Month: April 2017

Crosby Family Dental with offices in Crosby, Highlands, Dayton and Huffman is your local affordable and quality family dental office. We provide preventative care, restorative care and cosmetic procedures. We know that preventative care can save a lot of money and pain so it’s very important to teach children good dental hygiene habits from an early age. We’ve come up with a list of ideas for you.

• Give Them The Illusion Of Choice

Kids like to feel they are in control so let them choose which toothbrush they’ll use and which toothpaste to use on a particular night. Of course, whether they brush or not is not up for debate but letting them choose something gives them a feeling that they are part of the process.

• Be A Good Example

Let your kids see you flossing on a daily basis and brushing at least twice a day.

• Guide Them to Healthy Choices

Food choices play a big part in dental health. Sodas for example are terrible for teeth (we consider them liquid candy bars) and should be consumed sparingly if at all. Remind your child to rinse off their teeth with water after a soda.

• Play the Bad Guy

It is the fate of parents to have to be the bad guy sometimes and you are doing a good job if your kids accept your authority without a fight. Present the rules as a matter of fact. No soda. No gummy candies. No sugary gum. Kids will get used to the family rules and maybe even thank you when they get a clear report at the dentist while their friends are getting cavities filled.

We hope these tips are helpful and we look forward to seeing you at your next visit. Call (281) 783-6565 or schedule an appointment online.

Book Appointment to find out which treatment might be best for you.

Here at Crosby Family Dental, your trusted Huffman dental office, we strive to help you achieve your best dental health and smile. Like we’ve mentioned before, we hear quite a bit of myths and misconceptions from our patients. We value education and because of that, we’re going to identify and discuss some of the biggest dental health myths circulating around.

• If you don’t feel any pain, there isn’t anything wrong. This one is false and can be very dangerous! Pain is actually often one of the last symptoms to appear, and only appears when things have gotten worse. If you’re in pain, it’s there for a reason. The best way to prevent oral pain is through prevention and regular visits to the Huffman dental office at Crosby Family Dental.
• Dental X-rays can be harmful. If you have a lot of dental problems, you’ll likely need more frequent X-rays, whereas if you’re someone who doesn’t historically have a lot of dental problems, you won’t need as many X-rays. Regardless, the average amount of radiation that you get from an X-ray doesn’t go beyond the amount you’d get from a normal day in the sun.
• Whiter teeth are much healthier teeth. This one is false! Just because your teeth are white doesn’t mean that they’re healthy. You can’t see infections or cavities between your teeth and moreover, the natural color of teeth varies from one person to the next.
• Brushing your bleeding gums is bad for you. Not only is brushing your teeth good for you, it’s also great for your gums and tongue. Of course, if you have sensitive gums, you shouldn’t try to brush too hard, but you still need to brush your gums.

Book Appointment to find out which treatment might be best for you.

In our last blog, we gave you some tips on how you can improve your brushing skills. Good oral health is key to overall health and as your trusted dentist, we want to help you make sure you’re not making any of these toothbrush mistakes.

• Switch things up when brushing. Do you always start brushing your teeth at the same tooth / in the same place? Most of us do! Start in a different place every time you brush your teeth so that you don’t get lazy. By the time you get to the last area of your mouth, you can get bored, so you have to stay aware of what you’re doing. Make sure you make it to all of the surfaces and hard to reach places!
• Make sure you’re picking your products wisely. The kind of toothpaste you use definitely makes more of a difference than you may realize. Those that brighten or control tartar may be harsh to your teeth and gums. We suggest going back to plain, basic fluoride toothpaste.
• Control that sour tooth! Things that have high acidity like energy drinks, sour candies, diet sodas, apple juice, coffee, and orange juice can harm enamel. If you do go for sour goodies, wait half an hour before you brush. That gives your saliva time to restore tooth enamel.
• Don’t forget to rinse your brush after brushing your teeth. Germs from your mouth and teeth will stay on your brush and breed if you don’t! Plus, you’ll want to get rid of that leftover toothpaste. However, don’t use a disinfectant to clean your toothbrush – just a simple rinse with water will do.

Book Appointment to find out which treatment might be best for you.

We at Crosby Family Dental know that you value your dental health, and we also know that everyone tends to indulge during the holidays. We’ve come up with a list of dental health tips to keep in mind while you indulge.

Choose Cheese!

Besides being high in calcium it has a pH balancing effect so helps neutralize the effects of acidic drinks like wine, beer and soda.

Avoid Teeth Staining Foods

Red wine is a major culprit in stained teeth. And don’t think you can just switch to white wine and be fine. Sadly, white wine also promotes staining. White wine, followed by another staining drink, such as tea is a double whammy as the acid in the white wine seems to open up the teeth to staining.

Fill up on Fruits and Veggies

We know that the tray full of sticky sugary treats looks amazing, and we are not saying to deny yourself delicious foods, but you may want to hit the fruit and veggies trays first. When you feel full, you are less likely to overindulge in sugary treats. If you can’t brush your teeth soon after eating sticky, sugary foods, rinse off your teeth with water.

Teeth are Not Tools

We know it’s easier to use your teeth than to get up and get some scissors or the nutcracker, but we beg you, don’t do it! Take the extra moments to get the proper tool and save yourself the pain and trouble of a chipped tooth.

Call today for an appointment to make sure your teeth are ready for the holidays!

Book Appointment to find out which treatment might be best for you.

Crosby Family Dental cares about your teeth and cares how you feel about your smile. As we age, our teeth naturally turn slightly off white, foods we eat c

an discolor them, we get cavities, and accidents occur that can chip or break our teeth. No one wants to hide their smile when they meet new people when they are happy, or when they are having photos taken, but when you feel self-conscious about your smile you may find yourself doing these things. There is no need to live like that. Modern dentists have many answers for you to choose from. This week’s blog will cover some of the options that are available to you to give yourself a more youthful smile.

Tooth Reshaping

• If you have teeth that are chipped or uneven, we can even them out so they can not distract from your otherwise great smile.
• Small amounts of enamel are removed to even out the surface of the tooth, leaving the rest of the tooth alone.
• This procedure can often be done painlessly and in many cases can improve the health of the tooth since overlapping that can trap foods and lead to cavities.

Teeth Whitening

• Older teeth naturally look more yellow than younger teeth because of food stains and thinning of enamel.
• If you have your dentist whiten your teeth, be sure to not go too white and afterward, be sure to avoid tooth-staining foods and drinks.

To read more about this topic, you can go here.

Book Appointment to find out which treatment might be best for you.

Crosby Family Dental offers dental services for the whole family in Highlands, Dayton, and Huffman. We are one of the few dentists in the area that accept Medicaid. We do this in part because we feel that preventative dental care can save our patients pain and money. But we can’t do it alone! We need your help. Preventative care starts at home, and happens daily. One of the best things you can do to help avoid dental issues such as periodontal disease is to floss daily. This week’s blog will cover flossing. Many people think they are flossing correctly but they are, in fact, making mistakes. We will start at the beginning.

Flossing Basics

1. The first thing you need to do is make sure you have enough floss. About 18 inches is a good length. Wrap the floss around a couple of fingers so that you have just a few inches between the fingers of your hands. Pull it tight.
2. Slide the floss between two teeth. Pull the floss so that it curves around the base of the tooth, below the gumline.
3. Apply pressure toward the tooth and move the floss upward.
4. Do not see the floss back and forth, the motion should be more like a tiny squeegee on the tooth. When you are done with that tooth, keep
5. the floss between those same two teeth but curve the floss around the other tooth, in the opposite direction and repeat the squeegee motion, again below the gum line.

If you do this to all your teeth, every day you will be helping yourself avoid costly and painful dental issues. You will still need a bi-annual dental cleaning to get all the tartar and plaque that build up, so call today for an appointment.

Book an Appointment to find out which treatment might be best for you.

Crosby Family Dental provides excellent dental care to the people of Crosby, TX. We are dedicated to providing the best preventative care, as well as all kinds of dental services, including fillings, extractions, and even some orthodontic services to ensure you have and keep the bright straight smile you’ve always wanted. An important part of dental hygiene is the flossing and brushing you do at home on a daily basis.

This week’s blog will take a closer look at flossing and the mistakes that many people make while doing this essential dental care task. Crosby Family Dental is dedicated to providing the best dental care for the whole family, and that includes educating our patients about proper brushing and flossing techniques.

SCRAPE, DON’T SAW!

When you are flossing your teeth, you should think of the floss as a sort of squeegee, to gently move anything from the gum line to the tooth where it can be brushed off. Many people use a sawing motion instead of a gentle scraping motion, and this can damage your gums and cause more harm than good.

FLOSS MORE, NOT LESS, IF YOU BLEED.

If you have neglected your flossing for a while and start up again, you should expect some bleeding. This is caused by inflamed gums, and it will go away with continued flossing. Rinse with some salt water to keep your gums clean, and floss again tomorrow.
Call Crosby Family Dental for your next cleaning appointment. We accept Medicaid, so if you have a child in the CHIP program, be sure to call us for an appointment.

Book Appointment to find out which treatment might be best for you.