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If you are, this post may cause you to start biting your nails. Onychophagia is the clinical word for nail biting, a common habit that many people develop when they are children. Like hair twirling or finger tapping, it’s usually done unconsciously. 

More than just bad for your nails and aesthetic, nail biting is also bad for your teeth. Most nail biters want to quit, but just can’t seem to kick the habit. Here are three things you can try to help you quit for good. 
Use a deterrent:

There are several products you can apply to your nails that deliver a nasty taste when you try to bite them. You can find these at almost any drug store, and they are very inexpensive. Because you probably don’t even notice when you are biting, it’s a great way to get your own attention.

Carry a set of clippers:
1. It’s difficult to bite your nails when they are well groomed, so carry a set of clippers in your pocket or purse. If you feel a sharp spot or edge on your nails, use the clippers before you have a chance to chew them.
2. Distraction your hands:
Try twirling a pen or squeezing a stress ball. Busy hands rarely make it to your mouth, so keep them occupied with something else. Not only will you bite your nails less, you’ll also improve your hand strength and dexterity!

Do you have other ideas to help someone quit biting their nails? Share them in the comments.

You might remember from my December post - I was part of a team of doctors from Bright Now Dental’s parent company, Smile Brands Inc., that recently returned from a mission trip to Asunción, Paraguay. We were led by President and CEO Steve Bilt, the executives and dentists spent 8 days visiting orphanages and nutrition centers, bringing critical dental care to residents who otherwise have no access to basic health services. Nicknamed SEAL Team One (Service Expedition Accelerating Leaders), the group performed over one thousand extractions and restorations, ultimately helping over 300 Paraguayan children in desperate need of care. Smile Brands Inc. and the Smiles for Everyone Foundation are planning two additional mission trips in 2012, to be announced in the coming months. We invite you to view the video below to get a sense of the life-changing experience of the Paraguay mission.

Do you love Julia Roberts’s wide, toothy grin? Or are you more a fan of Scarlett Johansson’s sultry, red carpet-glam smile? With so many beautiful smiles out there, it’s hard to choose. The one thing we can all agree on though, is a that a beautiful smile goes a long way. Not only do you come across beautiful on the outside, but a warm, radiant grin makes you look even more beautiful on the inside too! And of course, when we want some toothy inspiration, where else do we turn but celebs? Whether natural or enhanced, celebrities can almost always be counted on to flash a winner. Below are a few of my favorites, who do you think shines brightest on the red carpet?

Jessica Alba

It may be the glow of motherhood, but Jessica just shines from within. Her confidence and charm are radiated through her gleaming smile and I can’t help but put her on top of my list.

Chace Crawford and Blake Lively

I admit, the show Gossip Girl has this unexplainable ability to catch my eye. I may pause a little longer than I would like to disclose, but I can’t help but notice the great smiles. I have to say, “Serena” and “Nate” (whose names I know strictly from asking my son, I swear) have particularly sticking grins.

Gisele Bundchen

Well who can’t put the highest paid supermodel in the world on this list? Not only is she married to one of my favorite QBs, she’s got a grin that can light up a room with her perfectly straight teeth that are beautifully white.

When you work in a dental office, you often get asked about teeth whitening. Should I have my teeth professionally whitened? Are there negative side-effects? What about whitening toothpaste? No matter your question, the most important information I can share here is that the answer will vary for each person. Not all smiles are the same.

For some, simply using whitening toothpaste will give them the results they are looking for. For others, whitening toothpastes can cause sensitive teeth with very little benefit. Some people will see a big improvement from bleaching treatment, while others might not see any noticeable improvement. As with any smile related question, the best place to get information that is right for you is from your dentist or oral hygienist.

If you decide to whiten your teeth, be sure to avoid negating your efforts. Avoid things like tobacco, coffee and red wine which can cause staining. Need that caffeine fix in the morning? Try using a straw to reduce the contact with the front of your teeth. Also, keep in mind that staining takes time to set in; brush or rinse immediately after consuming a stain causing food or drink to keep your teeth white.

And remember, good oral hygiene practices are the best way to whiten your smile. White teeth may be attractive, but healthy teeth last. That means daily brushing and flossing, regular dental visits and a healthy diet.

If you’re reading this, you are one of nearly seven billion people who got a wonderful gift this week, one that was a lot better than a fuzzy reindeer sweater.  At midnight last Saturday, we all got a brand new year.  That’s  366 days (yep, 2012 is a leap year) and I plan to make the most of all of them.  If you’re at a loss about what to do with all that time, here are five ideas to get you going.

1.    Smile more, and not just at people you know. Treat strangers to a big grin. It’s good for you. Really.  A study by the British Dental Health Foundation says smiling has the mood-elevating power of eating 2,000 chocolate bars, without the calories or the cavities! Besides, you might just make somebody else’s day.

2.    Celebrate getting a year older. Hey, it beats the alternative. Don’t wait for your birthday, either. Schedule a few very merry un-birthdays throughout the year.

3.    Step outside your comfort zone every chance you get.  I’m not talking about taking up sky diving (but go right ahead if you want to). Just little tweaks to your routine like shopping at a different grocery store or wearing bright purple can help knock you out of a rut.

4.    Breathe. Deeply.  Have you ever noticed how you hold your breath when you’re nervous or stressed out? Taking long, slow deep breaths can help relieve tension and clear the fuzz out of your brain. 

5.    Carve out a few minutes a day to be alone and daydream. Hide in the bathroom or sit in your car if you have to, but spend a little time thinking about anything except your million-things-to-do list. Let your imagination run amok. It’s free and it could be the little push you need to make a dream come true.

How will you use your new year’s gift of time? Better get going, it’s already January 9th!

What does it mean if your dentist or hygienist tells you your child needs sealants? First of all, it’s an easy procedure with little to no discomfort – no numbing and if any drilling is done, it is minimal. And secondly, it’s one of the best proactive steps you can take to protect your child’s teeth against decay.

What we do is apply a thin coating of plastic or  composite in the grooves on the permanent back teeth. These “chewing surfaces” are the most likely places for children, and even teenagers, to develop tooth decay. The sealant or preventive restorative resin coats the tooth and helps keep food particles and germs from getting into the grooves. Think of it as locking down teeth with protective armor against the bacteria that would like to break in and do some serious damage. Most sealants are clear, so you can’t even tell they are there, while PRRs are tooth colored. Most children can barely feel the difference on their teeth.

While normally sealants or PRRs are provided for children as soon as their permanent teeth come in, some adults may need sealants if they never received them as children or are at greater risk for dental caries.

Sealants and PRRs can last for many years. Occasionally, your dentist may touch up the sealant on one or two teeth.  But just because your child has sealants doesn’t mean you can slow down with brushing, flossing and fluoride rinsing. Sealants are just one part of a  comprehensive, smart dental prevention plan for growing children.

With the new year fast approaching, I’ve been thinking about what really matters. As always, family and friends top the list, so I’d like to share a story about both. Recently, I had the opportunity to  lead a team of fellow volunteers on a  mission to provide free dental care to people living in isolated and low income communities in Paraguay.

Before we ever got on the plane, we had to meet some pretty daunting challenges. Imagine having fewer than six weeks to round up all the things needed to operate a modern dental office with no budget. We put a call out to all our Bright Now! dental offices  and our vendors.  These friends really came through with generous donations of supplies and equipment. We left for Paraguay with 24 crates.

More challenges awaited us in Paraguay. Some supplies didn’t arrive intact and a lot of our equipment died soon after arrival because of power compatibility problems. We faced language barriers and 12-hour days.  Once again, friends came through. Members of our team scrambled around the countryside to find replacement parts, while our local translators and guides pitched in as needed.

We visited Paraguay’s most remote areas. In some places, the children had never even been to a dentist. Their trust and cooperation was touching. Before long, we’d made more new friends. One of them was a small boy with a life-threatening tooth infection. Fortunately, we were able to drain the abscess, remove the tooth and put him on antibiotics to cure the infection. By the time we left, he was already feeling much better. At another village, I noticed a shy little boy who kept moving to the back of the line. Eventually he found the courage to tap me on the shoulder and show me the baby tooth he’d pulled out all by himself. I had another new amigo!

During our visit, we were also able to befriend local dentists, who had never seen many of the surgical techniques or instruments we were using. With a little training, they were quickly able to see what could be done with these new tools. It was a pleasure to leave 13 crates of modern dental equipment with our Paraguayan colleagues.

At the end of eight days, we had accomplished much more than we set out to do. We’d helped some great little kids, made new friends and gained a greater appreciation for what we have and what we can give. That’s what matters most of all.

How about you? What matters most in your life?

For those blessed with properly positioned wisdom teeth and a mouth large enough to accommodate them, wisdom teeth can be an asset. For many, however, wisdom teeth bring more problems than benefits and often must be removed.
Do you need your wisdom teeth removed?

That’s a question best suited for your dentist. As an oral hygienist, I have more to say about how to take care of your smile after the removal of some or all of your wisdom teeth.

1. Expect a little bleeding after the procedure, but don’t be alarmed. Just fold a fresh piece of gauze into a small square, place it over the empty tooth socket or incision, and bite down to apply pressure. The bleeding should subside in about 45 minutes.

2. As with any tooth removal or minor surgery, you can expect some level of pain. Most people find relief with ibuprofen or Tylenol, but your dentist may prescribe something heavier for the first few days. You can wean yourself off of these as the pain subsides.

3. Expect to be on a liquid diet for the first day or so, or at least until the anesthesia wears off. When you do resume normal eating, avoid hard or crunchy foods. Mash potatoes and pudding are your friends.

4. And I wouldn’t be a good oral hygienist if I didn’t reminding you to brush. Just be sure to wait until the bleeding subsides, and avoid the teeth directly adjacent to your former wisdom teeth for the first 24 hours. The next day, resume brushing these teeth as well, but be especially gentile.

We’ve all seen the commercials for power toothbrushes, usually featuring scenes of seemingly impenetrable plaque being scrubbed away with little effort. But is the electric toothbrush all it’s cracked up to be? Does it really clean your teeth better than manual brushing? The answer is not a simple one. Like anything else, there are pros and cons with each option, and there is no one-size-fits-all toothbrush for everyone.

Electric toothbrushes have a lot of great feature that make them an attractive choice. Many have built in timers to help you know how long to brush, and the moving bristles and/or sonic waves can help break up plaque. The down side is that they can be expensive, and the ongoing cost of replacement heads can pile up. Be sure you know what you are getting into. Keep in mind, regularly replaced manual toothbrushes will do a better job of cleaning your teeth than worn out electric heads.

Manual toothbrushes are tried and true, and can work just fine if used properly. Technique is especially important with manual toothbrushes, because you have to do all the work. Many people develop bad habits, simply swabbing the toothbrush around for a few moments. Don’t just passively brush, pay attention. Avoid “spacing out” while brushing, taking care to clean all the surfaces.

So which toothbrush is best for you? The one that you will use frequently, and effectively. And don’t forget, no matter which toothbrush you decide to use, daily flossing and regular dental visits are still a must to keep your mouth healthy. Have questions? Stop in and ask your oral hygienist during your next dental visit.

We don’t tend to give our teeth much thought as we chomp through the day, that is, unless something is wrong. Sugars, acids, extreme temperatures, as well as the daily onslaught of chewing and biting can really do a number on our teeth. For those who have suffered from tooth pain due to damage, you know prevention is a much better alternative to treatment.

Brushing and flossing are great ways to keep your teeth healthy, but did you know diet can also affect your smile? Here is some food for thought about – well – food.