Greenbelt Dentist Blog

Did you know the most popular toothbrush color is blue, followed by red?

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day approaching, here are some new, fun ways to celebrate all day long—without sacrificing the health of you or your teeth!

1. Stay sharp: If you’ll be wearing your finest green clothes, make sure your breath is fresh and clean too. Always brush for two full minutes, floss, and use some mouthwash (green spearmint perhaps?) before leaving the house.
2. Get going: Start the day with a healthy and festive green smoothie. Throw in your favorite green ingredients, like spinach, green apples, avocados, and kale, mixed with bananas and coconut milk, and you’re ready to go!
3. Get crafty: There are lots of fun crafts you can make with your kids for St. Patrick’s day. Use some green construction paper to make shamrocks for around the house, color your own rainbows and add a pot of gold, or use toilet paper rolls and construction paper to make your own leprechauns.
4. Get snacking: Make shamrock chips out of spinach tortillas by using a shamrock cookie cutter. Bake the chips in the oven at 400°F for 5-7 minutes, or until crisp. Serve with a rainbow of vegetables, like bell peppers, carrots, cabbage and cauliflower.                                                                                                                                   -Dr. Shakoori

The Tooth Fairy Says:

“Start taking care of little teeth early in life.”

Even though kids don’t lose their baby teeth until around age 6, it’s still a great idea to introduce them to the Tooth Fairy early on. This can help them get excited about brushing and flossing, so that their teeth will be clean and healthy by the time they lose them.

“Money and presents are great motivators.”

Let’s face it, the appeal of finding money under their pillow is sure to encourage kids to take care of their teeth. But the Tooth Fairy can also leave little gifts that reinforce good oral hygiene, such as a new toothbrush or toothpaste.

“Make it more fun!”

There are a surprising number of mobile apps that bring the Tooth Fairy to life. While not all of them directly promote oral hygiene, teaching your kids about the Tooth Fairy will motivate them to take better care of their teeth so they can deliver pearly whites to her.

-Dr. Shakoori

Sorry for my lengthy break! I’m back and ready to rumble!

2016- The year of self improvement,  one where you can let go of poor habits in the past and  create positive ones for the future. One bad habit, the sugar addiction, can be cut with these four steps:

1. Clear Out the Cabinets- You must resist any temptations!
2. Learn to Read Labels- Check for how much sugar is contained in what you eat.
3. Eat the Right Snacks- Choose sweet fruits over sweet ice cream.
4. Drink Water- The best way to cleanse yourself of this sugary addiction!                          While sugar may be sweet, it can still definitely be beat!                                             Sincerely,                                                                                                                                   Dr. Shakoori

Thanksgiving is day of family, laughter,and food! We hope you avoided these Thanksgiving foods!

1. Thanksgiving Sweets (Pie, Candy, Brownies)- Too much sugar!!!
2. Sodas- Sugar overload!
3. Coffee- Stains your teeth!
4. Red wine- Stains your teeth

What you should have eaten:

1. Chocolate
2. Yogurt
3. Milk
4. Carrots
5. Celery

 

Hope you can resist these temptations!

-Dr. Shakoori

Holiday season means break time! Time to relax and enjoy time with family and love ones! Don’t let stress get in the way!

Here are three ways to de-stress this season:

1. Exercise: While it may seem like there aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish everything, try to squeeze in 30 minutes of exercise a day for your mental and physical health. Even a light walk can do wonders to boost your mood and reduce stress.
2. Relax: Schedule some unwinding time into your day. It can be as simple as focusing on your breathing, taking a bubble bath, listening to your favorite music or getting a massage. The key is to quiet your mind and relax your body.
3. Be healthy: Stress can weaken your immune system, making you more susceptible to getting sick, which certainly adds to holiday stress! Therefore, be sure to drink plenty of water, eat healthy foods and wash your hands frequently.   – Dr. Shakoori

Whether it’s part of your morning ritual or a casual treat,
coffee is a notorious teeth-stainer. But did you know it can affect your mouth in other ways, too? Here’s what your cup o’ joe may be up to:

Stains on your teeth.

Staining is the most obvious impact of coffee. Your teeth
enamel is very porous, so dark-colored foods and drinks can penetrate it and
cause stains.

Cause of enamel erosion.

Coffee is very acidic, and that can cause erosion of your
enamel over time.

Leading to bad
breath.

Another side effect of drinking coffee can be bad breath.
This happens because the caffeine in coffee can dry out the saliva in your
mouth. Without saliva, bacteria can quickly grow in the mouth and cause bad
breath.

If you take your coffee black then it can help destroy plaque bacteria so don’t add sugar or creamer because they can cancel it out!

-Dr. Shakoori

 

Halloween is coming up! A night of scares, laughter, and tricks! The chance to be someone else and the temptation to eat candy is huge! But candy is the worst for your teeth due to all the sugar it contains! The longer the sugars have to linger in your mouth, the more chance the bacteria have to convert them to dental-damaging acids.

There are a few things you can do to prevent damage to your teeth from sugar:

• Eat less sugar.

• Avoid sticky sugars, like caramel.

• Brush and floss, or wash your mouth out with water after you’ve eaten.

Candy can be tasty, but remember, you only have one set of teeth. Trust us when we say, the real things are much better than replacements.

-Dr. Shakoori

 

Mints, gums, and mouthwashes might mask your bad breath, but what really causes that smelly odor coming from your mouth? That’s right, we are going to the very root of the bad breath mystery.

Here are the six causes of bad breath:

1. Poor Oral Hygiene: Not brushing can lead to a build up of foul-smelling bacteria.
2. Gum Disease: Causes a build-up of plaque and bacteria.
3. Dentures- If you don’t brush your dentures the same foul-smelling bacteria can build up!
4. Dry Mouth:Saliva gets rid of bacteria and having a dry mouth inhibits the production of saliva; therefore, foul-smelling bacteria is still present.
5. Cavities: Tooth decay can produce a very bad smell in the mouth.
6. Diseases                                                                                                              Don’t Forget!: Keep bacteria at bay and brush every dayFor any questions please contact our office at (301) 474-1110                     -Dr. Shakoori

Wisdom Teeth? A common mystery that eludes most people throughout their lives.

What are they?: Normal teeth that emerge much later in life.

Problems?: A lot of the time Wisdom teeth come in fine, but sometimes they can be impacted or misaligned. This can lead to getting your wisdom teeth removed and it is better to do it at a younger age when roots are less developed and bones are less dense. If removal is necessary, act quickly because roots don’t stay underdeveloped for long!

-Dr. Shakoori