Your smile is one of your most important personal assets. Not only do your personal appearance and self-confidence depend on it, but your oral and systemic health do, too. Preventive dentistry aims to keep your teeth and gums strong for a lifetime and to spare you the expense and discomfort of extensive dental work. That’s why dentists in Virginia Beach, Drs. Santos and Folck, show patients what can harm their teeth so smiles last.
If you’ve ever had a crown, inlay, onlay, or other dental restoration you’re likely aware that traditional dental restorations require at least two appointments. During the first visit, patients’ teeth are prepared, and impressions taken that are used by a lab to create a custom smile restoration. In the meantime, patients wear a temporary restoration. During a subsequent appointment several weeks later, patients receive their final dental restoration. At Smile by Design, we offer patients CEREC, the single-visit smile restoration alternative.
(more…)
However it happens, losing teeth is always a traumatizing experience. Gaps in your smile negatively affect more than your confidence — they can also interfere with the way you speak, eat and chew. The key to avoiding tooth loss is knowing why it happens, and what you can do to stop it. Keep reading to learn about the top four causes of tooth loss from the Virginia Beach dentist you trust at Smile By Design.
(more…)
Missing teeth happen for a number of reasons. It could be genes — maybe your mother gave you her knack for tennis, but she could have also given you a few gaps in your mouth. Or perhaps your missing teeth were the result of a traumatic accident, like a car wreck. Whatever caused those gaps in your smile, one thing is for sure — you’ve got to get them fixed. Did you know that nothing comes closer to a natural tooth replacement than dental implants? Today, learn how your Virginia Beach dentist can help you complete your smile with dental implants.
(more…)
About 100 years ago, almost no one brushed their teeth. When men in the US were drafted for WWI, poor oral hygiene was considered a risk to national security, and during WWII, more recruits received medical rejection from military services because they didn’t have enough teeth than for any other medical condition. Maybe this seems like the distant past, but today, more people own smartphones than own toothbrushes and periodontal disease effects nearly 80% of US adults easily qualifying as an epidemic. Oral health has a long history of neglect. Despite the best efforts of dental professionals, most people don’t spend enough time caring for their smiles, but in the past 30 years, a significant shift has occurred in dentistry to help improve dental health. Previously, dentists focused on treatment and replacement. Today, we focus on prevention and restoration. At Smile by Design, we don’t treat your dental issues after they arise we prevent them, and if our preventive measures fail, we don’t extract and replace your teeth, we always try to restore them. It’s a whole new dental world, but without your commitment to oral health between visits, your teeth remain at risk. Call the Virginia Beach, VA dental practice of Drs. Stephanie L. Santos and Vinita John Folck to find out more about oral health or schedule an appointment today.
In order to maintain optimal oral health, the American Dental Association (ADA) recommends that, at minimum, people brush their teeth for 2 minutes 2 times a day, floss between teeth and below the gum line at least once per day, and receive a regular dental examination and cleaning every six months. That’s the foundation for a lifetime of oral health, but many patients are surprised to hear that their oral health is closely related to their overall physical wellbeing. Remember that 80% of US adults suffer from some form of periodontal (gum) disease? Gum disease has been linked to numerous systemic and chronic illnesses including:
Cardiovascular disease – Oral bacteria causes infection and inflammation in the mouth. This infection and inflammation can spread throughout your body in your bloodstream. Fatty plaque deposits or other blood cell irregularities make it difficult for your heart to pump blood into the rest of your body which can lead to blood clots, stroke, and atrial fibrillation.
Infection of heart, lungs and liver – Endocarditis, walking pneumonia, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease have all been linked to gum disease as a possible source or at the very least an indicator. While research hasn’t discovered a causal connection, the likelihood that patients with one of these illnesses will also suffer from gum disease is more than 50%.
Immunodeficiency – Patients with diabetes, HIV/AIDS and other diseases that affect the immune system are extremely susceptible to gum disease.
Low weight and pre-term birth – A study of periodontitis (severe gum disease) developed from “pregnancy gingivitis” (common form of mild gum disease in pregnant women), has linked periodontal disease to low weight and pre-term birth. Women with periodontitis are 50% more likely to deliver early or underdeveloped babies.
There’s no need to dread your next dental checkup. You should look forward to the opportunity to improve your oral health, and overall wellbeing. Drs. Santos and Folck and the entire Smile by Design team are dedicated to making you feel right at home because we do! Our staff loves coming to work every day, and our patients know it. Happiness is contagious, and we guarantee you’ll smile through your entire appointment. Call to schedule a checkup or teeth cleaning today. Our convenient, Virginia Beach, VA office welcomes patients from surrounding areas Virginia Beach, Northeast Virginia Beach, Fort Story, Sand Bridge and beyond.
To us, there’s nothing better than seeing a family with bright, beautiful smiles. Think about family pictures throughout the years. You want you and your family’s smiles to stay beautiful throughout your lives, and the best way to maintain a great smile is by keeping Dr. Santos, Dr. Folck and the rest of the Smile By Design team as part of your dental family. Our general dentistry services are here to help your mouths stay strong, clean and, most importantly, healthy. Unhealthy mouths can lead to a multitude of problems down the road that could be very expensive and time consuming. With comfortable, comprehensive dental care within your reach, why wouldn’t you want to treat your family’s mouths to a dental team that has their care at the top of their minds? Our Virginia Beach, VA office is ready to treat your family with the utmost care.
(more…)
A canker sore is a small, painful, shallow ulcer that appears inside the mouth; they may form on the tongue, the back portion of the roof of your mouth, or inside your cheeks. The exact cause of most canker sores is still unknown, although stress or tissue injury is thought to be the cause of most simple canker sores. Highly acidic foods can also trigger a canker sore or make the problem worse. Some cases of complex canker sores are caused by an underlying health condition, such as an impaired immune system or nutritional deficiencies involving vitamin B-12, zinc, folic acid, or iron. Other medical conditions like gastrointestinal tract disease, celiac disease, or Crohn’s disease could also be the culprit. If you have a canker sore that has lasted more than a week or two, you should make an appointment with the dentists at Smile By Design today. Dr. Santos and Dr. Folck can help you get immediate treatment and relief. Smile By Design is conveniently located in Virginia Beach, VA and proudly serves patients throughout Norfolk, Sandbridge, Portsmouth, Fort Story and surrounding communities.
There are two types of canker sores. The first type is the simple canker sore. These may appear sporadically three or four times per year and last for up to a week. They typically afflict young people between the ages of 10 and 20 years old. The second type is the complex canker sore. Complex canker sores are larger than simple canker sores, extremely painful, take more than a month to heal and can possibly leave a scar. They are less common and occur more often in people who have a long history of simple canker sores. People often confuse canker sores with cold sores but they are not the same. Cold sores, also known as fever blisters or herpes simplex type 1, are groups of painful, fluid filled blisters. Unlike canker sores, cold sores are caused by a virus and are extremely contagious. While canker sores only appear inside the mouth, cold sores typically appear outside the mouth, under the nose, around the lips, or under the chin.
Usually, the pain from a canker sore lessens in a few days, and the sores heal themselves without treatment in about a week or two. However, if you experience any of the following symptoms, you should make an appointment with the experienced dentists of Smile By Design immediately as these may be signs of a more serious medical condition:
Smile By Design is located in Virginia Beach, VA,
with service to patients from the nearby communities of Norfolk, Sandbridge,
Portsmouth and Fort Story.
