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You are not alone if you fear dentistry! Many people do, actually it’s a very common problem people don’t schedule their dental treatment, finding excuses like: I cannot take time out of work, I do not have any pain or discomfort, so making an appointment right now it’s not a priority or treatment is expensive, I can’t afford it. But if you take a look inside your heart you might admit to yourself that you will be able to overcome all the difficulties if the fear and anxiety of the dentist would not eat at you. From my experience, nobody is born with the fear of the dentist, usually the fear is the result of a poor dental experience, maybe going as far back as childhood. Overcoming the fear, it’s a matter of trusting your dentist and the other dental professionals in the dental office. Over the years we had been able to gain the confidence of many anxious patients.

So, how do you even start to trust a dentist and make sure you make a good decision choosing him or her for your dental needs?

1. Do your research thoroughly, talk to your friends and family or go online and look for a dental office with hundreds of five, or close to five stars reviews. Read as many as you can and look for reviewers who talk about overcoming their fears of the dentist, bragging about that dentist as being gentle, patient, caring and kind. Make sure the dental office has a slower pace of doing business, that they give their patients undivided attention at all times. You can ask over the phone how many patients they see on a regular basis.
2. Ask for a free consultation. You will have the chance to meet the staff and the Dentist, ask questions before committing to any treatment. You want to know and feel convinced that’s the best dental office to keep you comfortable. You will have the chance to look around and get a feeling for the place, get a positive or negative vibe about the office and the staff. Be honest about your fears. Ask questions about how they handle your greatest fears like injections and drilling. It’s no shame to be afraid. Your fear is not irrational. Every thoughtful dental professional will go the extra mile to accommodate you and overcome your fears. You will mostly be assisted by the most compassionate and gentlest professionals in the practice.
3. Schedule a comprehensive exam. This is absolutely painless. It’s quite entertaining and interesting. You can think about it as a camera tour of your mouth with a skilled dental specialist. The dentist will tell you all you need to know about your oral health, its beauty and its pitfalls, how to fix teeth and what are the priorities. It’s just observing, talking and building trust!

4. Think about the benefits of taking care of all your dental issues, once and for all, then just visit your dentist regularly for continuing dental care. Each potential problem will be detected before escalating and likely it will be a painless quick fix.
5. Try not to start agonizing about your dental treatment before it has even started. I promise you, if you do go to the right dental office and you build trust you are going to have a big laugh about your reluctance to take care of your smile, restore your confidence and gain a better quality of life.

Yours in good dental health,

Horia T. Ionescu DDS

Since you are reading this blog, I assume you have that desire and you would like to know more about teeth whitening. Your teeth might be stained due to wine, tobacco, spices, coffee, tea, soda or antibiotics consumption or simply your teeth are a couple of shades off white or have a yellowish hue. No matter if the stains are outside your teeth enamel or inside your enamel, you most likely would be able to attain whiter teeth through professional teeth whitening. Over the counter teeth whitening will never turn out the same results in such a short period of time, like one hour in a dental office. And if you are a busy person or have an urge to have a brighter smile due to a specific drive (like being single again and eager to impress…just kidding) professional teeth whitening done in a dental office by a skilled dental professional might be the solution.

Key takeaways:

-          In a nutshell, whitening your teeth in a dental office means bleaching your teeth with a professional tooth whitening gel applied to your teeth for a limited period of times under the supervision of a dental professional. If you are interested in more information, please check this advanced whitening method Philips ZOOM! | Elk Grove, CA - Dentistry by Design

Sincerely,

Horia T. Ionescu , DDS

You might think that if you brush your teeth thoroughly and have no food trapped between your teeth you don’t need to floss. Actually, flossing is imperative because it helps you get rid of plaque from between the teeth, where a toothbrush can’t reach.  Taking care of your teeth and gums is important in avoiding tooth decay and periodontal disease, which may lead to bone loss. One way you can lose teeth is by not brushing and flossing regularly.

Take care of your teeth during the Holidays!

Holidays are knocking at the door! Myriads of appealing baking sweets and chocolatery products are decorating the stores shelfs. It’s a feast for the eyes and the palate and almost compulsory to have desert at our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Probably our teeth are not going to be very happy to soak in sugar for the entire holiday season and I would like to urge you not to ignore their cry for help.

Definitely you can have desert and also minimizing the impact of sugar on your teeth. Protect your teeth by taking these basic measures:

• After eating your sweets make sure you brush and floss to minimize the period of time sugar stays in contact with your teeth. If possible, minimize the number of sweets intake to once or twice a day. Do not snack on sweets all day long.
• If possible, opt for fruits instead of sweets with added sugar. Exotic fruits like mango, papaya, jackfruit, dragon fruit, passion fruit, guava, are amazingly healthy, tasty and colorful. It will make a platter or a salad that will delight your eyes and make your buds explode with pleasure. Not to speak about the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, enzymes that are  very beneficial to your overall health
• Keep a disciplined home care schedule with brushing and flossing after meals. Your teeth shall Thank You!

Yours in good dental health,

Dr. Horia Ionescu

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