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Sunday, February 3rd 2019 marks the day of this year’s Super Bowl! This year our own Los Angeles Rams face off against the dynastic New England Patriots.

Pacific Dental Care thought we would go over a few snacks you can whip up for your sports viewing pleasure, snacks that won’t destroy your smile like the normal soda pop (not to mention alcoholic beverages), or carb-heavy foods like bread, potato chips, and more.

Below are a few snack ideas that at the very least won’t contribute to tooth decay or create damaging scenarios that can seriously affect your teeth and gums.

1.) Bean Dip

Creating something like a 7-layer bean dip will be less damaging to your teeth than many Super Bowl mainstays. Of course if you opt to put tomato in your bean dip, your teeth will be exposed to the high acidity found in tomatoes. However, if you balance out this acidity with Greek yogurt, you’ll be good to go. Opting to eat veggies with your dip instead of chips will give your oral health an added boost.

2.) Meat and Cheese Tray

Cheese is good for your teeth because it has a ton of calcium that strengthens your teeth, not to mention casein, which is a protein that effectively protects the surface of your teeth. Meats included on a cheese tray don’t have the high sugar, carbohydrate, or acidic content that can do a number on your teeth. If you can, opt for whole wheat crackers, which have fiber that is beneficial, although all crackers will stick to teeth and cause bacterial growth regardless. Make sure to pack a portable brush.

3.) Double Down on Your Veggies

It doesn’t matter if it’s a veggie tray or you’re whipping up a spicy jalapeño cream cheese dip, raw veggies are the way to go because they don’t have the damaging sugar and acid content that most Super Bowl foods are going to have. Vegetables like carrots are super rich in beta-carotene, too, which your body converts to vitamin A — which helps strengthen and fortify your pearly whites. Cream cheese will help give your teeth a boost of calcium as well, which keep them strong and capable. Veggies also have that crunch factor, which stimulates your jaw bone.

If you’d like to schedule a checkup after the Super Bowl, contact Pacific Dental Care today. Dr. Marine Martirosyan is an oral health professional serving Glendale, not to mention the surrounding communities of Burbank, Pasadena, and the greater Los Angeles area. We provide a broad range of oral health services that will help you achieve the smile you’ve always wanted. Call today to schedule your consultation — and have a safe and fun Super Bowl weekend!

January is the month of New Year’s Resolutions and Pacific Dental Care wanted to suggest a few goals you can set for yourself that will help set you up for great oral health in the year to come.

Your oral health is inextricably linked to your overall health, too, and gum disease is linked to all sorts of health problems you don’t want to have, conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and more.

Below are a few New Year’s Resolutions to set for the sake of your pearly whites.

1.) Quit Using Tobacco

For those who partake in the occasional smoke to those who smoke daily, quitting cigarettes is a great way to boost your health, both when it comes to your respiratory system, not to mention your teeth and gums. Tobacco, and this goes for both cigarettes and chewing tobacco, will leave behind pesky stains and can also lead to certain types of cancer.

2.) Focus on Your At Home Oral Health Routine

Making sure to brush 5 minutes twice daily and floss at least once a day is paramount to your oral health success. Make sure to brush gently with a soft bristle toothbrush and use circular motions, instead of scrubbing hard back and forth.

3.) Switch from Coffee to Green Tea

Green tea has an adequate amount of caffeine to help you start your day. Drinking coffee excessively will stain your teeth. And, if you drink those sugary designer coffee drinks, they’re horrible for your teeth and can contribute to tooth decay.

4.) Cut Out Sugar

As mentioned in our last suggestion, sugar really does a number on your teeth, whether the sugar content comes from food or from a beverage. Bacteria in the mouth converts sugar into acids that will eat away at enamel and damage your teeth.

5.) Make an Appointment with Pacific Dental Care

Keeping up with your twice annual oral health checkup is one of the best things you can do for your smile. We’ll catch any issues before they become larger, more painful, and more costly problems.

Pacific Dental Care’s office is located in Glendale, CA. We offer our services to Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena, and our surrounding communities in greater Los Angeles. Our suite of services includes everything from orthodontics to complete smile makeovers.

We’re in the business of creating amazing smiles and setting our patients up to enjoy great oral health throughout their lives. Dr. Marine Martirosyan will satisfy your dental needs while offering services at a value that fits your schedule and budget. Contact us today to schedule your visit at Pacific Dental Care.

Your teeth were meant to last a lifetime. But sometimes they don’t. When you have lost a permanent tooth to trauma, decay, or disease, it is important to your dental health to replace that tooth.

If a lost tooth is not replaced, you are at risk for developing other complications such as your remaining teeth becoming crowded, tipped over, or even lost altogether. That is why, in addition to the cosmetic benefits of replacing a lost permanent tooth, the functional benefits of dental implants should be part of your consideration when exploring treatment options.

Dental implants function like natural teeth

Dental implants offer you much more than a cosmetic repair to your smile. Instead of replacing just the visible tooth, a dental implant also acts as a replacement for the tooth root. The implant is placed in the jaw bone and acts as an anchor for a replacement tooth or crown that is customized to match your natural teeth. This anchor, usually made of titanium, mimics the feel and function of a natural tooth. Most patients cannot tell a difference between their implant and their other teeth. They can enjoy normal foods and can easily maintain their implant with good brushing and flossing.

Dental implants prevent bone loss

Within our jaw, there is a natural feedback loop between the bone and the teeth it supports. As we chew, our teeth actually stimulate the jawbone to stay healthy and strong. When a natural tooth is lost and not replaced, that feedback loop is lost. The empty space in the jawbone will eventually deteriorate due to the lack of stimulation. This deterioration compromises the strength and volume of the bone itself. Within the first year, patients can experience bone loss up to 25% resulting in a noticeable change to facial appearance.

Dental implants protect your remaining natural teeth

A gap in your smile also affects the surrounding teeth. Eventually, they begin to shift, may start to tip over, and may even fall out. Other treatment options such as a tooth-supported bridge, require that adjacent teeth are grinded down to be fitted with the bridge. This natural tooth structure can never be replaced. Dental implants keep your remaining natural teeth in position and do not require you to sacrifice their structural integrity.