Boyd Dental Associates Blog

We all hear about foods that are bad for your teeth! Sticky sweets and sugar-laden sodas can wreak havoc with your pearly whites. But did you know there are also foods that are good for your teeth and gums? Here is a list of dentally healthy things to chomp on, courtesy of your friends at Drs. and Badger’s office!

1. Cheese. Maybe there’s a reason that when we “say cheese” it’s time to smile! With high levels of phosphate and calcium, cheese promotes healthy teeth, balances the oral ph, and can destroy bacteria that cause cavities and gum disease.

2. Dairy products. Other than cheese, milk and yogurt are rich in calcium and low in acidity – both positive things for your teeth and gums.

3. Green tea. This delicious drink is an anti-oxidant soup which prevents plaque from accumulating on your teeth, reducing cavities and bad breath. Just take it easy on the added sugar and honey!

4. Kiwi. Most fruits are loaded with Vitamin C, and eating them raw can give your gums a good healthy massage as well. Kiwis are exceptionally high in Vitamin C, which can increase the collagen in your gums and make them stronger.

5. Onions. Sure – raw onions can make your breath pretty smelly. But the sulfur compounds that contribute to temporary bad breath also kill dangerous bacteria that harm the teeth. Brush, floss and rinse after you eat them, or better yet – make sure your kissing partner eats them too!

6. Celery. Eat plenty of celery and you may not have to stalk your dentist as much! Raw celery massages your gums, and can increase the production of healthy saliva.

7. Sesame seeds. These little wonders actually can scrape plaque from your teeth and are packed with tooth-strengthening calcium. The bleached white flour bagel they are often attached to – that’s a different story.

8. Sweet potato. These beauties are loaded with Vitamin A, and are especially good for babies whose teeth are developing. An orange nose is an added bonus!

9. Shiitake mushrooms. Believe it or not, these tasty fungi often found in Asian foods contain a sugar that prevents plaque from forming on your teeth.

10. Water. There’s a reason water is called “the gift of life,” and you would be hard pressed to find a healthy foods list without it. Dentally speaking, water keeps your mouth hydrated, cleans and rinses your teeth and gums, stimulates saliva production, and can dislodge trapped food particles.

As great as these foods are, there is much more to healthy teeth and gums than loading up on celery, cheese and water! If it is time for your regular dental examination and cleaning, or if you have any questions at all about your dental health, we are here for you! Please give us a call at 850-878-4117.

It’s something we’ve all heard many times – the mouth of a dog is cleaner than that of its owner. But is that really true, or just an urban legend?
After all, dogs eat off the floor, drink from the toilet, and don’t seem too concerned with their oral hygiene. But the myth persists, so we asked veterinarian and author Dr. Marty Becker his opinion.
“They raid the garbage can. You know, we give each other a peck on the cheek when we say hello, they give each other a peck on the rear end,” said Becker. “All you have to do is look, watch, smell and you’ll realize that it’s not true.”
He thinks the myth that a dog’s mouth is clean stems from their practice of licking their wounds so that they heal more quickly.
The good news is, even though a dog’s mouth is loaded with bacteria, the large majority are specific to them and can’t infect a human.
So go ahead – give your dog a big kiss. But please realize that dog’s teeth and gums need expert care just like ours. They are prone to dental infections, bad breath, and just like in humans, have a very high incidence of gum disease. It’s important to brush your dog’s teeth frequently (unless they are smart enough to brush their own!) and have them cleaned and checked by a qualified vet.
At and Badger Dental Associates, we love dogs (and cats too!) and hope that you give your pets the best care possible. But don’t forget yourself and your human family! Proper oral hygiene at home, including regular brushing and flossing, along with seeing your dentist on a regular basis, can help you keep your teeth healthy for life.
When it comes to healthy mouths and beautiful smiles, we are here for you. If you have any questions or need to make an appointment, please give us a call at 850-878-4117. Your friends, family and dog will love you for it!!

Today is a day to celebrate, and eat sweets of course, however, Valentine’s Day is no exception when it comes to taking great care of your teeth.
Indulging in the typical Valentine’s Day treats comes at a cost to one’s dental health. The candy exchanged today is most likely high in sugar, which is known to cause tooth decay. Enjoy chocolate and other sweets your sweetheart may surprise you with! If you do indulge on Valentine’s Day, remember to brush and floss after you enjoy your chocolate and sweets.
Avoid a sour experience on this sweet day and practice your dental hygiene techniques. Brush at least twice a day (for two minutes each) and floss at least once. Drinking lots of water to flush out the acids helps too.

You hear that line just about every time you go to the dentist. You hear it from the hygienist. You hear it from the dentist. We say it a hundred times a day. What is it with dentists and flossing?

Basically, flossing is a way to clean in between the teeth. Your toothbrush can do a really good job on the front and back of the teeth, especially if you are using a really good electric toothbrush. The big problem is that brushing cannot get in between the teeth. Most people think they do a “good enough job” cleaning their teeth because they brush really well. The two sides that the toothbrush can’t get to cannot be cleaned without flossing. So if you’re not flossing, that’s two out of the five surfaces that are not cleaned. That’s 40% of the tooth. So if you clean the other areas really well, that’s only 60% of the tooth that gets cleaned with just brushing. I don’t know anyone who is happy with a grade of 60%!

A lot of people think flossing is about getting food particles out of the spaces between your teeth after you eat. That is only a small part of what flossing does. Plaque forms on all tooth surfaces. Plaque is the film that contains the bugs that cause cavities and gum problems. Frictional rubbing removes the plaque film. On the front, back and top, the friction of the toothbrush removes the plaque, but to remove the plaque on the sides of the tooth, floss is needed to rub off the plaque. Once the floss is passed in between the teeth it needs to be curved across the side of the tooth. The floss should then be pulled back and forth, up and down the height of the tooth and under the edge of the gum. To do this, the floss must be hugging the side of the tooth. This is very important. The floss acts like a buffing cloth, the friction of the movement cleans the plaque off the tooth.

Remember, you are cleaning a layer of slime off the surfaces of the tooth. This requires several motions, not just popping it in and out. After that, before you remove the floss, wrap the floss around the curve of the tooth next to it and curve it and clean that surface with the same shimmying up and down motion.

When the plaque is allowed to sit, the toxins eat away at the tooth’s hardness and cause cavities. Lack of flossing is the cause of cavities in between the teeth! Bone loss and gum disease are the other main results of poor flossing habits. The plaque collecting under the gum hardens into calcified masses. The toxins the bacteria release causes the bone to dissolve under the gum. This is the origin of gum disease. Effective flossing goes a long way to controlling the extent of these problems.

The time has come to stop failing your check up exams. Let’s eliminate those scores of 60% and move up the flossing honor roll!