Month: March 2014

At the Holland dental office of Huisman Family Dentistry, we always like to educate our patients on their oral health, so we talk a lot about periodontal disease, cavities, and the proper at-home care for a healthy mouth. Today we’re going to share some little known fun facts.

• The average person produces around 25,000 quarts of saliva in a lifetime. How much is that exactly? Well, it’s enough to fill 2 swimming pools! And it’s a good thing that we tend to produce so much. Saliva can help neutralize acid and fight tooth decay.

• Any guess as to what the hardest substance is in the body? It’s your tooth enamel! But that doesn’t mean you should use your pearly whites to open pesky packaging — doing that can lead to chipped or broken teeth in Holland.

• On average, most people spend only about 48 seconds brushing their teeth everyday. You really should be doing it for much longer. Take our word for it. In fact, the Academy of General Dentistry recommends that you spend at least 2 minutes every time you brush.

• Say cheese! This common pizza topping is good for your grin since the calcium and phosphorus reduces the pH level in plaque and re-mineralizes toth enamel. And speaking of pizza: You know when you burn your mouth with hot food? It’s actually called pizza palate!

Huisman Family Dentistry’s Holland dental office is here to help you understand your dental health and to educate you on the best at-home routine for a bright and healthy smile. But we’re also here to make dentistry interesting and fun. If you’re overdue for a checkup, call your Holland dentist today!

We all have the common knowledge that cavities are bad for our teeth. However, even though we know that cavities should be avoided, there are some widely accepted beliefs about cavities that are actually myths. At the Holland dental office of Huisman Family Dentistry, we want to alleviate some of the confusion that goes along with trying to separate cavity myths from reality.

One of the most commonly accept myths about cavities in is that sugar is the #1 cause. While there is a bit of truth to it, the sugar itself doesn’t cause the decay. It’s actually the acid that’s created when carbohydrates like sugar are eaten. When you eat carbohydrates, the bacteria in your mouth are triggered to make acid. It’s this acid that makes eating sugar and other carbohydrates so dangerous for your smile — it eats into your teeth creating cavities.

A second myth that we’d like to debunk is that cavities in baby teeth are nothing to worry about. In reality, if cavities in baby teeth are left untreated, they can develop into abscesses and can cause a lot of pain. Additionally, not only will it be painful, the infection can also actually spread to other areas of the body.

An alarming myth for our Holland dental office is the one that states you’ll know when you have a cavity. In reality, mild tooth decay doesn’t have any symptoms. It’s when the decay becomes more advanced and begins to cause nerve damage that you can feel pain. This is one reason keeping up with exams in our Holland dental office is so important. If we can catch a cavity before it causes pain, we can not only keep you pain free, we can also help you avoid more in-depth procedures like a crown or even a root canal.

If you’re overdue for a check up, call Huisman Family Dentistry  today. We’ll perform a comprehensive exam, work with you to treat any cavities that may be developing, and get your smile healthy and pain free.