaching gels with a tray that fits your mouth are a more effective option for at home tooth whitening. This option is affordable and easy to use. On the other hand, this process may only produce a small change and may leave the teeth rather sensitive.

Baking powder is a great and inexpensive form or teeth whitening that is passed down from our parents and their parents. Simply place a small amount of baking powder in a cup, add some water and stir it around. Put the mixture on your tooth brush and brush your teeth for about one to two minutes. In that time, the baking soda will begin to foam and the active ingredients will begin to work away the discoloration of your teeth.

Naturally, it is understandable if teeth whitening is one of the last things on your to do list until it is too late. That is why Affleck Dental provides a quick, non-invasive, affordable option for teeth whitening, Zoom Whitening. In just a short time you can walk out of Affleck Dental looking your best whether you plan to walk down the red carpet or just want to look particularly attractive for that special someone.