• Chester Hill Dentistry • 

Dentist near Greenwich CT Talks about Your Smile Outside of Your Appointment

Making sure that you have a healthy and happy smile is the ultimate goal of your dentist near Greenwich CT. We use a variety of procedures that all patients can benefit from, including children, to make sure that your dental and oral health is the best that it can be. Although we’re attentive and thoroughly clean your teeth during your appointment, we’re not always around to see how you’re keeping up with your dental care. Check out some tips below on what your dentists want patients to know when it comes to their teeth.

Your Smile is Your Own and No One Else’s!

Many patients want to have that celebrity smile that they always see on television, but that’s just not always the case. Every person has a unique smile of their own and your dentist wants to help create the perfect smile that works for you. Even if you receive a complete smile makeover, your teeth won’t look exactly like someone else’s. Your dentist will help you choose the best cosmetic procedures that work for you.

Overlapping Teeth Aren’t the End of the World

Patients aren’t always happy with the way their smile looks if they have some crooked or overlapping teeth. But this is strictly a cosmetic issue and can be easily corrected with different kinds of services that we have at our practice. If you don’t get this corrected, just make sure that you’re properly cleaning them by flossing and brushing to prevent cavities and other issues.

With the help of your dentist near Greenwich CT, we can give you some more tips on how to take care of your smile when you’re not visiting our practice. If you have any questions, call our office at (914) 939-2132 to learn more or to schedule an appointment!

Westchester NY Dentist With Facts that Roll off the Tongue

As a Westchester NY Dentist, Dr. Fu doesn’t only take care of your teeth- he treats and helps with the health of your whole mouth! Your oral cavity is a highly integrated system that aids in the essential tasks of speech and eating/swallowing, and if one small area is impacted- the whole thing can be. With that in mind, today we will be sharing with you a few interesting facts about the often overlooked, but never underused portions of your mouth known as the tongue and the taste buds!

• Different areas of the tongue sense different tastes. Various spots across the tongue sense sweet, sour, salty, bitter and savory all differently. The sides of the tongue are usually more sensitive and the back of the tongue is more reactive to a bitter sensation.
• The average human tongue is 3 inches long. It is measured from the tip to a piece of cartilage at the back of the tongue, called the epiglottis. Men usually have longer tongues than a woman, at 3.3 inches compared to 3.1. The record for the longest tongue in the world, which doesn’t actually belong to Gene Simmons, is held by an American man with a tongue that is 3.1 inches!\
• Your tongue is an amalgamation of different muscles- not just one! It has 8 different muscles altogether that intertwine and work together. It is also the only muscle that works away from the skeleton!
• Your tongue says a lot about your health. Either we or a physician can identify issues such as vitamin deficiencies, oral cancer, diabetes, yeast infections, scarlet fever and more just be looking at the appearance of your tongue.
• Average adult tongues have between 2000 and 4000 taste buds covering them. The cells within the taste bud responsible for how we perceive tastes can renew themselves every week!

For more information on how your tongue and taste buds play into your overall oral health, or to have us examine them for you, schedule an appointment with your Westchester NY dentist today by calling (914) 939-2132.

Greenwich CT Cosmetic Dentist Shows how to Protect Your Teeth from Sugar Cravings

Having a sweet tooth can be enjoyable, but it can also be extremely dangerous to your teeth. Treats, chocolates, desserts and candies are tasty and delicious, usually accompanied after a dinner, and can satisfy your craving. But your Greenwich CT cosmetic dentist wants all patients, young and old, to know why it’s important to curb your sweet tooth so you can protect your smile no matter what!

Even if you’re not consuming a lot of sweets and desserts, your diet could still be full of sugary foods and drinks that you enjoy on a daily basis. We want to help you fight your sugar intake, so we’ll be discussing some tips that can help your teeth and your overall health, as well.

Check the Labels
If you’re trying to protect your teeth from the craving of sugar, it’s important to check as many labels as you can. Although it may seem tedious, your health will thank you! There are constantly products that add unnecessary sugar (like bread and condiments), so notice the everyday food items that you consume on a daily basis.

Don’t be Tempted
Sweets are always tempting, no matter what age you are! It’s harder for some more than others, but most people have a difficult time ignoring harmful treats since they’re easily accessible. This goes for bags of chips, small candies, and other equally easy snacks. If you’re one to eat in between meals, try to bring in your own healthy snacks like assorted fruits and vegetables.

Cut it Out – Completely!
Some of the best advice that people can follow who enjoy too much sugar is to cut it out of your diet completely. Sugary foods and drinks, whether they’re specified as candy or not, can be difficult to limit, so it may be easier to remove it altogether. Sugar can be extremely addicting, so elimination can be the key.

Taming your sweet tooth can be tough, but your Greenwich CT cosmetic dentist knows that you can do it for the sake of your smile! To continue keeping your teeth healthy and strong, schedule an appointment with our office today by calling (914) 939-2132.

Westchester NY Dentist on that Clean Brush Feeling

Your Westchester NY dentist knows what it takes to battle germs and bacteria in and outside of our office walls. It takes a balance of the right tools, techniques, and substances to achieve sterile environments, and to make sure that you don’t suffer the consequences because of it. Germs can cause everything from a cold to gum disease, yet despite your best efforts, bacteria can be persistent and all-surrounding no matter what you do.

One of the tools that we mentioned first above is something you use (or should use) on a daily basis: your toothbrush! And while you can utilize this amazing technology twice a day for at least two minutes per session to defeat oral bacteria, disease, and other detriments- what can be done about the other 1435 minutes it sits idle during the day?

• Rinse your brush using hot water after your regimen to remove any lingering debris.
• Store the brush upright in a container that allows for open air flow.
• Let the brush dry completely before next usage and don’t allow it to contact other surfaces.
• Replace the brush every three to four months.
• Do not share your toothbrush with anyone, even close relatives or significant others.

Follow these simple steps related to your at-home regimen and you will see your brush is in top shape for tackling all sorts of oral health issues, day in and out. Of course, no regimen is complete without regular visits to your Westchester NY dentist! Call our office today to schedule your next visit at (914) 939-2132.

Rye Brook NY Dentist Provides Historic Information about Our Ancestors’ Teeth

We’ve come a long way in terms of evolution, but have you ever wondered how our teeth have progressed, as well? Our smiles have gone through a lot and still do to this day, even with all of the advances in technology that is at our disposal. Your Rye Brook NY dentist wants to share some history about the way our teeth have molded to how they look now.

The most common fossils of our ancestors, also known as hominin, are mostly teeth since they’re the hardest part of the human body. This provides a lot of helpful information of the time period that they’re from, their diet and more. As humans continued to evolve, the teeth actually shrink. It’s most noticeable in the teeth in the back, which are your wisdom teeth. Nowadays, because of the work done to wisdom teeth over a period of time, most wisdom teeth are extremely small and in some cases, not even developed. But with hominins, their wisdom teeth were about two to four times larger than that.

The reason that modern human’s teeth have shrunk is because of the professional work that has been done over the years, molding smiles in the future.

There are also other speculations and ideas for the shift, literally and figuratively, in our teeth. Click here to read more about what researchers and scientists have to say about these fossils.

Make sure you’re always taking care of your smile by visiting your Rye Brook NY dentist! Contact our office today to schedule an appointment by calling (914) 939-2132.

Rye Brook NY Dentist Explains the Structure of Your Smile

Keeping up with your smile may seem like an easy thing to do, but there are more threats against your teeth than you realize. This is why patients make appointments with your Rye Brook NY dentist. Not every risk that can potentially harm your teeth is obvious, so it’s important to keep up with regularly scheduled appointments in order to make sure your teeth are being properly taken care of. Let’s go into detail about some of the conditions that can affect your teeth so we can learn more.

• Cavities:

  This is one of the most common issues that patients, young and old, deal with in terms of their smile. This is due to harmful eating habits and lack of brushing and flossing. Cavities destroy the surface of your teeth, called the enamel, and can travel deeper into the tooth and cause damage. They usually occur on the teeth in the rear of the mouth.

• Tooth Decay:

  This is rapidly becoming one of the prominent dangers in patients and their smile. With the rise in tooth decay, one of the most preventable diseases around, patients are putting themselves at risk for a multitude of other problems like gum disease and even tooth loss.

• Sensitivity:

  Due to wear and tear on your teeth from harmful foods and drinks, your smile can become sensitive to things like cold beverages, a harsh wind, even a hot sandwich. This is due to a weak and thin enamel that hasn’t been taken care of by the help of your saliva, toothpaste and water.

Learn more about these dental problems, as well as the structure and function of your teeth by clicking here. Make sure you’re also keeping up with your appointments to your Rye Brook NY dentist by calling our office today at (914) 939-2132.

Westchester NY Dentist asks “To Rinse or Not to Rinse?”

Helping patients establish or improve upon their at-home oral health regimen is part of days work for your Westchester NY dentist. For most patients, Dr. Fu will recommend daily flossing, twice daily brushing and to some capacity: the usage of mouthwash. Although mouthwash is not as essential as the earlier two behaviors and items- adding it to your regimen can indeed be useful.

Mouthwash can not only help freshen your breath up after a meal or a smoke, but it can also help eliminate oral bacteria that can cause gum disease, reduce your risk for tooth decay, remove tartar and help whiten your teeth too!

But with all of these benefits- often come many questions. Some examples include: What mouthwash is best for me? What ingredients in mouthwash should I be looking for? How long should I be swishing my mouthwash around? And last, but not least- can mouthwash even benefit my situation?

While answers to most of these questions will vary, patient by patient, we did find a resource online that helps answer some of the universal ones quite well: Click Here.

For more information on mouthwash and your oral health, schedule an appointment with your Westchester NY dentist today by calling (914) 939-2132.

Dentist in Greenwich CT on March (Nutrition) Madness!

While it may be a little too late to qualify for a “New Year’s Resolution” diet- your dentist in Greenwich CT wants you to know it is never too late to change the way you eat! This coming March marks another National Nutrition Month, where the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics try to make everyday people more aware of what they eat and drink on a daily basis. We wanted to do our part today to let you know how your nutrition can impact your oral health in particular.

It is safe to say that most people aren’t thinking about oral health as soon as they eat something. They may consider how it tastes…smells…what it will do to their waistline and a whole load of other thoughts before the damage it can do to a smile. Even the small things, or supposedly healthy ones, such as “diet” products or a little lemon, can slide under the radar completely.

Items high in acid content (like those above) or especially sugary ones can lead to all sorts of dental detriments. Cavities, gum disease, lost teeth- you name it, and it is possible from your diet alone. Without being overly pessimistic, there are a whole group of things that can do your oral health good too.

Yes, milk, albeit a cliché- can do your mouth good. It, along with whole grain and wheat foods and more, contain vitamins and nutrients that not only improve your overall health- but the health of your mouth too. Many fruits and vegetables can also deliver mouth-saving blasts of vitamins and nutrients that ward off bacteria, whiten your smile and keep you healthy.

As with many things in the world of food and drink, there is a fine line between just enough and too much. The world won’t end if you have a soda every once and a while, but if you have a few a day, your mouth and body may not be thanking you for it in due time. Being aware of the difference between these two realities and knowing what it is you put in your body is the main National Nutrition Month- and we hope you stay vigilant of your diet not only through March but year-round as well.

For more information on National Nutrition Month as it relates to your oral health, call the office of your dentist in Greenwich CT today at (914) 939-2132 to schedule an appointment!

Westchester NY Dentist on The Right Time for your Regimen

As most things in life, timing can sometimes be everything…even when it comes to dentistry. How often you visit your Westchester NY dentist…how often you brush your teeth…how long you brush for: all of these factors can play into your ultimate “dental destiny.”

To create these standard recommendations as it relates to timing and frequency, organizations like the ADA (American Dental Association) combine years of research and study with the knowledge and power of thousands upon thousands of oral health professionals, just like your Westchester NY dentist Dr. Fu. These care professionals rely upon the fact that most humans have some type of internal clock so that they will commit to these habits. Whether that is actually done or followed through on is up to each and every individual, though.

One area this advice can get a little cloudy is when it comes to flossing. Sure, you should be flossing once a day to help prevent all sorts of dental detriments…but should it be done before or after your brushing? That is the question.

The answer has more to do with behavioral science than you may think actually. Check out the following site to see what some experts (sort of inconclusively) believe: Dental Patient News.

For more information on the important of your oral health regimen or to schedule an appointment with your Westchester NY dentist, call our office today at (914) 939-2132.