At Cornerstone Family & Cosmetic Dentistry in Cary, we always encourage our patients to brush their teeth twice a day for optimal oral health. We also educate our patients on what they should look for in a toothbrush to ensure the best clean possible.

The toothbrush aisle can be an intimidating place. With so many choices, so many colors, and so many brands, we want to make the ins-and-outs of choosing the right toothbrush a bit more simple.

Size & Shape

When visiting your pharmacy or supermarket, start by looking at the size and shape. Your toothbrush should fit comfortably in your hand and feel as natural as holding a pen, and the length of the handle should be long enough to easily reach your back teeth, but not so long that it feels uncomfortable. The size of the head is also important to note. It should be of a size that you can easily fit into your mouth and reach your back teeth with ease and comfort.

Bristles

Angled bristles, straight bristles, hard ones and soft, which is the right kind to use? Actually, the design of the bristles doesn’t matter as much as using the proper brushing technique, so choose a style that’s most comfortable for you. On the other hand, knowing the difference between hard and soft bristles is important. Hard bristles can cause damage to the teeth surfaces and irritation to the gums. When you’re faced with the decision between hard and soft bristles, soft is usually the safest choice.

Manual vs. Powered

According to the American Dental Association, both manual and powered toothbrushes are effective at cleaning your teeth, and the decision between the two is personal preference. Children may find that a powered toothbrush is more fun to use and thus will brush longer, and people who have difficulty using a manual toothbrush may find success with a powered one.

The important thing to remember, whether you decide on a manual or powered toothbrush, is to make sure your choice is comfortable and easy to use and that you use it twice a day. Keeping up with regularly scheduled professional cleanings at Cornerstone Family & Cosmetic Dentistry in Cary is also key to maintaining optimal oral health. If you’re due for a checkup or dental cleaning, give us a call to schedule your appointment today.

Dentists frown on sugary sweets – we all know it. But Cornerstone Family & Cosmetic Dentistry in Cary wants you to know that some non-sugary snacks can be harmful to your smile too!

Teeth are tough and made to help us chew through food. But they do have a breaking point. Hard foods, like popcorn or even ice chips, can be just as bad for your teeth as sugary treats, if not more.

Many people chew ice as a habit and like to enjoy a bucket of popcorn while at the movies, but the consistent crunching of these foods and others like them can not only potentially lead to broken teeth in Cary, it can also create tiny cracks that leave you more susceptible to cavities and weakened teeth.

Sticky foods, and particularly sticky sweets, are also dangerous to your teeth. And it’s not simply the sugar that makes these chewy treats so harmful. While the sugar does play a key role in damaging effects of foods like caramels and taffy, the stickiness is more important to note. The texture of these treats causes them to cling to the surfaces of your teeth and deep in their crevices, leaving the sugar to linger in your mouth and putting your teeth at risk for cavities and decay.

Our Cary dental office is here to help keep your smile healthy, in spite of your snacking habits. If you’re one to crunch your ice, or if you really like your caramel snacks, it’s even more important to maintain regular exams in order to keep your smile healthy and strong. And if you do happen to chip a tooth on a popcorn kernel while catching the latest flick, don’t wait. Contact us as soon as possible.

Sports are a great way to stay active, healthy, and have a lot of fun. They can also be a hazard to your mouth. In fact, most dental injuries occur as a result of a contact sport. But don’t worry, you don’t need to stop playing pickup basketball on Sundays or stop your kids from joining the local soccer team. Sports mouth guards made in Cary can help protect your mouth during any sporting activity.

While all of us at Cornerstone Family & Cosmetic Dentistry want our patients and athletes to use sports mouth guards, we also want to make sure that you’re aware of the difference between the types of mouth guards and why custom-made sports mouth guards from your Cary dentist are the best way to protect your mouth during sporting events.

There are three main types of sports mouth guards – stock, boil and bite, and custom-made.

• Stock mouth guards are often loose fitting and can’t be shaped to fit your individual mouth. This can lead to difficult breathing, inhibited speech and incomplete protection.

• While the boil and bite mouth guards do allow for individual shaping, they can often be bitten through with ease, which leaves your teeth prone to injury.

• Custom-made sports mouth guards are designed to specifically fit your teeth and your mouth, are durable, allow you to speak with ease, and are constructed for maximum comfort.

In fact, custom-made sports mouth guards are so effective at protecting your mouth during contact sports that they are recommended by both the American Dental Association and the Academy for Sports Dentistry.

If you’re ready to start playing pickup basketball on the weekends again, or if your kids want to learn how to play soccer, contact our Cary dental office. We’ll discuss the importance of a custom-made sports mouth guard and get you ready for the game.