Fast Food Puts Teens on the Fast Track to Cavities

With teenagers eating an increased amount of fast food and carbonated beverages to keep up with their busy lifestyle, family dental clinics are witnessing a generation inflicting serious damage to their oral and overall health.

“One of the leading causes of cavities is from carbonated beverages; which not only result in cavities but also increase obesity in today’s teenager.”

A poor diet that consists of sugary treats and fast food can result in premature loss of tooth enamel, resulting in a weaker tooth structure. Due to this, it is especially important that teenagers try to maintain a healthy diet.

One of the leading causes of cavities is from carbonated beverages; which not only result in cavities but also increase obesity in today’s teenager.

The citric, tartaric, carbonic and phosphoric acids that come from pop can often lead to the breakdown of tooth enamel, naturally leading to cavities or tooth decay.

In order to actively prevent cavities from occurring, teenagers and parents need to decrease the amount of sugar-filled pop consumed. In addition, regular checkups and cleanings need to be scheduled at your local family dental clinic to ensure optimal oral health.

Contact Aaargon Dental today to book an appointment or to learn more about cavity prevention for teenagers.

What’s in Your Child’s Lunchbox: List of Candy to Avoid

With the school year beginning again in Coquitlam, kids are once again gearing up for sugar-filled lunches and candy bar recess treats. For parents, it may be hard to control what goes into your child’s mouth and what kind of dental damage may occur.

“If your children just cannot resist a special desert with their mealtime, there are ways to minimize damage to teeth.”

At Aaargon Dental we have developed a candy guideline, helping parents make informed decisions when it comes to preparing lunchbox treats for kid’s to enjoy.

Of course, completely eliminating candy from the meal plan is always the ideal way to save yourself and your family the expense and pain of dental cavities. However, if your children just cannot resist a special desert with their mealtime, we have some tactics to help minimize damage to teeth.
(This guide can also be useful for those adults with a sweet tooth!)

The Sweetest Sin

According to Dr. Rokshana Chherawala, some of the worst candy for kids to consume is sour candy. The acids that are found in the candy can work to seriously damage your child’s pearly whites by dissolving enamel instantly.

In addition, hard and chewy candies are some of the worst sugar treats for your teeth. The bottom line being: the longer sugary sweets remain in your mouth, the more harmful the effects are to teeth and gums.

Lastly, and most surprisingly, raisins are a key link to causing dental problems. This is due to the fact that raisins are sticky, leading them to get caught in and can be damaging to past dental work such as retainers, fillings, Invisalign, or braces.

The Runners Up

While still not great for your teeth, candy bars are not found to be a leading cause for tooth decay. This is due to the fact that most candy bars are eaten quickly, allowing for less time for sugar to cause acid buildup.

Along with chocolate bars, powder candy is not nearly as bad for your teeth as most people would assume. Similar to chocolate, powdered sugar is typically swallowed quickly, meaning it will not stay in contact with teeth for a long time.

Best Choice

Not surprisingly, the best sweet treat for children and adults alike is sugar-free candy and gum. Products with the ingredient Xylitol can actually prevent cavities by triggering an increase in the production of saliva thus eliminating harmful bacteria.

Contact us today to learn more about preventing cavities and dental disease.

Ready to Climb the Ladder? Come See Us First!

The Academy of General Dentistry has confirmed that historically, on average men are less likely to visit the dentist than women. Studies further revealed that men have been either afraid to go and embarrassed about it, or they just don’t have the time for it.

Interestingly, these days men are getting back into the dental chair as they realize that a dazzling smile is an invaluable asset in the business world. More and more male patients are coming into our office asking for cosmetic dentistry procedures like whitening and veneers!

The truth is, nothing closes the deal like a healthy, handsome smile care of your dental experts at Aaargon Dental. We no longer live in the days were most men worked one job for their entire life, in today’s world a man will go though many interviews and work for a variety of employers.

It’s also now common place for middle aged gentlemen to be in competition with young men in the workplace which has placed greater importance on a man’s appearance.

In today’s world, a winning smile is the key to success in business, but aside from that routine 6-month hygiene visits are imperative to maintaining optimal oral health.

Modern dentistry is safe, relaxing and keeps you feeling energetic and youthful. The days of being afraid of the dentist are over thanks to sedation dentistry. More and more men and realizing the benefits of great oral health extend into helping you achieve your personal and professional goals.

So guys, it’s time you give us a call at 604-464-7333, we’ll get you looking and feeling great for your next interview, boardroom meeting or sales call!

The Facts About Wisdom Teeth

Many of our patients have many questions about wisdom teeth and wisdom teeth removal so for your convenience Aaargon Dental has put together a blog post that covers the facts about wisdom teeth.

Wisdom teeth are the last to erupt in your mouth and usually this occurs between the late teens and early twenties. This youthful time of life has been referred to as the “Age of Wisdom” hence the name of this particular molar.

Anthropologists speculate that our early ancestors rough diet caused an enormous amount of wear of their teeth. Their teeth then drifted to compensate for the wear, making space for wisdom teeth to come in during adolescence.

In modern times our diet is significantly softer, along with the orthodontic tooth straightening popularity have developed a fuller dental arch, leaving no room for wisdom teeth to come in. This creates problems when the wisdom teeth erupt in the mouth.

Impacted wisdom teeth are very painful and lead to infection, in addition they may damage adjacent teeth and roots. Despite the serious concern with regard to impacted wisdom teeth the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Foundation as well as the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons confirm that wisdom teeth that are impacted are just as prone to disease as wisdom teeth that erupted in the mouth in an upright, normal position.

The question is often asked, “If my wisdom teeth don’t hurt, why must I get them removed?”. The fact is not all problems caused by wisdom teeth are painful or visible. Whether you are aware of it or not, your wisdom teeth can cause serious damage.

The roots of your wisdom teeth become longer as they grow, making the wisdom teeth very complicated to remove. We can’t foresee what problems will occur as you age with your wisdom teeth in tact, however we do know it can be extremely painful, as well as more complicated to treat as you get older.

Our sedation dentistry makes procedures like wisdom teeth removal a comfortable and relaxing experience for all our patients who require it, especially those who suffer from dental anxiety.

Contact our Aaargon Dental to book your wisdom teeth removal appointment today.