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The Christmas season is upon us, and so are all of our favorite peppermint drinks and gingerbread treats. We know you want to enjoy all of your holiday snacks, but we also know you want to care for your smile. Here are our top picks of the most teeth-friendly treats for the holidays! 

Teeth-Friendly Holiday Snacks 

As with snacks year-round, there are certain kinds of foods that aren’t kind to our teeth. Snacks that are crunchy, sticky, and loaded with sugar can do a number on your smile. Here are some popular holiday treats that you should limit for the sake of your smile, and what you can try instead! 

Instead of ooey-gooey snack mix, try… sweet and salty snack mix! 

Ooey-gooey chex mix – this popular snack is usually filled with crunchy ingredients and mixed with sticky binders like corn syrup that hold it altogether. The crunch and stickiness can wreak havoc on your smile by increasing cavity-causing bacteria and putting you at risk for breaking or chipping a tooth. Instead of the ooey-gooey option, make your own sweet and salty snack mix by mixing traditional chex mix ingredients with bits of chocolate chips or small chocolate candies. This sweet and salty mixture will still be a hit, just without all of the stickiness.

Instead of peppermint bark, try… peppermint patties! 

Peppermint bark – these popular snacks at holiday parties, though delicious, are usually hard to bite into. Made up of different chocolates and peppermint extract, then topped with chunks of candy canes, this hard snack could accidentally cause you to hurt a tooth. Instead, try making a similar treat: peppermint patties. This treat is softer, and will be easier on your teeth. You’ll still get the Christmas peppermint flavor you love, without the risk of breaking a tooth. 

Instead of popcorn balls, try… chocolate drizzled popcorn!

Popcorn balls are a popular holiday treat. However, just like ooey-gooey snack mix, they are often put together using an ingredient like corn syrup. This is also difficult to eat given its shape, crunchiness, and stickiness. A better, yet similar, snack for your teeth would be chocolate drizzled popcorn. If you’re a frequent popcorn eater, you know that those small kernels can easily get lodged between your teeth. When you enjoy this treat, be sure you thoroughly floss afterwards. 

If you still need more smile-safe snack ideas, try finding fun recipes online for the following: 

• Mint chocolate chip cookies
• Sugar cookies with festive icing
• Peppermint hot chocolate
• Spiced cider
• Sausage balls 
• Grinch fruit kabobs 

The Risk of Holiday Snacks

As you can tell from above, the biggest risk of holiday snacks is that many are sticky and crunchy in nature. The American Dental Association explains that crunchy snacks seem harmless, but they can trigger a dental emergency like a broken or chipped tooth. 

The other risk of holiday snacks is that they’re filled with sugar. Christmas only comes once a year, so enjoying these snacks in moderation is what we recommend. However, you should be sure to have a consistent dental hygiene routine that keeps your smile healthy year-round. Sugar clings to bacteria in your mouth and can put you at increased risk for excessive plaque, cavities, tooth decay, and more.

Dental Hygiene Tips 

A good oral health care plan takes research and practice, and what works for you might not work for your mom or your neighbor. To develop a oral health care plan, follow these steps: 

• Understand your own dental health needs. You can best do this by talking with your dentist about your current oral health and what your goals are. 
• Come up with and follow your daily oral health routine. Again, talking with your dentist will be your best option for understanding what you need to do to best care for your smile. If you have certain health conditions, like pregnancy or diabetes, you might have to do more than someone who isn’t expecting or diabetic. 

Other tips for caring for your smile include:

• Using fluoride
• Brushing and flossing daily 
• Visiting your dentist every six months 

Make an appointment with Dr. Ania 

Whether you hurt a tooth eating a holiday snack, or just need help with your smile year-round, make an appointment with Dr. Ania. With decades of experience in helping patients achieve the smile of their dreams, Dr. Ania is equipped to help you no matter your dental needs. To make an appointment, call us today at (303)-872-9940. 

We’re in the month of giving thanks for all we’re grateful for, so why not be grateful for your oral health, too? Many of us take for granted the ability to chew, eat, and talk with our mouths everyday. This season, we encourage you to truly be thankful for your oral health. Here is how you can show your teeth some appreciation during this season of Thanksgiving. 

Ways to Show Thanks for Your Smile

If you are currently in good oral health and want to stay that way, there are things you can do to show thanks for having a healthy smile. So, what can you do to maintain your healthy smile? Our team here at Dr. Ania’s offers these tips: 

Start brushing your teeth longer

If you are like most people, you probably don’t brush your teeth for as long as you should. Recommendations currently include brushing your teeth twice a day for two minutes each time. However, this is a fine line Healthline explains. If you don’t brush your teeth for two minutes, you won’t remove as much plaque from your teeth as you need. Alternatively, if you brush longer than two minutes, you could risk damage to your enamel and gums. 

Another way to show thanks for your teeth is to brush them properly. If you need a how-to to refresh your memory, here are the tips from Healthline: 

• Hold your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle towards your gums
• Brush using short strokes that cover the width of one tooth
• Move your toothbrush back and forth along the teeth, applying gentle pressure as you brush each tooth 
• Use back-and-forth motion to brush along the chewing surfaces of your teeth
• Properly brush the inner surfaces of your teeth by holding the toothbrush vertically and brushing up and down
• Brush your tongue using back-to-front strokes to remove bacteria
• Rinse your toothbrush after you use it 
• Store your toothbrush in an upright position and away from other people’s toothbrushes 

Floss daily… yes, really! 

You shouldn’t only floss before you’re about to go to the dentist. Regular flossing can remove plaque, prevent the buildup of plaque, and prevent tartar from forming. Further, flossing can help brighten your teeth and clean them in ways that a toothbrush can’t. Not only does daily flossing keep your teeth healthy, but it also contributes to your oral health in other ways, too. Oral-B explains that there is an increasing amount of research and evidence that links periodontal disease to an increased risk of heart disease. Flossing can help prevent gum disease, and these further complications, by helping you remove plaque from your teeth. It also makes you look at your teeth more closely than you would if you are only brushing each day. 

Watch what you eat and drink

Another important component in your oral hygiene is what you eat and drink. If you are eating hard, sticky, and sugary foods, you are more at risk of damaging a tooth or getting a cavity. If you are drinking too much coffee or carbonated beverages, the acidity is going to make your teeth more prone to sensitivity and decay. Show thanks for your oral health by watching what you eat and drink — and enjoying your favorite not-so-good-for-you foods and drinks in moderation. 

See your dentist often 

One of the most critical parts of maintaining your oral health is visiting your dentist at least once every six months, or twice a year. Here at Dr. Ania’s, we pride ourselves in customizing every part of your dental care — even your cleanings! Our team will spend a lot of time with you cleaning your teeth, educating you about your gum health, and teaching you how to maintain a healthy mouth. Whether you’re in good oral health, or just want to get that way, making an appointment with Dr. Ania is a good first step in showing appreciation for your oral health. 

Make an Appointment with Dr. Ania

Dr. Ania’s experience, expertise, and commitment to your oral health can help bring you a smile that exudes confidence, beauty, and well-being. If you are ready to get on the road to better oral health, or if you just want to maintain your already-healthy smile, make an appointment with Dr. Ania and our team today by calling us at (303)-872-9940. Located conveniently in Boulder, CO, we’re here for all of your – and your family’s – oral health needs. 

November is TMJ Awareness month. TMJ is the temporomandibular joint and it is what is responsible for opening and closing the jaw. Over 10 million Americans suffer from TMJ disorder, which can cause severe pain, trouble eating, and even difficulty talking. If you suffer from TMJ, don’t wait any longer to make an appointment. Dr. Ania can help — here’s how! 

What is TMJ?

Temporomandibular joint disorder is referred to as both TMJ and TMD. No matter the name, it is the same condition that has to do with pain caused by the joints in your face. The muscles, tendons, and ligaments are all types of connective tissues that pull on your bones and allow them to move. However, they can only move because of your joints. The joints, which are the hinges that connect bones to one another and allow bones to move and pivot separately, can unfortunately become a problem for many people. 

The temporomandibular joint is found in your head and is what connects the temporal bone and the mandible together. You’ll find this bone on both sides of your face, and while many people don’t have any problems, quite a few people suffer from pain and much more due to TMJ. While it’s hard to know for sure just how many people suffer from TMJ, it is estimated that over 10 million Americans are affected. 

Signs of TMJ

TMJ pain can come in a wide range of irritating symptoms. If you experience any of these painful symptoms, it could be due to issues with your temporomandibular joint:

• Pain or tenderness in the jaw, especially near the joint
• Popping/clicking of the jaw
• Pain that feels like a toothache
• Earaches, or sounds of cracking in the ears
• Ringing or popping sounds in the ears, or a sense of fullness in the ears
• Headaches, migraines
• Tight, stiff, or sore jaw and/or neck muscles
• Muscle spasms in the jaw
• Pain in the face, mouth, jaw, cheek, or chin
• Numbness and tingling
• Pain at the base of the tongue
• Pain, swelling, or a lump in the temple area
• Difficulty chewing
• Shoulder pain
• Locking or dislocation of the jaw
• Dizziness or vertigo

What Causes TMJ?

Along with the symptoms, MedicineNet further details what could be the cause of your TMJ symptoms. While it is difficult to know what exactly caused a problem with these joints, several different factors could contribute to the condition. Causes could be:

• Misalignment of teeth or jaw
• Trauma to teeth or jaw 
• Poor posture
• Stress and anxiety
• Arthritis and other inflammatory musculoskeletal disorders 
• Orthodontic braces 
• Excessive gum chewing 

TMJ Treatment Options

Many patients find relief from their TMJ pain with at-home remedies, like: 

• Over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen, which can help with inflammation and pain. 
• Alternating heat and cold therapy to help tone down inflammation and promote healing. 
• Eating soft, easy-to-chew foods

If you are still having painful symptoms and have tried these at-home remedies, Dr. Ania can help. Common professional treatments for TMJ include:

• Prescription medication. If over-the-counter medication isn’t helping, Dr. Ania might prescribe a medication that will help even more with the pain and inflammation. While medicine doesn’t treat the condition, this is a way to help with the pain while figuring out what treatment option will be best for your condition. 
• Wearing a night guard. Custom-fit night guards can help alleviate pain placed on these joints at night, especially if you clench or grind your teeth while sleeping. 
• Dental work. If your TMJ is caused due to misalignment of the teeth or jaw, orthodontic and cosmetic dental care can help realign the teeth and put your bite in a better place. 
• Surgery. While this is the last resort, sometimes surgery is needed to fully correct the place of your bite. 

If TMJ isn’t the cause of your jaw pain, treatments for sleep apnea, teeth grinding, tooth decay, and more could be used instead to get you pain-free for once and all. 

Make an Appointment with Dr. Ania 

If these signs and symptoms sound all too familiar, make an appointment with Dr. Ania to discuss your condition in full. Together with our team, we will find a treatment that is best for you. Call Dr. Ania’s office today at (303)-872-9940 to schedule an appointment. 

We will thoroughly look over your dental condition and your joint health to develop a full treatment plan that can help alleviate your current pain and prevent it from happening again. 

It’s easy for us to get in the same routine with busy schedules. We often make the same meals, buy the same shampoo and conditioner, and go through the motions. However, going through the motions could mean risking your dental health. Here are a few healthy at-home changes to make to help keep good oral health. 

At-Home Changes to Make for Your Oral Health

Brush Better

First and foremost, look at your current brushing routine. When you brush your teeth, you should be brushing in small, circular motions focusing on the upper and lower teeth and gum lines for two minutes. You should brush your teeth in the morning, and again right before bed. If you have the time, there is also no harm in brushing your teeth right after your lunchtime meal either. When we get stuck in the same routine, it’s easy to forget that you’re supposed to focus on how you’re brushing your teeth. With hectic schedules, many people just quickly swipe the brush over their teeth back and forth once and call it good. However, if you want to keep up with your oral health, be sure you take the time to thoroughly brush. In the end, it’s only four minutes out of your 24-hour day. 

It’s also important that you change your toothbrush out fairly often. According to the American Dental Association, you should replace your toothbrush every three to four months, or more often if you can see signs of wear earlier than that. Moreover, you should change your toothbrush if you have been ill. If you have an electric toothbrush, make sure you are replacing the toothbrush head every three to four months too. 

Floss Each Day

Another step in our dental routines that is easy to forget about when we get busy is flossing, however, flossing is one of the most important things you can do for your dental hygiene. To floss correctly, follow these steps: 

• Break off about 10 inches of dental floss. To hold the floss correctly, wind most of the floss around both of your middle fingers, leaving only 2 inches of floss left for your teeth. 
• From there, hold the 2 inches offload with your thumbs and index fingers. 
• Next, place the dental floss between two teeth, gently sliding the floss up and down, rubbing it against both sides of each tooth. However, be sure you’re being careful not to hit your gums too harshly. 
• As the floss reaches your gums, curve the floss at the base of the tooth, forming a slight ‘c’ shape. This will make sure the floss can easily enter the space between your gums and tooth.
• Repeat these steps between each tooth in your mouth, winding the floss to use a clean 2 inch section each time. 

Watch What You Eat

For better oral health, limit your intake of acidic and sweet foods and drinks. If you consume coffee each day, try to remember to quickly swish water around your mouth when you’re done with your beverage. Do NOT brush your teeth right after drinking a coffee or soda, though. Since the acidity leaves your teeth in a vulnerable state, it can be more harmful to brush directly after consuming these beverages. Swish with water only directly to help cleanse any leftover residue from your teeth, and wait about 30 minutes to brush your teeth after that. 

If you have a sweet tooth, try to cut back how often you indulge, especially if your go-to is something sticky and crunchy, too. The bacteria in your mouth thrive on sugar, so consuming high amounts of sugar can leave you more susceptible to cavities and decay. 

See Dr. Ania 

Here at Dr. Ania’s, we pride ourselves in costuming every aspect of your dental care, including your cleanings. Having a dental cleaning done twice a year is an essential part of your oral health. Our hygienists will not only make your teeth sparkling clean, but will also educate you on your gum health and how you can best maintain a healthy mouth year round. Further, we’ll be able to help educate you on how your dental health plays a role in other conditions you might have, like high cholesterol and diabetes, both of which can affect the health of your gums. 

Make an Appointment with Dr. Ania Now

If you are ready to get on your way to better oral health, schedule an appointment with Dr. Ania now. Dr. Ania and her team are more than excited to meet you and help you get a healthy mouth. Call us now at (303)-872-9940.