Flenniken Dentistry Blog

Does your daily dental routine involve mouthwash? Dental Tribune International reports that using mouthwash can reduce plaque in your mouth by 26.3% and gingivitis by 20.4%. Those are some pretty encouraging numbers if you want to protect your smile from tooth decay and gum disease. But if you’re standing in front of seemingly endless rows full of colorful bottles, you may be asking yourself “What mouthwash should I use?” You have many different options with a variety of benefits, so read on as your Carlisle dentist helps you decide which one is best for you.

It can feel like you have to put your whole life on hold when you catch a cold or flu. We’re all familiar with how symptoms like sore throats, persistent coughs, and runny noses can make it difficult to focus on anything besides getting healthier. As you shuffle to your medicine cabinet, you probably know the side effects of your go-to cold remedies, but do you know how they impact your mouth? Some popular treatments can stain your teeth, increase your risk of cavities, and make gum disease worse. You could be harming your oral health as you treat your cold! Follow these flu season tips to keep you healthy and your teeth happy!

Did you know that by the time George Washington became president in 1789, he only had one natural tooth remaining? Contrary to the legend, he did not have a set of wooden teeth. Instead, he wore dentures made of ivory, which he often complained about for being painful and difficult to clean. While dentures have improved by leaps and bounds since Washington’s day, they’re certainly not perfect. Some people still find them uncomfortable, a hassle to clean, or unrealistic looking. Does this sound familiar? If so, dental implants may be the ideal solution for rebuilding your smile that you’ve been looking for.

In addition to spending quality time with your friends and family during the holidays, you might also be looking forward to enjoying plenty of cookies, candies, and other sweet treats. But be careful; just because you’re in the middle of a celebration doesn’t mean you can afford to forget about your oral health! Here are 5 tips from a dentist that will keep you smiling through the end of the season.

It’s that time of the year again for creative costumes, trick-or-treating and tons of candy. The Halloween fall festival is one of the most anticipated times of the year for both children and adults. While it’s customary for people to eat an abundance of sugary delights at this time, in an effort to prevent cavities, a local dentist provides tips for candy around Halloween. By taking heed to the information you’ll receive, you can protect your smile and oral health!

By now, the “cat’s out the bag.” It’s no secret that dental implants are the gold standard for tooth replacement. That’s because they are able to achieve what no other method can: to replace the entire missing tooth, from the root to the crown. In doing so, it provides a host of benefits that makes it a rather attractive procedure for patients to undergo. As you continue reading, you’ll discover 5 reasons why the dental implant procedure has gained so much popularity.

If you have dental insurance, here’s a statistic from The American Dental Association that may interest you: The average insurance benefit each year is $1,250 per person, but most people only use around $323. That means an average loss of over $900 every year! Fortunately, there are some easy ways to avoid this situation and maximize your insurance benefits. First and foremost, be sure to schedule with a dentist now, a few months before the year ends. To get more tips and find out what dental insurance usually covers, keep reading below. With this information, you’ll be able to achieve great oral health as affordably as possible.

While you may think that summer would be most people’s favorite season, a recent poll found that it’s actually fall. Along with wearing your favorite sweaters again and getting cozy in front of the fireplace, you’re probably looking forward to drinking delicious hot drinks like pumpkin spice lattes and hot chocolate. But one common question people have for their dentists is, “Are hot drinks bad for my teeth?” Keep reading to learn about the potential problems they can cause and how you can still enjoy them without damaging your smile! 

If you’ve been researching ways to replace your missing teeth, you’ve probably seen or even discussed with your dentist the possibility of pursuing dental implants. These unique restorations don’t just give you the look of a smile, but they actually restore the entire tooth’s structure, which, in turn, improves your oral health! Obviously, they’re not the only option available, but they are a superior method of treatment. Let’s find out more about how dental implants came to be and what we can expect to see from them in the future.

We all know that school lunches are much better than they were 20 or 30 years ago, but do you really trust what it is your child is eating at school? If you’ve made the decision to start packing their lunch, you might feel more in control of the types of food they’re consuming, but what is truly healthy? A children’s dentist understands the difficulties that can come with deciphering which foods claims to be healthy and which ones actually are. Before you head to the grocery store in hopes of making the right choice, here are some of the best foods to pack in your child’s lunch as well as ones you should avoid.