Redwood Dental Smiles: Blog

Stores are full of Halloween candy, and the rest of the sugary treats of the holiday season will soon be upon us. So how do you protect your and your children’s teeth from decay without spoiling everyone’s fun? At Redwood Dental Smiles, we have some solutions, but first, we wanted to explain more about how tooth decay works. While consuming highly sugary snacks isn’t good for you, the amount of time teeth are exposed to sugar is the more relevant factor to decay than the sugar content of any particular thing. The riskiest Halloween candies for teeth are hard candies, which are sucked on for a long time, and toffees, which get caught in between teeth. But other risks come from drinks such as apple cider and creamy lattes, which will leave sugary residue on teeth if drunk slowly, and from high-starch vegetables such as winter squash. Brushing after eating sugar is the best way to prevent tooth decay, but this is sometimes unfeasible. Another tactic is to only eat candy with meals, when t...

If you’ve ever suffered from tooth decay, you know that fillings give you a second chance to have a healthy, comfortable bite. At Redwood Dental Smiles in Castro Valley, we use materials that are safe for the body and blend in with the patient’s natural teeth. When properly cared for, fillings can last for ten years. But patients should be aware of when something goes wrong and why it matters. Patients are numbed when their decayed enamel is drilled away, but it is normal for them to feel a bit sore for a few days after a filling is placed. However, if a filling seems to be leaking, what is really happening is that it was not contoured correctly and saliva is getting trapped. This means that decay-causing bacteria could also get trapped, so the filling would need to be redone. The filling would also need to be re-contoured if the patient is unable to close their teeth together fully. When a filling is near the end of its expected ten-year lifespan, the bonding holding it in may begin t...

Do you know the details of good oral hygiene maintenance? We provide deep cleanings at Redwood Dental Smiles in Castro Valley, but good hygiene will prevent most dental problems. If the details of brushing and flossing get a bit hazy there’s no better time than National Oral Hygiene Month for a brush-up. Toothbrushes should either be electric or have soft bristles. If using a non-electric toothbrush, brush your teeth for two minutes per session, twice a day. People with dentures will need to use specialized toothpaste on them, but ordinary toothpaste should meet the average person’s needs. Don’t forget to brush close to the gum line. Horizontal rotations are a good brushing motion to use on the outward-facing sides of the teeth, but you’ll need to move the toothbrush vertically to reach the inward-facing sides. Floss and Waterpiks are both approved by the American Dental Association, but you should never try to pick your teeth with anything that wasn’t specifically made for that purpos...

With all of the environmental factors that stain our teeth on a daily basis, tea, coffee, cigarettes, etc., it’s easy for them to appear a little lackluster. Fortunately, with dental bonding, Dr. Vijay Munagala of Redwood Dental Smiles can revitalize the shade of your tooth (or teeth) and bring your smile back to life. Dental bonding is among one of the easiest and least expensive cosmetic dental procedures that allow you to have the smile that you’ve always dreamed of. Bonding is a simple procedure and takes about 30 minutes to an hour to complete. Once the doctor chooses a shade that matches the one on your tooth, the tooth will be prepared for bonding. This putty-like resin is applied to the teeth and hardened using a special light. If you’re having more than one tooth done, the appointment may be a little longer, but the results will be a brand new beautiful smile. If you have questions or concerns regarding dental bonding, please give us a call. To learn about the services we prov...