Excellent Home Care Tools for a Healthier Smile

Excellent Home Care Tools for a Healthier Smile

In our last post, we about talked the different forms of periodontal disease that exist and how Dr. Jill Wade of Stonebriar Smile Design can help her Frisco-area patients. Today we’d like to showcase a couple of tools that are helping with that.

The first is a high-powered toothbrush from Sonicare. With a Sonicare toothbrush it has never been easier to give your smile the thorough cleansing it needs at least twice day. Sonicare lets patients remove more plaque from their teeth, resulting in a cleaner, brighter smile. What’s more, Sonicare uses a timer to help you patients brush for the recommended two minutes that should be spent brushing.

The second tool is Airfloss, another product from Sonicare. As with their toothbrush, Airfloss is designed to improve on the results you can achieve with manual care. But instead of using physical dental floss to clean between teeth, Airfloss uses a powerful stream of air that cleans more thoroughly.

Both of these great tools can be purchased from Dr. Wade through her Frisco dental office. Using them every day, you can keep your smile in tip-top shape in between regular visit and cleanings.

To find out how you can purchases these great tools, call Stonebriar Smile Design. Dr. Wade and her team would be happy to help you. We proudly serve patients from Frisco, Plano, Allen, Dallas, The Colony, and surrounding areas.

Personalized Therapy for Periodontal Disease

Personalized Therapy for Periodontal Disease

Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, is a very common oral health condition. So common, in fact, that recent medical studies have indicated that a majority of adults have some form of it, even if it’s only a mild form.

The mildest form of periodontal disease is gingivitis. Red or swollen gums and bleeding are the primary symptoms of gingivitis. When not treated, gingivitis can become periodontitis, a much more serious form of periodontal disease. Over time, patients with periodontitis may develop pockets between their teeth and gums and can even lose teeth.

Do any of these symptoms sound familiar? If you’ve noticed any changes in your gums, don’t hesitate to call Stonebriar Smile Design. Dr. Jill Wade and her friendly team would be happy to look at your gums and recommend a helpful treatment that fits your needs.

Treatment for periodontal disease is very important. Aside from the symptoms mentioned above, periodontal disease has also been connected with a range of health conditions in the rest of the body, including:

·         Heart disease

·         Diabetes

·         Pre-term birth

·         Alzheimer’s

To prevent periodontal disease from developing in your smile, follow a regular brushing and flossing routine, and be sure you see Dr. Wade twice a year at Stonebriar Smile Design for checkups and professional cleanings.

Call Stonebriar Smile Design today to reserve your appointment. Dr. Wade and her Frisco dental team are committed to helping patients from Frisco, Plano, The Colony, and surrounding cities prevent and treat periodontal disease.

Advanced Care for Your Smile with PerioScience

Advanced Care for Your Smile with PerioScience

Do you have difficulty finding a toothpaste or mouthwash that really meets your needs? Now, through Dr. Jill Wade of Stonebriar Smile Design in Frisco, you have access to a revolutionary brand of products from PerioSciences.

Unlike what you’ll find in your local grocery store or pharmacy, products from PerioSciences rely on natural antioxidants to support the health of teeth and gums. What’s more, they’re in the process of launching a range products to meet a variety of needs.

Their current products are Natural and White Care. The Natural line is made of powerful antioxidants and plant-based materials, and its products include toothpaste, a rinse, and a dental gel. White Care, which is designed to meet the needs of teeth whitening patients, also contains natural ingredients, with products that include toothpaste, a rinse, and a dental gel.

Other products are on their way from PerioSciences as well. Next year, look for them to offer a Sensitive and a Hydrating line.

Until then, ask Dr. Wade how PerioSciences can help you. A healthy, functional smile is important for overall health and wellbeing.

Call Stonebriar Smile Design today for an appointment with you. You can also like our Facebook page to stay up to date on all the latest offers and news regarding our Frisco office. We serve patients from Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Dallas, and The Colony.

Give Your Smile a Cosmetic Boost This Holiday Season

Give Your Smile a Cosmetic Boost This Holiday Season

Are you looking forward to the holiday parties coming up, or are you dreading them because of anxious feelings you have about your smile? At Stonebriar Smile Design, Dr. Jill Wade and her team have the cosmetic dentistry services you’re looking for to transform your smile and boost your confidence.

Our Frisco cosmetic dentistry services include:

·                     Porcelain veneers/crowns

·                     Dental implants

·                     Invisalign clear braces

·                     Teeth whitening

Of all of these, the most popular is teeth whitening. Dull or stained teeth are common, because many of us use the things that cause them every day. Certain foods, for instance, cause staining, but so do drinks like coffee, tea, sodas, and red wine. Aging is another common cause, as are tobacco and even certain medications.

Given all that, it can be hard for anyone to avoid staining. So to help her Frisco patients, Dr. Wade offers different teeth whitening options.

The quickest of these is Zoom! Whitening. If you’re looking for a way to brighten your teeth in an afternoon, Zoom! can deliver the results you’re looking for. In just one appointment at Stonebriar Smile Design, we can have your teeth looking brighter and more dazzling.

For patients who want to whiten their teeth in the comfort of their own home, we also offer professional home whitening. With professional home whitening, you can achieve the same results that you can with Zoom! but on your own time and with less sensitivity.

Our last option, Speed Boost, helps you touch-up your smile to keep it looking whiter following your in-office or at-home treatment.

To find out more about any of these, give our Frisco office a call. Our team would be happy to answer your questions or reserve a consultation appointment with Dr. Wade. We can help you understand your treatment options and choose the service that works best for you.

More Tips for a Happy, Healthy Halloween

More Tips for a Happy, Healthy Halloween

In our last post, we talked a lot about the relationship between sugar, your teeth, and decay. Today we’d like to talk about an alternative to candy sweetened with sugar that can help you enjoy a healthier, but just as happy, Halloween.

Xylitol—A Beneficial Sweetener

Cane sugar and corn syrup aren’t the only sweeteners out there you can enjoy. Candy sweetened with xylitol can also help you satisfy your sweet tooth while also benefitting your smile.

You heard right—there’s actually a sweetener that is good for your teeth.

Xylitol is low in calories and is naturally found in fruits and vegetables. Unlike regular sugar, though, it doesn’t lead to decay. Instead, it promotes a stable, healthy pH level in the mouth, not an overly acidic one. As a result, xylitol candy can actually prevent decay and slow the production of harmful bacteria instead of the opposite. It’s so effective, in fact, that it’s sometimes used in natural toothpastes and mouthwashes.

So, while there’s nothing wrong with handing out Kit Kats and Hershey bars this Halloween, why not use this year’s trick-or-treating season to help others have a healthier smile. Visit your nearest Target, Wal-Mart, or health food store to see what kind of xylitol-sweetened candy they offer. You can also find candy sweetened with xylitol online at xlear.com.

And from all of us at Dr. Jill Wade’s dental office in Frisco, we hope you and your children enjoy a safe, fun, and (xylitol) treat-filled Halloween!

What’s the Relationship between Sugar and Cavities?

What’s the Relationship between Sugar and Cavities?

Halloween is coming up, and with it trick-or-treating. Kids love trick-or-treating, of course, and if we’re honest, we adults will admit we sort of like it too—especially if we can nab the occasional fun-sized candy bar.

But we wouldn’t be doing our part if we didn’t remind our Frisco and DFW-area patients to be careful about their sugar consumption. We don’t think you should avoid it complete of course—where’s the fun in that?—but we do want you to be mindful of how sugar interacts with your teeth. The more you know about this important aspect of oral health, the more proactive you can be about setting limits for yourself and your little one, while still having plenty of fun.

It’s not sugar itself that causes cavities. Instead, cavities are the result of a special chemical process that all begins when you take that first bite of candy or that first sip of Coke. The sugar in that treat catches the attention of a very special kind of bacteria in your mouth. That bacteria feeds on sugar, breaking it down and digesting it. The by-product of this is acid. It’s this acid—not the sugar itself—that wreaks havoc on tooth enamel.

So what can you take away from all this?

First, by all means, have fun on Halloween. But do remember to show moderation when snacking on treats.

Second, brush and floss thoroughly after enjoying your Halloween treats. Brushing and flossing are the best way for you to care for your teeth at home. You can also supplement your normal routine with a fluoride mouthwash. Using a fluoride mouthwash, you can give your teeth access to important minerals that will help them stand strong in the face of decay.

Third, if it’s been more than six months since your last checkup with Dr. Wade, give our Frisco dental office a call. Every checkup involves a professional cleaning to help manage bacteria and plaque, which can also cause gum disease.

Our office proudly serves patients from Frisco, Plano, McKinney, Allen, Dallas, and The Colony.

Tips for Enjoying a More Nutritious Diet

Tips for Enjoying a More Nutritious Diet

In our last post, we talked about the benefits of a nutritious diet—how it can help you support your overall health, and even your oral health. In today’s post, we’d like to look a little more at the topic of nutrition by offering some specific examples for how you can improve your diet on a daily basis.

First, how can you include more vegetables in your life?

As this article suggests, one way is by including a greater variety of vegetables in an omelet recipe, but you can expand beyond that as well. There are countless recipes for nutritious salads and soups out there. 

Finding them just takes a willingness to look for them, as well as a sense of adventure. Trying new things can be difficult for some, but the rewards are absolutely worth it.

Our second tip has to do with the all-important topic of dessert.

Instead of serving up a bowl of ice cream or snacking on a handful of cookies, experiment with fruit. Mix and match your favorites in a fruit salad, or trying preparing them in ways you’ve never tried before. Sometimes baking a fruit with a spice like cinnamon can result in an exciting combination of flavors and sensations.

But these are just two ideas. For more, take a look at this article to see what you can do to improve your diet. And to reserve an appointment with Dr. Wade, just give Stonebriar Smile Design a call today. We serve patients from Frisco, Plano, McKinney, Allen, Dallas, and The Colony.

Why Are Nutritious Foods Important for Your Smile?

Why Are Nutritious Foods Important for Your Smile?

If your first thought was, “Because they’re good for your teeth!” then you’re partly right. Certain vitamins and minerals are beneficial for your teeth. But really, the answer to that question is much broader than that. Eating nutritious foods helps you support your overall health, improving your quality of life in a wide range of areas.

This article highlights some of the health problems that a nutritious diet can help you protect against. They include:

·         Heart disease

·         Bone loss

·         Type 2 diabetes

·         High blood pressure

·         Certain types of cancers

So, while all of this might not affect your oral health directly, the implicit recognition is that every aspect of your health—from your smile to the rest of your body—is connected, and that benefits in one area can spread to others as well. As result, taking steps to improve one area may also help you in others.

But of course, a healthy diet is no substitute for great brushing and flossing, or regular dental checkups. To ensure that you’re enjoying optimal oral and overall health, we recommend a combined lifestyle of great nutrition and great oral care.

To learn more about the connection between nutrition and oral health, as well as overall health, call Stonebriar Smile Design to reserve your next visit. Dr. Wade and her friendly team would be happy to help you assess and improve your oral health. Our Frisco office offers excellent cosmetic and wellness services to help patients from Plano, McKinney, Allen, Dallas, and The Colony achieve optimal oral health.

Call us today to schedule your appointment with Dr. Wade.

Stay Hydrated with Water Instead of Sugary Drinks

If you read our last blog post, then you know how concerned we are about our Frisco patients staying hydrated during the rest of this hot summer. But today’s we’d like turn our attention away from sugary drinks towards the topic of water.

Water is the best drink you can consume, no matter what the temperature is outside. Here are some of the biggest benefits of drinking water:

•  Drinking water helps decrease the body’s acidity levels. As a result, the body produces fewer free radicals and inflammation is reduced.
•  Though not a substitute for brushing and flossing, drinking water after meals helps teeth stay clean by washing away debris and leftover food.
• Water that’s enriched with fluoride can strengthen teeth by attracting important minerals.
• Consuming plenty of water improves the body’s overall function by supporting kidney health, keeping the body hydrated, and helping to maintain a stable weight.

Knowing about the benefits of drinking water puts the whole issue of hydration in perspective. As tasty as fruit juices, soft drinks, sweetened teas, and sports drinks might be, do the pros of regular consumption outweigh the cons? Is it wise to drink beverages that have a negative impact on health when a pure, beneficial drink like water is so easily within reach for most of us?

Do you still have questions about how drinking water can benefit your smile and your overall health? Dr. Jill Wade at Stonebriar Smile Design would love to answer your questions. Call our office today. We serve patients from Frisco, Plano, McKinney, Allen, Dallas, and The Colony.

How Are You Staying Hydrated This Summer?

Summer may be coming to an end, but it won’t officially be over until September 21. That means that hot temperatures will be with us for at least another month. It also means that staying hydrated will still be a major concern.

But how are you choosing to stay hydrated? Is it by drinking plenty of water throughout the day, or is it with a can of soda or a glass of fruit juice?

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a cold, sugar-filled drink from time to time, but relying on them for hydration comes with problems, both for your overall wellbeing and your smile.

The Dangers That Sugary Drinks Pose for Your Smile and Your Overall Health

One of the most obvious problems with sodas is that they often contain caffeine, a diuretic. Because diuretics decrease the amount of water in the body, consuming too many caffeinated drinks during the hot summer months can lead to dehydration.

What’s more, drinks loaded with sugar are also loaded with calories. Soft drinks in particular have been linked to rises in obesity in both children and adults, though fruit juices, sweetened teas, and sports drinks are also to blame.

But overall wellbeing is just one area we’d like to address. The other is in the arena of oral health.

The danger of sugary drinks is that sugar encourages the growth of bacteria, which in turn causes decay, or what you might know better as cavities. What’s more, the acid from sugary drinks can contribute to decay by wearing away the protective enamel that covers teeth. Both of these combine to leave teeth more vulnerable to serious oral health problems.

Do you have questions about sugary drinks and your overall/oral health? Call Stonebriar Smile Design with your questions. Dr. Jill Wade and the friendly team at her Frisco office are happy to answer any questions you might have about sugary drinks and staying hydrated.

SomnoMed—An Alternative Solution for Treating Sleep Apnea

 

SomnoMed—An Alternative Solution for Treating Sleep Apnea

Since June, we’ve been doing a series on sleep apnea, covering topics ranging from the symptoms of sleep apnea, its causes, and how it can be treated with a CPAP machine. Today we’re going to wrap up our series on sleep apnea by talking about a non-surgical alternative to CPAP that’s bringing relief to patients everywhere—an oral appliance from SomnoMed.

Why an Oral Appliance?

In our last post, we mentioned a few reasons for why patients might want to consider an oral appliance over treatment with CPAP. One common problem is that the noise a CPAP machine makes can keep patients or their partners awake, preventing sleep. Other problems include nasal congestion, sore throat, conjunctivitis, skin irritation, and nosebleeds.

All of which is reason enough to consider an oral appliance. An oral appliance is custom-made from an impression of your smile and is designed to fit unobtrusively over your upper and lower teeth. It’s works by repositioning your tongue or lower jawbone, preventing the blockage that commonly causes sleep apnea. As a result, patients are able to sleep easily throughout the night without waking up to take a breath.

Are you ready to make your sleep apnea a thing of the past with an oral appliance from SomnoMed? Dr. Jill Wade and her experienced team are ready to help. Call Stonebriar Smile Design today to schedule your appointment with us. Our office is conveniently located in Frisco and serves patients from Plano, McKinney, Allen, Dallas, The Colony, and beyond.

Treating Sleep Apnea with a CPAP Machine

 Treating Sleep Apnea with a CPAP Machine

In our last blog post, we began a series on sleep apnea by talking about its symptoms and what causes it. Over the next couple of posts, we’ll look at how doctors have treated sleep apnea, beginning today with CPAP.

What Is CPAP?

CPAP stands for continuous positive airway pressure. For patients who are receiving treatment with CPAP, this continuous flow of air is produced by a machine and is pumped through a delivery tube to a face mask, providing patients with a steady supply of air. As a result, patients who receive treatment with CPAP may finally be able to sleep comfortably, getting the much-needed rest they deserve.

And yet, as effective as treatment with CPAP can be, there are some downsides associated with it. For some, wearing a mask at night can be difficult, while others may have a hard time adjusting to the feeling of forced air. Still other problems include:

·         Nasal congestion

·         Sore throat

·         Conjunctivitis

·         Skin irritation

·         Nosebleeds

Still, despite the common problems associated with CPAP, for some it is an effective solution for combating sleep apnea and finally getting some well-deserved rest.

There is another solution for treating sleep apnea, though, and in our next post we’ll talk about how this simple, non-surgical approach is restoring hope for those who struggle to sleep at night.

Until then, if you have questions about sleep apnea or treatment with CPAP, we’d love to hear from you. Call Dr. Jill Wade’s Frisco office today to schedule an appointment. Our office provides great dental care to patients from Plano, McKinney, Allen, Dallas, The Colony, and beyond.

What Causes Sleep Apnea?

What Causes Sleep Apnea?

  

In our last post, we talked about some of the signs and symptoms of a common sleep disorder known as sleep apnea. In this post, we’ll talk more about what sleep apnea is and what causes it.

For patients with sleep apnea, getting the kind of restful night of sleep necessary for a healthy lifestyle is difficult. That’s because patients with sleep apnea experience interrupted sleep—that is, they actually stop breathing throughout the night. As a result, they are continually waking up so that they can breathe.

Why do sleep apnea patients stop breathing?

The most common reason is that their airways have become blocked by their tongue or their lower jaw. That’s why another name for sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, or OSAS.

But the good news is that patients with sleep apnea don’t have to just live with their problem. With treatment, it’s possible to enjoy the kind of deep, peaceful sleep you’ve been missing.

How is sleep apnea treated?

By supplying your lungs with the air they desperately need. And that can happen in a couple of ways.

In our posts for next month, we’ll discuss those methods in greater detail. For now, if you suspect that you might suffer from sleep apnea, give Dr. Wade a call at Stonebriar Smile Design. Together her with smart, talented team, she can answer all your questions about sleep apnea, in addition to providing you with a treatment solution.

Call us today if you live in Frisco, Plano, McKinney, Allen, Dallas, The Colony, or a surround area. We look forward to helping you!

Symptoms and Side Effects of Sleep Apnea

Symptoms and Side Effects of Sleep Apnea

A quality night of sleep is important to a healthy lifestyle. But a common sleep disorder known as sleep apnea can prevent you from getting the restful sleep you need and deserve.

Side effects of sleep apnea include:

·          

•      Daytime drowsiness
•          Stress
•          Fatigue
•          Moodiness
•          Difficulty concentrating
•         Memory loss, and more…

Other more serious side effects of sleep apnea include accidents at work or while driving, high blood pressure, heart problems, and risk of premature. What’s more, untreated sleep apnea doesn’t just endanger your health. It can also endanger your partner’s health. Since one of the most common signs of sleep apnea is snoring, you could be preventing your partner from getting the kind of sleep they need, resulting in similar side effects for them. All of which means that if you regularly experience any of these symptoms, it’s time to find out if you have sleep apnea.

The reason that patients with sleep apnea experience all these symptoms is that they actually stop breathing while they sleep. This prompts the brain to send out a signal waking the patient up so they can breathe. Sometimes that just means moving from a deep stage of sleep to a lighter stage of sleep, but in other cases you may wake up completely. But even if you don’t, you still aren’t getting the kind of sleep you need to feel rested during the day.

So, what causes sleep apnea? We’ll talk more about that in our next post. For now, if any of these symptoms look familiar, give Dr. Wade’s Frisco office a call to schedule a consultation appointment. Dr. Wade and her team at Stonebriar Smile Design serve patients from Frisco, Plano, McKinney, Allen, Dallas, The Colony, and surrounding areas.

How Do Your Hormones Affect Your Smile?

How Do Your Hormones Affect Your Smile?

In our last post we talked about the surprising link between stress and your oral health. Today, we’ll look at another smile-body connection you may have never considered—the connection between your hormones and your oral health.

One primary example of this is pregnancy. During pregnancy, higher progesterone levels in the body make the soft tissues of the gums more prone to irritation from plaque, which can in turn lead to problems with gum disease. All of which means that regular brushing and flossing, plus regular dental visits, are vital if you’re currently pregnant or about to become pregnant.

But pregnancy isn’t the only time when a hormone imbalance can affect your oral health. During puberty, a similar surge of hormones can increase gum sensitivity. Teaching your teen to develop a strong oral health routine is one of the best ways to combat periodontal issues during this important time, in addition to keeping up with regular cleanings at Stonebriar Smile Design.

What do both of these examples prove, and our last post, prove?  It proves that while we tend to think of our smile as something separate from the rest of our body, the human body actually functions as a whole, with every aspect potentially having an impact on the other.

If you have questions about how a hormone imbalance can affect your smile, give Stonebriar Smile Design a call today. Our team would be happy to answer your questions, in addition to setting up your next appointment with Dr. Wade. Our office happily serves patients from Frisco, Plano, McKinney, Allen, Dallas, and The Colony and beyond.