You wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and begin going through the routine of taking care of your smile. However, as you begin brushing your teeth, you might notice that your toothbrush just doesn't quite fit in all those crevices that are hard to reach on the surface of and in between teeth. You might recall a conversation your parents or ...

​ We all experience it from time to time, and it's actually one of the biggest reasons for getting a professional cleaning twice a year: tartar buildup. Also called dental calculus, tartar buildup is a yellow or brown deposit that forms on teeth when plaque hardens. It can only be removed by a professional. If it's not removed, it can lead to gum d...

Technology is everywhere we go, in everything we do. From smart phones to robot assistants to app-enabled camera doorbells, chances are you already have at least one smart device in your home working to make your life easier. But what if you could make caring for your smile a little easier, too? A bunch of new tech companies are aiming to do just that, and they could change the way we care for our teeth forever. Imagine if your toothbrush could go beyond brushing your teeth and tell your dentist and dental insurance provider how well you’re caring for your oral health. Sure, it may seem like tattling, but what if those reports meant lower dental insurance premiums? It could soon be possible in all 50 states when the Beam brush expands its 27-state network this year. The Beam brush works by recording your brushing habits via an app and reporting back to your insurer. From there, if everyone in your group is maintaining a high score on their hygiene, your premiums go down. To sweeten the pot, the top performers in any group get an additional 10 percent discount on their premiums. Dr. Alexandra George of Wexford, Pennsylvania, thinks apps like the Beam system are a great way to encourage healthy hygiene - as well as healthy competition. "It's kind of the adult version of a rewards chart," says George. "The patient gets rewarded by lower premiums, and coworkers can compete with each other for the top spot to save that extra 10 percent. That competition can also encourage everyone to do better, because that saves the whole team money regardless of who the top brusher is." In that same spirit, the Level app provides its own insurance plan in simple, clear language. Level helps the consumer shop for a dentist based on the cost of procedures, with clearly listed prices, so the patient always knows what to expect out of pocket. Like Beam, the major drawback to Level thus far is that it must be offered through an employer, but George says it raises another possible red flag that consumers should be aware of. "The problem I see with Level is that patients may choose a provider based on cost alone, when that provider may not be the best fit for them," she says. "They could have bad reviews or may not be board certified, and that’s why they cost so much less than other providers. You would definitely need to do your homework." For her part, George recommends reading reviews and even asking for board certification information before choosing any provider, not just the ones participating in app-based insurance programs. As for how these apps will change dentistry, George says hopefully they will make it easier and less confusing, and maybe even save some teeth (and lives) in the process.

Wine drinkers around the world who enjoy a specific type of sparkling wine may have a new reason to cut back on their favorite bubbly beverage. It seems prosecco, a sparkling wine from Italy that’s been touted as a cheaper alternative to champagne, is causing a lot of oral health problems. The effervescent drink has been rising in popularity globally, but dentists are cautioning that, while delicious, the Italian-made prosecco could be causing damage to drinkers' teeth. Much like champagne (that is only made from grapes grown in the Champagne region of France), prosecco is a sparkling wine made from grapes that can only be grown in Veneto, Italy. But prosecco has the benefit of being just as delicious as champagne and far more affordable – and thus more drinkable. Unfortunately, prosecco does have a pretty big drawback: It has been found to cause serious damage to the teeth. That’s because the fizzy prosecco has a high level of acidity – a pH of a little bit more than three, which is the equivalent of drinking orange juice or soda. But shockingly prosecco has more sugar than soda! Between all that sugar and all that acid, those tiny bubbles are wreaking havoc on teeth, causing something that dentists have dubbed a "prosecco smile." So, what is a prosecco smile? It’s a smile marked by a white line across the teeth caused by damage to the tooth’s enamel. The good news is that a prosecco smile is totally preventable. Yes, there’s always the option of simply not drinking the buoyant beverage, but where’s the fun in that? If, like an increasing number of consumers, you must have your prosecco, there are a few steps you can take to make sure your teeth are protected from those bad little bubbles. Limit Your Intake No, you don’t have to give up prosecco - or any other drink - as long as it is drunk in moderation. But because of the acid and bubbles in prosecco, it’s a wise idea to limit what you drink in one sitting. Rinse, Repeat As you drink, alternate sips of prosecco with water. This will help rinse off the teeth as you drink and keep weakened enamel to a minimum. Hold Off on Brushing When you drink prosecco (or any other acidic beverage, for that matter), you weaken the tooth enamel, making the teeth softer and more vulnerable to damage. To keep enamel damage to a minimum, do not brush teeth immediately after drinking prosecco. Wait at least 30 minutes so the enamel has a chance to re-harden before you pull out your brush Enjoy Don’t let potential damage ruin a great glass of wine. Just put these tips into practice and enjoy! To schedule an appointment with Dr. George, please call 724-220-2347.

February may be the shortest month of the year, but it’s still a very important one - and it has nothing to do with candy hearts and roses! February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, a celebration of the importance of teaching kids the proper way to care for their teeth. Sponsored by the American Dental Association (ADA), Crest and Oral B, this year’s theme is, "Brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste and clean between your teeth for a healthy smile." Here’s how to teach your children to do just that!

Have you ever been brushing your teeth or eating a certain food and suddenly thought of a dental question, only to forget it by the time your next checkup rolled around? Don’t despair! We've got the answers to a few common oral care questions we hear at our dental practice.  Why does spinach make my teeth feel gritty?Believe it or not, the reason your teeth feel dirty or gritty after eating spinach is because of its high calcium content. That’s right, the very thing that helps make spinach so good for us can often drive would-be fans away. When those elevated levels of calcium combine with another ingredient in spinach, oxalic acid, the two form crystals that cause both the slight bitterness in the leaves and that weird (but totally harmless) gritty feeling on your teeth.